I’m delighted to share my time with my colleagues the members from Brampton East and Scarborough–Rouge Park to speak to our government’s proposed Less Red Tape, Stronger Ontario Act, 2022. It’s a bill that’s necessary and timely.

This bill, if passed, would be yet another step forward in making Ontario work smarter for business and people. The proposed legislation builds on the government’s strong track record of reducing red tape. Since 2018, we have reduced regulatory requirements by 6.5%, saving individuals and businesses $576 million in annual compliance costs.

We have come a long way, but there’s no room for complacency. We know there’s more work to be done. The global supply chain crisis brought on by COVID-19, shifts in demand and labour shortages are impacting Ontarians and our economy. Reducing red tape on individuals and businesses is a key element of post-pandemic recovery and economic growth. To this end, our government is committed to making Ontario better for people and businesses by removing unnecessary, redundant and outdated regulations that hold us back.

The Less Red Tape, Stronger Ontario Act, 2022, outlines 28 new measures to achieve these objectives. They include proposed legislative and regulatory changes as well as policy announcements. I would like to highlight some of the key initiatives in the proposed reduce-red-tape package in two aspects: supporting Ontario’s supply chains and cutting red tape for Ontarians.

Modernization measures for the agriculture and food industry are a central piece of the proposed legislation. Last week, we released the Grow Ontario strategy, the province’s plan to build consumer confidence and support farmers and Ontario’s food supply. The strategy will promote Ontario-grown food, attract an innovative talent pool and stabilize the food supply chain. Increasing commercialization and adoption of innovative new technologies and practices also play a key role in the strategy.

The proposed legislation includes amendments to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Act. Our intent is to help members of feeder cattle cooperatives expand their businesses and create more jobs. This will support the sector’s capacity to deliver safe, healthy food products to all Ontarians.

The proposed legislation, if passed, would also modernize the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario—ARIO—Act to reflect current and future agri-food research and innovation needs. The proposed amendments to the act will allow for more research that accurately reflects the evolving nature of agri-food research today and in the future.

Speaker, we all know that transportation is an important pillar that supports Ontario’s supply chains. There are several proposals in this package that would make the transportation sector more competitive. Firstly, we are upgrading Ontario’s Highway Corridor Management System to provide a seamless and integrated online platform for approvals and permits along provincial highways. Work is ongoing to allow applicants to submit, track and receive all Ministry of Transportation approvals online, saving time and money.

Each year during the spring thaw, roads become weaker and susceptible to permanent damage caused by vehicles. To help protect road infrastructure during this time of the year, local authorities have the power to temporarily reduce vehicle axle weight limits. We are giving municipalities a new option to optimize the timing of this reduced load period, which will help improve competitiveness while protecting Ontario’s road infrastructure.

Our province has one of the largest and most complex energy sectors in North America. We are proposing to simplify our gasoline volatility regulation to reduce regulatory and administrative burden on the petroleum industry by aligning with national standards. This will increase the competitiveness of our energy sector.

We are also proposing to amend the Oil, Gas, and Salt Resources Act to reduce barriers through carbon storage technology. This amendment, if passed, will reduce red tape as a first step in creating a framework to regulate and enable permanent storage of carbon as a new tool to help reduce Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaker, one of the most common concerns I hear from my constituents is the red tape and regulatory barriers they face in their daily lives and business. Our government has heard their concerns. One of our government’s top priorities since 2018 has been to remove unnecessary, redundant and outdated regulations that are holding businesses back. We know that there are more things our government can do to cut red tape and make it easier for people to interact with the government.

To improve government transfer payments, we are establishing an efficient, transparent and coordinated approach through a standard online digital platform. This will reduce paperwork and administrative burdens for government-funded organizations. Also, we will work with Indigenous businesses and communities to address barriers to accessing government business support programs and procurement opportunities.

To enhance our province’s occupational health and safety system, we are proposing amendments to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act that would improve the operational efficiency of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. The amendments, if passed, would ensure injured or ill apprentices receive loss-of-earnings benefits at the same amounts a journeyperson would receive; ensure government documents are consistent with, not duplicative of, other government directives; and streamline requirements for office lease transactions.

The proposed legislation also continues review of the Ministry of Transportation’s co-operative performance rating system in the evaluation of bids for engineering services. Focusing more on the price and technical proposal when evaluating bids for engineering services will make it simpler to administer and fairer for all participants.

For the court system, we will increase court capacity and efficiency to help address the COVID-19 backlog in criminal cases. We are doing this by temporarily increasing the limit of the number of days retired judges can work and allowing court clerks to reopen certain proceedings.

