Assemblée législative de l'Ontario

The House met at 1015.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

Members’ Statements

Brockville General Hospital

Mr. Steve Clark: Speaker, under the new leadership of president and CEO Julie Caffin and board chair James Eastwood, Brockville General Hospital is in good hands.

But today I want to go back 2017 when our cherished community hospital was struggling. Enter Nick Vlacholias as president and CEO and Jim Cooper as board chair. Brockville general’s transformation since then into one of the best hospitals anywhere is remarkable. We’ve opened a new tower and we’re planning on our next redevelopment. Instead of closing programs, we opened a new MRI, and pediatric surgeries have returned thanks to an investment from our government and a partnership with CHEO. The transformation is a testament to the hard work of the board, the volunteers and staff—all made possible by Nick and Jim’s leadership and commitment to communication, staff well-being and patient care.

Nick’s impact goes beyond the Brockville General Hospital. His financial insights helped me make the case to our government to fix the hospital’s funding formula, stabilizing operations at medium-sized hospitals across Ontario.

Earlier this year, Jim’s term as board chair ended and, today, Nick begins a new chapter in his career at London Health Sciences Centre. The member for Elgin–Middlesex–London is so fortunate to have him.

To the dynamic duo of Nick and Jim, I want to say thank you. Your legacy is stronger for BGH, one that is ready to be there for patients and families for generations to come.

Welland Food Drive

Mr. Jeff Burch: This weekend, the Hope Centre, Open Arms Mission and the Salvation Army hosted their annual food drive in Welland at Club Richelieu. On Saturday, I stopped by to thank the 500 volunteers and community members who came together to help sort donations. They’ve already raised an impressive $32,000 and are hoping to reach $35,000 by the end of month.

According to recent statistics, one in 10 Welland residents accessed a food bank within the last year—30% of those were children. The need in Welland has never been greater due a combination of factors, most notably, the increased cost of living in this province, making life less and less affordable, including the price of rent, utilities and groceries.

1020

Jennifer Sinclair, community engagement coordinator for the Hope Centre in Welland, recently spoke to the media about the crisis, stating, “Our numbers are just skyrocketing. There has been about a 100% increase since last year.”

Local food banks, once a temporary resource, have now become essential for many citizens in Welland and in many places across the province. This government is failing to deliver on the basics, including social service funding that has been frozen for three years. This province needs to step up now to help those struggling with the basics like housing, health care and groceries. We can do better.

Government investments

Mr. Hardeep Singh Grewal: I’m very excited today because I have great news for Bramptonians. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is committed to building the great infrastructure that Ontario needs and the infrastructure that Brampton needs. As a result, we’re proud to announce that William Osler Health System has officially released their request for proposals on the conversion of Peel Memorial Hospital into Brampton’s second full-service hospital.

In partnership with Infrastructure Ontario, this announcement makes it one step closer to start early works in construction and start construction by spring 2025. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, Brampton will never again be left behind. We’ve seen more investment from this government in the past six years than the previous government’s decade in power.

With this Premier at the helm, we’re going to continue to deliver for the residents of Brampton and Ontario, as Ontario recognizes the need to build priority highways faster, reduce gridlock as our province continues to flourish and grow. That’s why our government introduced Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act. That includes the removal of bike lanes in high-traffic areas, reducing gridlock and making it easier for people to commute around this province.

Our work doesn’t end there. We’re also making the largest investment in public transit in Ontario’s history with the Mississauga loop, the Brampton LRT and new subways being built in Toronto. We’re expanding public transit like Ontario has never seen before and we’re saving money. We’re making it more affordable to use public transit with the introduction of One Fare, saving transit riders up to $1,600 a year—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

The next member’s statement.

Public safety

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Everyone should be able to count on government to protect our vehicles, but across Ontario, people are experiencing auto theft every day. Car thieves are gaming the system to get new VINs for stolen vehicles at ServiceOntario counters. Other provinces are taking action to protect their VIN registries, but Ontario is leaving criminals a significant loophole. For years, this government has been advised by law enforcement and insurance experts to prevent re-VINing.

Ford’s announcement of more reactive penalties does little to close the loophole and protect the legitimacy of our VIN registry. We need a dedicated strategy for ServiceOntario to investigate VINs to ensure every vehicle on the road is legitimate. That’s the kind of proactive solution that New Democrats bring to table.

Why is this government incapable of being proactive to guard the integrity of Ontario’s VIN database? The PCs could reach for solutions and suggestions, but instead they’re focused on penalties after the crime. This government must reassure drivers that we have a strong system, an audit process and a database that won’t allow criminals to get stolen vehicles into our system and so easily legitimized.

While other jurisdictions are tackling this, Ontario is hiding its head in the glovebox and turning our province into an express lane for VIN fraud. Ontario is becoming a destination for car thieves. We deserve better. We have to get serious about auto theft. I’m calling on this government to get it in gear and protect our VINs.

Remembrance Day

MPP Zee Hamid: Yesterday, I had the honour of attending a touching Remembrance Day ceremony at Haltonville war memorial in the former township of Nassagaweya in my riding of Milton. As we gathered to pay tribute, we reflected on the immense sacrifices made by whose who fought valiantly in the Great Wars and the Korean War.

I’ve attended Remembrance Day events before, both as a private citizen and as a Milton councillor, but attending on behalf of the province of Ontario and placing the wreath was a uniquely emotional experience. This solemn occasion reminds us of the courage and resilience displayed by our service men and women who selflessly dedicated their lives to protect our freedom. Each name inscribed on the memorial stands for a story of bravery, loss and love echoing through generations.

I wanted to dedicate my statement today not just to the men who came from Nassagaweya and sacrificed their lives, but all brave men and women across Ontario and our great nation of Canada, whether they come back home or not. Let us not only remember their courage and sacrifice, but let’s also commit to upholding the values they fought for: peace, democracy and freedom. Today, we honour their legacy by ensuring their stories live on in our hearts and in our actions. Lest we forget.

Remembrance Day

Miss Monique Taylor: Today, I rise to honour our veterans, the men and women who have served, those who have been wounded, those who made the ultimate sacrifice, active service members and all of their families.

Many of us will attend services in our communities. In Hamilton, the inaugural Indigenous Veteran’s Day Service will be held November 8 at The Eagles Among Us monument at Battlefield Park in Stoney Creek. I’m honoured to be attending, as current and past Indigenous sacrifices of this land will be shared and will be reflected on.

On November 10, a parade of Hamilton veterans, garrison units and cadet corps will leave John Foote V.C. armouries and proceed to Veterans’ Place, a cenotaph at Gore Park. It is an honour to be a part of the garrison parade and service, remembering our veterans and peacekeepers. On November 11, we will honour our veterans at the Canadian Legion, Branch 163 in Hamilton Mountain Remembrance Day services.

I am proud of my ongoing commitment to our veterans in our communities. With many veterans returning home, they are faced with many barriers accessing health care, mental health care, stable housing, employment services and programs that help them on their healing journey. We must not lose sight of the importance to protect our veterans as they have protected us and our freedoms.

We are grateful for many veterans and active service members who engage in community service and educate and encourage our future generations. You teach, through your actions, the importance of resilience, of camaraderie and that we must help one another in times of need. Your bravery, courage and sacrifices will always be remembered. Lest we forget.

Remembrance Day

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: Mr. Speaker, today marks the start of Remembrance Week. It is an honour to commemorate the brave men and women who currently serve, have served or have sacrificed their lives for our country. I had the pleasure of attending two Armistice Day dinners over the weekend in Beachville and Woodstock, and I’m always humbled to see the love our veterans have for Canada.

One of the enduring symbols of Remembrance Day is the poppy, immortalized in Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields, which was written during the First World War. As we wear the poppy on our left lapel, over the heart, it reminds us of the cost of war, but also of the duty of the living to carry the legacy of those who have fallen.

It also shows how Remembrance Day will always be linked to the Great War. When it was first observed in 1919 as Armistice Day, it was to commemorate the armistice agreement between Germany and the Allied powers that went into effect on November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m. In 1931, the Canadian government changed the name to Remembrance Day to emphasize that we should remember the fallen soldiers of all conflicts, including those of the First World War.

1030

On November 11, let us remember those who served, those who sacrificed and those who continue to protect the values that we hold dear by wearing a poppy and donating to the local legion. Lest we forget.

Automotive industry

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Everybody knows about the incredible investments being made in the automotive industry in the province of Ontario. These investments are going to be a boon not only for manufacturers, but also in the mining industry, especially in the area of critical minerals.

But it also means that older manufacturing processes are going to go away and we’re going to have new ones, and that means job disruption. Workers have to adapt. There’s a great union that’s going to help them adapt, and that union is called Unifor. Unifor is helping its members upskill and retrain, teaching them new skills such as battery chemistry, process overview, lean manufacturing, mechanical machinery, electronics, pneumatics and robotics. That’s a great training program for the members of this union, and it’s all made possible in a partnership between Unifor and the government of Ontario, which has provided a grant in the amount of $955,000 to help retrain auto workers.

I want to thank the Premier and I want to thank the Minister of Labour for providing this great program that’s helping men and women in Unifor retrain and build the mighty auto industry in the province of Ontario.

Women’s employment

Ms. Natalie Pierre: Last month, I had the privilege of attending an announcement at the Centre for Skills Development in my riding of Burlington. Alongside the Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity, we highlighted the Women’s Economic Security Program, which equips women with the training needed to increase workforce participation and achieve financial independence. I witnessed first-hand the incredible partnerships between women-centred organizations, educational institutions and local businesses that make this program possible. This initiative has already empowered thousands of women to start businesses and advance their education and training.

I’m excited to announce that our government is investing up to $1.18 million over the next three years in the Centre for Skills Development. This investment will help the Women’s Economic Security Program, with a specific focus on enhanced general carpentry training.

Investing in programs like these breaks down barriers and builds a future where diversity drives progress and innovation. Thanks to this government investment, we are fostering a skilled workforce that can meet the demands of our growing industries, impacting both the current labour force and future generations.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes our members’ statements for this morning.

Introduction of Visitors

M^me France Gélinas: This morning, Conceivable Dreams had a wonderful breakfast. I would like to thank Dr. Garbedian and Dr. Garcia for taking the trip down to come see us.

WeRPN is also at Queen’s Park. They’ll be inviting everybody over for lunch in 228. I’d like to introduce their CEO, Dianne Martin, as well as their president, Angela Corneil, and their past president, Dickon Worsley. Welcome to Queen’s Park, ladies and gentlemen.

Hon. Jill Dunlop: I would like to welcome Marian Knutson, the mother of page Ziggy from my riding of Simcoe North. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: I want to extend a welcome to union leaders from Unifor: Dan Valente, Dirk Tolman, Rob Roca, Shane Horn, Doug Carter, Stephanie Cronin, Ryan Coombs and Wally Ewanicke. They’re here to launch a campaign to stop leakage in natural gas pipes in Ontario.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats. Please take your seats. We haven’t got a lot of time.

The member for Beaches–East York.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Good morning, everyone. It’s always great to see you in the House.

I’d like to acknowledge today that we have the Turkish consul general, Can Yoldaş, here visiting us, with the president of Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations, Sima Acan; director Ali Demircan; and Gizem Yilmaz. Hoş geldiniz. Welcome.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: We’ll see everyone at the Turkish flag-raising today at 12:15.

I’d like to introduce the powerful people from the awesome Association of Consulting Engineering Companies in Ontario: a beautiful Beaches–East York resident, acrobatic Andrew Hurd; dynamite David O’Sullivan; magnificent Michael De Michele; and jazzy Jason Stahl. Thanks for building Ontario. Welcome to your House.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Speaker, I’m pleased to welcome the Honourable Capri Cafaro, the former minority leader of the Ohio Senate, who served in the Ohio General Assembly for 10 years and is now a TV and radio host, both here and in America. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Joel Harden: I have somebody tuning in on live broadcast who is very special to me today. It’s my brother, Adam Davidson-Harden, a public school teacher from Kingston who turns 50 today. Happy birthday, bro, and thank you for all you do for students.

Mr. Stephen Blais: I’d like to welcome representatives from the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario, or WeRPN, to Queen’s Park. I would like to specifically recognize Sharon Hunter, who sits on the board; Hailey Yan, who is a student nurse; and Ruth Baker, who is a registered practical nurse. Thank you for all the hard work that you do to help register practical nurses in our communities. I look forward to having a chat with you later this afternoon.

Ms. Christine Hogarth: It is absolutely a privilege and an honour to introduce Mr. Morley Kells, who was an MPP here in this House; Mr. Doug Holyday, also a former MPP in this House; and one of my staff members, Brad Kells, who does a wonderful job everyday. Gentlemen, it is an honour to follow in your footsteps. Welcome.

Mr. Jeff Burch: I’d like to welcome Emily McIntosh from Women of Ontario Say No and colleagues to Queen’s Park.

Also, I would like to welcome my constituency assistant, Maddison Harris from Welland, to Queen’s Park.

I’d also like to wish my wonderful wife a happy birthday today.

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy: I want to welcome to the House today special guests from the great, beautiful town of Port Perry in my riding of Durham, Johnathan van Bilsen and Donna van Bilsen. Welcome to your House.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’d like to continue with introduction of visitors, unless there’s an objection.

The member for London North Centre.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It’s my honour to welcome individuals from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Ontario: Ghina Annan, Jason Stahl, David Heska, Joshua Battison and Doug DeRabbie. I encourage all members to take in their reception from 5 p.m. in rooms 228 and 230.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: It is my honour to welcome, from Conceivable Dreams, members who will be having meetings and of course their breakfast event today: Zane Colt.

And of course, from WeRPN, I’d like to welcome Dianne Martin, the CEO, Angela Corneil, the president, and WeRPN staff and members. I’m looking forward to your meetings today.

1040

Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta: I too would like to welcome WeRPN—RPNs play a very important role in long-term care—CEO Dianne Martin, as well as a constituent of mine, an RPN, Jennifer McCauley. I look forward to seeing you at the lunch reception this afternoon.

Mr. Joel Harden: I just want to add my brief thanks to Doug DeRabbie and the engineers who are here today; WeRPN who is here today; and the great folks from Unifor who keep us safe in their pipeline industry here in Ontario. We just thank you all for being here. It’s your House.

Mr. Adil Shamji: Good morning, everyone. It gives me immense pleasure to welcome WeRPN to the Legislature today. They represent 60,000 registered practical nurses, and I wanted to extend a very special warm welcome to Dianne Martin, their chief executive officer; as well as Angela Corneil, their president; and all of the many members who are in attendance today who I look forward to engaging with and hearing from as the day progresses. Thank you and welcome.

Mr. Dave Smith: I would like to welcome from the great riding of God’s country, Peterborough–Kawartha, Canadian veteran and UN peacekeeper Corporal Bill Steedman.

Hon. Doug Ford: I do want to acknowledge all our great veterans. I know there’s going to be a great announcement today, so thank you for your service and your ongoing service.

A couple other people: I know the great member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore mentioned it already, but I have to acknowledge two good friends, former MPP Morley Kells—Morley, I don’t know where you are—

Interjections.

Hon. Doug Ford: Oh, there you are. You’re in the lower deck. You got special treatment down there. Good to see you, Morley—a heck of a lacrosse player as well.

And his good pal, Doug Holyday. Doug introduced our family to politics—don’t blame him; blame Bob Rae, because that’s the reason we got into politics.

Not only was Doug Holyday a city councillor in the city of Etobicoke, he became the great mayor of the state of Etobicoke, then went on to be the deputy mayor of the city of Toronto as well—did an incredible job—and then went on to be an MPP. Thank you for your years of public service, Doug.

I don’t know, this guy is still a heck of a hockey player. He still straps on the skates. What are you, about 110 now, Doug? You’re still strapping on—I love the guy. I sat beside him for four years. I love his family. God bless you.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Good morning to everyone here. It gives me great honour to introduce three special people who are here in the House today: first off, my wife, Paula Hughes; my sister Carla Bethlenfalvy; and, last but not least, the aforementioned from the fall economic statement, having travelled all the way from Europe—lest you think I’ve a big ego and am immodest—I welcome to the House Peter Bethlenfalvy. Thank you being here today.

Mr. Andrew Dowie: It’s always a privilege when I get to welcome some fellow engineers to the House. Many have been acknowledged already, but I’d like to acknowledge David Heska, Peter Lejcar, Chris Metaxas, David O’Sullivan, Sean Partington, Serge Ristic, Jason Stahl, Jane Wilson, Martino Fanfani, Navan Chawla, Ioana Babus, Stephanie Speroni, David Chamberlain, Andrew Hurd, Laura Lambie and Doug DeRabbie from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Ontario. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I also want to give a shout out for two residents from Windsor who are here: Sarrah and Mike Fisher. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Graham McGregor: This afternoon I’ll be tabling a bill; we’ve got a lot of folks here to support it. One of my colleagues will be calling out the organizations, but I want to give a shout out to—we have many active servicepeople and veterans who are here today in the gallery, and I want to make sure we give them a warm round of applause: Shekhar Gothi, Julian Chapman, Rob Francis, Roland Gossage, Phil Ralph, Steven Boychyn, Daryll Cathcart, Curtis Houston, Allan Roy, Aaron Dale, Brian Patterson, André Levesque, Andrew Wilder, Chris Lock, Peter McLaurin, John Featherington, William Law and Russ Dalton.

Thank you very much for your service.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I’m very pleased to introduce today’s page captain, from the great riding of Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill: Rishabh Goel. Mr. Speaker, visiting us today are his parents, Vinay and Veenu; his older brother and a former page, right here, Rohan; and his sister Roshni.

Welcome to Queen’s Park. Thank you so much for everything you do in the riding.

Ms. Laura Smith: I want to echo my colleague’s thoughts and extend my sincere gratitude to all the veterans here today.

I also want to thank the organizations supporting veterans and their military families at every stage in their journey, as well as those raising awareness of the contributions the brave men and women in uniform have made over the years.

Today, we are so honoured to welcome Royal Canadian Legion, True Patriot Love, Together We Stand, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services, Toronto Military Family Resource Centre, Vimy Foundation, Historica Canada, Wounded Warriors, Helmets to Hardhats, Coding for Veterans, Commissionaires, the Roland Gossage Foundation, and Boilermakers International.

Thank you for your hard work and for taking the time to be here today. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Thornhill, to conclude?

Ms. Laura Smith: I would be remiss if I did not welcome my new executive assistant, Flora Khani, to the Legislature for her first time today.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes our introduction of visitors for this morning.

I want to acknowledge that we are meeting on lands traditionally inhabited by Indigenous peoples. We pay our respects to the many Indigenous nations who gathered here and who continue to gather here, including the Mississaugas of the Credit. Meegwetch.

This being the first sitting Monday of the month, I ask everyone to rise now for the singing of the Canadian national anthem and the royal anthem, which will be led off for us by the member for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke.

Singing of the national anthem / Chant de l’hymne national.

Singing of the royal anthem / Chant de l’hymne royal.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members may take their seats.

1050

Murray Sinclair

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I recognize the member for Kiiwetinoong on a point of order.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Meegwetch, Speaker. I’d like to ask for a moment of silence. We just got word that Murray Sinclair, the groundbreaking Indigenous lawyer who had led the inquiries that exposed racial injustice and redefined how Canadians see Indian residential schools, died today. I would like to acknowledge his death by having a moment of silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Kiiwetinoong is seeking the unanimous consent of the House for a moment of silence in memory of the Honourable Murray Sinclair. Agreed? Agreed.

Members will please rise.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members may take their seats.

Question Period

Affordable housing

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is for the Premier. The fall economic statement showed a pretty bleak outlook for housing in our province. Housing starts are down, and this government is nowhere near being able to meet their own targets. They wasted years chasing schemes, all while more people saw the dream of owning a home slide away or went from eviction to encampment.

Our plan, the NDP’s Homes Ontario plan, would realize the human right to housing, at least doubling the supply of permanently affordable housing. Will the government support this important step in getting government back in the business of building housing again?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

To reply, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I appreciate the opportunity to rise. Let me just categorically say that, absolutely not, we will not be supporting the motion that was brought forward by the Leader of the Opposition today.

Let me just say this, Mr. Speaker, it is motions like that, it is policies like that, that motivated me to get into office in the first place. Let me tell you, the moment that the government thinks that a socialist party thinks that they can do a better job of building homes than the private sector, that is when we are in trouble, because we have seen this before. The Premier talked about how the Bob Rae government got him into politics. For millions and millions of Ontarians it was that government that began the process of people re-evaluating the dream of home ownership.

Since we have come into office, we have done everything possible to remove the obstacles that were put in the way by the Liberals and the NDP. Before the interest rate hikes, we were building homes at a record pace in the province of Ontario, and we will do that again.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Marit Stiles: I think the minister needs to go back to the history books and learn a little bit about the history of governments for many generations building homes and housing for people in this province.

This government promised to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. But every year since they made that promise, they have failed to meet their own targets. The government will miss their housing target again this year—40,000 not being built. That’s on top of the 20,000 homes that they didn’t build last year. That’s based on their own reporting that shows the trend for the next few years just going down and down. Every year, this government is falling farther and farther behind, and Ontarians pay the price for that.

Does the Premier, again, have a plan to meet his own targets, or is he abandoning them altogether?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Again, the Leader of the Opposition doesn’t know what she is speaking about. Governments do not build homes. Governments have never built homes. The private sector has built homes. Generations of Canadians and Ontarians have come to this province and have helped us build communities for the people of the province of Ontario.

Now, here’s where we disagree, and here’s where we disagree constantly with them: For the opposition—the Liberal and the NDP opposition—they’re happiest when people rely solely on government, when the people have to go to them to rely on homes. When they rely on government, that’s when Liberals and NDP are happiest.

When I am most happy, when we are most happy, is when we’ve put the resources in place that allow people to realize their dream. That is why we’re removing obstacles. That is why when we were removing the obstacles, we had the highest starts in history. It wasn’t until the high-inflation policies of the federal Liberal government that we saw that stop and start to change. We’ll double down, remove obstacles and get the job done.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Final supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Where are they? Where are the homes? What you’re doing is not working. The people of Ontario know it. Waiting for interest rates to fall is not a plan. Hoping the market is going to magically adjust itself isn’t going to get housing built. The Premier needs to do his job.

