Assemblée législative de l'Ontario

The committee met at 0900 in committee room 2 and by video conference.

Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021 Loi de 2021 visant à assurer à la population ontarienne des déplacements plus sûrs

Consideration of the following bill:

Bill 282, An Act in respect of various road safety matters / Projet de loi 282, Loi concernant diverses questions de sécurité routière.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Good morning, everyone. The Standing Committee on General Government will now come to order. We are here for public hearings on Bill 282, An Act in respect of various road safety matters.

We have the following members in the room: MPP Harris and MPP Thanigasalam.

We are also joined by staff from legislative research, Hansard and broadcast and recording.

The following members are also participating remotely via Zoom: MPP Guy Bourgouin, MPP Stephen Crawford, MPP Chris Glover, MPP Sheref Sabawy, MPP Amarjot Sandhu, MPP Mike Schreiner. We also have Minister Surma and Minister Mulroney, who are participating via Zoom. Have any other members joined us?

Please speak slowly and clearly and wait until I recognize you before starting to speak. Please take a brief pause before beginning. As always, all comments should go through the Chair. Are there any questions before we begin?

Ministry of Transportation

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Our presenters today are the Minister of Transportation and Associate Minister of Transportation. They will have 20 minutes to make an opening statement, followed by 40 minutes for questions and answers, divided into two rounds of seven and a half minutes for the government members, two rounds of seven and a half minutes for the official opposition members and two rounds of five minutes for the independent members. Are there any questions?

I will now call upon Ministers Mulroney and Surma. You will have 20 minutes for your presentation. Please state your name for Hansard, and you may begin.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you, Chair. My name is Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs.

I want to thank the committee for this opportunity to discuss in more detail the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, which our government introduced in the Legislature last week. I look forward to our conversation today.

When I spoke in the Legislature last week, I talked about how the decisions we make as a government and as a Legislature have a direct impact on the quality of our transportation network, both in terms of the infrastructure we choose to build or choose not to build, as well as the steps that we take to improve safety on our roads and highways.

The bill that the committee will be studying, the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, is designed to build on Ontario’s already strong road safety record by protecting road users against unsafe and aggressive driving, with measures to combat stunt driving, aggressive driving and street racing, and to establish oversight for the provincial towing and storage industry.

En fait, depuis 20 ans déjà, l’Ontario figure continuellement parmi les cinq premiers territoires dont les routes sont les plus sûres en Amérique du Nord. Bien que nous puissions être fiers de cette réalisation, nous ne devons pas nous reposer sur nos lauriers. Nous pouvons toujours en faire davantage en matière de sécurité routière.

Unfortunately, even though our roads are among the safest on the continent, many drivers have taken the drops in traffic levels caused by the pandemic as an invitation to engage in unsafe and aggressive driving. Between March 1 and December 31 of last year, police laid a total of 796 stunt driving charges in the city of Toronto alone, an increase of 222% over the same period in 2019. York Regional Police have also reported a 60% increase in stunt driving charges. The increase in these incidents requires that we review our current road safety measures and make the necessary adjustments to keep our roads safe. That’s what this legislation intends to do.

First, this act, if passed, contains measures to combat stunt driving, aggressive driving and street racing. As part of these measures, drivers caught street racing or engaging in other forms of stunt driving would immediately face a 30-day roadside driver’s licence suspension and a 14-day vehicle impoundment, a substantial increase to the current penalties. We’re also proposing escalating post-conviction driver’s licence suspensions for individuals convicted of stunt driving to align more closely with those imposed for impaired driving. This act also proposes a lower speed threshold for stunt driving offences on municipal roads. My colleague Minister Surma will discuss these measures in more detail.

Second, we are proposing measures to strengthen protections for vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, highway workers and transit users. Anyone who has lived in Toronto has witnessed a near miss or, tragically, a more serious collision when a driver, whether distracted or rushing to make a green light, has passed a streetcar when the doors were open to let passengers on and off. This behaviour is dangerous and illegal.

It’s unacceptable for anyone on our roads to risk the lives and well-being of others because they’re too impatient or too rushed to drive with the care and attention required to drive safely. That is why the MOMS Act, if passed, would allow municipalities to use cameras to catch vehicles that illegally pass streetcars with their doors open.

Nous proposons également des modifications au Code de la route qui, si elles sont adoptées, feront changer la façon dont les données sur les collisions sont recueillies, de sorte que nous puissions faire le suivi des cas d’emportiérage impliquant des cyclistes et des voitures immobiles. Ce changement nous permettra de suivre la fréquence et la gravité des cas d’emportiérage et de déterminer si d’autres mesures sont nécessaires pour protéger les cyclistes.

Et comme le nombre de voitures sur les routes continue d’augmenter et que notre gouvernement continue d’investir dans l’infrastructure de transport essentielle, nous devons nous concentrer sur la sécurité des travailleurs routiers durant leurs travaux très importants.

If passed, this bill proposes to authorize the use of automated flagger assistance devices. If permitted, these devices will help workers control traffic through highway construction zones while standing at a greater distance from passing traffic. This means improved safety and fewer fatalities and serious injuries to workers on highway construction sites. Because whether you work in an office in St. Catharines or on the side of Highway 17, everyone has the right to a safe workplace.

Finally, the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act takes steps to improve safety and oversight of the province’s towing industry. Ontario’s tow truck drivers play a critical role in keeping our roads safe and supporting traffic flow on our highways. But in recent years, we’ve seen some alarming instances of violence, fraud and criminal activity in the towing industry. That’s why we have acted decisively to address this alarming issue.

Last year, we struck a provincial Towing Task Force to find ways to make the industry safer. In response, this bill contains a proposal for a new stand-alone statute, the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act. It proposes to require certification for towing company operators, tow truck drivers and vehicle storage operators, and it mandates a set of prescribed requirements and standards that they will have to meet to practise in Ontario.

