You know what we are doing? Training more PSWs, more nurses, initiatives like the Ontario Learn and Stay program. We have 3,500 graduates coming through the program that are nurses, lab techs and paramedics in underserved regions of the province. These students have their educational costs covered by the government in order to fill those spaces. In fact, there are actually six students for every nursing space in Ontario. This is a growing profession, and we have students across the province who are looking to become nurses.

We are going to continue to work with our post-secondary partners to ensure that we have nurses, paramedics, lab techs and PSWs across Ontario.

It sounds like the member is in favour of increasing tuition. Under the leadership of this Premier, we are going to ensure that students have affordable and accessible education in the province. That’s why we’re investing a historic $1.3 billion in post-secondary education. That’s an additional $100 million for the 65,000 STEM graduates out there and the 30,000 nursing students in our system.

We have an incredible, world-class post-secondary education system in Ontario, and we are going to ensure that with $1.3 billion, we are giving schools the affordability and the predictability that they need to ensure that we have and continue to have world-class education here in this province.

Mississauga–Malton. Thank you. His daughter is actually in her first year at the University of Windsor and is part of the Ontario Learn and Stay program. It’s exciting to see a new young nurse will be graduating into the Windsor area to help with the nursing that will be needed at the new Windsor hospital and all the that’s work being done in their community.

Interjections.

This type of program can truly make the difference between a student who has maybe never even considered post-secondary education because they believe that they can’t afford it and a student who has the opportunity to train for and land an in-demand job when they graduate, with many of their education costs completely paid for.

I’ll tell you, Madam Speaker, when I was in my riding last spring at the high school graduations that were happening, I was paying special attention to the students who were going into nursing programs, paramedics and lab tech programs. I actually went over to one young lady and her family after because I remembered the school she was going to, and she was going into nursing. I said, “Have you heard of Ontario Learn and Stay?” Her mom said, “Yes, and we are registering for it.” It’s good to see these young people getting their tuition paid for and helping to serve in those underserved areas.

Specifically, the grant will support students entering eligible nursing, paramedic and medical lab tech programs in underserved communities across Ontario. Once the students finish their training, they are incentivized to remain in the underserved regions of Ontario for a period of service—places where they will have already started laying down their roots, making friends, supporting local businesses and building connections with the community, maybe even meeting that special someone there and deciding that this is where they want to continue after those two years are over. They might find themselves working at a local health care facility or directly for one of the local ambulance services.

The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant gives students a helping hand in their decision to not just study in underserved communities but also stay there to begin rewarding careers and make an impact in the communities. We need a strong, sustainable system with a trained and professional workforce ready to support underserved regions, bolstering the province’s health care system to support the people of Ontario now and in the future. Training health care workers will add much-needed capacity to our health care system, ensuring our families, friends and loved ones get the level of care they need and deserve, no matter where they live in this province. The grant is a win-win for both post-secondary students as well as communities and folks across Ontario. I look forward to seeing the first round of graduates coming out of these programs within the next few years.

Madam Speaker, up until now, I have talked about removing barriers to post-secondary education and how to support learners once they get there. But now I’d like to touch on some steps our government is taking to ensure students can successfully transition from post-secondary education into the workforce. It is up to us, in partnership with all of our post-secondary institutions, to establish the pathways to help set students up for success.

Like the rest of the world, as we continue on our road of economic growth, Ontario continues to face challenges. To navigate this ongoing global economic uncertainty, our government has a plan—a plan to build an Ontario that the people of this province can be proud of, not only today but in the future. The goal of this plan is to make sure students are prepared for the jobs of a modern economy, with the skills to be adaptable lifelong learners in an ever-changing world.

People are keener than ever to explore faster pathways to meaningful and rewarding careers. They want to ensure that the training they put their time, their money and their effort into is going to pay off. That’s exactly what micro-credentials offer—a faster, affordable and more flexible pathway to employment. We know that lifelong learning is becoming more and more commonplace across sectors, as the skills and knowledge needed continually change. We also know that lifelong learners are busy people and need to be able to hit the ground running to make an immediate impact with their employers or to pursue new job opportunities. Offering micro-credentials alongside degrees, diplomas and certificates opens the doors of opportunity to those who are looking to develop new skills quickly and empowers learners with options. They also provide businesses with the talent they need. We know that Ontario’s economic growth and future prosperity are dependent on a workforce that is nimble, adaptive and responsive to an evolving labour market.

