To reply, the parliamentary assistant and member for Kitchener South–Hespeler.

Restart the clock. Supplementary question?

The member for Kitchener South–Hespeler can reply.

To reply, the Premier.

Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy: This is a really simple question. Energy efficiency and conservation are cheaper than burning gas, right? They put people to work. They reduce the cost of electricity, less air pollution, less pressure on the climate. It’s really cost-effective to do this. The IESO says it’s cost-effective to do it. The IESO says it’s reliable to invest in efficiency and conservation.

The city has rejected the gas-burning approach. Your ministry has said, “We will respect municipalities.” You have the power to reject this, to take the course of action that’s less expensive and better for environment. Will you do so?

I want to thank the member for the question. You know, we came out all in good intentions talking to farmers. As I mentioned yesterday, the number one concern is that the kids are leaving the farm and they have no place to live. There’s many jurisdictions that won’t even allow the farming families to build a home for their kids.

The other big concern, and I mentioned it yesterday in the House—I talked to a farmer yesterday, and he has 100 temporary foreign workers that have no place to live. So we’re listening to the farmers, and as I mentioned yesterday, again, we sat down with the farmers, all the associations, and they thanked us. They thanked us for always having their back. They said that there’s never been a government that supported the farmers more than we did. We’re going to listen to the farmers, Mr. Speaker.

My question is to the Minister of Infrastructure. All seniors in Ontario deserve to be treated with dignity and to receive the quality of care that they need and deserve. Under the previous Liberal government, many issues in long-term-care infrastructure were not properly addressed. After the people of Ontario elected our government in 2018, there has been a renewed focus on addressing our health care infrastructure.

While we have seen many improvements, there is still a need to increase the capacity in our long-term-care homes. Our government must continue to expand on the critical investments made because of the Premier’s leadership.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please provide an update on our government’s plans to build long-term-care infrastructure in our province?

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is building more long-term-care infrastructure faster for the people of our province?

Interjections.

Every day in the paper we see more excellent news about the jobs that are coming to Ontario, the manufacturing that is coming to Ontario. This province was a ghost town when it comes to jobs, when it comes to manufacturing, and it’s alive again. It’s alive largely because of our work on the energy file. We directed the OEB to procure 4,000 megawatts of new generation, including 1,500 megawatts of natural gas.

The member opposite talks about driving up electricity prices for consumers. When asked about phasing out natural gas by 2030, the estimation was it would add approximately $100 to the average consumer’s electricity bill, making cost of living unbearable for Ontarians and also driving business out of this province—and frankly, that is not something that is ever going to be acceptable to this government. We foster jobs; we foster innovation; we foster clean energy.

Interjections.

I think the issue here is the opposition continuing to fail to understand the complex interplay when it comes to a greener planet and greener energy. We are producing clean green steel here in Ontario to keep our manufacturing industry on board. What the opposition doesn’t understand is that these products will come from elsewhere. Under our monitoring, these products come from Ontario, made to the highest environmental standards possible.

Understanding a greener economy is looking at the whole picture, not just one ideological, unfounded perspective.

I’m pleased to rise in this House today to share that the purpose of moving Ontario forward is that we’re excelling on all cylinders, and that includes our agri-food sector. It means making sure that we have employees and family members who want to work on the farm close to home so they have access to that farm. But the most important part in all of this conversation today is to recognize that our government put forward a consultation on the provincial policy statement. The whole concept behind a consultation is that you position; you put out ideas so that you can hear people’s perspectives and bring them back and understand where priorities lie. And in that spirit, I am so pleased to share with you, as the Premier shared yesterday, that the livestock commodity organizations and other organizations, as well, came forward, exercised their respectful voice—

Thank you very much to the member. The government is currently making an unprecedented amount of investment in long-term-care facilities across the province. Last Thursday, I joined the Premier and the Minister of Long-Term Care to open the doors of a new long-term-care home in Toronto. Humber Meadows will bring 320 new beds to the residents of Toronto and has opened next to Humber River Hospital. The location of the home itself is so critically important because this long-term-care home now will be integrated into the broader health care system in the province of Ontario, and it will allow the long-term-care home to have additional services within the home, such as dialysis, to make sure that the seniors are taken care of and have the best service possible.

My question is to the Premier. Maria, her husband and their four-year-old daughter have been living at the Christie refugee centre, a shelter, since February. The family found a rental home, applied for funding to help cover the cost of rent and were getting ready to move in when they were told that funding to this rent supplement program had been cut by the Conservative government and the program is no longer available to them.

Premier, what is your plan to help families like Maria’s move out of the shelter system into rental homes so they can build their lives here in Canada?

The city is asking for $20 million in funding from the Ontario Conservative government to help shelter residents move into permanent rental homes so they can rebuild their lives. Can this government say yes to the city of Toronto’s request?

I want to thank my great friend from Chatham-Kent–Leamington for his question. And I’d again like to welcome the fire chiefs from Ontario who are with us here today.

Our heroes on the front line deserve nothing less than our respect and support, and our government will always do everything we can to support and to protect all those who need our help. We care about their safety and their security. That’s why our government is investing over $45 million over the next three years in programs that will focus on early intervention and provide access to specialized mental health services.

Monsieur le Président, je suis fier de soutenir nos policiers et nos pompiers et tous ceux qui assurent la sécurité de l’Ontario tous les jours.