Nous voulons rendre nos routes plus sécuritaires en mettant en place des mesures de protection du client plus rigoureuses et en imposant des normes minimales aux opérateurs de remorque de sorte que les personnes qui se retrouvent au bord de la route, en train d’attendre des services de remorquage, puissent être certaines qu’un conducteur de dépanneuse fiable arrivera et les amènera à un lieu sûr, à un taux raisonnable.

S’il est adopté, ce projet de loi rendra les routes plus sécuritaires pour les personnes de l’industrie du remorquage qui travaillent dur et se conforment aux règles en assurant des chances égales aux opérateurs afin de réduire les crimes et les fraudes. Ces mesures aideront à rendre nos routes plus sécuritaires, à réduire les retards posés par les collisions et les pannes et à accroître la confiance des conducteurs et des clients.

The proposed legislation before the committee today takes meaningful steps to curb unsafe and aggressive driving, better protect vulnerable road users and improve road safety throughout the province. Municipal partners and road safety stakeholders have responded positively. Bonnie Crombie, mayor of Mississauga, said that “this new legislation sends a strong signal that dangerous driving simply won’t be tolerated.” Scott Butler, executive director of the Ontario Good Roads Association, called this legislation “an important first step toward realizing a future where Ontarians are no longer fatally injured or seriously hurt on our roadways.” And John Tory, mayor of Toronto, has said, “This proposed legislation will hold those who partake in this illegal and dangerous activity accountable—making our streets safer for all.”

There is no place on our roads for stunt driving, street racing or any kind of aggressive and unsafe driving, and we will continue to rigorously target the drivers who put others at risk with their careless behaviour with increased suspensions and penalties. With this act, we are taking concrete action to protect people and families on our roads across Ontario.

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With that, I’ll turn it over to Minister Surma, who will discuss the proposed measures to combat stunt driving, aggressive driving and street racing in more detail. Merci. Thank you.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Thank you.

Minister Surma?

Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you very much, Minister. This is Kinga Surma, the Associate Minister of Transportation.

To echo the minister, our government is determined to keep Ontario’s roads among the safest in North America. The Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, or MOMS Act, if passed, will play a vital role in the continuation of our work to strengthen road safety.

Each year, millions of people travel along the province’s roads and highways, and thankfully, most of these trips pass without incident. Whether it’s going to an appointment or a truck delivering essential goods, we are lucky to have a network where everyone can feel safe while travelling. But that does not mean we can ever stop being vigilant in our goal of having the safest roads and highways possible. That’s why we introduced the proposed legislation before you today.

The unfortunate truth is there has never been a better time to bring this bill forward. As Minister Mulroney mentioned earlier, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a disturbing increase in incidents of high-risk driving. We cannot ignore the troubling picture the statistics paint. Driver’s licence suspensions issued at roadside for stunt driving and street racing increased 52% between March and August of last year, compared to the same time period in 2019. Between March and June 2020, a driver involved in a collision was 65% more likely to exceed the speed limit than the year prior.

When you look at the data as it relates to young drivers, the picture becomes even more problematic. Between March and June of last year, nearly one in five drivers involved in a collision was between the ages of 16 and 25, yet young drivers were involved in 42% of collisions where the recorded speed was 50 kilometres per hour or more above the posted speed limit.

The dangers of such reckless behaviour are real and life-altering, but these troubling trends weren’t created by COVID-19. Yes, lower traffic volumes during the pandemic have accelerated the growth of reckless driving behaviours in this province, but we were seeing increases well before.

For example, between 2013 and 2019, there was a 130% spike in the number of roadside licence suspensions due to street racing or stunt driving. There was also a 46% increase in the number of repeat suspensions for stunt driving or street racing between 2014 and 2019. This data tells us that it’s time to re-evaluate how effective Ontario’s existing penalties and sanctions are in deterring stunt driving, street racing and other high-risk driving behaviours from taking place on our roads and our highways. Our government will not sit back and do nothing while drivers recklessly speed well over the limits on our roads.

Drivers who put lives at risk are on our radar. We will not stand for their careless disregard for the general public. That’s why the MOMS Act contains a series of severe penalties to address street racing and stunt driving and protect Ontarians from those who engage in this irresponsible behaviour.

To start, we are proposing to increase the period of roadside driver’s licence suspensions from seven days to 30 days. The duration of vehicle impoundments will be extended as well, from seven days to 14 days.

We are also targeting repeat offenders by introducing escalating post-conviction licence suspensions for drivers convicted of street racing and stunt driving, ranging from a minimum of one to three years for a first conviction, all the way to a lifetime suspension. And it’s not just a matter of taking away your car or your ability to drive; you may also face up to six months in jail. These increased penalties will ensure those repeatedly caught street racing and stunt driving face the consequences of their actions.

Through these proposed measures, we are sending a strong but clear message that this type of behaviour will be treated with the same severity as alcohol- and drug-impaired driving. If you are careless enough to keep driving recklessly, we will take away your ability to make that mistake again.

Under this proposed legislation, we are also looking to lower the speed threshold for stunt driving charges. Because stunt driving and speeding are not the same across the board, we must ensure that we are taking the necessary action to combat this behaviour where it is most dangerous to the public. As part of our proposals, we will lower the threshold for laying stunt driving charges on roads with a posted speed limit of less than 80 kilometres per hour. This means drivers caught speeding 40 kilometres or more above the posted limit on municipal roads will have their driver’s licence suspended and their vehicle impounded at roadside. We will not tolerate people treating the roads within our towns, cities and neighbourhoods, where the public is most vulnerable, like their personal racetrack. These are substantial increases to the existing penalties that send a strong message to reckless drivers: Your behaviour will not be tolerated.

These measures and penalties were developed to complement the existing sanctions and conditions imposed on drivers under MTO’s graduated licensing system, as well as other programs. We know that driving behaviours learned early on often become a regular practice, as drivers gain more experience. We need to take action early and often so that young drivers who engage in these thoughtless behaviours quickly learn that there is no tolerance for that type of driving. To help get this message across, young or novice drivers who consistently commit high-risk driving offences, including street racing and stunt driving, are subject to the ministry’s Novice Driver Escalating Sanctions Program. Under this program, they risk their licence being cancelled for repeatedly engaging in street racing, stunt driving and other threatening behaviours that put the public at risk. This program will continue to apply, in addition to the new penalties proposed under the MOMS Act, if passed.

