Question Period: Wednesday, May 12
Guess who?
For the first time this week, Premier DOUG FORD returned to the house riding on the coattails of good-news announcements. He punted the lead question from Opposition Leader ANDREA HORWATH, but eventually got into a volley.
HIGHLIGHTS: “Why did the Premier wait 5 days to call the military?” — Accountability and justice for LTC residents — Outdoor vs. indoor Covid restrictions don’t add up — Clearing the surgical backlog — Publicly table progress reports on long-term care — A legislative iron ring around for-profit LTC — Second-shot uncertainty — Internationally-trained physicians benched — $10-a-day childcare — Fixing social assistance and housing programs — Scrap 1 per cent cap on wage increases for nurses.
“Why did the Premier wait 5 days to call the military?”
TRANSCRIPT — Horwath: My question is to the Premier. Thank you for the opportunity, Speaker. The long-term-care commission, as we know, obtained notes from the long-term-care minister about some of her thoughts around what was happening at the beginning of the first wave of COVID-19 in long-term care. On April 17 she wrote this: “Military plan needed, get them in within 24-48 hours … homes spiral down quickly.”
The Premier didn’t ask for the Canadian Armed Forces to come in until about five days later. My question is: Why did the Premier wait five days to act on this urgent issue?
The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply on behalf of the government, the government House leader.
Hon. Paul Calandra: As the Leader of the Opposition will know from yesterday’s question period and the question period before, we were very grateful for the Canadian Armed Forces and the service that they provided the people of the province of Ontario. I know that they were active in other provinces as well.
As I said yesterday—and I know the Leader of the Opposition will appreciate this—we were on the defence for the better part of a year in the first wave of COVID-19, primarily because of the situation that the previous Liberal government had left the province’s long-term-care homes in. But we moved very quickly to address that, both before the pandemic, during the pandemic and since, whether it’s on a staffing strategy to bring in 27,000 additional PSWs, a buildout of our long-term-care homes—thousands of new homes—or the refurbishing of old homes so that we can eliminate the ward homes, a lot has been done. More needs to be done, but as I said yesterday and the day before, very grateful for the work of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Speaker: The supplementary question.
Horwath: I would hope that the Premier would show one iota of respect for these families and answer the questions that they have as to what went on in long-term care. The military personnel, when they arrived, found two particular homes that were in disgraceful disrepair: infested with cock coaches, infested with other animals, mould and mushrooms growing in the homes. They also found 26 seniors who died not of COVID-19 but of dehydration and neglect, is how they put it. Dehydration and neglect, “When all they need was ‘water and a wipe down.’”
The Minister of Long-Term Care knew that the Canadian Armed Forces needed to be called in urgently on April 17, but yet they were not requested until five days later. So my question is, when did the Ministry of Long-Term Care, the Minister of Long-Term Care ask the Premier to call in the military?
The Speaker: To reply, the Premier.
Hon. Doug Ford: I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. First of all, again I want to thank the military. I’ve always supported the military. They did a great job. They came in when we were under a crisis. There’s no secret about long-term care being under a crisis.
I first want to acknowledge the families who lost loved ones and who were impacted by what happened in long-term care. It was tragic and it was very troubling. It was a terrible situation. Our government called the commission to action to provide accountability and justice to the families as soon as possible.
Now all of our responsibilities are to fix the system. The system that was broken, Mr. Speaker for 15 years. A system that was ignored for 15 years under the NDP and the Liberal government. We’re throwing hundreds of millions of dollars, fixing the system. We’re making sure we’re building new long-term-care beds, new long-term rapid care facilities in long-term care. We’re going to fix the problem that was neglected for 15 years under the Liberal and NDP government.
Horwath: It’s really clear that the Premier just slid past the obligation for accountability and justice for those families, and that is not acceptable. The military trained for combat, these folks are expected to see the worst in their training, right? They were horrified by the very thought of having to go back into those homes. They didn’t want to go. In fact, one person said the thought of doing so “sucked the life right out of you.”
One medic said that he saw more death in one week alone in long-term care than he had seen in all of his tours of duty combined.
On April 17, the Minister of Long-Term Care noted that the military were needed immediately, in 24 hours, and yet it didn’t happen. So did she not pass that urgency on to the Premier, or did he just decide to wait five days instead of being urgent in the response?