Speaker, our government is committed to supporting learners at all stages of their careers and recognizes the significance of micro-credentials and the value they provide to the growth and development of the province’s economy.

That’s why we are proud to have announced over $60 million in Ontario’s first-ever micro-credentials strategy, a bold, forward-thinking plan to support the expansion of Ontario’s micro-credentials—the kind of flexible training that people truly want and the kind of training opportunities that prepare them for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow.

I’m proud to see the many micro-credentials being offered at our institutions across the province, including Indigenous institutes and career colleges, from the fields of technology to research to manufacturing and more. As micro-credentials gain momentum worldwide, it is critical that we home in on this type of training option right here in Ontario.

This year, Ontario invested $5 million to launch a second round of the micro-credentials challenge to support the creation of more micro-credentials projects. This investment is stemming from the success of the first round of the challenge fund, when post-secondary institutions and industry worked together to create over 300 new micro-credentials to support approximately 6,000 learners across the province.

As we work to expand program offerings, we want to keep our learners in mind and make sure that micro-credentials are affordable and accessible so that anyone who wants to take this training can, regardless of their circumstances or financial situation.

Madam Speaker, I’m going to show you a list of some of the micro-credentials that I think maybe you might have some interest in, in your Durham area—maybe after politics. There’s a micro-credential using construction tools—maybe something you might even want to pick up during politics.

The London members: Fanshawe College has some digital literacy micro-credentials. They also offer a Microsoft formulas credential.

Our Toronto members: Rotman “health care analytics: AI, big data and digital transformation” at U of T. So lots of great micro-credentials that you could be studying now, because they are micro, but things you can look forward to maybe after politics, because learning is a lifelong adventure.

To that end, I’m proud to say that Ontario is the first jurisdiction in Canada to offer student financial assistance for micro-credentials. So you could even be eligible for OSAP if you decide to take these micro-credentials. As of today, more than 1,900 micro-credentials are approved for OSAP loans and grants, with more being added regularly. So whether it’s the mid-career parent looking to move from health administration to coding, or a new post-secondary graduate interested in honing their skills in AI, or a politician who is looking at their next career, there is a micro-credential for everyone.

As more people discover micro-credentials, we move closer to a world that recognizes and embraces flexible, labour-market-driven learning. Madam Speaker, we know that Ontario’s economy is becoming more knowledge-based and technology-driven, so a skilled workforce is an important driver for the province’s economy and competitiveness. That’s why, as we announced last Monday, Ontario is investing $100 million in 2023-24 to help cover the operating costs of science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs at publicly assisted colleges and universities that have enrolments above their funded levels.

On average, STEM graduates have better post-graduation outcomes than their non-STEM counterparts, with lower unemployment and higher wages. Therefore, it makes sense to provide enhanced support for these programs, as they will help post-secondary students secure good, in-demand jobs.

Our government has also recently announced a new way to connect students to rewarding careers by creating a career portal. This portal will help students understand labour market needs and make informed decision on their post-secondary education journey. There are so many sources of labour market information out there; it can be overwhelming to navigate and choose the best educational path. The creation of a government portal will help to strengthen how students, workers, employers and newcomers access education and career pathways in Ontario. Obviously, we’ll be working very closely with our post-secondary education sector and various ministries to identify the needs and the paths to get to those in-demand jobs.

I hope to share more details about the portal with everyone soon, as we work through our consultations. I am looking for a great portal that’s going to help students to navigate that pathway, to look at the jobs that are available, because sometimes we don’t even know the things that are out there—but how to look at those programs, the courses you would take, the schools that offer those programs, and the outcomes.

Madam Speaker, students deserve the best opportunity to gain the skills they need to get good-paying, high-quality jobs. So our government is taking steps to help our post-secondary institutions offer more in-demand programs and adapt to changing labour market needs.

Pending regulatory changes, we are planning to allow colleges to submit applications to offer applied master’s degrees. These programs would give students more choice when it comes to innovative applied master’s programs that lead to in-demand jobs, helping them to graduate with the skills, the expertise and credentials to successfully transition to the workforce. It will also give employers access to more industry-ready employees who can immediately meet labour market demands in specialized fields, fields such as advanced manufacturing, computer science, artificial intelligence and animation. Again, finding new ways like this to prepare students for great careers is a win-win for all of Ontario.

Actually, when I was in the riding last weekend, I was talking to a gentleman; his son is a student at Sheridan College in the animation program, doing the degree program. He was saying how much his son loves his program and the opportunities that were going to be out there for him upon graduation, but he was also excited about more learning opportunities. We made the announcement last Monday, so I heard from him afterwards about the applied master’s, because Sheridan will be offering this in their animation program, and how excited his son was to be able to continue his education and do the applied master’s.

