My question is to the Premier. Families across Ontario are struggling with the high cost of living. A mom in Niagara contacted my office about the price of baby formula going up 40% in the last three months—a product that is essential for many families with babies. Formula going from $50 in January to over $70 today is simply price gouging from companies like Loblaws.

The Premier promised there would be consequences for retailers who price-gouge on necessary items. Speaker, that mom has a question for the Premier: Why is the Premier letting this happen? Why is he breaking his promise?

The Conservative budget does nothing to address the affordability crisis. They refuse to stand up to price-gouging corporations like the Westons. Companies are taking advantage of families that are just trying to feed their children. Listen to this, Speaker: Some families are watering down baby formula to stretch it further. What kind of province are we living in where the Premier thinks it’s okay for billionaires to make record profits while gouging families struggling to feed their babies? What will it take for the Premier to stand up to these corporate bullies ripping off families in Ontario, so we can feed our families?

In an emergency, there’s no worse feeling than being unable to contact emergency services or our loved ones. With the recent terrible acts of violence on the TTC, having access to cellular service in the subway tunnels would make people feel safer in a crisis. The infrastructure is there, but big telecom is not willing to use it.

Does this government think that’s right? And if not, what are they willing to do about it?

It’s a bit odd that, on a day we are going to debate a motion to protect police officers, I need to ask about protecting the public from police officers. Police officers hold important responsibilities, and to maintain public trust and confidence in our police services, we must ensure that our police officers are held to the highest of standards when it comes to their conduct. Unfortunately, that has not been the case with a particular officer in Leeds county. Despite being convicted for drug trafficking, forgery and sexual assault, this officer has been on paid leave since 2015, even making it on the sunshine list during this time.

Mr. Speaker, if receiving three separate convictions for serious offences is not enough for a police officer to lose their job, how can the public trust the officers tasked with their safety? Can the Solicitor General explain why officers who have been convicted of serious offences are not automatically released from service in our police forces?

My question is for the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. The previous Liberal government missed many opportunities to build up Ontario. They didn’t invest in skilled trades training and didn’t support the tradespeople who are the backbone of our economy. As a result of their indifference and neglect, Ontario is not only facing a shortage of skilled trades workers; our government is also left to manage and correct health and safety issues for workers that should have been fixed years ago. As an example, workers on some construction sites continue to face issues accessing clean washroom facilities. This is wrong, disrespectful and totally unnecessary.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is supporting the health and safety needs of workers on construction sites?

The workers building a strong Ontario for the next generation shouldn’t have difficulty accessing clean and reliable washroom facilities while working. No one, especially those who are doing the necessary work to grow our province’s economy, deserves this.

Unlike the previous Liberal government, we need to eliminate any barriers to entry for the skilled trades and we need to protect the health and safety of our workers. Our government must take direct action to clean up job sites, including expanding washroom facilities and holding workplaces accountable for failing to uphold health and safety standards.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on what actions our government is taking to ensure health and safety standards are respected?

I thank the member opposite for the question. We are all deeply concerned about the increased number of violent incidents on public transit in the last few weeks and all levels of government agree on the importance of ensuring that transit systems across the province are safe. And so, we remain open to continuing discussions with our partners on how we can work to achieve this.

I know that transit riders want to remain connected when they’re riding public transit. That’s why, in 2020, our government took steps to improve connectivity and implemented free WiFi on all GO buses and trains.

As the member opposite knows, the TTC is operated by the city of Toronto and, as such, the city of Toronto is responsible for finding a resolution with the telecommunication carriers. I encourage the city of Toronto and the future mayor to find a resolution on this matter as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, we’ve been supporting public transit for years, especially throughout the pandemic. The province has given over $1.5 billion to the TTC to ensure that its system could remain operational throughout the pandemic. We work closely with the TTC and we’ve continued to urge them to find a resolution to ensure that riders on the TTC can have free WiFi as soon as possible.

The supplementary question?

Next question.

Speaker, community agencies are facing a staffing crisis. Wait times for treatments grow longer and longer.

