I would like to welcome Christine Charnock, who is the CEO of the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors; Dr. Cyndi Gilbert, who is the board chair of the association as well as a member of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine; and Dr. Jessica Carfagnini, who is practising in Thunder Bay. Welcome to Queen’s Park, ladies.

I would like to welcome special assistants from my constituency office, Morris Maron and Micah Dodo. They will be assisting at the CIJA reception at noon today.

I would like to welcome the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors, OAND, to Queen’s Park today. This year, May 14 to May 20 marks Naturopathic Medicine Week, and the OAND members will be meeting with MPPs throughout the day today, as well as hosting a reception in rooms 228 and 230 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. I encourage all MPPs to attend to celebrate Naturopathic Medicine Week.

Thank you, Speaker. If you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to wear buttons in recognition of May being Jewish Heritage Month in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, we didn’t sign any deal with the federal government; we signed a better deal for the people of this province: a billion additional dollars, an additional year of funding guarantee that no province had. It is this Premier that did what the NDP and Liberals couldn’t do for 15 years, which is reduce child care fees for generations to come—a 50% reduction. Mr. Speaker, we are literally talking about $10,000 to $12,000 per child per year, and we’re going to go even further to $10 by year 2025.

The Associate Minister of Women’s Economic and Social Opportunity is leading by example, ensuring that more women are working in our economy, with the recognition we can do more. We’re cutting taxes. We’re ensuring women in the skilled trades. We’re ensuring more young girls get into STEM disciplines within our schools.

If the members opposite want to stand up for labour and market participation for women, vote for our budget. Vote for opportunity. Vote for a plan that makes life affordable for moms and dads across Ontario.

In addition to the well-known ideological opposition the NDP have toward building housing, they’re also opposed to building transit. They will find every excuse to not build transit. That’s why they voted against our subway plan. Even though they get up in this House every day asking for more transit, they vote against it when they have the chance.

We put forward a plan to address the transit deficit that we inherited from the Liberals, and they voted against it. They voted against building transit faster, which is actually hard to believe given the challenges that we are facing with the Eglinton Crosstown.

The legislation we’ve brought forward—the purpose of that is to address the mistakes of the previous Liberal government when they signed the contract in 2011 with Crosslinx. This is a contract we have inherited. We take responsibility for making sure that we get this done, but when we do that, we commit to the people of Ontario. We’re going to get it done and it is going to be safe for transit riders when it does open.

We have learned the lessons that the Liberals should have learned when they were in power. We have taken those lessons and we’ve put them in a piece of legislation. We put them as part of our subway plan for the GTA, but the members opposite voted against it. They would rather the people of the GTA sit on congested roads as opposed to building and riding on new subways and extended lines. That is unacceptable for the people of Toronto.

We’re committed to getting it done. We’re standing up for transit riders, and we’re standing up for taxpayers.

The final supplementary.

Minister of Transportation.

The supplementary question.

To respond for the government, the Minister of Education.

To respond for the government, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

The FAO report is actually saying we’ve done significant work and are seeing more women entering into the workforce because of the actions of this government, such as investing millions in seeing women get skills and development training, education, encouraging women and investing in women entering into the trades, where there is pay equity. We’ve seen significant investments in better jobs to cover expenses, including child care, tuition, transportation, for short-term training programs and micro-credentials. We’ve expanded the Investing in Women’s Futures Program and the Women’s Economic Security Program. Millions are going into the budget that we hope the members opposite will support.

In fact, the FAO actually says, “In 2022, labour participation rates for Ontario core-age mothers reached 81.7 per cent—the highest on record since 1976.” That is increasing.

We’re going to continue to make these investments, Mr. Speaker, because we are shortening the wage gap. We are—

I’ve gone across the province, Mr. Speaker. I’ve met with hundreds of women who are getting into the workforce, taking advantage of the programs and investments this government has made. I just wonder of if the members opposite are going to support the budget that’s coming up, plus the millions of dollars in investments.

The mining agreement: There are women getting into these sectors in droves, and we’re going to work hard to make sure they stay here.

My question is to the Premier. With over 600,000 people and 120 wells in Kitchener-Waterloo, this is the largest community in Canada dependent on groundwater for a majority of its drinking water. We’ve known for decades that the aquifer providing this water is particularly vulnerable to contamination.

The Grand River Conservation Authority has been key to protecting this vital resource while supporting growth and housing. Bill 23 drastically reduces the powers of conservation authorities to protect our water.

Why does this government believe that it makes sense to increase the risk that the region of Waterloo’s water sources become contaminated? Why are you gambling with source water protection in Ontario?

I want to thank the member for the question. Our government takes our public safety very seriously. We’ve never had a government in my generation that is more concerned with the welfare of all Ontarians, and that’s exactly why we’re moving forward with our plans for next-generation 911.

As the member knows, we are committing over $200 million to work with our local municipal jurisdictions so that they can implement in their jurisdictions the new technology. As the member knows, Mr. Speaker, the new technology will allow for unprecedented safety and security for all Ontarians. At the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, we believe everyone has a right—an equal right—to live safely in their own communities.

Ma question est pour le solliciteur général.

Speaker, this morning I was joined by northern MPPs to discuss the need for 911 everywhere in Ontario. Every year, families living and visiting northern Ontario discover in their times of need that after they dial 911, they get a recording that says, “This number is not in service. Please try your call again.” In my riding, the police, the fire, the ambulance are available, but nobody knows the 1-800 numbers to reach them. When will Ontario do like every other province in Canada has done and make 911 available everywhere throughout our province?

