The ayes are 69; the nays are 0.

I would like to thank the 1,764 people who have signed this petition since Sunday. It goes as follows:

“Keep Coverage for Uninsured People in Ontario.

“Whereas the Ford government is set to cut access to health care for uninsured people on March 31, 2023;

“Whereas three years ago, the ... government expanded access to health care for uninsured people across Ontario, with coverage for all hospital-based care and some community-based care;

“Whereas cutting access to health care will lead to immense suffering and possibly death for migrants, the homeless and others without health insurance. It also burdens our already strained health care system, as people may delay seeking care until they are very sick;”

They “petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to reverse” the “decision” of the government “to ensure access to health for all.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask my good page Shah to bring it to the Clerk.

I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.

The Minister of Infrastructure to reply.

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

The House recessed from 1142 to 1500.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it. Call in the members. This will be a 30-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1502 to 1532.

Mr. Calandra has moved that, pursuant to standing order 77(a), the order for second reading of Bill 74, An Act to amend the Missing Persons Act, 2018, be discharged and the bill be referred to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy.

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

Motion agreed to.

I’d just like to wish a happy ninth anniversary of her 29th birthday to the member from Carleton.

“Whereas in the First and Second World Wars, over 7,000 First Nation members, as well as an unknown number of Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous recruits, voluntarily served in the Canadian Armed Forces; and

“Whereas countless Indigenous peoples bravely and selflessly served Canada at a time of great challenges for Canada; and

“Whereas this spirit of volunteerism and community marked the life of the late Murray Whetung, who volunteered to serve in the Second World War; and

“Whereas many First Nations individuals lost their status after serving in the wars off-reserve for a period of time; and

“Whereas despite this injustice, many continued to recognize the value in continuously giving back to their community; and

“Whereas the values of volunteerism and community are instilled in the army, air, and sea cadets across Ontario; and

“Whereas the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act establishes an award for the cadets and tells the story of Indigenous veterans’ sacrifice and mistreatment;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the passage of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2022.”

I fully endorse this petition, will sign my name to it and give it to page Ethan to take to the table.

My question is for the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility.

Seniors in Ontario want the ability to live their lives independently and to be active and socially connected in their communities.

In fact, just last night I had a wonderful opportunity to listen to Nadia, who lives in East Riverside, about how important support for seniors really is—especially their ability to socialize.

Across our province, many seniors are currently struggling with the high costs of food, everyday goods and services. For seniors with limited incomes, the current economic climate translates into ongoing hardship and difficulty. Seniors across Ontario are looking to our government to put forward measures that will provide them with the direct help and support that they need.

Can the minister please explain how our government is working on behalf of seniors during these uncertain economic times?

It is truly reassuring that our government is focusing on actions and investments that will support vulnerable low-income seniors by expanding and annually indexing the GAINS program.

Under the strong leadership of the Premier and this minister, our government is demonstrating respect for the hard-working men and women who have built our province.

As Ontario’s population continues to age, our government must continue to respond to the needs of seniors and provide them with the support that will improve their overall quality of life.

Can the minister please explain more about the expanded GAINS program?

I have some more petitions from the Wolfe Island ferry and Glenora ferry workers.

“Petition to the Legislative Assembly...:

“Whereas the Wolfe Island ferry and Glenora ferry have had serious service disruptions due to a staffing crisis created by the Ontario government; and

“Whereas residents and visitors to Wolfe Island have been trapped on the island for up to 12 hours with no way to leave, even for emergencies or work; and

“Whereas Glenora ferry has had a reduced schedule during this year’s busy tourism season, creating hours of lineups and delays for passengers; and

“Whereas the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) ferry workers are drastically underpaid in comparison to the rest of the marine industry, causing recruitment and retention issues; and

“Whereas instead of paying competitive wages and hiring more permanent staff, MTO has contracted out the work to Reliance Offshore,” which is “an out-of-province, private temporary staffing agency, which charges up to twice as much hourly as ministry staff earn; and

“Whereas contracting out the work is a waste of our public funds on a stopgap solution that doesn’t provide long-term stability to our ferry system;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“(1) Fix our ferries—stop the service disruptions and reductions caused by ministry understaffing.

“(2) Repeal Bill 124, which has imposed a three-year wage cut on already underpaid ferry workers during high inflation, and pay them fair, competitive wages”; and finally,

“(3) End the outrageously expensive contracts with private temporary staffing agencies and hire permanent Ministry of Transportation ferry workers to work and live in our communities instead.”

I fully support this petition, Speaker. I’ll have page Keya bring it to the table.

I just want to correct my record from earlier. In response to my honourable colleague from Thunder Bay–Superior North, I indicated that there was an increase of $2.2 million in supportive housing—in fact, it’s $202 million of increase. Thank you very much—

Interjections.