Update zoning rules today. Allow the fourplexes in all neighbourhoods. Increase density near transit like you planned and then you scrapped that bill. These measures alone would unlock the potential to build millions of new affordable homes all across this province.

Will the Premier scrap the schemes and focus on reversing his government’s absolutely disastrous record on housing?

Hon. Paul Calandra: There you have it, Mr. Speaker, in that response. There you have it, right? Interest rates don’t matter? Tell that to the thousands, the millions, of people who, because of the high-inflation, high-spending policies of the federal Liberal and Conservative socialist government, were priced out of their ability to buy their home. Think of the thousands of homes and shovels that are not in the ground because of the high-inflation policies of the federal NDP government, which made interest rates so high in such a short period of time they could no longer afford to get shovels in the ground.

Contrast that to what we were doing: We were removing obstacles. We removed obstacles. We made it cheaper to get shovels in the ground, we made it more affordable for that to happen. You know what happened? More homes were being built in the province of Ontario than at any time in our history—single-detached homes, purpose-built rentals.

We’re going to double down, remove the obstacles and set aside a federal government that doesn’t care about housing, an opposition that doesn’t care about housing, and we’ll deliver 1.5 million homes.

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: I want to go back to the Premier again. We know one of the reasons why this Premier has so utterly failed to get housing built is because they were too busy carving up the greenbelt for their speculator friends.

One of the key staffers involved in that scandal and scheme, Ryan Amato, is back in the news today for his continued refusal to disclose emails and records from his personal accounts related to his communication with lobbyists. Everything points to the use of personal emails to get around FOI requests. Amato even infamously asked in a handwritten note, “Is this FOI-able?”

Can the Premier shed some light on what exactly is in these emails and why his staff were using personal emails to talk to lobbyists?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The parliamentary assistant and member for Brantford–Brant.

1100

Mr. Will Bouma: I thank the member for the question. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is committed to its obligations under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Archives and Recordkeeping Act. We have zero tolerance for any wrongdoing and expect anyone involved in the decision-making about the greenbelt lands to have followed the letter of the law.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Opposition side, come to order.

Mr. Will Bouma: We will continue to pursue every avenue available to request that any relevant records be turned over in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Archives and Recordkeeping Act.

We’ll say it again: We’ll do this.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Just look how far back in the benches they have to go to find somebody to read that statement.

Here’s why this matters—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Government side will come to order. Order. Stop the clock.

Having sat in the back row myself for many years, I always thought every seat in here is a good seat. And it’s not helpful to point out where members sit in the House.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. I think we can start again. Start the clock.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Wow, that really hit a nerve; I see that, Speaker.

But look, this is why this matters: This staffer was using—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. Member for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke, come to order.

Ms. Marit Stiles: My goodness. I know they don’t like talking about this, but my goodness.

This staffer was using his personal emails to communicate with lobbyists about greenbelt lands in order to avoid FOI requests. It is part of a pattern of disregarding the rules to carve up the greenbelt, to increase speculator profits, to give away ministerial zoning orders in brown envelopes to insiders.

So to the Premier again: Is this standard operating procedure in your government to avoid the law and shield bad actors from accountability?

Mr. Will Bouma: I appreciate the question. I don’t feel sorry for the Leader of the Opposition if she’s offended by my presence here in the House, but I am pleased to take my seat here and to be the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, serving in the Office of the Premier.

Speaker, as we have said and will continue to say, our government has answered this question a number of times for the Leader of the Opposition, and we will continue to do so. If the Leader of the Opposition has any additional information or any information whatsoever that she would like to provide to the commissioner, I encourage her to do so.

As for our government, we will fully co-operate. If there is a staffer in this government that has or had done something wrong, we will root it out, and we will get that taken care of. We are here for the people of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Final supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: I appreciate the challenge that the Premier and his government are faced with. It is hard to hold your staff to account, to get them to follow the rules, when the Premier himself won’t comply with them. For over a year, he has fought to keep his own records from public view, including phone calls and other communications that point to his own role in the greenbelt scheme.

What will it take for the Premier to start to follow information and privacy laws and disclose his own records and those of his staff? Is it going to be the RCMP criminal investigation? What is it going to take for this government to start actually being honest and accountable to the people of Ontario?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

Again, to reply, the member for Brantford–Brant and parliamentary assistant.

Mr. Will Bouma: Thank you for the question. I will say again that the Premier’s office and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing are committed to its obligations under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Archives and Recordkeeping Act. We have zero tolerance for any wrongdoing and expect anyone involved in the decision-making process about the greenbelt lands to have followed the letter of the law. We will continue to pursue every avenue available to request that any relevant records be turned over in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Archives and Recordkeeping Act.

Speaker, we’ve answered this question many times. We will answer it again if the Leader of the Opposition wishes to say that. But while they’re busy trying to distract the people of Ontario about what’s going on, we are building the province of Ontario. We are building the hospitals. We are building the schools. We are building the highways that the people of Ontario need in order to get on with their daily lives.

Public safety

Ms. Jennifer K. French: My question is to the Premier. We learned last week that while the government was appointing an associate minister responsible for auto thefts, there was a car theft ring operating within ServiceOntario—right under the Premier’s nose. These public employees weren’t smashing in windows or picking locks; they were registering fraudulent VINs to stolen vehicles for resale. These fraudulent VINs are running rampant, and the government has failed to implement any preventative measures—all of their ideas are after the crime.

The police want a VIN verification system. Other provinces have already implemented a VIN verification system. What is stopping this government from taking real action to protect the VIN registry?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy: I appreciate the question from the member for Oshawa. As all members of this House know, auto fraud is a serious criminal matter, and at ServiceOntario, we take co-operation with law enforcement very seriously. That’s why we have procedures in place, training in place, upgrades in place to make sure that auto fraud is detected and that those responsible are apprehended and prosecuted.

In fact, it was through ServiceOntario procedures that there was internal detection and that those responsible were identified, apprehended and are being prosecuted. That’s working with law enforcement to make sure that this unacceptable criminal activity is eradicated, and I’m very proud of our dedicated ServiceOntario employees across Ontario who are here serving the people of Ontario, standing up against crime.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary: the member for Humber River–Black Creek.

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Police and experts are looking for preventative measures, but let’s be perfectly clear: None of the measures that the government has proposed to stop car thefts would have actually prevented the crimes. A helicopter won’t be able to see a fraudulent VIN number. And once you’ve arrested the car thieves and their accomplices, the cars are already long gone.

But there’s one obvious solution that the government seems unwilling to try to stop car thieves in their tracks: a VIN verification program that has already been implemented in other provinces.

So what’s stopping the government from taking action now to maintain the integrity of Ontario’s VIN registry?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

To reply, the Associate Minister of Auto Theft and Bail Reform.

Hon. Graham McGregor: The member talked about Project Thoroughbred, which was led by the Toronto police. What they failed to mention was that was an investigation funded by this government through the CISO that they voted against. We’ve put more police on our streets—almost 2,100. It used to be 1,400 under their government supporting the Liberals.

1110

We’ve got helicopters on the way, something that police have told us they need to hold offenders accountable, to catch dangerous criminals, avoid car chases.

The members opposite talk a big game. They vote against all these measures. But when we have police leadership in those benches, every single member stands up. The difference is, when the police leave, the PC Party continues to stand up for hard-working police. We’ll never apologize for that.

We’ll keep calling for bail reform and common-sense reform to keep criminals behind bars. We invite the NDP to join us.

Taxation

Mr. Brian Saunderson: My question is for the Minister of Finance.

The hard-working men and women across this great province are feeling the pressure of rising costs on their personal finances.

We all know that the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax is driving up prices for day-to-day necessities. Families are being forced to pay more for everything from grocery bills to home heating and fuel for their cars.

People in my riding of Simcoe–Grey and across the province need financial relief. Ontarians want to see real cost-cutting measures that will make their lives easier. Speaker, through you: Can the minister tell the House what our government is doing to help Ontarians who need support right now?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: My thanks to the member for Simcoe–Grey for that great question. Thank you, member.

Let’s remind everyone that the Liberals supported the carbon tax. They supported it here in this House. They support it up the 401. And they continue to champion higher costs. In fact, the member opposite’s leader there supports increased taxes, increased fees, and thinks that putting money into people’s pockets is a bad thing.

I would ask this House: Putting money back into the hard-working people of Ontario’s pockets—is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Interjections: Good thing.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you.

Putting your hand in someone’s pocket and taking money out—is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Interjections: Bad thing.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: So the difference between our party and theirs—good thing on this side, bad thing on that side.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.

Supplementary question?

Mr. Brian Saunderson: Thank you to the minister for that response.

I know the residents in Simcoe–Grey are happy to see initiatives that will keep more money in their pockets. This tax rebate is welcome news for families in Ontario that have been burdened with the high costs of the federal carbon tax and interest rates.

Speaker, the Liberals do not agree with our approach. They would rather saddle Ontarians with more fees and add new taxes.

Our government is leading by example and by respecting the taxpayers. But we know more needs to be done to keep costs low and make life more affordable for Ontarians.

Can the minister tell the House what other steps our government has taken to provide relief for Ontario families and businesses?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Once again, thanks to the great member for Simcoe–Grey for that question.

The leader of the Liberal Party over there—she thinks this is a gimmick.

Do people think that putting $200 back into the vast majority of families who need this money—back into their pockets—is a gimmick?

This is the party that supported the carbon tax. This is a party that increased fees. They increased taxes.

Let’s just go back in time a little bit. Who put on the tolls in Durham on the 412, 418? It was that party. Who raised the wine tax and the beer tax? It was that party. Who increased driver’s licence fees? It was that party.

Let me remind the House which party has taken the tolls off the 412, 418. Which party?

Interjections: This party.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Who cut the wine tax? This party?

Interjections: This party.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Who took the fees—the driver’s licence stickers off the hard-working people and put money in their pockets? It was this party.

We’ll never tire working for the people of—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Once again, I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.

The next question.

Labour dispute

MPP Jamie West: My question is for the Premier.

Last week, the member for Oshawa and I asked about the 600 government engineers who have been without a collective agreement for over 22 months. The Professional Engineers Government of Ontario workers design, plan and oversee $85 billion in public infrastructure projects. They also provide vital services for water, air quality, mine safety, and much more.

My question: Has the Conservative government locked out their unionized employees?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The President of the Treasury Board to reply.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: As I said last week, the government’s goal is to negotiate fair and reasonable collective agreements for Ontario’s dedicated public servants. We want to make sure that they’re in line with legislative requirements and that they support our long-term fiscal sustainability.

We have been at the negotiating table for months with PEGO, and our latest offer recognizes the important role that PEGO employees play. That said, it would be inappropriate to comment any further, as the matter is before the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

But let me be clear: We have provided a fair offer to the PEGO employees, and we look forward to seeing them at the table again.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

MPP Jamie West: My question is for the Premier again.

For workers that have been without a contract for more than a year, the PEGO workers have been more than reasonable. They’re paid substantially less than their private sector counterparts. They haven’t had a labour dispute in 35 years. They’ve tried to bargain for almost two years; meanwhile, the government has only showed up to bargain for 30 days over that time, and the last time was three months ago.

When these workers withdrew their engineering services on the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413, the Conservative government apparently had informed the workers that they can only return to work when the government tells them. Is this what public sector professionals can expect from the Conservative government: bargaining in bad faith and being unlawfully locked out?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Let me be very clear: Since July of last year, the government has held numerous bargaining sessions with PEGO and their bargaining team in an effort to reach a fair deal at the table. In fact, our last time at the bargaining table was on October 18 of this year.

With respect to the latest walkout, employees represented by PEGO have decided to fully withdraw their services, and they have been reminded of the relevant terms and conditions of their employment. Like any employee who refuses to work, PEGO employees who refuse to work will not be paid. But this information was clearly communicated to PEGO leadership and PEGO-represented employees.

The government respects PEGO’s rights and remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable deal at the table.

Mining industry

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: My question is for the Minister of Mines.

Ontario has a rich mining history, especially gold mining, which has long provided jobs and economic strength for our communities. Gold is more than a mineral in Ontario; it represents opportunity, innovation and prosperity, especially in our northern regions.

With gold prices remaining high, the demand for Ontario’s natural resources continues to grow. We know that opening more gold mines here in Ontario would mean more jobs, more investments and more support for local businesses. Can the minister please explain how the government, industry and First Nations can come together to support the growth of gold mining across Ontario?

Hon. George Pirie: Thank you very much for that question. How appropriate to be talking about gold today when the price of gold is over C$3,800 an ounce. For a guy who represents Timmins, a gold-mining community, this is music to my ears.

It was a real pleasure for me to open two gold mines this summer—one was Côté Lake mine, just south of Gogama, and the other was the Greenstone mine. The Greenstone mine, like all mines, is a very special place. It’s designed with sustainability in mind—designed so that the footprint is as small as it possibly can be. It’s designed to improve the water quality in the environment. As you know, it’s in the Longlac and Geraldton area—old gold-mining towns—so it’s reprocessing tailings and it’s cleaning the environment.

It’s in support of the five First Nations communities that are in that area that this project got built. Jobs were created, and it happens because we’re working together. Industry—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much.

The supplementary question.

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: Gold mining is one of Ontario’s biggest opportunities to drive economic growth and support local communities. The mining industry doesn’t just create jobs; it builds careers and livelihoods, especially for people in northern Ontario and nearby Indigenous communities. Gold-mining projects bring life to our northern towns and provide lasting infrastructure and investment. The Greenstone gold mine is a prime example of how we can make this happen, creating hundreds of jobs and generating real, local benefits.

As other provinces ramp up their mining industry, Ontario must stay competitive. We need to keep supporting these projects to ensure long-term prosperity in our communities. Can the Associate Minister of Mines please share what more Ontario can do to strengthen gold mining and secure a brighter future for northern Ontario?

1120

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Associate Minister of Mines.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Thank you to the great member from my neighbouring riding of Mississauga–Lakeshore for the question.

Gold mining has a critical role for the province by fuelling northern Ontario’s economy and generating prosperity for Indigenous communities. That’s why the opening of the Greenstone gold mine was truly remarkable. This $1.6-billion project not only strengthens Ontario’s mining portfolio but also brings long-term benefits to Indigenous communities through partnerships and career paths. Today, the mine supports 500 local jobs and has created over 800 jobs in the region.

I was lucky enough to join a tour of the state-of-the-art operation and see what is possible when Indigenous communities and mining companies have lasting partnerships. I was thoroughly impressed with the incredible facility and the dedication to safety and sustainability. Environmental sustainability was at the forefront of the mine’s development.

This project demonstrates that Ontario continues to be a leader in mining, driving investments that benefit not only the sector but also the various communities that rely on it. It’s all happening right here in Ontario.

Child and family services

Miss Monique Taylor: My question is for the Premier. A memo prepared last fall for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services told you that children with complex needs are being placed in hotels, Airbnbs and even in CAS offices due to a lack of suitable placements in the community. Your government has had this report for over a year, and yet you continue to let the crisis grow. In that year, children have been displaced and some have died.

What are you doing to make sure that not one more child is put in these dangerous conditions?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the Minister of Community, Children and Social Services.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I thank the honourable member for the important question. As I said from day one, our government prioritizes the safety and well-being of children and youth in this province, which is why, when it comes to support for children’s aid societies across the province, we are investing $1.7 billion to make sure every child, every youth, has the supports they need to succeed and thrive.

That $1.7 billion includes a $14-million increase this year in child protection services. That is on top of the $76.3-million increase last year to support societies for the Ready, Set, Go Program that we initiated to make sure every child, every youth, is set up for success. We went one step further: To make sure no child and youth in this province is left behind, we increased our base funding by $36.5 million.

Let me make it very clear to every child, every youth in this province: We will never, ever, ever waver from our commitment to protecting you and making sure you succeed and thrive.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Miss Monique Taylor: The only action that this government has done is to punish the service providers who they have underfunded. That is what this government has continued to do, and our kids are suffering each and every day for it.

It shouldn’t be so complicated. An audit is not going to make one child safer tonight, and it will not put a permanent roof over the head of even one child. So the real question is: What is this government going to do to protect vulnerable children today and stop leaving these kids behind?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The Minister of Community, Children and Social Services.

Hon. Michael Parsa: Again, I’ll let the House know: While we increased investments for children’s aid societies across this province by nearly $129 million over 10 years, the number of children and youth across the province has decreased by 30% in that time period.

When I say we take that seriously, we absolutely will look at making sure children and youth are protected. When a child is placed in an unlicensed provider where they experienced abuse and were exposed to illicit drugs, yes, we’re going to review to make sure that they’re protected. When a youth is placed in an unlicensed home that failed fire safety requirements, yes, we’re going to protect them. When a society uses funding for mortgage and capital improvements, yes, we’re going to step in.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order.

Hon. Michael Parsa: As I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: When it comes to the future of this province, the children and youth, we will never ever, ever, ever waver from our commitment with or without the support of the NDP—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Members will please take their seats.

Miss Monique Taylor: I don’t know how that paycheque makes you eat your soul like that.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services will come to order.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government side will come to order.

We still have a ways to go. Start the clock. The next question.

Health care

Mr. Adil Shamji: For the Premier, who has 32,000 people in his riding without a family doctor: Yesterday, the Premier posted about an interactive map showing all the new places you can buy booze one year early. All it took was a billion dollars. Everyone knows this was a last-ditch attempt to increase the Premier’s popularity before calling an early election.

But it made me think: If you live in Ontario and don’t happen to drink, it’s as if this government has done nothing for you. It may be slightly easier to find booze, but when it comes to finding a family doctor, it’s harder than ever. A million more people don’t have a family doctor now than in 2018. There are another 2.5 million people without a family doctor right now, and that number will skyrocket to 4.4 million by 2026.

Twice this year, the Premier has come out with an interactive booze map, but it’s still no easier to find a family doctor. Mr. Speaker, a simple question: Why does this Premier think it’s more important to advertise booze than health care?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: When I look at what we’ve been able to accomplish under Premier Ford, where we now have two new medical schools that are going to start in the province of Ontario—Northern Ontario School of Medicine—the number of seats that are available are almost doubling.

I have to remind the member opposite of a 2015 article: “Ontario Cuts 50 Medical Residency Places, Critics Warn of Doctor Shortage.” The OMA calls the elimination of 50 first-year residency spaces “irresponsible and unacceptable.” I will put our record up against the previous Liberal government any day of the week.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

The supplementary question.

Mr. Adil Shamji: I thought I’d get an answer like that, so I have a report of my own. This is a map of the top 10 Conservative ridings with the most people that don’t have a family doctor.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Mr. Adil Shamji: When the members opposite hear their riding, I ask that they please stand up and take a bow: The member from Brampton West who has 27,500 people in his riding without a family doctor. The member from Scarborough–Rouge Park who has 28,000; the member from Kenora–Rainy River—29,000 people without a family doctor; the member from Brampton East with 30,000; the members for Chatham-Kent–Leamington and Nepean—31,000 a piece; the member from Etobicoke North, also the Premier of Ontario, who has—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. The member will take his seat.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing will come to order. The member for Ottawa South will come to order.

The member for Don Valley East has the floor legitimately to pose his question. I need to be able to hear him.

Mr. Adil Shamji: As I was saying—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Just a second, I’m going to wait until the House calms down before I recognize the member again.

Start the clock. The member for Don Valley East has the floor.

1130

Mr. Adil Shamji: As I was saying: the member from Etobicoke North, also the Premier of Ontario, with 32,000 people without a family doctor; the member from Elgin–Middlesex–London, 38,000; the member from Bay of Quinte, 39,000; and, at number one, we have the member from Etobicoke Centre, with 40,000 people in her riding without a family doctor.

Mr. Speaker, why won’t the Premier let his own members fight for their own constituents’ most basic health care needs?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The fact that the member opposite is ignoring the inconvenient truth that they were the ones who cut residency seats in the province of Ontario. Our government—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: —brand new expanded medical school in Scarborough, brand new medical school in the city of Brampton, a school in Vaughan that will be specifically focused on training family physicians.

As I say, I look at the investments that we have made with our medical schools, with the college of nurses, with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to make sure that people who want to practise in the province of Ontario have that opportunity. We are removing those barriers. We are expanding the health care system and the residency positions in the province of Ontario, because we understand that as we have more people in the province of Ontario and as our population ages, we have to plan, unlike the previous Liberal government.

Affordable housing

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. People across Ontario want to see more homes built, and they need affordable options, but high interest rates from the federal government are slowing things down. High interest rates are making it harder to finance projects.

And then there’s the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax. It adds extra costs to every single stage of building new homes. The people who want to buy these homes end up paying more. Builders are telling us they can’t afford to start new projects because the federal government makes things more expensive.

Our government has taken action. We’re cutting red tape, helping builders and reducing costs where we can, but these extra barriers from Ottawa are holding Ontario back. Speaker, can the minister please tell us what more can be done to get homes built for Ontarians?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The parliamentary assistant and member for Perth–Wellington.

Mr. Matthew Rae: As my great colleague mentioned, the federal Liberal-NDP spooky coalition in Ottawa’s disastrous tax-and-spend policies are seriously impacting the pace of new home construction in Ontario. That is why—

Interjections.

Mr. Matthew Rae: They already laugh, Speaker, because they don’t want to hear the truth.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Opposition, come to order.

Mr. Matthew Rae: We are here to stand and deliver the truth and to stand with our home builders. That’s why, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’ve been calling on the federal government to reduce interest rates, and that’s why we have redoubled our efforts to reduce red tape and streamline approvals, so when interest rates fall—like the opposition poll numbers—we’ll be ready to get more shovels in the ground.

We removed the full 8% of the provincial HST on purpose-built rental housing. We provided discounts and exemptions on development charges for affordable units. We introduced common-sense changes to make it easier to build garden, laneway and basement suites. We introduced a new provincial planning statement to make it easier to build more housing near major transit stations. And we invested $3 billion in—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

The supplementary question.

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: Speaker, thank you to the parliamentary assistant for his answer.

