My question is to the Premier. Bill 97 will allow three severed residential lots per farm property. This could severely limit livestock expansion because of MDS guidelines. In response to my question a few weeks ago, the minister stated: “We have taken a thoughtful approach, and we are going to be okay.” Since then, Ontario farmers have united to stand in strong opposition to the proposed severances—beef farmers, Ontario Pork, dairy farmers, chicken farmers, OFA, CFFO, NFU and others. These are the people who feed our cities, and they’re telling you this is a mistake.

Will you remove the ag severance provisions from Bill 97?

So I’m encouraged that you’re willing to reconsider. I hope that the Premier does reconsider and fixes Bill 97 so that livestock operations aren’t restricted when they try to expand.

Interjections.

Thank you for the question. This is going to be one of the times we all kind of agree, including the farmers. We do. We had a great meeting with all the farmers on Friday and came up with a solution about the severance. But the number one complaint that I get when I go to the farms is, “I want my kids to stay on the farm,” and there are certain jurisdictions that won’t allow you to build an additional residence.

The other number one complaint is—and I heard it this morning from a farmer I spoke to on the way down here: He has 100 migrant workers who work on the farm who are critical to his operation, but he has no place to put them. We’re going to come up with a happy compromise and work with the farmers, because they’re the ones who have to live with this day in and day out. Believe it or not, we’re all kind of on the same page here. We’re going to work with them.

But they did say one thing, Mr. Speaker. They said there’s no government in the history of this province that supported the farmers more than this government and they appreciated it.

My question is for the Minister of Health. Just over two months ago, I tabled my private member’s bill to address the most predatory hiring and recruitment practices used by temporary nursing agencies, while also establishing a safe and responsible licensing framework. Mere days after I tabled this legislation, the Minister of Long-Term Care stated that he would form a technical advisory committee to examine the issue of price gouging by nursing agencies.

But since then, it’s been radio silence. Instead, all we’ve heard is a cry for help from hospitals and health care workers in response to legislation like Bill 124 and a worsening lack of government support. This kind of public policy makes the tragic situation in Minden inevitable. Now this government is doing what it does best: It’s looking the other way. It’s washing its hands of the Minden hospital, and it’s washing its hands of our health care system. Why? So that temporary nursing agencies can profit? So that private, for-profit clinics can turn a profit?

This government is an expert in looking the other way. When will the Minister of Health stop looking the other way and look at the mess she’s made of Minden’s and Ontario’s health care?

Patients rely on local emergency departments in times of crisis. This isn’t about Minden, it’s about the 2.2 million Ontarians who don’t have access to a family doctor, who are forced to rely on emergency rooms as their only source of primary care.

This government claims hospital closures are not their jurisdiction. Well, the greenbelt wasn’t supposed to be their jurisdiction either, but somehow this government finds a way to get what it wants.

If they wanted to keep local hospitals open, they would. Solving emergency room closures would mean paying health care workers a fair wage. It would mean telling private, for-profit interests to rein it in. But they won’t.

I know this government loves saying yes to corporate interests, but just for once, for the sake of patients, not profits, will this government say no to the most predatory practices of temporary nursing agencies?

Speaker, the NDP continues to spread misinformation about our government’s balanced and thoughtful proposal—

Interjections.

While the member opposite continues to defend the status quo, we are not satisfied with the status quo here, which is why we have made so many different investments that are ensuring we have health human resources available across Ontario.

We are experiencing challenges, as are all Canadian jurisdictions, in ensuring that we have sufficient staffing. But we are doing that with investments: two new medical schools in the province of Ontario. We have never seen this kind of investment in training, in retaining, in keeping and giving people the opportunities to practise in medicine that we have in the province of Ontario.

