Speaker, through you to the Premier: Seniors and young families are being pressed to the limit as your government has allowed Enbridge to pass along increases in gas prices that are making life very hard for Ontarians.

The Ontario Electricity Support Program provides immediate on-bill relief for families who struggle to pay their electricity bills, but there is no similar program for families struggling to pay natural gas bills or other heating bills. Will this government establish such a program in its upcoming budget so every family who struggles to heat their home can get support?

Back to the minister: Last week, Niagara had another large ice storm. People have to heat their homes and there is no way around it. Prices to heat your home are going up and up. People are in desperate trouble.

Charles Christenson, a 67-year-old retired manufacturing worker from St. Catharines, showed me his bill: an increase of $100 from six months ago. This is a senior on a fixed income, making only $1,500 a month. We owe it to our seniors that built our province and to all Ontarians to have a solution, especially when it already exists for electricity.

Speaker, to the Premier: Does the Premier, or anyone else on that side of the aisle, believe that it’s okay to stand by and do nothing as gas rates double in the middle of the winter and continue to push seniors and young families right to the brink?

Mr. Speaker, clearly this government hasn’t figured out to whom or to what entity it will delegate the management and oversight of the for-profit surgery industry. That’s a red flag for me.

How do we know that this government isn’t going to set things up so that people too close to industry are the ones in charge of licenses and inspections? This is a danger in so many industries. There’s a term for it: regulatory capture. It’s a lot easier to separate the regulator and the industry in the current situation, where the regulators are ministry employees—not anymore with Bill 60.

How can the minister ensure that there won’t be people going back and forth between the industry and the directorate in charge of licensing and inspecting for-profit surgical clinics?

As per the Toronto Region Board of Trade report, gridlock is a fact of life in the GTA, and if we do not address it, it is going to cost us over $15 billion by 2031 in lost productivity.

Efficient and convenient transit is essential to support economic and community growth in Ontario. For too long, people in my riding of Mississauga–Malton have not had the public transit they need and deserve. Well, Mr. Speaker, we would not have been in this position if the previous Liberal government had not ignored the transit needs of individuals and families across our province. With 300,000 new Canadians coming to Ontario, the situation is going to be even worse.

Thankfully, we have a government with an ambitious plan for transportation improvement, and we must continue to make strategic investments. Mr. Speaker, my question to the government is: Can you provide an update on the progress of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, which will better connect Mississauga to Toronto?

It is exciting to learn about the exceptional progress we have achieved. This speaks volumes to the strong leadership of the Premier and the Minister of Transportation and the Associate Minister of Transportation in delivering on major transit infrastructure in our province.

The area around Renforth Drive and Pearson international airport is the second-largest employment hub in the country.

Rapid, reliable and seamless transit is essential in supporting workers, as well as reducing gridlock and emissions.

Mr. Speaker, the Eglinton Crosstown West extension will effectively provide connections to other transit options. Residents of Mississauga–Malton expect that this project must remain a priority for this government and must be delivered successfully.

Can the government please explain how this transit extension will benefit not only Mississauga–Malton but all Ontarians?

I appreciate the question from the honourable member. Under the leadership of former Mayor McCallion, Mississauga really saw such explosive growth, both in terms of people who wanted to live there, economic prosperity. Unfortunately, the transit and transportation system in the region did not keep pace with the growth that happened there and continues to happen because of the hard work of the members of the Progressive Conservative caucus from Mississauga.

He is quite right: The previous government certainly let down the people of Mississauga. But I am very happy to report that the Eglinton Crosstown is doing very, very well, and actually reached a landmark just last week, with about half of the tunnelling done on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension at Renforth.

Now, look: The people of Mississauga have every reason to be very excited by this. I know how hard the members of provincial Parliament in the Progressive Conservative caucus have worked to expand transit and transportation, because it is an important part of continuing the economic growth and prosperity for the people of Mississauga.

This Conservative government claims its privatization of health care bill, Bill 60, will give Ontarians more access to health care they need when they need it. The reality is, only those who can afford to pay to play will get the care they need in private clinics and private hospitals. Bill 60 leaves vulnerable patients without deep pockets in dangerous situations where diseases will go undiagnosed and surgeries will be delayed, all while they live in chronic pain and depression as their illnesses get worse.

Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Why does this Premier believe that access to health care should depend on one’s ability to pay?

