My question today is for the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Ontario’s Great Lakes help make our province a great place to live—and I’ve had such a privilege to live steps from Lake St. Clair growing up, and even today. The resources of the Great Lakes provide us with drinking water, energy, food, and recreational opportunities. It is of the utmost importance that we continue to protect, conserve and restore the health of the Great Lakes and support the well-being of communities that rely on them now and for generations to come.

Our government understands that for Ontario’s Indigenous communities, the Great Lakes hold deep spiritual and traditional significance. Respecting and recognizing traditional knowledge will only help in strengthening our shared understanding of the Great Lakes.

Can the minister please explain how our government is collaborating with Indigenous leaders to help protect and restore our Great Lakes?

The petition I’m about to read is entitled “Protect the Greenbelt and Repeal Bills 23 and 39.” It reads, “To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Bills 23 and 39 are the Ford government’s latest attempt to remove protected land from the greenbelt, allowing wealthy developers to profit over bulldozing over 7,000 acres of farmland;

“Whereas green spaces and farmland are what we rely on to grow our food, support natural habitats, prevent flooding, and mitigate from future climate disasters with Ontario losing 319.6 acres of farmland daily to development;

“Whereas the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force found there are plenty of places to build homes without destroying the greenbelt, showcasing that Bill 23 was never about housing but about making the rich richer;

“Whereas the power of conservation authorities will be taken away, weakening environmental protections, and preventing future development;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately repeal Bills 23 and 39, stop all plans to further remove protected land from the greenbelt and protect existing farmland in the province by passing the NDP’s Protecting Agricultural Land Act.”

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