The Ontario government is investing an additional $202 million annually in the province’s Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program. This new funding builds on the government’s investment of nearly $4.4 billion over the past three years to grow and enhance community and supportive housing.

As part of this funding, the region of Durham will be receiving $18.6 million. This is an increase of more than $7.1 million, or about 62% over the last year. Durham Regional Chair John Henry, who participated in a recent announcement made by Durham-based government members, had this to say: “This investment will help fund supportive housing programs, community outreach services and housing-focused shelter programs ... critical supports” that “address the needs of Durham region’s vulnerable residents.”

Once again, Durham-based government MPPs are standing up for residents in the region of Durham.

I can’t believe some of the lines of questioning we get from the New Democratic Party, given the fact that we’ve increased our Homelessness Prevention Program by $202 million—and in the city of Toronto, by an additional $48 million. We continue to work with our service managers, and we continue to work with the federal government.

It’s interesting that this member asks a question about a cost-shared program under the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, as part of the National Housing Strategy. This member and his party refused to stand up for tenants and citizens in asking for our fair share of federal dollars. We’re being shortchanged $490 million by the federal government, and the NDP continue to sit on their hands.

Again, we put a plan in place that has seen, in the last two years, a record amount of purpose-built rental construction in our province, something that every community, no matter what corner of the province you’re in—we need more purpose-built rentals. What have we seen? Last year, 15,000 new purpose-built rental starts, and the year before, over 13,000—the highest we’ve seen since the mid-1980s. Again, we continue to work with our municipal partners, we continue to put a plan in place.

I want to remind this member—the NDP have sort of amnesia when they come to the House. Here’s a party that continues to vote against all of the housing support that we give. They want high fees, high taxes on our non-profits and our affordable housing—