We’re also proposing to make jury questionnaires available online and test the feasibility of moving away from providing a paper version. This will reduce administrative costs and make it easier for prospective jurors to participate in the court system.

Speaker, I wish I could speak more on this important bill for Ontario, but I’m mindful of the time. So, in short, this bill, if passed, will streamline processes and modernize outdated practices across multiple areas of government and multiple sectors of Ontario’s economy. This will lead Ontario to more economic certainty, confidence and stability, and it will help to ensure our province continues to be competitive in the global market.

And may I invite all the members of the House to vote in favour of the bill and join me in looking forward to a stronger Ontario.

Thank you to the member for asking the question. Our government is on a mission to drive efficiencies and reduce red tape, so moving governments to a digital-first model and modernizing outdated processes are some of the many ways that we are cutting red tape to lower administrative costs. So why does the member not understand that?

And we also need to reduce administrative burdens and lower costs to the taxpayer; that’s good for Ontarians. Cutting red tape across government has many benefits: It makes interactions with the government easier, it reduces our dependency on postage and it improves our environment by reducing our dependency on paper.

Also, it’s not just about eliminating regulatory burdens. It involves modernizing processes like moving programs and services online. These actions being taken by our government will make it easier for prospective jurors to—

It’s an honour to rise in the House this afternoon to speak in support of Bill 46, Less Red Tape, Stronger Ontario Act, introduced by the Minister of Red Tape Reduction. I want to thank him and his team for their work on this bill. I’d like to share my time today with the member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

As you know, Speaker, the previous Liberal government doubled the number of provincial regulations, adding over 10,000 new regulations every year. That’s an average of 30 new regulations every day for 15 years. Four years ago, when we formed government, we inherited the largest red tape burden in Canada. This red tape added over $33,000 in the costs per company, far higher than most other provinces. We lost 350,000 manufacturing jobs because Ontario wasn’t competitive for business.

As the Minister of Economic Development said last week, Sergio Marchionne told Premier Wynne that her policies were putting Ontario at a disadvantage. I met with Frank Stronach recently, who told me that he told her the same thing. Last week, he wrote in the National Post about the ongoing problem of regulations that do nothing to serve the public interest, while creating costs and frustration for both producers and consumers.

We have passed eight red tape reduction bills since 2018, including over 400 actions to reduce red tape. As the minister said, these were common-sense changes to save time and money while still protecting health, safety and the environment. So far, these bills have reduced costs by over $576 million every year for businesses, non-profit organizations and the broader public sector, including municipalities, school boards, colleges, universities and hospitals. The results are clear: Ontario is the economic engine of Canada once again, with one of the fastest-growing economies in North America. In the last two years, we have attracted over $16 billion of investment in the auto sector alone, including over $11 billion for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and batteries. And this is only the beginning.

I want to take a moment to thank Andrew Dempsey, Doug Grodecki and Mohamad El Mahmoud, senior executives at Stackpole International, for taking me on a tour of their facilities in Mississauga–Lakeshore on Friday. Speaker, Stackpole is a top-three global parts supplier for hybrid and electric vehicles, and, like many others, now they’re looking to invest and expand their foot-print in Ontario. If passed, Bill 46 would build on this record of success, with 28 new initiatives to make Ontario more competitive and to make our supply chains stronger and more secure.

One of this government’s first bills four years ago was the Cap and Trade Cancellation Act. This policy would have cost Ontario consumers and businesses billions of dollars every year. But the Auditor General reports the previous government never confirmed that this would actually reduce carbon emissions. In 2016, the Auditor General reported, “These funds may be leaving Ontario’s economy for no purpose other than to help the government claim it has met” its targets. As Frank Stronach said, this would do “nothing to serve the public interest.”

In contrast, carbon capture and storage technology is already being used to capture over 40 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, including four megatonnes in Canada, but mostly in Alberta and Saskatchewan. If passed, schedule 5 of Bill 46 would amend the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act to move towards a regulatory framework for carbon capture technology in Ontario. It would provide clarity to the industry and encourage innovation to qualify for the federal government’s $2.6-billion carbon capture and storage tax credit introduced earlier this year in the 2022 federal budget. We know this will have an important role in meeting Ontario and Canada’s climate targets.

