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.

My question is to the Minister of Colleges and Universities. All Ontarians deserve to have access to the health care they need when they need it no matter where they live. In my riding of Chatham-Kent–Leamington, my constituents are looking for connected care and services that are close to home, in Wheatley, in Leamington, Blenheim, Ridgetown and beyond. Unfortunately, because of the destructive policies of the past Liberal government, many parts of our province are in desperate need of more health care professionals to provide that care. Our government must take decisive steps now to educate and retain more health care workers across the province to make immediate impacts in our local hospitals, long-term-care homes and other health care facilities.

Speaker, can the minister please explain what our government is doing to expand opportunities to educate more health care professionals?

I would like to thank Lorraine Rocheleau from Alba in my riding for this petition.

“911 Everywhere in Ontario....

“Whereas when we face an emergency we all know to dial 911 for help; and

“Whereas access to emergency services through 911 is not available in all regions of Ontario but most Ontarians believe that it is; and

“Whereas many Ontarians have discovered that 911 was not available while they faced an emergency; and

“Whereas all Ontarians expect and deserve access to 911 service, throughout our province;

They “petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To provide 911 emergency response everywhere in Ontario by land line or cellphone.”

I support this petition, will my affix my name to it and give it to my good page Claire to bring to the Clerk.

I’m very pleased, as the critic for infrastructure for the party, to read this petition.

“911 Everywhere in Ontario.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas when we face an emergency we all know to dial 911 for help; and

“Whereas access to emergency services through 911 is not available in all regions of Ontario but most Ontarians believe that it is; and

“Whereas many Ontarians have discovered that 911 was not available while they faced an emergency; and

“Whereas all Ontarians expect and deserve access to 911 service, throughout our province;

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

“To provide 911 emergency response everywhere in Ontario by land line or cellphone.”

Of course, I support this petition. I will affix my signature and send it to the table with Akshitha.

I’m excited to speak to the third reading of our very important legislation, Building a Strong Ontario Act, 2023. The government of Ontario is committed to building a strong and resilient Ontario that is aimed at achieving sustainable economic growth and improving the quality of life for all of our citizens.

The Building a Strong Ontario Act and the 2023 budget were recently introduced by our great Minister of Finance. Before I begin, I want to thank him for the tremendous work he has done, and both his PAs, who have put a lot of time and effort into this—the member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound and the member from Oakville—in collaboration with all of our colleagues here in the chamber.

Madam Speaker, there are five key themes in what our government is doing in the 2023 budget, Building a Strong Ontario. These five themes are “Building Ontario’s Economy for Today and Tomorrow”; “Building Highways, Transit and Infrastructure Projects”; “Working for Workers”; “Keeping Your Costs Down”; and “Better Services for You.”

This plan will help build a strong economy for today and tomorrow. It is a plan to make life more affordable for everyone who calls Ontario home, with better public programs and services and a plan that makes safer streets.

Speaker, we’re driving forward our plan to tap into the resources of Ontario’s north, to supply the critical minerals that are crucial in modern EV batteries. These natural resources and this connected infrastructure and the revitalizing manufacturing base in the province’s south are all connected and will help bring investments and better jobs with bigger paycheques to Ontario. This can be seen with the Magna International investment of $265 million, bringing a new EV battery enclosure that will bring approximately 560 new jobs to Brampton.

Our government has committed close to $1 billion to support critical legacy infrastructure such as all-season roads, broadband connectivity and community support in the Ring of Fire region in order to ensure that we keep moving forward on one of the most promising mineral deposits in Canada—one that will play a critical role in batteries, electronics, electric vehicles and clean technology.

Our government is committed to continuing to grow and strengthen the wonderful province of Ontario. We’ll be doing so by continuing to build highways, transit and critical infrastructure projects. These key projects, such as the planning and construction of Highway 413, will continue to connect Ontario and get you closer to your loved ones. This is supported by a total investment of $27.9 billion over the next 10 years to connect communities, fight gridlock and keep goods and people moving across the province. The Ontario highways program includes more than 600 expansion and rehabilitation projects that are either under way or planned over the next four years. In 2023-24 alone, Ontario is investing $3.2 billion towards projects that will expand and repair provincial highways and bridges.

The government is also investing $70.5 billion for transit over the next 10 years, including continuing to transform the GO Transit rail network into a modern, reliable and fully integrated rapid transit network, further ensuring our promise of two-way, all-day GO. For our transit users, our government is dedicated to making the process of taking public transit as efficient and cost-friendly as possible. This is why we’re working to expand the credit and debit card payment system for riders, as we’re providing more user-friendly options to pay fares on a Presto device.

As costs continue to rise due to economic factors such as inflation, we are committed to keeping costs down for families in Ontario. We’re doing so by putting more money back into the pockets of Ontarians by continuing to provide gas tax cuts and fuel tax rate cuts until December 31, 2023.