People across Ontario need more housing options. They need homes they can afford. But high interest rates from the federal government continue to make it tough to start new projects. And with the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax, the costs keep piling up. Home builders are telling us they want to help, but they face so many barriers and red tape from the federal government.

Our government needs to continue making changes to make building easier. Our government has cut red tape and helped people get started, but more action is needed. Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant please explain how our government supports families and builders who want to add new homes, like basement apartments and laneway houses?

Mr. Matthew Rae: Our government knows that to solve the housing crisis, we need to be constructing more homes of every kind, including accessory residential units, or ARUs, like basement apartments, laneway houses and second-storey apartments.

That’s why, earlier this fall, the minister announced that our government is moving forward with new common-sense regulatory changes that would reduce or eliminate zoning barriers that currently impede the construction of these types of housing. By making changes to address things like angular planes and maximum lot coverages—our changes will help make it easier for homeowners and home builders to build these much-needed units.

The construction of ARUs helps drive down rental costs by increasing the rental supply while also providing families with more flexibility—to make it easier to build laneway houses and garden suites for elderly family members.

Earlier, the member from Davenport said, “Where are the homes?” Those ARUs are in the city of Stratford. They’re getting built because of our government’s changes to ensure we get more homes built so people—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much.

The next question.

Domestic violence

Mr. Joel Harden: My question is for the Premier.

For folks tuning in and folks in the House—I’m just going to warn people that my question is about gender-based violence.

People in Ottawa have been mourning the loss of Brkti Berhe, a 36-year-old mother who was stabbed to death in a local park in the south end of our city, in broad daylight, in front of her children. This heinous act was committed by a man known to Brkti. She was helping her auntie end a violent, troubled relationship with this man, and for that she was targeted and killed. The Ottawa police have labelled this heinous act a femicide—the second our city has had in two months.

Speaker, no one should die for helping a loved one leave a violent home.

Victim services experts are telling me that this tragedy, sadly, could have been avoided. Will the government commit to working with those experts so this never happens again?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Michael Parsa: Our government has been very clear: We want to make sure that all the victims and all their families and all the survivors have access to the supports they need, which is why we are working with our municipal partners, with the federal government, to make sure that those supports are accessible, so that every single person in their communities is working with—whether it’s the victim services, whether it’s the local service providers, which is why we announced Ontario-STANDS, Ontario’s action plan to end gender-based violence in all forms in this province. We backed that up by substantial investments—$1.4 billion over three years—to make sure our community partners and members have access to those supports.

Mr. Speaker, we’re also working with the federal government. We’ve signed on to the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, which provides an additional $162 million so that every survivor, every victim has the supports they need in their communities across the province.

No woman or girl in this province should ever have to live with the fear of persecution or violence in our communities.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Mr. Joel Harden: I thank the member for his response.

I want to return to the incident I’m raising this morning. Brkti was trying to help her auntie leave a violent relationship. But that courageous act of bystander intervention—it can’t be based on individuals alone. It needs public support. Brkti needed culturally appropriate public services and languages and capacity available that would work to keep her auntie, herself and her children safe—and we have failed that family set.

People need help to leave these relationships, and when that help is needed, it has to be prompt, culturally appropriate and well funded.

There used to be a fund in this province that would help people—up to an amount of $20,000—to find legal help, to move, and to get out of violent homes. That fund no longer exists.

Women’s shelters and support workers for those shelters—I believe they deserve to be funded just as much as our hospitals, because they are critical in keeping us safe.

To stop the femicides and to honour Brkti today, will the government commit to making sure those funds get to the front line so no one, as the minister just said, ever has to worry about leaving a violent home?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity.

Hon. Charmaine A. Williams: As my colleague said, we will never, ever waver in making sure we are investing in the organizations, in programs that support women and ensure—keeping women safe. A total of $1.4 billion is invested, through our government, to these organizations.

We’ve increased the funding to the Assaulted Women’s Helpline, and I’m going to say that number on camera so that every woman has this number. It’s 1-866-863-0511.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

1140

Hon. Charmaine A. Williams: Now, the members opposite might scoff and laugh at these concrete strategies that we are doing to help keep women safe, but we’re going to continue to invest, as well as programs that are culturally sensitive and help women regardless of where they come from, like the Women’s Economic Security Program. I announced $26.7 million across Ontario so that women can get wraparound supports and all of the resources needed so that they can help rebuild their lives free of violence permanently. We are going to continue to do this work, because we know that women are the future and women are the heart of a community, of a family and of Ontario.

Energy policies

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Premier. In BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, cash-strapped municipalities are allowed to charge private utilities like Enbridge a fee for the use of public land for their fossil gas infrastructure, but not in Ontario. As a result, local taxpayers are being forced to subsidize Enbridge while property taxes go up, services are cut, and municipalities don’t have the financial resources they need to address the housing and homelessness crisis, but a multi-billion-dollar company with a $19-million CEO gets a free ride.

The member from Kitchener and I plan to introduce a bill to get rid of this hidden subsidy. Will the Premier join us in putting people’s needs ahead of giant gas companies like Enbridge by saying yes to allowing municipalities to charge gas utilities fair fees for the use of public land?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: I want to thank the member opposite for his question, but I want to be very clear to the members who are in this House and all those who are watching today: The member’s underlying ideology that defines this legislation he has brought forward is one that was characterized by the Liberals’ Green Energy Act.

What did we see as a result of the Green Energy Act? We saw a 300% increase in electricity rates here in the province of Ontario. We saw a massive increase because of the ideology that said, “No, we need taxation instead of technology. We need to punish families. We need to punish job creators, instead of incentivizing them to reduce emissions while growing our economy.”

We have a different approach, Speaker. Through our Affordable Energy Act that was tabled last week by Minister Stephen Lecce, we’re seeing that we’re taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to energy affordability, efficiency and sustainability. We’re never going to back away from that promise, because it’s for the seniors, the job creators and the families in our ridings who want affordable, reliable, clean energy that we will continue to make investments to support every family in the province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: This is the exact rationale the government used when they took the unprecedented step of overturning an independent OEB decision for the first time in Ontario history, which would have protected consumers. Then the Narwhal revealed that in private government emails that government members were more concerned about corporate profits for Enbridge than they were in saving people money.

In Edmonton, home of the Oilers, city council there charges a fee for the use of public land for fossil gas infrastructure, collecting over $60 million for people in Edmonton to spend on the things they need, but we can’t do that in Ontario. If it’s good enough for Alberta, why isn’t it good enough for Ontario? I think a company that earned $1.3 billion in profits last quarter can afford to pay their fair share. I give the government an opportunity to say yes for standing up for people and saying no to a free ride for giant corporations.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: My parents have a large farmhouse. They spend between $800 and $1,200 a month in the winter months heating that farmhouse because it is on home heating oil. The reality is that they want to have natural gas. It would be far more affordable, and it would reduce emissions.

That’s why our government has brought forward the Natural Gas Expansion Program: in response to calls from municipalities to be able to move those heavier, more intensive fuels off the market, to be able to replace them with cleaner-burning natural gas.

But it’s not just natural gas; we’re taking an all-of-the-above approach. We’re ignoring the ideology that drove up hydro rates by 300% under the former Liberal government, supported by the NDP, and we’re saying that affordability is our bottom line as a province and as a government. We’re committed to ensuring that in rural Ontario, in urban Ontario, every single person in this province has access to clean, reliable, affordable energy, so that they are being supported to make investments and that they don’t have to worry about heating and eating.

To support the legislation that the member opposite brought forward would be harmful for the economic security of our province—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much.

The next question.

Small business

Ms. Natalie Pierre: My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. Young entrepreneurs and small businesses are the backbone of Ontario’s economy, driving innovation, job creation and growth. Yet these emerging business owners often face numerous and unique challenges from accessing capital to navigating complex regulations.

In addition to these hurdles, the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax hurts their ability to grow and to compete. The Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax burdens small businesses with increased costs for transportation, heating and operations, making it even harder for young entrepreneurs to succeed.

Can the associate minister please outline what supports our government is providing to help young entrepreneurs and newly established small businesses thrive?

Hon. Nina Tangri: Thank you to the great member from Burlington for the question and the work that she is doing to support young entrepreneurs in her riding. Launching a business can be the start of an exciting journey for many young entrepreneurs that have so much trouble accessing the financing and the mentorship that they need to succeed.

That’s why it was great to join the member from Burlington, alongside the member from Oakville North–Burlington, to announce our government’s investment of $2 million to Futurpreneur Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship. Through this partnership, young innovators receive crucial supports, from financing options to mentorship programs designed to make their vision a reality. In addition, we’re committed to reducing barriers like high costs and regulatory hurdles, making it easier for small businesses to thrive in Ontario.

Unlike the opposing provincial Liberals, who continue to support the devastating carbon tax that drives up costs, we’re focused on practical solutions that empower the next generation of business leaders.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Natalie Pierre: Thank you, Minister, for that response. It’s encouraging to hear how our government is making meaningful investments that secure Ontario’s place as the best place to do business anywhere in the world.

Young entrepreneurs and new small business owners have an important role to play in Ontario’s economy. These individuals often bring fresh ideas and new technologies that can transform industries and help build the communities they’re in. That’s why our government must ensure young entrepreneurs and new small business owners have access to the tools they need to thrive in today’s economy.

Can the associate minister tell the House why it is critical that we continue supporting emerging business leaders, and how their contributions shape a prosperous future for Ontario?

Hon. Nina Tangri: Thank you again to the member for the question. The president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the CFIB, stated that the federal Liberals have ignored the troubling trend of business closures. For several months now, more businesses have been exiting than entering the Canadian economy, which underscores the need to support young entrepreneurs, who are essential to our economic success.

That is why in Ontario, our government is focused on providing young entrepreneurs and new small business owners with the resources and supports they need, by investing in organizations like Futurpreneur Canada to ensure their long-term success. By fostering an environment where new businesses can thrive, we’re investing in a prosperous future for Ontario, one led by the passion and ingenuity of these emerging leaders. We will always have the backs of Ontario’s young entrepreneurs, because we know that when they thrive, Ontario thrives.

Natural gas leaks

Mr. Peter Tabuns: My question is to the Premier. Unifor is launching a campaign to stop the leaks in our natural gas system here in Ontario. Unifor leaders are here with us today to push this cause. Enbridge is not acting to prevent or stop those leaks. Leaking gas means higher gas bills. We all know what that means: It means risks to people’s lives, including the lives of Enbridge workers; it means a hotter world; and it can mean, in worst-case situations, explosions.

1150

Will the Premier bring in regulations to require Enbridge to actually stop the leaks and prevent new ones?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

Hon. David Piccini: Thank you for the question from the member opposite. When it comes to protecting workers, this Premier is open for any suggestions. We’ve shown multiple times, through multiple pieces of legislation, that we won’t stop taking action when it comes from recommendations from prevention council, when it comes to working with our union partners or when it comes from suggestions from the members opposite. We’ve seen it in the last Working for Workers bill where we worked together to protect workers. We’ll always keep an open door when it comes to taking measures, and I’m happy to work with Enbridge to do just that.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question: the member for Niagara Falls.

MPP Wayne Gates: Back to the Premier: Unifor’s members are skilled workers. They know how to fix the leaks and how to prevent them from happening. And yet, Enbridge continues to contract out repair work and continues to ignore leaks for weeks. This is obviously a public safety issue.

Enbridge is using unskilled workers, cutting overnight and evening emergency services. This Conservative government likes to talk about how they support skilled, unionized workers. Will this government support these skilled, unionized gas workers, who are here today up in the balcony, and require Enbridge to use its own workers to fix and prevent leaks before there is a real emergency in Ontario involving gas, before somebody dies?

Hon. David Piccini: Again, thank you for the question from the member opposite. I look forward to working with Unifor to address these issues. I’m happy to meet with the members of Unifor who are here today.

I appreciate the question from the member opposite. I do like that he’s focused on skills. It’s regrettable that he’s voted against our Skills Development Fund multiple times, something we’ve used to elevate competencies in both the compulsory and voluntary trades. And he’s voted against the climate that has attracted millions of jobs for Unifor workers in places like Windsor, Brampton and others that are retooling—investments this government is making to support these unionized workers.

They know that when we attract these world-class investments, their members are at work working hard. It’s a shame that party opposite voted against that and continues to stand against those investments that are in the best interests of those unionized workers.

Taxation

Mr. Lorne Coe: My question is for the Minister of Rural Affairs. The Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax is disproportionately impacting families and businesses in rural Ontario. People in rural and remote communities have to travel longer distances and rely on their vehicles more heavily for work. They should not be punished with higher costs for fuel.

But since the implementation of this tax, businesses in rural Ontario are struggling to absorb the increased expenses. The added financial strain only makes it harder for these businesses to compete, innovate and thrive. The federal government needs to respect rural communities and abolish the tax today.

Can the minister tell the House why families and business sectors of rural Ontario cannot afford a carbon tax?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: I wanted to share with everyone that the member from Whitby has got it absolutely right: The carbon tax is disproportionately affecting families and businesses in rural Ontario.

You know what’s interesting? Just this past weekend, Prime Minister Trudeau attended one of the best opening weekends of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair—was it ever busy. But I can tell you, honestly, when country came to the city and the Prime Minister was right in the thick of it all, he was less than warmly welcomed. I would dare say the queen of the carbon tax would be even less, because she doesn’t know what it’s like to live in rural Ontario—because small businesses are paying almost 40% of the total sum of carbon tax. What are they getting in return? A pittance. It’s making their cost of business go through the roof, and they don’t have any other choice than to pass it over to the consumers in small-town, rural Ontario.

This is an absolute disaster that both the Prime Minister—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much.

Supplementary question?

Mr. Lorne Coe: It’s great to see that, unlike the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Crombie, and her Liberal colleagues, our government is making good on our promises to keep costs low and fight this job-killing tax.

We know that rural Ontario is bearing the burden of rising costs driven by the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax. That’s why we must continue to advocate on their behalf and ensure that their voices are being heard. Unlike the Liberals, our government cannot leave rural Ontario behind.

Can the minister share how our government is supporting rural Ontario in the face of this tax grab?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: I think it’s important to recognize that we have a Liberal Party and an NDP that are very urban centric, and they don’t even begin to understand what it takes to do business and to raise families in small communities in rural Ontario. That is absolutely a travesty. Thank goodness, through the leadership of Premier Ford and our entire government, we are actually listening, we understand and, quite frankly, we live it every day.

That’s why we’re bringing forward programs that are making a difference. We’ve extended the reduction in the gas tax by 5.7 cents through to the end of next June 2025, and we also are making sure that people have money left in their pockets, with the $200 per person and child that families and households will be receiving early next year.

We’re the government that gets it. We have a plan to build Ontario. Whereas carbon tax Crombie and Trudeau desire to use it as a cash grab, we are going to stand up on behalf of Ontarians and say scrap the tax.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes our question period for this morning.

Reception

Hon. Graham McGregor: I just want to invite members—a lot of the veteran organizations that are here today, we’re doing a little reception in room 247. Members of all parties are welcome. I hope to see you guys there.

Andy Haydon

Mr. Stephen Blais: I’d like to ask for the House to take a moment of silence in honour of Andy Haydon. Andy Haydon was a reeve and the first mayor of the city of Nepean, and he chaired the regional municipality of Ottawa-Carleton from 1978 to 1991. Last week, Andy died at the age of 91 years old.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Orléans is seeking the unanimous consent of the House for a moment’s silence right now in memory of Andy Haydon. Agreed? Agreed.

Members will please rise.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members may take their seats.

Birth of member’s grandchild

Miss Monique Taylor: I would like to take a moment to welcome my beautiful brand new granddaughter, who was born on Thursday. Her name is Aspen Cooper, and the family is thrilled to have a new addition.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1200 to 1300.

Introduction of Visitors

Hon. Graham McGregor: My dad is here. Give it up for Duncan McGregor.

Introduction of Government Bills

Honouring Veterans Act, 2024 / Loi de 2024 visant à honorer les anciens combattants

Mr. McGregor, on behalf of Mr. Michael D. Ford, moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 218, An Act to amend various Acts with respect to honouring military veterans / Projet de loi 218, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne les hommages rendus aux anciens combattants militaires.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Would the associate minister care to briefly explain his bill?

Hon. Graham McGregor: This bill proposes amendments to the Remembrance Week Act, 2016, the Soldiers’ Aid Commission Act, 2020, the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021, and the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act, 2006.

If passed, this legislation would help honour and recognize veterans, add an additional mandate object for the Soldiers’ Aid Commission, and support career pathways for veterans and military families.

Introduction of Bills

No Free Ride for Fossil Fuels Act, 2024 / Loi de 2024 visant à empêcher les combustibles fossiles de bénéficier d’un passe-droit

Ms. Clancy moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 219, An Act to amend the Municipal Act, 2001 and the City of Toronto Act, 2006 with respect to fees and charges imposed on gas services and activities / Projet de loi 219, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2001 sur les municipalités et la Loi de 2006 sur la cité de Toronto en ce qui concerne les droits et les redevances fixés au titre de services et d’activités en matière de gaz.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Would the member for Kitchener Centre like to briefly explain her bill?

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: Yes. Municipalities across Ontario charge an easement fee to many services, much like telecommunications. This is not allowable to oil and gas companies, giving Enbridge and other gas providers a monopoly and a subsidy that is robbing municipalities of funds that they could be using to improve their communities.

By allowing municipalities to charge for easement of public land, much like it does for everything else, it would remove the subsidy from an oil and gas company that is profiting in the billions so this money could go to municipalities and save the property tax ratepayers of Ontario the double-digit increases that they’re seeing today. It’s happening in provinces all across Canada and it’s being requested by municipalities across Ontario.

SOFTWAREREVIEWS.COM INC. Act, 2024

Mr. Kernaghan moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill Pr46, An Act to revive SOFTWAREREVIEWS.COM INC.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

Petitions

Child and family services

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: The petition I would like to read into the record is entitled “Protect Children and Youth in Care: Cuts Hurt Kids.”

The content of this petition talks about this government’s dismal track record: how it has failed children and youth in care, how there are so few adults to speak on behalf of young people, how they closed the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, how that was such a step backward, and how children are being placed in for-profit, unlicensed homes with underpaid staff. We know that they’re now being placed in offices, hotels, you name it.

This calls upon the government to do the right thing, look after kids in care and restore the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth and properly fund non-profit care placements for children and youth in care.

I fully support this petition, will affix my signature and deliver it with page Samika to the Clerks.

Tuition

Ms. Chandra Pasma: I’m pleased to be able to rise today to table a petition that has been signed by hundreds of post-secondary students, including Tahmeed Hasan from Carleton University in Ottawa.

These students note that post-secondary education has become very unaffordable in this province due to the fact that government funding is at the lowest level of all Canadian provinces, and that because we have an affordability crisis, students are not able to afford their post-secondary education, even though it’s incredibly important for the job market that students have this education. They are calling on the government to invest in grants, not student loans, so that every student can afford to have a good education in Ontario.

I wholeheartedly endorse this petition, will add my name to it and send it to the table with page Nikki.

Sexual violence and harassment

Ms. Peggy Sattler: November being woman abuse prevention and awareness month, I’m very pleased to present this petition entitled “Pass the Safe Night Out Act.” It was signed by many residents of London, and it acknowledges the epidemic that we are seeing of sexual violence, gender-based violence in Ontario.

It recognizes that there is no legal requirement for people who are serving liquor, who hold liquor licences to be trained in recognizing and safely intervening in instances of sexual harassment and violence. It notes the high incidence of sexual violence that servers in many licensed establishments experience and it calls on the Legislative Assembly to pass the Safe Night Out Act, a private member’s bill that I introduced that would require mandatory training for bartenders, servers, supervisors and security guards in licensed establishments in Ontario.

I fully support this petition, affix my signature and will send it to the table with page Keerthana.

Land use planning

Mr. Chris Glover: This petition is entitled “No Dump Trucks in Liberty Village.” It is addressed to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

It points out that the Toronto Region Board of Trade estimates that traffic congestion in the greater Toronto area costs $11 billion annually. Liberty Village is home to 10,000 residents and another 600 businesses that employ 11,000 individuals. It’s a community that’s adjacent to the Exhibition grounds—which hosts major events like the CNE and the Indy.

1310

Last summer, some residents were stuck in congestion and it took two hours to travel 900 metres in Liberty Village.

The upcoming Ontario Line construction is going to require Metrolinx to take 300 to 400 dump trucks daily out of the area of Liberty Village from 2025 to 2029, and they’re talking about possibly running it on the one road that goes through Liberty Village.

The people of Liberty Village and I, as their representative, are asking the Minister of Transportation to work with Metrolinx to identify alternative construction methods or strategies that minimize heavy truck traffic in Liberty Village, ensuring continued accessibility for residents and businesses.

I fully support this petition. I will affix my signature and pass it to page Sophie to take to the table.

Tenant protection

Ms. Jessica Bell: This is a petition entitled “It’s Time for a Moratorium on Demovictions.”

In my riding, in many ridings downtown, many large purpose-built rentals, 10 to 20 storeys in height, are being slated for demolishment, to be replaced with condos. This is where our affordable housing is—where our affordable private market housing is located.

We and these petition signers are calling for a moratorium on the demolition of these purpose-built rentals so we can come up with a plan to build the new housing that we need, but also protect the affordable, private market rentals that we have.

I support this petition, and I’ll be giving it to page Samika.

Education funding

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: It’s always an honour to rise and speak in this House on behalf of the good people of Toronto Centre.

I’d like to present this petition. It’s to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and it is from the Elementary Teachers of Toronto. They’re calling on this House to stop the cuts and to invest in the schools so that the students get the education that they deserve. They call on this government to specifically reduce any further cuts to the schools. They have noted that the school funding for students is the lowest in the country—and certainly, Ontario has been lagging behind. They call on this government to reduce the class sizes, to invest in mental health supports, to make sure that the schools are safe and they are no longer neglected. They call on this government to reverse funding cuts to the schools, to fix the inadequate funding formula, to ensure that the schools have all the funding that they need, especially since the lingering effects of the pandemic are still in front of us.

I affix my signature to this petition and return it to the centre table with page Jasper.