We’re also taking steps to educate the public and make sure that everyone, especially young people, understands the risks and consequences of their actions. That’s why, in conjunction with the measures proposed in this act, our government will continue to work with stakeholders on public education and communication to further deter and denounce high-risk and aggressive driving behaviours. We will not only be communicating the dangers, but we will also be implementing a mandatory driver education course for those who have been convicted of stunt driving or street racing. This training will include educating individuals on the risks and consequences of these behaviours so that those who have been caught face the hard reality of the destruction their actions could cause.

In developing the measures within the MOMS Act, we enlisted the help of our valuable network of municipalities, road safety stakeholders and enforcement officials dedicated to the critical issue of road safety. We were happy to hear of their support of the proposals to enhance penalties for stunt driving, street racing and high-risk offences. I want to thank them for their feedback and support to date, and we will continue to engage this network and utilize their many valuable perspectives, experiences and resources. To that end, I will be launching further consultations on stunt driving and street racing to ensure that we reach the public, especially young people, to make sure we are taking the right approach in our language to put the brakes on these unacceptable behaviours.

One death or serious injury on our roads is one too many. We will never stop in our pursuit to make Ontario’s roads the safest in North America. Together, we can work toward securing a safer future for Ontario, and I want to thank all the members for having us here today. Thank you.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Thank you very much for your presentations. We’ll now turn to our committee members. For this round of questions, we’ll start with the official opposition for seven and a half minutes. Who would like to begin? MPP French, you may begin.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Thank you very much, Ministers. I’m pleased to see everyone this morning and always glad to have the opportunity to speak about road safety.

One of the issues that I’d like to raise: I think you’re aware, as many of the MPPs in Ontario are, there’s a very active campaign right now to bring attention to some of the challenges in this legislation around e-bikes. I had an excellent meeting with Ben Cowie and Darnel Harris, and then shortly thereafter there has been a campaign launched by cyclists and interested folks across the province pointing out a number of the issues in this bill.

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Some of the changes around regulating e-bikes and pedal-assisted bikes they’ve said bring clarity, but they think that they unintentionally ban a number of very popular products. If you haven’t been checking your emails and inboxes, there are a lot of wonderful pictures of seniors and families using different methods of transportation, which, interestingly, will be unlawful after this bill is passed if there aren’t amendments and changes made.

Issues around wheel size: For example, wheels don’t include the tire, for goodness’ sake. So most of the bikes that are already on the roads would actually be deemed unlawful because of what appears to be a drafting mistake or someone who didn’t understand “rim” versus “tire” versus “wheel” and all of that. That’s pretty technical, but still, when the government with one hand is putting money into a pilot project for seniors and e-bikes and wants them to be using them, those same bikes might be illegal, so to speak.

We’re getting a number of letters, understandably, from folks who are trying to make the world a better, greener, cleaner place and certainly don’t want to be in violation of this new act. Can you let us know whether that was done on purpose, to make all of these grandparents and families illegal, or this is something that the government is going to address and fix in legislation in terms of the technical specifications etc.?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Well, thank you, MPP French, for the question on the proposals with respect to e-bikes. By way of background, the proposals in the legislation were developed in consultation with stakeholders: people from the industry, safety advocates, municipalities. It was a combined effort that led to the proposals that you have before you today.

To be clear, under the proposed changes, the e-bikes that are permitted in Ontario today will continue to be permitted as e-bikes or under the cargo e-bike pilot. The cargo e-bike pilot, which was introduced in March, was created to ensure that the cargo e-bikes that don’t meet the definition that we have today are permitted where municipalities deem their inclusion to be safe.

I understand, as you pointed out, that inboxes have been bombarded with pictures of different configurations of e-bikes and that stakeholders and people who own them and want to be able to ride e-bikes have been reaching out to seek further clarification. As I said, we developed these in consultation with stakeholders, so we can continue to refine the definition and refine the implementation of cargo e-bikes and their use on our roads and in our municipalities in consultation. We will absolutely take the feedback that we receive through this committee process as well as the feedback that Minister Surma and I are getting as well as Vijay Thanigasalam, our parliamentary assistant, is getting on this proposal to make sure that it is refined and clear.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Okay. I’m a former elementary school teacher, so I appreciate clearly outlined tables. They have been so kind as to provide a wonderful table of the changes in the legislation, how they interpret it, what they deem the perhaps unintended consequences to be and how it can be remedied. Even words like “conventional” are subject to interpretation. We’ll be glad to have clarity, but certainly, that’s something that we’ll be putting forward some amendments on and, frankly, expect the government to look out thoughtfully and make sure that indeed the folks and families who want to be safe and lawful on the roadways have that opportunity.

Further to that, though—because we can debate the amendments at committee—I’m interested, in terms of e-bike regulation, in what you have in mind for regulation, which we obviously don’t see in the statute before us—whether it will include requiring users of heavier e-bikes to get a class M driver’s licence and if there are things like that in regulation, if you can speak a bit to that.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Minister, you’d have to unmute—there we go.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Yes, I am now unmuted. Thank you. With respect to the class of licence, we’re not there yet. We’re going to continue to consult and the feedback that you’re providing will also feed into that work that we’ll do on the development of the regulations and what would be the appropriate class.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): One minute left.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: With respect to e-bikes in general, I’ll just point out that municipalities have been very much involved in the development of this and, as you know, will have the opportunity to opt in or opt out of the use on their roads. That’s a key element to make sure that this is meeting the needs of our municipalities.