Karen Bender is a 73-year-old senior in my community, and she needs eye surgery. She has been told that she’ll be waiting eight months to a year and that her vision will get worse, if not completely untreatable, the longer she waits. Karen knows of other seniors who were upsold in private clinics, and she’s also aware that the Premier and the Minister of Health admitted that their profitization of health care bill has nothing in it to protect patients like her from extra charges.

So my question is back to the Premier: What advice would this Conservative Premier give Karen and others without deep pockets waiting and desperate for surgery, while they’ve left our publicly funded surgical operating rooms empty and unstaffed in our province?

The member opposite is missing two very important pieces when he talks about the expansion of surgical and diagnostic in community, and that is, of course, that for-profit and hospital partnerships are a critical part of the application process. As we find the innovation—that is happening in Ottawa right now, as an example—we can see where hospitals working in community, with community partners, are actually providing a higher and faster level of service.

I’m proud of the work of Bill 60 that is going to ensure that oversight piece, and I look forward to the member’s insights and input during committee.

Interjections.

We want to see those expansions happening in community, because we have seen that they are successful. They mean that patients can get back to their families. They mean that patients can get back to their communities and the workforce quickly.

We want to eliminate the wait-lists. On that, the member opposite and I can agree—I hope.

Thank you to the member. This is a boring story that is exciting for me, because the Eglinton Crosstown West extension is more than halfway dug, and it’s ahead of schedule by four weeks. Speaker, this is going to create 31,000 jobs—

Interjections.

This government believes—and we will remain undeterred from the goal of building transit, connecting the grid and getting it done for commuters in Ontario.

The supplementary question.

Interjections.

The Minister of Health.

The Minister of Health has the floor.

Opposition, come to order.

The next question.

I would say to Karen and the individuals who are waiting for surgery that you can thank Premier Ford and our government for expanding cataract surgeries in Ottawa, in Kitchener-Waterloo and Windsor. That will immediately ensure that existing capacity that is in community today right now is able to offer more cataract surgeries in the province of Ontario.

Specifically regarding patients who are concerned that they will be encouraged or forced to use something that they don’t want, the publicly funded system has a process in place today. Bill 60 actually expands that so that those individuals who have concerns who are not able to deal with them in the community are able to go to the Patient Ombudsman, something that does not exist prior to—

Interjections.

My question is to the Premier. The government has said that in order for a property to be removed from the greenbelt, it had to meet certain criteria, including that it “must be on or near readily serviceable land.”

The chief administrative officer for Durham region wrote this to the minister about the changes to the greenbelt plan and about the lands in Durham slated for removal: “Servicing solutions for these lands have not been developed. No plans have been developed, and downstream infrastructure has not been sized to accommodate extensive development within these areas;

“c. The availability of electricity, and community services to support this growth has not been contemplated in any other plans to date.”

Why did the government remove the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve and greenbelt lands in Durham region despite the fact the lands did not meet the government’s own removal criteria?

The province, at its own greenbelt consultation, assured municipalities that “No removal or land exchanges proposed,” and, “the government will not consider the removal of any lands from the greenbelt.” That was just a year ago. The Durham CAO wrote, “Since the expectation was that the greenbelt was to be protected in perpetuity, servicing solutions for these lands have simply not been developed.” The land in Durham doesn’t meet the government’s own criteria, and the government has promised, “If these conditions are not met, the government will ... return the properties ... to the Greenbelt.”

Since our lands aren’t serviced or near readily serviceable land, when will the minister return the DRAP lands and Durham greenbelt lands safely to the greenbelt?

My question is for the Associate Minister of Housing. For too many Ontarians, finding the right home is all too challenging. Housing affordability is out of reach for many individuals and families. They’re struggling to find attainable homes that meet their needs. In January, the Ontario Real Estate Association reported that the average price of a home was just under $800,000. This price point is out of reach for many Ontarians. Speaker, can the associate minister please share what our government is doing to give back the dream of home ownership to my constituents?

Ma question s’adresse à la ministre des Affaires francophones.

De nombreux organismes francophones de l’Ontario ont souffert financièrement pendant la pandémie. Nous savons qu’il est essentiel de maintenir de solides réseaux commerciaux internes alors que nous continuons à soutenir les efforts de reprise économique.

Hier, notre gouvernement a lancé l’édition 2023-2024 du programme de financement sous l’Accord de coopération et d’échanges entre le gouvernement du Québec et le gouvernement de l’Ontario en matière de francophonie. Monsieur le Président, la ministre peut-elle nous dire comment cette entente interprovinciale entre l’Ontario et le Québec contribuera au développement économique de la francophonie ontarienne?