Ford: Again, Mr. Speaker, as our military folks went in there, we’re very grateful. We’re very appreciative. And it just showed—I came out numerous times; there were problems. There were holes in the system, again, ignored and created for 15 years. Not even 15 years, and not Bob Rae, not Mike Harris, not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne could even fix the problem. They ignored the problem.
As a matter of fact, under the NDP and the Liberal government they created 600 beds. We’re going to create 30,000 new beds. We’re going to hire 28,000 new PSWs and nursing staff. We’re going to make sure every single home has air conditioning. Again, I go back to the CBC reporter who brought that up. We’re listening to people. As of yesterday, they have a plan for over 90% of the homes, didn’t have air conditioning into the rooms, into the common areas.
We’re going to fix every single problem that decades and multiple governments of all stripes failed. We will fix that problem once and for all.
Accountability and justice for LTC residents
Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. Speaker, on May 26 of last year the Premier promised families who watched their loved ones die in horrifying conditions in long-term care that they would have justice and they would get an investigation into what happened to their loved ones. Again in July, the Premier made the promise, “I made a commitment to our long-term care residents and their families that there would be accountability and justice.”
These are the Premier’s own words, back in July, but a year later—I’m sure the Premier knows this, but I’m going to remind him because he seems to have forgotten in response to the last question I asked—the accountability and justice has yet not arrived for the families who lost loved ones in long-term care, for the survivors of the horrors that happened all through last year.
My question is, a year after nothing has happened, why did the Premier break his promise to these families?
Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind the Leader of the Opposition I was the one who called for the commission. I was happy that the commission was putting together a report, I was happy the Auditor General was called for a report, I was happy that we called on OPP if there was anything that went wrong illegally to go in there and investigate. It was our government that did it.
According to the commission report, and I’m going to quote this, “Many of the challenges that had festered in the long-term-care sector for decades—chronic underfunding, severe staffing shortages”—again, under the NDP leadership and Liberal leadership—“outdated infrastructure and poor oversight—contributed to deadly consequences for Ontario’s most vulnerable citizens during the pandemic.” That was quoted from the commission.
My question is what did the Leader of the Opposition do for 15 years—15 years when these homes were in disarray? We’re going fix the problem, we’re going build thousands of new beds—
The Speaker: Thank you. Supplementary?
Horwath: The reports are many, there’s just no doubt about it, but they describe horrors. Of course, we’ve just seen recently some military reports—debriefing notes from the military. Here’s what they were dealing with: Cockroaches and animal infestations, residents literally abandoned in their beds crying out for help, management denying military teams access to crucial—crucial—information in the medical charts of these residents. One Canadian Armed Forces member said this, “Management should be charged.” That’s what the military opinion was of the situation.
Why didn’t this Premier act immediately? Why did he break his promise to the families in Ontario for that justice and accountability that they so deserve? To this day, he is still denying accountability and justice for families. Why?
The Speaker: Government House leader.
Calandra: I think just the opposite. I think what you’ve seen is that the Premier, as he just said, was very quick to ensure that a commission of inquiry was called. The Auditor General has done an investigation on this. We had started well in advance of the pandemic to address some of the problems that we knew were part of the long-term-care system: The chronic underfunding of the system, the fact that only 600 beds had been built in the decade leading up to the pandemic. We were addressing a lot those issues. Thousands of new PSWs who will be coming into the system; thousands of new beds; refurbishing old, outdated buildings; four hours of care. These are things we’re doing, in addition to the transition to the Ontario health team so that there is a blanket of care. Whether it’s long-term care, home care, acute care or increasing ICU beds, we are taking the actions that should have been taken decades before. We’re doing it now, before, during and after the pandemic.
Horwath: Our Canadian Armed Forces personnel were pretty clear: In their opinion, what happened was criminal. “This was criminal,” is what they said. I wrote to the OPP commissioner last week, and, on Monday, I received the response that they are reviewing my request asking them to look at what the CAF described. This Premier, this minister, any one of those cabinet ministers on the other side, should have taken the initiative to march those Canadian Armed Forces notes and reports straight over to the OPP for review.
My question is why, instead of doing that, did they bring legislation forward to protect private operators of long-term care and the government from accountability and justice?
The Speaker: The Premier to reply.