Renewable energy

MPP Jamie West: I want to thank Elizabeth Carswell for this petition. It’s entitled “Transform Ontario’s Energy Sector.”

It talks about how 2023 was the hottest year on record, and how we had the most severe wildfire season on record as well.

They explain that methane, which is a natural gas, is a very potent greenhouse gas.

I don’t know how to summarize this, so I’m just going to read this one sentence: “The conclusion of the Ontario Energy Board regarding Enbridge’s plan for a multi-billion-dollar methane gas grid expansion ’is not responsive to the energy transition and increases the risk of stranded or underutilized assets’.”

What they’re asking for is to pause the expansion of the methane-fired electricity generation, wind down their use to just the standby peaker plants so we don’t have brownouts, and to invest in renewable sources—including lifting the moratorium on offshore wind power—to meet our energy needs.

I think this is a very important petition. I support it. I’ll affix my signature, and I’ll provide it to page June for the table.

Labour legislation

MPP Jamie West: This is a petition that’s very important to me: “Pass Anti-Scab Labour Legislation.” It talks about how the worker’s responsibility or their only real negotiating chip is to withdraw their labour, and how without anti-scab labour legislation, it undermines that worker’s collective power and actually prolongs labour disputes.

We know that 98% of contracts are negotiated without any labour dispute. The government loves to say that on a regular basis, when I ask them about supporting anti-scab legislation.

Recognizing that if we had fair anti-scab legislation like they do in Quebec, for example, we would have shorter labour disputes—this is something that already is happening in British Columbia and Quebec.

The ask is to basically bring in anti-scab legislation, like we already have at the federal level and we have in other provinces, and to support labour legislation, like my bill on anti-scab labour, Ontario NDP Bill 90, the Anti-Scab Labour Act, 2023.

I obviously support this petition. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to the table with page Samika.

Ambulance services

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: I rise to present this petition. It’s entitled “Stop Billing Recipients of OW and ODSP for Ambulance Transportation.” It’s entitled to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

We know that ambulance fees for those who are on OW, ODSP and who are GAINS recipients are waived under the Ontario Works Act, the Ontario Disability Support Program Act as well as the Family Benefits Act. Yet every time these recipients on social assistance are transported to the hospital, they still immediately get a bill.

This petition calls on the government to develop a mechanism similar to the easy-to-use Fair Pass transit discount pass so that they no longer have to then go back to recover their costs for the bills that they cannot afford and pay for. It reduces red tape, and I think that the government will, overall, find it to be a much more efficient way of delivering the program.

I affix my signature to this petition and return it to the table with page Marie-David.

Animal protection

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of many Londoners who are really outraged at the province’s decision to bring back licences for trial and training areas. These are penned dog hunting facilities that were phased out in 1997.

This government has decided to renew licences, to open up licences for new train and trial areas. People believe that this is an inhumane and unethical practice and have signed this petition to call on the Legislative Assembly to halt all plans to issue new licences to operate train and trial areas in Ontario.

I fully support this petition, affix my signature and will send it to the table with page Jakob.

Social assistance

MPP Jamie West: This petition is entitled a petition “To Raise Social Assistance Rates.” Basically, what it talks about is that our social assistance for OW and ODSP, Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program, are way below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line.

As we all know, with the affordability crisis, it’s simply not enough to make ends meet. An individual on OW, for example, makes $733; an individual on ODSP makes $1,368. I don’t know where you would find a place to rent for that, let alone provide food and other services.

As well, the petition says that there was an open letter that was sent to the Premier and to two cabinet ministers that was signed by over 230 organizations that recommended that social assistance rates for Ontario Works and ODSP, the Ontario Disability Support Program, would be doubled.

Even the small increase that was made, the 5% increase, still leaves people on ODSP below the poverty line, so their heads are still underwater, and OW has remained frozen for all this time, even during alarming inflation. During COVID, for example, CERB was brought forward. The basic income was seen as $2,000 per month, which is far above—more than double—what OW is. So what they’re asking for is for the doubling of social assistance rates for OW and ODSP, and recognizing, for OW, that that wouldn’t even bring it to the $2,000 of the CERB program.

I support this petition. I think this is one of the reasons that we’re having growth of encampments all across Ontario, because when people can’t afford food and rent, they become evicted and unhoused and unable to get back on their feet. I think it’s important that we address this at the root causes, with a hand up for people to get back on their feet.

I’ll provide my signature, and my friend Jasper will bring it to the table for me.

Employment standards

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I’m very pleased to present a petition in support of the Stay Home If You Are Sick Act. The petition highlights the overwhelming and very compelling public health evidence to show the importance of paid sick days in preventing the spread of infectious disease, promoting better health care screening by workers and reducing overall costs within our health care system.

1320

It notes that there are 60% of workers in this province, the majority of workers in this province, who do not have access to paid sick days. They can’t afford to stay home if they are sick or if they have a sick child because it could mean losing their pay, not being able to make the rent, not being able to afford the groceries.

The petition also highlights the fact that low-wage and precarious, racialized workers are the most likely to not have access to paid sick days.

It calls on the government to provide all Ontario workers with 10 annual employer-paid days of personal emergency leave so that people can stay home when they are sick, as well as 14 days of paid leave in the case of an infectious disease emergency like COVID.

Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries Act, 2024

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that the clerk has received a submission related to Bill Pr55, An Act respecting Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries. Pursuant to standing order 93(a), the submission stands referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

Opposition Day

Affordable housing

Ms. Marit Stiles: It’s a pleasure today to rise and move the following motion:

Whereas everyone has the right to an affordable home; and

Whereas the private market alone has not been able to build the affordable housing Ontario needs; and

Whereas any solution to the housing affordability crisis must include public, non-profit and co-op housing options; and

Whereas the government can fast-track building approvals and provide funding, low-interest loans and public land to spur housing construction in the private, public and non-profit sectors; and

Whereas successive Liberal and Conservative governments abandoned the publicly supported building programs which have provided affordable housing to Ontarians for decades, leaving a significant gap in supply; and

Whereas public building programs provide good unionized jobs for Ontario’s tradespeople;

Therefore, in the opinion of this House, the Ontario government should establish a new public agency, Homes Ontario, to finance and oversee the construction of affordable and non-market homes.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Ms. Stiles has moved opposition day number 2. I look to the Leader of the Opposition to lead off the debate.

I recognize the leader of His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Before I start, I did want to give a nod—some of them have left now, but the public galleries have been filled with students over the last few minutes. It’s wonderful to see so many young people here because this motion is about building homes for families in Ontario today, but also the homes of the future for future Ontario families.

Sometimes, when students, young people, come in here to see democracy in action, it may seem like a reach. It’s something a little outside of what they’re used to seeing and hearing about. But these issues we’re discussing today are very, very important to, again, families today and in the future.

In 2022, the Premier made a bold statement: “1.5 million new homes by 2031,” he said. More than two years later, here’s an update from the government’s own fall economic statement that was released just last week: Housing starts are expected to fall below prediction every single year from now until 2027.

This government was elected to solve the housing crisis, and they have failed. They’re lowering annual targets and they’re loosening definitions of what a new home is rather than doing the one thing that they were elected to do—build homes.

From where I’m standing, Speaker, what’s clear as day is that housing is just not a priority for this government, if it ever was.

Housing is at the heart of everything. For New Democrats, housing is a fundamental human right. A roof over a person’s head gives security. A bed to return to at night offers comfort after a hard day’s work. A home is not just four walls and a roof, it’s a safe space from which people can start to build a rooted life.

But right now, everywhere I go—from Toronto to Thunder Bay from Windsor to Timmins—Speaker, I hear the same stories over and over again. People are feeling stuck and insecure with the rising costs of housing: skyrocketing rents, unstable housing situations, high mortgage rates, years-long wait-lists for affordable public homes—this is the housing reality in Ontario right now, and we’ve all seen it.

We have young people across our province, well into their twenties, still living at home with their parents because rents are just way too high to move out—boy, do I know that story. The rent for a one-bedroom apartment in most parts of Ontario, be it in Toronto or London or Windsor or Sudbury, is more than $2,000 right now. Young people are stuck, waiting to kick-start their independent adult lives.

We also have young families with newborns living in crammed spaces because, despite working full-time jobs—often multiple jobs—despite working harder than they’ve ever worked before, they just can’t save up for a down payment.

Let me tell you about a young couple that I met recently when I was in Belleville. They were expecting their first child. They have been saving every single dollar, hoping that maybe they could buy a home, start a new chapter of their lives. But they told me they can’t even afford more than the one-bedroom rental apartment that they have right now—they can’t even look for a two-bedroom rental, let alone buy a house. The dream of home ownership is being pushed further and further away for people across this province, and people are losing hope.

So let’s also talk, for a moment, about homelessness and the proliferation of encampments everywhere in Ontario. People living out of tents in parks and public spaces—that has become the new normal, and not just in big cities like Toronto or Hamilton, but everywhere, in communities of all sizes. And according to the government’s own numbers, a quarter of a million people right now in the province of Ontario are homeless. I’m going to pause for a second to just let that sink in for everybody, the enormity of that number—a quarter of a million people.

I want to thank The Trillium for the freedom-of-information request they put in, because according to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s own numbers, the province’s shelter system is 97% full and Ontario needs tens of thousands of new supportive housing units.

The solution to the problem of homelessness and encampments is housing. It is building more affordable housing. That is what is going to solve homelessness and encampments, Speaker. And that’s exactly why we’re putting forward this motion today, because our motion is about launching Homes Ontario, the largest home-building program in Ontario’s history. Our plan is going to provide the public housing we need to tackle homelessness, but it goes further to providing permanently affordable housing for young people, for seniors, for newcomers—anyone who is currently getting left behind from today’s skyrocketing and unreachable housing costs.

Homes Ontario is a bold plan, and it is exactly what Ontario needs right now. It’s going to make housing affordable. It’s going to make it accessible. It’s going to make it available for everyone now and for generations to come. And with this program, with Homes Ontario, we will get the government back in the business of building homes and make housing construction easier, faster and more affordable. Our plan is going to ensure that at least 30% of new homes built in Ontario are non-market—that means permanently affordable and protected from speculation.

Here’s how we’re going to do it: We’re going to start by legalizing fourplexes and four-storey multiplexes in every neighbourhood. We’re going to increase density around transit, creating stronger, more affordable, better-connected communities.

1330

But we won’t stop there. Homes Ontario will double the supply of permanently affordable housing, including non-profit, co-op and supportive housing, by providing funding, low-cost financing and public land for non-profit and co-op housing providers. We’ll build homes for people, not just profits.

We’re going to unlock public lands, making them available for affordable housing projects, and establish a revolving fund to finance construction. That fund is going to ensure that as homes are built and rented, the revenue is reinvested to keep building more.

This isn’t just an abstract policy idea. The members opposite, they like to pretend it is, but it’s really a return to what Ontario used to do, and do so well. Back in the early 1990s, we were building thousands and thousands of affordable units every year. If we hadn’t stopped, Toronto alone would have 150,000 more affordable units today—just about, by the way, the number that we’re short. Imagine how different things would be if we had continued along that road.

We’ll also protect renters by bringing back real rent control, stopping unethical evictions and ensuring families can stay at their homes without the fear of sudden, unfair rent hikes—so many people living on the brink of losing their homes, living with that anxiety every single day. The government members know this, and the answer is simple: Bring back rent control.

We have a dream for Ontario where no one has to choose between paying rent or saving for the future; an Ontario where young people can afford to stay and build their lives right here. With Homes Ontario, housing won’t be a luxury, it will be a fundamental human right. The private market alone will not fix the housing crisis; Homes Ontario will.

I want to add, Speaker, that this housing plan isn’t just about bricks and mortar. We’re talking about building places where families can flourish, where children can grow up with a sense of stability, and where communities can grow stronger and more connected.

As I said earlier, when we build homes, we’re not just creating shelter, we are creating opportunity. We’re giving people the foundation to build their lives and their futures. That’s what a home represents, right? Dignity; stability; a fair shot at a good life.

That used to be the promise of Ontario, but not anymore. After six years of this government, what do we have? We have housing starts down, expert advice ignored, six years wasted. The only thing this government has achieved is encampments and rising homelessness in every single community in Ontario. No wonder people are feeling stuck. No wonder they’re losing hope.

Homes Ontario is about bringing that hope back. It’s a real, bold, visionary and, yes, ambitious plan to solve the province’s generational housing crisis. We know that Ontario can be so much more, and Homes Ontario is the NDP’s commitment to living up to people’s big dreams for our beautiful province.

If the government is serious about fixing the housing crisis, they will pass our motion today so we can put shovels in the ground and start investing in the communities where people want to live, work and raise their families.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Ms. Jessica Bell: I’m proud to be rising today to speak about our motion to move forward with establishing an agency called Homes Ontario that is responsible for overseeing the construction of affordable housing and non-market housing in Ontario.

The Conservatives have had six and a half years to fix the housing crisis and they have failed. It has never been more expensive to rent a home in Ontario. It has never been more expensive. It’s also never been more expensive to buy a home in Ontario. It takes upwards of two decades now to save up enough money for a down payment. That’s a barrier that many people can’t meet. They can’t make it work. And they’re leaving this province or they’re stuck paying astronomically high prices for rent because the dream of home ownership, under this Conservative government, is no longer a reality for them. I think that’s a shame.

What we’re also seeing with this government is a practice of blaming everybody else but themselves when it comes to fixing the housing crisis and identifying the problems that caused this housing crisis in the first place. It is deeply worrying when I see this government, when I see the Premier blame poor people for the housing crisis, blaming people who live in encampments and are just trying to survive the week or the month—blaming them, instead of looking at the policies that you have passed—and also have failed to pass—that have put these people in this very difficult situation in the first place. It’s tough to watch.

The Homes Ontario plan is a plan that is committed to building and overseeing the construction of 250,000 affordable and non-market homes in towns and cities across Ontario so that we can meaningfully and practically address the housing affordability crisis. This is a plan that will provide affordable housing and supportive housing for people who have no home at all. It is also a plan where we are building more affordable rentals for low-, moderate- and middle-income people who cannot afford to live in our province today. It is a mix.

We look at what other provinces and cities and countries have done to build non-market housing and we will apply those measures that they have taken here in Ontario. The best example that we can think of and that we can demonstrate right now is what’s happening with the BC NDP government and their commitment to build non-market housing. Let’s just take that and apply it here.

Homes Ontario will provide land, financing, grants and fast-track approvals so that the private sector, the non-profit sector and municipalities can build affordable housing as quickly as possible. That is the goal. It is part of our overall plan to tackle the housing affordability crisis and the housing supply crisis.

In addition to building non-market housing, an Ontario NDP government will move forward with the zoning changes that are needed to spur the construction of 1.5 million homes. This government has promised the world and delivered very little when it comes to building even for-profit homes. Even your own standards you have failed to meet.

We are calling for easing of density requirements so we can build more apartments near transit stations, as well as allowing fourplexes as of right in towns and cities across Ontario.

In addition, an NDP government will move forward with real rent control so that we no longer have situations where people are living in a home and they get evicted by a new corporate landlord who wants to jack up the rent. We need strong rent control on all properties, including new homes, so that we can stabilize rent prices for the 1.7 million people and households who rent in Ontario. It is absolutely critical.

One thing that this government fails to do, which we will do, is to clamp down on investor-led speculation so first-time homebuyers can have that shot at buying their first home at a price they can afford so that we can increase home ownership rates in Ontario. First-time homebuyers have been ignored by this government. They have not been important. It is time that they are given greater priority.

I’m proud to be here to support the Homes Ontario plan and I urge this government to vote for it as well.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Ms. Chandra Pasma: I’m very happy today to rise on this motion put forward by the leader of the official opposition calling for investments in not-for-profit and non-market-based housing, because it’s incredibly needed in my riding of Ottawa West–Nepean.

On Saturday I joined the residents of Aspen Towers. Once again, these are hundreds of tenants who are being renovicted by their landlord, who sent out notices three days after he purchased the building because he wants to be able to jack up the rent on new tenants.

1340

And speaking with these tenants—one of them is already working two jobs to stay housed and she said: What is she supposed to do, work around the clock in order to have housing? Another woman, an elderly woman in her seventies, said that if she’s renovicted, she will have to live in her car. She will never be able to afford another apartment in Ottawa.

A few weeks ago, the member for Ottawa Centre and I visited the new Cornerstone shelter for women and non-binary individuals in my riding. Moving from Ottawa Centre to Ottawa West–Nepean, they were able to add significantly more shelter spaces, but the sad thing is, Speaker, that they are full and they could take more residents if they had more space.

It’s not the only shelter that’s been created recently in Ottawa West–Nepean. We also have the transitional housing on Corkstown Road. And yet, despite all these new shelter spaces, hotel rooms across Ottawa are full of families with children who have nowhere else to go, and that is the utter failure of this government.

I also speak to families, to parents, as I door-knock across the riding, who tell me they don’t believe their children will ever be able to afford to move out. My husband is already preparing for our future with three kids living in the basement. But again, that’s a complete failure of this government to invest in and support the strategies that would actually build the kinds of housing that we need in Ontario, the kinds of housing that people can actually afford. And we have the solutions.

I was also at Andy Andras co-op a few weeks ago. They were incredibly proud that they paid off their mortgage, but they were telling me about the work that they’ve done supporting one another, and they would be very happy to expand that kind of housing, but they need the funding to do it.

And that’s what our proposal today would do: It would provide those investments through an agency called Homes Ontario so that everybody in the province of Ontario could have a place to call home that they can afford.

I hope the government will support this motion today.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Mr. Chris Glover: It’s an honour to rise in the House today to talk about the NDP’s Homes Ontario plan.

We know how to solve the homelessness crisis, and right now, it is an absolute crisis in this province. There are 234,000 people who are homeless. They’re in tent encampments in every community across this province. There are young people who are giving up. There are 50,000 people leaving this province every year and many young people are stuck in their parents’ basement because they cannot afford to rent, let alone buy a home. But we know how to solve it.

And the biggest barrier to all of this is this conservative ideology that everything should be run by a private, for-profit corporation. We saw that when they sold the 407 for $3 billion, and now they want to buy it back for $35 billion. The Liberals sold Ontario Hydro for $9 billion, and now we subsidize a private, for-profit corporation to the tune of $6.9 billion.

When this Conservative government is looking at the housing crisis, they gave a billion-dollar-a-year subsidy to private, for-profit developers, but those private, for-profit developers are not building homes. They’re 45,000 homes a year short of what we need to meet our targets. They are subsidizing the building of purpose-built rentals, and one of my community members lives in one of those purpose-built rentals and it’s $3,500 for a one bedroom plus den. That’s what this government is subsidizing.

So we know how to fix this problem: We need to build non-market housing. We need to build co-ops and supportive housing and social housing. We need supportive housing for people with disabilities and mental illness because 40% of the people in encampments have a disability or mental illness and it’s absolutely a shame on this province that we are not providing supportive housing for those people.

We need to build at least 250,000 units of non-market housing. We need to bring back rent control. We need to leverage public land like the Ontario Line stations. That’s our land. It belongs to the people of Ontario. We can make a deal with the developers so that 30% of those units are rent-geared-to-income, and in exchange they get the value of the land. We need to provide supports for first-time buyers so that young people aren’t leaving the province; they’re actually going to be able to buy a home.

We know how to solve the housing crisis, but the last time non-profit housing was built en masse in this province was the last NDP government. If we had stayed in power, there would be 150,000 units of non-market housing. We’ve got to get back to solving this crisis.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: Ontario is in a housing crisis; we know this. This is not only a supply crisis but also an affordability crisis.

For 15 years under the Liberals, they did not take the housing crisis seriously. And now the Conservatives are doing just the same—not taking the housing crisis seriously.

Housing starts are down. The lack of real rent control is leaving tenants vulnerable to skyrocketing rent increases. Across the province, we’re seeing homelessness and encampments on the rise.

The private sector themselves say they have been very clear that they will not build the deeply affordable housing stock that Ontarians need.

With Homes Ontario, a public agency, the Ontario NDP will get the government back in the business of building housing. We must build non-market housing, and we need to build lots of it.

I want to share with the House some examples of how increasing non-market housing supply can work to secure the affordable housing that Ontarians desperately need.

For example, the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust have had great success with their community ownership model. It allows them to partner with non-profit groups to provide high-quality, affordable housing, supportive housing and community economic development programs for those in the area. This is affordable housing in perpetuity. It will always remain affordable.

Another example is the MURA Program, the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition Program, also started in Parkdale–High Park, my riding. It supports co-ops and other non-profit housing providers in acquiring private rental housing that’s in the market from being snatched up by other corporations—but into non-profit, public hands. Again, we see that this program has been very successful, and it has been expanded across the city, but the Conservative government refuses to commit any provincial funding towards it.

Ontarians need real solutions. With Homes Ontario, we can and we will build on examples like these programs that I have shared so that we can have non-profits, co-ops and the government at the table together to increase the supply of non-market homes and to ensure that every Ontarian has access to a decent home that they can afford, because housing is a human right.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

M^me France Gélinas: The housing crisis is also real in northern Ontario.

We were talking about gold mines today. There’s a huge gold mine in my riding called Iamgold just across the highway from the community of Gogama. Gogama is too small to be considered a city. When somebody leaves and abandons their house or business, it goes back to the government. There are 1,800 workers sleeping in bunkers at Iamgold, on one side of the highway. There are 22 properties owned by this government, on the other side of the highway, that everybody wants to purchase. There are many contractors who go to Gogama to support the gold mine. They have no place for their workers to sleep, for their equipment to be stored—none of that. All of this could change if this government would put those 22 properties up for sale. Three years ago, the Premier was in my riding, and I showed them—“This belongs to the province of Ontario. It needs to be put up on the market.” Nothing happened. So, in January, I wrote to the Premier, to the Minister of Housing, to the Minister of Northern Development and Mines—I wrote to seven different ministers and said, “Something has to be done.” It took about a year, and I got a response that said, “We are working on it, but we have to do a thorough evaluation of the value of the homes.” It has been three years. How long does it take to do the evaluation of a home that’s worth about 150 grand, 200 grand at the most?