I spoke to a woman who was sexually assaulted and nearly beaten to death. She lived in her car for months afterwards, and she’s been waiting for trauma counselling through the public health system for four months and counting. For $30,000 a month, she could get treatment at a private clinic immediately. Access to mental health supports shouldn’t depend on your ability to pay.

Kids wait an average of 67 days for counselling and 92 days for intensive treatment. People are literally dying waiting for help.

Why is this Premier shortchanging public mental health services when lives depend on early and consistent access to care?

Thank you to the member for Thornhill for this really important question.

In Ontario today, about 600,000 people work in construction. Each and every one of them are heroes, and it’s time they got the dignity and respect they deserve. For far too long, politicians and others have looked down their noses at people in the skilled trades. No more.

Over the last two months, my ministry inspectors have visited more than 1,800 job sites and inspected their washrooms. They found over 240 washroom-related violations: missing doors, missing walls, no place to wash your hands and, worst of all, no toilets on job sites. In what other industry would this be acceptable? These are people who are building our communities, not livestock.

I’ve spoken to workers who tell me washrooms have been an issue for generations. This ends today. We’re working for workers and making sure our washrooms are clean for these heroes.

Interjections.

Under the leadership of our Premier, last month we announced our government is requiring cleaner washrooms for all 600,000 construction workers. We’re doubling the number of washrooms on construction sites. We’re mandating that they be clean, private and well lit. We’re also requiring that they have hand sanitizer when running water isn’t possible and that large job sites have women-only washrooms.

Speaker, it’s unacceptable that anyone is making a career choice based on washroom quality.

For over 100 years, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour had never done a washroom blitz. Under our government, we launched the first one in history, and the second blitz is starting this week. Only our government, under the leadership of this Premier, is getting it done for our front-line workers and our heroes, those construction workers.

We need to promote ridership on the TTC, which includes mores service and better service. The TTC has been trying for more than a decade to introduce cell service across the system, but there has been no interest from the big three: Rogers, Bell or Telus.

Cell service on the TTC plays a role in public safety and is a measure that should already be in place but isn’t. Does the minister agree that in 2023, cell service on transit is essential? If so, what action is she going to take to fix this?

I thank my colleague for the question. He is absolutely right: The people of Ontario and Peel region spoke loud and clear when they re-elected our government with an even larger majority last June. They want to see Highway 413 built. The NDP and the Liberals are completely out of touch with the challenges Ontarians are facing right now.

Toronto already ranks as the seventh-most congested city in the entire world, and our major highways are at or reaching capacity. The average Toronto driver lost 118 hours, or nearly five days, sitting in traffic this past year alone. The cost to move goods is rising, and building new highways will ensure that our hospitals have the resources that they need and that our grocery store shelves are stocked.

The status quo that the opposition parties want to maintain is hurting Ontario families, and it’s hurting our economy. Ontario needs Highway 413, and our government is delivering.

In March 2020, the federal government wrote to MTO that Highway 413 did not meet the criteria for a federal impact assessment, yet months before the last election, they moved the goalposts. That’s why last week my ministry sent a letter to the federal government expressing that this is unacceptable, especially for a project that is so critical to our province.

Mr. Speaker, it’s clear that Minister Guilbeault will do anything to stop this project from getting built. I encourage the opposition to support this project, and I encourage the Liberal MPs in Peel region to stand up in their caucus and to stand up to their federal minister. Support—

The government recently passed Bill 46, which doubled down on a band-aid solution to our court-staffing problems. Instead of expediting efforts to hire more judges, retired judges can now return to work up to 75% of full-time hours, a plan that is expensive, flawed and unsustainable.

My question to the Premier is simple: Why won’t his government clear the court backlog with a proper plan which includes actually appointing more new, full-time judges?

Last week, the case of a police officer accused of sexual assault was thrown out, not because of the merits of the case, but because it was assigned to a semi-retired judge who took an extended vacation, which then caused an unconstitutional trial delay. These kinds of scheduling issues are entirely predictable, and they will happen more and more as this government increases our reliance on part-time judges.

Our justice system is now being held together by duct tape. Speaker, is this government so out of touch that they don’t recognize the long-term investments needed to ensure that the people of Ontario get access to justice in a timely fashion?