Speaker, we were crystal clear with Bill 23, including ensuring that the environment is protected but, at the same time, we’re going to build much-needed homes. We’re in the middle of a housing crisis and New Democrats seem to not want to acknowledge that. They don’t want to acknowledge that there are young people that are living in Waterloo region today that can’t realize the dream of home ownership. There are seniors who want to downsize but don’t have a home that meets their needs and their budget at their disposal.

This is the impetus for why we took this plan to the people last June. We got a significant mandate under the leadership of Premier Ford. We are going to build housing and we are going to provide hope and opportunity for newcomers to our province, for seniors and for young families.

I want to celebrate and congratulate them, not talk down like the member for Waterloo does.

Supplementary question?

Interjections.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

The region of Waterloo passed amendments to build 121,000 additional homes before Bill 23 passed. This government claims they had to strip away the powers of conservation authorities to protect our water to get new homes built, but this does not hold up to scrutiny. The region of Waterloo was already leading.

We know what happens when water isn’t protected in Waterloo region. Elmira’s water sources are still too contaminated to drink and may never be restored after years of weak regulation. Concerns have come from many other regions in addition. The 113 Ontario municipalities within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative have been examining the impact of Bill 23 and they are raising legitimate concerns.

When will this government put people and the water that they rely on as a priority ahead of your personal private interests?

My question is for the Premier. With a growing wave of crime everywhere across Canada, communities are rightfully concerned. In Ontario, we’re seeing a rise in crime in cities of all sizes and in our rural communities. Everyday, we see and hear new reports of serious crime throughout the province. These trends are disturbing and this is not acceptable. Everyone in Ontario deserves to be safe in their communities, including the police officers who respond to these calls to protect us. Our government must take urgent action now and explore all options to combat the surge in criminal activity.

Speaker, can the Premier please explain what actions our government is taking to make Ontario’s communities safer?

In the past, most officers attempted to cope with trauma on their own and without professional help. All police officers deserve to have access to the care and supports when they need it, where they need it.

Speaker, can the Premier please explain what action our government is taking to support the health and wellness of all our front-line officers?

I want to thank the great member from Chatham-Kent–Leamington and I also want to thank him for being an OPP officer for years. We’re so proud to have him down in the Legislature.

As we tackle the crime that we’ve seen around the province, we’re making sure we’re giving the police services across Ontario the tools that they need to get the job done; to make sure our communities are a lot safer; that you’re able to walk out at night and you’re able to take transit here in Toronto without worrying about being abused or physically hurt.

We’re adding more recruits to the Ontario Police College every single year. We’re investing another $13 million—to fight guns and gangs—that will stop illegal drugs from coming into our province. We’re cracking down on auto thefts, adding $51 million in new measures to find and dismantle crime networks across this province.

That’s why in our budget we announced an additional $9.6 million to support the Runnymede Healthcare Centre to provide mental health supports and PTSI treatment tailor-made for the unique needs of our police officers and front-line workers. We must always ensure that our dedicated first responders have the access to the highest quality of mental health and addictions care that meets their needs. We will always ensure the brave women and men that serve on our police forces are treated with dignity and respect.

I’m still waiting for that technology to arrive in Kiiwetinoong. It has almost been five years since this government received the Chief Coroner’s report following four deaths linked to a failure of 911 in northern Ontario, but nothing has changed.

In Kiiwetinoong, the services for ambulance, the services for fire and the services for police range from minimal to non-existent. You cannot call 911 for services that do not exist. When will this government take real action to ensure everyone in Ontario who calls 911 gets the help that they need?

My question is for the Premier.

There are 200,000 acres of greenfield land already approved for development in the greater Golden Horseshoe. Planners have shown that there are 1.4 million homes currently approved, in process or under construction and enough approved development land to build two million homes. It’s clear that the only greenbelt scam is the government’s scheme to pave over the farmland that feeds us and contributes $50 billion to our food and farming economy, and the wetlands that protect us from flooding and clean our drinking water.

Instead of attacking the greenbelt, let’s work together to remove the barriers to build homes in communities that people can afford, close to where they work. The Premier has a chance to support the farm economy and to make life affordable if he keeps his greenbelt promise. Will he keep that promise today?

If the Premier wants to work with me to build more homes, let’s actually pass my Bills 44 and 45, which would get rid of exclusionary zoning so we can actually build homes that people can afford in the communities they want to live in.

The government has an opportunity today to help people and municipalities save money, to defend our farm economy and to build affordable homes that people want to live in, in affordable communities close to where they work, if the government agrees to stop their expensive sprawl agenda and protect the greenbelt.

Will the Premier keep his promise today and promise to protect the greenbelt?

My question is to the Premier. Over 100 residents in the town of Rossmore are being threatened with a blatant renoviction by their new corporate landlord, Bedford Properties. Resident Keith Maybe said this: “It’s not humane what they have done. You’ve got people who have been in these apartments right from the time they were built 37 years ago. Some people are in their eighties and their nineties. It’s not right.”

Premier, what are you going to do to help these residents keep these homes?

For the sake of these residents, can you say yes to our amendments in Bill 97 to strengthen Ontario’s eviction protection laws?