Ford: Again, just to compare notes here, over a few short years, a couple of years, our government is investing $9.6 billion that the previous government and the NDP just never do. They just left it there. They invested zero into long-term care. We’re exceeding the NDPs own platform target of a 30% increase in spending by 2028. With our pandemic pay program alone, we hired 8,636 staff.
On the budget, we contained $4.9 billion in new funding over four years to reach standards of four hours of care, which is really unheard of—four hours of care. So, we’re blazing a new trail in Canada and in the US with this four hours of care and a lot of people are going to follow our lead.
Interjections.
The Speaker: The official opposition will come to order.
Outdoor vs. indoor Covid restrictions don’t add up
Ms. Catherine Fife (NDP): My question is to the Premier. Speaker, three weeks ago, a journalist asked the science table’s Dr. Peter Jüni if the science table advised the Premier to close outdoor recreational activities like tennis and golf courses. Dr. Jüni said, “No, of course not. The opposite....”
Ontario’s science table has been clear: allowing a safe outdoor recreational activity is smart, and by shutting these things down, the Premier and cabinet are not getting to the root cause of the pandemic, which is indoor spread. Restrictions on the outdoors disproportionately affect and harm children and people who don’t have access to their own green space.
My question is to the government and to the Premier: Who advised cabinet to close outdoor recreational facilities in the first place, and what evidence was used to make that decision?
Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: I have a great deal of respect for the health table and the science table. We did receive a couple of messages there to limit mobility so we wanted to limit mobility.
When I asked Dr. Brown from the science table, he has a little chart: yes/no; what you can do; what you can’t do. When it was outdoor playgrounds—I just saw it last week and will send a copy over to the Leader of the Opposition—it had a big no to it. Yes, to open it up if everyone wore masks. Mr. Speaker, when you drive by those playgrounds, how many people do you see wearing a mask? You don’t see anyone wearing a mask.
So, there was a little bit of a message: Limit mobility, make sure everyone stays at home, but in other cases, if they go out, everyone has to wear a mask. I understand that. The good news is, Mr. Speaker, numbers are levelling off. The protocol and the guidelines are working.
Mr. Speaker, I listen to everyone but I listen to Dr. Williams. He’s the Chief Medical Officer and he believes that people need to limit mobility. They need to stay home.
Fife: Speaker, on Monday, the Toronto Board of Health unanimously voted to ask the government to walk back the closures of outdoor amenities. Closing these facilities was not based on science or health.
Dr. de Villa put it nicely, saying: “There’s a real opportunity to use the outdoors and use the warm weather ... as allies to help us support people in enjoying better physical health, enjoying better mental health and at the same time doing it in a way that reduces the spread of COVID-19.”
Speaker, there is overwhelming evidence and support for safe outdoor activities. Instead of cabinet ministers debating the question “to golf or not to golf,” please take this question off the table focus on opening schools and creating safer workplaces. Work with our science table to lift the restrictions on outdoor recreation with clear communication guidelines. This is possible.
Will the government commit to this action today? You actually can do something right, right here, right now, during this pandemic.
Ford: Speaker, I appreciate the question. I always go down to root cause. Root cause: Why are we in this situation, Mr. Speaker? We’re in the situation because—
Interjections.
The Speaker: Take your seat. Opposition, come to order. Premier, please reply.
Ford: The variants—we know 90% of all cases flew into this country or came across the border into this country. As the report came out, one third of the people who are supposed to be staying in a quarantine hotel don’t even bother staying in there. We have thousands of people who come through Pearson—150,000 in the last two weeks—crossing the borders into Canada, with two separate rules. There are thousands of people coming here with the variants and it’s being spread right across the province.
We need the federal government to have tougher restrictions at the land borders, tougher restrictions at Pearson, tougher restrictions flying in from across the country—
The Speaker: Thank you. The next question.
Clearing the surgical backlog
Ms. Jill Andrew: My question is to the Premier. We now know that the Financial Accountability Office estimates that the surgical backlog in Ontario will require $1.3 billion and nearly 3.5 years to clear. But the government’s budget is approximately $700 million short of what is needed to get folks the surgeries they desperately need. The government’s failure to provide this money means that our community members across Ontario will suffer worsening health conditions, pain, loss of mobility and severe depression.
My question to the Premier is, will the Premier and his Conservative government spend the money which they have and clear the backlog ASAP? If not, what is their rationale for not investing in people and leaving our community members in unbearable pain?
The Speaker: To reply, the Minister of Health.
Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. Unfortunately, we have had to postpone some surgeries and procedures. As we did between the first and second waves, we are now having to do this in the third wave, because, as the member will know, our hospitals are very crowded right now with COVID-19 patients, as well as our ICUs. Although the numbers are starting to go down, they are not yet at the point where we can resume those scheduled surgeries and procedures.
We are watching this on daily basis because we know that many people have been waiting for a long time to have these surgeries done, but I think it’s also important to note that prior to this phase coming forward, we had already put over $500 million into bringing forward these surgeries so that our hospitals could operate longer hours, evenings and weekends. We’re are ?? a regional wait-list, and as soon as we can get back to performing those surgeries and procedures, we will certainly do so because we know it’s important to the people of Ontario.
Andrew: The surgical backlog is impacting my community members like Gloria, a senior, who has been waiting in excruciating pain, now completely immobile because of delays to her hip replacement.
Failing to invest and clear the surgical backlog means people like Gloria will see their health decline for months, even years, before surgery is scheduled. These delays can cause irreversible decline in health and has worsened conditions like Gloria’s degenerative osteoarthritis. All she’s ever known is that she’s on some mythical wait-list. She doesn’t nowhere she is on the wait-list, how long it’ll take, whose wait-list—nothing. This government is responsible for her care, but since last summer she has heard nothing; not even whether or not she’ll have to wait weeks, months or years for her surgery. The lines of communication are non-existent for Gloria and many others who have contacted me and the government.
Question: Why is the Conservative government failing to provide essential health care funding to help people like Gloria get the surgery they so desperately need? You’ve got the funds. Help Gloria—
The Speaker: Thank you. I’ll remind members to make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor of the House. Minister of Health, please reply.
Elliott: Thank you, Speaker. It’s important to know that money will be helpful when we’re able to resume those surgeries so that we can start hastening them. Right now, it’s a question of space in our hospitals. Right now, our hospitals are full of COVID patients. We are starting to see the numbers go down. We’re starting to see the numbers in our intensive care units go down. Right now, we need both the spaces in hospitals and the staff to care for the very ill COVID-19 patients. But we recognize that others are waiting. We have put $500 million into hastening these surgeries when we’re able to do them, and we are watching this on a very careful daily basis.
This is a priority for our government to make sure the health and the well-being of all Ontarians is our top priority. We want to get to those surgeries, but we are not able to do that until the numbers come down more in our hospitals.
Andrew: Then why not fund it? Fund it.
The Speaker: The member for Toronto–St. Paul’s, come to order. The next question?
Publicly table progress reports on LTC
Mr. John Fraser (Liberal): My question’s for the Premier. It’s been 12 days since the long-term care commission released their final report outlining 85 recommendations that the government must undertake to improve conditions in long-term care. On Monday, I introduced our private member’s Bill 290 that fulfills the 85th recommendation in that report. The bill mandates the government to report on the progress they’ve made in implementing the remaining recommendations in the commission’s report in one year and again three years from now. It’s the easiest and simplest measure in the report for this government to implement.
Speaker, through you, will the Premier make reporting mandatory by passing Bill 290 or introducing legislation of his own that will require the government to publicly report on the progress they’ve made to implement the commission recommendations?
The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And to reply, the Premier.
Hon. Doug Ford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for the question. I’m glad that Johnny-come-lately just all of a sudden came up with this after being down here for 15 years.
The Speaker: I’m just going to remind the Premier that we use riding names or ministerial titles.
Ford: Yes. I apologize. Mr. Speaker, again, I’m glad the member came up with this after 15 years of coming here and being able to build—what was it? —600 hundred homes. We take the commission’s report very seriously. We’re well on our way to making sure that we fix the problems in some of the areas that the commission came out with. Mr. Speaker, just to again remind you, we’ve allocated over 20,000 beds to date—more than two thirds our 30,000 commitment, and there are thousand of beds under construction as we speak right now—the rapid builds. We have rapid builds going around Toronto and the GTA that are going to be ready by 2022. We’re hiring 27,000 new PSWs and nurses, and again, I go back to the four hours of daily direct care.
Fraser: The Premier said last May that he’d build an iron ring around long-term care. That never happened. More residents died in the second than in the first. Then after the release of the military’s report, which outlined how 26 residents died from dehydration and other squalid conditions, the Premier said, “We’ve launched an investigation and the results will be turned over to police.” That never happened either. The answer that I’m hearing from the Premier right now feels like the same thing: “Don’t worry, we’re going to take care of it.” Well, Ontarians can have no confidence that the government is going to take care of it.
