Mr. Speaker, apparently Electric Avenue is the new theme song for Ontario. I’m happy we are building electric vehicles in Ontario, but if everybody were to buy an electric vehicle and plug it in, most streets couldn’t handle it without local electricity grid infrastructure upgrades.

I want to spur on this government to plan ahead, but I don’t trust them to plan ahead because they started their term of office by pulling out EV chargers. Doug Ford talks about an electric avenue, but until he gets the grid infrastructure rocking down to Electric Avenue, he’s just Living on a Prayer.

Could the minister tell the House why the government hasn’t announced the long-term plans needed to build out the local electricity grid infrastructure for handling mass adoption of electric vehicles in Ontario?

Interjections.

We know that we have to burn less fossil fuels. We know that new nuclear power will take at least a decade to make a real difference. We know that part of the solution is communities using more electricity while generating and storing power themselves. That will require distributed energy systems.

I know the minister agrees with me that there’s a holy trinity of modern energy: reliable, affordable and sustainable. Will the minister commit today to work with local distribution companies and to aggressively pursue the piloting and build-out of the local electricity grid infrastructure needed for a green future?

I’d like to thank my friend across the aisle for asking Tribunals Ontario’s question, Mr. Speaker, because we’ve been wondering at what point the opposition will support us in moving forward to double the number of adjudicators. We’ve been wondering at what point the opposition will support us in terms of updating technology that the Ombudsman said the Liberals—

Interjection.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I would like to see the NDP stand up and support us in the investments we’re making in terms of the staffing, the adjudicators, the technology. I’ll have more to say in the supplementary.

I’m glad that the opposition has tuned in. If they were paying attention before, they might have actually supported us on some of these advancements.

To reply, the Attorney General.

The Attorney General has the floor.

Start the clock. The response? Minister of Energy.

The next question.

Thanks to the member from Carleton for the question. As the member from Carleton mentioned, Alberta is going through an incredibly difficult and unprecedented wildfire season right now. Our thoughts are very much with the people of Alberta, but, Mr. Speaker, so are our actions. We’re proud to be part of numerous mutual aid agreements with provinces across Canada and countries around the world, and these agreements allow for the sharing of resources to minimize the burden on any single jurisdiction during exceptional fire seasons. Just as we’ve benefited from support from partners in our time of need, we offer our help when our friends need it.

My ministry has deployed over 177 staff, including crews and an incident management team, to support firefighting efforts in Alberta. We’ll continue to stay in close contact with Alberta as they continue their fight with wildfires so that Albertans displaced can return home sooner.

In fact, Speaker, in 2023 our government launched a high-recruitment and retention program to help bolster our wildfire prevention force. This allows Ontario to provide our provincial counterparts in other parts of Canada with much-needed support while keeping enough personnel on standby across our province.

Speaker, our government is proud to lend a helping hand to the people of Alberta while continuing to protect Ontarians.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Speaker, through you to the member: Our plan is working. We just received the April numbers. On a year-to-date basis from January to April, we saw in Ontario 27,427 housing starts. It’s a 16% increase compared to the same period. Rental housing construction—directly to the member’s question—is right on track: over 7,000 starts so far this year, more than double the amount of rental starts we had in a similar period last year.

We’re going to continue to build upon that success with bills that we’ve got not just before the House—but also the fact that under the leadership of Premier Ford we committed to Ontarians last summer that every year of a re-elected government we would build upon our success. The numbers prove it, Speaker.

You know what’s different, Speaker—it would be nice if New Democrats would actually stand up and support increased housing supply in our province. You directly, in your city—a 178% increase this year, to date, for housing starts. We’re going to continue to build upon that. But ever single measure, every bill, every initiative, you vote against, your party votes against.

We need to have collaboration and co-operation amongst all levels of government. We’re going to continue to build on these numbers. The numbers speak for themselves.

I want to thank the member from southwestern Ontario where there’s a lot of growth going on because of the environment we’ve created. I can assure him that, yes, we are going to have the power they need for all that growth and investment.

I’ve been working since day one, since becoming the Minister of Energy, to ensure that we had a plan so that our electricity grid could support the growing electrification and the growth in our economy that we’re seeing. Our work, again, includes building Canada’s first small modular reactor at Darlington, the first on-grid in the G7—it’s going to be online in late 2028—and the first battery storage facility, Oneida, in partnership with the Six Nations of the Grand River. We’ve also got the largest battery storage procurement out in the field right now with the Independent Electricity System Operator—the largest in the country’s history.

We’re leading the way, Mr. Speaker, on building energy. And the former Liberal government, as I mentioned earlier, that drove manufacturing jobs out of our province—we’re making sure that we’ve got the energy to bring them back.