I agree with the minister, actually. The Community Safety and Policing Act the Solicitor General was referring to was passed in this Legislature over four years ago, receiving royal assent on March 26, 2019, yet it has still not come into force. Similarly, the Accommodation Sector Registration of Guests Act received royal assent almost two years ago, on June 3, 2021, and has also not yet come into force.

When the Legislature adopts legislation, it does so because the enacted changes are deemed necessary to resolve important and often pressing issues in our society. Certain clauses in the Community Safety and Policing Act, for example, would have enabled a chief of police to suspend without pay the officer I mentioned earlier, just like the solicitor mentioned. The Accommodation Sector Registration of Guests Act was meant to help better combat human trafficking, an urgent issue in this province.

Speaker, can the government please explain why it has decided not to bring into force important legislation adopted by this Legislature?

My question is for the Minister of Transportation. For the people who live, work or travel through the western part of the GTA, Highway 413 will make a significant difference to their quality of life. I consistently hear from local families and businesses in Brampton West that the potential for an easier commute is important to them. Mr. Speaker, for this reason, the voters of Peel region supported our government’s pledge to build Highway 413 and elected PC MPPs in every riding along the planned route.

Highway 413 is essential to alleviating congestion, creating good jobs and preparing our province for the expected population growth over the next 30 years. This project is essential not only for the people of Brampton but is necessary for the overall prosperity of Ontario.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how Highway 413 will contribute to supporting our province’s economy?

The people of Brampton expect our government to move forward with building Highway 413, but now the federal Liberals and Minister Guilbeault are trying to stop this project. Can the minister please elaborate on how our government’s investment in critical highway infrastructure is vital for Ontarians’ future?

I want to thank the member for her question. Let me be clear: No one convicted of serious and disturbing crimes like these should be receiving a taxpayer-funded salary. Our government brought forward legislation, the Community Safety and Policing Act, that, once enforced, will allow a chief of police to suspend an officer without pay if the officer is charged with a serious offence. This legislation, as members know, replaces a piece of legislation that’s over 30 years old. Our expectation, Mr. Speaker, is that those who keep our province safe uphold the highest standards of professional ethics, and we will accept nothing less.

I want to repeat again that no one convicted of a serious crime, and disturbing crimes like these, should be receiving a taxpayer-funded salary. We expect all those that keep our province safe to uphold the highest standard of professional ethics. Mr. Speaker, I’ll repeat it: We will accept nothing less.

To paraphrase the Leader of the Opposition, if the NDP spent more time on solutions and less time on headlines, they might actually support us in what we’re doing.

I would be pleased to say that in Bill 46, which was brought by my honourable friend the Minister of Red Tape Reduction, which indeed did make a positive change—I would love to say that the NDP supported us with that, Mr. Speaker, but in fact, as you would expect, they did not.

Now, in terms of adding more judges, we have added another judge. We’ve added a judge to Fort Frances recently, and I think that’s a fantastic addition. We’re constantly doing improvements to make sure we have court capacity. I would ask my friend across the way why, in fact, the NDP didn’t support us on Bill 46 as we enabled more capacity of judges to attend in court.

The supplementary question.

The next question.

Again, Mr. Speaker, if they would spend more time on the front lines and less time on headlines, we would actually be able to work together to improve the system. But we’ll do it without them. That’s okay.

I’m not going to speak to any particular case, but I cannot believe that the NDP are calling for me to interfere with judicial independence and the scheduling of courts, Mr. Speaker. I just cannot believe it.

Supplementary?

I’d like to first congratulate the member from Mississauga–Streetsville on her new role as the Associate Minister of Housing.

My question to the associate minister: With ongoing global economic uncertainty, our government continues to make significant investments in programs to help the most vulnerable in our province. For people who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness, it is essential that they have access to the right housing supports and services they need. However, the reality is that Ontario has both an affordable housing crisis and a homelessness crisis. More resources are needed to build upon the work already under way to bring forward more measures to address the serious issues.

Speaker, can the associate minister please explain what additional supports will be provided for those experiencing homelessness or for those who are at risk of homelessness, as a part of our recent budget?