Speaker, the Premier can assign blame wherever he wants and make fun of me, but the reality is our collective responsibility is to ensure that every single one of those of recommendations in the report is reported on. So I’m going to ask the Premier again, and hopefully he can give just a simple yes or no: Will he pass legislation mandating the government to publicly report on the progress in the recommendations of his own long-term care commission’s report?
Ford: Again, through you, Mr. Speaker, I find it very rich and ironic that the member of the Liberal Party that was down here for 15 years did absolutely nothing to protect the most vulnerable, did nothing to protect the long-term-care system as a whole.
We are moving. People can see the difference—right now, they can see they difference. We’re making sure that we’re making the appropriate changes that the commission recommended, making sure we’re making the appropriate changes that the Auditor General recommended. We’re well on our way to making sure that we have a sustainable long-term-care system in this province. We’re pouring money into it. We’re pouring staff into it—as I mention again, 28,000 new PSWs and nurses.
These two governments sat by and watched it all happen and did absolutely nothing to protect these most vulnerable people. We’re doing something—
The Speaker: Thank you.
Interjections.
The Speaker: Order. Order. Okay, I’m going to caution everybody on their language. Order.
A legislative iron ring around for-profit LTC
Mrs. Lisa Gretzky (NDP): My question is to the Premier. COVID-19 took a deadly toll on long-term-care homes. The Premier promised an iron ring around long-term care in the first wave of COVID-19, yet more seniors died in the second wave than in the first. His iron ring was a myth. It never materialized.
At the Village at St. Clair in my riding, hundreds of residents and staff got COVID; almost 40 people died. The CAF and long-term-care commission reports confirmed that this government failed long-term-care residents. Staff carried the burden of the pandemic on their shoulders largely alone, ignored by this government. “Staff told the commission about crying before, during and after work, vomiting in locker rooms from stress, and watching residents whom they loved die in great numbers.”
Lives could have been saved if this government—this government now—had stepped up to protect staff and residents. Instead, they put a legislative iron ring around private, for-profit corporations and themselves. Will the Premier take responsibility for his failure to protect long-term-care staff and residents, and implement the long-term-care commission’s recommendations immediately?
Calandra: As I’ve said, we are well on our way to doing just that. There is no doubt, as I’ve said on a number of occasions, we were certainly on the defence for the first part of the COVID-19 crisis. Predominantly, we had seen what the underinvestment by previous governments had meant to long-term care: understaffing and not enough long-term care homes. I talked about the enormous waiting lists in my own riding with respect to long-term-care-home placements. We had outdated homes that needed to be refurbished. We saw a lot of that.
The pandemic, yes, made it worse but we were trying to catch up before, during and after. What we’ve done, as the Premier has talked about, is hire thousands of additional staff. We’re building hundreds—thousands—of new places, four hours of care. There is a lot of work that needs to be done. We are finally on the offence in this province when it comes to attacking COVID-19, with over six million doses in arms. We are on our way to a better long-term-care system, to a better result for all Ontarians.
Gretzky: To the government House leader: To be on the defence you actually have to be in the game, instead of on the sidelines like your government was. Some 4,000 long-term-care residents died on this government’s watch. The Canadian Armed Forces report revealed that 26 seniors died from neglect, simply needing “water and a wipe down.” I’ll say it again: Seniors died because they weren’t given water, and that was during this Conservative government’s watch. It is on them.
The long-term-care commission wrote, “As a result of staff shortages, and with no family members to help, residents were confined to their rooms for extended periods without access to recreation programs or visitors” and experienced symptoms of what is known as ‘confinement syndrome.” Families could have been safely there to get residents water and provide support. Congregate care homes continue—continue to this day—to refuse residents access to their designated caregivers as this government tinkers with unenforceable directives.
Speaker, my Bill 203, the More Than a Visitor Act, passed second reading in September. Will the Premier immediately make it law so no resident in congregate care is forced to suffer from neglect or isolation like this again?