I’m pleased that we’ve announced an additional $9.6-million investment to support Runnymede Healthcare—and under the leadership of Premier Ford, we are moving forward with the construction of the Runnymede First Responders Post Traumatic Stress Injury Rehabilitation Centre in Caledon. We’re proud of it because it is a first-of-its-kind, world-class facility—a place of respite. This will be a place of healing that is long overdue. Our government is committed to seeing this dream be a reality in the coming years, and we are determined to make this happen.

Mr. Speaker, a safe Ontario is a strong Ontario.

A strong Ontario is a safe Ontario—I agree with you, but that includes First Nations.

What did we learn from this? I received a call last week from Fort Albany because they don’t have a functional fire truck. They currently can’t suppress fires—only evacuate people and let the fire die out. We must equip communities up north.

Premier, what will your government do to get a new fire truck in Fort Albany and ensure all First Nations have proper firefighting equipment to avoid another tragedy?

Interjections.

My question is to the Solicitor General. Our front-line police, fire and EMS professionals across Ontario are regularly exposed to traumatic events while responding to ever-increasingly complex and dangerous situations. This workplace stress and trauma takes an immeasurable toll on the physical and mental health of our dedicated front-line members. In the past, many attempted to cope with this trauma on their own and without professional help. Our first responders deserve to have access to the care and supports that they need when they need them.

Can the Solicitor General please explain what actions our government is taking to support the health and wellness of all front-line first responders?

Family members are also affected by the demands and occupational risks experienced by their loved ones who work as first responders. The mental health of families can also be impacted, particularly when the life of a first responder ends suddenly and tragically.

Can the Solicitor General please explain how our government plans to expand support for first responders and their families?

Stop the clock. If the government House leader and the member for Ottawa South want to have a conversation, it would be appreciated if they would take it out into the hallway.

Start the clock. The response, the Minister of Infrastructure.

Part of our plan has been, right from the beginning—part of the plan is that we understood how important it was to build houses across the province of Ontario, but not just single-family detached homes. We wanted to ensure that we had more purpose-built rentals because we were hearing stories like this on and on and on again.

One of the things the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has raised is how important it was that the federal government continue to contribute to the province of Ontario, but that they actually equalize that support. As you know, Mr. Speaker, they have reduced our funding by—I think it’s about $500 million when it comes to the housing support program in the province of Ontario. So I’d ask the member opposite if she could actually—the opposition could do us a favour. The NDP, of course, hold the balance of power in Ottawa, like they did here. If the NDP in Ottawa could do us a favour, if they could ask Jagmeet Singh to inquire with the federal government if he will equalize and send us that cheque for $500 million that is so important to the people of the province of Ontario so that we can continue to provide this valuable support.

I do want to thank the member for the question. Our Community Housing Renewal Strategy is providing over $4.4 billion in funding dedicated to sustaining, repairing and growing community housing and addressing homelessness. And as part of this, $1.2 billion through the social services relief fund is to improve housing and homeless shelter solutions, as well as support vulnerable people. And in January 2022, we launched the Streamline Development Approval Fund that makes more than $45 million available to Ontario’s 39 largest municipalities, including Toronto, to help them implement these initiatives. This is a government that has been providing and will continue to provide more than $936 million in much-needed funds to municipal service managers and Indigenous program administrators in 2023-24 and 2024-25 through many of these initiatives. It’s this government that’s getting it done. We—

I just want to say it’s so good to see so many red ties in this Legislature again. And I want to let my colleagues across the way know: ontarioliberal.ca. It’s free to join, and you know where to find me.

Members will please take their seats.

To reply, the Solicitor General.

Two members have informed me they have points of order to raise. I recognize first the member for Ottawa South.

The division bells rang from 1144 to 1149.

On May 29, 2023, Mrs. Tangri moved second reading of Bill 112, An Act to provide for the dissolution of The Regional Municipality of Peel.

All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Second reading agreed to.

Government House leader?

There being no further business at this time, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.

The House recessed from 1154 to 1500.

Afternoon meeting reported in volume B.

I’ll refer it to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy.

Well, Mr. Speaker, we stand with all communities across Ontario. We had terrible tragedies in Pikangikum, as the member knows, earlier this year. I’ve spoken to Chief Shirley Keeper many times. This is of importance to us, and we’re going to continue to work co-operatively with the federal government—as the member knows we have to—at the community level to ensure there is no red tape in responding to fires.

Mr. Speaker, this is a multi-jurisdictional issue. Ontario will not stand by, and just as we were working with dispatch to help the communities of Pikangikum, we will always be there for everyone in Ontario.

This is something we take seriously. The member knows this is a multi-jurisdictional issue. I will do whatever we can. Our government will do whatever we can to intercede with the federal government, and we will do the right thing. We will always represent everyone in Ontario to keep Ontario safe.

J’apprécie la réponse, mais du « lip service », là, ça n’aide pas la situation. On a besoin d’action; ces communautés-là, elles ont besoin d’action. On a besoin de l’équipement maintenant. Est-ce qu’on attend qu’il y ait un autre décès dans nos communautés pour réagir—qu’on attende toujours?

Je demande au solliciteur général de faire son travail et de donner l’équipement nécessaire aux Premières Nations.

First Nations are 10 times more likely to die in a house fire than the rest of Canadians—and that’s acceptable? I don’t think so.

The situation is an urgent one. We simply cannot wait for another life to be lost.

Je vous demande, au gouvernement : faites la bonne chose. Do the right thing here.

Communities in Kiiwetinoong, communities in Mushkegowuk–James Bay are dying because we don’t have the proper equipment for fire suppression.

So, Premier, will the government act now and ensure that communities are equipped with proper firefighting equipment in First Nations communities up north on the James Bay coast? They need help, they need equipment, and the government needs to act now.