As you can see, Ontario is putting students first, with a continued focus on removing barriers to post-secondary education and ensuring that learners are equipped with the skills and experience they need to successfully transition to the workforce. However, it’s important to recognize that the supports that we put in place for students are only as useful as the strength of Ontario’s post-secondary system as a whole.

Our government provides more than $5 billion annually to Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges and universities. We do this because we recognize they are important contributors to the economy of our province, to our local communities and the individual impact that higher education can have on Ontarians. That said, we are continuing to focus on efficiency, accountability and financial sustainability within the system. Why, Madam Speaker? To ensure our post-secondary institutions can deliver high-quality education for years to come and generations to come.

We recognize that our colleges and universities were hit hard during the pandemic. On our part, we took action to support institutions during that time in as many ways as possible:

—providing $25 million in 2020 to assist colleges, universities and Indigenous institutes with immediate COVID-related expenses;

—investing another $106.4 million to help them address COVID-related financial impacts; and

—providing $5 million to help institutions transfer in-person career services to virtual.

Today, our post-secondary institutions continue to navigate the increasing costs of delivering programming, as well as some significant recent changes to the education landscape across Canada. Therefore, Ontario is taking further action to ensure the continued viability of the post-secondary education system in a responsible way, a way that supports students and post-secondary institutions today, while building an even stronger foundation for future generations. That’s why, to bring financial sustainability to post-secondary institutions, our government announced this past Monday that we’re providing nearly $1.3 billion in new funding. This funding includes the $100-million investment in STEM costs that I mentioned earlier.

We are also creating a three-year post-secondary education sustainability fund valued at approximately $903 million. This fund will provide $700 million in broad-based support for all institutions and will offer $203 million in additional top-up funding for institutions with the greatest financial need. This funding will help institutions address their immediate critical costs, so they can continue delivering high-quality education to students.

We’re also supporting the world-class research being done in our post-secondary institutions, with more than $65 million to support the continuation of research and innovation. And to help post-secondary institutions provide modern and safe learning environments for students, faculty and staff, we are providing over $167 million in additional funding for capital renewal and equipment. These capital investments will allow institutions to address their deferred maintenance backlog, undertake critical repairs, modernize the classrooms, update the technology and improve their environmental sustainability, while continuing to offer a safe experience for students, staff and faculty on campus.

Madam Speaker, it is not lost on us that our northern and smaller post-secondary institutions face unique financial challenges. They are more reliant on operating grants and domestic tuition. In 2022-23, our government provided $409 million in operating grants to northern institutions. In 2023-24, we’re providing northern colleges with $83 million through the Small, Northern and Rural Grant and $16 million for northern universities through the Northern Ontario Grant. Our government appreciates the special role that our post-secondary institutions play in northern Ontario, providing learners with access to high-quality education close to home and helping to prepare them for in-demand jobs in their local communities and beyond.

Madam Speaker, I don’t know if you’ve ever had a chance to travel up to northern Ontario to visit some of those schools, but I have. I was actually talking with the folks at Boréal at PDAC the other day, and some of the great work that they’re doing—not just in northern Ontario, but also here in Toronto, where they will be offering the new stand-alone nursing program in French in both areas. I know they’re doing great work in the health human resources as well as skilled trades. I had an opportunity to chat with them there—some great work at our northern institutions.

I also announced last Monday that our government is providing a one-time additional investment of $10 million in 2024-25 through the Small, Northern and Rural Grant and the Northern Ontario Grant. This will help northern universities and small, northern and rural colleges to maintain a full range of programs and provide students with local competitive choices for post-secondary education.

I want to be clear about something, Madam Speaker. Our government’s approach to ensuring the financial sustainability of our post-secondary sector does not just include infusing more money into the system. We know that taxpayer dollars need to be spent wisely while still maintaining the high-quality level of education that Ontarians deserve. That’s why, to further support publicly assisted colleges and universities to operate in an efficient, accountable and transparent manner, our government also announced on Monday that we’re creating an Efficiency and Accountability Fund. The fund will provide institutions with $15 million over the next three years, starting in 2024-25, to support third-party reviews. These reviews will identify actions that institutions can take to drive long-term cost savings and positive outcomes for students and communities.

