My question is for the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. My constituents of Newmarket–Aurora, as well as many individuals and families across our province, hold a deep affection for Ontario’s provincial parks. Despite the challenges of the past few years, Ontario parks have remained a cherished destination for Ontarians seeking to escape and unwind, surrounded by the natural beauty of our great province. Visitation rates to Ontario parks have reached unprecedented levels, and this trend shows no sign of slowing.

Unfortunately for those living in more urban areas, it can be challenging for individuals and families to access these parks for a much-needed day in nature. Speaker, what measures is our government taking to expand recreational opportunities for all Ontarians?

Thank you very much for that answer, but obviously 8 Dawes Road fell through the cracks because nothing happened there.

In front of me now I have the report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force. The task force is comprised of industry leaders and experts. They consulted with stakeholders, including municipalities and advocacy groups, to develop the report.

In appendix C, Government Surplus Land, the following point is made: “All future government land sales, whether commercial or residential, should have an affordable housing component of at least 20%”—in your own report.

My question to the Premier is, what is the point? What is the point of creating reports if you do not take the sound advice of experts? And will you take a bolder and gutsier approach to affordable housing by requiring 20% of newly built units to be affordable? And if you need a backbone, I’m happy to give you an injection.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Housing. Many communities across our province have too many individuals and families experiencing housing instability. The factors contributing to homelessness and poverty are complex and need to be addressed with comprehensive, innovative, long-term strategies that help our most vulnerable.

In my riding of Brantford–Brant, we have a number of incredible resources and supports for those who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. I am incredibly proud of the work that these agencies undertake to deliver in providing help for individuals, families and Indigenous communities, but there is more that should be done, and can be done, for them.

Speaker, can the associate minister please explain how our government’s investments into local programs will support housing and homelessness prevention services in my community of Brantford–Brant?

Under the previous Liberal government, the shortage of affordable housing worsened and community supports were lacking. Communities like my riding were unfortunately overlooked by the previous Liberal government, and my constituents are rightly concerned about the impact that their inactions have had on this serious situation. Ontarians deserve a government that is focused on tackling the supply crisis and providing a comprehensive approach to increase the supply of supportive and affordable housing for the most vulnerable.

Speaker, can the associate minister please explain how our government is continuing to make progress in supporting communities to ensure that resources are available for those who need it most?

I want to thank the member from Brantford–Brant for the tireless work that he does, and for this important question.

Our government is committed to providing the resources they need to combat homelessness and poverty. We are investing an additional $1.8 million into that community, bringing the total amount of provincial funding to almost $7 million, a nearly 34% increase, Speaker. This money will be used to fund the Homelessness Prevention Program and the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program, which will provide substantial support to those who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of being homeless.

Our government recognizes the critical relationship between housing supply and homelessness, and that’s why we’re working to ensure that all Ontarians have access to affordable housing and safe housing, no matter where they live.

We’re working with the 29 largest and fastest-growing municipalities to increase housing density around major transit station areas and other priority growth areas like the downtown.

We’re working hard to ensure that all residents have access to the resources they need and we’re committed to providing municipalities with the tools that they require to do so. Since being appointed associate minister I’ve been meeting people in many communities, talking to our great members from this caucus from all of these regions. The consensus is clear: Unlike the previous Liberal government, who neglected communities like Brantford–Brant, we recognize that every community in Ontario deserves the same opportunity to grow and to prosper.

Under the leadership of this Premier and this minister, our government is investing billions of dollars into transit and infrastructure as we accelerate the construction of new homes in all parts of the province. And, Speaker, we’re going to get it done.

The supplementary question.

I would like to ask the member opposite, who sat on city council for many years, why the city didn’t lead the way in building a TOC program. It was this government that led the way in terms of tying housing to transit development opportunities across the city of Toronto and Yonge North.

Mr. Speaker, we are making great progress. We are building more housing, including attainable and affordable housing opportunities along our subway line, but we’re not stopping there. We are doing a very thorough analysis of all of our GO stations within the greater Toronto and Hamilton area to see where other opportunities exist.

