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[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I look to the minister to lead off the debate." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Graydon Smith", "text": [ "Good morning to everyone here in the chamber this morning. I’m pleased to lead second reading debate on Bill 228, the Resource Management and Safety Act.", "I’ll be sharing my time today with my parliamentary assistant, the member for Newmarket–Aurora, to speak to this bill.", "But before I do that, a few personal words, as I introduce my first bill in this chamber, and those words are simply for my parents: my mom, who’s watching today—good morning, Mom—and my dad, who’s watching from above, thank you. Thank you for teaching me how important it is to be a person who helps others, works hard and tries to make a difference. Mom, you still continue to remind me of that every day. And, Dad, as someone who enjoyed the great outdoors, as a fisherman of great skill in both summer and winter, I hope you’re enjoying your son’s latest gig. It’s because of you and because of my wife, Melissa, and my children, Gabby and Max, that I strive to create an even better Ontario that is full of opportunities and that recognizes that our natural resources and how we use them, manage them and respect them play a huge role in that betterment.", "I also want to thank my staff, both in my office and at the ministry, for the great amount of work they’ve done, not only on this proposed legislation, but every day. And to those back in the office, they are the best at what they do. When I come into the office, I am buoyed by your efforts every day, so keep it up, you’re amazing. I extend the same words to my parliamentary assistant, who you’ll hear from later.", "Since day one, our government’s demonstrated a determination to build Ontario’s economy for today and tomorrow. This bill exemplifies that commitment and, if passed, would:", "—fortify our shared capacity to prevent, mitigate and manage wildland fires, protecting families, communities, forests and industries across Ontario’s fire region from an escalating threat;", "—enable the permanent storage of carbon dioxide in deep underground geologic formations, helping industry to reduce their carbon emissions and meet climate goals;", "—attract new surveyors to support Ontario’s rapidly expanding infrastructure and housing needs; and", "—improve my ministry’s ability to take direct and timely remedial action to repair certain oil and gas wells that pose a public safety risk.", "With another fire season concluded, I’d like to thank the staff in my ministry’s aviation forest fire and emergency services branch, and all those who support them, for the incredibly important work that they do to reduce and manage the impacts that wildland fires can have on the people, communities, infrastructure and economic activity of this province. This past fire season—which was not as challenging as last year, thankfully—we managed about 475 wildland fires in Ontario. The number of hectares burned was 43% of the 10-year average and 20% of what we saw in 2023.", "Meanwhile, in other parts of Canada, they experienced a devastating wildland fire season, expressed no more fully than what we saw happen in Jasper. Ontario was able to deploy our amazing rangers and support staff to Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories to help. It is what we do and we do it well. Again, thank you to all those who serve in these challenging roles.", "Despite the fire season being softer than the previous one, we know one thing is certain: That on the whole, fires are becoming more severe, larger and more frequent across Canada—and Ontario is not immune. In pursuit of our vision of an Ontario that works together through all sectors to reduce the risk and minimize the devastating impacts of wildland fires, creating safer and more resilient communities, our government is modernizing our wildland fire management program and making significant investments in our resources to position us well for the challenges that lie ahead.", "As minister, I’m signatory to the Canadian Wildland Fire Prevention and Mitigation Strategy with my fellow ministers from coast-to-coast. This strategy is a call to action, meant to mobilize all in society at reducing wildland fire risk. I’m pleased to note that the legislative changes proposed in this bill will support my ministry in leading this work in Ontario and position Ontario as a leader in Canada.", "The Forest Fires Prevention Act is the primary provincial legislation that sets out rules and regulations for managing wildland fires in this province. It sets obligations for fire prevention measures, authorizes enforcement and defines offences and penalties. Bill 228, the Resource Management and Safety Act, if passed, would amend this act. First, the Forest Fires Prevention Act would be renamed the Wildland Fire Management Act and a purpose clause would be included to reflect a stronger focus on all aspects of wildland fire management necessary to combat the growing risk and impact of these fires. That means: greater focus on prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, and ensuring that people and companies are aware of and comply with rules that are designed to prevent human-caused fires and prepare for fires when and where they occur.", "The amendments we are proposing to the act, if passed, would help our ministry to manage the expected increase in wildland fire activity, while also reducing the risk that wildland fires pose to people, communities, infrastructure and economic prosperity. Reducing that risk is a shared responsibility. The amendments in this bill, if passed, would strengthen the collective responsibility for wildland fire management; enhance all aspects of wildland fire management, including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery; and strengthen compliance and enforcement.", "My ministry’s long-term goal is an Ontario that works together to minimize the impact of wildland fires to create safer, more resilient communities. The act, as it stands, enables my ministry to enter into agreements for the prevention, control or extinguishment of grass, brush or forest fires.", "0910", "In keeping with our vision of an Ontario that works together to reduce wildland fire risk, this bill, if passed, would enable the ministry to enter into agreements on all aspects of wildland fire management. This could include agreements on wildlife fire management training with a municipality or a First Nations community, or an agreement to permit activities otherwise prohibited by the act such as a prescribed burn. In sum, this amendment, if passed, would enable increased collaboration among all involved in wildland fire management.", "My ministry also aims to step up its work with municipalities and industries in the fire region to enhance wildland fire management. It’s why we are proposing an amendment to the act that, if passed, would require these partners to maintain wildland fire management plans. These plans would need to meet prescribed standards that would be set out in regulation under the act, should this bill be passed. Prescribed standards for these plans would include prevention, mitigation and preparedness activities. Meeting requirements for wildland fire management plans could mean updating an existing plan or creating a new plan.", "The amendment, if passed, would allow the minister to deem a plan prepared for a different purpose other than a wildfire management plan if it meets the prescribed standards, such as a municipal plan prepared under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. My ministry will continue consultation with municipalities and industry to scope the proposals and identify potential resource needs, and we have the support of the president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario—my former role—Robin Jones, the mayor of Westport. She says, “AMO applauds provincial action to modernize wildfire management. More frequent and intense wildfires due to climate change create significant risks for people and resources. Provincial-municipal partnership to prevent, prepare for, mitigate and respond to wildfires is needed to protect our forests and keep our communities safe.”", "My ministry staff will provide technical support to ensure adequate plans are in place to address the escalating risk of wildland fires. During a wildland fire emergency, my ministry draws on resources from the private sector, including equipment and sometimes equipment operators, to quickly respond using the resources at hand. We have 41 arrangements with companies in the forest industry that set out the terms of use for their equipment, each with its own terms, conditions and remuneration rates. Our personnel will often rely on forest companies in emergencies, even if those in other industries have similar equipment closer at hand.", "That’s why we’re proposing to amend the act to enable my ministry to set out, in regulation, standard rates, terms and conditions when privately owned equipment is used in wildland fire suppression. The standardization of these agreements would reduce the administrative burden they now impose while making it easier to mobilize the closest equipment at hand. This amendment would also add to the circumstances under which my ministry could summon industry assistance, adding other related wildland fire emergency events such as evacuations. Industry strongly supports the clarity that standard terms and conditions would provide.", "Let me turn now to the amendments we are proposing that are related to the enforcement measures within the Forest Fires Prevention Act. This bill, if passed, would bring the enforcement and penalty provisions of the act in line with other statutes of my ministry, including the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and the Invasive Species Act. Strengthening these provisions would provide my ministry with the tools and powers it requires to hold bad actors responsible for failing to comply with or contravening the act to account.", "Two of the amendments we’re proposing to the enforcement and penalties provisions in the act, if passed, would enable my ministry to exercise judgment in determining how best to proceed, depending on the circumstances of the case—in short, whether to resort to the court system, as the act currently requires, or, instead, to consider alternative measures.", "Almost half of the wildland fires in our province are caused by people. Under the act as it stands, charges are laid when this occurs.", "We recognize that alternative solutions may be preferable in some circumstances. Let me outline the first of these. This bill, if passed, would enable my ministry to issue administrative monetary penalties for non-compliance with the act, without initiating a prosecution. This option could be used to penalize activities that could start a fire or impede its suppression, such as operating equipment without the required spark arresters or failing to have a fire extinguisher on a work site. Forest industry companies are already subject to administrative penalties under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. This proposed measure would, if passed, apply to all industries and persons subject to the newly named Wildland Fire Management Act. It’s an approach that is fair, equitable and that follows modern regulatory principles, including progressive compliance.", "The second of these amendments deals with remediation orders. We’re proposing a measure that, if passed, would enable my ministry to issue a remediation order without initiating a prosecution. Such an order could require a person to plant trees or take part in a wildland fire education program. This could resolve issues more quickly than through the court system. Should this proposal be approved, the circumstances in which remediation will not be considered could be specified in a regulation under the act.", "My ministry also deals with the question of costs. Under the act as it stands, for human-caused fires, the costs of suppressing or extinguishing a fire are automatically a debt to the crown. This obliges my ministry to seek recovery from individuals or companies that have caused the fire. An invoice is issued, and if it’s not paid, my ministry considers civil action. This bill, if passed, would give my ministry discretion in determining whether to seek recovery of these costs in cases where recovery may not be possible, would impose hardship, or is not in the public interest.", "Imagine this scenario: A driver pulls over after her car catches fire, and the fire spreads to the brush next to the road shoulder, igniting a wildland fire. Without the amendment proposed in this bill, this driver would be issued an invoice for the costs of suppressing or extinguishing that fire.", "This bill, if passed, would also clarify my power to prohibit activities during wildland fire emergencies while also providing me with the authority to exempt persons from such orders in certain circumstances.", "In addition to these legislative changes, my ministry is also undertaking policy and program initiatives to modernize the wildland fire program. These policy and program initiatives would increase our collaboration with municipalities, Indigenous communities and industry. I’d like to tell you about several of these.", "Our ministry aims to establish a wildland fire advisory committee to bring together all partners in the essential and life-saving work of fire risk reduction that is so crucial to protecting people, homes, communities, industries and our natural resources.", "My ministry also aims to step up its wildland fire awareness campaigns to better inform Ontarians of wildland fire risks and hazards. We need to educate the public and promote their awareness of the prevention and mitigation actions they can take to reduce fire risk. We rely on the efforts of the public and our partners at the local level to take the steps needed to break that link between a spark and a flame. It will take all Ontarians, working together across the fire region, to reduce the risk of wildland fires, and the collective efforts of all partners to fulfill this vision of safer and more resilient communities in Ontario.", "My ministry also aims to enhance its collaboration with Indigenous communities in natural hazard management to enhance support for the traditional use of fire, including cultural burning, and to enable wildland fire management led by Indigenous communities. We are proposing to work with Indigenous communities in a partnership that would consider their unique needs, values, cultures and voices to better manage wildland fires and develop fire-resilient communities.", "0920", "While wildland fires are too often caused by people, they also occur naturally. These natural fires, often ignited by lightning strikes, play an important role in renewing the boreal forest. Each wildland fire is assessed. My ministry then responds based on the situation and condition of the fire. When fires threaten communities, properties, our timber supply and the infrastructure that we all rely on, our fire crews are at the ready, acting as quickly as they can to contain the threat. Other fires are managed to limit their negative effects and, when it’s safe to do so, some fires are only monitored. This enables us to use these fires to regenerate the forest. We also occasionally use prescribed burns to decrease fire risk in certain vegetated areas since vegetation can fuel wildland fires.", "That brings me to another policy and program measure my ministry is consulting on that is complementary to this proposed bill. We are updating our guidance on managing vegetation since it does serve as a fuel source for wildland fires, recognizing that doing so could help us avoid fire losses. This could become an important asset in wildland fire resiliency planning and we see potential to integrate its use into natural resource-related practices such as timber harvesting, land use planning and development.", "Speaker, to build the economy of today and tomorrow, our government must ensure Ontario has the skills and capabilities essential to getting the job done. That’s why this bill, if passed, would help to support Ontario’s rapidly expanding infrastructure and housing development needs by also amending the Surveyors Act. This act grants authority to the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors. This is the self-governing body that oversees the licensing and governance of professional land surveyors in our province.", "Surveying is at the foundation of all development—there’s a pun in there somewhere. We rely on the information surveyors provide to build infrastructure, homes and communities. We also rely on surveyors to help communities recover from emergencies such as flooding in urban areas and wildland fires. Since boundary markers can be lost during these catastrophic types of events, many of the dedicated professionals who carry out this essential work are progressing towards the later stages of their careers. This suggests to my ministry and to their association that our province could one day face a barrier to growth owing to a lack of survey services. Already surveyors are in short supply across northern Ontario.", "The measures proposed in this bill, if passed, would help to increase the availability of surveying services when and where they are needed. Our goal is to avoid delays in infrastructure and housing projects, as well as delays in property transactions and to increase the availability of survey services in northern Ontario, which as I noted, is underserved today. These amendments, if passed, would also enable survey firms to incorporate modern new technologies into their practices while enhancing the governance structure and professional oversight provided by their association. My ministry worked closely with the association in developing these proposals, which the association supports.", "Al Jeraj, the executive director of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors says, “The Association of Land Surveyors of Ontario is pleased to see the Ministry of Natural Resources’ proposed changes to the Surveyors Act. These changes will modernize ... and allow our association to continue to advance our mandate of protecting the public. As the demand for safe, affordable housing and infrastructure continues to rise, land surveyors will remain essential in building the future of our province. I thank the province for their efforts in supporting our profession, and helping us meet the demands of a growing economy.”", "To become a licensed Ontario land surveyor, a candidate must complete a four-year degree and have up to three years of experience. Given the aging demographic within the profession and the increasing demand for survey services, Ontario needs to increase their supply.", "In addition to increasing the supply of survey services, this amendment, if passed, would provide another very significant benefit: It would allow surveyors with less Canadian experience to undertake certain survey work under the supervision of a fully licensed surveyor. The Association of Ontario Land Surveyors is committed to bringing on internationally trained surveyors faster than it can today. This proposal would, if passed, help the association meet that commitment.", "This bill, if passed, would also allow the association to issue a temporary licence to a person holding the equivalent of a full Ontario licence from another jurisdiction. As it stands today, the association has a labour mobility agreement with other Canadian jurisdictions that allows a surveyor from one jurisdiction to obtain membership in another by demonstrating knowledge of local law. This means a surveyor coming into Ontario from another jurisdiction must pass an exam on Ontario law as it applies to surveying in our province. This can take a significant amount of time.", "While in other professions, such as engineering, qualified practitioners can be brought into Ontario from other jurisdictions for emergency projects, the Surveyors Act, as currently written, does not permit this. As I’ve noted, during emergencies such as wildland fires and flooding