Ontario will continue to work with all post-secondary institutions to create greater efficiencies in operations and program offerings because, at the end of the day, our government will hold colleges and universities accountable and ensure they are taking the necessary steps to operate as efficiently as possible.

Madam Speaker, as I’m in my last minute of time, I had better start to wrap up. In the weeks and months ahead, I look forward to continuing to work with all of our post-secondary institutions and partners to continue finding solutions that will ensure our province remains home to the best education system and workforce possible. I feel optimistic about the historic changes being proposed as part of the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024. I appreciate everyone’s support as we move forward.

As we are approaching the last few weeks of the school semester, I want to wish good luck to all of the students out there as they are quickly coming into exams, but a special good luck to my youngest daughter, who is graduating from Western University and looking forward to her last couple of weeks.

Thank you to the member for the great question. Yesterday, alongside the Minister of Health, we announced that applications are now open for the much-anticipated Ontario Learn and Stay Grant. Months of hard work and dedication led up to what was a very successful launch of the program, with over 700 students applying to the Learn and Stay website within the first 24 hours. This is a win-win for both post-secondary students and underserved communities across the province. Not only does it offer a sizable financial contribution for students, it also has the power to make a significant impact in the local communities that need it most.

Speaker, it’s clear that students are eager to begin their careers in nursing, and I’m confident our government’s approach of offering financial support will make all the difference between someone considering a career in health care and someone who actually pursues it. This grant clearly demonstrates that, unlike previous governments, this government is taking concrete—

Thank you to the member for that question.

I would like to wish all nurses a happy Nursing Week.

I was actually at Centennial College yesterday and met with a class. It was their first day of nursing, so congratulations to all those new students who are entering the profession.

We’re seeing a record number of students entering into the nursing field because of some of the incentives that we’re offering, like the new Learn and Stay program, which the Minister of Health was acknowledging early on. This is 2,500 students who will have the opportunity for free tuition, to enter into the nursing profession, paramedic, lab tech—all their education covered, with a commitment to stay in their communities for two years.

Another interesting incentive we’re offering is the Community Commitment Program for Nurses, which was launched in June 2022 at selected hospitals in Ontario to address nursing shortages. In fact, in about 10 months, Windsor Regional Hospital has signed up over 200 nurses in this program. This program offers qualified nursing staff $25,000 to sign up and then serve at least two years in a designated community.

I have a quote from the CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital: “It has been hugely successful.”

“‘These government programs have really benefited us with recruiting,’ said Karen Riddell, Windsor Regional Hospital’s chief operating officer and chief nursing executive.

“‘We have another 111 graduates starting this summer. That’s a significant number.

“‘As the province expands these HR strategies, these are really important to maintaining our workforce.’”

That was from Karen Riddell of Windsor Regional Hospital in your riding.

I think instead of the fearmongering that the member is bringing to the floor, we need to celebrate the opportunities that we’re seeing—a record number of students entering into the nursing profession; as I mentioned, building on the 14,000 nursing registrants in the province last year alone. There are currently over 5,000 internationally educated nurses residing in Ontario whose applications are at various stages, who are able to enter the workforce sooner as a result of the changes that this government is making. We are breaking down registration barriers so that more health care professionals trained in Ontario and other provinces or internationally can practise here in Ontario.

We have a real opportunity here. We are seeing more and more nursing students entering into the profession—the work that our universities are doing, our stand-alone bachelor of science in nursing program now offered at colleges here in Ontario. We’re seeing it across the province—a record number of students who are able to work in our rural and our underserved areas and stay close to home, in the hospitals and long-term-care centres that need those nurses.

Thank you to the member for that question.

Building on the 14,000 nursing registrations in the province last year alone, our government is investing in a range of initiatives to track, train and retain even more nurses. As I mentioned earlier, this year alone in universities—this doesn’t even include colleges—over 109,000 registrations in September 2022.

We are seeing an increase year over year of students entering into the nursing profession.

Look at the investments that are being made in long-term care alone—60,000 new and upgraded beds, and the beds that the parliamentary assistant to health mentioned earlier in hospitals. The investments being made into the health care system are encouraging new and current nurses in the system. They want to be in nursing.

We expanded the new Learn and Stay program to include nurses, paramedics and lab technicians.

This is an exciting field that students are wanting to get into—health human resources—and this government is making the investments to ensure that they are successful.

Thank you to the member for that question.

