I would like to thank the member from Mississauga–Malton for his presentation. I’d also like to remind the member that the Conservative government got rid of rent control on new rental buildings first occupied after November 2018. I have heard from many tenants, as I’m sure the member from Mississauga–Malton has as well.

My question is two: What do you say to your constituents who face these massive rental increases, and how do you justify removing protections from your constituents?

I would like to thank my colleague from Toronto Centre for their excellent presentation. The member makes a very, very important point, that there are businesses across this province—certainly many businesses in my riding—that have called on all of us as legislators to deal with the problem, the crisis of homelessness, and to make sure that people who are unhoused get access to housing and that they have the mental health and other wraparound services that are needed.

My question to the member is, given that the homelessness crisis is getting worse—the municipalities of Hamilton and, I believe, Ottawa have passed motions declaring a state of emergency on the homelessness crisis—what action can the government take today to address this issue?

I want to thank the member for Toronto Centre for her remarks. This is, I would say, an area that I don’t see a lot of in my riding. I definitely have buildings, but I haven’t run into the same scale.

I know, just last fall, I believe it was the member for University–Rosedale who mentioned that the government had removed rental replacement bylaws as part of Bill 23. Looking at Bill 97, it doesn’t look like that’s true, because it’s right there. The enhanced protections for tenants are there and it allows the government to expand rules around tenant compensation in our communities. So I’m wondering if you can elaborate on this point. I see a bit of a disconnect.

Thank you very much to the member across for the question. The challenge that we have is that there are some municipalities that have already strong and stronger rental replacement bylaws, and what the government is proposing in this bill actually is less than what some municipalities have. The city of Toronto has had a rental replacement bylaw empowered by the previous governments so that we can develop our own, so we can meet the needs of Torontonians. This bill actually is going to undo that or looks like it’s going to muddy those waters.

As you try to lift the boats around other municipalities in Ontario, you’re actually sinking the tenant protections in Toronto. That’s certainly something that needs to be clarified and fixed at committee, and I really urge you to do that because it’s going to make a huge difference in the communities that I serve and, I suspect, in the communities that you serve as well.

Businesses and BIAs and the most prominent downtown business owners are all calling on the government—this government, in particular—to lead. They know that municipalities can’t do it themselves, which is why the biggest cities in Ontario have called on this government to convene a meeting with the Premier to specifically address homelessness, mental health and addictions. And as far as I know, that meeting with the Premier has never taken place.

Questions?

Thank you for the opportunity to answer this question. The NDP housing platform is on the website. There’s a lot in there. I can’t get into it all in less than 30 seconds, but what I can offer you is this: The province of Ontario used to be in the housing business. You used to fund and support the construction of co-ops. The Mike Harris government actually downloaded the provincial housing portfolio onto the city of Toronto, and now we operate it as something known as Toronto Community Housing. But you left us with a massive capital deficit and reduced operating costs. You’ve shirked off your responsibility.

What I’m saying and what the business community in Toronto is saying is let’s get back to business and build affordable housing for those who deeply need it. Governments have a responsibility, and you have the power to end chronic homelessness. This is something that can be done—and it can be done. Finland has done it, so we can follow their lead.

We have proposed the creation of an Ontario housing corporation that will build and finance about 250,000 units of housing right here in Ontario over the next 10 years. It’s going to be subsidized and it’s affordable. We’re going to need some support, but that support starts by this government putting their money where their mouth is, so therefore we can then go to the federal government and they can take us seriously by saying, “We’re in it for this much money to meet these targets. How can you support us?”

I appreciated the comments from my colleague and her perspective on the Toronto housing crisis. I wondered what would be the one thing she would like to see the government do that would actually protect tenants in this province—

As we all know, this government has introduced four pieces of legislation towards our plan to build more homes in Ontario. But we still haven’t seen the NDP plan, nor has any member of the NDP taken an opportunity to outline their alternative plan. Now, I asked the question of a different NDP member. I’ll offer the same question to this NDP member: You proposed to have a government-run corporation to build homes. It’s your idea. What does your corporation look like and how is it going to operate?

Question?

We’re going to do further debate.

Madam Speaker, we know that this housing crisis has been a long time in coming. We know that there are a lot of people coming into this country, coming into this province—because this is the best place to live in this country. And we know that that is being supported by the federal government bringing in more and more immigrants to this country and to this province. That’s a wonderful thing.

But we also know that the federal government is not providing its fair share when it comes to providing core housing. Right now, the federal government is being propped up by the NDP. So the NDP in this House, with their connection to their federal counterparts, are in a great position to support the government and to support our request to call for the federal government to provide the $480-million shortfall to provide for homelessness in this province. Will this member support that request?

It’s a pleasure to be here and be able to speak on Bill 97, Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023. I’d like to recognize and thank for their hard work on this bill the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Associate Minister of Housing and the parliamentary assistant to municipal affairs and housing as well. Thank you for all your work in putting through this legislation.

I would like to address our government’s proposed legislation to support our much-needed housing supply action plan. Our proposals are crucial to our government’s work to get housing built that Ontarians desperately need. That’s why I’m pleased to be part of a government that is acting so strongly to support the building of more homes across all areas of Ontario and deliver on our commitment to see 1.5 million new homes by 2031.

Our housing supply action plans have made significant progress in addressing our province’s housing crisis, but more needs to be done. Together, we will continue to work diligently to ensure a brighter and more secure housing future for all Ontarians.