Dennis Darby, president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, reports that, in a survey earlier this year, manufacturers ranked investment in carbon capture technology as a top priority to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

If passed, schedule 6 of Bill 46 would also amend the Ontario Energy Board Act to exempt consumer-funded transmission lines from certain OEB approval requirements. And as we compete with other provinces and states for investments across the electric vehicle supply chain, this change will help to reduce legal costs and make Ontario more competitive.

Mr. Darby said, “We’re pleased that the province continues to listen to our concerns, and put measures in place that increase regulatory certainty to achieve a cost-effective energy transition and help manufacturers grow.”

Speaker, last week, I met with Thomas Barakat and his team from the Ontario Good Roads association about asset management and environmental best practices. For example, each spring in Ontario, our roads are weakened by excessive water during the annual spring thaw. Pavement reductions are up to 70% greater in the spring than any other season. This means the same axle can cause up to eight times more damage to the roads in the spring than any other time of the year. For this reason, the Highway Traffic Act allows municipalities to reduce vehicle axle weight limits in the spring. However, the restrictions needed and the time period they’ve needed depend on the region and the road conditions each year.

I’m glad to hear that the Ministry of Transportation is working in partnership with the Ontario Good Roads association on prediction models that will allow municipalities to reduce these restrictions when conditions allow. This will improve and strengthen our supply chains in the auto sector, in agricultural trucking and right across our economy while protecting road infrastructure.

Earlier this year, in March, the Minister of Government and Consumer Services, now the chief government whip, announced the Building Ontario Business Initiative to strengthen Ontario’s supply chains and to provide Ontario companies with greater access to the public procurement operations through Supply Ontario, which is now part of the Treasury Board. The government has set a target awarding $3 billion in contracts per year to Ontario businesses by 2026 to help drive growth and job creation.

Again, if passed, Bill 46 would help build on this progress. For example, as the minister said, the Ministry of Transportation is now reviewing the use of corporate performance rating to evaluate bids for engineering services. In practice, CPR tends to creep upwards, and the rates cluster together, with little or no distinction between high and low performance.

Some members will remember a case under the previous Liberal government that was highlighted by the Auditor General in 2016. A contractor installed a truss upside-down on the pedestrian bridge on Highway 401 in Pickering. The contractor’s performance was so poor, Metrolinx had to take over and manage the $19-million project. And yet the Auditor General wrote, “Although Metrolinx was aware of this contractor’s lack of experience, its poor work ethic, and its unwillingness to improve performance,” this same contractor was awarded the contract for the second phase of the project. It then built a stairway incorrectly and caused $1 million of damage. Metrolinx terminated this contract too, but later awarded the same contractor another, even larger, project valued at $39 million.

Speaker, as the minister said, giving less weight to CPR would help make the procurement process simpler to administrate, fairer for everyone and, most importantly, it would help ensure value for taxpayers’ dollars.

To conclude, again, I want to thank the minister and his team for this work on another important bill that will improve Ontario’s competitiveness, strengthen our local supply chain and make government services easier to access. I would urge all members to join me in voting for Bill 46.

Thank you, and now I will share my time again with the member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

I’m honoured to rise to speak on the Less Red Tape, Stronger Ontario Act, 2022. Most of my comments will be regarding the impact the bill will have on small business and the business community in general. As many know, I’m a proud small business owner myself, employing hundreds over the years.

Speaker, red tape causes delays and complication every day for governments, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, the broader public sector and individuals alike. Over my many years in business, I have run into too many instances of red tape slowing down processes. Not only can it be frustrating, but also time-consuming. It is a significant barrier to productivity, economic competitiveness and development. Red tape drains valuable resources and takes focus away from doing business.

Our government has heard these complaints from everyone, whether it is individuals, businesses or in the media. We need to quickly act to keep Ontario competitive with other regions in Canada and throughout the world.

One of our government’s top priorities since 2018 has been to remove unnecessary and outdated regulations that are holding businesses back. We’ve made great progress so far, but there is still more work to be done. Over the past five years, our government has reduced Ontario’s total regulatory compliance requirements by 6.5%. In addition, we have saved over $576 million in regulatory compliance costs since June 2018. Those savings have directly helped not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, businesses, school boards, colleges and universities and hospitals. The progress has been achieved through common sense. The changes save both time and money, Speaker. The government has passed eight high-impact pieces of red tape reduction legislation since 2018.

Speaker, there is much more work to be done. Ontario’s people and businesses are facing big challenges. On top of everyday difficulties, there are supply chain disruptions that have been made much worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. My business has felt many of these supply chain issues, and they still persist two and a half years into the pandemic.