I might remind the member opposite that it was actually Kathleen Wynne, in her major exit interview after she was defeated, who talked about the regret that she had in terms of cutting residency positions for physicians and, in fact, not sufficiently supporting the health care system. We’re making the investments. We’re doing that work. It’s—

As the member opposite talks about the need for investments, he actually voted against Bill 60. What would Bill 60 do? It actually ensures that people have as of right, so clinicians who are practising in other Canadian jurisdictions, for the first time in Canada, are going to be able to start working immediately in Ontario as they get that licence approved through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

It is very challenging for me to listen to this information while we make the investments and they continue to continuously vote against those same investments. I don’t understand how you cannot make the connection as a physician to understand that as of right in the province of Ontario is going to increase the capacity, ensuring the College of Physicians and Surgeons immediately access, approve and ultimately assess and give licences to internationally educated and trained physicians. Those are the changes that we are making that could have been done under the previous Liberal government but—

Thank you. The next question.

My question is for the Minister of Red Tape Reduction. Small businesses are crucial to Ontario’s economy and their success, and their accomplishments are felt in all communities across the province. Unfortunately, many of them bear the burden of excessive regulation that prevents them from further growth. Ontario business owners want regulations that are easier to understand, faster to implement and less costly to comply with. That is why our government must continue to help people and businesses to save time and resources by reducing red tape, which will encourage new investments.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is paving the way for better services and helping small businesses grow?

The Minister of Long-Term Care has said that their government is working very closely with those stakeholders, but they haven’t even consulted them, so it’s hard to imagine that that’s actually happened.

Speaker, to the Premier: Over the past five years, beyond a few measures on vaping already implemented elsewhere in Canada, this Conservative government has not implemented a single new tobacco control legislation or regulation. The Ontario health care crisis is real. By the end of question period, two more people will die from this disease, from the use of tobacco. This happens every single hour. This government can do more to curb tobacco use. They can do more to prevent addictions. They can do more to end disease and death. In Canada, there’s $500 billion in lawsuits at stake—$500 billion in lawsuits.

It’s time that the big tobacco industry is held accountable. It’s time to make them pay. Will the Premier and the Conservative government finally prioritize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect future generations of Ontarians from the harms, the disease and death caused by tobacco addiction and use?

Happy World No Tobacco week, Speaker.

My question is for the Premier. Tobacco is the leading cause of disease and death in Ontario. Tobacco is responsible for the deaths of 16,000 Ontarians every year and costs our health care system $2.2 billion. The tobacco industry has caused this epidemic. The time has come for big tobacco to pay for the harm that they have inflicted.

All provinces, including Ontario, are presently in settlement negotiations with three major tobacco companies, but health care organizations with us today, including Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke, and the Lung Association have not been consulted at all. They are appealing to the government to adopt the reasonable measures included in their open letter to the Premier as part of a potential settlement.

Will the government guarantee that public health measures will be included in any agreement?

Thank you to the great member from Carleton for the question. Our province is committed to tackling homelessness and ending the housing supply crisis in Ontario.

Speaker, last week, I was pleased to announce that our government is investing an additional $24.1 million to create more affordable housing in Ottawa. The 138 new affordable and supportive units resulting from this funding are being built even as we speak. And I had the opportunity to tour the site last week, along with the member from Carleton, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and His Worship the mayor of Ottawa.

Speaker, this is a great example of how we will continue working with all of our partners across this province to make sure the most vulnerable people in our society are safe and homed.

As I previously mentioned, we’re committed to helping all of our municipal partners in their fight against homelessness. That is why our government has increased funding for the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program by a historic $202 million.

We will continue working to ensure our municipal partners have the tools they need to protect vulnerable members of their communities, because we know that when communities thrive, Ontario thrives.

I appreciate the question from the member opposite. Of course, we have been working very closely to ensure that there is maximum accountability with respect to the harm done to the people of the province of Ontario, and we’ll continue to do that.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Health as well as a number of colleagues on both sides of the House, frankly, have been working to ensure that not only young Canadians but Ontarians in general understand the challenges and the risks associated with cigarette smoking and tobacco use.

But specifically to the member opposite’s question, we’ll continue to work very, very closely with our partners to ensure the best possible outcome for the people of the province of Ontario.

So I would ask the member to maybe take a moment to look at the success not only of the Bob Rae government, of the Liberal governments, of the Conservative governments—we have all done our part. It’s not her ownership. We’ve all done our part, and I’m very proud of what Ontario Parliaments have done to ensure that the people of the province of Ontario are safe.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. First, I would like to thank the associate minister along with the Minister of Housing for visiting Ottawa last week.

