Back to the Premier: Those stats should be concerning to any government, and it’s the result of a health care crisis. This crisis, fuelled by the government’s disrespect of front-line health care workers, has created those significant off-load delays in our hospital. Niagara deserves to be refunded the $1.7 million of taxpayer dollars that have gone into the off-load delays. We can’t continue to go down this road. Three of Niagara’s hospitals consistently rank in the bottom quarter of off-load times.

Speaker, with the local leaders from Niagara here today, will the Premier listen to their solutions and commit to ensuring long-term solutions to EMS off-load delays immediately?

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do.

I am seeking unanimous consent that, notwithstanding standing order 40(e), five minutes be allotted to the independent members as a group to respond during statements by the ministry and responses today.

My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Entrepreneurs and companies choose to plant their roots in communities in southwestern Ontario for many reasons. With a talented workforce and ample opportunities, there’s no shortage of reasons why it’s one of the best places to operate and grow a business.

With billions of dollars in investment that the government has been attracting across the province, my constituents want to know that they’re also getting a fair deal and that the government is there to help their business stay competitive. Speaker, can the minister explain what our government is doing to support businesses, namely manufacturers, in Ontario communities?

Beyond attracting the world’s investments, we need to ensure conditions are right for our own local businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed here at home. Speaker, can the minister further elaborate on how our government is supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs to start and grow?

Thank you very much for that question. In an article in Wawatay News, MPP Sol Mamakwa stated, “I think TKG is an example of what working together can look like. We can prosper together on some of the spinoffs happening in the work in northern Ontario.”

John Glover, the CEO of Minodahmun Development LP: “It’s all about three First Nations who have shared territory coming together to create a business that benefits all three communities. We’re very involved in the mining sector and the heavy construction sector.”

We couldn’t agree more, Mr. Speaker, and that is why we’re so disappointed the NDP and the Liberals did not support our bill. This is exactly what the Building More Mines Act is about: It’s about government working more efficiently so mining companies can create lasting partnerships with Indigenous communities and economic development for entire regions in the north.

To the Premier: After the passing of a beloved physician, countless seniors, like Debbie Clark’s 89-year-old mother, are struggling to find care amid a shortage of 100 family doctors in Niagara. Despite reaching out to 50 clinics, the Clark family have found no relief. Our overworked, aging doctors cannot bear this burden alone. To alleviate this strain on hospitals and EMS, we urgently need increased support for doctor recruitment in Niagara region.

Speaker, to the Premier: Will you commit to reviewing and enhancing this crucial aid, ensuring our seniors have access to essential care when they need it the most?

Last week, the Premier made very concerning statements about mining projects in the north, specifically the Ring of Fire. We know these projects cannot proceed without the free, prior and informed consent of First Nations. When the Premier says the Ring of Fire is going to get built without that consent, it will lead to conflict.

Why does the Premier think this is the right way to move forward?

Speaker, if First Nations come to a consensus that they do not want mining in their territories, then that needs to be respected. If this government gets told “no” by First Nations, will they respect that?

Interjections.

The member opposite is completely acknowledging that the status quo is not appropriate. With the passage of Bill 60, we now have as-of-right in the province of Ontario. What does as-of-right mean? It means that if you are a practising physician or clinician in any other Canadian jurisdiction and you have a job in Ontario, you can practise immediately and not have to delay.

It is our government, Speaker, that has now put in place two new medical schools in Brampton and in Scarborough. What does that mean? It means that we are planning ahead unlike, respectfully, the members from the NDP and the Liberals who actually cut residency spots. We now are facing 250 less physicians who are practising in the province of Ontario because of the previous work of the NDP and the Liberal government.

We’re getting it done. We’re making those changes.

The final supplementary? The member for St. Catharines.

To reply, the Minister of Mines.

Once again, I’m going to remind members to refer to each other by their riding name or their ministerial title, as applicable, not by their personal name.

Start the clock. The next question.

Speaker, we all know that Ontario communities are the most competitive places to invest and grow. By lowering the cost of business by $8 billion every year, we have attracted record investments here into Ontario.

Just last week, Trusscore in Palmerston announced a $10-million investment in a manufacturing facility. They make a unique, sustainable PVC-based wall and ceiling panel, which is a really modern replacement for traditional drywall. With a $1.5-million investment from the province, they’re adding 68 good-paying jobs. Speaker, Ontario has attracted $1 billion in new investments like that one from Trusscore through our Regional Development Program. This is the commitment we make to the people of southwestern Ontario.

But our government has reversed all of that. We’ve eliminated red tape, lowered hydro rates and reduced the taxes that the Liberals and NDP piled on, sending those businesses running. We’ve attracted record levels of investments and jobs—$25 billion in auto investments, $3 billion in life sciences, and billions more in the tech sector. And we’re also helping entrepreneurs with support from our regional innovation centres, found all through Ontario, and our small business centres, found in most Ontario communities. Speaker, this is exactly what businesses and entrepreneurs needed to turn their dream into jobs.

My question is to the Premier. Stellantis is now reconsidering their battery plant deal in Windsor. Thousands of new jobs are on the line. They’ve actually stopped construction.

The impact that this will have on my community is significant. The union representing these workers has successfully bargained in these investments, but they need all levels of government to use every tool they have to secure this investment. We can’t sit by idly and watch more good-paying auto jobs leave this province or, more specifically, my area.