Calandra: It certainly is on us to fix the system that was broken, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Before the pandemic even hit, we had identified the serious problems in long-term care. Understaffing: We knew that staff was getting trained but not staying in the system, so we studied that, and now we’ve come up with a plan to hire over 27,000 new PSWs for the system. We knew that there was chronic underfunding, which led to no new homes being built. Before the pandemic, we began building thousands of new homes, including 600 new spaces in my riding alone. During the pandemic, we announced even more funding for long-term-care homes. We’re on our way to 30,000 new long-term-care spaces, Mr. Speaker. We began to phase out the ward rooms, because we saw that that was a problem.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving mountains to fix a system that had been so chronically underfunded in the 15 years before we got there. It’s our responsibility to fix it.
Second-shot uncertainty
Mr. Stephen Blais (Liberal): My question is for the Minister of Health.
Mr. Speaker, the minister knows very well that there have been significant challenges organizing, booking and distributing the first dose of the vaccine. Now, more and more Ontarians are approaching the timeline to think about their second dose, and anxiety about how this is going to work is sinking in.
Some people received an exact date for their second dose; others have received information that’s more nebulous. Some have been given date ranges. Some have been given telephone numbers to follow up. Others have received absolutely no information whatsoever. Now the government has also ended the use of AstraZeneca for second doses and provided very little information as to what that means for the hundreds of thousands of Ontarians who received it as a first dose.
Needless to say, Mr. Speaker, the process for the second dose isn’t looking like it’s going to be much better than the first. When will the government come forward with a clear plan and process to ensure all Ontarians understand how to receive their second dose?
Elliott: Thank you to the member for the question. Actually, there is a very clear plan in place that is rolling out very well. We have administered vaccines to almost six and a half million people, which is over 50% of the population of Ontario over 18. In addition to that, we have 4.9 million doses already booked, some for second doses, some for first doses.
The plan is rolling forward. It is clear. If you have booked your first vaccine through the online booking system, you will already have your second dose booked. The pharmacies have asked to use their own system, which is the system that they use for booking flu vaccines. We have directed them to book the second dose at the same time as the first dose. That is happening in most of the pharmacies, but not all of them right now, and we are working to get them to move forward with that so that people, everyone in Ontario, will know when their second dose is.
With respect to AstraZeneca, the member is right, we have put a pause on further doses of AstraZeneca while we await the results of reviews to be done by Public Health Ontario or Ontario Health and Health Canada—
Interjection.
Blais: Thank you for the heckles from the Solicitor General. What is clear, Mr. Speaker, is that not all pharmacies are booking the second dose. Pop-up clinics aren’t booking the second dose. There are tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Ontarians who don’t know when they’re going to get their second dose. Now, with the AstraZeneca situation, that number is only completely multiplied exponentially.
Everyone can understand the science is evolving, but it’s hard to understand how an important and meaningful decision that was announced yesterday could have been done without there being any kind of path or clear information, going forward. The government has already elongated the second dose of the vaccination window, and so it has time to decide and to communicate. But communications isn’t this government’s forte. We all know that, Mr. Speaker. And just-in-time delivery, while it works for Amazon and Walmart, it doesn’t work for your health.
When will the government tell those hundreds of thousands of people who have already received AstraZeneca how and when they’re going to get a second dose of the vaccine?
Elliott: Well, I would just indicate to the member opposite that the vast majority of people aren’t due to receive their second dose if they received a first dose of AstraZeneca until June, so there is time for us to receive the information that we need to receive from Health Canada and from NACI with respect to the continued safety of AstraZeneca.
The health and well-being of the people of Ontario is our foremost priority, and so we have them already in the system. We know when their second doses are coming up. When it has been determined what the second dose should be, if it’s not AstraZeneca—because we are awaiting results of the NACI determination of what’s gone on in the UK—people will be informed. We have a system. We already have 4 million people who are booked for their second doses. We’ve already given 50% of the people of Ontario over 18 their vaccines. Clearly, the system is working.
Internationally-trained physicians benched
Ms. Doly Begum (NDP): My question is to the Premier, Speaker, yesterday the Toronto Star reported on internationally trained physicians who are forced to sit on the sidelines and watch as this pandemic unfolds. “People are dying,” said Dr. Shafi Bhuiyan, “and our government is failing to use the tools at hand.”
I’ve spoken to Dr. Bhuiyan and many other qualified physicians who are asking why the province chose to spend resources on flying in doctors from other provinces when we have untapped resources here at home?
