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on a mission to drive efficiencies and reduce red tape, so moving governments to a digital-first model and modernizing outdated processes are some of the many ways that we are cutting red tape to lower administrative costs.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—

As I mentioned in my remarks, this bill takes a whole-of-government approach in reducing red tape. This particular bill contains 28 actions, including items that are part of multi-ministry items from 11 different ministries, and that’s why our strong record of reducing red tape is there to protect, starting from health, towards safety, and all the way to the environment. And this bill will definitely have a comprehensive approach that we started in 2018, to make sure that we are making Ontario’s economy more competitive and enabling businesses, enabling public transit users to make sure—

My member and neighbour across the floor has made several statements here under the guise of red tape reduction that really are a little bit off-topic. I know the previous government drove over 300,000 manufacturing jobs out of the province of Ontario through red tape hassles. As the mayor of my community for 31 years, and as a business leader and a business owner in the province of Ontario, I can tell you, the 15 years of the previous government, propped up by this official opposition, drove out businesses and made it impossible for small business to thrive and grow and provide jobs to the residents of Ontario that we are speaking about.

We have taken relentless action to address red tape. We have returned all those 300,000 manufacturing jobs back to Ontario. We are making it more effective for businesses to prevail in Ontario. Why does the official opposition not support the government? And why do they not support efforts to reduce red tape reduction in the province that will allow us to grow and prosper?

It’s my pleasure to talk about this red tape bill, because there are ways that we always try to work with government despite the, “We’re always opposing, we’re not proposing”—we certainly are.

We like to have things work smoothly here on this side of the House, and my background is insurance. Insurance is all about systems and how to operate systems so that you get the best performance out of your work. Last night, Intact was here, if anyone went to the reception. I didn’t get an opportunity to meet with Intact, but they talked about many efficiencies, and I encouraged them to put those things forward to the government and not to be shy or reserved about it. Because sometimes when we’re looking to make changes to systems, we have to open up all topics to talk about those things to make sure that we get the best result.

In this case, the government’s intention is to try to cut some red tape to make things better, and there are some things in here that they put through that, you know, some of it makes sense, right? But when we talk about things, what people are looking for today—families are struggling in my riding of London–Fanshawe. There are so many issues that are top of mind, and I have to say that—every piece of legislation is important. It changes people’s lives. There are things that come to my riding that people really want to see done. They want systems changed so that their life is better, and a system such as health care is one of those things that I hear about every day. There’s nothing on health care in this red tape bill.

I want to read an email from a resident that I got just recently, at the end of November. She said, “I’m a resident in the east end of London, Ontario”—that’s my riding that I represent. “Today, while I continue to scour the Web for a family physician, I was brought to a web page that told me that if I had been on the Ontario physician wait-list for an extended amount of time, to then contact a member of Parliament for my district. I’m not sure what amount of time classifies as an extended period of time. However, myself and both my children have been on the wait-list since 2016 or 2017, and still nothing. Thank you for your time, and hopefully there’s something you can do to help us with this relentless journey.”

Here is a system in our Legislature, in our province—a health care system that we all rely on. It’s not to say that we don’t rely on some of these pieces that have come in this red tape bill, but we’re all going to use the health care system. We have the paramedics here today. They know how important it is for that system to work when they pick up their patients, when they pick up that 911 call and bring them to the emergency room. That system is broken. We’ve heard from paramedics that it takes hours—20 hours, so long—and they’re stuck in that hospital area waiting to pass on their patient. That’s a system that I think we need to look at and fix, because there are 911 calls not being answered and people are not getting help.

I mentioned a constituent recently whose wife had fallen twice in the last couple of months. He called 911, and they were waiting for hours. In one of the incidents, a repairman was able to help them, so they cancelled that 911 call.

So it’s no fault of the paramedics, it’s no fault of the people calling 911; it’s the system. The health care system needs to be fixed, and it has been broken for decades.

I urge this government, as they’re looking through red tape and as they’re coming out with schedules—I think there are eight in this act here—to take the same diligence to look at the systems that are affecting people’s health care, affecting the wait times for paramedics to get to their calls and then drop off their patients, do that patient transfer, and to limit that or minimize that amount so they can go back to doing what they’re supposed to be doing—to a wait time for someone who has been on the wait-list since 2016-17, and then to be told on a website to contact your member of provincial Parliament. Those are the systems that we need to focus on.

But here we are, today, talking about different red tape systems, and that’s fine. That’s where the government wants to take the time of the Legislature. I respect that. They have a right to set their agenda.

One of the things that we’ve been talking about is the Courts of Justice Act that extends the time of judges. I met with the Ontario trial lawyers as well. These are civil cases, but they talked about how there were not enough judges to hear their cases, and they wanted an option of asking for juries in civil cases. That’s not in here. They’re talking about how jurors will be selected to make that system work better for jury selection, most likely, obviously, in criminal cases. When we’re talking about a court system and judges in civil cases—there’s not enough of them. The Ontario trial lawyers told us that this is causing a problem, and the ones I was speaking to directly said it was about insurance injury claims—so delays and delays, which is costing the person who’s injured, which is costing the system, a lot of heartache.