What is the Premier doing to ensure that this deal does not fall through?

I’ve actually stood in this Legislature several times as the wife of an auto worker and told this government you need to give credit to the workers instead of taking it all for yourselves—

Interjection.

Interjection.

Interjections.

Interjections.

What specifically is the Premier going to do to support Windsor workers and ensure we don’t lose this investment?

All of Ontario’s tribunals are in crisis. Since the Conservatives formed government in 2018, the Landlord and Tenant Board backlog has grown threefold to 38,000 people, the Human Rights Tribunal’s has grown twofold to 9,000 people and the Licence Appeal Tribunal’s has grown fourfold to over 16,204 persons.

How many more scathing Ombudsman’s reports does the Premier need to have on his desk before he takes immediate action to reduce the horrendous backlog by depoliticizing the appointment process and reinstating in-person hearings, as recommended by legal experts?

Speaker, we’ve been back in this Legislature for almost a year, and we’ve not had one question asked of us—not a peep—about how we landed $25 billion in auto investments here in Ontario, not one question on how we landed that $5-billion deal with Stellantis and what our commitment was.

Well, I will tell you, we have a signed agreement with Stellantis which we are honouring to the letter. It’s the same deal we made with Volkswagen, for your information. But now it’s up to the federal government to honour their commitment to Stellantis and the workers in Windsor.

But I will tell you, Speaker: We have a signed agreement with Stellantis which we are honouring to the letter, and we encourage the federal government to live up to the commitment they made to—

Interjections.

I thank my colleague for the question. Zero-emission technology is the way of the future, and that’s why last week I joined the Premier and my colleagues from Durham to announce the addition of two brand-new electric buses. This is a first for GO Transit.

Speaker, these new electric buses are a significant step forward for our government’s plan to be a global leader in clean transportation. Starting May 15, these buses will hit the roads on four routes in my colleague’s riding of Scarborough Centre. The buses will be identifiable by their unique exterior, which features a lightning bolt. Once on board, commuters will experience a quieter ride and will have access to USB chargers.

Thanks to the leadership of the Premier, we’re making it easier and greener to travel on GO Transit.

Despite the lack of interest or the opposition from the members opposite, our strong EV manufacturing sector that our government has been building, access to critical minerals that we have been spearheading and all-electric GO buses signal to the world that Ontario is a leader in electric vehicle technology. A clean transportation network is the future, and our government is at the forefront of this revolution every step of the way.

Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Start the clock. I recognize the member for Windsor West.

Interjections.

Start the clock. The member for Windsor West.

The member for Windsor West has the floor.

The member for Windsor West has the floor. She has the right to ask her question, and I need to be able to hear it.

Start the clock. The member for Windsor West.

My question is to the Minister of Transportation. GO Transit is a part of Ontario’s vital transportation network. In my riding of Scarborough Centre, many people rely on GO buses for easy, reliable travel across the GTA and beyond.

With over 70 million riders using the GO service every year, that is why our province must keep pace with technology that will reduce emissions. Our government must continue to make investments in transportation technology that helps the environment and is good for people.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is expanding clean, green transit options for Ontario?

Unlike the Liberals, who failed to invest in transit for Ontario’s hard-working people and families, our government must be focused on a better plan. These new electric buses are a good step forward as we build a cleaner province.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain what our government is doing to build clean-energy transportation that works?

Well, I’d be pleased to respond to that question. Mr. Speaker, we endured 15 long years of Bad Medicine from that government—a Liberal government that drove up electricity prices across our province, drove jobs out of our province. Since we formed government in 2018, we’ve been bringing them back. We’ve been bringing them back by the thousands, Mr. Speaker.

And instead of a disastrous plan—a failed plan that even their former Premier admits was her biggest mistake, Mr. Speaker—we’re getting it right. The fundamentals are right: low hydro, low taxes, making sure that companies want to invest in Ontario’s wealth and growth. We’re seeing it on a record pace, including in the electric vehicle sector. And I’ll have more to say about the supply that’s coming, Mr. Speaker.

But we’re not stopping there, Mr. Speaker. We’re building the first grid-scale small modular reactor in the G7 here in Ontario. We’re building the largest battery-storage facility in Canada here in Ontario. We’re procuring the power that we’re going to need to power our—

My question is back to the Attorney General. Watchdog Tribunal Watch questions whether the Conservatives understand the depth of the crisis at the Landlord and Tenant Board—a crisis that has gotten worse under their term and continues to this very day. If you can’t even acknowledge a crisis, how are you going to fix it?

I quote Tribunal Watch: “It is difficult to have any confidence in the ability of Tribunals Ontario and the LTB to course-correct and address the serious issues raised by the Ombudsman.”

My question is to the minister: I am imploring this government to take their head out of the sand and work with groups like Tribunal Watch to fix our tribunal system. Can you do it?

My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Alberta’s provincial government recently declared a state of emergency due to an unprecedented early start to their wildfire season. As tens of thousands of hectares burn, smoke from these fires has already reached the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Several communities and rural areas have been evacuated, with more than 24,000 people forced to leave their homes.

Our government understands that now is the time for unity. We must stand with our fellow Canadians in Alberta and support them during this difficult time. Through you, Mr. Speaker, can the minister please share how our government is assisting the province of Alberta in fighting against these destructive wildfires?

Speaker, through you, can the minister please elaborate on the strategies our government has in place for wildland fire management?