But Ontario does have one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure it stays that way by investing in our large nuclear reactors and our small nuclear reactors. As I mentioned earlier, we have four of our nuclear reactors that are down now for refurbishment. That’s 3,400 megawatts of power at the Darlington and Bruce sites that are going to be coming back on over the next number of years, ensuring clean, reliable energy for our system, energy that’s going to continue to be there for all of the new investments that come our way.

If the NDP had their way, those reactors wouldn’t have come back at all, and neither would the jobs that are flocking back to Ontario.

Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Energy. Ontario is seeing strong economic growth with incredible new investments into our province’s electric vehicle and EV battery manufacturing industries. Investments by our government in partnership with Volkswagen for the new gigafactory in St. Thomas and other major auto and battery manufacturing projects are all positive signs that the electrification of transportation continues and that manufacturing jobs are returning to Ontario finally.

However, there are concerns about the capacity of our current energy grid and its sustainability for long-term growth. Investments and partnerships with battery energy producers are leading to economic growth in our province, but Ontarians need assurance that our government is developing reliable energy solutions for the present and for the future.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is addressing Ontario’s energy infrastructure needs?

In his response, the minister mentioned Ontario’s competitive procurement process for energy storage. The people of Ontario deserve an explanation about what actions our government is taking to help our province move forward in adopting additional forms of energy supply. Individuals also want information and assurances about the reliability of Ontario’s power grid.

Speaker, can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to support Ontario’s overall energy strategy?

My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. The Dean family reached out to my office last week. Their three-year-old son, Weston, has been on a wait-list for an autism assessment for over a year at Ron Joyce. While stuck on this list, Weston has become increasingly dangerous and self-injurious. They are desperate to get this assessment done, knowing they will have another long wait to access services and funding through the OAP. Private assessments cost a minimum of $3,000—certainly out of reach for so many families.

Speaker, why are families still facing this enormous barrier to get their children the assessments they so desperately need?

My question is to the Premier. Speaker, my office hears from hundreds of constituents every day who are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. I’m sure the Premier does, too. We recently heard from Parveen, who moved to Ontario five years ago and has been living in a cramped one-bedroom apartment with her husband and three children. This is the reality for so many young families across the province as they are forced to make these difficult choices just to make ends meet.

So my question is, what concrete actions is this government taking to address the rental crisis in Ontario for such families?

To rent a two-bedroom apartment in Scarborough now almost equals a family’s entire paycheque. Despite Parveen’s best efforts, she cannot find a home for her family. They’re worried that they actually have to leave behind the community they are part of, the health care services, the schools that her kids go to—they have to leave all of those things just to survive.

Again to the Premier, how will your government help families like Parveen’s survive so they are not driven out of their communities and out of our province?

Supplementary question.

The next question.

Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

I thank the honourable member for the question.

To Weston and every single child, youth and family in this province: We told you from day one that we’re not going to leave anyone behind, which is why—again, the member referenced the wait-list. Mr. Speaker, 8,500 children were receiving services before, under the previous government, supported by the NDP. Today, more than 40,000 children and youth are receiving services. Why? Because we doubled the funding, and we’re further increasing that. Why? Because we want to make sure that children, youth and families are receiving the supports and services they need. Again, the NDP, under the previous government, had the opportunity to expedite this. They didn’t do it. It took this Premier, it took this government to say, “We’re not going to leave anyone behind.”

We will continue to make sure that the programs—families, as I said, only had access to one program; now there are multiple pathways to service. And there’s more work to do. We’re going to get—

This is a government that has increased investments in all levels, in every corner of this province to make sure that every single person is receiving this support. That means that, in the member’s region and all across the board, the funding has increased under our government. We’ll make sure those preventative measures are there to support and also to make sure that every single victim is receiving the support that they need throughout the process.

We have invested in a 24-hour hotline across the province in over 200 languages to help ensure those affected by violence or sexual exploitation can access the support they need anywhere, anytime. Also, to support shelters, we have invested $18.5 million over three years through the Transitional and Housing Support Program.

Once again, under this government, we’ll make sure no one is left behind.

My question is to the Premier. A couple of weeks ago, the leader and I visited the Sexual Assault Support Centre in Kitchener, and we were both alarmed to learn about their lack of resources. Funding for sexual assault victims has not increased since 2011. In fact, funding is reduced by 17% compared to 10 years ago because of inflation and because of increased need. Some 40 people on a wait-list used to be a crisis, but now there are 270 people waiting for counselling. They’ve had the courage to come forward and ask for help, and that help is not there for them.

My question to the Premier, to this government: Why hasn’t funding been increased and annualized for sexual assault centres across the province of Ontario?