We announced East Harbour, for example, as well as Mimico. Mimico, actually, was a station that the former previous government spoke about but never got done.

Mr. Speaker, this was a government in action, and we will build housing and community benefits that come along with it.

Since coming to power, this government has cut education funding in Ontario by $1,200 per student in real terms. Thanks to this underfunding, school boards are currently scrambling to plan cuts. Teachers and education workers are burning out, and a growing number of classrooms have unqualified educators present. Kids are going without vital supports.

In the midst of this crisis, the Premier thinks that increasing funding for education by only 0.8% is sufficient when the government’s own projection for inflation this year is 3.6%. Why does the Premier believe developers and highways should get billions, but kids should get cuts?

The crisis in education is creating a downward spiral where impossible working conditions are burning out teachers and education workers, who are leaving the profession, making the working conditions even worse for those who remain. We now have 40,000 teachers in Ontario who are registered with the college but not teaching in one of our schools.

Meanwhile, the number of unqualified teachers in classrooms is growing. How does the Premier think this is going to help kids catch up?

I appreciate the question from the member opposite, and I appreciate her advocacy for increased recreational opportunities for Ontarians.

Speaker, I was proud to stand on Earth Day alongside the MPP for Pickering–Uxbridge, who has been a strong champion for the outdoors and the environment, to announce Ontario’s first-ever urban provincial park. This is also the first provincial park the province of Ontario is announcing in over 40 years.

Ontarians in the GTHA, Speaker, we know, don’t always have equal access to Ontario’s green spaces, unlike those living in other areas of the province. That’s why our government is working hard to bring more opportunities for all Ontarians to enjoy the great outdoors. As the trail capital of Ontario, Uxbridge is an ideal location, and I thank the many partners, who I’ll elaborate on in the supplementary, who joined us—

I want to thank all the partners who joined us on Earth Day for that announcement, who we’ve been working for years with to make Saturday possible. I’d like to thank Mayor Barton, first and foremost, from the town of Uxbridge; he has been a champion, working alongside our member. I’d like to thank regional chair John Henry. I’d like to thank John MacKenzie from the TRCA; Rob Baldwin from the Lake Simcoe conservation authority; the chair of our Protected Areas Working Group, Peter Kendall, who was there; the Nature Conservancy of Canada; the Schad Foundation; Earth Rangers; local high school students who were there. Speaker, this is what partnership looks like.

In closing, a special thank-you to John MacKenzie, whose legacy land donation helped make this possible. It’s important to note that legacy land donors like John—we’ve enabled them to protect these areas for generations to come, thanks to the Greenlands Conservation Partnership, which this minister increased for a historic $14 million in funding in the budget. It’s one of the reasons we’ve protected four times that of the previous government since the last election, and we’re going to continue protecting these crown jewels for generations to come.

My question is for the Premier. A constituent named Kathy contacted my office after she was placed in a stock closet while receiving cancer treatment at a hospital in Hamilton. Before this, she was in the hallway awaiting discharge, which didn’t happen. Kathy does not blame the staff, because she knows they have no choice. She is upset because this has become a solution in Ontario under this government.

Speaker, why does the Premier find it acceptable to funnel money into the private sector while our public health care system is under such strain that cancer patients are being treated in closets?

The solution isn’t complicated, Speaker. Will this government prioritize funding of our public health care system, or will they continue to divert public dollars into personal profits?

I want to thank my colleague the member from Newmarket–Aurora for her hard work on behalf of her constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t think I need to remind Ontarians about the disastrous legacy of the previous Liberal government—supported by the NDP, of course—that helped drive over 300,000 jobs out of the province and businesses that were leaving. Thanks to the efforts this government, Mr. Speaker, we are changing all of that. It’s our efforts—through 10 different pieces of legislation, we have helped reduce the cost for businesses to do business annually by about $700 million.

Mr. Speaker, it’s no secret why over 85,000 new businesses were registered in the province of Ontario last year alone. Businesses are taking notice right around the world; they are making the investments in our province. We are creating the conditions for them to thrive, which ultimately helps our province and every single resident in the province thrive.