Every business owner I have spoken with in my travels throughout Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry has felt the immense impact and stress of the supply chain disruptions on their business and relationships with their family. In fact, two thirds of Ontario businesses report that supply challenges have gotten worse this year.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen huge shifts in demand as the habits of people and businesses have changed, often suddenly, putting even more pressure on a fractured supply chain. On top of that, there are ongoing labour shortages that are impacting day-to-day life in Ontario’s economy, especially in consumer goods and the food service industries, which my business is in. More than one third of businesses say that labour shortages will limit their growth.

We know that government can play a supportive role to ensure that businesses develop well-functioning supply chains and solve challenges like what we’re seeing with the labour market at this time. There are more things our government can do to cut red tape. Through consultation with stakeholders, we’ve been creating an inventory of ideas that are continually being assessed and that are driving current and future actions.

The Less Red Tape, Stronger Ontario Act, 2022, is our ninth burden reduction bill since 2018 to cut more red tape. Our intentions are to:

—strengthen Ontario’s supply chain;

—support farmers and agribusinesses;

—grow our labour force;

—make life easier for people and businesses by making it easier to interact with the government; and

—ensure Ontario remains competitive in the global market.

The Less Red Tape, Stronger Ontario Act, 2022, outlines a series of proposed legislative and regulatory changes as well as policy announcements we intend to make moving forward to achieve these objectives. The bill, if passed, will streamline processes and modernize outdated practices across multiple areas of government and multiple sectors of Ontario’s economy.

This proposed legislation will lead Ontario to more economic certainty, confidence and stability, something every business owner would welcome in these uncertain times. It will help to ensure our province continues to be competitive in the global market. This bill, and all the actions we will take along with it, will help build a stronger Ontario where people and businesses can continue to thrive now and into the future.

Five guiding principles consistently direct our efforts to reduce red tape. The first principle is to protect public health, safety and the environment. We’ve worked to ease regulatory burdens in a smart and careful way to ensure that health, safety and environmental protections are maintained or enhanced. The second principle is to prioritize the important issues. Here, we’ve assessed which regulations cost the most time and the most money, while looking for innovative ways to ensure rules stay effective and efficient. The third principle is to harmonize rules with the federal government and other jurisdictions where we can. We’re targeting red-tape duplication and aligning with other jurisdictions where possible to eliminate steps that cost job creators time and money. The fourth principle is to listen to the people and businesses of Ontario. We’ve committed to hearing from people and businesses on an ongoing basis to learn what we can do to remove obstacles standing in their way. Our fifth principle is to take a whole-of-government approach. We’ve taken a coordinated approach to make sure everyone is on the same red-tape-reduction page, a broad, informed perspective that would deliver smarter government for the people and higher economic growth to match.

The next set of proposed changes I’d like to discuss support Ontario’s workplace insurance and compensation system, or WSIB. The proposed legislation will make a number of changes to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act in support of Ontario’s broader red tape reduction efforts to streamline and modernize outdated practices within our government to make life easier for Ontarians. The changes, if adopted, would improve WSIB’s operational efficiency and reduce undue administrative burden to allow the WSIB to focus on key functions, including supporting injured workers and the businesses.

The proposed changes would:

—ensure injured or ill apprentices receive loss-of-earnings benefits at the same amount journeypersons employed in the same trade would receive;

—provide more flexibility regarding how often the WSIB board of directors must meet by changing the requirement that they meet every two months to a required minimum of four times a year;

—update the requirements of WSIB governance documents to ensure that they are consistent with and do not duplicate other government directives;

—streamline the requirements for WSIB office lease transactions by excluding them from the requirement for Lieutenant Governor in Council approval; and

—ensure the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, does not reference repealed statutes.

The WSIB is one of the largest insurance organizations in North America. Reducing the administrative burden at the WSIB will enable them to operate more efficiently, creating an agile system that is able to better cater to the needs of workers and businesses in Ontario.

With this bill, our government is creating conditions that let businesses and the people of Ontario thrive and prosper. The proposed legislation will grow our labour force and increase Ontario’s competitiveness in the global market. As a result, if the bill passes, the legislation will benefit business and people living in our great province.

Thank you to the member from Humber River–Black Creek for his presentation. Speaker, since being elected in 2018, our government has taken over 400 actions to reduce red tape, while maintaining important regulations that protect people’s health and safety and the environment. This has led to savings of $576 million per year in compliance cost reductions by reducing the total regulatory burden in Ontario by 6.5%.

Speaker, my question is, will the member opposite agree that cutting red tape saves people and businesses time and money so they can grow their business easily?