You mentioned earlier about being thoughtful in the elaboration of these regulations. That’s absolutely our goal. I want to thank you for bringing forward the comments that you have that reflect some of the concerns that you’ve heard from your constituents on this.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: We’ll be interested in finding out more about the cargo pilot: how that’s going, who’s participating and what further amendments may be needed under the HTA going forward. I realize that’s a process. I am interested in knowing more about the cargo e-bikes—what would allow them to be safely on city streets and what not. I think that’s a longer conversation, but we’ll be glad to have it.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Thank you very much. That concludes this round of questions. We’ll now turn to the independent Green Party member for five minutes.

MPP Schreiner, you may begin.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Thank you, Chair, and thank you to both ministers for coming in and spending some time with us this morning. I just wanted to pick up on some of the questioning from MPP French.

Obviously, I’ve had a number of e-bike users and bike stores and other bike advocates with serious concerns around unintended consequences of this legislation. If I hear you correctly, Minister, you’re still in consultation mode as we go through the committee process, and the government would be open to amendments that would address the concerns of e-bike users—I think it’s unintentional, but maybe not, so I’m asking—that some e-bikes that are currently being safely used on the roads today—you would make sure that those are not now made illegal, based on this legislation, and you’d be open to amendments that would address those concerns.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Well, yes. As I said, we did develop these in consultation with industry and safety advocates and municipalities. The intention was not to make anything illegal as a result of this. We have heard about these unintended consequences, so we will absolutely be looking at ways to refine it to clarify that, if it’s possible. As I said, it will be up to municipalities to determine whether or not their use is safe on their roads and how that can be. We’re providing the framework.

I appreciate the feedback that we have been getting and look forward to the opportunity to further refine it if we can.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Thank you. I appreciate that.

I’ve also heard concerns from e-bike manufacturers because there is already a three-class system to regulate pedal-assisted bikes in over half of US states and parts of the EU as well. Their concern would be around harmonizing standards, which would then be beneficial to businesses because the standards and regulations would be the same in the US, here and in the EU. I’m just wondering if you’re open to looking at ways that we can have harmonized regulations for pedal-assisted bikes to address the concerns that e-manufacturers would have.

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Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Absolutely. I’m happy to look at what other jurisdictions are doing so that we can harmonize our regulations, if that makes sense.

The purpose of the amendment is to increase the use of e-bikes, so manufacturers should welcome this from that standpoint. But at the same time, we’re also trying to ensure that their use does not jeopardize the safety of our road users, especially our more vulnerable road users.

But I’m happy to look at what other jurisdictions are doing. If you have any thoughts on which jurisdictions have best practices or the strongest regulations that we should be looking at, from a manufacturer’s standpoint or a vulnerable road user’s standpoint, we would also be happy to look at that.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Great. I certainly appreciate that, Minister.

Speaking of vulnerable road users—and I know I’m probably almost out of time, but I was interested. You’ve addressed—

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): One minute left.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: —issues, but there has also been—I’ve moved amendments, and I think it was when Bill 107 was being debated in the Legislature, around protecting vulnerable road users by increasing fines for drivers who cause death or injury to cyclists, pedestrians etc. Would you be open to some amendments along those lines to strengthen the protections for vulnerable road users in this legislation?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Well, the motivation for the MOMS Act is to increase safety on our roads for all road users, especially our most vulnerable, and so we absolutely support tough penalties for road safety violations. We’ve introduced new offences that increase fines and penalties for those who violate those provisions—

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Thank you very much. My apologies, that concludes this round of questions. We’ll now turn to the government.

However, before we begin, I just wanted to confirm we have a new committee member joining us. MPP Park, can you please confirm that you are present and that you are in Ontario?

Ms. Lindsey Park: Hi. Present and in the city of Toronto.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Thank you, MPP Park.

We’ll now turn to the government for this round of questions. MPP Thanigasalam, you may begin.

Mr. Vijay Thanigasalam: Thank you to Minister Mulroney and Minister Surma for your presentations and for introducing this legislation that would increase safety for our road users, especially vulnerable road users. Also, it protects our workers on highways. This bill also has amendments related to e-bikes.

I wonder if the minister can take us through some of those changes and explain the relationship between them and the recently announced cargo e-bike pilot, because that is also a significant change that’s coming, in terms of cargo e-bikes. If you can walk us through, Minister, that would help everyone understand the changes that are coming.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you. To be clear, under the proposed changes, e-bikes are permitted in Ontario today, and as I said earlier, they will continue to be permitted as e-bikes or under the cargo e-bike pilot.

The e-bike redefinition that is proposed in Bill 282 would introduce three classes of e-bikes: Type 1 is a traditional bicycle style; type 2, a moped style; and type 3, a motorcycle style. The proposal that we’ve put forward distinguishes the styles of e-bikes that are operated today, with different requirements for each class of e-bike. Municipalities would be able to choose which classes of e-bikes to permit on their infrastructure and which will enhance safety and mobility.

The cargo e-bike pilot, which was introduced recently in March, was created to ensure that the cargo e-bikes that don’t currently meet Ontario’s e-bike definition, i.e., those that weigh 55 kilograms or more, are permitted where and only where municipalities deem their inclusion to be safe. The cargo e-bike pilot will require that municipalities pass bylaws that permit their use on their roads.

Stakeholders including Our Greenway and Curbside Cycle have written to the ministry about some of their concerns. As I said earlier, we will be meeting with stakeholders and further refining those definitions to make sure that they address stakeholder concerns.

But I can say that part of the reason for the introduction was from industry, as well as from e-bike users, who wish very much to see the expansion of their use in Ontario. So we’ve put this forward in a way that we think meets their requests but also takes into account the implications for road safety for road users, as well as municipalities.

Mr. Vijay Thanigasalam: Thank you, Minister.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Further questions? MPP Crawford.

Mr. Stephen Crawford: Good morning, Ministers Mulroney and Surma. My question really is on stunt driving. I certainly see it driving on the roads today more. I think people are driving faster. There seems to be more incidents of stunt driving.

I guess my question is, what do you attribute this to, and is there anything we can more from a public education point of view rather than—enforcement is important; that’s part of this bill. But is there anything we can do more from a public education point of view to reduce the instances of stunt driving, because clearly this is becoming a bigger problem?