in urban areas, property boundaries may be lost. Surveyors are needed on an urgent basis to assess the damage and re-survey boundaries. This is critically important to affected communities, as it allows them to rebuild and recover. A temporary licensing program would enable Ontario to respond more promptly to emergencies. Surveyors with a temporary licence would also be required to work under the supervision of a licensed Ontario surveyor.", "A third amendment to the Surveyors Act is proposed in this bill, and it would, if passed, enable survey firms to use new and innovative technologies to deliver survey services. Firms would no longer be required to operate a physical consultation office or to maintain a schedule of posted hours. These amendments, if passed, would allow firms to enjoy the efficiencies provided by modern business practices.", "Finally, this bill, if passed, would enable the association to provide increased oversight of the surveying profession. The proposed amendments would support the timely resolution of issues involving surveyor conduct by streamlining the complaints process. These changes would strengthen the profession, and build greater trust and confidence in the surveying industry.", "Speaker, let me turn now to the proposed amendment to the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act that is included in the bill. The history of oil and gas extraction in Ontario dates from 1858, and over the 166 years since then, tens of thousands of petroleum-related wells have been drilled in our province, mostly in southwestern Ontario. When a well is not properly maintained, it can deteriorate over time, and this makes it more disposed to leak. Gas from a leaking well can contaminate drinking water or result in other hazards that can affect people and the environment. We need to prevent such types of events from occurring.", "This legislation enables ministry inspectors to order well operators to take steps to address hazards related to a well or its associated equipment in these types of situations. In some cases, an operator may be unable to respond to an order for compliance, and this can happen in cases of insolvency or if a well operator is deceased. My ministry does not want to stand by while a hazard that needs to be promptly addressed persists unabated.", "This bill, if passed, would enable my ministry to take action to address a hazard without the consent of an operator in limited circumstances where there is a non-compliance with a ministry order and when a non-compliant operator is bankrupt, insolvent or deceased. My ministry would seek the consent of the landowner to gain access to the land where the hazardous well is situated. When that is not possible, we would seek a judicial warrant to enter the premises without the landowner’s consent. This would enable us to remediate the hazard in a timely fashion. This measure, if passed, would help protect the public, property, the landowner and the natural environment nearby a hazardous well in these limited circumstances of non-compliance. It would allow my ministry to pursue a non-compliant well operator for the costs of the remediation.", "0930", "In the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, they already have similar powers. We need this capability in Ontario, Speaker, and we have the support of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs president, Rob Grimwood, who says the association “applauds the Ontario government and Minister Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources, for their proposed legislation that will protect communities from hazardous gas wells and provide tools to recover costs for actions taken on the wells.", "“This government’s commitment to fire and life safety is very much demonstrated in its proposals to the FFPA and Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act, respectively.”", "My ministry has in place a Legacy Well Action Plan to address the challenges arising from historical oil and gas wells. As it happens, my ministry staff are in the midst of conducting gas-detection surveys in Haldimand county this fall under this plan. But by implementing this plan, we aim to increase our understanding of the risks, develop strategies to manage these risks and support emergency planning and preparedness measures. This bill, if passed, would assist my ministry in meeting these aims, and this measure would be welcomed, as I said, by the fire chiefs and our municipal partners as well.", "Speaker, I want to wrap up my time now speaking a bit about the new legislation that I’m really excited about, which is the Geologic Carbon Storage Act. My great parliamentary assistant will get into more detail on the environmental benefits of the act, if passed, but I just want to quickly touch on its economic potential. This bill, if passed, will allow the initial development of commercial-scale carbon storage projects in southwestern Ontario and could sustain as many as 2,400 existing jobs in Ontario’s manufacturing, oil and gas, and utility sectors, and create up to 4,000 short-term jobs associated with the development of carbon capture and storage projects. It could help Ontario industries remain competitive by reducing the federal price they pay on carbon by as much as $1.2 billion per year. These initial benefits may increase if carbon storage technology continues to advance and the development of carbon storage facilities in other parts of the province becomes commercially viable.", "Enabling geologic carbon storage in Ontario could also enable industries investing in carbon projects to qualify for federal investment tax credits. The economic impact of these projects will be substantial. According to Natural Resources Canada, the economic benefit of three large-scale carbon capture and storage projects could lead to a $2.7-billion increase in GDP, based on a four-year construction time frame. Should this technology continue to advance and expand across the province, these benefits would only grow.", "Speaker, the economic potential is great, and it’s not just us saying it. Brian Johnson, the general manager and senior vice-president in Ontario at Enbridge, says they “commend the government for taking another significant step towards enabling carbon capture and storage ... on a commercial scale, supporting Ontario’s energy-intensive, hard-to-abate industries—the backbone of our economy.”", "He goes on to say, “This effort not only ensures that ... jobs and investments stay within the province but also unlocks a new industry poised to attract billions of dollars in new investments and create tens of thousands of jobs, driving economic growth and sustainability across Ontario.”", "Well, Speaker, my time is pretty much up for now. Members of the House, I look forward to hearing your perspectives on the measures proposed in this bill, and now I’ll pass things over to my parliamentary assistant." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "MmeDawn Gallagher Murphy", "text": [ "Thank you to the minister. I’d like to thank him for his leadership on this file. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank him and the Premier for this opportunity to serve as the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources. I have learned so much about our province’s natural resources—the opportunities, as well as the awesome responsibility for caring and protecting its biodiversity for this great province. It is truly a privilege to serve Ontarians on this great file.", "Of course, a shout-out to the great residents of Newmarket–Aurora, who entrusted me with the honour to be their voice, to serve them and our province: Thank you, Newmarket–Aurora.", "And most importantly, to my husband and our son: Thank you for being my rock. Your support means everything to me.", "The measures our government is proposing in this bill reflect our steadfast commitment to building strong, resilient communities—communities that are prospering today, better prepared for natural resource hazards, able to grow, with access to the survey services they need and able to build on our new foundations—in short, positioned for prosperity today and tomorrow. This commitment is especially important in Ontario’s resource-dependent communities, such as those reliant on the forestry sector.", "Some may think of resource-based industries as merely traditional. And some may fail to recognize the importance of resource-based industries to the future prosperity of this province. I’m proud to say this government doesn’t see things that way. And we’re completely focused on opportunities for growth.", "Let me start with the new legislation that is proposed in this bill: the Geologic Carbon Storage Act. As the minister said in his remarks, the economic impact of this legislation is significant. And I want to re-emphasize how geologic carbon storage offers Ontario a unique opportunity to preserve and create thousands of high-value jobs, attract significant investment and help our industries remain globally competitive. By enabling industries to reduce their carbon costs, this technology could protect vital sectors like manufacturing, oil and gas, and utilities, which are essential to our province’s economic prosperity. It also positions Ontario to take advantage of federal tax incentives and the growing global demand for carbon management technologies, ensuring we stay ahead in the transition to a low-carbon economy.", "Nous avons maintenant abordé la question de la prospérité économique. Qu’en est-il du développement durable et de la prospérité environnementale? Les richesses naturelles de l’Ontario recèlent un potentiel incroyable dans ce domaine également. Seul un travail en collaboration entre elles pourra permettre de libérer tout leur potentiel.", "So we touched on economic prosperity. But what about sustainable and environmental prosperity? Well, Ontario’s natural resources hold incredible and unbelievable potential in just that and must work together to unleash their full potential.", "Pour cette raison précise, nous prenons actuellement des mesures pour introduire et réglementer le stockage géologique du carbone en Ontario. À l’heure actuelle, environ 30 % des émissions de gaz à effet de serre de l’Ontario proviennent chaque année d’industries essentielles, telles que l’industrie de la fabrication et les services publics. Ces mêmes industries produisent les matériaux nécessaires à la construction des hôpitaux, des routes et de foyers, en plus de fournir l’énergie nécessaire à l’éclairage des hôpitaux et des foyers de soins de longue durée. Ces industries sont essentielles au fonctionnement de notre province.", "S’il est adopté, ce projet de loi permettra à ces industries essentielles à forte émission de stocker de manière permanente le dioxyde de carbone qu’elles émettent dans des formations géologiques souterraines adéquates.", "0940", "That is exactly why we’re taking steps to introduce and regulate geologic carbon storage in Ontario. As it stands, about 30% of Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions each year come from essential industries like manufacturing and utilities. These industries produce the materials needed to build hospitals, roads and homes, and supply the energy that keeps the lights on in hospitals and long-term-care homes. They are vital to our province’s functioning.", "This bill, if passed, would enable these hard-to-abate industries to permanently store the carbon dioxide they emit in suitable underground geologic formations. In just the initial phase of development, commercial-scale carbon storage projects in Ontario could lower annual industrial carbon emissions by 11% to 15%—the equivalent of removing as many as two million cars from the road—reducing Ontario’s total annual emissions by approximately 3% to 4%.", "Rien que dans leurs phases initiales de développement, les projets de stockage de carbone à des fins commerciales en Ontario pourraient réduire les émissions industrielles annuelles de carbone de 11 % à 15 %, ce qui équivaut à retirer de la circulation jusqu’à deux millions de voitures et à réduire les émissions annuelles totales de l’Ontario d’environ 3 % à 4 %.", "This technology has the potential to significantly reduce the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions by as much as $2 billion per year. The most suitable underground geologic formations for carbon storage in Ontario are saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs found in southwestern Ontario, right where many of these industries are clustered. The proximity between industries and potential storage sites offers a significant advantage for the future development of carbon management in our province.", "While geologic carbon storage is a new concept in Ontario, it has already been successfully implemented elsewhere. In fact, more than 40 carbon capture, utilization and storage projects are currently operational worldwide, including in Western Canada, Australia, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. According to the International Energy Agency, there are approximately 700 carbon capture projects in various stages of development across 50 countries. The technology has a track record of more than 50 years and it is eliciting broad support and growing levels of investment globally. This bill would help Ontario safely and responsibly engage proponents to implement carbon storage projects, following best practices from other jurisdictions.", "Le Groupe d’experts intergouvernemental sur l’évolution du climat et l’Agence internationale de l’énergie ont affirmé que sans le déploiement à grande échelle de technologies de gestion du carbone, y compris le stockage géologique du carbone, il n’y a pas de voie réaliste permettant d’atteindre des émissions nettes nulles d’ici à 2050.", "The International Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency have stated that there is no credible path to net-zero emissions by 2050 without the widespread deployment of carbon management technologies, including geologic carbon storage. This technology is particularly suited for energy-intensive industries with large, fixed assets, such as steel, lime, cement, and oil and gas refineries—industries that cannot easily eliminate their carbon emissions through process changes. Permanently storing carbon dioxide underground is a viable way for the industries to achieve their climate goals.", "Ontario’s industrial base is a key part of the province’s economy, and many communities, particularly in southwestern Ontario, depend on the jobs and economic activity generated by these industries. However, we are at a crossroads. Without carbon management strategies such as geologic carbon storage, there is a risk that industries may relocate to jurisdictions where carbon management technologies are available or to those where industrial carbon emissions are not yet subject to a price. This would have serious consequences for Ontario’s industrial heartland and could result in the deindustrialization of entire regions.", "Cependant, nous sommes à la croisée des chemins. En l’absence de stratégies de gestion du carbone telles que le stockage géologique du carbone, les industries risquent de s’établir dans ces territoires où les technologies de gestion du carbone sont disponibles, ou vers celles où les émissions industrielles de carbone ne sont pas encore soumises à ces frais. Cette situation pourrait avoir de graves conséquences pour le coeur industriel de l’Ontario et pourrait entraîner la désindustrialisation de régions entières.", "That is why we are proposing the Geologic Carbon Storage Act. This bill would help secure the future of several industry-reliant communities and ensure the reliance of Ontario’s industrial base, all while achieving our climate goals.", "Ontario’s long history of regulating oil and gas industries in southwestern Ontario gives us valuable experience in managing underground resources safely and responsibly. Our ministry has already overseen the storage of natural gas and hydrocarbons underground in salt caverns, as well as compressed air for electricity generation in Goderich. This expertise will help guide the development of geologic carbon storage projects in this province.", "The Geologic Carbon Storage Act, if passed, would provide the necessary regulatory framework to enable the responsible design, construction, operation and closure of carbon storage facilities. It would also specify the requirements for post-closure management and ensure the long-term safety of these projects. The act would also clarify the ownership of pore space in Ontario and facilitate access to suitable underground formations for carbon storage. This is a critical step in advancing carbon storage technologies and ensuring that Ontario remains a leader in responsible environmental stewardship.", "By supporting the Geologic Carbon Storage Act, Ontario will be better positioned to transition to a low-carbon economy. This technology will play a key role in helping industries meet their climate targets while ensuring that essential sectors can continue to operate and grow.", "Speaker, this bill is not just about regulation, it is about supporting our environment, helping industries reduce their carbon footprint and creating a sustainable future for all Ontarians. By embracing innovative technologies like geologic carbon storage we can ensure that Ontario’s industrial base remains a key contributor to a cleaner, more sustainable world.", "Now I would like to turn your attention to Ontario’s forest sector, which has a proud heritage and a promising future. Our government is going to help the sector realize that promise. Wood may be almost as old as the hills, but it’s being made into new products that are used in new ways. These novel wood-based products and new applications are poised to increase the use of Ontario wood in construction projects, growing the market for our sawmills, feeding into new manufacturing plants and building community assets right across our province.", "0950", "This new building method is called advanced wood construction. It’s a technology that uses engineered wood in place of more carbon-intensive products and factory-based manufacturing methods to prefabricate modular components off-site. These new materials can be used in larger and taller buildings than those that can be built using conventional wood, including taller multi-family residential and office buildings, as well as institutional, commercial, educational and industrial buildings. And this technology can be used to build infrastructure, including bridges, wind turbines, towers and sound barriers. Imagine applying assembly line efficiency in the construction industry, using prefabricated components and just-in-time delivery.", "Advanced wood materials are engineered out of wood fibre, including sawn lumber, wood chips and strands. Two products produced using this method are cross-laminated timber and laminated strand lumber. These materials are precision-machined and assembled in factories to create sustainable and highly efficient building components. Today, 11% of global energy-related carbon emissions come from the building materials used in construction and the way they are used.", "Aujourd’hui, 11 % des émissions mondiales de carbone liées à l’énergie s’expliquent par le choix des matériaux de construction et la manière dont ils sont utilisés. Des matériaux à faible teneur en carbone, tels que ceux utilisés dans les techniques avancées de construction en bois, ainsi que de meilleures méthodes de construction pourraient réduire ce pourcentage en Ontario.", "Notre gouvernement investit actuellement dans cette nouvelle technologie passionnante afin d’ouvrir un marché entièrement nouveau pour les producteurs de bois. Cette technologie pourrait également permettre d’introduire une innovation majeure dans l’industrie de la construction.", "In July, we announced a significant investment of $3.46 million in Element5, a manufacturer of cross-laminated timber. Element5 holds Forest Stewardship Council certification and uses wood from Ontario forests. The cross-laminated timber it produces is used in advanced wood construction. Element5 is using this new technology in ways expected to transform the building industry—prefabricating