I will read in my petition:

“Whereas in the First and Second World Wars, over 7,000 First Nation members, as well as an unknown number of Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous recruits, voluntarily served in the Canadian Armed Forces; and

“Whereas countless Indigenous peoples bravely and selflessly served Canada at a time of great challenges for Canada; and

“Whereas this spirit of volunteerism and community marked the life of the late Murray Whetung, who volunteered to serve in the Second World War; and

“Whereas many First Nations individuals lost their status after serving in the wars off-reserve for a period of time; and

“Whereas despite this injustice, many continued to recognize the value in continuously giving back to their community; and

“Whereas the values of volunteerism and community are instilled in the army, air, and sea cadets across Ontario; and

“Whereas the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act establishes an award for the cadets and tells the story of Indigenous veterans’ sacrifice and mistreatment;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the passage of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2022.”

I will affix my name to this and give it to—

Petitions.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas in the First and Second World Wars, over 7,000 First Nation members, as well as an unknown number of Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous recruits, voluntarily served in the Canadian Armed Forces; and

“Whereas countless Indigenous peoples bravely and selflessly served Canada at a time of great challenges for Canada; and

“Whereas this spirit of volunteerism and community marked the life of the late Murray Whetung, who volunteered to serve in the Second World War; and

“Whereas many First Nations individuals lost their status after serving in the wars off-reserve for a period of time; and

“Whereas despite this injustice, many continued to recognize the value in continuously giving back to their community; and

“Whereas the values of volunteerism and community are instilled in the army, air, and sea cadets across Ontario; and

“Whereas the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act establishes an award for the cadets and tells the story of Indigenous veterans’ sacrifice and mistreatment;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the passage of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2022.”

It’s a very valid petition, Mr. Speaker. I sign my name and give it to page Jonas.

I want to read a petition on behalf of Kitt Tremblay from London and thank them for submitting this.

“Demand Fair Funding for Provincial Schools.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the provincial schools for the deaf and blind provide high-quality education in an accessible, supportive and affirming environment; but

“Whereas under successive Liberal and Conservative governments, these schools have been faced with deep cuts and are under constant threat of closure; and

“Whereas these cuts have led to fewer teachers, support staff and less specialized support and resources for students with disabilities; and

“Whereas provincial schools for the deaf and blind have seen programs, resources, staff and services cut and downsized to a skeleton staff while key infrastructure like pools and heating systems are left in disrepair; and

“Whereas deaf and blind children are being denied access to services and programs, or forced onto growing wait-lists for services from the resource department, including painful waits for psychological and psychoeducational assessments; and

“Whereas parents of students at the schools have been forced to advocate in the media and at public rallies because the ministry has not addressed their concerns;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“Call on the Ontario government to immediately increase funding for services, staffing, infrastructure and resources at the provincial schools, and act to improve transparency and accountability while improving the working and learning conditions at the provincial schools.”

I fully support this petition, Speaker. I’ll give it to page Morgan to take to the table.

I really want to thank Dr. Sally Palmer for her advocacy and for getting these petitions and presenting them to me. This petition is, “To Raise Social Assistance Rates” in Ontario.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and soon $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both” OW and ODSP;

“Whereas the recent small budget increase of 5% for ODSP still leaves these citizens well below the poverty line, both they and those receiving the frozen OW rates are struggling to live in this time of alarming inflation;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its CERB program that a ‘basic income’ of $2,000 per month was the standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I certainly support this petition, will be signing it and giving it to page Mikaeel.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas in the First and Second World Wars, over 7,000 First Nation members, as well as an unknown number of Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous recruits, voluntarily served in the Canadian Armed Forces; and

“Whereas countless Indigenous peoples bravely and selflessly served Canada at a time of great challenges for Canada; and

“Whereas this spirit of volunteerism and community marked the life of the late Murray Whetung, who volunteered to serve in the Second World War; and

“Whereas many First Nations individuals lost their status after serving in the wars off-reserve for a period of time; and

“Whereas despite this injustice, many continued to recognize the value in continuously giving back to their community; and

“Whereas the values of volunteerism and community are instilled in the army, air, and sea cadets across Ontario; and

“Whereas the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act establishes an award for the cadets and tells the story of Indigenous veterans’ sacrifice and mistreatment;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the passage of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2022.”

I will affix my name to this petition and give it to legislative page Jonas to bring to the table.

J’aimerais remercier la D^re Claire-Lucie Brunet, ainsi que des centaines d’autres résidents de Nickel Belt, pour cette pétition.

« Investir dans les arts et la culture de l’Ontario.