Failure of sound system.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Sorry. We’re just going to pause for a moment. We’re having some difficulty hearing. I feel like there’s some feedback. Anyone who is not speaking, if you could please turn off your microphone. All right. Thank you.

Hon. Kinga Surma: Chair, is this better?

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Yes. Okay. If you could just maybe repeat what you were saying, Minister. Thank you.

Hon. Kinga Surma: Certainly. I’ll just start from the beginning.

Thank you to the member for the question. As I mentioned in my remarks, unfortunately there has been a trend of increasing aggressive, high-risk behaviour on our roads for some time. That, I think, combined with the pandemic and lower traffic levels that we have seen—I believe in the peak of the pandemic, approximately 40% lower traffic levels and, now, currently today, approximately 20% lower traffic levels have contributed, I believe, to more aggressive driving.

But to your point, there has to be a greater conversation about stunt driving, particularly with young and novice drivers where we see this trend as well. That’s why our ministry will be having an educational campaign. Presenting the bill in itself, I think, has given us an opportunity as a government and members in the House to certainly discuss this at greater length and speak to our stakeholders and use their valuable networks to raise awareness. Then, also in terms of repeat offenders, in terms of post-conviction offences, we have included an educational training course as well, so that we can truly curb this behaviour.

The minister and I are hoping that stiffer penalties will send a strong message that this behaviour is not to be tolerated and certainly to discourage people from participating. But I encourage everyone to have a conversation and discourage especially young drivers so that this does not become a habit, that they learn early on that this is truly dangerous behaviour and that they should not be participating.

Mr. Stephen Crawford: Thanks. I guess I ask you this question as a follow-up in terms of—two questions: First, what should people do if they see this type of activity on the highways? Second, moving to another question, it’s really along the lines of—I know it came up in second reading that we are doing some pilot projects on some of the 400-series highways—

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): One minute left.

Mr. Stephen Crawford: —in the province right now, increasing the speed limit to 110 and, at the same time, we’re obviously taking a hard line against stunt driving, which is great. Do you see any problems with that or contradictions, or just what are your thoughts on that? Thanks.

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Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you, MPP Crawford. If you see any stunt drivers or aggressive driving on roads, please just drive as cautiously as you can and be aware of your surroundings. Certainly, if this is something that’s happening in your municipality or consistently in a location, absolutely inform law enforcement.

Throughout the consultation, we spoke with enforcement officers. They recognized the increase of aggressive behaviour, and this is certainly on their radar. They hope to curb this behaviour as well.

In terms of the pilot of the increased speed limits, the pilot that was initiated by MTO was very carefully selected. Parts of—

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Thank you very much. Sorry. That concludes this round of questions.

We’ll now turn to the official opposition for the next round. Who would like to begin? MPP French, you may begin.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Thank you. Chair, just to clarify, is this the last round?

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): That’s correct.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Okay, so I’d better make it count. I’ll talk fast.

I would like to take the opportunity, actually, to sort of delve into some of the Highway Traffic Act pieces, pieces that are there—but I’m going to focus on what isn’t there. I’m sure that as ministers you’re hearing from advocates for active transportation, road safety, seniors, those with disabilities who have long been calling for a vulnerable road users law, much like MPP Bell’s Bill 62, Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act. We don’t see that in this legislation, which I think is, frankly, a missed opportunity.

My bill, Bill 122, is the Fairness for Road Users Act (Contraventions Causing Death or Serious Bodily Harm). That bill has been around a long time. MPP Wayne Gates brought it forward in 2015; it made it through second reading. I re-tabled it. Thousands and thousands of people have signed petitions. The bikers’ rights organizations have been actively lobbying for this and advocating for an increase in penalties.

So, I take the minister’s point earlier about wanting to ensure that the roads are safer and appropriate penalties, but currently someone who is convicted of contravening the Highway Traffic Act for minor driving offences, like an unsafe left turn or failure to stop at a stop sign—if someone is killed or injured, the family has to sit in that courtroom and there’s maybe a $500 fine. My bill was allowing for stiffer penalties, still jurisdiction at the discretion of the courts, but we don’t see that in this. The minister’s office has shared with advocates, when they’ve asked why my bill hasn’t passed—they’ve said, “We look forward to the debate.”

Well, you have a bill in front of us here that could have easily taken these fixes, these proposals, and incorporated them. So, I’d like to know, since you have not, since we don’t see it in here, why not? What are we proposing that is problematic and why can’t it be incorporated in this bill when we are opening up the Highway Traffic Act and wanting to make roads safer, protect those, and ensure that families left behind, or those who have been injured, have some form of fairness?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Well, thank you. Absolutely, you have been a voice for road safety advocates in the Legislature. Like you, we do support tough penalties for road safety violations. Our measures that we are proposing in the bill, if they move through the Legislature, are targeted to the challenges that we know exist on our roads today, like the tough penalties on drivers who are caught stunt driving, as well as a comprehensive oversight framework that will make the towing and storage sector safer and more professional.

In the past, in September of 2018, we did implement changes to help protect all vulnerable road users, including, as I mentioned earlier, a new offence for careless driving causing death or bodily harm with penalties that include fines, licence suspensions and imprisonment; increased penalties for drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, crossovers and school crossings, as well as escalating fines for drivers who are convicted of multiple pedestrian-related offences within a five-year window; and an increased maximum fine penalty for all general offences under the Highway Traffic Act. That offence carries the longest prison term of any penalty in the Highway Traffic Act.

I just wanted to add that we’re also changing the way we collect collision data. We’re updating that for the first time in decades, which will allow police to better document and understand and study, so that we can—so that MTO can study it; sorry—the cause of offences. If you were caught—

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Minister, I apologize. I really only have limited time.

I appreciate what you said, but those convictions under that offence are exceedingly rare. So I wanted to highlight that while this bill increases penalties for careless driving causing bodily harm or death in narrow circumstances, it’s not addressing the shortcomings of the Highway Traffic Act. It’s still allowing nearly all drivers who kill or seriously injure others to avoid significant consequences. So what’s happening in the courts versus the intent— they’re not quite aligning.