buildings inside factories.", "Cette méthode permettrait d’accélérer la construction des bâtiments, de diminuer les coûts, de réduire l’empreinte carbone des projets de construction, de produire moins de déchets et d’atténuer les perturbations pour la communauté.", "Element5 a élaboré un concept de logement résidentiel multiunités en bois massif. La société a également réalisé plusieurs projets de logements abordables et supervisés. Puisque nous reconnaissons le fort potentiel de cette technologie ainsi que de ses produits durables et de haute qualité, dans notre province richement boisée, au coeur de l’Amérique du Nord, mon ministère considère cette technologie comme l’avenir de l’industrie.", "That’s why we’ve drafted an Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan. This plan positions Ontario to lead in this fast-growing sector, by using more wood in the construction of multi-family residential buildings, both mid-rise and tall, and in commercial and industrial buildings, creating new opportunity in the forest sector.", "Speaker, our government’s plans to grow our natural resource sector to support job creators, to create new jobs and to build critical infrastructure is all outlined in this bill.", "Pour bâtir des infrastructures essentielles, madame la Présidente, l’Ontario continuera à avoir besoin d’agrégats. C’est pourquoi le ministère modernise également le programme des ressources en agrégats. Les ressources d’agrégats comptent habituellement le sable, le gravier, l’argile, la terre et le substrat rocheux. Ils sont utilisés pour construire des routes, des tunnels de métro, des maisons et d’autres infrastructures.", "The aggregates industry is a powerful job creator, supporting more than 26,000 jobs in aggregate-related sectors, and it fuels economic growth with an annual production revenue surpassing $1.6 billion. We know that Ontario’s population is growing at a rapid pace. That’s creating new challenges and new opportunities. We need the resources to accommodate that growth. That’s why our government has been making significant investments into infrastructure, to position Ontario for the future.", "Des projets tels que l’autoroute 413, le contournement de Bradford et le prolongement du métro dans la région du grand Toronto contribueront à relier nos communautés en pleine croissance et à ouvrir la voie à une plus grande prospérité dans toute la province. Lorsque je pense à la quantité de ressources nécessaires pour chacun de ces projets, je suis d’autant plus à même de reconnaître l’importance de notre secteur des agrégats.", "Selon les calculs de l’Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, au cours des 20 dernières années, l’Ontario a consommé 3,4 milliards de tonnes d’agrégats, soit 170 millions de tonnes par an. Un seul kilomètre de ligne de métro nécessite plus de 90 000 tonnes d’agrégats. Ces chiffres peuvent être difficiles à comprendre, mais pour moi, ils montrent à quel point il est important pour l’Ontario d’avoir une industrie des agrégats solide, souple et fiable.", "Projects like Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass and subway extensions across the GTA are all going to help connect our growing communities and pave the way for more prosperity across our province. When I think about the amount of resources required for each of these projects, I get an even deeper appreciation for our aggregates sector. Over the past 20 years, Ontario has consumed 3.4-billion tonnes of aggregate, which works out to 170-million tonnes annually, based on the Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association’s own calculations. Just a single kilometre of a subway line needs more than 90,000 tonnes of aggregate. Those numbers can be hard to comprehend, but to me, it just shows how important it is for Ontario to have a robust, adaptable and reliable aggregates industry.", "Speaker, this is why our government has been working hard to support job growth and economic development in the aggregates sector by cutting red tape, driving reform and modernizing regulations. These measures are important to help us strike a balance between promoting innovation and sustainability while safeguarding environmental protections and minimizing the impact to our communities.", "1000", "All of this infrastructure—every road, every bridge, every subway line—needs a steady and sustainable supply of stone, sand and gravel produced right here in Ontario. When our government thinks about the future of Ontario, we see a prosperous province filled with opportunity for our growing population. Our plan to make that vision a reality can’t be done alone. That’s exactly why we will keep working hand in hand with our aggregates partners to ensure that the industry is well equipped to lay the foundation for a brighter tomorrow.", "The government will be consulting on and updating key operational policies for new pit and quarry applications. By clarifying application requirements, the government aims to make the application process more efficient and transparent.", "Notre gouvernement appuie le rôle primordial de l’industrie des agrégats dans le développement des collectivités de l’Ontario. Les consultations publiques sur les politiques proposées auront lieu à l’hiver 2025. Le gouvernement est à la fois à l’écoute de la population et des entreprises qui créent les matériaux et les produits essentiels à la construction de l’avenir de notre province.", "Tout comme nous le faisons dans notre programme des agrégats en rationalisant le processus de demande et en favorisant des pratiques durables, nous assurons un approvisionnement fiable en matériaux essentiels pour nos projets d’infrastructure.", "But this bill is not just about the future of our economy. It’s also about the future of our communities. By investing in our natural resources, we are creating jobs, stimulating economic growth and strengthening the social fabric of our province.", "In conclusion, this bill is a critical step, a step forward in the journey toward a sustainable and prosperous future, un futur où je pense que je vais voir mon fils avoir du succès dans tout ce que notre province peut ouvrir.", "By embracing innovation, investing in our natural resources and working collaboratively with industry, Indigenous communities and all stakeholders, we can build a stronger Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions?" ] }, { "speaker": "M. Guy Bourgouin", "text": [ "Il y a une petite communauté de mon comté qui a une taille et une population de 600 concitoyens. Très peu de ressources humaines : ils sont cinq employés en plein temps, avec un petit budget. Cependant, le territoire couvre un immense deux cantons, la majorité couverte de forêt. La chance qu’il y ait un feu de forêt est immense dans leur territoire, puis aussi, les régions habitées par la municipalité sont grandes. Mais cela ne leur donne pas autant les moyens—les moyens humains et financiers pour gérer de façon adéquate.", "Ma question pour le ministre : comment votre projet-là va adresser ces petites municipalités qui gèrent des grandes régions, des grands territoires? Puis financièrement aussi, sur le côté des ressources humaines, parce qu’ils n’ont pas le moyen de le faire selon ce que vous allez demander. Ma question est : comment allez-vous faire pour aider ces municipalités-là financièrement et aussi avec les ressources humaines?" ] }, { "speaker": "MmeDawn Gallagher Murphy", "text": [ "Merci au député de ses questions. La Loi sur la prévention des incendies de forêt est la loi provinciale principale qui stipule la régulation pour gérer les feux de forêt en Ontario. Aucune modification importante n’a été apportée à cette loi depuis 1999. Nous devons toutefois la mettre à jour pour gérer la menace grandissante des feux de végétation.", "C’est pourquoi la Loi sur la gestion des ressources et la sécurité propose de la modifier. Les modifications législatives proposées permettraient de faire ce qui suit : renforcer la responsabilité collective à l’égard de la gestion des feux de végétation—il y’a plein d’autres choses—resserrer les règles et les conséquences en cas de non-conformité aux lois sur la gestion de faune et végétation—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further questions?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Robert Bailey", "text": [ "My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources.", "I listened closely to the parliamentary assistant’s remarks this morning.", "My question is kind of parochial. In one case, it’s about the energy-intensive industry in Sarnia–Lambton and, of course, for the province as a whole.", "Could you elaborate a little more on this new industry that could be developed and the impact it could have on my community?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Graydon Smith", "text": [ "Thank you for the question.", "In the member’s area, and all throughout southwest Ontario, what we see is opportunity—opportunity for Sarnia and other communities to continue to see investment in industries that have supported those communities for generations. And without taking this step, without enabling the Geologic Carbon Storage Act, we’re going to lose those opportunities. Businesses are looking actively at where they are going to make investments, not only in Ontario, but I mean globally and in our country. They want to have access to this technology. We have been very clear over the last couple of years, as we’ve gone through this, that as much as there is a massive environmental benefit to this, there is a massive economic benefit to this as well." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions?" ] }, { "speaker": "M. Guy Bourgouin", "text": [ "Je dois revenir à ma question précédente. J’apprécie que la sous-ministre puis le ministre m’ont répondu, mais ils n’ont pas répondu à la question.", "C’est correct de moderniser. Je pense que les municipalités n’ont pas de problème de moderniser. Mais ma question était : qu’est-ce que vous allez faire avec les petites municipalités, même les moyennes aussi, qui n’ont pas le financement mais aussi les ressources humaines pour être capables de répondre aux obligations que le ministère va imposer. Elles sont correctes avec la modernisation, mais elles ont besoin de solutions.", "Je veux vous entendre, c’est quoi ce que vous allez faire pour aider ces petites municipalités-là? Je n’ai pas besoin de savoir que ça n’a pas été modernisé—on était dû pour une modernisation. Ça, ce n’est pas le problème. Ils reconnaissent qu’il faut moderniser. On sait que la planète se réchauffe. Mais comment allez-vous aider ces petites municipalités financièrement puis aussi avec les ressources humaines? C’est ça qui est ma question. C’est ça qu’elles veulent savoir, puisqu’elles veulent être capables de répondre à vos—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Response." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Graydon Smith", "text": [ "Thanks to the member for the question.", "As the member may know, I was in the municipal sector for a long time, and I certainly appreciate that a number of smaller communities sometimes face unique financial challenges. The point of the updates in this bill is not to create a burden for them. In fact, we’ve done a lot of consultation in advance of this, and we have the support of not only AMO, but of FONOM and Danny Whalen, their president, and Wendy Landry and NOMA. We want to consult more with municipalities and get the ground rules set for what these plans look like. We know certain communities already have plans; we can grow and use those as a base. And we’re definitely going to work with municipalities, not against municipalities, to make sure that they have the safety in their communities, and all throughout the north, that they deserve.", "1010" ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Andrew Dowie", "text": [ "Resiliency is truly an important quality for all communities.", "In southwestern Ontario, communities like Wheatley, not too far from my hometown, were rocked by an explosion caused by an abandoned gas well under a building in downtown Wheatley. The province—and the Ministry of Natural Resources, particularly—has made a commitment and is supporting Wheatley and southwestern Ontario by providing financial assistance and making changes to ensure communities are safe and prepared for oil and gas well emergencies.", "I saw the government, during the summer, announce a $7.5-million investment to help communities enhance emergency preparedness, as part of the government’s $23.6-million action plan to tackle the challenges related to legacy oil and gas wells.", "I know the ministry also administers the Abandoned Works Program, which provides financial assistance to eligible landowners to support the plugging of oil and gas wells.", "What does this bill do to reduce the risk of these particular wells?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Graydon Smith", "text": [ "Thank you for the question.", "I’m glad you highlighted Wheatley—and a shout-out to the great folks of Wheatley, who have been through a lot. Since that tragic day, we have supported them every step of the way. I made a promise to the fire chief, the first time I met him, that when we said that we were going to take lessons learned from that event, it was not a hollow promise.", "We have taken action on numerous fronts around abandoned oil and gas wells in southwestern Ontario, not only to plug more wells, but to give municipalities the funding to incent them to have local plans that work for their municipalities.", "And through this bill, if passed, we’re going to continue that path, to make sure that safety is a priority for not only us but for these communities, and make sure that we can get access to those wells that pose a risk, even if there are unusual circumstances." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further questions?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Sandy Shaw", "text": [ "The explosion in Wheatley is a hard lesson that we must learn from.", "What we know is that the abandoned oil and gas well problem is massive. It’s huge. There are estimates that there are still up to 40,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the province. The government is committing $23.6 million. I can’t imagine that’s going to even come close to remediating these wells.", "What I also see in this bill—two things: One is that you are starting to address the legacy of an industry that went wrong, and now you’re introducing, effectively, a new industry.", "Given the lessons from Wheatley, will you be doing extensive safety and public consultations when it comes to this new industry that you’re proposing when it comes to carbon capture?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Graydon Smith", "text": [ "Thank you very much for the question.", "As I mentioned earlier, those lessons learned continue to be implemented around oil and gas wells.", "When we look to carbon capture, safety, of course, is paramount. We’ve been clear with industry, we’ve been clear with municipalities, as we have moved forward with carbon capture very methodically in Ontario through a number of steps, that safety is number one. We are not going to allow a project to go forward if there is a safety concern. We are going to make sure that any of these projects that occur in Ontario respect the fact that Ontarians need to remain safe, while at the same time we’re opening up opportunities for environmental benefit and fiscal investment in our communities in Ontario.", "Second reading debate deemed adjourned." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Pursuant to standing order 93(a), I beg to inform the House that the Clerk has received a notice related to Bill Pr55, An Act respecting Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Billy Pang", "text": [ "On November 8, I had the honour of joining a vital community safety meeting hosted by Markham Community Alliance. The meeting gathered community members, government representatives and York Regional Police to address urgent safety concerns, including car thefts, home invasions and robberies.", "As a guest speaker, I provided updates on provincial actions to improve public safety and informed attendees about my private member’s motion to proclaim November as Community Safety Month in Ontario. This initiative aims to boost public awareness around safety, support effective crime prevention and strengthen community policing across Ontario. Fostering safety through education and collaboration is key to building stronger, safer communities.", "Additionally, the Ontario government has committed over $1 billion to community safety initiatives, which include hiring additional police officers and judges, purchasing new helicopters, reducing court backlogs, combatting auto theft and more to enhance safety across Ontario.", "As we all know, community safety isn’t just about law enforcement. It’s about empowering citizens to be proactive in protecting their homes and neighbourhoods. I thank our many engaged community leaders for partnering with us to make Ontario a better and safer place to live and raise their families." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Wayne Gates", "text": [ "In Niagara and across the province of Ontario, we are facing a severe shortage of family doctors. More than 2.5 million Ontarians do not currently have a family doctor and in less than two years that number will double. Some 40% of the doctors currently practising are considering retirement in the next few years and small, rural and northern communities are suffering terribly.", "While we have made progress in Niagara thanks to the hard-working team of recruitment specialists, we know that this crisis has only worsened since the Premier and this government have been in power. They have had more than six years to address this problem and yet things are worse than ever before. This government will have underfunded our hospital system by $21 billion by 2028. They spent years fighting nurses in court over the unconstitutional law Bill 124 while they spent $1 billion on private staffing agencies, worsening the staffing crisis in health care. There have been a record number of emergency room and urgent care closures like Fort Erie.", "What we need to do is reduce the administrative burden on doctors, increase funding for primary care, allow primary care teams to work together and make it easier for doctors who have trained internationally to practise in our community.", "Let me be clear, Ontario deserves better than this government’s record of failure on the health care file." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Steve Pinsonneault", "text": [ "I rise today to celebrate a milestone in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, the launch of a state-of-the-art, $75-million plant propagation greenhouse in Glencoe. This cutting-edge facility is set to revolutionize our local agricultural sector by producing over 100 million plants annually, including vegetables, flowers and herbs.", "Beyond its impressive production capacity, this greenhouse is a boost of economic growth and job creation in Lambton–Kent–Middlesex. It has already created employment opportunities, and it is expected to attract future investment in the region. The development of this facility highlights our community’s commitment to innovation and sustainability in agriculture. We are not only growing our local economy but contributing to Ontario’s leadership in the agri-food sector.", "I want to congratulate all those involved in bringing this visionary project to life. Their dedication and hard work have laid the foundation for a more prosperous future in our riding." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jamie West", "text": [ "This Friday, Mell retires. For those of you who aren’t from Sudbury, Mell is Q92’s Mellaney Dahl. Q92 is Sudbury’s first FM rock station and since 1990, they’ve been moving more rock than Vale.", "Mell has been there since the beginning and Sudbury loves listening to Mell. She’s quick with a laugh. She’s got a caring heart. She’s known for her dedication to helping our community. Mell is regularly involved with the chamber of commerce’s International Women’s Day. She mentors many young female announcers and she’s an advocate for various charities—too many to list.", "Closest to her heart, however, would be the Sudbury Food Bank. Mell is the president of the food bank and volunteers like Mell help ensure that the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive continues to be the largest per capita food drive in Ontario and one of the biggest in Canada. Knowing Mell, she’d ask all of us to celebrate her retirement with donations to the food bank.", "1020", "Nick Liard and her team at Q92 had this to say about Mell: “Every community would be lucky to have a champion and voice like Mell. She is a bright light for so many people through tough times in their life and a consistently amazing human being. I know she is going to miss all the people that she has connected with in the community, worked with at the radio station and charity work across Greater Sudbury but she deserves this, and her career is a benchmark for those getting into media.”", "Speaker, after 35 years as a Q92 announcer and content director, Mell will be greatly missed. I believe I speak for all of Sudbury when I say, thank you for everything, Mell. Congratulations. We hope you rock your retirement." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Sheref Sabawy", "text": [ "Last week, we were at Roche Canada in Mississauga to announce a $130-million investment with 250 new good-paying jobs. We know that life sciences are an important sector in Ontario, with more than 72,000 people, and we are continuing to see the industry grow.", "Just like how Silicon Valley is a large hub for technology in North America, Mississauga is quickly becoming a large hub for pharmaceuticals and life sciences. In our city, we have many of the top industry players—$2.7 billion of GDP from life sciences in Mississauga alone. Post-secondary institutions like the University of Toronto Mississauga continue to partner with these organizations to build the next generation of life sciences pioneers. UTM recently opened a new science building, allowing even more students to succeed.", "By creating more access to biomedical labs, pharmaceutical companies can continue to innovate. For example, HDAX Therapeutics is working with UTM on therapeutic solutions for diseases. I recently attended a celebration where Amgen Biotech Experience and UTM had provided educational experiences to over 8,000 students in Ontario.", "The pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors in Mississauga and Ontario continue to thrive. Our government is fostering the conditions for this growth, and we’ll continue to get it done." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Chris Glover", "text": [ "There’s been a number of coyote attacks on pet dogs in Liberty Village. I spoke last week with some of the residents there.", "Bianca was walking her dog when she was chased by a coyote. She picked up her dog and the coyote continued to chase her with the dog in her hands. She thanks the people in Liberty Village who actually came to her rescue and, as a group, was able to scare the coyote away.", "Patrick, who is very familiar with hazing, said that he was walking his dog at 7:30 in the morning. A coyote came and started to attack his dog, and he had to fight off that coyote.", "Yesterday, there was an attack posted on the Facebook group in Liberty Village.", "The question is, why are these attacks becoming so much more common now? The relationship may be that this government destroyed the wildlife habitat on the west island without an environment assessment. They also have exempted the Ontario Line construction from an environmental assessment. Environmental assessments are designed to protect wildlife, they’re designed to protect the environment and they’re designed to protect people.", "So, what we believe is that the dens of these coyotes have been destroyed and now they’ve been pushed into the city and they’re becoming much more desperate and aggressive. That may be leading them to the dogs.", "It’s not just me saying this. I talked to David Lewis, who does environmental assessments, and he said that a key component of environmental assessments is to assess how much wildlife is there, how much wildlife will be displaced and to make a plan for that. Without this plan, this government’s actions destroying the west island at Ontario Place has put residents in Liberty Village at risk." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. David Smith", "text": [ "I rise today to commend our government for its steadfast commitment to addressing Ontario’s housing crisis. I had the opportunity to participate in the affordable housing and land development bus tour in Scarborough, focusing on transit-oriented development sites within Scarborough Centre. This initiative highlights a powerful approach to integrating affordable housing with accessible transit, helping to create vibrant, connected communities.", "Affordable housing is not just about building homes, it’s about ensuring these homes are within reach of essential services, jobs and opportunities. TOD sites make this possible by linking housing with accessible transit options, which reduces transportation costs for families, supports sustainable urban growth and enhances quality of life for residents.", "Our government has committed over $1.8 billion to housing-enabling infrastructure, supporting the construction of at least 1.5 million homes by 2031. This bold investment addresses our growing housing needs and fosters sustainable, inclusive communities across Ontario.", "I’d like to extend my gratitude to Mark Richardson and his team, the technical lead for our tour, for his insight and dedication in showcasing how these developments are transforming our community for the better." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Vincent Ke", "text": [ "Last week, the Ontario government introduced the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act, 2024. This legislation includes provisions for supervised consumption sites, including five in Toronto.", "Speaker, I’ve heard growing concerns from families and businesses about the unintended consequences of these sites, including safety issues near schools and playgrounds and reports of vandalism, drug use and crime in surrounding areas.", "This bill has received overwhelming support from constituents, with many sharing feedback such as, “Applause for Ford for standing strong under pressure and taking real action.” Another said, “This is fantastic; it is the decision a rational person would make.”", "Community leaders agree that prioritizing prevention and rehabilitation over enabling drug use is the true solution to the addiction crisis. Research supports that a balanced approach with investments in prevention, treatment and recovery is more effective and sustainable.", "This bill marks a significant step forward in safeguarding public spaces while addressing the complex issues around addiction." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Laura Smith", "text": [ "Last Saturday, Thornhill kicked off the holiday spirit at the historic Holy Trinity Church with an afternoon of festivities at their Christmas market and lunch. Along with the handmade Christmas decor, delicious butter tarts and the fudge—which, by the way, I bought the last of—this year was particularly special, as I was introduced to the new minister, Rev. Maria Ling. I want to welcome her to her role and thank her for her hospitality, as well as all of the members of the ACW, the Anglican Church Women. They help with the sale and the preparation of the delicious meals. I had just a great time.", "Their festival of Christmas is an annual event that has been serving the Thornhill community for so many years, with the proceeds going to help charities that help women and children, something dear to everyone in this room’s heart.", "Recognizing that the holidays can also be a really difficult time for some, on the evening of December 6, they actually host a special Advent service for those grieving a loss. It’s known as blue Christmas. I think that’s really incredible, and I want that thank Nancy Cutler for her dedication in bridging those gaps for the community. Not everyone has a great Christmas experience, but she makes sure that it involves everyone.", "I also want to thank sisters Hillary and Miriam for being such compassionate volunteers through their weekly Out of the Cold program.", "Holy Trinity Church has such an amazing and a special group of people who truly embody the spirit of the holidays 365 days a year. I want to thank them for their incredible job in the community.", "1030" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Logan Kanapathi", "text": [ "November is a deeply emotional month. Intimate partner violence is not just a problem, it is a growing crisis across the province. Women and girls are subject to unimaginable physical, emotional and psychological harm. This vile form of control robs them of their fundamental right to live freely and safely. Our government remains committed to fostering an environment where every woman can live with dignity and safety, free from fear. Ending intimate partner violence is a daunting challenge, but we must confront it with resilience and eradication.", "Mr. Speaker, this week is Maaveerar Naal. It holds significance for Tamils around the world and the Tamil community, especially Tamil residents in Markham–Thornhill, as we reflect on the many lives lost during the Sri Lankan Civil War. To mark this, actor Karunaas Sethu travelled from Tamil Nadu, India, to release a film called Salliyargal here in Markham and York region. This film highlights the extraordinary service of medical workers during the final stages of the war.", "Salliyargal is more than a film, it is a cultural testament to the resilience, ultimate sacrifices and stories of a generation, ensuring their voices are preserved for the generations of the future. Let us draw strength from these stories as we continue to build a safer, more compassionate world where every human race can live peacefully, without fear and persecution." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "I’d like to introduce members of the University of Toronto NDP who are here at Queen’s Park today: Kate Martens, Samuel Sarjeant, Mathis Cleuziou, Kabeer Haider, Ash Donachie, Raymond Bhushan, Luca Rampersad, Jake Barton and Anika Dhaliwal. Thank you so much for being here. It’s a pleasure working with you." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Ted Hsu", "text": [ "I would like to welcome a couple of visitors here who are with Good Roads: Cathy Burghardt-Jesson, the mayor of Lucan-Biddulph; and Cheryl Fort, the first vice-president of Good Roads, who is the mayor of Hornepayne. Welcome to your House." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Mike Harris", "text": [ "We have many paramedic chiefs from across the province who are here today, and I want to give a special shout-out to John Riches, who is the chief of the region of Waterloo paramedics. Thank you very much for being here. I look forward to meeting with everybody later." ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Lise Vaugeois", "text": [ "I have two groups I would like to welcome today. From Good Roads, Guy Godmaire, director of Good Roads; Kristin Murray, director; and Rayna Gillis, CFO. We’ve already met. Welcome to your House. Thank you so much for being here.", "I would also like to welcome the—I believe there are as many as 18—members of the association of paramedic chiefs here. In particular, I’d like to welcome Shane Muir, who is the chief of the Superior North EMS; Andrea Joyce, director of paramedic services, Naotkamegwanning EMS; Steve Turner, manager, Lambton county EMS; Melissa Roney, deputy chief, Greater Sudbury. Thank you so much for meeting with me this morning, and welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "As has been mentioned, I would also like to welcome the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs. In particular, I know that President Greg Sage and the paramedic chiefs from across Ontario are having productive meetings. Welcome to the Legislature of Ontario.", "I would also like to welcome Life Sciences Ontario to the Legislature. I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to drop in after 5 at the legislative dining room to learn more about how Ontario is on the cutting edge in the life sciences." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Sol Mamakwa", "text": [ "Remarks in Anishininiimowin.", "Good morning. I would like to introduce Jessie Clelland and Camerra Yuill Robar, who are here with the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario—but also Nancy Liu, the president of the Ontario Association of Pathologists. It was great to meet with them this morning. Meegwetch for the important work that they do." ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Karen McCrimmon", "text": [ "It’s a pleasure to introduce some guests today. I’d like to welcome Nancy Peckford, Justin Towndale and Andrew Blackburn, from Good Roads.", "I’d also like to welcome, from the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association, Jeffrey Dale and Dana Vajcovec.", "Finally, from Life Sciences Ontario, I’d like to welcome Eric Tse, Trisha Hutzul and Alex Muggah.", "I look forward to meeting with you all. Welcome to your House." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Andrew Dowie", "text": [ "I want to wish a warm welcome to everyone from the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs, and particularly, from our neck of the woods down in the deep southwest, Justin Lammers from Essex-Windsor EMS and Jeff Brooks from Chatham-Kent EMS. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "I’d also like to welcome Chief John Riches, from the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs. I look forward to our meeting.", "Also, Life Sciences Ontario’s president, Jason Field, and manager of government relations, Charlini Nicholapillai, I look forward to speaking to later on at the reception." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Fraser", "text": [ "I’d like to welcome Megan Harrison, who is the mom of page Alina Doja, from Ottawa South, who is the page captain today. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Graydon Smith", "text": [ "I want to welcome Jeff McWilliam, who is the chief of the Muskoka Paramedic Services, here with the OAPC today and a fellow Miami Dolphins fan, so a double hello." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Logan Kanapathi", "text": [ "I am honoured to rise today to introduce Mr. Karunaas Sethu, a former MLA of Tamil Nadu, renowned actor, producer, composer and singer. With his impactful career in both the arts and politics, Karunaas is a true advocate for creativity and advocate for marginalized communities through his films and songs. Please welcome him to the Legislature of Ontario, Canada." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Assuming there are no objections, I’d like to continue with the introduction of visitors." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady", "text": [ "I’d like to welcome to the House Clare Loftus, who is with me from the great riding of Haldimand–Norfolk. Clare is currently studying criminology at Laurier university and will move on to law school in England in just a few years. Welcome to the House, Clare." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Nolan Quinn", "text": [ "I’d like to welcome the mayor of Cornwall, Justin Towndale, who is here for the Good Roads advocacy day." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Joel Harden", "text": [ "A very special person back home is watching the live feed. I want to shout out my beloved, Clare Roscoe. Happy birthday, honey, and thank you for everything you do for CHEO and you do for our family. We love you." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Laura Smith", "text": [ "I would very much like to welcome members from my team in my office, Ms. Delia Marquez; Flora Khani, who is with the ministry; OLIP intern Annie Dowd; and, third day on the job, new to politics, new to this room, Ms. Taia Samuel." ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens", "text": [ "Good morning, Speaker, and thank you for allowing me to rise and welcome to our House Joseph Falzata as well as Julie Kwiecinski, from CFIB. Welcome to your House, and thank you for that lovely meeting this morning." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "Good morning, everyone. It is my pleasure to welcome clever Craig Meerkamper, who is curious about political life, and so, hopefully, he doesn’t get turned off politics today with us.", "I’d also like to welcome the good people from Good Roads—my former colleague city councillor passionate Paul Ainslie and awesome Andrew Blackburn—and the talented Toronto Paramedic Services, all of you who are here and brave Bikram Chawla.", "I’ll see you later this afternoon. Welcome to your House." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Jordan", "text": [ "I want to welcome Mike Nolan, chief, Renfrew county paramedics, founder of the VTAC program.", "1040" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "I’d like to acknowledge here today with us the former MPP for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, Paul Miller. Welcome to the House. It’s nice to see you." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I, too, would like to welcome the former member, who served in the 39th, 40th, 41st and 42nd Parliaments. Welcome back, Paul. It’s great to see you here." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Amarjot Sandhu", "text": [ "I would like to make an introduction on behalf of my colleague from Brampton East: a page captain from Brampton East, Maadhav Saini, a resident of Brampton East and student from Williams Parkway Senior Public School. Thank you for your hard work and for being passionate about learning more about the Ontario Parliament.", "Also, in attendance are Maadhav’s father, Gulshan Saini; mother, Bhawana Sharma; and younger brother Paarth Saini. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Joel Harden", "text": [ "I also just want to acknowledge our friends from the Salvation Army who are here in the chamber today. Thank you for all you do to keep people well and safe. I look forward to your reception at noon.", "And yes, to the good people at Good Roads: Scott Butler, thank you for all you do. Thomas Barakat and the whole team that is talking about road safety, I look forward to your reception at 5 p.m. Thanks for being here." ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Daisy Wai", "text": [ "I would like to introduce Nancy Liu, pathologist and president of the Ontario Association of Pathologists; John Tzountzouris, registrar and CEO of the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario; and John Soltys, district 5 representative for the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario. I look forward to our meeting this afternoon." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael Parsa", "text": [ "A great guy." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Stan Cho", "text": [ "Thank you to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.", "Two introductions this morning: The first is my BFF from Timmins, a friend of the Minister of Mines and I, Councillor Kristin Murray. Welcome to the Legislature.", "Second is—well, listen, this guy served some time with me at the Ministry of Finance. You can take the man out of the ministry, but you can’t take the ministry out of the man. Kyle Jacobs is here with his parents. Thank you, though, for leaving your younger, more handsome brother here with us at Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Anthony Leardi", "text": [ "I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce and welcome the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario, including their CEO Michelle Hoad, as well as representatives from the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario, the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association and the Ontario Association of Pathologists. Thank you for your significant contributions and welcome to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "And the very patient Minister of Children, Community and Social Services." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael Parsa", "text": [ "I appreciate it. Thank you very much, Speaker.", "I’d like to welcome divisional commander, Lieutenant Colonel Brian Armstrong, and divisional officer personnel secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Lynn Armstrong, from the Salvation Army, who are joined by front-line leaders from across the province. To the entire Salvation Army team who are here at Queen’s Park, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for everything that you do.", "Members, please join them in room 228 for their lunch reception right after question period." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Terence Kernaghan", "text": [ "It gives me great pleasure to welcome individuals from the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario, Wes Morrison, Catherine Streutker, Jeffrey Fuller; as well as Life Sciences Ontario individuals, RJ Kayser, Russell Williams, Peter Brenders, Mark Smithyes and Michael Di Tomasso; as well as individuals from Good Roads, Chris Traini and Will Wuehr. I look forward to our meetings.", "I also want to give a warm welcome to paramedic chief Stephen Turner, who is here in the House today." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. David Piccini", "text": [ "I’d like to just single out two folks from the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario: Natalie Goodman and Dr. Katie O’Reilly, who I see are here today. Welcome to Queen’s Park. I’m looking forward to having lunch." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "That concludes our introduction of visitors for this morning." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. According to the Financial Accountability Officer, housing costs were responsible for 70% of the inflation that Ontarians experienced in just the last quarter—skyrocketing home prices, skyrocketing rent, and there’s no relief in sight. Housing starts are actually down 18% so far this year.", "So I want to ask, on behalf of young families, on behalf of tenants facing rent hikes and eviction and on behalf of seniors who are considering tents: Has the Premier simply given up the fight on the housing crisis?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "To respond, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "I’m not sure where the Leader of the Opposition has been, because we have been asked by them and they don’t seem to be listening. I agree with her: Housing prices have gone up over the last year. Why? Because interest rates went up faster than at any point in time in the country’s history. It was this Premier who got to the microphone and asked, begged, the Bank of Canada and the federal government to do something about bringing interest rates down. It priced out of the market those who wanted to buy their first home. It priced out of the market those who were building homes. It priced out of the market those who were building purpose-built rentals.", "I absolutely agree, and this is why I have asked the Leader of the Opposition to work with her federal counterparts to bring down a federal government that has caused interest rates to increase at the level at which they have, that caused inflation to skyrocket out of control. Now, more than ever, when we are faced with a crisis south of the border that threatens the financial health of the entire country, I beg the Leader of the Opposition: Call the federal government, tell her federal counterparts to hold them accountable so that we can keep things moving properly in the proper direction here in the province of Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "The evidence of their failure is very plain to see, because housing starts are collapsing here in Ontario, while they are rising in most other provinces in Canada—interesting.", "Ontario ranked eighth in per-capita housing starts last month, behind British Columbia, behind Manitoba, behind Quebec and behind Alberta. Under this government, Ontario is building at less than half the rate necessary to achieve our goal of 1.5 million new homes. So has the Premier given up on this housing goal?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "Again, an ironic question coming from the Leader of the Opposition that has voted against every single proposal that we have brought forward to help unlock housing starts in the province of Ontario.", "As I’ve said on a number of occasions, prior to the rapid increase in interest rates, we were building more homes, more starts than at any other time in the history of the province. And that’s not just single, detached homes; that’s also purpose-built rentals.", "We knew, as the Premier highlighted, that when interest rates increased at the speed at which they were going to, we had to put in place other things so that when those interest rates started to come down, we could unlock a persistent housing boom in the province of Ontario. That is why we brought forward over $3 billion worth of housing-enabling infrastructure that the Minister of Infrastructure has highlighted across the province of Ontario, tying infrastructure to home building. We’ve also tied that to strong-mayor powers, because we expect our municipal partners to work with us to get shovels in the ground so that we can meet our goal of 1.5 million homes." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The final supplementary?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "This Premier ignored the recommendations of their own Housing Affordability Task Force. They refused to legalize fourplexes and they refused to legalize mid-rises near transit as of right. They cut funding for community housing by 70%. They don’t want public investment in new housing, but they don’t seem to want private investment either.", "Since the legislative session started, the Premier has been obsessed with spas and bike lanes and tunnel fantasies. Is this because he so badly needs to distract people from his total failure on housing?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats. Order.", "I’ll remind the members that we refer to each other by our ministerial title or our riding name, as applicable.", "Premier." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Ford", "text": [ "I just want to remind the Leader of the Opposition: We led the charge across the country on removing HST on purpose-built rentals. We introduced over $3 billion in new funding for municipalities, for funding the housing-enabling infrastructure fund, and the opposition voted against it. We included $1.2 billion in funding for those who meet or exceed housing targets. The opposition voted against it.", "1050", "Mr. Speaker, let me quote a friend of mine named Mayor Steven Del Duca: “Frankly, this housing affordability crisis began when I was still sitting at the provincial cabinet table.” Mayor Steven Del Duca, January 17, 2024.", "So maybe when you were propping up the Liberals, destroying the province, chasing 300,000 jobs out of this province, hiking electricity rates, making sure it wasn’t affordable for companies to stay here—maybe we’d have more housing. We led the country in housing until your counterparts decided to keep the federal Liberals—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The Premier will take his seat.", "I remind the members to make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor of the House.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "I mean, maybe the Premier should go talk to folks in BC and Manitoba who know how to build housing in the country, you know? They know how to get things done.", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "They’ve got bigger shovels than yours, my friend.", "Let’s talk about why this matters: Last week, I was in Ottawa listening to people who feel like they have been completely left behind by this government.", "I met Lynn. She is 64 years old. She’s worked her whole life. She was looking forward to retirement. She had a bit of bad luck, and you know what? She lost her home. She ended up homeless. She lived in her car for eight weeks before she could even find a place to sleep in a shelter. She told me over and over again that she never imagined being homeless.", "People are on the brink of losing their homes and this government is doing nothing about it. Why is this Premier leaving people like Lynn behind?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will take their seats.", "For the second time today, I’m going to remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.", "The Premier can reply." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Ford", "text": [ "Again, let’s just go back a little bit here—we set records: More housing built, more rentals, more than any time over the last 30 years. In 2021, there were 99,566 homes; in 2022, 96,000 homes; in 2023, 89,000 homes.", "All we’re asking is when we put these motions together to make sure we support the municipalities that you support us. Unlike the Liberals, that ended up electing as a leader the most NIMBY mayor that we’ve ever seen in Ontario that built nothing—actually, Mississauga shrunk under her leadership; sky-high taxes; DCs that we’ve never seen before.", "We’re doing everything we can to work with the 444 municipalities to make sure they get rid of the fees—the 38% fees before you even get a shovel in the ground. You’re paying $150,000 before you even get a shovel in the ground to build the condos, to build—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Ottawa Centre will come to order. The member for Sudbury will come to order. The member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas will come to order. The member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order. Over here, the government House leader will come to order. And who else was it?" ] }, { "speaker": "Interjection", "text": [ "Pick one. Pick one." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The Minister of Red Tape Reduction will come to order.", "The supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "Cars are not homes. Tents are not homes, right? Most other provinces are building more homes faster than here in the province of Ontario under this Premier’s watch. Housing starts haven’t been seen this low since the 1950s, Speaker.", "When I speak to industry, let me tell you that a few years back, they were trying to find workers; today, they’re laying people off because Ontario’s residential construction sector is shrinking. Homes are not being built. Jobs are disappearing from the province. So I want to know if this Premier is okay with young, skilled workers moving out of this province to build homes that are simply not being built here in Ontario.", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Eglinton–Lawrence will come to order.", "The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "Speaker, let’s unpack what she said there. Housing starts are at their lowest in many decades, and I’ll agree with her: Single, detached housing starts are at their lowest that we’ve seen in a long time, primarily because of the interest rate increases. But that’s single, detached homes.", "So I ask the Leader of the Opposition: If I bring forward proposals that will unlock single, detached housing construction across the province of Ontario to get it to the highest levels in the history of the province, will the member opposite support that? I’m willing to guess that she won’t. It’s a convenient thing that she’s left out, that although single, detached are at their lowest level—and that’s an absolute fact—purpose-built rentals are remaining at some of their highest levels ever.", "Do you know why that is? I’ll tell you why that is: because this Premier and this Minister of Finance worked to eliminate the HST on the construction of those projects. When I was in Ottawa last week, they said the only reason they’re getting purpose-built rentals in the ground and affordable housing in the ground is because we removed DCs on that. When you lower—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Waterloo will come to order.", "The final supplementary?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "Housing is not being built here in the province of Ontario the way it is being built in BC, in Manitoba, in Alberta and most of the rest of this country. You cannot blame the interest rates for your constant failures. We’ve proposed Homes Ontario, but the Premier opposes public sector solutions. The NDP proposed making it easier to build housing of all kinds, as recommended by their own task force, but the Premier opposes private sector solutions too. It seems like donating to cabinet ministers is the only way to get anything done with this government.", "My question is, what’s the going rate to get you back to building in the province of Ontario?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will take their seats.", "I think, for the third time today. I will remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.", "The Premier." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Ford", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, I don’t even know where to begin here. We’re against the private sector to build homes, that she shouts and screams non-stop if we do anything to support the private sector. She’s against public housing, because she’s against building anything, and she’s against building infrastructure that helps homes get built. She’s against the 413, the Bradford Bypass—you’re against building $50 billion in new hospitals. She’s against putting money back into people’s pockets, because the NDP and Liberals believe it’s their money. It’s not the taxpayers’ money, it’s their money.", "We’ve never ever seen an influx of employment that we’ve seen here in Ontario. Over 850,000 people are working today that weren’t working six and a half years ago. We’ve seen $70 billion of investment in our province, no matter if it’s $45 billion in EV that they voted against or life sciences—$5 billion that they voted—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas will come to order. The member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order. The Leader of the Opposition will come to order.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jamie West", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Suzanne’s eight-year-old child has been on the autism wait-list and her family is in crisis. Suzanne has been trying to provide 24/7 care for her daughter. She had to quit her job. She’s facing bankruptcy and she’s completely burnt out. After exhausting every possible avenue, Suzanne made the heartbreaking decision to give guardianship of her daughter to children’s aid so she can get the care she needs. Today, Suzanne’s eight-year-old daughter lives five hours away from Sudbury in a foster facility in Mississauga.", "Question: How has the Conservative government allowed such a heartbreaking failure to happen to this family?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael Parsa", "text": [ "I thank my honourable colleague for the question. I just want to share some facts with my colleagues in this House today. Six years ago, the program wasn’t up to the realities of then, let alone the realities of today. When we formed government, 8,500 families had access to one stream of support under the previous government, which the NDP supported. Fast-forward to today and the member is talking about the number of families that are enrolled in the program. I will tell you why: It’s because we increased the funding to $600 million. Then we increased the funding by $120 million again to more than $720 million.", "The previous government—8,500 families in total had access to one stream of service. Today, tens of thousands of families are accessing all kinds of supports thanks to this Premier, thanks to—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "If you repeatedly ignore the Speaker’s request to call you to order, you’ll be warned.", "1100", "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Jamie West", "text": [ "Back to the minister: There is some hope, Speaker. Children’s aid told Suzanne that Imagine Therapeutic Services has a place for Suzanne’s daughter in Sudbury, but they need the minister to sign some paperwork. I asked Suzanne if she wanted to say anything to the minister. She said, “We really want her home for Christmas. I’m not sure if I can afford to visit her, and that would break my heart again.”", "Speaker, there has been an application on the minister’s desk for over a year. My question, Minister, is: Will you sign this paperwork?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "For the fourth time, I would ask the members to make their comments through the Chair.", "The response?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael Parsa", "text": [ "The honourable member will know that the government doesn’t actually direct our providers when it comes to placements, but what I can tell you is what our government is doing to support families across the province.", "We know that some children and youth require more specialized supports—those with complex special needs. That’s why we increased the complex special needs funding to $105 million, the highest in the province. We went a step above that. We introduced the integrated pathways to make sure that more than 11,000 families with children and youth with complex needs have access to specialized supports, those wraparound supports through multi-disciplinary teams across the province.", "On this side of the House, we will not give up on any family. We’ll continue to make the investments to make sure every family, every child, every youth in this entire province has the supports they need, when they need it.", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Hamilton Mountain is warned.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Andrew Dowie", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Under the previous Liberal government, Ontario was openly seen as a high-tax, anti-business jurisdiction. The former CEO of Fiat Chrysler mentioned to Premier Wynne at the time, “I think you need to create the conditions to be competitive.” Businesses fled the province, taking tens of thousands of jobs with them, and under their watch, companies rarely considered Ontario as a place to expand and grow their operations.", "Our government has changed that. We’ve restored Ontario’s global reputation and promoted our province as the best place to do business. As a result, global companies are investing and expanding in Ontario at record levels. One example is NextStar’s $5-billion EV battery plant in my riding of Windsor–Tecumseh, creating 2,500 good-paying jobs.", "Speaker, can the minister please highlight how our government ensures Ontario remains a top destination for businesses to invest and to grow?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Victor Fedeli", "text": [ "We just returned from Singapore, where Ontario opened our very first trade and investment office in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Singapore is one of the world’s strongest and most diversified economies, making it the perfect location for Ontario’s new office. With our new ASEAN office, Ontario will have a gateway to a union of 10 states in southeast Asia with a combined population of 600 million people. This will allow our province to forge new partnerships, bolster trade opportunities and land even more job-creating investments right here in Ontario.", "We now have a total of 14 offices worldwide that have attracted $9.5 billion in new investment and facilitated market access for 1,500 Ontario companies. Ontario is open for business." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Andrew Dowie", "text": [ "By promoting Ontario on the world stage, we’re ensuring that the province can land more job-creating investments. In my riding, I mentioned NextStar’s historic $5-billion investment, which is creating 2,500 jobs directly and thousands more indirectly. Recently, NextStar hit a pivotal landmark as they began the production of battery modules. This investment is truly a game-changer for the hard-working families of my riding and the entire surrounding region. They could have set up shop anywhere, but they chose Ontario. Right across the province, in my colleagues’ ridings and ridings across the province, including members opposite, we are seeing companies invest in Ontario and create good-paying jobs.", "Can the minister highlight how, by letting the world know Ontario is open for business, we’re seeing job-creating investments land in our province?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Victor Fedeli", "text": [ "As a result of our extensive travels last year, 137 companies from around the world landed in Ontario, invested $11 billion and created 12,200 new jobs right here in Ontario. Companies from around the world look at Ontario, and they see a beacon of hope that is amidst this global turmoil that’s going on. They look at Ontario and they know we’re reliable, we’re credible, we’re safe. They continue to choose Ontario because we have everything here that they need to succeed.", "We’ve lowered the cost of doing business by $8 billion since we were elected, and that has resulted in, as the Premier said earlier today, 850,000 new jobs created in the province of Ontario. Companies from all around the world know that Ontario is open for business." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Lise Vaugeois", "text": [ "To the Premier: Ontario loses 400 to 500 paramedics each year because the pay does not match the responsibilities or scope of practice of these health professionals. Graduates of a three-year nursing degree earn $64 a hour, while graduates of a three-year paramedics degree only earn $44 an hour. Paramedics used to carry six medications; now they are responsible for over 22 and will soon be carrying four restricted narcotics.", "The demanding work schedule, exposure to trauma and low pay are the reasons paramedics leave the profession. What is the Ministry of Health doing to correct the pay gap for these health care professionals so that we can retain paramedics in Ontario?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "To reply, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "Of course, I am thrilled to have the paramedic chiefs here today.", "I think back to all of the work that paramedics have been doing for so many years in our communities, whether it is expansions of community paramedic services; whether it is 911 models of care—that, actually, the paramedic chiefs and the paramedics themselves brought forward and we adopted to ensure that we could deal with decreasing the emergency ED wait times. It is this incredible work that just speaks to the professionalism and the innovative, creative, outside-the-box thinking that our chiefs and our paramedics across Ontario do.", "I also think of the investments that we’re making to ensure that we have sufficient paramedics being trained in the province of Ontario—a Learn and Stay program that actually increases the access to paramedics, particularly in northern Ontario, where we have seen a bigger need." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Lise Vaugeois", "text": [ "Northern Ontario has a critical shortage of paramedics. In the district of Thunder Bay, we are currently short 21 paramedics—" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "You don’t listen. You’ve got to listen to the answers." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order." ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Lise Vaugeois", "text": [ "Thank you, I’ll sit down. Go ahead.", "The reality is, perhaps the minister should—through you, Speaker, the minister needs to listen to reality. In the district of Thunder Bay alone, we are currently short 21 paramedics. Whatever they’re doing is not working.", "The northern Ontario municipal association recommends that the province introduce targeted funding for rural, remote and northern paramedic services so that regions can offer competitive salaries and benefits, and upgrade equipment and bases in order to attract and retain paramedics. Will the government be accepting the recommendation of the northern Ontario municipal association to fully fund regional paramedic services?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will take their seats.", "Before I call upon the minister to answer, I’ll ask her to come to order and then answer the question." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "I’ll do my best.", "What we have is we have 300 new paramedic seats available in the province of Ontario. Those are paramedic expansions that, under Premier Ford, we have been able to do since 2018.", "In Thunder Bay—because I think, I hope you would be interested in what’s happening in your own community—98% of those seats are filled in the city of Thunder Bay.", "1110", "I do not understand why the member is not celebrating all of the excellent work that the paramedics and the chiefs and the leadership have been doing since 2018. They bring forward suggestions, ideas, proposals; we act on those, whether it is community paramedicine, whether it is 911 models of care. Those innovations are making a difference in each and every one of our communities, and the member opposite should be celebrating that." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Stop the clock for one second. I think that’s the fourth or fifth time that I’m going to remind the members to make their comments through the Chair. If members continue to do that, I’m going to interrupt you in the middle of your question or the middle of your response and remind you in the middle of your question or response.", "Start the clock. Next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MmeDawn Gallagher Murphy", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Energy and Electrification. Families across Ontario are feeling the financial pressure from inflation; the costs of living keep going up; groceries, gas and home heating are all more expensive; and now the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax is making things even worse.", "Every day, Ontarians are struggling to get by, yet the federal government keeps adding costs. The Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax is driving up the price of everything, including electricity. It’s unfair for hard-working families and it hurts our economy. Ontario has been a leader in clean energy, we’ve already done the heavy lifting; our nuclear power and clean technology are proof that we don’t need this harmful tax.", "Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government opposes this regressive tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The parliamentary assistant and member for Mississauga–Lakeshore." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto", "text": [ "I want to thank the member from Newmarket–Aurora for that question. She’s right: Ontario doesn’t need a Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax. It’s regressive and counterproductive in the fight against climate change. Our government will always choose technology over taxation to reduce emissions and provide affordable, reliable and clean energy.", "We’re already a leader in clean energy. Almost 90% of our energy is emissions-free. We’re already on track to hit our Paris accord targets. Ontario is responsible for 86% of Canada’s emission reduction. From our trade mission to Europe, to Boston last week, everywhere I go, I hear our energy is top of mind and is reliable.", "The federal government needs to scrap this tax and support the work that our Premier and our minister is doing for affordable energy in this province." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "MmeDawn Gallagher Murphy", "text": [ "The cost of living for families is soaring, and they are feeling the financial strain. Because of the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax, life is now harder and more expensive. It drives up the cost of groceries, gas and goods, but it doesn’t stop there—oh, no. It’s also putting pressure on Ontarians’ electricity system.", "Thanks to our government’s investments, Ontario is already a leader in clean energy, driven by our support for nuclear power and innovative technologies. Ontario has shown the world that we do not need punishing taxes to cut emissions. Instead, we’re helping our global partners adopt clean solutions while keeping energy affordable at home.", "Speaker, can the minister please tell us how Ontario is sharing its clean energy expertise while protecting families from this harmful tax?", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Ottawa South will come to order." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto", "text": [ "I want to thank the member again for that question, and she’s right: Ontario is leading in clean energy, not just in Canada, but around the world. Former Progressive Conservative minister Elizabeth Witmer’s plan 21 years ago to phase out our coal in Ontario achieved the single-largest emissions reduction in North America.", "In our trade mission to Europe, we signed an agreement to help develop small modular reactors in Poland so they can phase out their 60 coal plants. Ontario’s families will benefit from the investments and the jobs we create. We also shared that Ontario will donate almost $5 million in energy infrastructure to Ukraine.", "Speaker, we now have the expertise and the Canadian-made technology to reduce emissions at home, while also helping our allies to decouple from Russian oil. Together, we’ll make Ontario a global energy superpower." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Miss Monique Taylor", "text": [ "My question is for the Premier. Post-secondary institutions across the province have been chronically underfunded for years. With skyrocketing deficits, thousands of layoffs are imminent, and the impact to our education and social service workforces is unimaginable. Programs are being cancelled at alarming rates, and schools are left in a tailspin to react. We are already short educational assistants. We are already short developmental service workers.", "Premier, our systems are in crisis. Will you provide the necessary funding today?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.", "The Minister of Colleges and Universities will respond." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Nolan Quinn", "text": [ "Funding for the sector is the highest it has ever been. Earlier this year, we invested an extra $1.3 billion, which is the highest amount in almost 15 years. That’s on top of the more than $5 billion we give annually to the sector.", "We’re currently actively collaborating with our post-secondary partners, and we’ve had a number of them working with us. Since the unilateral decision by the federal government to reduce the amount of international students, we’ve been squarely focused on ensuring we have programs that get students into rewarding careers that address our labour market needs right across the province.", "Speaker, staffing decisions and human resource decisions lie solely with the institutions." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Miss Monique Taylor", "text": [ "Back to the Premier: Families who have been desperately stuck and languishing on wait-lists are now left to find therapists or supports in their child’s school or in the community that do not exist. Supports are not being replenished because of this Premier’s poor decisions. Educational assistants and developmental service workers are in high demand. And yet, these programs have been cut on so many campuses.", "When will the Premier get back to basics and ensure we have a post-secondary system that supports the needs of our communities?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Nolan Quinn", "text": [ "Again, since the federal government’s unilateral decisions without any stakeholder engagement or consultation, including all of the institutions—you mentioned early childhood education. That was actually missing from the list that is approved—through our international students. So they are making the situation even more challenging for all of Canada.", "Speaker, we’ll continue to work with our institutions to ensure that we have a world-class education system, which we have had for decades and we will continue to have for decades. We will continue with our $5-billion annual investment into the post-secondary education sector, on top of the $1.3 billion we invested earlier this year—the largest in 15 years.", "We will continue to collaborate with all of our institutions and our stakeholders to make sure that we are squarely focused on labour market needs." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "Families across Ontario are struggling to make ends meet. Their children are in overcrowded classrooms. They cannot find an affordable place to live. And they can’t find the primary care they need.", "What is the provincial government doing to help them? Ripping out bike lanes in downtown Toronto. Talk about skewed priorities. Enough of the municipal meddling.", "News flash to the member from Etobicoke North: You are not the mayor. You are the Premier, so start acting like one." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’ll remind the member to make her comments through the Chair." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "The government has failed to address the health care crisis in Ontario, and I see the effects in my community. Speaker, 23,000 people in beautiful Beaches–East York are living without a family doctor.", "My question to the Premier is, when will the one in four people in Ontario without a family doctor finally get access to one?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order. Government House leader, come to order.", "The Minister of Health." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "Where to begin, Speaker? Okay, let’s start at the beginning.", "The beginning was, in 2015, the Liberal Party chose to cut 50 medical seats across Ontario. What does that equate to? That equates to 450 young people who either had to leave Ontario or choose a different profession because the Liberals of the day decided that they could get away with cutting 50 medical seats.", "1120", "Now, fast-forward to what we have done. Every single medical school in the province of Ontario has expanded the number of medical seats available to young people to train and practise in the province of Ontario. In fact, in Scarborough, in York region and, of course, in Brampton, we are opening new medical schools in the province of Ontario.", "We are making investments as a government, that, for decades to come, are going to make an impact in every single community, and we will continue to make those investments regardless of what the Liberals did previously." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "I’ve had countless constituents reach out to me in search of a family doctor, frantic because their current family doctor is retiring. This government’s own figures suggest that three million Ontarians are at risk of losing their family doctor in the next five years due to retirement. That’s over 2,300 doctors in Ontario who are 60 years of age are older—2,300.", "What is this government doing about it? Where are the logical, preventative measures to help the people of Ontario because, news flash, we are not on track to replace them, thanks to this government’s lack of focus and complete lack of foresight, like wasting 48 million taxpayer dollars smashing up Toronto bike lanes.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Government side, come to order." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "Speaker, to the Premier: What are you doing to fill the gap of family doctors set to retire in Ontario, and when will you retire as Premier?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Minister of Long-Term Care, come to order. The government House leader is warned.", "The Minister of Health can reply." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "Far be it from me to give advice, but I think you’d better stick to bike lanes.", "When I was appointed Minister of Health, one of the first things we did was to direct the College of Physicians and Surgeons in the province of Ontario to quickly assess, review and, ultimately, license internationally educated and trained physicians. What has that equated to? It means that over 60% of our new licensed physicians in the province of Ontario are actually internationally trained. We are repatriating. We are welcoming people to the province of Ontario. If you want to live, work and practise in the province of Ontario, we have your back. We will continue to make these investments.", "And, Speaker, I want to remind the member opposite that, actually, according to true data, CIHI, the Canadian Institute for Health Information—something that everyone can actually look up—Ontario leads Canada in the number of physicians attached to patients." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Logan Kanapathi", "text": [ "My question to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Life is more expensive for everyone. Workers are trying to get by. Businesses are doing their best to keep their doors open. In Ontario, we need to make sure people can keep more of their hard-earned money. Speaker, at the same time, we need to help businesses grow, compete and create jobs. The old approach of raising taxes and fees only makes things harder for everyone. That’s what the Liberals and NDP did when they were in power.", "Our government promised to take a different path. Please, can the minister tell us what we are doing to lower costs for workers and employers in Ontario?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. David Piccini", "text": [ "Thanks to the excellent member for that question. I know he’s been such a strong advocate for young people in his community, getting them into rewarding careers in the trades.", "Speaker, it’s exciting times. We’ve got the Ontario Line. We’ve got Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, the largest investment in public transit in Ontario’s history and the largest infrastructure spend. Homes, hospitals, schools—you name it. But we often don’t talk about the people who are going to build these buildings, and that’s young men and women in the trades.", "Unfortunately, previous governments taxed the trades to death while, under the leadership of this Premier, we’ve waived the exam fee—$150 back in their pockets. Through other fee removals, we saved over $330 annually. That’s $3.6 million for over 11,000 tradespeople every year back in their pockets so we can build a stronger Ontario together." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Logan Kanapathi", "text": [ "Thank you to the minister for that answer and for his strong leadership. Every worker should feel safe at work. No one should worry about getting hurt on the job.", "Workplace injuries can change a life forever. They can also impact and hurt the workers’ families. Mental health is just as important as physical health.", "For years, the previous Liberal government did nothing to help. They put more taxes on workers, making it harder for employers to focus on their safety. Our government knows this was wrong. That’s why our government needs to keep taking action to support workers and their businesses.", "Can the minister please explain how we are helping workers to stay safe and businesses to stay strong in Ontario?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. David Piccini", "text": [ "Thanks to the member for that question. In my first answer, I talked about all of the savings we’re passing on to young men and women entering a rewarding career in the trades, but you also have to create a competitive business climate. That’s what this Premier has done through lowering taxes for small businesses.", "I’m visiting businesses in my riding like Jebco. Thanks to lowering the class A industrial electricity rate, thanks to lowering the payroll tax, the plant manager there told me they’re hiring. That means more rewarding careers in the trades.", "We’re also supporting workers in staying safe. I announced over $400 million, unlocking those funds through the WSIB to support smaller employers, especially keeping workers safe on the job site. We’re lowering the payroll tax. We’re unlocking funds to keep workers safe. We’re creating the climate for a better workplace environment for Ontario not just today but for years to come as we build a stronger Ontario." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "My question is to the Premier. There are over 53,000 people waiting for a hearing at the Landlord and Tenant Board. Tenants and landlords are waiting months, sometimes years, for their issues to be resolved. The LTB is a broken and dysfunctional tribunal that has been fundamentally failing to deliver on its mandate for years.", "My question is to the Premier. You’ve had six years to fix the LTB. Why is it still broken?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.", "The Attorney General." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Downey", "text": [ "I appreciate the opportunity to update the member opposite on actual numbers and actual facts, but let’s start with the fact that we have invested a total of 53 million additional dollars across the system. We have doubled the number of adjudicators. We have taken hearings from eight to 10 months to three months and dropping for nonpayment of rent. We are getting the job done. We have no backlog in 11 of our 13 tribunals, and that is proof positive that we are on the job, and we are getting the job done." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "I hope that 53,000 people who are waiting for a hearing at the LTB are listening very carefully to that answer because they have a different understanding of how the LTB is operating.", "The government is proposing changes to the LTB that will discriminate against renters and make the LTB more dysfunctional, not less.", "Organizations from the Toronto real estate board to Tribunal Watch have been calling for practical solutions to resolve the backlog at the LTB. Those recommendations include returning to in-person hearings when requested; reopening in-person regional centres; and selecting and training adjudicators that are impartial and fair.", "My question is to the Premier. Can this government bring in these recommendations so that everyone, tenants and landlords alike, can have access to justice?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Downey", "text": [ "On behalf of the 80 full-time adjudicators—we doubled it from 40 to 80—I take offence to the categorization that they are anything but fair and impartial. It is an independent tribunal, and it operates that way.", "That $53 million that we’ve invested in the last three years has been voted against by that party at every single turn. We have reduced the backlog in the Landlord and Tenant Board by over 30% since January. We are on the job. We are getting the job done and we will continue to do it with whatever misinformation they continue to throw out—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member will withdraw the unparliamentary comment.", "1130" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Downey", "text": [ "Withdraw.", "Mr. Speaker, we will continue to operate on the facts of the situation and not the innuendo that we’re hearing from others.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Waterloo will come to order, and I’ll remind the Attorney General to be careful with his choice of words.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady", "text": [ "My question is for the Premier. Last month a story unfolded about four trustees with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board who travelled to Italy in July to purchase $100,000 in artwork. The majority of the artwork was purchased for a new flagship school under construction on Powerline Road in Brantford. I am certain a number of local artists would have been thrilled to provide artwork for St. Padre Pio. These four also spent $50,000 in travel and hotels, and enjoyed a $1,600 dinner at a gourmet hotel and spa according to an FOI request.", "The Minister of Education announced in October that ministry officials had been asked to conduct a governance review of the trip. Could the Premier please detail what that governance review process looks like, how it’s unfolding and when taxpayers may be able to find out the findings of the review?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The parliamentary assistant and the member for Markham–Unionville." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Billy Pang", "text": [ "Thank you for the question. Transparency is very important to our school boards, and they need to be responsible and accountable for how they spend money. That’s why we started the investigation, understanding and looking into these types of expenses. School board trustees are responsible for these types of expenses.", "Thank you again for the question." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady", "text": [ "Thank you to the member opposite. But taxpayers deserve a review that is far more than a toothless tiger. It’s unacceptable and it’s unconscionable that while parents are donating school supplies to their kids’ schools, four trustees are running around Italy spending money like drunken sailors.", "Rick Petrella, chair of the board, said the trip was an error in judgment. That might be believable had the trip not come a month after the school board approved changes to its trustee expense policy: changes like a bump from economy class to business class for travel outside North America, allowance of charges above the standard hotel room rate and the elimination of maximum rates for meals.", "A petition has been launched calling for the immediate resignation of Petrella, Dan Dignard, Bill Chopp and Mark Watson. My office has been inundated with calls asking why these four trustees continue to sit around the board table and make decisions with taxpayer dollars.", "Speaker, through you to the Premier: Will this government pick up the phone, call the school board and tell these four trustees their service is no longer needed?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Billy Pang", "text": [ "Thank you again for the question. This year, we are continuing to increase our investment in education with a total budget of $39.3 billion, an increased investment of almost $2 billion compared to last year. That includes a $28.6-billion investment in core education funding that is ensuring we continue to have a successful school year.", "While we will continue to invest in support for students, we need to understand that school boards have their own responsibility and accountability to look into how their trustees are spending, and this one is under continued investigation. We will keep you updated for the results of the investigation." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. The carbon tax raises home heating costs, it makes commutes more expensive and it’s a drag on the nation’s wealth and competitiveness. But it’s also making it harder for working families to put food on their tables. What’s worse is that the two carbon tax coalitions in Ottawa and across the aisle here both don’t care. They’re radicals committed to this tax. They’re not listening and they’re not budging.", "This is incredibly sad as we approach a holiday season that should be a time for plenty. Many working families will not be able to afford a quality Christmas meal. Will the minister please outline the impacts of the carbon tax on food and grocery costs?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Rob Flack", "text": [ "Thank you to the member for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell and a great MPP indeed.", "Food prices rose over 10% in 2022, 6% last year, and are projected to rise 4.5% this year. A 2018 study by McGill researchers confirmed that the carbon tax raised food prices and lowered food consumption. That was before six compounding rounds of carbon tax increases.", "Dalhousie University estimates that the average family of four are now spending over $16,000 a year on food, up $700 from last year. The food price reports consistently cite higher input costs and higher federal inflation as contributing factors. All of these rising costs and inflation are fuelled by the weight of a compounding carbon tax.", "Let’s give families a break this Christmas. Let’s get rid of this punitive carbon tax." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin", "text": [ "Thank you, Minister.", "The impact of the carbon tax on food prices must be highlighted and focused on. You cannot have a tax that raises input costs, energy costs, transportation costs and production costs without impacting the price of food on shelves.", "Since 2019, this tax has taken $32 billion out of the pockets of working families nationwide, and we can’t forget that the tax will continue to compound. It will increase from $80 a tonne this year to $170 a tonne by 2030. The impact on food prices will only continue to grow.", "Speaker, can the minister share what stakeholders are saying on the impact of the carbon tax on food prices?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Rob Flack", "text": [ "I want to thank the member as well for his great advocacy for farm families in his riding.", "Speaker, I want to share a quote from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association: “The carbon tax increases the cost of transporting inputs like seed and fertilizer, and transporting vegetables to market ... These costs ultimately increase the cost of food.”", "Here, Stephen Heckbert, executive director of the Canadian Pork Council: “Adding a carbon tax onto farm inputs means that the price of food goes up.”", "We have been rightly fighting this disastrous compounding carbon tax from day one. It’s punitive. It’s unfair to farm families. I ask everyone to join together to ask the end, the scrapping, of this punitive carbon tax." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Bhutila Karpoche", "text": [ "My question is to the Premier. Ontario marked a shameful new record: 3.5 million people relied on a food bank in the past year. Hard-working people with full-time jobs are lining up at food banks. This government is failing to deliver the basics.", "Premier, you say you will always listen. Food banks are telling you that the—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’ll remind members to make their comments through the Chair." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Bhutila Karpoche", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Food banks are saying that the main reason so many are relying on them is because nearly all of people’s paycheques go toward housing costs. It goes toward paying the rent.", "Premier, will you pass the NDP’s Rent Stabilization Act so people have money to feed themselves?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Once again, I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.", "To reply for the government, the Minister of Finance." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "Thank you to the member. Thank you for that important question.", "Mr. Speaker, there is no question that many people are struggling in Ontario, across the country and in many parts of the world. That’s why we acted early to help people out, that we help them with their day-to-day costs, and not the least of which is through providing supports like the gas tax cut. For many people who have to drive to take their kids to school or to get to a job, we cut the gas tax. Contrast that to the federal NDP and Liberal Party that support a carbon tax which takes money out of people’s pockets.", "But we didn’t stop there. For those who take transit, particularly here in the GTA, we moved to one integrated fare, saving $1,600 for the daily commuter. That’s real money in their pockets. We’ll continue to support the hard-working people right across this province.", "1140" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The supplementary question? The member for Ottawa West–Nepean." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Chandra Pasma", "text": [ "This government has been in power for six years, and things have only gotten worse. Food banks in Ottawa have seen an increase of 90% since 2019. That has been entirely on this government’s watch.", "This year, the Ottawa Food Bank served 2.4 million meals, a 43% increase compared to last year. Every month, the food bank is setting new records.", "How many people in Ottawa need to be using a food bank before the Premier will finally take serious, concrete action to help people pay for housing and buy food?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael Parsa", "text": [ "Thanks to my colleague for the question. In fact, it’s only this party and this government that’s fighting for Ontarians to lower the cost of living and make life more affordable since we formed government.", "The Minister of Finance alluded to some of the measures that we’ve put in place to make sure life becomes more affordable for Ontarians. I could talk about the LIFT tax credit that reduces or removes 1.7 million low-income earners from the Ontario income tax portion of the province; or One Fare that the Minister of Finance alluded to: a $1,600 reduction for individuals who take public transit in our province.", "We can talk about the Student Nutrition Program that our government supported, increased the funding by $6.15 million last year and partnered with other partners within the Student Nutrition Program to increase that, and through the Healthy Students Brighter Ontario campaign, increased that support by an additional $5 million.", "Mr. Speaker, when it comes to making life more affordable for Ontarians, we’ll continue fighting for them. I just wish that the NDP and Liberals would start supporting us—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mrs. Daisy Wai", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Long-Term Care. Every Ontarian deserves to age with dignity and comfort, but many in our diverse communities are asking that our long-term-care homes better reflect their needs.", "We’ve heard stories about seniors struggling because their care doesn’t match their cultural, religious and language preferences. Imagine being in your final years, unable to eat familiar food, speak your own language or practise your faith.", "Ontario’s diversity is our strength, and it should be reflected in our long-term-care homes. Families worry their loved ones won’t receive culturally appropriate care, leaving our seniors feeling isolated. Building more homes is important, but those homes must meet cultural needs too.", "Can the minister please tell us how our government is addressing this issue in long-term care?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta", "text": [ "I thank the member for her important question. Cultural homes are the crown jewel in our long-term-care crown. We in Ontario are so fortunate and so uniquely positioned to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care.", "Since I became the Minister of Long-Term Care, I had the privilege to visit many cultural homes, including Polish, Ukrainian, Jewish, Mennonite, Italian and francophone, of course. As a result of my visits and following extensive conversations with the sector, we proposed a cultural care home pilot to study changes to Ontario’s long-term-care admissions. This pilot gives greater flexibility to care coordinators to better match new residents with their diverse cultural, religious and linguistic needs.", "Ontario’s diversity is our greatest strength. As an immigrant myself, I know the importance of culturally and linguistically appropriate care. When I visit residents and I can speak to them in Polish or in French, for example, I see the light in their eyes. So we will do everything it takes so that we can cater to all the needs of our residents, including their cultural and linguistic needs." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Daisy Wai", "text": [ "Thank you very much, Minister.", "Speaker, we know that Ontario’s population is diverse, and every resident in long-term care deserves to feel at home. For many seniors, this means living in a home that reflects their language, traditions and culture.", "Under the previous Liberal government, Ontario’s long-term-care system lacked culturally specific care options. This left our seniors feeling isolated and disconnected from the world that they have known all their lives. It also impacts the families who want their loved ones to be cared for in an environment that respects their values and their beliefs. I’ve heard from many families in my community in Richmond Hill who are asking for cultural care homes and more options for their loved ones.", "Speaker, how is our government ensuring that the new cultural care pilot truly reflects the needs of Ontario’s diverse communities?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta", "text": [ "Once again, I thank the member for her question. As a representative of an ethnic community herself, I thank her for her advocacy, because she understands first-hand the importance of linguistic and cultural care. That is exactly why we are piloting these changes first.", "We know that when it comes to our beloved long-term-care residents, we can’t have a one-size-fits-all approach. Our government has worked with the long-term-care sector every step of the way, and that will not change today. We are ensuring no resident who needs long-term care is denied long-term care, and this pilot grants care coordinators flexibility to allow residents of equal clinical need to be better matched to homes that also service their cultural needs. We have engaged in historic capital builds of cultural homes, including Ivan Franko Ukrainian homes, Arabic homes through the Church of Virgin Mary and St. Athanasius, and Muslim homes by the Muslim Welfare Centre, to name just a few.", "We are building more cultural care homes today, working with community groups around the province to build a long-term-care sector as diverse as Ontario itself." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Sault Ste. Marie has informed me he has a point of order he wishes to raise." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Ross Romano", "text": [ "I’d be remiss not to have this opportunity to welcome some guests in the members’ gallery. I have from my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie and from my Algoma University alma mater—also the best university there is—director Brian Leahy, vice-president Craig Fowler, and president and vice-chancellor Asima Vezina. Welcome to the House." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I gather the member from Don Valley North may have a point of order." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Vincent Ke", "text": [ "I would like to introduce the board members of SOLO, Small Ownership Landlords of Ontario Inc., sitting upstairs in the public gallery. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.", "The House recessed from 1147 to 1500." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Stephanie Bowman", "text": [ "I have a few guests I’d like to introduce today. First of all, I would like to welcome the folks from Good Roads who I met, including my good friend Cathy Burghardt-Jesson.", "I’d also like to welcome folks from the Life Sciences Ontario lobby day, including two constituents, Alison and James, as well as Diana and Amy.", "I’d also like to welcome two of my staff members, Kamrana and Rob, and last but not least, Jason Ash from my constituency, who is the co-chair of the Leaside Towers Tenants Association." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Andrew Dowie", "text": [ "I want to wish a truly warm welcome to Dave Cassidy, who is a local legend in Windsor-Essex—former president of Unifor Local 444 and doing great work even now. Welcome to Queen’s Park, Dave." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Chris Glover", "text": [ "I’d like to welcome to the House a number of people from Life Sciences Ontario: Jill Archibald and Monica Soos, as well as Christine Lennon and Nicole DeKort. I really enjoyed our conversation, and I hope you have a wonderful day here at Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. David Piccini", "text": [ "It’s too many to get in in the allotted time, but I’d like to just give a warm welcome to the incredible team I get to work with every day at the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development who are all here to see the fruits of their labour with a bill introduction, and a number of stakeholders who are here today to support us. It’s through their voice that we’re putting words into action in our sixth Working for Workers bill. I just want to thank you all for being here today. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Aris Babikian", "text": [ "Speaker, I beg leave to present a report from the Standing Committee on the Interior and move its adoption." ] }, { "speaker": "The Clerk-at-the-Table (Ms. Meghan Stenson)", "text": [ "Your committee begs to report the following bill without amendment:", "Bill 186, An Act to limit the liability in respect of agritourism / Loi limitant la responsabilité à l’égard de l’agrotourisme." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Shall the report be received and adopted? Agreed? Agreed.", "Report adopted." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The bill is therefore ordered for third reading." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’ll invite the minister to briefly explain his bill if he wishes to do so." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. David Piccini", "text": [ "I would. Thank you, Speaker.", "Our government is introducing the Working for Workers Six Act, 2024. Again, I want to draw attention to everybody sitting up in the gallery who have had a pen and a profound voice in the legislation that I bring before the House today. It is through them that we’re doing this, and I’m very grateful for all of them and the impact that they’ve had on this legislation.", "Its package of regulatory changes and other actions would, if passed, help protect the safety and well-being of workers and their families, keep costs down for workers and businesses, honour workers and grow Ontario’s workforce.", "Our proposed changes would expand on the groundbreaking actions across five previous Working for Workers Acts since 2021 and build a brighter future for all Ontarians to ensure our province remains the best place to live, work and raise a family.", "Again, I’d like to thank them all, Speaker. Thank you." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Would the member for Don Valley West like to briefly explain her bill?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Stephanie Bowman", "text": [ "Yes, I would. Thank you, Speaker. First of all, I would like to thank my staff, including Michael Fontein, for their work on this bill, as well as tenants, including Jason Ash, who is here today, who provided input.", "I’m pleased to rise to describe my bill today, the Housing Equity and Rental Transparency Act, 2024, which would, if passed, require remote monitoring of an elevator’s operating availability and require reporting of elevator outages that last more than 24 hours within seven days and within seven days after the elevator is returned to service.", "It would require reporting of maintenance requests and deem them part of the record when a landlord applies for an AGI.", "It would require implementation of a system to access visitor parking for buildings of 100 units or more.", "It would provide for rent abatement of 20% if a vital service like heat and water is withheld.", "It would require video surveillance and security guards in complexes with 100 or more units.", "It would remove authorization for the landlord to give a notice of eviction for late rent if the tenant’s rent is paid directly by ODSP or Ontario Works, or for late payment of one rental period.", "And it would require, if passed, that landlords cool common areas between May 15 and September 15 to a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius or less." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "This is a petition that is calling for rent control to be applied to all homes, including homes that were first occupied after 2018. We have many tenants in our riding who live in new purpose-built rentals. Some of them come in—they’re students, they’re new to Toronto or Ontario—and they don’t know their rights. They move into an apartment and then suddenly, after a year, they find that their rent is going up by $500, $1,000 or more a month. It’s very concerning.", "I fully support this petition, and I will be giving it to page Juliet." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "This petition is to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and it’s calling for the government to understand the emotional and financial implications of demolition evictions and the way in which they negatively impact the livelihood, the supports, the sense of community and the mental health and protection of housing of tenants who are essentially told that their home of decades in some cases, especially seniors who are on a fixed income, will be gone—poof—just like that.", "1510", "This petition is calling for the Ontario government to stop the needless demolition of rent-controlled buildings across Ontario, especially during a housing crisis and an affordability crisis. This petition is calling for the Ontario government to reinstate universal rent control, ensure rental housing replacement protections for all tenants, ensure that people are housed in the middle of an affordability crisis and to beg this government, the Conservative government, to actually create real, affordable housing that keeps people housed and off the streets of St. Paul’s and across the province.", "I couldn’t support the petition more. I’m going to affix my signature and hand it over to Ryan. Thank you, Ryan." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Lise Vaugeois", "text": [ "This petition is entitled “Safe Roads for All.” It’s a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and it really takes up the concerns of people in northern Ontario about the lack of enforcement, with training, the lack of fines, the lack of monitoring of training, the lack of staffing of inspection stations.", "Ultimately, it asks that all testing and licensing of commercial drivers be returned to the Ministry of Transportation to be done by public servants within the Ministry of Transportation.", "I fully support this petition and will give it to Maadhav with my signature. Thank you." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Terence Kernaghan", "text": [ "It’s my honour to present the following petitions on behalf of Dr. Sally Palmer, professor emerita at the school of social work in the faculty of social sciences at McMaster University, and I want to thank Dr. Palmer for her tireless advocacy on this issue.", "The petition is “To Raise Social Assistance Rates.” As this petition points out, the government is actively keeping people below the poverty line. This is what’s known as legislated poverty. People cannot afford rent, people cannot afford food, people cannot afford the basics of life. People are struggling to live across Ontario, and that is on this government’s watch.", "It is within this government’s power to fix all of that. They could double social assistance rates, as this petition calls for.", "It’s something we fully support, I fully support. I will affix my signature and deliver it with page Jonah to the Clerks. Thank you." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "This petition is entitled “Protect Farmland and Sustainable Growth in Waterloo Region.”", "I want to thank the Fight for Farmland folks, including Kevin Thomason and Hal Jaeger, for collecting hundreds, if not thousands, of signatures.", "To summarize: There are 770 acres of prime agricultural land in Wilmot township which has now been threatened with expropriation at the urging of this government and at the funding of this government.", "At the end of the day, Speaker, I just want to let the people in this Legislature know that the people in Wilmot are not willing hosts for an undisclosed EV battery plant or some other large manufacturing organization. This is prime agricultural land. It’s meant to be farmed, and the people in Wilmot township in Kitchener–Conestoga have our full support in this." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Jennifer K. French", "text": [ "I’m glad to be able to share a petition that I received from about 120 folks as part of the Ontario Confederation of Clubs, motorcycle riders from across the province based in Windsor but from Oshawa, Whitby and Caledon, Welland. They are very concerned about serious injuries and deaths that are happening to motorcycle operators on our roads. They are concerned that in order to save lives of motorcycle riders, they need legislative help. The majority of these incidents aren’t the fault of the rider and are a result of another operator, usually a full-sized vehicle.", "They have written this petition in support of Bill 15, Fairness for Road Users Act, and they’re calling on the government to support and pass that act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and create an offensive contravention causing death or serious bodily harm to not only keep them safe but ensure that with injury there is not further insult and to increase the penalties.", "This initiative has been before the Legislature a long time. I support it. I will affix my signature and send it to the table with page Ryan." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Doly Begum", "text": [ "I have a petition here from Ontario families fighting for better support for children with autism. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege to meet a lot of these families, who go above and beyond to support one another and support those who are on the spectrum. They need the support and they need the funding that this province can provide.", "What these families go through has been traumatizing. We hear from a lot of moms and dads who put themselves on the wait-list, and then when they finally get that call, there is no funding, or sometimes they get the funding and they don’t have that spot, and they’re in this limbo. So a lot of these families come to my office in tears. And I know a lot of our colleagues have those conversations, in tears, because it is something that we can change.", "The Ontario Autism Program was broadly broken by the Liberals, and we know that the changes this Conservative government made it really worse.", "So this petition I fully support—it is making sure that the funding caps are not based on age and income, and making sure that the children who need the support and who need the funding get that funding as soon as possible.", "I fully support this petition. I will affix my signature to it and give it to page Macarius to give to the Clerks." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "This is a petition entitled “Urgent Family Doctor Shortage in Chinatown and Ontario.”", "In response to many concerns and emails and calls we have had from our community, we have been gathering petitions to call on the Ontario government to increase the number of family doctors in the Chinatown area, including doctors who are fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, so that people in our area can receive medical care in a language that they are proficient in.", "I support this petition, and I will be giving it to page William." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "This petition is titled “Petition for Continued Operation of Supervised Consumption Services and Associated Harm Reduction Programs.” This petition expresses to the Legislature that a person dies every two and a half hours from the toxic drug supply in our province. This petition is calling for a humanitarian response to what is an overdose crisis.", "This petition responds to the government and says that they need the government to reverse their decision to close CTS sites and ensure all established CTS sites remain operational and adequately funded.", "This petition recognizes that doctors, nurses, front-line health workers, experts, scholars—there’s evidence-based research documenting the success of CTS sites, whereas the government’s decision to close these has no research backing it whatsoever.", "I absolutely support this petition. I’m affixing my signature to it, and I am handing it over to Maadhav." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Lise Vaugeois", "text": [ "This petition is entitled “Support Bill 21, the Till Death Do Us Part Act.” It recommends that the Minister of Long-Term Care pass Bill 21 so that seniors have the right to live together as they age. It actually surprises me that this has not been passed already.", "I fully support this. I would like to see seniors be able to stay together. I will give it to Mahee, with my signature." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Terence Kernaghan", "text": [ "The petition I have to read into the record is to bring back real rent control and to support the Rent Stabilization Act, on which I am a co-sponsor.", "1520", "This petition points out how the average rent has risen by over 50% in the last 10 years and how people are struggling during this cost-of-living crisis. They are spending more than a third of their income on rent.", "It also points out how the last Liberal government opened up huge holes in renters’ rights while allowing for vacancy decontrol.", "This would stabilize the rent prices in between tenancies to make sure that people have a safe place to call home.", "It also calls for more supports for the Landlord and Tenant Board and tougher penalties for landlords that do not properly maintain a renter’s home.", "It’s something that I fully support. I will affix my signature and deliver it to page Elissa for the Clerks." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Jennifer K. French", "text": [ "I have a petition here for continued operation of supervised consumption services and associated harm reduction programs. These sites, known as consumption and treatment services sites, have been instrumental in preventing thousands of deaths from the toxic drug supply. Folks are very concerned that the closure of these sites will increase the number of preventable deaths, injuries, hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and the incidence of HIV and hepatitis.", "The closure of these sites is making people very nervous across communities, because they offer access to other health and social services, including addiction treatment—well-utilized services. The closure of these sites is a withdrawal of important health services for people who use drugs, and consequently, this will be a denial of their right to health care. We will, unfortunately, inevitably see an increase in drug use in public spaces.", "I would say that, based on what people have shared with us here, they would like to see a reversal of the decision to close these safe consumption and treatment sites, ensure that all of the sites remain operational and adequately funded—to increase funding for these sites, and also to ensure access to voluntary, publicly funded and not-for-profit, evidence-based treatment.", "Of course, I support this. I will affix my signature and send it with Anuva." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "This petition is titled “To Raise Social Assistance Rates,” and it’s addressed to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.", "This petition expresses concern that the Ontario Works rates have been frozen since 2018 and small increases to ODSP—or ODS poverty, as community members refer to it—have left recipients struggling below the poverty line.", "This petition recognizes that at the height of the pandemic, during the CERB program, folks were receiving $2,000 a month—which, in my community of St. Paul’s, would barely get you a one-bedroom.", "People who are on ODS poverty and OW are asking for this province to at least double—at least double—ODSP and OW rates so they can live above the poverty line.", "I absolutely agree with this petition. I have affixed my signature. And I want to thank Professor Palmer for collecting." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Terence Kernaghan", "text": [ "It’s my great honour to present the following petitions on behalf of RNAO, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, who are calling upon this government to continue the operation of supervised consumption services and associated harm reduction programs.", "First and foremost, I think it’s important that we listen to the front line on this issue.", "As they point out, a person dies every 2.5 hours from toxic drug supply.", "They’re pointing out how these supervised sites prevent thousands of deaths. They prevent hospitalizations. They prevent emergency room visits. They prevent greater increases in HIV as well as hepatitis. To take away these is to take away essential health care services—and it’s a denial of their right to health care.", "If these places are closed, it will lead to an increase in drug use in public spaces.", "I hope that the government will listen to the experts at RNAO and reverse their decision to close these sites.", "I fully support this petition. I will affix my signature and deliver it to page Autumn for the Clerks." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Point of order?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Stephanie Bowman", "text": [ "On a point of order: I’d like to correct my record of October 31. While debating the fall economic statement, I had a question from the member from Parkdale–High Park related to this government’s handing out of rebate checks prior to election, as well as rebate cheques provided by the McGuinty government prior to an election.", "Those cheques were announced in 2009. I said there was a key difference from the cheques being issued under this government. I said there was a surplus when in fact there was a modest deficit in 2009. The surplus was in 2008. I should have said that the key difference was that those cheques were issued to help households and offset the introduction of the HST." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "I just would like to remind the member that that is not correcting the record. You are essentially asking to restate it, and that is not a legitimate point of order. You’re not correcting your record." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Point of order? I recognize the member for Sault Ste. Marie." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Ross Romano", "text": [ "I’m remiss to provide this news but also want to have this opportunity to thank a member of my office, in the chief government whip’s office, the government of Ontario.", "I’m not going to be here tomorrow. Tomorrow is effectively the last day of Victor Soler, and I want to say thank you, sir, for all the work in the office, and congratulations as you move on to new and bigger things. Thank you." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "My understanding is that the opposition, the member for London North Centre, has some time left on the clock." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Terence Kernaghan", "text": [ "As I conclude my remarks, I want to remind this government that time allocation shuts down consultation, it removes the ability of people to participate meaningfully within the legislative process, and I urge this government to actively engage with stakeholders across the community to ensure that legislation is as well informed as possible." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate? Further debate? Further debate?", "Mr. Jones has moved government order 110 relating to allocation of time on Bill 223, An Act to enact two Acts and to amend various Acts with respect to public safety and the justice system, and Bill 227, An Act to amend various Acts.", "Is it the pleasure of House that the motion carry? I heard a no.", "All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”", "All those opposed to the motion will please say “nay.”", "In my opinion, the ayes have it.", "A recorded vote being required, it will be deferred to the next instance of deferred votes.", "Vote deferred." ] } ]