Why is it that in Toronto you’re able to sell things like the greenbelt—it took weeks, and billions of dollars was gone out the window—but in Gogama, three years later, they cannot put a $200,000 house up on the market when it would change things for the better in northern Ontario? It would give those families a place to live—for their kids to go to school, for their families to thrive, for the community to grow.

I hope the government will listen. Housing looks different in different parts of our province, but the needs are there—and the needs in northern Ontario are through the roof. The government can do something right here, right now. I hope they will.

1350

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: I’m proud to stand and support this NDP motion to build a new public housing provider, an agency to be named Homes Ontario.

This is a critical issue that impacts every single community in Ontario. We’ve seen the Conservative administration fail miserably with their plan to deliver affordable housing across the province. The promise of affordable housing has simply not materialized. We are seeing countless individuals and families struggling with housing insecurity and homelessness.

Despite the numerous press announcements and despite all the different press statements that go out, we are simply not seeing the building and the delivery of affordable housing. What we are seeing, Speaker, is more tragedy, more homelessness, more despair, more tents. And this government cannot escape their record. This record is dismal, Speaker: 236,000 homeless individuals across the province, according to their own records; 1,400 encampments across the province, according to all news sources.

Speaker, we need to see bold action, and that’s what this particular motion from the Ontario NDP does. We are asking this government to prioritize true affordability. A public housing agency will work with developers to build housing that meets the needs of low-income, vulnerable people. It has to be community-centred development—a community-centred development that actually prioritizes the needs of the community and connects it to transit wherever they can, and it should be. It has to be stable and secure because that’s what we are all looking for, Speaker. And it also needs to involve and bring forward holistic support services.

Speaker, there are two communities in Toronto Centre that I would like to bring this House’s attention to. These two communities have had direct government intervention—they’ve had direct, government-purposed investments—and that is Regent Park, 69 acres of beautiful, brand new mixed-income housing that is now award-winning and seen as a model to be delivered across the world, as well as St. Lawrence Market. We have seen the proliferation of what happens when all three orders of government come to the table to build co-operative housing. It can be done. It has been done. And now is the time to do it again.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

MPP Jill Andrew: Speaker, housing is a human right. Every Ontarian should be able to have a home that is safe, comfortable and that allows them to live with dignity and pride. Sadly, this is far from the case here in Ontario, where some 234,000 Ontarians and counting are experiencing homelessness. These include people from my community in St. Paul’s.

We, the Ontario NDP, are proposing a solution today, and that is Homes Ontario, an agency that would be Ontario’s largest home-building program in its history. Through Homes Ontario, we will bring government, non-profits, co-ops, community land trusts—shout-out to Black Urbanism TO and the Oakwood Village community organization in my community for their hard work and advocacy around this—and, most importantly, our community members to the table so that we can provide funding for non-profit and co-op housing providers. We will double the supply of affordable and non-market homes on public land and near transit. We will legalize fourplexes; get people housed faster; and do this while creating good, sustainable union jobs in skilled trades, clean energy and beyond.

This Premier and his government have failed at their own housing targets for over six years. They callously ripped away rent control. They have left many tenants, including seniors, to fend for themselves against some predatory corporate landlords that use vacancy decontrol, illegal evictions and abusive above-guideline rent increases to further gouge tenants. Instead of prioritizing homes in Ontario, the Conservative government prioritized carving up the greenbelt for their rich buddies, a foreign luxury spa that none of my struggling constituents will ever see inside of. They have wasted billions on wasteful, wasteful highways—the 413—a $100-billion fantasy tunnel, and this government thrives at insulting and stigmatizing people in Ontario who are poor.

Not only are many people unhoused, but we also know that more and more individuals, including two-income families, are going to food banks. In St. Paul’s, we can barely keep our cupboards stocked.

Ontario, under this government, is also home to a minimum wage that is far below a living wage.

Speaker, this Conservative government is failing people in Ontario. Their housing legacy is more encampments, frankly, and more homelessness. It’s not just happening in St. Paul’s, it’s happening across the province. But I tell you, they can break this cycle of poverty today and say yes to the Ontario NDP motion calling for Homes Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Many people in this chamber will remember the famous line from Jerry Maguire, “Show me the money.” No one in this chamber has ever accused me of looking like Tom Cruise, but I am going to paraphrase that line: Show me the housing. This government has failed to deliver the housing it said it would deliver, it is failing to deliver the housing it said it would deliver and it will continue to fail to deliver, because it doesn’t have the policies in place that will actually put people in homes.

It has taken government action in this country to build housing, and that idea may be rejected by the housing minister, but I will note that after the Second World War, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of households, needed housing desperately, and people were not going to put up with governments that said, “Hey, not our problem. We’re going to leave it to the market.” Hundreds of thousands of homes were built.

I grew up in Hamilton, a lot of it on Hamilton Mountain. If you go to Hamilton Mountain, you will see the homes today: homes that people can afford, that they raise families in and that they are proud of. If you go to York South–Weston, if you go to East York in this city, you will see those homes today, still lived in by families who can afford to have a roof over their head.

In the 1970s, those programs had gone and we were deep in another housing crisis, and it was public pressure at the time—and, frankly, a minority government situation where the NDP demanded investment in housing—that caused investment in hundreds of thousands of homes. Apartment buildings in this city were built with the money that came from the government programs. There was a will to take action and put people in a situation where there was a roof over their heads.

This government, this minister, has said, “Leave to it the market.” Well, it has been left to the market, and what’s the story today? My colleagues have been talking about it: people who can’t get a house, people who are living in encampments, people who are spending every nickel they have so they can put a roof over their heads. That is a failure. That is a failure.

Perhaps the minister never heard of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. I don’t know; maybe he wasn’t familiar with it. Maybe he’d never had anything to do with the federal government. But CMHC put hundreds of millions of dollars—billions—into mortgages and supports to put people in homes that they could afford.

In the United States, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, federal agencies, put money into people’s pockets so they could get housing. This government could provide housing if it were to adopt this plan. At this point, its commitment is to failure, not housing.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I rise today to support the motion, and I’d like to point out several things the government could do right now. One is to deal with short-term rentals. We’ve lost an enormous amount of affordable housing to short-term rentals, and the government could be regulating that and is not. The need for rent control is the most obvious solution of all of them. Why is the government not doing that?

I want to talk about co-operatives and what this NDP plan could actually do for our communities. We have Castlegreen co-operative, built in 1975, still going strong; Superior View Housing Co-operative—beautiful, going strong. The francophone community has built all of its organizations on a co-operative model; they are trying to get funding to build La Baie du Tonnerre. Castlegreen wants to build another section for seniors who want to downsize. My mom lived in the co-ops on the Esplanade—best time of her life. She loved it there.

We have heard in this House some pretty hilarious comments, actually. Two members—let me see; I’d like to name them—or not, if I can’t find it. The members for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke and Perth–Wellington both have claimed that co-op housing is a communist plot, so I’d like to tell all the people in my riding and the 550 non-profit housing co-ops across Ontario.

1400

But what’s interesting to me is that the member from Elgin–Middlesex–London is actually in a video supporting housing co-ops and saying that the government is interested is investing in them. They need to have a little conversation over there on the other side about whether some of them are conspiring to bring communism to Ontario.

I’d like to say Castlegreen, when it was formed, “castle” stood for “caring and sharing to live economically.” That is people looking after themselves, as long as there is affordable financing available. If we had affordable financing, Suomi-Koti, the seniors project I’ve advocated for, and Giwaa on Court, the Indigenous project I’ve advocated for, would have been built already, a year or two ago.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Miss Monique Taylor: I’m happy to add my voice to this very important debate today calling on the government to listen to New Democrats’ plans and solutions for the housing crisis we are seeing in our province in all of our communities. In Hamilton, we have over 2,000 folks living on our streets, homeless, not able to afford the rent. I actually met a young woman the other day who goes to work each and every day from her tent. That’s a crisis.

This kind of solution is something that is doable. In my riding of Hamilton Mountain, as the member from Toronto–Danforth talked about, over 200 homes were built. I think people started to move in about 1945. There are stories attached to those families, when they talk about the home that was 625 square feet, concrete base, two coal stoves and two basements, and yet they wouldn’t have changed it for the world. It gave those families hope. It gave them a home to be able to raise their families and build community.

This is what this motion will do today. This is what ideas like Homes Ontario will do. It will have local builders building local homes to give homes to our families in our communities.

This is a good solution, and I hope that the government looks at it. We have so many people who are homeless in our communities, struggling, begging for a decent place, and yet this government has done nothing to address the crisis that we’re seeing. All they have to do is look back to the Wartime Housing Ltd., see the solution that’s already there. You can pretty much carbon-copy it to Homes Ontario today and ensure that there are good, solid homes in our community that just make sense, that people can afford.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): I recognize the member from—

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: London North Centre.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): —London North Centre.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Good afternoon, Speaker. It’s honour for me to rise today in support of the official opposition motion. Housing is foundational. Housing is fundamental. Housing is health care and housing is a human right.

Housing is also an economic driver. If people can’t afford housing in a certain city or location, they’re going to look elsewhere. This leaves small businesses, manufacturing, the tourism industry and many more unable to fully thrive. That’s where the government could say yes. They could say yes to supporting them by building the housing that workers and employers desperately need.

Not too long ago, people used to be able to work hard, save money and eventually buy a home. But more and more, this dream has been robbed from young people and new families hoping to expand. More often than not, adult children are living in their parents’ basements, while some have even subdivided their homes so that their children can have their own space. The only way many young people will have their own home is if they’re lucky enough to inherit what their parents already own—if they’re lucky enough to have parents who own a home.

It begs the question: What happens when you have siblings? Or what if you’re stuck in a place without rent control, constantly at the mercy of corporate landlords? It’s important that we make the distinction between corporate landlords who will exploit vacancy decontrol and the lack of rent control, as opposed to small landlords who care for their people like their own family.

We need a wartime effort to make sure people become housed and stay housed, for that matter. Our Homes Ontario plan will empower co-ops, non-profits and municipal partners to get people housed faster and create good, stable union jobs. It’s time for this government to get serious.

In 1964, John Robarts created the Ontario Housing Corp. Was he communist? They created almost 85,000 public housing units.

When did conservative ideology change? I want this government to stop being afraid of doing the heavy lifting, stop being afraid of getting shovels in the ground and stop being afraid of non-market housing.

Everywhere you look across Ontario, you see scenes of human tragedy in the encampments that Premier Ford has created. It’s cheaper to house people with supports than it is to leave people languishing on the streets. That is this government’s legacy.

I urge this government: vote to build, vote for housing, say yes to supporting people, say yes to supporting businesses and say yes to the future with our NDP plan.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I want to talk about a real, urgent housing crisis facing families in London and why they need the Homes Ontario program. In London, the average price for a single-family home is $659,000. That is a 146% increase since 2014. This is despite record-breaking home sales. Many people cannot simply afford to buy a home anymore. Home ownership is increasingly out of reach, and the numbers reflect that. Renter households grew at twice the rate of owner households between 2011 and 2021 in London.

Renters are feeling the pinch just as much. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in my community is now $1,770, and if you need a two-bedroom, it’s $2,177. If you’re a family and you need a three-bedroom, you’re looking at $2,607 a month. These costs are unsustainable for many, pushing housing out of reach for hard-working families.

In my community, there’s an estimated 2,000 people homeless on the streets. The social housing wait-lists in London: There are over 7,000 households on the wait-list for affordable supportive housing, and it can be 10 years or more to get into housing. That’s a decade of instability, worry and often substandard living conditions for people who simply need a safe, affordable place to call home.

Things need to change. This government needs to listen to this motion today.

I hear from working families trying to build a stable life for their children, from seniors concerned about aging in place and wondering whether they will be able to afford to stay in a home that meets their needs. Earlier this year, I heard from a woman and her fiancé with three children living in a London motel, unable to find housing. This is simply unacceptable in our province. People deserve a safe, permanent place to raise their family.

This isn’t just a statistic. It’s about real people: our neighbours, our friends, our family members. We’re calling for a new approach where public land and resources are unlocked for the creation of new homes that people can actually afford.

Homes Ontario will work with the federal and municipal governments to ensure an adequate supply of non-market homes that are affordable to meet the needs of all incomes, families, ages, family sizes and cultures. I hope this government will do the right thing and vote for Homes Ontario. This can be a part of Ontario’s housing solution.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Mr. Joel Harden: I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for putting this on the floor for debate, and I want to say for this House that when I think about our plan for housing, this ambitious plan, Homes Ontario, I think about the poppy on my jacket. I think about the poppy on my jacket because next Monday, I’ll be standing at the national cenotaph. I’ll be visiting veterans’ events all over the community of Ottawa to remember not only the sacrifices that service members and their families made and the war that had to be fought against fascism—a menace that continues to this day—but also the peace that that generation won when they came home. Part of that peace was housing. It was the right to have a union card, the right to work in a safe workplace, the right to public medicare and the right to housing.

When I think about what has happened in Ontario, as members have said already, I think about that peace being squandered and I look at this place 30 years ago that was leading the country in building non-market housing. Evelyn Gigantes, who was Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, who I am proud to call a friend, who was part of that NDP government, tells me without any uncertain terms that non-market housing in that short five years increased by 60%—60%. And what happened for people—low-income folks, and co-op housing, which includes people of all incomes, people living together—is that they had an opportunity. The 14 co-ops in Ottawa Centre, the community housing buildings—my landlord for our community office, the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corp.—they exist because there was a government determined to make sure that funds were flowed to non-market solutions. And that option still exists today.

1410

So I want every member of this House to be thinking of that next Monday, as we stand with veterans and their families; as we think about the peace that was squandered and the decades where we went to real estate speculators, property flippers and people who thought housing was about being able to buy up stuff, sit on it and flip it for profit. I want us to think about the veterans who built the communities in which we live, and to have a plan, like the leader has proposed, to make sure that everybody—everybody—has a decent place to live.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Mr. Matthew Rae: It’s a pleasure to rise to speak today about the NDP’s Homes Ontario—a plan to bankrupt the province of Ontario.

Madam Speaker, I’m a young Ontarian, and I understand many of the challenges young families are facing across Ontario when it comes to owning their own home. The dream of home ownership feels increasingly like a mirage—something that moves further out of reach with each passing year. Many young Ontarians are finding it nearly impossible to carve out a future in the housing market. That’s not just an economic issue; it’s a societal issue as well. I hear from my friends, constituents and my own family members who feel like the dream of home ownership is just something that keeps getting further and further away. They watch as home prices continue to rise, outpacing their incomes, and despite doing everything they were told that would lead to financial security. It’s a generation stuck—stuck with burdensome rents, stuck in smaller living spaces, and stuck without opportunities that the generations before them took for granted.

There are many young Ontarians who are looking to start their own families, but they can’t—not because they aren’t ready, not because they don’t want to, but because they are stuck living with their parents due to the astronomical costs of housing. Others are delaying key milestones in their lives, like getting married or moving to a city that aligns with their career dreams, because they simply cannot afford to do so.

These are young Ontarians who just want the same opportunities that were afforded to the generations before them—the opportunity to have a place to call their own, to raise a family, and to build a life that is stable and rewarding. But instead of helping to foster these opportunities, the current landscape has presented them with only obstacles. And today, we’re here to talk about why that is and why the NDP’s latest proposal would make it even worse.

Before I talk in more detail about the NDP’s plan to bankrupt the province of Ontario and saddle future generations with mountains of unsustainable debt, I think it’s important for us to look at how we got here.

The current housing supply crisis didn’t happen overnight. This isn’t a crisis that materialized out of thin air. It’s the result of decades of Liberal policy missteps and negligence. It was caused by the failures of successive Liberal governments, which for decades failed to ensure that Ontario was building enough housing. Year after year, they ignored the warning signs and failed to plan for future growth. They allowed bureaucratic red tape to stifle development, and they turned a blind eye to the rising costs that were making housing unattainable for so many.

I know the members opposite probably won’t take my word for it, but, luckily, they don’t have to. All they need to do is listen to the former Liberal cabinet minister and party leader Steven Del Duca, who, earlier this year, admitted that the housing crisis started under the Liberals’ watch. He said, “Frankly, this housing affordability crisis began when I was sitting at the provincial cabinet table.” That’s why, in 2018, when our government came into office, we began immediately to cut red tape, streamline approvals, and empower home builders and municipalities to build more homes. We knew that we had to act—and act decisively—if we were to tackle the crisis that the previous government had allowed to fester. We made substantial land use planning reforms, we introduced balanced rent control policies, and we started to get government out of the way.

Speaker, as I mentioned rent controls, I want to highlight that Ontario, in the entire country, has the strongest rent control in all of Canada. Ontario’s maximum rent allowance is the lowest in the country, at 2.5%, lower than the BC NDP. So the members opposite today who are arguing that we should follow the BC NDP are actually asking us to increase rents across Ontario.

When the NDP was last in power, in those dark days—back when I was zero to four—the rent increases were very high, when they had rent control: in 1990, 4.6%; 1991, 4.5%; 1992, 6%; and 1993, 4.9%. Those are higher than we have seen under our government in the allowances they are allowed to raise rent.

I also want to mention about the rent controls we have in place, the balanced approach, but you don’t have to take my word for it, Speaker. I want to read a quote: “We do actually have fairly strong legislation in terms of the compensation and rights of tenants. The landlord can’t just affect people without having it approved by the Landlord and Tenant Board.”

Interjections.

Mr. Matthew Rae: I heard some groans on the other side. Maybe they want to talk to their colleague from Ottawa West–Nepean, who said this on July 3, 2024. I agree: We have very strong legislation to ensure we are protecting our renters in the province of Ontario.

Madam Speaker, our plan is working. Ontario saw the highest construction starts in over 30 years—

Interjections.

Mr. Matthew Rae: I hear some more heckles from the other side, so I have some more stats. I have a lot of stats; bear with me, Speaker.

Housing starts, which they want us to go back to in their plan, Homes Ontario—they’re talking about the Rae days, the glory-ness that was for their socialist utopia. From 1990 to 1995, housing starts—this is CMHC data—in the province of Ontario: 299,268 housing starts over that period of time. Housing starts since 2018 to 2024, in a high-interest, high carbon tax environment that the federal NDP coalition is implementing on Ontario: 572,014 housing starts, and we didn’t have to bankrupt the province of Ontario to do that.

So I just want to highlight some of those statistics and really show the record numbers of our new housing units breaking ground. This is especially true for purpose-built rental housing. For three years in a row, the province saw new all-time record highs being set for the number of purpose-built rentals being constructed—housing that is so desperately needed for young families, seniors and those trying to get a foot in the door.

But the federal NDP coalition in Ottawa just couldn’t help themselves, they just couldn’t keep their hands out of people’s pockets. They embarked on a path of reckless tax-and-spend inflationary policies. They ran unsustainable deficits, they hiked taxes to pay for it and the result—interest rates have skyrocketed to levels not seen in decades.

The impact of these federal policies has devastated the home building sector in Ontario. Projects that were once viable have been shelved and prospective homeowners are being forced to sit on the sidelines. That’s why our government is redoubling our efforts to cut red tape and streamline approvals, and get the government out of the way so that home builders can do what they do best: build homes. This includes the introduction of a new provincial planning statement, a renewed vision for Ontario that embraces growth while addressing the needs for our diverse community.

At the heart of the 2024 provincial planning statement is our continued commitment to building 1.5 million new homes by 2031. It’s an ambitious goal, but it’s one that we will meet, because it’s not just about the numbers; it’s about ensuring that every Ontarian has a fair shot at the dream of home ownership.

1420

But that goal won’t be achieved without strong leadership, collaboration and efficient land use planning. That’s why the new planning statement directs municipalities to accommodate growth by designating sufficient land for residential development and by ensuring an appropriate range and mix of housing options. This includes everything from detached homes to multi-unit buildings, to meet the needs of families, young professionals, seniors and vulnerable populations alike.

By focusing on strategic growth areas and intensification, the statement encourages the efficient use of existing infrastructure, reducing the need for costly expansions while also supporting transit-oriented development. This means that new housing will be better connected to public transit, making our communities more sustainable, reducing traffic congestion and enhancing access to services.

Furthermore, policies supporting mixed-use development ensure that our neighbourhoods are vibrant, complete and inclusive, places where people can live, work and thrive. We envision neighbourhoods where people can walk to work, where children can walk to school and where seniors can live comfortably within their communities—the communities they help build, surrounded by those services and supports that they need.

Another critical element in the flexible provincial planning statement is providing more authority and responsibilities to our municipalities. It allows them to tailor solutions that best fit their local context, while still aligning with provincial goals, because we understand that when it comes to building their local communities, municipalities know best, not politicians here at Queen’s Park. By allowing municipalities to forecast growth and plan accordingly, we’re empowering local governments to be proactive in meeting the housing needs of their residents.

The only way we’re going to tackle the housing supply crisis is by working together: provincial government, municipal governments, home builders and community stakeholders. That’s why, in addition to the new planning rules, our government is investing record amounts to support municipalities in addressing what they have said is the number one obstacle in building more housing: housing-enabling infrastructure. It is the pipe in the ground, it is the water main at the end of the street and it’s the waste water facility or water facilities that will get homes built, because when they can take that pipe from the waste water facility or the water plant and bring it to a new development, that means that those homes will be able to be sold or occupancy can be taken—or rented out, as well.

That is why we’re investing so much through the Building Faster Fund, the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund and the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program. We’re providing municipalities with over $3 billion to help build critically needed housing-enabling infrastructure like roads, pipes and water systems. Because while it may not be the most exciting aspect of development, these are the kinds of investments that will help the province unlock not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of new homes.

We’re also finding new ways for people to build, more creative solutions to tackle the lack of housing supply, whether it’s moving mass timber to 18 storeys. We’ll continue to work with our home builders and the innovation that is occurring in those sectors, whether it’s the factory-built homes—I know the members opposite were talking about after World War II. We build cars very differently than we did in the 1950s, after the world war. We need to do the same for housing and encourage that innovation to work with our home builders, to ensure that we’re able to build more homes quickly.

For example, the minister recently posted consultations on new, common-sense regulations aimed at making it easier for people to build additional residential units like garden suites, laneway houses and basement suites. These changes will further support our government’s move to allow as-of-right development up to three units on a lot across the entire province of Ontario.