Everyone deserves to have a safe place to call home. That’s why it’s so crucial that our government addresses the need for more supportive housing across our province. We made a commitment to support Ontarians who are at risk of and those who are experiencing homelessness. As we work towards increasing housing supply across our province in the coming years, we must ensure that every Ontarian can find housing that meets their needs and budgets.

Speaker, through you, can the associate minister please elaborate on the measures our government is taking to increase the supply of affordable housing?

We know that homelessness is a serious concern throughout our province, and that’s why our government must continue to provide solutions that address and prevent homelessness in Ottawa and across Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, through you, can the associate minister please expand on the measures our government is taking to assist municipalities as they support the most vulnerable people in our communities?

Thank you to the member for Cambridge. I know that the minister is leading the charge when it comes to cutting red tape, reducing costs for businesses and ensuring that it’s easier to start, operate and expand a business, creating jobs and driving our economy forward.

Since forming government, under the leadership of the minister and this entire party, we’ve seen real progress. We’ve reduced Ontario’s regulatory burden by 16,000 regulatory compliance requirements, saving businesses some $700 million—not once, but every single year—in annual compliance costs. The results speak for themselves: over 85,000 new jobs in Ontario last year and, since we came to office, over 660,000 new jobs here in the province of Ontario.

We know there’s more work to do to clean up after 15 years of Liberal and NDP mismanagement, but we’re going to get the job done under this Premier and under the leadership of each and every member of this House. We won’t stop—

Mr. Speaker, there is absolutely nothing to dismiss about a 400% increase in mental health supports under our Progressive Conservative government. There is nothing platitudinal when the member from Burlington brings forth a motion calling on government to mandate mental health literacy in the grade 7, 8 and 10 curriculum, which we are doing for this coming September. We are taking action—not performative action, real action: investments, funding, staffing and mandatory learning in the school system.

This shouldn’t be a political exercise for the NDP. We should be working together to further educate students on how they can see themselves as part of the solution on the day-to-day challenges of living a life in this country.

We know that there are challenges of violence in schools. That’s why we’re increasing support. There are 3,000 more EAs helping those kids. There are 7,000 more staff within our publicly funded schools. And this September—if the members opposite want to be supportive of those kids, vote for our budget, which will add 2,000 more educators to Ontario’s schools.

There are 3,000 more education assistants hired by our government under our Premier’s leadership. We, too, want to make sure that there’s value for those investments and for that staffing. We added a 400% increase in mental health. We’re spending more in special education than any government.

But the virtue is not just spending more; it’s getting more out of the system for the kids we represent. We’re going to stand up for better outcomes, more accountability and a better school experience for children in Ontario.

Thank you to the MPP from Scarborough Centre for asking this very important question. National accessibility awareness week is very important to this government and to me personally. Thanks to the leadership of the Minister of Labour, we are announcing over $4 million to the Skills Development Fund this week. This marvellous fund will support local organizations like the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the Geneva Centre for Autism. They make sure people with disabilities have the right programs and services to find meaningful training and jobs.

Join us in celebrating those who are making this province more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

My question is to the Premier. Last week, at a private, for-profit long-term-care home in Orillia, a resident who lives with a disability was forced to sit in their own waste for an entire night due to staffing shortages at the home. Staff were unable to assist the resident because they didn’t have any staff. And, according to the resident, it’s not the first time this has happened.

Speaker, when is this government going to put forward an actual plan to address the staffing crisis in long-term care and ensure that residents—our seniors, our parents, our grandparents—are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve?

The supplementary question?

Next question.

My question is to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. May 28 marked the start of national accessibility awareness week. This is an opportunity for us to raise awareness about the importance of accessibility and to show our support for Ontarians with accessibility needs. We also celebrate community leaders and advocates with disabilities who are working to build a more inclusive society.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is promoting national accessibility awareness week?

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain what our government is doing to make Ontario more accessible?