Twenty years ago, I arrived in Toronto with my family, like so many immigrants before us, searching for a better life. We started to rebuild our lives, and the city services were there to help us along the way. I used to spend hours at the Parkdale library, working on my university applications. As a young woman, I felt safe on public transit, exploring all that the city had to offer. I fell in love with Toronto. It was a place full of optimism, potential and promise.

Over the years, I’ve seen the city’s spark slowly fade away. The decline is hard to ignore. We have big issues to tackle, like affordable housing, reliable transit, the climate emergency and a new deal on city finances. But the city must also be able to deliver basic services properly. Right now, walk out the door and there’s garbage everywhere, overflowing and broken bins. Winter comes every year, and we still haven’t figured out proper snow clearing. Homelessness has spiked, with more and more unhoused people seeking refuge on the TTC because there isn’t space in the shelter. There are potholes on every street. The limited recreation programs for kids are getting even fewer. Basic things aren’t being delivered properly.

We’ve all been worn down by the last 12 years. It’s time to turn the corner. We cannot be a world-class city without first getting the basic things right. To my fellow Torontonians: A mayoral by-election is upon us. We have an opportunity here. Let’s get the basics right. Let’s demand it.

I, too, want to give a very warm welcome to University of Toronto NDP and a special shout-out to Parkdale–High Park’s star campaigner and volunteer, Emma Hartviksen.

My question is to the Premier. On Monday, March 26, Toronto transit services will be cut across the city, and transit riders will be left waiting longer for the bus, streetcar and subway. This is unsafe, will cause more crowding and will make trips on transit take even longer. It doesn’t make sense to cut transit services at a time when more and more people are returning to the TTC. Cutting services will only drive people away from the TTC and increase traffic and congestion.

Toronto cannot thrive without proper TTC services. Will the Premier commit to play his part and fund the economic engine that moves our city?

I thank the member opposite for her question.

During the pandemic, our government recognized how essential public transit is for Ontarians across the province, and so we were there to support municipal transit agencies to the tune of over $2 billion, and the Toronto Transit Commission was the largest beneficiary of that.

We are committed to supporting public transit. We know that the city of Toronto has been underserved by public transit for so long, and that’s why our government put forward the largest transit expansion plan in Canadian history—anywhere in North America.

But if the member opposite thinks that public transit is so essential, what she should have done is voted in favour of our subway plan instead of voting against, as did her entire party.

This petition is on behalf of the psychotherapists of Parkdale–High Park and across Toronto. It reads:

“Making Psychotherapy Services Tax-Free.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas mental health care is health care; and

“Whereas the mental health crisis facing Ontarians has gotten worse with the pandemic; and

“Whereas BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, women, and people with disabilities have historically faced significant barriers to accessing equitable health care services due to systemic discrimination; and

“Whereas registered psychotherapists provide vital mental health services, especially as an early intervention; and

“Whereas a 13% tax added to the cost of receiving psychotherapy services is another barrier for Ontarians seeking this vital care; and

“Whereas registered psychotherapists are still required to collect HST from clients, while most other mental health professionals have been exempted;

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

“To pass the Making Psychotherapy Services Tax-Free Act, 2023, immediately, to remove this barrier to access mental health services.”

I fully support this petition and will affix my signature to it.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas vulnerable road users are not specifically protected by law; and

“Whereas Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act allows drivers who seriously injure or kill a vulnerable road user to avoid meaningful consequences, facing only minimal fines; and

“Whereas the friends and families of victims are unsatisfied with the lack of consequences and the government’s responses to traffic accidents that result in death or injury to a vulnerable road user;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“—direct the government of Ontario to commit to reducing the number of traffic fatalities and injuries to vulnerable road users;

“—create meaningful consequences that ensure responsibility and accountability for drivers who share the road with pedestrians, cyclists, road construction workers, emergency responders and other vulnerable road users;

“—allow friends and family of vulnerable road users whose death or serious injury was caused by an offending driver to have their victim impact statement heard in person in court by the driver responsible;

“—pass the Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act.”

I fully support this petition. I will affix my signature to it.