I would love to have a sit down and push for my Bill 122, but I probably have—how many minutes left, Chair?

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Just over two minutes.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Okay. Then I’m actually going to switch, because I do have questions that are really specific and nitty-gritty, but maybe I’ll cross the floor and ask—

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Can I just say, MPP French, one last point is that the measures—as I said, they’re targeted; the ones that are introduced in the MOMS Act are targeted, but they were also developed in conjunction with law enforcement and respond to requests from them to address some of the issues and the behaviours they’re seeing on our roads.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I don’t know whether we’ll see some of them at committee, so it will be good to delve into that, and not fine-tune but make sure everyone is protected the way we want.

I’m going to focus, then, for the last minute and a bit on tow trucks. I’m curious. I’m just wanting to know when regulations for the tow truck and vehicle storage industry will be enacted. I’m curious when those industries will finally be regulated. You know that I and the NDP and folks across the province have long been calling for regulation. I know the Liberals used to tinker around the edges and they never did it, so I’m glad it’s moving forward. I wonder if you’d maybe spill some tea as to how come the Liberals never did it. What was holding them up?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I can’t speak to why they didn’t. Steven Del Duca was Minister of Transportation for however many years, and I think—

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): One minute left.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Is it done? I think that recommendations were developed or a consultation was done in 2014-15, so I don’t—you’ll have to ask the Liberals why they didn’t implement any of those recommendations.

Prior to the pandemic, when I became minister, I started meeting with industry stakeholders on this. As you saw last summer, due to the rise in the increase in violence, we announced that we were going to step in and develop a provincial oversight regime. My understanding was there was possibly some reticence in taking that step. Some municipalities—under 20—have licensing regimes now, and perhaps that was the holdup and the reticence for the province to step in in the past. But we heard very clearly from law enforcement, as well as from towing stakeholders, that the province needed to step in and provide a comprehensive oversight regime.

From there, the regulations will flow. As we’ve stated, there will be certification of the towing and storage sector that will be required. We’re going to appoint a director of towing and storage—

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Thank you very much. That concludes this round of questions.

We’ll now turn to the independent member for five minutes. MPP Schreiner, you may begin.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Once again, thank you, Ministers. In your opening statement, you had quoted Scott Butler from the Ontario Good Roads Association saying that this bill is a good step forward and that one step is important, and addressing aggressive driving, stunt driving and street racing is definitely important. I think it would be great if you would take the opportunity to take the second step. I know OGRA, the city of Toronto and others have really been pushing Vision Zero—let’s eliminate deaths of pedestrian, elders, cyclists, people with assisted mobility devices on our streets.

I’m wondering if you’ve done an analysis of the global road users who have either been killed or seriously injured. How many of those incidents have been because of stunt driving, aggressive driving, street racing, and how many of those events have been because of other acts that contravene the Highway Traffic Act? Have you done that type of an analysis at this point?

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Hon. Caroline Mulroney: So on that specific question, MPP Schreiner, I’m happy to speak to MTO and see if they have the specific data to that specific question and get back to you.

With respect to the second step, I think I’ve said before that this is an important step, but road user safety is evolving. As I mentioned earlier, we’re reforming and modernizing the way we collect collision data because the behaviours that we see on our roads are changing. With respect to pedestrian safety and other vulnerable road users’ safety, getting that data in a new way, allowing it to reflect how drivers are behaving today, is key to being able to develop policy solutions in the future.

I can just give you, sort of anecdotally, one of the motivations for this bill, as I mentioned in the House, comes from the fact that one of my children has got his G1, and I see a lot of kids attached to their phones, and as you know, younger people perceive risk differently. We’ve been trying to do a study on how distracted driving can be addressed in an effective way. That’s why it has to be evidence-based, and so I thank you for your question about the evidence with respect to stunt driving. That’s why any policy solution has to be evidence-based, because we want it to be effective and to actually deter the behaviours that we see that we want to address.

I’ll turn it over to Minister Surma because she’s the lead on the stunt driving element of the legislation.

Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you very much, Minister Mulroney. As I said in the House, every 3.5 hours someone is injured in a speed-related collision in Ontario on our roads and highways. One of the things that was included in this bill to make sure that our most vulnerable people are safe, particularly in our municipalities and our cities and our neighbourhoods, was lowering the speed limit—at 80 kilometres an hour, reducing the threshold to 40 kilometres an hour over for stunt driving and aggressive driving charges. This was something that was very well received by municipalities.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): One minute left.

Hon. Kinga Surma: I think, based on the data that we have seen throughout our review of stunt driving and aggressive driving behaviour, certainly young people are participating in this behaviour that we want to stop and we want to curb. We want to curb repeat offenders, which is why we brought forward stricter penalties for repeat offenders.

Of course, as you know, warmer months are upon us, and we want to make sure that people are driving carefully and cautiously as we continue through the pandemic situation that we are in. That data supported our tougher penalties to address these three factors.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Yes, I appreciate that. My time is limited, so I just would encourage you to—I agree with what you’re saying, but I would also encourage you to meet with vulnerable road users who have either had family members killed or themselves been seriously injured in other acts that contravene the Highway Traffic Act, and the people who contravene the act—

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Thank you very much. My apologies, MPP Schreiner. That’s all the time we have for this round.

We’ll now turn to the government for the last round of questions. MPP Harris, you may begin.

Mr. Mike Harris: Thank you to both ministers for being here this morning. It has certainly been a good conversation. I think this has actually been one of the more fruitful discussions we’ve had at committee for quite some time, so thank you very much for answering many of the questions that have been brought forward here today.

Maybe, Minister Surma, since you’ve taken a lot of the stunt driving questions, this one might be better suited for you. Actually, on my way here last night—it was about 9 o’clock and I was driving down the 427 and saw two cars racing. They were pulling away from me at a pretty rapid rate of speed, and I just thought to myself it was really fitting that we were going to be here discussing this this morning.