So if there’s an option to choose juries as opposed to the judge having to hear it over and over again, finding those judges—and as I said, there’s a shortage of judges—in every sector we’ve been hearing, people are retiring and they’re not infilling the new people coming in. So in this case, we’re talking about having retired judges come in and work more hours to try to clear the backlog. And that is a solution. I have to say it is a solution. But the other part they could also consider is hiring new judges, because that’s not going to solve the problem, from what I’ve heard, in the civil part. And I know with criminal court, with provincial courts, it’s also an issue. So let’s get new judges, young judges who are coming on and who are very much aware of different issues in society—one of them being the Internet and cyber, right?

So it’s not terrible, like I say, to allow judges to come out of retirement or add in more hours, but we could be looking at other ways to supplement that and hire new judges to fill the ones that are retiring and making sure we have enough judges to put those court cases through in a timely fashion.

And when we talk about systems, again—I don’t know if you guys have heard about the Landlord and Tenant Board; that is destroyed. It’s so broken. It’s so broken not only for tenants but for small landlords. I know you were on that call with SOLO, the Ontario small landlords association. They’re representing small landlords, because—for an example, I had a constituent come into my office. They live in the basement, they’re renting the main floor, and they’re having to wait eight months for a hearing. So tenants who are facing issues with their landlord are having to wait eight months, in a system that is completely destroyed and broken. Small landlords, like the example I used where the couple lives in the basement and they have the rented upstairs, are having to wait eight months, if not longer, to get a hearing.

So these kinds of systems are broken, and I wish this government would, again, not just hire adjudicators in the Landlord and Tenant Board, but look at other ways we can look at the backlog, because small landlords and big corporate landlords are two different entities, and maybe those are pieces of a system that we can help clear that backlog.

Speaker, the other part of systems and red tape that they were talking about is the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Corporation Act. Again, this is acknowledging that when the OSPCA enforcement was ended in 2019, there was a bit of a technical issue, and now they’ve corrected that so that the society can then be incorporated.

And I want to thank all the farmers in Ontario for all the work that they do.

There are a lot of publications, Speaker, that come into our office. Every day we get magazines and reports from many stakeholders, lobbyists that come here, and I want to let them know that we really appreciate the actual ones that come in my mail, because I do look at them, especially when there’s legislation that can relate to these publications that we get into our office.

I just want to point out that the Beef Farmers of Ontario, who sent the publication, were at Queen’s Park this year, and it was their 15th annual barbecue at Queen’s Park.

We all know that the government has a new strategy for sustainability around agriculture, and, again, I hope that they’re listening to the beef farmers.

They captured our MPP Sol Mamakwa—if no one’s seen the magazine—in one of the articles here, but this is one of the things they put in the article. They said, “In speaking with MPPs, BFO requested a review of the PAWS Act as it relates to enforcement on farms and removal and seizure of livestock in partnership with agricultural stakeholders.”

Again, we have discussions with groups that come here, with lobbyists, with stakeholders that want to give feedback and solutions or criticisms to a system that we set up, to legislation that we put forward, and they’re looking for solutions. I hope that this government is working with the Beef Farmers of Ontario to listen to them, to correct—

Thank you to my colleague for that passionate presentation.

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, safety and the environment. This has led to savings of more than half a billion dollars in annual compliance costs.

Will the member opposite agree that cutting red tape saves people and businesses time and money so they can grow their businesses and spend more time with family?

Thank you, member from London–Fanshawe, for your presentation. I always like the different perspectives that you bring to this House.

Cutting red tape across government has many benefits. It’s making interaction with the government easier, to reduce our dependency on postage, and it is improving the environment by reducing our dependency on paper.

Why does the opposition continually vote against all of our red tape reduction measures and the many benefits they have for the people of Ontario?

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.

I enjoyed listening to my colleague from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry’s address to this bill. Both of us, having come from business, understand that to compete in this world, we have to be as efficient as possible, and any time we’re going to compete, we have to reduce red tape within our businesses and within our industries, not only locally but provincially, pan-Canadian-wide or globally.

I was particularly interested in your comments with respect to the WSIB and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. We know red tape will reduce the burden of people—will unleash productivity.

My question is, how do the amendments to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, support the government’s efforts to reduce red tape?

I know that the member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry, in a previous life, ran a small business in the hospitality industry.

We all know that the hospitality industry is rife with red tape—red tape to your left, red tape to your right, red tape in front of you, red tape behind you.

In my small foray into business, I also encountered the same problems, which made hiring people difficult, creating jobs difficult, keeping people employed difficult.

My question to the member is this: How is this bill going to help small businesses like the one he ran? How is it going to help them employ people and keep those people employed?

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?

Thank you to the member for his question. If we can agree upon something being red tape, then we can support it. It’s a question of what, in fact, is red tape.

I have to say, this bill seems to be a bit of a channel change. I feel like I’m in a time warp, because when I was elected in 2018, similar to now, bills were coming up—motions and ideas by this government—that were controversial, to say the least. Sometimes I feel like it’s a bit of a government by tag line.

I know we’re going back to something that they love to talk about, red tape. If something truly is red tape, something that we can agree upon as red tape, we will support that, but it’s a question of if any given regulation is in fact red tape or not and who’s asking you to make the changes. Is it coming from a good place or something that we should be concerned about?

Is this a move in the right direction? I don’t believe so, and I think history and time will be the judge of the actions you made. Just in the same way that I’ve heard government members get up and judge the previous government before them, the Liberal government, people will be pointing fingers and you’re going to be wearing the bad decisions that you make today and in the days following.