« Alors que le secteur des arts et de la culture contribue 28,7 milliards de dollars au PIB de l’Ontario et crée plus de 300 000 emplois; et

« Alors que le budget du Conseil des arts n’a pas été augmenté au taux d’inflation de l’Ontario, ce qui exacerbe la précarité du revenu des artistes et des travailleurs » et travailleuses « culturels, dont certains gagnent moins de 25 000 $ par année, et encore moins pour ceux » et celles « qui appartiennent à des groupes méritant l’équité; et

« Alors que la précarité des revenus a été aggravée pendant la pandémie par des problèmes d’injustice réglementaire dans le secteur des arts et de la culture, ce qui a eu un impact disproportionné sur le secteur des arts de la scène et sur les groupes prioritaires déterminés par le CAO, notamment les artistes et travailleurs » et travailleuses « culturels BIPOC, autochtones, femmes, personnes handicapées et LGBTQIA2S+; »

Ils et elles demandent à l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario « de maintenir le budget de 65 millions de dollars du Conseil des arts de l’Ontario dans le budget provincial ... et d’investir adéquatement dans le secteur des arts et de la culture, notamment en soutenant les groupes qui méritent l’équité, les petits et moyens collectifs dans nos communautés, ainsi que les artistes individuels afin d’assurer leur survie personnelle et économique. »

J’appuie. Je vais la signer et je demande à Evelyn de l’amener à la table des greffiers.

We’re going to move to questions for the member.

I thank the member for his presentation. He always is very well rehearsed and speaks so well here in the House.

My question is—you speak to everyday Ontarians, families and individuals in your community. We are now in the midst of an unprecedented affordability crisis and this is a very, very, very tough time, coming out of an even tougher time as well, from the pandemic. Do everyday residents in your community express hope with this budget? What are they saying to you?

During this budget, building highways, transit and infrastructure projects are the main keys of this budget. We are going to deliver the most ambitious capital plan in Ontario’s history, with planned infrastructure spending of more than $184 billion over 10 years, including:

—$27.9 billion to support planning and construction of highway expansion;

—$70.5 billion for transit over the next 10 years;

—over $48 billion in hospital infrastructure over the next 10 years;

—$15 billion in capital grants over 10 years, supporting a full continuum of care of first responders who have experienced post-traumatic stress injury and other current mental health disorders.

Madam Speaker, through you, I want to ask the member opposite why he is not supporting this great initiative.

It’s an honour to rise for second reading of Bill 85, the government’s budget bill, which comes at a critical moment in time for people in this province. People are still dealing with the effects of the pandemic. Inflation is affecting cost of living, and a possible looming recession is providing a lot of anxiety.

With multiple crises that are resulting from this, Speaker, I believe this budget fails to meet the moment, especially when it comes to addressing the housing affordability and cost-of-living crisis: the fact that people on ODSP and OW are living in legislated poverty, being particularly affected by inflation and cost of living; the fact that our health care, education and mental health systems are suffering from a lack of people and investments in the people who deliver those services; and finally, the cost of the climate crisis that’s already affecting us.

Speaker, the government talks about fiscal prudence, but oftentimes fiscal prudence requires us making investments with a rate of return that improves people’s lives. I want to give you a few examples.

Every $10 invested in supportive housing saves $21.72, yet this government fails to make the investments needed for that rate of return. Poverty costs this province $33 billion a year, and yet this budget continues to force people with disabilities on ODSP and Ontario Works to live in legislated poverty, especially at a time when inflation is creating a cost-of-living crisis for everyone in this province.

Speaker, we will not address the crisis in our health care system and in our mental health system if we don’t actually invest in the people who deliver the care, who care for our loved ones. And yet, this bill does nothing to say, “Hey, we’re going to stop wasting taxpayer dollars appealing Bill 124 and actually start paying nurses and front-line health care workers fair wages, fair benefits and provide better working conditions.”

Finally, we’re already facing a climate crisis. According to the Financial Accountability Officer, this decade alone, the next seven years, the climate crisis is going to cost public infrastructure alone $26.2 billion. Most of that’s going to fall on the backs of our municipalities, who own most of that infrastructure. There’s nothing in this budget to prepare our communities, to prepare our transportation systems, our buildings, our storm and water systems for the crisis that is already here.

Speaker, we have to wake up. The government has to get its head out of the sand and make the investments our communities and our people need.

I also just want to say, the poor people on Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Payments—who can survive, Speaker, on $731 a month, or $1,200 a month? We are better than that in Ontario. I know we are better than that. We can double social assistance rates, improve peoples’ lives and save the province $33 billion a year.

This budget provides critical funding to support us in developing a partnership between the University of Guelph and Lakehead to address the shortage of veterinarians, especially in northern Ontario and especially when it comes to large-animal agriculture. That is something I do support in this budget, even though there are things in this budget I don’t support. I want to thank the member for the question.

That concludes the time we have available for petitions this afternoon.

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 28, 2023, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 85, An Act to implement Budget measures and to amend various statutes / Projet de loi 85, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à modifier diverses lois.