We’ve seen a lot of debate in the House, obviously, over this. There was a motion that was passed not too long ago, and I’m glad to see that it looks like this bill is addressing a lot of those concerns.

But I was hoping that maybe you could go into detail a little bit more about how the, we’ll call them, deterrents or fines or charges came about, a little bit more detail as to what those are—I know you’ve touched on a few of the points already today—and also how you got to that point in that consultation obviously with municipalities. I know you’ve talked about other stakeholder groups like public safety groups and, of course, our police services.

Just in the last few minutes we have here before we wrap up today, I was hoping you could touch on some of those things. Thank you.

Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you very much to the member—and very good questions. When the traffic levels were low throughout the pandemic, I think all of us have seen situations where people were participating in stunt driving and aggressive behaviour. Immediately, Minister Mulroney and myself requested MTO to gather as much data as possible because, like the minister said, we wanted to look at the evidence, and so that certainly piqued our interest.

We were reviewing data—in fact, I actually participated and went up into a helicopter with York Regional Police to see the type of stunt driving and aggressive driving behaviour that happens on our roads, particularly at night. Speaking to law enforcement—they clearly saw a trend which then further led to consultations that we had last summer, which PA Thanigasalam helped me with, where we met with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, law enforcement, the Ontario Safety League and then, of course, further down the line, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

But it became very clear to me from all stakeholders that they saw this trend rising as well and pushed and encouraged and advocated for stronger measures and penalties to curb this behaviour, especially from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, aligning the penalties similarly to impaired driving. One of their recommendations was to extend vehicle impoundment, and then their second recommendation was to also extend licence suspensions. Through their experience and advocacy work, they felt that these two stronger penalties would be most effective in curbing this behaviour.

We also spoke with young people as well. I consulted with teens learning to drive, and they felt a need to also speak to the fact that young people were participating in this behaviour, which then further led us to work on an educational campaign, as well as the driver education course that will be mandatory as well.

There were a lot of discussions that were happening, but like I said in my remarks, I think now is certainly the right time. The weather is getting warmer. We’re still in the pandemic situation. Traffic levels are still lower because the good folks of Ontario are listening to health measures and protocols. And so, to prevent collisions or to prevent this type of behaviour, I think we need to act now.

I just want to thank the members of the House for supporting Nina Tangri’s motion.

Mr. Mike Harris: How much time left, Madam Chair, before we recess?

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Just under three minutes.

Mr. Mike Harris: Could you maybe touch a little bit more on what it was like when you were out with York Regional Police, seeing what they were seeing first-hand?

I know I’ve had a chance to get out and do a couple of ride-alongs with Waterloo Regional Police Service. It’s really staggering some of things you see out there that maybe you’re oblivious to on a regular basis, but once you get out there with some of our policing partners, they really help you understand some of the things that are happening. Were you able to see people doing excessive speeds on the highways? Were they able to show you how some of their radar works and different things like that?

Hon. Kinga Surma: Yes, absolutely. I don’t have the particular date with me, but it was on a Saturday late at night, one o’clock in the morning. We went up in the helicopter from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. Within that small time frame, we witnessed three instances of stunt driving and aggressive driving. Both were reported in. One was crossing a border to another municipality, so we reported that in to the other municipality, and then one instance was actually in some sort of industrial parking lot where they were conducting themselves in not an ordinary or civil fashion, which is why we included the fact of stunt driving—also on private lands as well. But certainly, when you’re up in the air, you do see a bird’s eye view and you truly can notice and pick up how quickly people are driving and then identify stunt drivers right away.

It was certainly a learning experience for me. But if there were three incidents in just a very small window, then you can imagine how frequently—

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): One minute left.

Hon. Kinga Surma: —that occurs on our roads. So again, I just encourage the members to support this bill. Thank you.

Mr. Mike Harris: Just one last thing, and this is something—as being a car enthusiast. This would not impact any public, organized events like drag races on insured public or insured private property where there’s an organized event happening, correct?

Hon. Kinga Surma: Not to my knowledge, if they are following all of the—

Mr. Mike Harris: Perfect. That’s all I needed to hear; that’s enough. Thank you.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Okay. Thirty seconds left. If there are no further questions, then I’d like to thank Minister Surma and Minister Mulroney for joining us today and for their presentation.

At this point, that concludes our business for this morning. The committee is now recessed until 1 p.m.

The committee recessed from 1002 to 1300.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Good afternoon, everyone. I call this meeting to order. We have the following member in the room: MPP Rasheed. And we have the following members participating remotely: MPPs Bailey, Crawford, Bourgouin, Sabawy, Schreiner and Sandhu. Have any other members joined us?

Interjection.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Ah, we have MPP Glover as well.

We also have staff from Hansard, broadcast and recording, and legislative counsel joining us remotely today.

As always, all comments should go through the Chair. Are there any questions before we begin?

There are three private members’ public bills on the agenda today for clause-by-clause consideration.

Lupus Awareness Day Act, 2021 Loi de 2021 sur la Journée de sensibilisation au lupus

Consideration of the following bill:

Bill 112, An Act to proclaim Lupus Awareness Day / Projet de loi 112, Loi proclamant la Journée de sensibilisation au lupus.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Turning now to Bill 112, An Act to proclaim Lupus Awareness Day. Are there any comments or questions to any section of the bill before we begin?

There are no amendments to sections 1 to 3 of the bill. I propose we bundle them. Does the committee agree? Agreed. Is there any further debate on sections 1 to 3 of the bill? Seeing none, are members prepared to vote? Shall sections 1 to 3 of the bill carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare sections 1 to 3 of Bill 112 carried.

Shall the preamble of the bill carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the preamble carried.

Shall the title of the bill carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the title of the bill carried.

Shall Bill 112 carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare Bill 112 carried.

Shall I report the bill to the House? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the motion carried.