By making it easier to build these types of units, we’re providing families with greater flexibility. For example, by building laneway houses or garden suites for older relatives, we can help families stay together longer, provide much-needed housing options that fit within existing neighbourhoods while also providing an opportunity for maybe a first-time homebuyer to have some rental income to supplement their mortgage that they are paying in, having the ability to use that as well, ensuring we create more housing stock in communities across Ontario, not just in our bigger cities but in rural and northern communities as well.

It’s about making our communities stronger, more resilient and more supportive for all who live there. Our government will continue to look for new opportunities to cut red tape and to help home builders build all types of housing across the province.

As you know, Madam Speaker, earlier this year, we tabled Bill 185, the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, and it was a very bold commitment and more decisive action from our government on helping to get more homes built and bringing the dream of home ownership within the reach for more Ontarians.

There are many critical initiatives within that bill that make housing development faster, simpler and more responsive to the community needs. One of the major barriers to building more homes in Ontario was the maze of regulations that developers and municipalities had to navigate before a project could move forward. Bill 185 tackled this head-on by cutting red tape and streamlining the planning approvals process. This means fewer unnecessary delays and a smoother pathway for housing projects to get shovels in the ground. By reducing third-party appeals and shortening the time frame for meeting planning conditions, we’re ensuring that critical projects face fewer roadblocks.

As I referred to earlier about the housing starts, these changes would help reduce some of those delays. Between 2021 and 2023, it is estimated that 67,000 housing units were delayed due to third-party appeals. With Bill 185 we have reduced these delays, ensuring housing is being built where it is needed.

We also introduced the use-it-or-lose-it policy. This new framework addresses a critical issue that municipalities across Ontario have faced for years: stalled developments. We heard from our partners in cities, towns and municipalities across the province that tens of thousands of housing units remained dormant due to developer inaction. The use-it-or-lose-it provisions now empower municipalities to set clear deadlines for when developers must begin construction. If those deadlines are not met, municipalities have the authority to reallocate critical infrastructure, such as water and waste water servicing, to projects that are ready to move forward. This is a powerful tool to ensure that approved developments turn into actual homes, not promises on paper.

Another key initiative in Bill 185 is the effort to support student housing by exempting publicly assisted universities from the Planning Act. As many students struggle to find an affordable place to live, this exemption is now helping accelerate the construction of new student residences by saving time and removing planning application fees. It is estimated that this change will create up to 20,000 new housing units by 2028, which will not only benefit students but also alleviate pressures on the broader rental market, making housing more affordable for everyone.

I know Minister Calandra and I had an opportunity to visit the University of Western Ontario earlier this year to announce this very important initiative. I know Western University in particular is undergoing a major redevelopment, and this change in Bill 185 has helped them navigate that and streamline that development to get those housing units for our students online quicker so they have a place to call their own. It frees up more rental in the larger community of London and surrounding communities, and having that available increases the housing supply in that community.

I know the mayor of London is going above and beyond to get more homes built of all types. The last time I was speaking with him, he was mentioning how many building permits they have issued this year, and it is my hope they are well on their way to meeting their housing targets. Despite, again, the high interest rates of the federal Liberal government and their tax policies, we’ll continue to get more homes built in London and in communities across Ontario.

To further address housing supply and affordability, Bill 185 also eliminated mandatory parking minimums for new residential developments near major transit stations. I know our home builders were very appreciative of this change as a common-sense move that allows builders and buyers to decide how much parking is truly needed based on market demand, rather than outdated regulations. By removing these parking requirements, we’re lowering the cost of construction significantly, making new developments more affordable, particularly in areas where public transit is readily available. For a typical 500-unit development, removing the parking minimums has reduced costs by up to $50 million—savings that are being passed on to prospective homeowners.

1430

Bill 185 also took steps to increase the supply of housing-enabling infrastructure. As I mentioned earlier, we are investing significantly in this component. The province has invested over $1.8 billion to help municipalities build the infrastructure needed to support new housing. This includes the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, which is providing $1 billion to support core infrastructure projects, like roads, water systems and ensuring municipalities have the tools to develop complete and thriving communities. These investments are not only helping build homes faster, but also making sure that those homes are connected to essential services.

We’re committed to modernizing Ontario’s building code to keep pace with innovations and best practices. The most recent addition has reduced red tape by over 1,730 provisions, increased harmonization with national standards, helping lower construction costs and make housing projects more viable.

We’re also, as I mentioned, exploring innovative construction methods such as mass timber, which can be used on up to 18-storey buildings. This will help create more housing, while also supporting our forestry and construction centres, and also creating more environmentally friendly buildings.

Bill 185 represents a significant step in addressing Ontario’s housing supply crisis. By cutting red tape, empowering municipalities and making substantive investments in housing-enabling infrastructure, we’re creating the conditions for more homes to be built, and built faster.

This piece of legislation we passed earlier is more than just numbers; it’s about helping families find a place to call home, helping students secure housing closer to campuses, and ensuring that all Ontarians have access to affordable and attainable housing.

Speaker, I appreciate your indulgence on Bill 185 and highlighting some of those key changes.

I’d also like to take some time today to talk about the so-called plan that the Ontario NDP is proposing.

I will admit that it actually took me a while to find the details of the NDP’s plan, because when I looked it up online, I noticed it was locked behind a paywall, I needed to sign up on a sheet for the NDP’s website. I already get enough emails from my own party, so I didn’t really sign up for it. It’s a little difficult, wasn’t very open and transparent—slightly surprising from a party that claims they are so open and transparent. I’d think you would want people to look at your proposals, but I guess not.

When I was actually able to find some of the details from the media, reading their reporting on it, I was not surprised to see that what it actually amounts to isn’t a path forward to build the homes Ontarians need, but it’s a plan, as I mentioned earlier, to bankrupt the province.

What they are proposing is to take $150 billion from the pockets of taxpayers and open up the NDP construction company. Maybe some members over there are worried about the next provincial election, so they want another company that they can go work for, potentially, afterwards and find some employment.

For all that money—more than what the Ontario government spends yearly, combined, on health, education, post-secondary education—the province would just get 225,000 homes. I go back to my earlier stat from 1990 to 1995. Bob Rae had a better track record: He built 299,000 homes, roughly—with very high rents as well, that time. So it’s kind of perplexing that they want to spend $150 billion to build 225,000 homes, well short of the 1.5 million homes that our province needs. As the old Wendy’s slogan would say, “Where’s the beef?”

At $150 billion, it would saddle future generations with an unsustainable mountain of debt—debt that our children and grandchildren would have to pay off. Maybe, I shouldn’t be surprised, because when we first announced that our province had set a goal of building 1.5 million homes, the Leader of the Opposition went so far as to actually question whether we really need that many homes. That’s the kind of thinking we’re dealing with here—a lack of vision, a lack of ambition, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the housing needs of Ontarians. And that’s the 225,000 homes—if the NDP can ever deliver that number.

Madam Speaker, I also want to point out that the Liberal-NDP coalition, a very left coalition in Ottawa, is not even proposing this.

The NDP in Ontario is pretty much the only provincial party, I think, in the entire province proposing this kind of idea—an NDP construction company.

I think history has taught us a valuable lesson: Sometimes the best way to get something done is to get government out of the way.

As I know the US election is tomorrow, I wish all the best to—I have a few friends running on both sides of the aisle; don’t everyone get on me. I wish them all the best tomorrow.

As former US President Ronald Reagan famously said, the nine most dangerous words in the English language are, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” Those are very scary words. I think Peanut, the poor squirrel in New York, would say otherwise. God rest Peanut.

Nowhere in the plan is any consideration given to how they will actually pay for any of this. Maybe they didn’t include it because the answer is so obvious: from the pockets of everyday Ontarians. That’s not surprising, because, fundamentally, the NDP believe they know how to spend people’s money better than they do.

I tuned in this morning to watch the Leader of the Opposition’s news conference, and I noticed that despite being asked at least three times, she refused to say how much the NDP’s plan will cost. I guess I cannot blame them, with the final bill for their reckless scheme and scandals—as she likes to say often—being $150 billion of unsustainable debt. I probably wouldn’t want to admit that either. The amount of taxes they will have to raise to pay for this scheme would be astonishing. Again, it is not surprising.

Premier Rae raised taxes numerous times, over and over—because they never saw a tax—

Interjection.

Mr. Matthew Rae: It’s not making it up—but okay.

I have never seen a tax that the members opposite haven’t enthusiastically supported.

The member from Ottawa Centre is on record as being supportive of a very high carbon tax. I know he is running—to run federally in that nomination. I wish him the best of luck. I sure hope we elect a government that axes that tax.

The NDP MPPs have called for higher personal vehicle taxes, higher sales taxes, taxes on liquor sales, licence plate fees, more road tolls—taxes upon taxes upon taxes.

At the end of the day, the NDP and Liberals just can’t help themselves; if they see something, they’ll find a way to tax it. If they could tax the air—which a carbon tax is, I guess, so they tax the air.

Let me be clear: Raising taxes will kill prosperity in Ontario. We saw that under the McGuinty-Wynne Liberal government, supported by the NDP. They took more money out of our pockets, of hard-working Ontarians—the less they have to spend on their families and the less they have to reinvest in their businesses and save for their futures.

Tax increases stifle economic growth, discourage investment and make the province less competitive.

Under the former Liberal government, 300,000 jobs left this province because of their high taxes and uncompetitive investment environment.

Under Premier Ford and the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, we have attracted over 800,000 new jobs to the province of Ontario in six short years, and we will continue to work to ensure that we are getting those investments in Ontario.

I know earlier today we had a representative from Ohio—again, best of luck to our American colleagues, however they decide they’re going to vote tomorrow. We will work hard to attract the businesses from those states to Ontario. Many people, when I meet in my own riding and across Ontario about attracting investment—our competition isn’t necessarily Manitoba, Quebec, Manitoba or the Maritime provinces. It’s Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York state. We need to ensure that we are competitive, both within Canada but also North America and globally. That is what our government is doing, as seen by the $44 billion we have attracted in new auto manufacturing investments, seeing the 30,000 more people employed in our agricultural sector since 2018. We continue to attract these investments because we know when taxes go up, job opportunities dry up, businesses hesitate to expand and the cost of living becomes unbearable for those already struggling to make ends meet.

1440

The NDP’s plan is nothing more than a prescription for higher taxes and lower economic activity. It will punish the very people who need the help the most: the young families trying to get a start, the small business owners trying to grow and the vulnerable Ontarians living paycheque to paycheque. Instead of giving people a chance to prosper, they want to take more money from them and burden them with more debt. This is not the path to success; it is a path to economic decline.

Higher taxes hurt everyone. They hurt the most vulnerable in our province. When taxes are raised to pay for reckless spending, it means less disposable income for families to buy essentials like groceries, clothing and school supplies. It means fewer jobs for young people trying to enter the workforce. It means higher costs for businesses, which in turn pass those costs on to consumers, driving up the price of everything from housing to transportation, as we see with the federal Liberal carbon tax.

This is not how we build a prosperous Ontario. We do not lift people up by dragging them down with more taxes and debt. We need to let Ontarians keep more of their hard-earned money. We need to create an environment where businesses can thrive, where jobs are plentiful and where opportunity is available to all.

Our government will continue to fight against higher taxes and reckless spending. We will continue to stand up for the people of Ontario who want a government that respects their hard-earned money and rewards their efforts. We’re committed to building a brighter future for Ontario, a future where young Ontarians have a real opportunity to achieve the dream of home ownership, where families can grow and thrive and where our communities are vibrant and connected and inclusive.

Now, Speaker, I have talked at length about the NDP, but obviously there is another party in this place. Let’s not forget that it was the tax-and-spend policies of the federal Liberal-NDP coalition in Ottawa that got us into this mess, and the independent Liberals in this place as well.

I want to briefly talk about carbon tax Crombie and why Bonnie Crombie’s record shows why she would be the wrong choice to lead our province. While the dream of home ownership slips further away for countless Ontarians, it is crucial that we have leaders with a genuine vision for addressing the housing supply crisis, not one who has repeatedly failed her own community. Bonnie Crombie’s record is one of obstruction, of NIMBYism and of failing to deliver the homes that Ontario desperately needs.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: You can say that again.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Maybe I will. Madam Speaker, Bonnie Crombie’s record is one of obstruction, of NIMBYism and of failing to deliver the homes Ontarians desperately need.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: You can say that again.

Mr. Matthew Rae: I’m only going to say it twice, my friend.

Under her leadership as mayor of Mississauga, she demonstrated time and time again that she would rather say no to new homes than yes to progress. Mississauga, one of Ontario’s largest cities, actually saw a shrinking population under her leadership, a shocking and concerning trend that speaks volumes about her inability to accommodate growth and meet the needs of her constituents. We need to ensure Ontario is building more homes to meet the demands of young families, professionals and seniors, yet Bonnie Crombie has shown a consistent pattern of standing in the way of progress. She called a 17-storey rental development of 148 units “way too much density,” and described a 12-storey, 195-unit proposal as “an abomination.” These are not words of a leader who understands that increasing housing density is a vital product of addressing our housing supply crisis. Instead, these are words of someone more interested in preserving the status quo, even as young Ontarians are stuck paying rent or living with their parents because they simply cannot find an affordable place to own.

Madam Speaker, Mississauga, under Bonnie Crombie, said no to a 4,690-unit development because of concerns over sun shadows. I ask this chamber, are sun shadows really worth more than the future of our young families?

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: No.

Mr. Matthew Rae: I would say no as well. Maybe we should ask the NDP or the independent Liberals. I would think they’d say yes, unfortunately.

Are sun shadows really worth more than the future of our young families? More than the aspirations of those who just want to get a chance to build a life of their own?

In her final month as mayor, there were only 12 housing starts in Mississauga—

MPP Zee Hamid: Boo.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Boo, indeed. Over the last year, Mississauga reached just 39% of its housing target, a failure that cannot be ignored when considering the scale of Ontario’s housing needs.

Let’s talk about bureaucracy, Madam Speaker. I talked about the NDP construction company. That’s one type of bureaucracy. But under Bonnie Crombie’s leadership, it took an average of 23 months to approve a new development. That is nearly two years of red tape, delays and unnecessary obstacles that ultimately harm those who need housing the most. And it’s not because the red tape is in their way. If Bonnie Crombie had the leadership and the guts to ensure that she got homes built quickly, she could. In my own riding of Perth–Wellington, in the municipality of Mapleton, for an ARU—an accessory dwelling unit—they issued a building permit in two days. It takes Bonnie Crombie 23 months to approve a development. We cannot afford this kind of inefficiency if we are serious about building 1.5 million new homes by 2031, as our government is committed to doing.

Moreover, Bonnie Crombie has made it clear that she does not even believe in the core principles that drive housing affordability. She once stated that there is no evidence that reducing fees and timelines for developers will result in the creation of more affordable housing. Wow, Speaker. This demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how supply and demand works. We need leaders who understand that by increasing the supply of housing, we can help alleviate the pressures that are driving up prices. Bonnie Crombie, on the other hand, seems to believe that reducing these barriers won’t help, despite all the evidence to the contrary. I hope the independent Liberals who are here today are listening. She even went as far as to say that building more homes could be harmful because it might make housing too affordable—too affordable, Speaker.

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: Shame on Bonnie.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Shame on Bonnie “carbon tax” Crombie. I know.

Under Bonnie Crombie, Mississauga became a place where development was stymied, where approvals took longer and where growth was stunted, and now she wants to take the same failed approach province-wide. We can’t allow Ontario to be led by someone who refuses to recognize the need for more homes, who embraces NIMBYism and who has proven unable to meet even the basic housing targets in her own city.

Ontarians deserve a leader who will fight for more housing, not against it. Bonnie Crombie’s record speaks for itself—a record of failure, obstruction and a lack of vision in the future of Ontario. We cannot afford to entrust the future of our province to someone who has repeatedly shown that they do not understand—or worse, do not care—about the challenges facing Ontarians today.

Interjections.

Mr. Matthew Rae: I’ve still got 20 minutes, Speaker, so I’m going to indulge the NDP.

1450

We need leaders who will say yes to growth, yes to opportunity and yes to building more homes that Ontarians needs.

Speaker, with my remaining time, I want to talk about the important investments our government has made in the province of Ontario. I know, in budget 2023, we announced a significant increase in the Homelessness Prevention Program, an increase of, on average, across the service managers, 40% across the province of Ontario. It’s approaching $700 million now, a significant investment to provide our municipalities with the resources they need to provide those wraparound supports.

I know in my own riding of Perth–Wellington I had the pleasure of announcing in 2023 roughly $4 million for approximately 40 deeply affordable housing units in the province of Ontario. So our government is making those investments to get those affordable units built—currently, Speaker, what we are already doing in this place.

We also announced, it was mentioned earlier, around wraparound supports. That’s very important and something our government believes in. I know in the most recent provincial budget, there was $9 million set aside for a project in Guelph and Wellington, which obviously supports a portion in my riding that I have the pleasure of representing—$9 million for wraparound supports for those who may be unhoused or for those who may need deeply affordable housing. Again, it’s mental health supports, work placement or HR supports for those who are looking for a new career and obviously addiction supports as well.

I mention these investments and unfortunately, every single member of the opposition voted against them—every single one, Speaker. They voted against these important investments in communities like Guelph to ensure that we get more homes built and more affordable homes. As I mentioned earlier, it seems that they think we can tax our way to prosperity. We know on this side of the House and in the middle over there, we cannot do that, Speaker. We need to continue to invest in the good-paying jobs in the province of Ontario. And as I mentioned earlier, attracting $44 billion in economic investment for auto investment, whether that’s EVs but auto as well.

I had the distinct pleasure of hosting the member from Simcoe–Grey in my riding on Friday for the auto mayors’ caucus biannual meeting. It involved the auto mayors in Ontario. I know they were talking about some of the significant investments in Simcoe–Grey. Our government was able to secure that investment from Honda, which is very good to see. We secured a great investment in Elgin–Middlesex–London for Volkswagen.

It was great to be able to show my colleague from Simcoe–Grey some of the businesses that will then work to support those major investments, those spinoff or the tertiary businesses associated with those investments from Volkswagen, or PowerCor and Honda, ensuring that we have those investments in our province and ensuring they have a good paycheque at the end of the day so they can then go buy those homes and rent those homes in the province of Ontario. It’s ensuring that we’re providing a hand up and not a hand out, as the Minister of Labour talks about extensively in this place, Speaker. And it’s ensuring that we continue to double down on those efforts to attract more good-paying jobs to the province of Ontario.

I know Minister Fedeli is focused on the life sciences initiative, a very ambitious initiative to make Ontario one of the best places in the world to investment in our live sciences sector, ensuring that we are cutting the red tape in that component as well, getting drugs to market quicker, ensuring we have those supply chains as well.

I just want to go back to the auto mayors. I forgot to mention at that meeting the mayor from Sudbury was there as well—it was great to see that connection from the mines in the north being able to supply the raw materials which will be processed in Sault Ste. Marie or Hamilton and then put on the production line in Minto or in Stratford or in Alliston, as well, Speaker, ensuring we have tire supply chains. It’s one of the few places in the world where we can have it vertically integrated, where there will be very high environmental standards, obviously, from our miners in the north ensuring it is close to the product, cutting down our carbon emissions to get those products to their respective manufacturing facilities. It is our government’s investments that are supporting that, with the Ring of Fire development and with many other developments in the north bringing back that prosperity to northern Ontario.

As we all know, Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne said that the north was a no man’s land. I know we have very strong representation in our caucus from the north who continue to advocate for it day in and day out, ensuring we make sure those investments reach northern Ontario and the communities there, ensuring that we are seeing more investment in northern Ontario.

I know the Minister of Mines shared with me recently that the population in northern Ontario is actually increasing after many, many years of declining, which is wonderful to see. Many families moving there; my own sister lives in northern Ontario—ensuring they’re moving there for the good-paying jobs that our government is working to help attract and retain, here in the province of Ontario.

I go off on this, because it demonstrates our ability to attract that investment, to get those good-paying jobs for the homes that we need; ensuring we keep taxes low; we have a sound fiscal plan moving forward; making sure we make those investments in health care, housing and education, as I mentioned throughout my remarks today; ensuring that we give our municipal partners the tools they need to get more homes built; and ensuring that we have that co-operation.

I know we recently announced, in the fall economic statement, an increase to the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, which is a fund for our small, again, northern communities, ensuring we have that increase as well, and $100 million over the next two years, $50 million immediately. I know my rural and small municipalities appreciated that immediate investment, because that will help them get the housing-enabling infrastructure on the ground, help them meet their capital requirements and help them build the roads and bridges.

I’ve talked at length in this place about housing-enabling infrastructure around sewers and waste water, but it may be something as simple as ensuring that there is a roundabout for the traffic flow of a new development and having that investment there as well. It’s ensuring that those investments are continuing to be made, that we are there listening to our municipal partners.

I know the increase in the OMPF funding, as it’s commonly referred to, was a key ask at ROMA and AMO. I know our government continues to work with our municipal partners and listen to their concerns. As I mentioned earlier, we increased the Homelessness Prevention Program by a significant amount. That was a direct ask from our AMO partners to ensure we have the resources to support those initiatives moving forward, ensuring that they have the resources to support that deeply affordable housing across Ontario—again, $700 million annually; billions of dollars over the three years.

A key component of that, which my own service managers appreciated, was the fact that the Homelessness Prevention Program—you would know what you’re getting each year of the three-year program, providing them some stability, so they can make those long-term capital investments.

I know many, year over year, not knowing exactly what amount you’re going to get doesn’t give you that sort of long-term time horizon. Our government, under this Minister of Finance and Premier, provided them with that certainty, so that they know what they’re going to get, year over year, so they can plan accordingly for those larger capital investments that they may require in their communities, ensuring that they then are able to plan for that and support those important needs.

I know as well, along with the infrastructure funding we’ve done, we continue to make important investments in housing, as well as cutting red tape, as I mentioned with Bill 185, but it’s also ensuring that we reduce development charges on deeply affordable—so affordable housing and purpose-built rentals as well.