Notre gouvernement continue d’investir dans de nombreuses initiatives qui visent à renforcer le dynamisme de la communauté francophone de l’Ontario et promouvoir son rayonnement et sa vitalité. C’est dans le cadre du Mois de la Francophonie que nous lançons l’édition 2023-2024 du programme de financement sous l’Accord de coopération et d’échanges entre le gouvernement du Québec et le gouvernement de l’Ontario en matière de francophonie.

En vertu de cette entente interprovinciale, les deux provinces collaborent pour soutenir des projets conjoints qui encouragent le développement de la culture francophone; tirent parti des possibilités de partenariats économiques; et renforcent la compréhension réciproque entre les deux populations. À travers cette entente interprovinciale, les deux gouvernements investissent ensemble jusqu’à 500 000 $ par an pour soutenir des projets communs.

It’s too easy in Ontario to oppose housing. We know that. Costs are too high. There are parents and grandparents who are worried that their children and their grandchildren are going to never afford a home that meets their needs within their budget.

The government knows, through the Housing Affordability Task Force, other reports by CMHC, and many others know that we need to get shovels in the ground faster. We posted 15 sites that have the potential of having, as a minimum, 50,000 homes to build upon our More Homes, More Choice plan. The Housing Affordability Task Force gave us a fantastic road map. We took it to the people in June, and we’re going to implement it. We’re going to implement a housing supply action plan each and every year of a re-elected government under the leadership of Premier Ford.

We need to have more housing. We need to provide that opportunity for that—

We’re going to continue to work not just with Durham region but with all 444 municipalities. Almost every day, there’s a municipality that’s passing a resolution supporting our housing pledge. We’re building upon the success of the Housing Affordability Task Force. We’re making sure that all municipalities have the tools that they need to get shovels in the ground faster, including looking at those six high-growth regions and ensuring that strong mayor powers are set up for those mayors moving forward.

We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re going to be working collaboratively with all 444 municipalities. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re going—

I want to thank my honourable colleague from Burlington for the question and all the great work that she does in her riding.

Mr. Speaker, our legislation was clear: The More Homes Built Faster Act was intended to build on previous housing bills to further cut red tape and remove unnecessary barriers that were preventing the construction of new units in Ontario.

One key approach that we’re taking is by encouraging density around major transit areas, which will make it easier for Ontarians to take a bus, train or streetcar to and from work, and visit family and friends.

We want Ontarians to have the flexibility when it comes to housing: one that they can afford and one that meets their needs and their budgets. The only way that we can do this is by increasing supply in the areas that make sense, like major transit corridors, which is exactly what our government is doing.

I want to thank the member from Burlington for her strong advocacy when it comes to housing on behalf of her constituents.

Study after study is telling us that we are in a housing deficit, but we’re ensuring that more supply is created—of all types—to make sure that home ownership is within reach for more Ontarians; for example, the attainable housing program through the government surplus lands, exploring rent-to-own options and land lease communities.

To make housing more affordable and easier to enter the housing market for Ontarians, our government is increasing the term period for homes located in land lease communities from 21 years to 49 years, which, by extending it over time, will make homes more affordable. In fact, I saw first-hand the life-lease community of Sandycove in the great member’s riding of Barrie-Innisfil.

We know more work is needed, and we’ll continue to explore more options to make it easier for first-time homebuyers, seniors, young families and future generations to find a place to call home in our province.

Merci à l’adjoint parlementaire pour sa réponse.

C’est formidable d’entendre parler d’initiatives qui aident à promouvoir le commerce interprovincial, en particulier tout en faisant la promotion de la langue française. En tant que gouvernement, nous devons encourager les entreprises francophones de l’Ontario et veiller à ce qu’elles demeurent prospères.

Monsieur le Président—par l’adjoint parlementaire—la ministre peut-elle dire à la Chambre ce que notre gouvernement fait d’autre pour soutenir la communauté d’affaires francophone et les entreprises sociales en Ontario?

La Stratégie de développement économique francophone du gouvernement de l’Ontario propose plusieurs programmes et initiatives pour appuyer le milieu des affaires et les entreprises sociales francophones de l’Ontario, tels que le PAFO, le Programme d’appui à la francophonie ontarienne; l’Entente Canada-Ontario sur les services en français; et la promotion du commerce interprovincial via l’accord Ontario-Québec, qui est au coeur des efforts de coopération de nos deux gouvernements pour soutenir la francophonie et l’innovation.

Ma question est pour le premier ministre. Notre bureau a reçu plusieurs commentaires négatifs envers le contenu du programme Smart Serve de l’Ontario. Des gens très compétents en langue française on même faillit l’examen proposé puisque les questions étaient très ambiguës, embêtantes et très mal posées.