Food Day Ontario (Food Day Canada in Ontario) Act, 2021 Loi de 2021 sur la Journée des terroirs de l’Ontario (Journée des terroirs du Canada en Ontario)

Consideration of the following bill:

Bill 163, An Act to proclaim Food Day Ontario (Food Day Canada in Ontario) / Projet de loi 163, Loi proclamant la Journée des terroirs de l’Ontario (Journée des terroirs du Canada en Ontario).

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Turning now to Bill 163, An Act to proclaim Food Day Ontario (Food Day Canada in Ontario). Are there any comments or questions to any section of the bill before we begin?

There are no amendments to sections 1 and 2 of the bill. I propose we bundle them. Does the committee agree? Thank you. Is there any further debate on sections 1 and 2 of Bill 163? Seeing none, are members prepared to vote? All those in favour of sections 1 and 2 of Bill 163 carrying, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare sections 1 and 2 carried.

Turning now to section 3. Is there any further debate? We have an independent motion. MPP Schreiner.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Thank you, Chair, and thank you, committee members.

I move that section 3 of the bill be struck out and the following substituted:

“Short title

“3. The short title of this Act is the Food Day Canada in Ontario (in Honour of Anita Stewart) Act, 2021.”

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): MPP Schreiner has moved a motion. Is there any debate? MPP Schreiner.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Yes, first of all, I want to just thank MPP Ke, the member for Don Valley North, for bringing this bill forward and for collaborating with me on this amendment.

Anita Stewart was the founder and president of Food Day Canada, and, sadly, she passed away on October 29, 2020. By the way, she was also, among many other things, the food laureate at the University of Guelph. One of my favourite photos I have at Queen’s Park is with MPP Ke, Anita Stewart and many of my constituents who celebrated together second reading passage of this particular bill. I just felt, in honour of Anita’s work on this particular bill and so many things that this bill stands for, that it would be appropriate to recognize her in the short title of the bill. MPP Ke agreed, so I moved this amendment.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Further debate? Seeing none, are members prepared to vote? Shall independent motion number 1 carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the motion carried.

Shall section 3, as amended, carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare section 3, as amended, carried.

Shall the preamble of the bill carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the preamble carried.

Shall the title of the bill carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the title carried.

Shall Bill 163, as amended, carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare Bill 163, as amended, carried.

Shall I report the bill, as amended, to the House? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the motion carried.

Front-line and Essential Service Worker Week Act, 2021 Loi de 2021 sur la Semaine de reconnaissance du personnel des services de première ligne et des services essentiels

Consideration of the following bill:

Bill 230, An Act to proclaim Front-line and Essential Service Worker Week / Projet de loi 230, Loi proclamant la Semaine de reconnaissance du personnel des services de première ligne et des services essentiels.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): Turning now to Bill 230, An Act to proclaim Front-line and Essential Service Worker Week. Are there any comments or questions to any section of the bill before we begin?

There are no amendments to sections 1 to 3 of the bill. I propose we bundle them. Does the committee agree? Thank you. Is there any further debate on sections 1 to 3 of the bill? Seeing none, are members prepared to vote? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare sections 1 to 3 carried.

Turning now to the preamble of the bill. Is there any further debate on the preamble? MPP Rasheed.

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed: Chair, I have a motion to move for the preamble. I move that the preamble to the bill be struck out and the following substituted:

“On March 17, 2020, an emergency was declared in Ontario under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Second and third emergencies were declared on January 12, 2021, and April 7, 2021.

“Ontario’s front-line and essential service workers played a vital role in maintaining the flow and delivery of goods and services throughout each state of emergency and they continue to be a crucial part of the province’s economic recovery.”

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): On government motion number 1, committee members, the proposed amendment is out of order. As Bosc and Gagnon noted on page 774 of the third edition of the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, “In the case of a bill that has been referred to a committee after second reading, a substantive amendment to the preamble is admissible only if it is rendered necessary by amendments made to the bill.”

MPP Rasheed.

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed: I’ll be seeking unanimous consent to move that the preamble bill be struck out and the following substituted—do you want me to read everything?

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): No.

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed: Okay. So I’m seeking unanimous consent.

The Chair (Ms. Goldie Ghamari): MPP Rasheed has asked for unanimous consent from the committee to move his motion. Do we have unanimous consent from the committee? We do.

Is there any further debate on the motion brought forward by MPP Rasheed? Seeing none, are members prepared to vote? Shall the motion brought forward by MPP Rasheed carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the motion carried.

Shall the preamble, as amended, carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the preamble carried.

Shall the title of the bill carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the title carried.

Shall Bill 230, as amended, carry? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare Bill 230, as amended, carried.

Shall I report the bill, as amended, to the House? All those in favour, please raise their hands. All those opposed, please raise their hands. I declare the motion carried.

Thank you, everyone. That concludes our business for today. The committee is now adjourned until Friday, May 7, 2021, at 1 p.m.

The committee adjourned at 1311.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENT

Chair / Présidente

Ms. Goldie Ghamari (Carleton PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Mike Schreiner (Guelph G)

Ms. Jill Andrew (Toronto–St. Paul’s ND)

Mr. Robert Bailey (Sarnia–Lambton PC)

Mr. Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk–James Bay / Mushkegowuk–Baie James ND)

Mr. Stephen Crawford (Oakville PC)

Ms. Goldie Ghamari (Carleton PC)

Mr. Chris Glover (Spadina–Fort York ND)

Mr. Mike Harris (Kitchener–Conestoga PC)

Mr. Sheref Sabawy (Mississauga–Erin Mills PC)

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu (Brampton West / Brampton-Ouest PC)

Mr. Mike Schreiner (Guelph G)

Mrs. Daisy Wai (Richmond Hill PC)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Ms. Jennifer K. French (Oshawa ND)

Ms. Lindsey Park (Durham PC)

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed (Mississauga East–Cooksville / Mississauga-Est–Cooksville PC)

Mr. Vijay Thanigasalam (Scarborough–Rouge Park PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Isaiah Thorning

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Sude Beltan, research officer,
Research Services

Ms. Catherine Oh, legislative counsel