We are seeing a record number of students coming into the health human resources field. Under the leadership of this Premier and this Minister of Health, our government has launched the largest health care recruiting and training initiative in this province’s history, and the results are there. I can tell you, the enrolment in universities alone this past fall, September 2022—over 109,000 students are entering into the nursing field; that’s nursing alone. We are attracting more registered practical nurses, more PSWs, and creating pathways for these students to upskill from a PSW to an RPN, and from an RPN to a registered nurse. The opportunities are there, and students are seeing that.

Our new Learn and Stay program alone—the day we announced it saw over 14,000 students check the website, because students are interested in getting into the nursing field, and there are opportunities there to ensure that we have more health human resources in the underserved and northern areas.

Thank you to the member for that question. It’s always a privilege to tour your riding and meet with the schools in your areas as well. I think you can see my excitement about the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, as well as the Premier’s and the Minister of Health’s, but the excitement for students who are looking to go into that field. Imagine considering nursing and to find out that you could have your education paid for if you were open to living in a different area, spending two years there. Like I said, it’s likely that you spend some time there, you start to love that community and hopefully stay in that area.

But looking at how you ensure that we have more nurses and doctors, it’s innovative programs like this, and I think—this is just the beginning of this program. We announced last March, we’ve already expanded it. It was nursing in the beginning; now we’ve expanded to lab technologists and paramedics. I think there’s so much more we can look at doing as this progresses, but we’re already seeing that there’s a huge interest in the program so there will be more to come on that and I think great opportunities to look at other communities—

We are making investments into our hospitals, our long-term-care centres. Under this government, we saw the increase of care to clients in long-term care up to four hours. We’ve also seen the investments, the 60,000 new long-term-care spaces. I’ve seen the investments in long-term-care homes in my area as well, which I know we’re all very excited about, to ensure that seniors have access to long-term care in their communities.

Thank you to the member for that question. Having supports in the north is very important, and in underserved areas. That’s why, with the new Learn and Stay grant, we’ve seen those areas specifically identified not just for nursing, but for lab technologists, for paramedicine.

With the work that we’ve been doing to ensure that there are more doctors, this is the first time in 10 years that we’ve seen a seat expansion for doctors: 160 undergraduate spaces and 295 postgraduate spaces. This was not done under the Liberal government. It was this government that came in and said, “We need to ensure that people have access to doctors.”

I can tell you that in my own area, I’ve talked to families who are experiencing not having a local doctor, but accessing the work at some of our community care clinics through our local health teams and the resources and supports that are served there. So we do recognize the need for more doctors in the north, but also in rural and underserved areas across this province.

The status quo is not working. We need to do better for the people of Ontario. Before COVID, we were working hard, and COVID just expedited that as well, but the investments are being made. We’re here to support all Ontarians and ensure that you’re going to the doctor or a hospital and using your OHIP card and not a credit card.

I just have a note from my staff that says that as of 9 a.m. today, the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant website has had over 405,000 visits, so the word is getting out there. It’s to support northern and rural communities, the ones you’re talking about, that we’re encouraging students and paying for their education to get them to learn in those communities and make that commitment of staying for two years, because if you’re staying there for two years, you’re starting to set down roots. You are becoming familiar with the community and maybe meeting someone there and staying in that area.

But the supports that we’re giving to ensure that more nurses, paramedics, lab technologists—we’re also working with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to ensure there are more doctors in the north as well, so that everyone has access to quality care.

I’m happy to speak to Bill 60, Your Health Act.

Yesterday, I stood up in the House and spoke about the all-hands-on-deck approach that our government is taking to build a strong, more resilient health care system. As part of this approach, we’re working hard to hire more health care workers, and that starts with ensuring that the next generation of those workers have access to high-calibre education right here in Ontario. As Minister of Colleges and Universities, I have the distinct privilege of overseeing this important work. We are currently seeing record numbers of students registering in health human resources programs across the province.

At colleges and universities, students enrolled in health human resource programs such as nursing, PSW and paramedicine are getting the skills and training they need to make a difference in our communities and begin a rewarding career and to support a strong and sustainable health care sector that helps ensure people across the province have more ways to receive the high-quality care they deserve.

I think we can all agree that having faster access to care and the ability to receive care closer to home is a good idea. But what many seem to forget is that this is not necessarily a given, especially for those in remote communities. There are many, many Ontarians who need to leave their home communities just to access care they need. For example, in some cases I’ve heard of people travelling all the way from Timmins to Toronto, staying for a few days and then travelling back, just to receive patient care.