Because this crisis centre is in crisis, they spend so much time fundraising and chasing the money. Does the minister agree that trauma agencies shouldn’t have to fundraise to keep women and children safe in Niagara, in Peterborough, in Toronto, in Kitchener-Waterloo? It is just not right.

Interjections.

My thanks to the member for the question.

The Niagara region has experienced a renaissance since this government came to office in 2018. We are experiencing, currently, record-low unemployment. Jobs are coming back to our region. We’re seeing investments in the areas that matter most. Here are a couple of examples of this in various ministries: We are seeing a new hospital being built in my riding—the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital; we’re seeing new hospitals being built across the region, including the advancement of the new 1.3 million square feet being added to the South Niagara Hospital; we are seeing new long-term-care homes spring up across the region; when I first was elected, we had 16 hospice beds, and there are now 40 hospice beds in the Niagara region—incredible investments in health care. We’ve seen the Brock nursing school go from 300 students to 600 students. And we’ve seen thousands of manufacturing jobs come back to a region that, for too long, was left behind.

The people of Niagara know that under this government, the world doesn’t end at the Burlington Skyway.

A couple of examples of this: the Homelessness Prevention Program was expanded by 86% to $20 million annualized, supports that go to the most vulnerable in our communities. We are building housing in the Niagara region to make sure that the dream of home ownership becomes a reality. We are expanding GO train service across the Niagara region to make sure that people can get from A to B faster, easier and smarter. We’re also making sure that all of these investments are focused on the well-being of our communities, building connected communities where people have the opportunity to build a better life for them and their family.

Under the leadership of this Premier and this government, we’re getting it done for the people of Niagara.

Speaker, when this government came into place, the wait-list for autism was 24,000, and today the wait-list is over 60,000 children.

The Dean family lives in fear and stress of waiting for that assessment call and fear of their son suffering severe head injuries and bodily harm. This is a three-year-old child. They have been told that their wait will still be up to another two years, just to get the assessment—two more years of no hope in sight, of no supports for their child who is suffering.

Can the minister please tell families like the Deans what his new plans are for the assessment program, for the autism program, to ensure that they are done in a timely manner?

My question is for the Minister of Red Tape Reduction. Ontario was one of the most overly regulated jurisdictions, not just in Canada, but in North America, prior to this government getting elected in 2018. For 15 years, unnecessary regulations were stifling growth, limiting job opportunities and making life harder for everyone.

That’s why, under this Premier and government, we actually have a Ministry of Red Tape Reduction that is dedicated specifically to reducing unnecessary and burdensome red tape and making Ontario a place to live, grow and thrive. Under this Premier and this minister, we are seeing Ontario rejuvenate and grow, and improving the lives of everyone.

Through you, Mr. Speaker: Can the minister please provide us with some highlights of how our government’s actions under Premier Ford have benefited the great region of Niagara?

Mr. Speaker, as the minister has said, reducing red tape is a key part of building a stronger economy and improving services for Ontarians. That’s why our government is continuing to bring forward burden-reduction packages. This adds to our strong track record of improving access to government services and making it easier to invest and build in Ontario.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant provide us with some more highlights on how our government’s policies have helped grow and improve the renaissance in the Niagara region?

Notre gouvernement est pleinement conscient qu’actuellement un Franco-Ontarien sur cinq a 65 ans ou plus. Nos aînés, véritables bâtisseurs de l’Ontario, se sont battus pour bâtir des fondations solides qui profitent à notre francophonie d’aujourd’hui. Monsieur le Président, nous savons que l’accès aux soins dans la langue de leur choix est très important pour les personnes âgées. Non seulement cela permet une meilleure communication avec les fournisseurs de soins, mais cela assure une meilleure qualité de vie aux résidents des établissements de soins de longue durée.

Monsieur le Président, la ministre peut-elle expliquer ce que fait notre gouvernement pour améliorer les soins aux aînés francophones?

I beg leave to introduce a bill entitled Education Statute Law Amendment Act (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), 2023.

The bill requires boards of education to develop policies and guidelines with respect to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, FASD.

Teachers’ colleges and early childhood education programs shall be required to provide training with respect to FASD.

Supplementary question.

There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1145 to 1300.

Interjection.

Madame Gélinas moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 107, An Act to enact the 9-1-1 Everywhere in Ontario Act, 2023 and to amend the Ombudsman Act to create an Assistant Ombudsman responsible for the oversight of 9-1-1 operations / Projet de loi 107, Loi édictant la Loi de 2023 sur le 9-1-1 partout en Ontario et modifiant la Loi sur l’ombudsman pour créer le poste d’ombudsman adjoint chargé de surveiller les activités du système 9-1-1.

First reading agreed to.

Welcome back, Jeff. It’s good to see you.

I would also invite everyone to rooms 228 and 230 this evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the Niagara reception.