Not even two weeks ago, I asked the Premier about a fraction of the funding the Greater Hamilton Health Network is going to receive as one-time funding. This is an Ontario health team who brought many expert voices to the table to build a plan which, if fully funded, would provide 55,000 Hamilton-area residents with a family doctor, a health team that has innovative strategies, dedicated home care professionals and team-based care close to home.

The minister talks a good game but is leaving people without a family doctor. Premier, why are you undermining and underfunding the very same groups that you created?

I’m proud to be able to introduce this petition which has been floating around for more than a few months now, since the introduction of Bill 74, vulnerable persons alert. This bill was created to create a vulnerable persons alert to help police and community in a time where a vulnerable person goes missing.

It started, unfortunately, with the death of Draven Graham a young boy with autism who went missing in his community and, unfortunately, was found deceased when they actually were able to find him, as well as Shirley Love, a senior in the Hamilton community who had dementia and was missing for days before she, unfortunately, was found deceased also.

The missing persons alert would help the community have the opportunity to see first-hand when a person goes missing in their geographical area and help the police aid in ensuring that a vulnerable person comes home safely to their loved ones in a very timely manner.

So I wholeheartedly support this bill, will affix my name to it and give it to page Simon to bring to the Clerk.

Once again, I would like to thank Dr. Sally Palmer for sending in these petitions and her endless work on ensuring that people on social assistance in the province of Ontario have their rates doubled.

We know that people on social services are living well below the poverty line. Quite frankly, it’s legislated poverty: people on Ontario Works, $733, no increase in over a decade; for people on Ontario Disability Support Program, a very meagre increase took them to $1,308. This does not leave enough money for rent.

This petition states that there are 230 organizations that wrote a letter to the Premier and to the minister urging the government to double the ODSP rates so people have quality of life in the province of Ontario.

I wholeheartedly support this petition. I’m going to affix my signature to it and give it to page Ryder to bring to the Clerk.

I have a petition that was sent with thousands of signatures from the RNAO, the RNs of this province who are desperate for a plan to be able to retain and recruit nurses. The vacancies are—we would need 24,000 filled positions to be able to make up the difference of shortfalls that we’re seeing within our nurses and RNs, who are feeling the burnout, are feeling the stress of not having enough support on the floor of our hospitals and their workplaces to be able to keep Ontarians safe. It needs to be a priority for this government.

I wholeheartedly support this: ensuring that there are enough RNs in the province of Ontario to ensure a healthy society. I will affix my signature to it and give it to page Duncan to give to the Clerk.