A week ago Saturday, I visited the Carpenters and Joiners Union Local 494 training facility in Tecumseh, alongside MPP Leardi and Essex MP Chris Lewis. What a great day it was. We had the incredible opportunity to see the union’s apprenticeship competition and seeing which among the children’s playhouses in competition destined for Hiatus House would win top marks. What a fantastic cause.

Under the leadership of Shawn Ramey, Brandon Fitch and Tomi Hulkkonen, the competition is just one of countless examples of Local 494 giving back to our community.

Local 494 represents general carpenters, acoustic technicians, resilient floor layers and pile drivers and welders in Essex and Kent counties and have truly built a cutting-edge, 21,000-square-foot training facility.

Our government is providing $224 million in the current budget for a new capital stream of the Skills Development Fund to leverage private sector expertise and expand training centres, including union training halls such as the Local 494 site, to provide more accessible, flexible training opportunities for workers.

With nearly 300,000 jobs going unfilled in Ontario, many of which are in the construction industry, local trade unions are doing their part to ensure that their members are well prepared today as we continue to build a better Windsor–Tecumseh and a better Ontario for future generations.

I rise today to recognize the important work of Circle of Care, part of Sinai Health, a non-profit organization that delivers nutritionally balanced meals to seniors and those with complex health needs.

With the help of over 200 compassionate volunteers and staff, they deliver more than 280,000 meals annually to our elderly community members.

Last month, the March for Meals month, I joined them in delivering meals to a seniors-only apartment in Richmond Hill called Rose Town, where we visited our elderly Ukrainian and Russian neighbours.

Speaker, from the smiling faces, I can tell the meal delivery service has gone above and beyond in providing vital support to our vulnerable population. The service has also alleviated the worries of many family members who may not be able to visit their loved ones. I am so happy that those who deliver the meals for them also make great friends with them and check in on them on a daily basis.

Again, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to the entire Circle of Care team. Thank you very much.

The region of Durham’s public health unit is receiving $1,645,000 from our government to help deliver a variety of initiatives and support critical public health programs and services over the next two years. The announcement made recently by region of Durham government MPPs is part of an investment of nearly $84 million by the province to support public health units across Ontario. Consequently, Durham region public health can look forward to enhanced health care services as our government reaffirms its commitment to investing in the well-being of the communities that comprise the region.

Ontarians can rest assured that we’re determined to alleviate health care costs while ensuring exceptional care for all residents of Durham. By prioritizing initiatives that promote health and prevent illness, we can build a stronger, more resilient region of Durham and create a brighter future for all hard-working families in that region.

As we sit here in the House once again, Highway 11, the Trans-Canada Highway, has just been closed north of North Bay—I was trying to look it up; I think it’s the 14th time since January 1. This is the Trans-Canada Highway, the link that connects our country—the cross-country traffic. There are two ways to go across Canada through Ontario: Highway 17 or 11. Believe it or not, in the wintertime, Highway 11 is the safest route, and it has been closed numerous times. Not only is the commerce stopped, but as we speak, there will be people stranded along that highway, because that highway is our main street.

The link is once again broken. I’m not blaming anyone. I’m not blaming the contractors. I think they’re doing their best. I’m not even blaming the government; the government is trying to do a few things. But we have to realize that something is drastically changing and we need to address it. I’ve lived there my whole life, and it has never been like this—that every time there’s a snow, the country is paralyzed. We need to work together right now. The government in power needs to look at what we do to change that so we are not the bottleneck in this country.

I have the privilege of welcoming to the Legislature today two strong constituents from the riding of Niagara West, Ken and Bev Byberg. Welcome to Ontario’s Legislature.

Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to welcome to this House members of the Amalgamated Transit Union, including John Di Nino, president of ATU Canada; Marvin Alfred, president of ATU Local 113; Crystal Cadeau, Frank Malta, Renee Coutinho, Eric Tuck, Chuck Fitzpatrick, Hariqbal Bal, Jacques Racine, Jay Khawaja, Jack Jackson, Jamie Larkin, Andrew Salabie and Amandeep Gill. Welcome to your House.

Speaker, to the Premier: Will he join the minister and admit the Conservatives’ plan is failing?