I can tell you, in the early days of when my middle daughter was born, we travelled from Orillia—not as far as Timmins or some of the areas that people are travelling from—but we were travelling to SickKids every two weeks for the first three years of her life. So I can understand how difficult that is for families to make the travel arrangements, arrangements at home with your family and how difficult that can be, especially with a newborn.

What’s clear is that while we’re lucky to boast both top-notch doctors and health care workers in this province, not all communities have equal access to those workers by sheer geography alone, and that’s just unacceptable. That is why, as minister, I was so eager, excited and proud to announce our medical seat expansion last year. This medical seat expansion announcement was the largest our province has seen in a decade, with our government adding 160 undergraduate and 295 postgraduate medical seats across the province to increase access to health care for more communities.

I was also thrilled to announce the creation of the northern Ontario medical school as a stand-alone institution and expanded enrolment capacity for the institution to help foster the next generation of doctors in the north. Last year alone, we had over 2,000 students preparing to become a doctor in Ontario, including 124 studying in the north.

I actually visited the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Sudbury in November and had the opportunity to speak with fourth-year students. They were telling me about their third-year placements, which they spend in communities. These students are from northern communities, and they want to stay in those communities to practise in the future. They were telling me some of the reasons why. They like that community aspect. One student was telling me that he and his team were working on a young boy. He said, “A week later, we were at a local restaurant, and it happens to be owned by that young child’s family.” He said that’s the personal aspect they like of practising in small communities—and in family medicine as well. It was great to talk with these students. They were very excited, because they’re about to become doctors. But in their third year during these placements, compared to some of their other colleagues, he said, “We really get to participate in everything. It’s really all hands on deck and a great learning experience.”

We also announced the new Toronto Metropolitan University medical school in Brampton that will be opening its doors in the near future. This will help solidify local health care needs in the region for generations.

Along with the Premier, the Minister of Health and the rest of our cabinet and caucus, our government is forging ahead, stronger than ever before, to ensure that all Ontarians have the ability to access health care services whenever and wherever they need it. We recognize that in order to build on our health care system we need to ensure that students pursuing medical studies have access to a world-class post-secondary education. But doctors aren’t the only group we have focused on over the past few years. Part of being able to access care wherever you need it means we need to have a strong and reliable nursing team at your care centre, and as with any career in Ontario, a great team begins with a flawless education.

Last year alone, there were over 25,000 domestic full-time students studying at one of our colleges and universities—a number that continues to grow year over year. On our part, to help support these students, we’ve invested $342 million that will train an additional 5,000 RNs and RPNs as well as 8,000 PSWs over the next five years. But our work doesn’t stop there. When our students are ready to leave the classroom and head into the workforce, we have created pathway opportunities through clinical placements by investing an additional $160 million into these placement spaces and into our students. These investments are making a true difference in Ontario. At every opportunity, we are making the critical investments into health care education and training, supporting the amazing work done by our sector to ensure students are ready to take on these important roles upon graduation.

For a brief moment, Speaker, I would like to talk about a school that is very close to my heart, Georgian College. Aside from it being my former employer before I entered politics, Georgian is also my local college as the MPP for Simcoe North. I have had the great pleasure of visiting the campus as both the MPP and minister many times, seeing first-hand the incredible progress they have been making with their health human resources education. Since launching their own stand-alone nursing program—which is yet another initiative created by our government—Georgian College has been making incredible strides in training the next local nursing workforce. I want to really emphasize that point: a local workforce.

Before localized education like this at an institution like Georgian existed, many young people would finish their education at a major university and partner with the local hospitals in that area for their careers. We saw that at Georgian College. Students would do their first two years at Georgian, and then leave and do their second two years at York University. That meant they likely did their clinical placements in the big city and stayed here upon graduation.

While it’s great for communities like Toronto, Ottawa and London, smaller communities like Orillia, Owen Sound and Sarnia would continually see their bright young people leave their home communities for opportunities elsewhere. So as a ministry, we stepped in. We created pathways where students can choose the community where they’re able to study in, if they want to be at a college or a university, and allow for greater retention of young people to learn and stay in their home communities.

But this was just the beginning. I know the MPP for Sarnia–Lambton is very excited that Lambton College offers a stand-alone nursing program—as well as Sault College, my member colleague from Sault Ste. Marie, under his leadership, allowed and created the pathways for students in stand-alone nursing at that college.

Seeing the success of our stand-alone nursing program, we wanted to create even more pathways and incentives for young people to build their careers in underserved communities across the province, something we saw became more important when the pandemic hit. We also wanted to ensure that communities that have demonstrated the greatest need for increased health human resources could rely on this government to get it done and bring the workers to them.