Our most recent housing supply action plan is the latest in a series of steps our government has taken to increase housing supply and help more Ontarians find a home they can actually afford. Our policies from More Homes Built Faster: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan provide the growth work for growth, by reducing the bureaucratic costs and red tape that are delaying construction and pushing home prices even higher, by promoting and building up near transit and reforming zoning to create more gentle density, and protecting homebuyers and utilizing provincial lands to build more attainable homes.

Over the past four years, our government has introduced dozens of new policies under our three housing supply action plans. More Homes, More Choice, in 2019, More Homes for Everyone and More Homes Built Faster, both in 2022. These have helped substantially increase housing supply starts in recent years. Our past legislation has seen major support from stakeholders and is moving towards providing Ontario with more affordable housing.

Bryan Keshen, CEO of Reena agrees in his quote, if I could: “Reena is looking forward to working with the minister on the implementation of this transformative legislation, ensuring that deeply affordable housing will become a reality. By creating waivers of development charges, fees, charges and levies on non-profit affordable housing projects, Ontario is setting the stage for more affordable housing to be built for all Ontarians.”

Yet for too many Ontarians, finding the right home is too challenging. It’s difficult for young people eager to raise a family in a community of their choosing; for newcomers ready to put their roots down and start a new life; for seniors looking to downsize but wanting to stay near their family and loved ones. We are facing a critical issue in our province that requires immediate attention—the growing need for housing.

Ontario is projected to grow by almost 5.6 million people by 2046. The GTA alone is expected to be home to 2.9 million of those people. The greater Golden Horseshoe generates more than 25% of Canada’s gross domestic product and serves as the economic engine for not only Ontario but all of Canada. This growth in population will result in increased demand for major infrastructure investments, the renewal of aging infrastructure and the need to address deficits associated with growth. More growth and more people will also affect traffic congestion, resulting in delays in the movement of people and goods that could cost billions of dollars in lost GDP every year.

Also, the impact of globalization is transforming the regional economy at a rapid pace, making long-term planning for employment more uncertain. This is why we need Bill 97, Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023. This bill will help tackle these pressing issues. It will also ensure that we can get homes built; homes that we desperately need now and into the future.

It’s critical that builders and developers have a clear and streamlined set of rules to follow in our province. In response, our government has proposed this new legislation as part of a comprehensive housing supply action plan.

First, we are proposing a new land use planning policy document which will streamline Ontario’s land use planning rules and encourage the development of more housing. This will make it easier for builders and developers to navigate regulations and get the necessary approvals to build homes for Ontarians.

Second, we are investing $6.5 million to appoint additional adjudicators. This will improve service standards and reduce decision time frames at the Landlord and Tenant Board. This will support both renters and landlords in navigating the rental market.

Third, we are implementing measures to protect renters and homebuyers, such as expanding the deposit insurance for first-home savings accounts and exploring a cooling-off period for newly built freehold homes. This will ensure that Ontarians have access to affordable housing options and the necessary financial protections.

Fourth, we are working on reducing the cost of building housing. We are freezing 74 provincial fees at current levels. This will help lower overall construction costs and accelerate housing development.

Our government is committed to addressing the housing supply crisis in Ontario by streamlining regulations, supporting infrastructure investments and providing financial protections for both renters and homebuyers. By working together, we can create a brighter future for our province and ensure that all Ontarians have access to the homes they need.

We are currently seeking input on a proposed new land use policy document that would streamline Ontario’s land use planning rules and encourage more housing. We are also proposing several changes to further protect renters while supporting landlords.

There are challenges and factors beyond our control, notably interest rates. Recently, they were increased by another 25 basis points to 4.5%, the highest level since 2007. Our government, however, remains focused on our long-term plan to create the right conditions so that when the economy does pick up, our housing market will also start to pick up. We are working with the private sector to remove barriers on the construction of new homes, streamlining approvals and reducing government costs and delays. Through our Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants plan, we are making it more affordable and incenting the building of homes. We are also eliminating development-related charges for affordable housing units, not-for-profit housing, affordable inclusionary zoning units and select attainable units.

Simone Swail, manager of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, also had some commentary on this bill. “The commitment to waive development charges for all affordable housing developments will have a tangible and positive impact on the ability to develop new affordable co-op homes in Ontario. We also look forward to engaging with the province in order to reduce the property tax burden on affordable housing providers, including co-ops.”

We recognize the importance of addressing the housing crisis and are committed to creating and maintaining a robust housing supply here in Ontario. We will continue to collaborate with municipalities and the private sector to ensure that our province can meet the housing needs of our growing population.

In summary, Speaker, if passed, Bill 97, Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023, would support renters, strengthen homebuyer protections, reduce the costs of building a new home, streamline the rules around land use planning and encourage the development of more housing. So I proudly support Bill 97, Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023. This legislation will help the residents of Ontario and my community in Oakville.

With that, Speaker, I move that the question be now put.

Mr. Crawford has moved that the question be now put. There has been nine hours of debate on this bill. I am satisfied that there has been sufficient debate to allow this question to be put to the House.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry?

I declare the motion carried.

Mr. Clark has moved second reading of Bill 97, An Act to amend various statutes with respect to housing and development.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry?

The motion is carried.

Second reading agreed to.

Orders of the day.

Report continues in volume B.

I’d like to refer it to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy, please.