I hope the member opposite shared with Kathy the 50-plus investments that we are making through the Infrastructure Ontario ministry to either build, expand or renovate 50 different hospital builds, including in Niagara region.

We talk about the need for ensuring that health care services are available in community. How do we do that, Speaker? We make sure that we have facilities that are exceptional so that the services continue to be provided, and we make investments on the health human resources side, which of course we are also doing with historic investments working with the Minister of Colleges and Universities—the largest increase in nursing students and health human resources historically in Ontario.

Thank you very much.

The supplementary question?

Thank you to the minister for that great answer and for your work, because I was so excited to see that on Saturday. The creation of the first urban provincial park in Uxbridge is a monumental achievement, particularly for those residing in the greater Toronto area.

With more and more individuals and families attending our provincial parks, it is necessary that our government respond and expand opportunities for access. Not only do Ontario parks serve a vital role in supporting scientific research and protecting our province’s biodiversity, they also provide recreational activities, tourism and so much more.

Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on plans for this proposed park and how it will benefit Ontario?

Speaker, can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to help businesses remain competitive?

I’d just like to take this opportunity to wish a very happy birthday to somebody today, our deputy Premier.

Deferred vote on the motion that the question now be put on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 98, An Act to amend various Acts relating to education and child care / Projet de loi 98, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne l’éducation et la garde d’enfants.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the member for Brampton North for all of his great work and advocacy for the city of Brampton. Let’s look at this government’s record under the leadership of Premier Ford for the city of Brampton. The members opposite voted against a new hospital for the city, the largest health care investment that the city of Brampton will be getting. The members opposite voted against a new medical school for the city of Brampton. The members opposite voted against a new highway, the Highway 413, that will be made for the residents of the city of Brampton and for Peel region, Mr. Speaker.

Every step of the way, this government has brought significant investments to the people of Brampton, to the city of Brampton. We’ve brought billions of dollars in economic development, a new Stellantis plant that is going to be built in Brampton. The members opposite voted against that.

We will continue to build Brampton into the great city it is, and we’re truly grateful to have new members, from the member of Brampton North—

The ayes are 76; the nays are 35.

It’s my honour to introduce Nathan and Sophie Skoufis, who are in the west members’ gallery. They’re the owners of Guelph Family Martial Arts. Nathan is a sixth-degree black belt. He’s been a member of Team Canada’s kickboxing team since 2007 and he’s a 24-time world champion for Canada.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies intimate partner violence as a major global public health concern, as it affects millions of people and can result in immediate and long-lasting health, social and economic consequences; and

“Whereas other Canadian provinces including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have passed legislation on the disclosure of intimate-partner violence history, to protect citizens from domestic violence; and

“Whereas the disclosure mechanisms outlined in Clare’s Law would be an additional tool for police services to prevent intimate partner violence; and

“Whereas over 43,786 people, as of April 19, 2023, have signed the petition ‘Justice for Bobbi: Adopt Clare’s Law in Ontario’ on change.org; and

“Whereas people at risk of potential harm have the right to be informed of their intimate partner’s violent past—if the partner was a repeat offender of domestic violence;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To urge the government of Ontario to adopt mechanisms for disclosure outlined in Clare’s Law—whereby information relating to intimate-partner-violence convictions can be used to assess risk of and prevent harm for intimate partner violence.”

I was proud to bring that motion forward, and I’m very proud to sign this petition.

I’m pleased to introduce this petition: “Protect the Greenbelt.

“Whereas the government has removed 7,400 acres of land from the greenbelt...;

“Whereas the government Housing Affordability Task Force found there are plenty of spaces to build homes without destroying the greenbelt;

“Whereas the government’s repeated moves to tear up farmland and bulldoze wetlands have never been about housing, but are about making the rich richer...;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to stop all plans to remove protected land from the greenbelt and protect existing farmland and sensitive wetlands.”

I agree with this petition. I signed it and I give it to page Sanskrati for submission.