Yet again, this government is focused more on themselves and their friends than on real Ontarians, because if they would listen to real Ontarians, they would realize that they have to do a whole lot better than this. People can’t afford places to live, Speaker. And what is this government telling them? They won’t fix their failing housing plan; they would rather build luxury homes on the greenbelt; and that their insider friends are more important.

Speaker, back to the Premier: Will you at least bring back real rent control to get Ontarians some relief?

Back to the Premier: How is this going to help somebody who can’t afford their rent this month?

From a multi-generational family of community leaders—especially today, on the eve of Passover—I welcome Stacey Granovsky and her son Boaz Granovsky. Welcome to the Ontario Legislature.

I’d like to welcome Jan Westcott and the crew from Spirits Canada here today and invite them to the reception this evening. We will all have fun there.

I am pleased to have two groups to introduce today. The first is folks from the Ontario Autism Coalition who are joining us this morning: Kate Dudley-Logue, Amy Moledzki, Bruce McIntosh, Karen Rene Bojti, Michele MacAdam, and of course everyone knows Michau Van Speyk.

Also from Ottawa this morning joining us are Dr. June Webber and Gerry Barr. Welcome, everyone.

That concludes our members’ statements for this morning.

I am delighted to welcome Skyler Chui, a grade 8 student from St. Charles Garnier Catholic Elementary School, representing Richmond Hill as a page. Today, Skyler is our page captain. He is excited to learn about our legislative process. Seeing his member in action will be a good experience and a highlight of his learning.

I would also like to welcome Skyler’s parents, Ocean Chui and Joyce Chan, and his sister Shelby Chui. Welcome, everyone, to Queen’s Park.

Again, I guess I don’t have to point out the irony that the Leader of the Opposition now wants to build more houses, has somehow joined us in recognizing that there is a housing crisis in the province of Ontario—a crisis that was built up after 15 years of inaction by both the Liberals and the NDP systematically making it impossible for people to actually build homes and for people to actually afford homes, Mr. Speaker.

What the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is doing is taking out all of the obstacles that make it harder to build homes in the province of Ontario. That has been the absolute goal of everything that we have been doing since day one in this place.

I congratulate the Leader of the Opposition for finally understanding that we have obstacles in the way of building homes for the people of the province of Ontario who so desperately want to have that first home, whether it’s to own the first home, their first rental. So I congratulate the Leader of the Opposition for finally recognizing we’re in a housing crisis and hope she’ll vote with us to actually deal with it.

At the same time, we know that there is a housing crisis in other parts of this province, and the reality is that we have to move out of the way red tape and the obstacles that have been causing this crisis, obstacles that the Leader of the Opposition and her party, in co-operation with the Liberals, put in the way of the people of the province of Ontario for over a decade and a half.

I appreciate that she agrees with us there is a housing crisis. I hope that she will join with us as we eliminate the red tape to get more homes built.

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to my friends Jim Corcoran and David Navia. Many of you may know them; with the stress of the Legislature, you may have been to Ste. Anne’s Spa in beautiful Grafton, Ontario. Welcome to the Legislature, Jim and David.

Though they couldn’t be here today, we want to wish the women’s Team Canada all the best in the world championships. The IIHF World Championships start April 5. They’d love to be here, but they’re going to be a little busy. All the best to the ladies.

I would like to welcome my friend and one of my team, Mr. Michael Lo Giudice, as he is coming back from Italy after five years; he graduated post-grad. Congratulations. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce a special guest from the Hammer, Eric Tuck, who is the president of ATU Local 107. Welcome to Queen’s Park, Eric.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to my friends at the Ontario Autism Coalition who are joining us in the chamber this morning.

Thank you.

The next question.

The next question.

My question is to the Premier.

Premier, we have found that this government has forced municipalities to redraw their urban boundaries and rezone over 35,000 hectares of farmland and greenbelt land to permit sprawl—35,000 hectares in Peel, in Ottawa, in Hamilton, in Halton, in Durham, in York, and possibly Waterloo. They are all being forced to permit expensive, low-density sprawl on farmland, even though your government’s own Housing Affordability Task Force said very clearly that access to land is not the barrier that’s stopping this government and Ontario from meeting its housing target of 1.5 million homes.

Instead of recklessly paving over farmland and the greenbelt, can this government commit to a housing plan to increase density and build the homes we need in areas already zoned for development?