Again, unfortunately, all the members of the opposition in this place, both the NDP and Liberals, voted against it. When we brought that bill forward—deeply affordable, ensuring they are not paying a development charge, a tax, a fee, to get those homes built.

I know Habitat for Humanity, our non-profit housing sector, were very appreciative of that change, ensuring that they’re able to then reinvest that. These are non-profit builders, whether it’s Indwell or Habitat for Humanity, reinvesting that money in communities across Ontario, like mine, and ensuring that they are getting those homes built.

I know our government continues to work—again, the Associate Minister of Housing with the Minister of Infrastructure—on making more provincial land available for housing, as we continue to do now, ensuring we work, as I mentioned earlier, with factory-built homes. We build homes the same way we have for over a century now, ensuring that we provide that innovation, ensuring that we have the important—

Interjections.

Mr. Matthew Rae: This is what we get from the members of the opposition, colleagues: making fun of our innovative home builders in the province of Ontario that are literally building this province—and they talked about unions in their motion.

I find it comical from the other side talking about unions, when they voted against my motion earlier this year to support our nuclear industry—they voted against it. Our clean, green nuclear fleet—they voted against that expansion. And those good union-paying jobs, many in my riding that go up to the Bruce—they voted against that. It’s under the Minister of Energy and the Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries getting that buildout, ensuring we’re building more nuclear across the province of Ontario, ensuring that those homes that we are building in the province of Ontario have electricity, have the lights on when you come home from a long day at work.

1500

Let me paint you a picture of 10 years from now. They like to be doom and gloom; this is 10 years from now in St. Thomas: Someone comes home from the PowerCor or Volkswagen plant, after helping build the cars of the future, to their home that was built, potentially, in Perth–Wellington—a factory-built home—ensuring that we have that there, driving a Honda car—I know he works at Volkswagen—built in Alliston, supporting his family with a good-paying job with a pension, with benefits, and ensuring that their kids are going to one of the many new schools that we’re building in St. Thomas or the London area with the $15 billion we’re investing in school capital projects over the next 10 years, ensuring his partner has a job as well, and ensuring that they are able to provide for their family—potentially even to be able to save up to go on a small vacation, maybe to beautiful northern Ontario. This is what our government is fighting for. The other side may fight for higher taxes, higher fees, more congestion. Our government will continue to fight for the average Ontarian in the province of Ontario, ensuring we’re building more homes, ensuring that we’re building all types of homes.

This government has never said we’re only going to build single, detached homes. As our policies have demonstrated, we will help support purpose-built rentals, we will support non-profits, we will support townhomes, apartment buildings—the complete continuum, Speaker— and, as I mentioned, making investments in deeply affordable homes as well in my own riding of Perth–Wellington and Stratford. I know there are many examples across Ontario of these important initiatives—ensuring we work with our home builders.

I know the Minister of Labour has also done massive work, great work with the Skills Development Fund, ensuring we’re making those important investments. Year over year, we have increased that fund, because we have seen on the ground the impact and the need in our communities. I think of the technical training group in my own community that does industrial welding and millwright, providing important, good-paying jobs—six-figure jobs, starting once they get their ticket—in many businesses across Perth–Wellington and the surrounding areas. They provide that funding to support them in that through the Skills Development Fund.

I think of something else in the Skills Development Fund, again, in a combination of homes but also health care, ensuring we have those wraparound supports: Blue Branch does important work. My colleagues, if they were at AMO, may have seen the container out front at AMO. That group that is building that is referred to as Blue Branch. They received skills development funding through the Ministry of Labour, and they are helping build those small units to either help house some health care workers, help house anyone in particular. That’s what they’re trying to get off: those low-cost homes that people can then take occupancy in rather quickly, Speaker, and ensuring we get those homes out there as quickly as possible.

This important investment across our government, through the Skills Development Fund, whether it’s training in health care, whether it’s training in the skilled trades, whether it’s working with our union halls—I know in the last round of funding they had a capital stream as well to ensure that we’re supporting both, obviously, the training as well, but also the capital needed to have that, whether it’s a new millwright machine or a new welding machine or anything of that nature, so they can continue to offer those important services and that training to better paycheques and higher paycheques.

I know it’s ensuring that we continue to work with all our municipal partners to get more homes built across Ontario, whether it’s the use-it-or-lose-it policy that I referred to earlier, and ensuring that municipalities are able to reallocate waste water capacity if necessary to ensure that they have that ability. Because this is something I heard—I know the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy travelled extensively over the summer break, and we heard from municipal colleagues about the need, even before that, around the use-it-or-lose-it policy, ensuring that they have that ability to reassign development where necessary, ensuring that we work with them in that field.

Our government’s legislation demonstrates our willingness to listen and work with our home builders, with our post-secondary education. I know that the Minister of Colleges and Universities worked extensively with the Minister of Municipal Affairs on the student housing exemptions in the Planning Act. I know they continue to look at ways to get those student housing units built quickly. As I mentioned earlier, the University of Guelph is looking extensively to build more housing and those changes in the Planning Act will help them do that to get more homes built.

Again, the members of the opposition and the Liberals voted against those important initiatives to ensure we get more homes built. They voted against getting rid of parking minimums near transit. The same members opposite who always talk about transit—transit is very important. That’s why we’re investing literally hundreds of billions of dollars to expand transit across the province of Ontario—obviously important in the GTA with our subway expansion and the Ontario Line as it continues to move forward. They voted against that: reducing the parking minimums around major transit stations areas, which reduces the cost to build for our builders, which means they’re able to get to market quicker.

I just wanted to sort of explain for those maybe watching at home, Madam Speaker, around why that is important and why the development charge discount for the non-profits and purpose-built rentals is important. As I mentioned earlier in question period around the HST as well, we heard from our builders who build those multi-residential units that if they were able to get a break on the tax—the HST, for example—or able to have those development charges removed for the purpose-built rentals or non-profits, they would then be able to invest that either in the next tower, if it’s a major development, or the next townhomes. They are taking that money that they are saving and reinvesting it, getting more housing supply on the market. That’s why we continue to work with them and listen to what they are telling us. They aren’t telling us to build an NDP construction company; they’re telling us to cut taxes, to be there with them, to streamline development approvals, to cut red tape to ensure we continue to build homes across Ontario.

It’s not just homes in downtown Toronto; it’s homes in northern Ontario and rural Ontario. Almost every community—except Mississauga, as I referred to earlier, because of carbon tax Crombie—is growing and every municipality is looking to build more homes. They’re coming to the table with us to get more homes built—a Team Ontario approach. We saw that earlier when the federal government threatened to pull the affordable housing funding. It was our government working with our municipal partners that was able to force the federal government back to the table to get a deal done to ensure that the federal government recognizes the importance of Ontario and the affordable units that exist in this province.

It’s ensuring that we continue to work with all of our partners to get all of these homes built across Ontario. We’ll continue to fight against higher taxes and reckless spending; ensuring that we are cutting red tape; moving forward and eliminating parking minimums; housing enabling infrastructure; modernizing the Ontario building code, which hadn’t been modernized in years. In addition to modernizing the building code, working with our building officials so that they are prepared for that transition, ensuring that they have those plans in place to ensure that that transition is there.

In conclusion, Speaker, I appreciate the House’s indulgence today. I know I’ve covered a lot of ground on this, but to those who may be watching at home, it comes down to an Ontario Progressive Conservative government that will continue to cut taxes, cut fees and streamline development. If you want higher taxes, more spending, unsustainable debt, please go ahead and vote for the Ontario NDP. They’re creating a construction company; maybe you can get a job there. I know that they will continue to propose higher taxes, more debt—just as the Wynne Liberals did: more taxes, higher debt. That is what you will get with the Ontario NDP and the Ontario independent Liberals.

Our government will continue to stand on the side of hard-working families to get more homes built across the province of Ontario; to keep costs down to ensure that that young family is able to realize a dream of home ownership; to ensure that those individuals can have a place to call their own; whether it’s a rental in downtown Toronto or whether it’s a house in beautiful Perth–Wellington, that they’re able to achieve that.

We see the results in our own housing starts. As I referred to earlier, from 2018 to 2024, over 572,000 housing starts in the province of Ontario—almost double what Premier Rae did with his housing plan in that era as well. We haven’t increased taxes. We’re cutting taxes, reducing red tape and streamlining development to ensure that all communities can thrive in the province of Ontario.

This is what our government and caucus stand for, and we’re happy to go to the people of Ontario without it any day.

1510

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: It’s always an honour to be able to speak on behalf of the people in Kiiwetinoong, but also, as First Peoples of these lands, I welcome everybody that’s here. Welcome to our lands. We welcome all people.

Speaker, we cannot continue to count on the private market alone to meet Ontario’s housing needs. I say that because it’s not working and it’s at the full cost—people pay full price, and they pay with their lives.

In Sioux Lookout, in 2019, there were 11 deaths of people without homes who were forced to live on the streets. Speaker, if Sioux Lookout was Toronto, that would be 10,000 deaths. And these people are people that look like me. We cannot continue to ignore the crisis. We need housing to save lives.

In 2014, Nishnawbe Aski Nation declared a housing state of emergency for 29 First Nations and reaffirmed the declaration in 2018. Just last week, I spoke here about how some of the people who end up homeless in towns like Sioux Lookout move there as a result of the housing crises taking place in many First Nations.

Housing is connected to every part of life. Housing and health go hand in hand, and housing is connected to employment. I say that because in Sioux Lookout, it is very difficult to fill jobs across sectors because of the lack of housing. One place where we see this impact is in health care, where the staffing shortages impact the hospital’s ability to provide the services the community needs.

I’ll say again: Housing is a human right. It’s time for the government and non-profit actors to step up to create truly affordable housing solutions through a new public agency, Homes Ontario, to ensure that the housing rights of all Ontarians are respected and that their needs are met, in Kiiwetinoong as well.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Housing is a human right. Everyone should have access to a safe, clean and affordable home, and the private market alone has not been able to meet Ontario’s needs.

For decades, our province was able to provide affordable housing to Ontarians, but our publicly supported building programs were abandoned by Liberal and Conservative governments.

The lack of housing is one of the worst challenges we face. People can’t find housing. So many are homeless and many are right on the verge of living rough. My staff shared with me that some of our previously housed constituents are now living in vans—and not by choice. As the weather shifts, they tell us that it’s getting cold, living in a tin box.

One constituent we’ve been working with is a single mother with three children. She has been fleeing abuse and has been identified for the special priority wait-list for subsidized housing, but there are very few three-bedroom units available. She’s waited years already and she may have years left to wait. And that’s the experience of someone that the province’s system has identified as a special priority, so what can that mean for thousands of other Ontarians on the housing wait-list? What should they expect?

While neighbours linger on the housing wait-list for decades, renting in the private market is only getting harder. Tenants in Oshawa have faced some of the highest rent increases in the province over the past 10 years. The cost of renting in my community shot up 61% between 2014 and 2023, nearly four times the government’s rent increase guideline.

People are spending more than ever to have a basic roof over their head. We deserve so much better. Housing is a human right.

This government talks about getting things done, but they’ve failed to be proactive on this fundamental issue. The housing crisis we are facing is a threat to all our communities. When hard-working people have to pinch every penny to make their rent or mortgage each month, the system is broken. If we’re going to fix this problem, it’s going to take a war-effort-level response. Governments have done it before. Many of us have wartime housing neighbourhoods in our communities. When they were built, it wasn’t a wild concept; it was leadership.

We deserve an Ontario where everyone belongs and where everyone can live a good life, notwithstanding the Premier’s desperate plan to erase homelessness and charter rights. People are desperate, and we need a plan to solve homelessness, not criminalize it. That’s what the NDP Homes Ontario plan is: a solution that meets the scale of the housing crisis we are facing. But we have to build it, so let’s get building.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I want to give a shout-out to the London Community Foundation for their recent Vital Signs Report, and the data that they included that really highlights the importance of the NDP’s motion to Londoners who are facing housing challenges. The London Community Foundation reported that as of June 30, 2024, there were over 7,200 households in our city—that’s 15,000 people—who were on the waiting list for subsidized housing in London. Meanwhile, over a three-month period, from April to June, only 80 households were placed in housing. At that rate, it will take 25 years to clear the wait-list for subsidized housing, but we know that the wait-lists are going to continue to grow.

We hear every day from people in London who are getting renoviction notices from their low-rent apartments that are being bought up by numbered companies in Toronto, throwing those seniors and people with disabilities out onto the streets.

London’s population is rapidly growing. That puts a huge stress on our existing supply. Last week, the Premier said that municipalities need to “pick up their socks” when it comes to fixing our housing crisis, but I want to tell you what’s happening in London. The city is facing a $28.5-million hole this year alone from provincial changes to development charges. The city is approving almost 10 times as many new housing units as are being constructed. Permitting is not creating new housing units.

We need a bold plan. We need a plan like Homes Ontario that is going to bring non-market actors together with the private sector to help solve the housing crisis that we are facing. The biggest log jam, we know, is the shortage of deeply affordable housing, supportive housing, and that is where non-market actors can play such a critical role.

Back to London Community Foundation: They have convened a one-of-a-kind initiative in London, Vision SoHo Alliance, that is bringing together six non-profit housing developers, jump-starting the creation of 690 units. But organizations like that can’t do it on their own. They need the provincial government as a partner, so I call on the Conservatives to support our motion.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

MPP Jamie West: I’m rising to speak in favour of Homes Ontario, our plan to build non-market housing. The reality is that people are suffering right now, and we need geared-to-income housing, we need co-op housing and we need affordable housing for people.

I am a product of socialized housing. I grew up in Sudbury housing on Cabot Street. My mom worked full-time but couldn’t afford to feed her kids. Because of that opportunity to have housing and not worry about housing, I am where I am today. This is what we talk about in helping people.

I want to share a story of a constituent who wouldn’t allow me to use her name because she’s embarrassed about how little she makes on ODSP. She’s embarrassed that she’s facing eviction on ODSP, and she’s not sure where she’s going to live or where her two children are going to live. She was one day late paying her rent, one day late because her cheque from ODSP came in one day late, and she’s facing eviction. That’s how thin the margin is for people.

We know that every year for the last seven years, there are more working people going to food banks. Pretending that housing is like fidget spinners and that if you produce enough of it, the market will glut and the price will come down, is wrong-headed and false. It takes a long time to build a house, and unless the government comes in with a program to incentivize people to build non-market housing, they’re going to build the most expensive housing that they can. The home builders of Ontario know it. I’m sure they’ve told the government this. The government is not listening, because they favour their wealthiest donors first.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Ms. Marit Stiles: I just want to start by thanking my colleagues here for their impassioned debate points and for bringing the voices of people from all across Ontario into this Legislature.

I want to say, in response to the government members opposite, it is extraordinary how this government will always make their mistakes, their failures, somebody else’s fault. They will never take responsibility. But we’re six and a half years in, and your government has failed. The Conservatives have failed to build the housing. They have failed to meet their own targets. They have failed to make life easier for Ontarians. My goodness, they spent three long years doing nothing but introducing legislation to pave over the greenbelt for their friends, rescinding it, reversing it and then getting investigated by the RCMP. Houses built: zero.

I want to say, in closing, over the last many decades, governments of all stripes have built housing—truly affordable housing for Ontarians. This is nothing new. What’s new here is that we are in the worst crisis we have seen in generations. What’s new here is that we have a government that is willing to put ideology ahead of what is right in the province of Ontario, which means building the truly affordable homes that Ontarians need.

I want to ask the government to start saying yes to providing homes for people who have no home. I want to ask them to say yes to young families who have been priced out of the housing market, who need an affordable, stable place to rent so they can save up. I want to ask them to say yes to the seniors that want to downsize and need affordable options to do so. I want them to stop saying no to Ontarians who desperately need affordable housing right now.

Stop putting the speculators and the insiders and the billionaires ahead of the people of this province. Say yes to the NDP’s plan for a Homes Ontario to build the deeply affordable homes that Ontarians desperately need.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): MPP Stiles has moved opposition day number 2. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no.

All those in favour of the motion, please say “aye.”

All those opposed, please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the nays have it.

I call in the members for a 10-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1522 to 1532.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Order. MPP Stiles has moved opposition day motion number 2. All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

• Andrew, Jill
• Armstrong, Teresa J.
• Begum, Doly
• Bell, Jessica
• Bourgouin, Guy
• Burch, Jeff
• Clancy, Aislinn
• French, Jennifer K.
• Gélinas, France

• Glover, Chris
• Harden, Joel
• Karpoche, Bhutila
• Kernaghan, Terence
• Mamakwa, Sol
• Pasma, Chandra
• Rakocevic, Tom
• Sattler, Peggy
• Shaw, Sandy

• Stevens, Jennifer (Jennie)
• Stiles, Marit
• Tabuns, Peter
• Taylor, Monique
• Vanthof, John
• Vaugeois, Lise
• West, Jamie
• Wong-Tam, Kristyn

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): All those opposed to the motion will rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

• Allsopp, Tyler
• Anand, Deepak
• Bailey, Robert
• Bethlenfalvy, Peter
• Bouma, Will
• Bresee, Ric
• Byers, Rick
• Calandra, Paul
• Cho, Raymond Sung Joon
• Cho, Stan
• Clark, Steve
• Coe, Lorne
• Crawford, Stephen
• Cuzzetto, Rudy
• Dixon, Jess
• Dowie, Andrew
• Downey, Doug
• Dunlop, Jill
• Flack, Rob
• Gallagher Murphy, Dawn

• Grewal, Hardeep Singh
• Hamid, Zee
• Hardeman, Ernie
• Hogarth, Christine
• Holland, Kevin
• Jones, Trevor
• Jordan, John
• Kerzner, Michael S.
• Kusendova-Bashta, Natalia
• Leardi, Anthony
• Lumsden, Neil
• Martin, Robin
• McCarthy, Todd J.
• McGregor, Graham
• Mulroney, Caroline
• Oosterhoff, Sam
• Parsa, Michael
• Piccini, David
• Pierre, Natalie
• Pinsonneault, Steve

• Pirie, George
• Rae, Matthew
• Romano, Ross
• Sabawy, Sheref
• Sandhu, Amarjot
• Sarkaria, Prabmeet Singh
• Sarrazin, Stéphane
• Saunderson, Brian
• Scott, Laurie
• Smith, Dave
• Smith, David
• Smith, Graydon
• Surma, Kinga
• Tangri, Nina
• Thanigasalam, Vijay
• Thompson, Lisa M.
• Tibollo, Michael A.
• Triantafilopoulos, Effie J.
• Wai, Daisy
• Williams, Charmaine A.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day): The ayes are 26; the nays are 60.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): I declare the motion lost.

Motion negatived.

Orders of the Day

Building Ontario For You Act (Budget Measures), 2024 / Loi de 2024 visant à bâtir l’Ontario pour vous (mesures budgétaires)

Resuming the debate adjourned on October 31, 2024, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 216, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes / Projet de loi 216, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à édicter et à modifier diverses lois.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): When we last debated the bill, the member from London–Fanshawe had the floor.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Thank you, Speaker. It’s an honour to rise again today and talk about the fall economic statement. We started debating this document last week, and now we’re continuing again today. Where I left off, it was—we were talking about families with children with disabilities, who are especially hard hit with respect to all the services that they need.

For three years, critical funding for social services, including the Ontario Disability Support Program, Ontario Works, the Ontario Autism Program and the children’s aid society has been frozen. Families in my riding, like Mario’s family and Bethany’s family, are waiting year after year for autism services that aren’t coming. They have lost hope.

Jess is a mother in my riding, and she has given up on the Ontario Autism Program entirely because she can’t get answers to her application. They have a system in place now where, if you call or ask a question, it’s a form response; it isn’t specific to your case. So she has given up. The wait times are so long, as I mentioned, that she’s now trying desperately a different angle, a different way to get help for her child. She’s trying to get help through the Special Services at Home funding, just to actually get some support for her son, because she is so desperate.

There are so many families who are so desperate to try to get help for their kids and therapies for their kids, quite frankly. How can we, as a government, just look these families in the eye and tell them that they just have to keep waiting? “Hang on—the next fall economic statement.” “Hang on—the next budget.” They’re tired of these excuses, and what they really need is full funding.

When we look at the fall economic statement, when it’s referring to autism—it isn’t referenced in here. There’s no reference to access to the OAP program or core service funding. So that leaves these families behind. These are children who need our help. They are so in need, and we are yet to see real action. Yes, the government has put some money into that, but you can’t just put things halfway and expect a full result.

Also, a lot of these families are waiting for housing. We just had an opposition day motion today talking about the housing crisis here in Ontario and the solutions that the NDP believes are going to be part of what the whole solving of housing can look like. It’s not just having the private sector build homes, because they’re in the business of profit.

1540

We need to make sure everyone in Ontario has access to good, affordable, safe housing. Part of that is that the Homes Ontario plan looks at the government co-operating, collaborating with different levels of government to build housing so that the families that I just talked about have access to housing.

Because this crisis keeps deepening in my community, people cannot afford the rent. It’s worth repeating right here because this is about affordability. The fall economic statement is about making people’s lives more affordable and giving people some relief. In London alone, if you want to rent a one-bedroom apartment, it’s $1,770. Imagine the kind of income you have to have just to rent a one-bedroom apartment. If you want a two-bedroom apartment, it’s $2,177. And then if you want a three-bedroom apartment, because you have a family, you’re looking at $2,607.

Think about that in the context of the fall economic statement. For people who are on low wages, that is a huge portion of what they bring home. For families who are on ODSP, it is inconceivable that they can afford to pay out of their own pocket $1,770. Seniors who are on fixed incomes and they want to downsize: Again, how can you afford $1,170? That’s just the one bedroom.

So in order for people to even get into housing, they have to make quite a bit of income per month. This is why the Homes Ontario plan is really a program that needs to be adopted by this government, because it takes into account all income levels, no matter what situation you’re at.

When people are trying to get into housing—and there are wait-lists in London, for example, 7,000 families or households are waiting for social housing—how long is that going to take? People can’t sustain that kind of cost of living.