Will the government call on the thousands of qualified ready-to-practise, internationally trained physicians who are here in Ontario and desperate to help relieve the pressure of this punishing third wave?
Elliott: We are very grateful for the people who have come in from other jurisdictions to help us but we also recognize that we have very many talented health professionals in Ontario as well. We have asked some of the people who have been trained in other jurisdictions, who are now living in Ontario, to help out. They have applied through the portal and they have been matched with hospitals, long-term-care homes and other locations, so we’re grateful for their efforts, and we are utilizing their talents as well.
Begum: Speaker, that portal was an insult to a lot of these physicians. Because of this government’s inactions, and what we’re hearing from the hospitals, is that patients will be left waiting three and a half years for surgeries as a result of COVID triaging, yet there are over 13,000 internationally trained physicians here in Ontario, 3,500 of whom have already taken all of their qualifying exams and have been working in our health care systems in various capacities who were left out of this province’s pandemic health care strategy. Speaker, they want to help.
Dr. Puja is an ENT specialist and surgeon from India who spent years working free and unpaid jobs simply to help people and gain experience. In a crisis like this, it makes no sense to leave talented and eager people on the sidelines.
So, again, my question is, Mr. Speaker, why won’t this government let Dr. Puja and doctors alike relieve and revive our health care system as we navigate this punishing third wave?
Elliott: I’m sure the member will be aware that it’s the College of Physicians and Surgeons that makes that determination as to whether someone will be able to practise in their specialty or as a family doctor in Ontario. That is up to the physician to make arrangements to write the exams and whatever needs to be done to be approved by the college to practise in their desired area. However, the internationally trained doctors and others are of great help in our hospitals right now. We have matched them, as close as possible, to the work that they wish to do through the portal. They are performing incredible work on the front lines, working with patients with COVID and other issues as we fight this third wave. But their talents are appreciated. They are working in the system and they will continue to do so. We’re grateful for their work.
$10-a-day childcare
Ms. Mitzie Hunter (Liberal): My question is to the Premier. With children and parents having been stuck at home for the better part of a year, parents are concerned about the growing learning gaps for children. Women’s careers and earning potential are also developing gaps as well. Parents are wondering about what their children can do this summer. What are the plans for summer programs?
How is the government going to address support to these learning gaps? If summer is cancelled, what does this mean for September? Speaker, children, parents and women are looking for some leadership from this government. The federal government and the Ontario Liberals put forward an option of hope with a $10-a-day daycare plan and programs for before and after school. Will this government put aside its partisan politics and work with us on providing hope to Ontario families?
Calandra: It’s, as usual, a very multi-faceted question from the member opposite. The member, of course, will understand that we are doing everything that we can by all the public health measures that we have put in place to ensure that Ontario can get back to normal as soon as possible. That has been the goal of the measures that we have brought in place, really since the beginning but surely during this third wave. The member will, of course, obviously recognize the fact that we have also flooded vaccines into high-risk areas; 50% of our vaccines are going into some of these high-risk areas and essential workplaces.
The goal of the government is to get things back to normal as soon as possible for all Ontarians, Mr. Speaker, and that includes for our students. The Minister of Education brought forward, I think, through this past year, a nationwide-leading program to make sure that our schools are safe for our children. I know the Minister of Finance has been working to ensure that women who have been impacted by the pandemic more so than others have a better place in our economy—
Hunter: Back to the Premier. Speaker, we know that the COVID hot-spot communities are still raging with test positivity. In the Morningside postal code in Scarborough, the test positivity per 100,000 is well over 1,200. Dr. Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer, said that in order for this province to reopen, the test positivity has to be well below 1,000 per 100,000 residents. In our hot-spot communities, we are nowhere near achieving that.
My question to this government is, what is your plan to extend the 50% vaccine allocation to COVID hot-spot communities like the Morningside community in Scarborough so that we can get people vaccinated as quickly as possible and look forward to all Ontarians re-opening from the lockdown?
Elliott: Thank you very much. The member will be aware that we have dedicated 50% of incoming vaccines for the weeks of May 3 and May 10 to get the numbers down in the hot-spot areas. I can tell the member that this is working, that we are seeing a difference, that the numbers that are being delivered are helping to turn around the numbers that we’re seeing in the hot-spot areas. We’re starting to see the numbers come down in terms of overall cases and we’re starting to see the numbers come down in intensive care, so it’s clear that the plan is working, that this two weeks of intense saturation of cases within the ridings with the hot-spot areas is actually working. There will be information that will be available very shortly with more specific information on that.