With that, the Learn and Stay grant was born. Through this grant, which will see its applications open this spring, eligible students will be able to apply to in-demand health human resource programs at one of our institutions in an identified priority community. If selected, and if they agree to complete their studies and work for a period of time in that community, our government will cover the cost of their education.

Speaker, this is a program that we at MCU, this government as a whole and everyone should be very excited about. Let me just give you a couple of stats that are very exciting. Since the launch of the program, and to date as of February 9, we have had over 326,000 hits to the website, so students are excited about this. On January 20, with the announcement where we expanded the program to now include paramedics and lab technologists, that day alone we had over 14,000 visits to the website. So students are incredibly excited about this opportunity, and I hope those who are looking at going into nursing and having the opportunity to train and to possibly work in an underserved community—this is great for all students.

Partnering with the Ministry of Health, this program is meant to be responsive to evolving needs and could be tailored for any program or region, to ensure that people across the province continue to receive the health care they need, when they need it, no matter where they live.

Investing in the future of Ontario’s health care system starts with providing a high-calibre education for those who want to work on the front lines. Earlier this year we announced our expansion of the Learn and Stay grant, a key component of Ontario’s plan to stay open. I’m happy to say that the Georgian College, Owen Sound Campus is part of this program.

The grant, which we announced in March 2022 for students who enrol in nursing programs, has now expanded to include paramedic and medical laboratory technologist programs in priority communities. Eligible students will receive full, upfront funding for tuition, books and other direct educational costs in return for working and caring for people in the region where they studied for a term of service after they graduate.

Grant applications for the 2023-24 academic year opened this spring, targeting 2,500 eligible students at over 20 institutions. Right now, students can go online and see a full list of eligible schools and programs on the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant website and learn more about how they can apply.

Thank you to the member for the question.

We have record numbers of students who are entering the nursing profession, and we are ensuring that we have more nurses as we move forward with our plans, and this is in no part due to the NDP and Liberals, who do not support us every step of the way. We continue to make investments in registered nurses, registered practical nurses, PSWs. Every time, the opposition votes against those measures.

We are allowing our colleges and universities to now offer stand-alone nursing programs across the province, and this will ensure that nursing students can practise in their areas and continue to be professionals in those areas. As part of Bill 60, we’re hiring more health human resources, but we’ve also expanded the Learn and Stay program that is now not only there for nursing students but also for lab techs and paramedics, and this is in exchange—free tuition—to continue practising in those areas after graduation.

We will ensure that more students are entering the profession as we continue to build Ontario’s world-class health care system.

Last week, our government introduced the Your Health Act, 2023, which outlines our plan to provide Ontarians with a better, more convenient health care experience closer to home. If passed, our plan will reduce wait times, recognize credentials of out-of-province health care workers and respond directly to the changing needs of our health care system.

As part of this plan, we are working to hire more health care workers. That starts with ensuring that the next generation of those workers have access to high-quality, high-calibre education right here in Ontario. This includes moving forward with the largest medical school expansion in more than a decade and adding thousands more nursing spots and schools across the province. Unlike previous governments, we are getting it done for the people of Ontario.

Thank you to the member for the question.

We are making record investments in health care in Ontario. That starts with the high-calibre education at our world-class education facilities here.

We are ensuring we have more nurses. Brock University now has a stand-alone nursing program. As well, multiple colleges across this province are now able to offer nursing programs closer to home to ensure that students who are practising and learning at those universities and colleges are also working in those communities.

We are making investments that you continually do not support—record investments in more registered nurses, more PSWs, stand-alone programs, our new Learn and Stay program to, again, ensure that we have students who will learn and stay in those communities.

We are seeing record numbers of students who are wanting to get into the profession, and that’s because of the investments that are being made in new hospitals and in new long-term-care centres. We have our new Brampton medical school and our Scarborough centre—record investments made by this government ensuring that more students are wanting to get into the health human resources field.

Thank you to the member for the question. In fact, we’ve increased the number of medical seats at Brock University. I hope you’ve had the opportunity to tour the university and see the amazing things that are happening at Brock University.

Mr. Speaker, in fact, this fall we saw a record number of applications at Ontario’s colleges and universities in the province: 25,000 students were applying for nursing programs at Ontario’s colleges and universities—world-class post-secondary education. We are seeing record numbers of students looking to join the profession, and we’ve already seen that the Council of Ontario Universities says that more than 13,000 students applied to university nursing programs this past year.