La révision du programme demande un renouvellement de certificat par la fin du mois de juin 2023, et plusieurs gens sont incapables de réussir le cours.

Encore une fois, les francophones sont à un désavantage dans cette province. Qu’est-ce que le gouvernement va faire pour adresser ce problème et assurer un succès juste pour les francophones de cette province?

The proposed An Act to amend the Mining Act would amend the Mining Act and, if passed, the changes will help save mining companies time and money.

Improving the Mining Act will create the conditions for companies to build more mines while maintaining Ontario’s environmental standards and duty to consult. These updates will also ensure we have the critical minerals in Ontario necessary to build the supply chain for electric vehicles.

Ontario has some of the world’s most mineral-rich deposits, including the Ring of Fire, that house critical minerals used in manufacturing electric vehicles, smart phones, pharmaceuticals and other technologies.

Our government is improving the Mining Act to create the conditions for companies to build more mines efficiently and to help strengthen the made-in-Ontario critical minerals supply chains for critical minerals and electric vehicles.

These changes would make Ontario more competitive, attract new investment to the province, and pave the way for Ontario to become the number one jurisdiction in the world for mineral investment and development.

Mr. Shamji moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 72, An Act to proclaim the third week in June as Health Professionals’ Week / Projet de loi 72, Loi proclamant la troisième semaine de juin Semaine des professionnels de la santé.

I appreciate the question from the member, and I share his views that action is required now. Canada, in fact, is the only jurisdiction in North America with the critical minerals required to support full EVs. And we’re blessed in Ontario with an abundance of natural beauty and, of course, the natural resources we require to support electrification. This Premier, this government, in partnership with municipalities and Indigenous partners, are unlocking that potential. In fact, working with partners in Webequie First Nation and Marten Falls First Nation, we’re undertaking a first-of-its-kind partnership that will open the corridor to prosperity and ensure the critical minerals we need to decarbonize—minerals that will fuel Ontario’s growing electric vehicle revolution that has supported the $16 billion this Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, in working with the Premier, has attracted to this province. It is truly historic. This work will bring good jobs to remote and northern communities in the province of Ontario, ensuring green jobs for next-generation Ontarians for—

For a young worker in the steel sector, like my grandfather, who came here from Italy with no money in his pockets, who worked in the open-hearth blast furnace—they now know that green jobs of the future are going to happen at Dofasco and Algoma as we electrify the arc furnace to secure green jobs for generations to come.

But we’re not stopping there; we’re building the public transit we need. You know the U with the line crossed through it? The only major jurisdiction that had it—we’re building public transit and the subways—

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario has one of the most dedicated and highly trained health workforces in the world. Over 60,000 new nurses and 8,000 new doctors have registered to work in Ontario; and

“Whereas hiring more health care professionals is the most effective step to ensure Ontarians are able to see a health care provider where and when” they need it; and

“Whereas starting in spring 2023, the government will expand the Learn and Stay grant and applications will open for eligible post-secondary students who enrol in priority programs, such as nursing, to work in underserved communities in the region where they studied after graduation. The program will provide up-front funding for tuition, books and other direct educational costs; and

“Whereas with new as-of-right rules, Ontario will become the first province in Canada to allow health care workers registered in other provinces and territories to immediately start caring for you, without having to first register with one of Ontario’s health regulatory colleges. This change will help health care workers overcome excessive red tape that makes it difficult for them to practise in Ontario;

“Whereas we are investing an additional $15 million to temporarily cover the costs of examination, application, and registration fees for internationally trained and retired nurses, saving them up to $1,500 each. This will help up to 5,000 internationally educated nurses and up to 3,000 retired nurses begin working sooner to strengthen our front lines;

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

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario continue to build on the progress of hiring and recruiting health care workers.”

This petition is titled “For Meaningful Climate Action Withdraw Bill 23,” and it reads:

“Whereas our planet is undergoing significant warming with adverse consequences for health, for agriculture, for infrastructure and our children’s future;

“Whereas the costs of inaction are severe, such as extreme weather events causing flooding and drought;

“Whereas Canada has signed the Paris accord which commits us to acting to keep temperature rise under 1.5 degrees Celsius;

“We, the undersigned, call upon the government of Ontario to withdraw Bill 23 and to create a new bill to meet our housing needs that is compatible with protecting the greenbelt, creating affordable housing in the current urban boundaries, and meeting our climate targets.”

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