Fixing social assistance and housing programs
Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens (NDP): My question is to the Premier. People from my community are finding housing unaffordable. When they have to rent, residents are finding the market overpriced and cruel. Ashley Callaghan is a single mother of four recently evicted by an investor that does not reside in St. Catharines. Ashley almost ended up the streets with her children when she was unable to find a rental place, and then she found one at the last minute. Ashley is an ODSP recipient and so almost all of her money now goes to rent. At $2,000 a month, her new rent is double what she had to pay before. That is what the affordability deficit looks like in Niagara. It is rent or food, Speaker.
Premier, what are you going to do today to address a wildly outdated provincial assistance program and a housing market that leave residents with nowhere to turn?
Calandra: A very good question from the member opposite, especially given the fact that this government has been working on affordability, really, since day one. I know the member would appreciate all of the things that we have done to make it more affordable to live in the province of Ontario. We understand how important it is for people to have either their first home or a place to rent. But that is why yesterday’s announcement and what the Premier has been working on so hard with respect to transit and transportation is so important, because it’s not just about transit and transportation, it’s about, as the associate minister talked about, transit-oriented communities.
I’m sure the members opposite would agree with me that when you have transit-oriented communities, when you build homes where people can get around and move around, it will make a huge difference for the people of the province of Ontario. Whether it’s transit-oriented communities that are coming through this massive investment, whether it’s the expansion of GO train services, two-way, all-day GO train services, in different parts of the province where it has never been before, including in the member’s own area. There is a lot of work being done, more to do, and I hope that the member will support us on making life more affordable.
Stevens: When you’re living on ODSP, you cannot even afford transit, let alone put food on the table. Last week, the local paper reported skyrocketing food applications in Niagara. That same week, our social sector in Niagara released a joint statement that they need help from upper levels of government. This is the canary in the coal mine. Creating an affordable housing market is one solution, so is increasing what social assistance recipients benefit from, especially when it comes to paying rent or buying a home in Niagara, as it is becoming increasingly more difficult. Families like Ashley’s that are recipients of the Ontario Disability Support Program are receiving below-poverty support from this province and this government.
Will the Premier commit to a long-overdue review of Ontario Works and review the Ontario Disability Support Program to ensure that families like Ashley’s will not be pushed into a housing market where they cannot afford to put food on the table for their children?
The Speaker: The Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues.
Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for that question. Like yourself, I have heard housing concerns across the province. We know programs like Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program are so critical to helping those who have lost their job or those who are unable to work, but the system itself is facing challenges that limit our ability to help these people get back on their feet, and the COVID pandemic exacerbated those challenges.
Working alongside our municipal partners, we have developed a shared vision for social assistance. We are moving ahead to improve services. Along with the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, we are improving access to employment and training services, and helping to connect those people with meaningful work in their communities. We are also making it easier to access services with new digital tools and modern systems. These changes will transform the system to provide better support for our most vulnerable people and allow front-line service providers to focus on supporting those people.
Scrap 1 per cent cap on wage increases for nurses
Mr. Mike Schreiner: I want to thank nurses on International Nurses Day and just say it has never been more clear how essential nurses are to caring for our loved ones. To use the Premier’s term, nurses are the champions of the pandemic, health care heroes. But the Premier has capped their wages at 1%. These heroes deserve more than kind words, they deserve a real pay increase, not a below-inflation wage cut. Will the Premier repeal Bill 124 and give our health care heroes the pay raise they deserve?
The Speaker: Member for Willowdale to reply.
Mr. Stan Cho: Thank you very much, Speaker. Our government absolutely supports our critical front-line workers, and that includes our nurses. I want to wish them all a very happy nurse week. We will celebrate the vital services that they provide every single day to protect the health and safety of Ontarians. Ontario’s public sector employees, under Bill 124, will still be able to receive salary increases for merit, seniority, performance and increased qualifications as they do currently. It’s important to note that since its introduction, collective agreements, covering over 340,000 unionized public sector employees, have been settled in compliance with this act. This represents over 40% of unionized employees in the broader public sector.
Our government will continue to protect the people of Ontario, the finances of Ontario and a sustainable public sector in Ontario not just for today but for many generations to come.
The Speaker: That concludes our question period for this morning.