If you actually think about what you would make on ODSP, and if you live in geared-to-income housing, which would be 30%, then there’s the cost of living, which has actually escalated. So even given 30% in a rent-geared-to-income housing situation, that doesn’t leave you a lot with today’s economy: buying food and paying for gas, utilities and insurance and a car payment. These things are out of reach for so many people. I think that’s why the Homes Ontario program is a smart solution to all the housing needs that need to happen in Ontario.

We talk about different mixes—the social housing, absolutely. We wouldn’t have social housing—unless, in the 1990s, when the NDP government had the same program. I have that in my riding, and I know that that is so helpful to so many people. I have co-operatives in my riding because of that initiative. Those things can happen again, where people get that start. When you live in co-op, that is affordable rents, non-market rents, some market rents—it’s mixed, and it gives people a leg up so that they can plan for future housing.

Speaker, it’s also a concern because when we don’t have the social housing or the non-market housing, when we have encampments—people who are in homeless situations; in London, it’s estimated there are 2,000 people who are homeless. I can tell you, people who own homes in my riding, they want to see homeless people housed. But where are they going to live if we don’t have this kind of structure in the housing fabric when we start talking about how we need to build housing for people that they can afford?

It’s a reality, what’s really going on, and I think this government is missing the opportunity to take an open mind about looking at involving themselves in the housing solution. It’s just not about the private market that’s going to solve all those problems.

If I look at the private market, right now, because of costs, the single-family home in London is, on average, $659,000. That is a 146% increase since 2014; that’s just 10 years. So, with wages not going up and the cost of living and the cost of housing, with those kinds of margins people will never be able to break through. We need to come up with more creative solutions that actually will solve the problem. I think Homes Ontario is one of those wonderful initiatives.

I spent a little too much time on the housing, because I only have five minutes left, but it’s so important, because without housing, people can’t access health care. That takes me to the topic of health care in the fall economic statement. The government has earmarked—I think it was $1 billion to health care. But all that money—is it really going to be used to deliver health care, or is it going to be used because the government took Bill 124 and took the health care workers to court? What are those costs? And because they have to pay grandfathered back wages to those workers, because they lost that case—really, what a misuse of your time and a misuse of financial money, right? It really is.

It is discouraging to Ontarians when we’re talking about how to house people and how to build affordable homes for people who are working, how to build affordable homes for people who are on ODSP, or low-income seniors, or on fixed incomes. And yet, governments find themselves that the way to use our financial coffers is to challenge workers in an unconstitutional piece of legislation, to use financial money in legal battles. That’s not the way I would want to see a government use public money and tax dollars.

Speaker, with respect to health care, I’m going to end by talking about a constituent of mine. Her name is Carolyn, and Carolyn is 79 years old. Carolyn has been waiting three years for surgery. She was diagnosed three years ago with a stage 4 prolapsed bladder. She was told at that time she needed surgery. Well, since then, she’s been waiting so long that she is now diagnosed with a stage 4 double prolapse. That means her bladder and her uterus. That is a very serious condition. She’s 79 years old. Why is there not anything in the fall economic statement about making sure that we have the doctors and the surgeons that we need so Carolyn, who’s 79 years old, doesn’t have to live in pain and discomfort?

You know what else happens when you can’t find health care and you can’t access health care services? Your mental health deteriorates. Again, the NDP, just last week on an opposition day, talked about how important mental health is. If we continue to allow these core services, these core needs—which are health care and housing—to deteriorate, we are going to have more people who are living on the street. Because if you don’t have mental health services, again, some of those things, you’re perhaps not understanding the gravity of getting—because you can’t get the help. Your situation unravels in a very ugly way.

Many people who are hurt, injured workers, I hear them calling all the time. I’m speaking to them about how, through no fault of their own if they were injured at work, they can’t get the medical help that they need. They don’t have their job anymore and they’re literally facing homelessness.

It doesn’t have to look this way in Ontario. We could have done so much better. The NDP has talked about what we would do better. Well, there are things we want to make sure that people have and one of them, of course, is, as we mentioned, the housing, which is Homes Ontario.

We talked about mental health. Mental health should be covered under OHIP. Everyone should have access to that. Your brain is part of your body and if you’re not feeling well, you need to get health care services.

I only have a minute and a half left, but even with respect to child care, Speaker, the government hasn’t put enough in the fall economic statement because halfway through, they’ve got about 86,000 spaces that they’ve gotten through. But what’s happened is, the Financial Accountability Officer has warned that, in 2022, we were actually in a shortfall of 220,000 child care spaces. Part of that is, when we’re building our spaces, we need the workforce. Again, I proposed a bill to actually have a workforce committee with specialized people on there, experts on there, so that they could let you know how to sustain the child care program, which is very important.

1550

The national child care program right now, I worry that it’s under threat, that when the federal election happens and there’s another government in place, they will dismantle that. I would like a commitment from this government to speak to their federal cousins and to ensure and get a guarantee that we will continue that national child care program so that we can build on the workforce that’s needed to take care of those children and people can go to work.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Questions?

MPP Jamie West: I want to thank the member from London–Fanshawe. During her debate on the fall economic statement, she said that Ontario families are so desperate and talked about housing and a variety of things. But the thing that really stood out to me was, there is no reference to the OAP program, there are no references to autism, there are no references to core funding for families with kids with autism.

I remember, when the Premier was running in 2018, he said that autism families will never have to protest on the front lawn of Queen’s Park. Six years later, the number of kids on the autism wait-list is somewhere north of 73,000 kids. I’m just wondering why the member thinks that the Premier would make promises like that during an election season but leave these kids and these families behind for six years?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I think that sometimes politicians say things and they don’t realize that there are repercussions to those things and people believe that, when we say something, you’re going to follow through with actions. And in this fall economic statement, there isn’t any reference to the OAP and access to OAP core service funding. That is a real issue when it comes to families who have children with autism.

I remember that statement the Premier made, but also, there was a woman who actually had her van in front of his office on a hunger strike because her child needed those autism services. That’s what it comes to. Families get so desperate when governments don’t pay attention to the needs of the children.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Next question?

Mr. Ric Bresee: I’ve listened and greatly appreciated the presentation from the member opposite. There are a number of things that you spoke about in your presentation, and of course, this being a fall economic statement, there are a huge number of things that are actually included in that statement. As I’ve said in this House before, I come from a long time in municipal politics, and one of the things that has been included in this particular fall economic statement is the increase to the OMPF funding made available to all of the small and rural municipalities. A 20% increase in that total fund will be a huge boon to the municipality. Will the member actually indicate her support for that increase?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: There are some things in the fall economic statement that are helping. I think the member from Niagara talked about ALS funding. There’s an Ontario Medical Expense Tax Credit. I don’t know how that’s going to work, but under that Ontario medical tax credit, I foresee it encouraging privatization in the health care system, and I don’t think that’s the way Ontario’s direction should go.

But with respect to your municipal increase: Cities are struggling, and they’ve asked for this government to give them some broader powers in order to create some of those economic opportunities. If this is going to help cities alleviate some of that, I certainly would support that specific part of the fall economic statement. But that doesn’t mean the whole piece of this is something that’s supportable in its entirety.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Next question?

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: In this fall economic statement, we see that—we just debated the opposition day motion, Homes Ontario, giving government a good proposal to help home building that we need in our region. It’s not just for the south because, as I can tell you—in Kapuskasing, I was talking to the mayor—we have homelessness in northern Ontario. Our winter is starting. We’ve already had snow. So the mayor was asking—we need to help to build homes, but yet their increase to the municipality is 21% for OPP services. So this $100,000 he was talking about is not cutting it. He said, “It’s not enough. We need more.”

But to get back to the housing, we propose—why would this government not listen? Because we used to do it. Conservative governments used to do this. So why is this government tellement entêté, so stubborn, in not building—

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Thank you.

Response?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I think sometimes what happens is, we get so rooted in the fact that if somebody else proposes something that’s going to help, the automatic reaction is defensiveness: “It’s not going to work.” We need to open our minds to conversations about a full solution when it comes to housing, and I believe the Homes Ontario program is essential to getting everyone housed in Ontario because people who are unhoused—it actually costs society more; it actually is not good for our economy.

Like I said, people who are housed in my neighbourhood don’t want to see people who are homeless. Even people who are housed want to see that homelessness situation resolved. I think that’s part of the problem: Political ideology gets in the way of good solutions.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Next question?

Mr. Deepak Anand: I was listening to the member, and she was talking about housing. If you really look at housing, if you start with—actually, I remember when we came to Canada and started our first home; it was in Brampton, 71 Native Landing. So there’s land, then you build the house with the materials and then the labour. If you put these things together—if you want to talk about the affordability, if you want to talk about the cost of the housing, the cost of material, if it is low, means the cost of the whole house will be low.

So I just want to ask the member: When it comes to affordability and what we’re doing through the FES by reducing the cost of the material by reducing the gas tax, what is your opinion about the carbon tax, which is actually adding to the cost of that material? If you want to support our province with affordability, with better housing prices, what’s your opinion about the carbon tax?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I understand some of the statements the government has made are about giving people $200 cheques because of the carbon tax, and they feel that this is going to make a difference to people’s lives. It’s a one-time solution. It’s $200.

I’m sure the members have heard from their constituents whether it’s a good idea or not. I know when I was out this weekend, many people said, “I’m going to be donating that to people who need it, in shelters, the homelessness programs.” That’s where this—$3 billion, Speaker. That’s where we can actually make such a difference in people’s lives.

And I’m going to say it again: People who have homes don’t want to see people on the street homeless. That $200—$3 billion—can make a difference to people who are homeless and people who actually own homes as well.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Next question?

Mr. Joel Harden: I want to thank my friend from London for her remarks.

When you were talking about how government invests, I’m contrasting that to the debate we had earlier this afternoon on the need for a new housing strategy in Ontario. As you just said, the cost of somebody being unhoused, unwell, is terrible for the person; it’s also extremely expensive for the province. I think about what you’re saying—make that investment, let the government flow funds so people can get access to affordable credit to build non-market homes—and I contrast it to just handing out $200 cheques or back-of-the-envelope estimates on a $100-billion tunnel or transit projects that can’t seem to get fixed or an entire cabinet here—the most expensive cabinet in Ontario history, over here. I don’t recognize the Conservative Party anymore. I honestly don’t recognize the Conservative Party anymore.

Can you make a final plea, please, to the folks opposite that we use the taxpayers’ money appropriately?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I think what I want to end off by saying is: Imagine that you were hurt. Imagine that you lost your job. Imagine you couldn’t continue to pay your bills. Imagine that you couldn’t access health care because you didn’t have money for medication and didn’t have benefits, and so you got evicted and you’re on the street—imagine all that.

1600

But in the end, imagine if that was you. I want the government members to really put themselves in a position of someone who went through all those tragedies and is living on the street. Imagine yourself living on the street, if you were there in that position, what would you want people in leadership positions to do to help to solve the housing crisis?

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Further debate?

Mr. Stephen Blais: I will be sharing my time this afternoon with my colleague from Ottawa South.

What can I say about the biggest spending budget of all time, the fall economic statement from this 2024 budget that will show a $6.6-billion deficit? In fact, under this Conservative government, Ontario has amassed $106 billion in new debt. That’s over 25% of Ontario’s total debt of $408 billion. So in six and a half years, this so-called Conservative government has amassed 25% of Ontario’s debt over 157 years since Confederation.

With a population of roughly 16 million people, that means every child born in Ontario will inherit about $25,000 in government debt from the moment they’re born. That’s the price of a small car. That used to be a down payment on a home in Ontario. That certainly used to be enough to pay for university in Ontario—or college. And that is the debt that every child in Ontario will inherit.

So the question has to be, what are we getting for all of this massive, record-setting debt, the highest sub-sovereign debt in the world? Well, that highest sub-sovereign debt in the world is buying two and a half million Ontarians without a family doctor. That record spending is set to see that number exceed four million Ontarians without a family doctor by 2026. That will mean one in four Ontarians won’t have access to a family doctor.

Even those Ontarians who are lucky enough to have a doctor may have to drive excessive distances and times to see them. There are 650,000 people that live more than 50 kilometres away from their family doctor and 150,000 Ontarians live 200 kilometres away from their family doctor. So the highest sub-sovereign debt in the world is buying millions of Ontarians with no family doctor at all and hundreds of thousands of our neighbours and friends who have to drive hours just to see one.

But the crisis in health care doesn’t end there—not by a long shot. There are 200,000—200,000 of our neighbours, of our friends, of our family—waiting for diagnostic or surgical procedures. For the record spending, for the massive debt, surgical wait times under this Conservative government have gone up by 48%.

On any given day, 2,000 people are getting care in hospital hallways. Now, I remember, in 2018, the Premier came to Orléans to kick off the province-wide election, and he promised to end hallway health care. But six years later, after record spending, after massive new debt—over $100 billion in new debt under this government—hallway health care is worse than before they were elected.

This hallway health care, these lengthy wait times, this crisis in the system has resulted in over $2 billion in lost economic activity. This is lost wages, this is lost productivity, this is lost spending power, all of that because the record spending—the $100 billion in new debt, the largest sub-sovereign debt in the world—isn’t focused on delivering the best health care for Ontarians.

Well, Madam Speaker, it gets worse. There is something worse than simply losing $2 billion in economic activity. There is something worse than 200,000 people waiting for surgery. There is even something worse than 2.5 million people without a family doctor. The crisis in health care, after all of this record spending and debt, has led to 11,000 Ontarians—11,000 of our neighbours, of our friends, of our family, our constituents—dying while waiting on a wait-list for a diagnostic service or a surgery. That is a crisis that could have been avoided if spending on health care was focused on those areas where it’s needed most.

Under this government, Ontario has seen enormous erosion in our economic activity. We have the highest small business taxes in the country. There are 50,000 fewer jobs in Ontario’s labour market. There are 130,000 more people in Ontario unemployed than in 2018. And Ontario lost 36,000 construction jobs and 8,000 manufacturing jobs just in the last 12 months.

And what have we seen from the government? We’ve seen them vote against cutting the HST off of home heating to provide families relief. We’ve seen them vote against cutting taxes or providing parents with a tax credit for the sports and extracurricular activities they put their children in. And we’ve seen a government be against the small business tax credit that my colleague here in the Legislature has proposed.

So, while the government is amassing record deficits, enormous spending, has created a crisis in health care, families across the province are suffering in an affordability crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen in a generation.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): I recognize the member from Ottawa South.

Mr. John Fraser: I’m glad to have the opportunity to speak to the fall economic statement and this bill.

First, I want to say, most of us watch TV, so we’ve all seen the wonderful ad that’s being produced. The government spent about $35 million on its own advertising last year. It says, “It’s where you live.” So I want to describe the other side of that coin, “It’s where you live.”

Where you live is a place where 11,000 people died on a wait-list for a diagnostic procedure or surgery; where emergency rooms—a record last year—closed; where hallway health care has doubled. Hallway health care has moved from the hallway to the parking lot, with emergency room closures and twice as many people being treated in inappropriate spaces: closets, hallways, utility rooms, places that aren’t there for people to be treated in. This is the Premier who was going to end hallway health care. That’s the Ontario that you’re living in. It’s an Ontario where we can’t get home care supplies and drugs to people who need it, who are being cared for at home—some people at the end of their lives, who need palliative medication. Because of a government decision, people weren’t getting the care or the supplies, the drugs that they needed just for some dignity at the end of their lives.

1610

And here’s the kicker—and my colleague talked about this. Here’s the Ontario that you live in: 2.5 million Ontarians don’t have a family doctor—2.5 million. That’s going to grow to 4.4 million in 2026. Of those people, 32,000 live in the Premier’s riding, Etobicoke North—32,000 people. Folks of Etobicoke North, this is where you live, and if you do the math, one in four of you—more than one in four of you—doesn’t have a family doctor. That’s the Etobicoke North that you live in.

Interjection.

Mr. John Fraser: Well, since my colleagues are so interested, Solicitor General, you have 19,000 people in your riding who don’t have a family doctor; member for Oakville North–Burlington, 17,000. The Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries—you should get some intensity around this—you have 17,000 people who don’t have a family doctor; the member from Brantford–Brant, 12,000. I mentioned the member from Etobicoke North, the Premier, 32,000; the member from Mississauga–Malton, 28,000; and the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore, 21,000. Now you’re the best out of the Etobicokes, but it’s pretty bad.

Interjection.

Mr. John Fraser: Oh, and the House leader: 25,000. The member from Essex: 13,000.

Now, I haven’t done the math on all of this, on the populations in your ridings, but whatever the math is, this is really serious.

And the member from Bay of Quinte knows it’s 39,000; 39,000 people in his riding don’t have a family doctor. That’s the Bay of Quinte that they live in.

So here’s the thing: They call it “primary care” for a reason, because it has to come first. It has to come first. And the reason it comes first is it’s pretty hard to get a diagnosis or a reference if you don’t have a family doctor. Where do you go? Emergency rooms, walk-in clinics—nobody has your history. This is a big problem.

I haven’t broken down yet—but trust me, I will—how many children don’t have a family doctor and are having to wait.

I know members on the other side don’t like to hear this. So if you don’t like to hear it, maybe the best thing to do is light a fire under the Premier’s chair and make sure that he gets his Minister of Health to do it. It’s a serious problem. It’s not one to make light of. For the life of me, I cannot understand how it could happen that for a Premier of Ontario that more than one in four people in his riding don’t have a family doctor. You’d think it would be all hands on deck. You’d think he’d have a plan. You’d think it would be like a Marshall Plan, like what happened in Europe after the war.

It’s a serious thing. There’s no plan. There’s a press release here and there.

You know, the Premier did come out and say, “We’re not going to have international students coming into our medical schools.” Well, that should take care of about 10 spaces.

All we’re simply asking for, and what we should have seen in the FES, is a plan to fix this. There is no plan. And if you don’t have your health, not much else matters.

Now, I know the government is pretty proud of their $200 cheques. And, you know what, some people are really going to be able to use those. There’s a bunch of people that—everybody will be able to use them. But I want to talk to you about a cab driver who brought me here to Queen’s Park. He came here from Afghanistan about 10 years ago. He works 12 to 15 hours a day, seven days a week. He’s got four kids; he never sees them. He says to me in the cab, “Look, it’s not that I can’t get ahead. It’s not that I can’t keep my head above water. It’s just that I can’t catch up.” Yes, that $200 is going to help him buy the groceries next week, but not the week after. It will help him pay the rent next month, but not the month after. It might help him buy his kids winter coats, but not their winter boots.

People need a lasting solution. They need permanent solutions. And the cynicism of the $200 is not about the politics of it or buying elections or buying votes, it’s, to the people who really need it, literally teasing them: “Here’s something. It’s not going to fix your problem, but here it is.” That’s their problem with it. That’s why people are cynical. Two hundred dollars will help you buy your groceries this week, not next week. It will help you pay your rent this month, not next month. It will help you buy your kids winter boots, but not their coats.

They need permanent solutions, not trinkets and baubles. Sure, it’s going to help them, but you’re not giving them what they need.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Questions?

Mr. Deepak Anand: One of the best days of the year is Halloween, when I see the young men and young kids, men and women, as [inaudible].

I have two of my own children. I know there are families who want kids, and there are families who hoped not to have kids, but then there’s a third type, who want kids and do not have kids.

Madam Speaker, this is a government which is for the people. We are introducing a new tax credit to cover for 25% of eligibility fertility treatment, which will nearly triple the number of government-funded IVF cycles available to those individuals who face a challenge in making a dream a reality—to build a family. So my question is very simple. You have a chance to stand up and support those Ontarians. Are you going to support this fall economic statement?

Mr. John Fraser: I worked with a government that brought in the funding for IVF, so, yes, I think I’m supportive of it. But the thing I’m not supportive of is the fact that 28,000 people in your riding, sir, don’t have a family doctor; they’re looking for one. What are you doing for them? It makes it hard for me to support you—when you’re not taking care of the thing that’s most basic and most primary, which is for them to get a family doctor. That’s 28,000 people, sir—28,000—that’s probably close to one in four; it’s probably like the Premier’s riding. It’s a big problem. I’m trying to make a point.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Next question?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: My question is for the member from Orléans.

You are right; this government has increased the net debt by $100 billion. They actually have a per capita loan of $26,000—you said $24,000, but it’s even higher than that: $26,600, for every man, woman and child.

So, clearly, this government is spending big. They’re spending $100 billion on a fantasy tunnel. They’ve spent almost $1 billion to support a luxury spa at Ontario Place. And now they’re going to spend $3 billion to give cheques for $200 that most people understand is nothing but an election buy-off.

We just finished a debate on Homes Ontario—the bill that we proposed. I noticed you didn’t participate in the debate or vote on it. Do you not think it’s important that we support and spend money on homes in this province; not just on these giveaways for this government?

Mr. Stephen Blais: I’m always happy to talk about the record irresponsible spending and massive debts of this so-called Conservative government, which has driven Ontario’s debt up by more than 25% in only six and a half years. Their spending priorities are not the priorities that I would have. They’re not investing in the kinds of health care services, education services and infrastructure services that I would like to see in Orléans or in Ottawa or, truly, across the province.

In fact, I believe there are something like six pages of transit investments in this fall economic statement and not a single mention of the city of Ottawa—in six pages of transit investments, in the fall economic statement.

Yes, I believe there is a role for government to play in encouraging the creation of new homes and investing in housing.

Unfortunately, I personally didn’t have the money available to pay to access the NDP plan on their website, which is one of the reasons why I abstained from voting on that today.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): The member from Timiskaming–Cochrane has a point of order.

Mr. John Vanthof: Thank you for your indulgence, Speaker.

I’d like to welcome the students from Iroquois Falls Secondary School here, all the way from Iroquois Falls in my riding.

Thanks a lot for making the trip.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Pursuant to standing order 50(c), I am now required to interrupt the proceedings and announce that there have been six and a half hours of debate on the motion for second reading of this bill. This debate will therefore be deemed adjourned unless the government House leader directs the debate to continue.

Government House leader.

Mr. Steve Clark: Speaker, please adjourn the debate.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Orders of the day? Government House leader.

Mr. Steve Clark: No further business, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): There being no further business, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow morning, 9 a.m.

The House adjourned at 1620.