We’ve also seen changes to the Ministry of Health through the Ontario college of nurses, where we’ve seen a record number of 14,000 registered nurses this season.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s lots more to come.

Thank you to the member for that question.

Coming from a rural area myself, I’ve seen first-hand the challenges that smaller communities have faced because of the pandemic.

While we have seen some of the best and brightest working in our hospitals and health care facilities, we recognize that we can always do more to ensure that they are supported, and that staffing levels are meeting the demands of our system.

Last year alone, we had over 25,000 nursing students studying at an Ontario college or university.

Since 2016, our post-secondary institutions are graduating, on average, 15% more nurses than before.

It’s not about getting students in class; it’s also about investing in their education. That’s why our government is investing $124 million over the next three years to support the clinical education of student nurses, to get the hands-on training they need to succeed—training that they simply cannot get in the classroom.

The people of Ontario can be assured that the world-class training our grads receive will have them job-ready and able to tackle even the most challenging times in our health care system.

I’ve been working closely with the Minister of Health and the Minister of Long-Term Care to ensure that we are not only fostering education for health care professionals but that we are also addressing specific regional and community health care needs across the province.

Earlier this year, our government launched the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, which is going to be a huge asset for underserved communities. In the simplest of terms, if a student enrols in a school in an underserved community and takes one of the identified programs of need and commits to working in that community in their area of study for two years, the government will cover their education. Through this grant, we are investing $61 million to support 2,500 new health care professionals, in addition to the thousands more we are supporting through various ministry initiatives. Whether they are in North Bay, Sarnia, Belleville, Thunder Bay or in any other identified communities, local colleges and universities will be training the next generation of health care professionals who will support local health care needs. I’m very excited about the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, and I look forward to sharing an update in this House about its success in the future.

Thank you to the member for that question. Let me give a couple of numbers: 11,700, 25,000, over 12,000. Now, what do those numbers represent? That’s 11,700 new health care professionals since March of 2020; 25,000 applications for nursing programs at Ontario’s colleges and universities, world-class education right here in Ontario; 12,000 nurses, the number that—the CNO registered more nurses this year than within the record-breaking number, and there’s still months to go.

People are flocking to the nursing profession because of the investments that this government has been making in health care and long-term care, and we’ll continue to see those investments made and the opportunities for students in this province.

Thank you to the member from Markham–Thornhill for that question. I, too, was encouraged to see the reports that applicants to nursing programs are up in both college and university programs by 25% since the 2018-19 school year. Speaker, that translates to more than 13,000 students who applied to a university program and more than 12,000 students who applied to a college program right here in Ontario.

Our government has been working hard to address the gap in health care professions through innovative programs like our three-year college degrees and our new Learn and Stay program. Over the next four years, the Learn and Stay program will help over 3,000 nursing graduates receive financial support to cover the cost of tuition in exchange for committing to practise for two years in an underserved community.

We have created 14 new programs at colleges and universities across Ontario, allowing thousands of students to have greater choice and flexibility in accessing high-quality and local education.

This record number of applications demonstrates that the work we are doing to increase the number of students entering nursing and health care professions is working, and we’ll continue to look for innovative ways.

Through the Bridging Educational Grant in Nursing—this is a nearly $100-million investment that will support the upskilling and training of PSWs and RPNs. This program will increase access to nursing programs and create an additional 500 spaces for enrolment in our bridging program this year. And through our fall economic statement, we announced an investment of nearly $342 million over the next five years to add over 5,000 registered practical nurses and 8,000 personal support workers.

—those 25,000 applications to the nursing programs right here in Ontario.

Let’s look at the opposition’s record. You admit you need more nurses. Let me see: a $61-million investment in the Learn and Stay program, which would bring 3,000 nurses in the next four years—did this opposition support it? No.

Interjections.

The Ministry of Long-Term Care’s investment of $35 million to increase enrolment to allow for over 1,000 RPNs and over 800 registered nurses—did the opposition support us? No.

The Ministry of Long-Term Care’s investment of $100 million to support upskilling and training of nurses and registered practical nurses—did they support that? No.

Our investment of $342 million to add over 5,000 registered nurses and 8,000 PSWs—did they support this? No.

This government is making the investments and providing the opportunities for students to enter the nursing profession.

Thank you to the member for that question. It’s true: We have hired thousands of health care workers, and we have thousands of students now wanting to enter the nursing profession. Today’s report showed 25,000 students wanting to enter the nursing profession in Ontario’s publicly funded colleges and universities, world-class—

Interjections.