The safety of all residents is a top priority for the government of Ontario, which is why we are continuing our commitment to ensuring that we’ll be protecting you and your family. We’ll be fighting gun-and-gang-related crime and building safer communities by investing $13.4 million in 2023-24 as part of the Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy.

Madam Speaker, workers are the backbone of the economy of Ontario. Our government is committed to working for workers. We’re expanding the Ontario Bridge Training Program with an additional $3 million in 2023-24 to help internationally trained immigrants find employment in their fields and get faster access to training and support toward a licence or certificate. We’re also enhancing the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program with an additional $25 million over three years to attract more skilled workers, including in-demand professionals in the skilled trades, to the province.

The 2023 budget represents a significant investment in the future of our province. The government of Ontario is committed to building a stronger and more prosperous Ontario that will benefit all of our citizens.

Speaker, it takes ambition and willingness to be an entrepreneur, which is why we are providing an additional $2 million in 2023-24 to Futurpreneur Canada, which helps entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39 achieve their business goals.

Ontario also needs a more stable and steady supply of another type of skilled worker, those in the health-related fields. Ontario needs more doctors, and there are many Ontario students who want to be doctors right here in the province, but there are not enough medical training seats available. Those who go on to study abroad have a hard time getting residencies back at home. That is why the government of Ontario is investing an additional $33 million over three years to add 100 undergraduate seats, beginning in 2023, as well as 154 postgraduate medical training seats to prioritize Ontario students trained at home and abroad, beginning in 2024 and going forward. Ontario residents will also continue to be prioritized for undergraduate spots at medical schools in the province.

In Brampton, our government is opening the new TMU School of Medicine, which will see 175 total seats for medical professionals to be trained within the city of Brampton.

Speaker, seniors are the backbone of our community, and it is essential that we support them however we can. Our government has temporarily doubled the Guaranteed Annual Income System, GAINS, payment for 2023 to help approximately 200,000 eligible low-income seniors. To ensure that more seniors who need financial help get it, the government is proposing to make changes to expand the eligibility for GAINS, starting in July 2024, which would see about 100,000 more low-income seniors receive payments for a 50% increase in recipients.

We also realize the importance of having accessible long-term care close to home. The government is investing more than $174 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to continue the Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care Program. The program leverages the skills of paramedics to provide additional care for seniors in the comfort of their own homes through:

—24/7 access to health services through in-home, online and virtual supports;

—non-emergency home visits and in-home testing procedures;

—ongoing monitoring of changing conditions to prevent or reduce emergency incidents;

—additional education about healthy living and managing chronic diseases; and

—connections for participants and their families to home care and community supports.

Speaker, I urge all members to vote for this plan, to build Ontario’s economy, to build highways and other infrastructure, to work for workers, to keep costs down and to serve the people of Ontario. Building a Strong Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2023, is an important piece of legislation that will enable us to put this plan into action. I urge all members of this House to vote in favour of this important legislation.

I listened to the member opposite, the independent member, talking about this, and she talked about our laissez-faire attitude. But for 15 years, we had a Liberal government who did nothing but run this province into the ground.

For example, she mentioned health care and said there was some problem. We’re trying to fix the mess created by 15 years of Liberal government. We have added more beds for hospital capacity in this province in four years than the previous Liberal government did in 14. We’re upgrading 28,000 long-term-care beds, and an additional 30,000 long-term-care beds are now being built. In seven or eight years your government built 611 beds. There was a 36,000-person wait-list to get into long-term care as a result of your government, the previous Liberal government, doing absolutely nothing on those factors.

Yes, we gave a 5% increase for mental health funding for the Canadian Mental Health Association, for which they were grateful, because we recognized the needs in mental health. Your government has a shameful record, frankly, for addressing Ontarians’ concerns—

Thank you to the member opposite for the question. When we talked about supporting Ontarians and I said that supporting all Ontarians—and you actually answered it somewhat as well, that we have increased support by 5%, and not just supporting only one time with a 5% increase. It is actually connected to inflation, so that going forward, whatever the inflation rate is, it gets increased by a similar amount.

Madam Speaker, that is what we’re doing with this budget: We’re actually investing. We’re making an historic investment in the whole community, and we will continue to do so to build a stronger Ontario.

Madam Speaker, the member was talking about the youth and the services, so I just want to quote some of the quotations. I’m going to read from the CEO of Safehaven, for example: “Safehaven is incredibly grateful for the funding commitment from” the minister and Premier Ford. This government’s support of the most vulnerable will impact the lives of many children, “ensuring that Safehaven has the capacity.”

And then another one, from the Child Welfare PAC and a former youth in care: “By implementing the Ready, Set, Go framework, the Ontario government is beginning to break down the complex barriers faced by the youth from care” whose experience is helping and supporting the people in Ontario.

Madam Speaker, these are some of the things we’ve been doing—