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?

Mr. Speaker, once again, I reiterate: We are building a system of care that looks after individuals where and when they need it.

Camille Quenneville, the CEO of CMHA: “The vital structural base funding commitment announced today is the largest by any government for community mental health and addictions care in a decade. It will significantly help community-based mental health and addictions agencies provide high-quality care, retain dedicated and committed staff, and address rising operating costs. The budget is an overwhelmingly positive sign that the government understands the strain our sector is facing as we support Ontarians living with mental health and addictions challenges. It also demonstrates their desire to help those most vulnerable in society.”

With respect to children and youth, a quote forwarded to me from Tatum Wilson, Children’s Mental Health Ontario: “We are pleased that today’s budget commits significant new funding to mental health and addictions. These investments are critical to begin to stabilize community child and youth mental health” supports.

Mr. Speaker, we’re listening to our partners and—

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?

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?

Thank you to the member opposite for the question. There is an urgent need for adequate housing to meet the basic needs of many First Nations, especially across Ontario’s Far North. For many First Nations in Ontario, this has meant living in houses that lack basic services such as clean drinking water and adequate heating, ventilation and insulation.

While the federal government is responsible for housing on-reserve, Ontario provides support for off-reserve affordable housing, supportive housing, capital repairs and rent supplements for Indigenous people.

We will continue working with Indigenous communities and organizations to ensure the federal government is living up to its responsibility to provide good, safe housing to First Nations, Inuit and Métis people across Ontario.

We recognize how important culturally appropriate housing is for Indigenous communities and how critical these services are to improving the physical, mental and social well-being of Indigenous people across Ontario. Through the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program, our government is more than doubling Ontario’s annual investment in Indigenous supportive housing to ensure those at risk for homelessness have access to the resources they need and deserve.

Ma question est pour le premier ministre. As we all know, the province is facing a very large housing crisis, but imagine facing it for 30 years. Imagine having no access to your own traditional lands to expand and build on. This is the sad reality for the Attawapiskat First Nation and many others. These communities have solutions but are stuck behind government red tape and passed around from one government to another.

Premier, when is this government going to step up and put a plan into action with a long-term solution, as it should, and start helping First Nations like Attawapiskat?

Years have gone by, yet nothing is moving. Since 2014, there was a task force in place; then, in 2018, a memorandum of understanding; then a renewed relationship commitment, signed by your minister, in 2019. All Attawapiskat got so far are two plastic igloos as temporary housing.

Premier, First Nation chiefs are telling us your government is not acting on any of their issues. I ask again: When will this government put things in motion and actually do the work that is supposed to be done?

Our government was elected with a stronger mandate to build Ontario, particularly to build a resilient health care system. In our most recent budget, we are allocating $48 billion to expand hospitals across the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, $32 billion of that are grants that will go to increase bed capacity and increase the number of operating rooms, as well as to expand emergency departments in communities.

Last week, we released a request for qualifications—I know my seatmate is very thrilled about this—for the Quinte Health hospital. This will be a brand new hospital in eastern Ontario, Mr. Speaker. We want to make sure that if you are in need of care in the province of Ontario, you will be able to receive it.

The Minister of Long-Term Care and my ministry, the Ministry of Infrastructure, are working together to make sure that we address the long wait-lists. We are on our way to building 31,000 new beds and upgrading 28,000 beds across Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, you’ve heard me speak about the rapid delivery program, where we built a long-term-care home in 13 months in Ajax. We are almost ready to open two more long-term-care homes in Mississauga, which will activate 600 beds. By building hospitals and long-term-care homes, we are protecting our most vulnerable.

I really want to thank the great member from Brampton East for the incredible work that he’s doing in his riding.

Speaker, I am so proud to say that the 2023 budget has provided an additional $202 million to the Homelessness Prevention Program. This represents a 40% increase from the previous amount, bringing the total close to $700 million in annual investments. Also, collaborating with multiple ministries to ensure that the right supports are in the right place at the right time for those most vulnerable is so critical.

The housing supply crisis is impacting Ontarians right across this province, and we know it will take time to fully implement the policies we have put forward. But I’m confident, with this Premier and this government, we are heading in the right direction.

My question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. Constituents in my riding of Richmond Hill and individuals and families across the province continue to rely on our hard-working hospitals when they need access to health care and medical services. Unfortunately, under the previous Liberal government, critical health care infrastructure was not a priority. The failure to make investments in projects that were important to communities left our health care system crumbling, overcrowded and unprepared, especially when we needed it the most.

While significant work is already under way in many communities to improve and expand our hospitals, there is still more work that is urgently needed. Speaker, can I ask the minister to explain how our government is addressing health care infrastructure needs?

Investments made by our government into the hospital sector remain vital and are welcome news for the people of my riding in Richmond Hill and all Ontarians. However, the infrastructure needs of our long-term-care homes are equally important and deserve immediate action. Sadly, after 15 years under the leadership of the previous Liberal government, their neglect and indifference resulted in long-term-care homes that were outdated, in disrepair and overcrowded.

Our government must address capacity issues in the long-term-care system now. My constituents in Richmond Hill and the people of our province expect our government to get shovels in the ground to accelerate the development of long-term-care homes. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how our government is addressing the infrastructure needs in our long-term-care sector?