I would like to address the pressing matter of the flawed Bill 23 and the Conservative government’s broken promise to protect our greenbelt. Paving over farmland reduces local food production, which contributes to higher prices and makes it harder for Ontarians to put food on the table. Thousands of people are reaching out to this government through their MPPs, through petitions and rallies, asking them to reconsider. Is this government listening?

Their own housing task force says, “A shortage of land isn’t the cause of the problem. Land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts.”

The land in the greenbelt, meant to be permanently protected, provides our food, clean drinking water and clean air. Proposing to replace it with different land, protected only until this government breaks that promise too, would be laughable if it were not so sad.

Bill 23 threatens existing affordable rental housing. My constituents in Don Valley West and Thorncliffe Park, many of whom are new Canadians, are worried that the 50-year-old apartment buildings they live in are being worn down and can be torn down under this bill and not replaced, forcing them out of their community. They need affordable housing in their community, not houses in the greenbelt that line the pockets of Conservative donors and greenbelt land speculators.

With petitions of thousands opposing Bill 23, it’s clear that Ontarians do not support this bill and want major amendments made. Is this government listening?

My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

I was shocked to learn, Minister, that nine of the developers that own land being removed from the greenbelt donated more than $572,000 to the Conservative Party. These developers bought the protected land at a very cheap price, and now, with a stroke of your pen, they can develop that land for incredible profit.

Minister, how did you decide which land owned by which donor should be removed from the greenbelt?

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is not happy with Bill 23. Since this government refused to extend the hearings and let them speak, I’ll read from their written submission: “The bill transfers up to $1 billion a year in costs from private sector developers to property taxpayers without any likelihood of improving affordability.” In other words, “Developers stand to gain. We all stand to lose. Housing will remain unaffordable.”

Minister, why proceed with the developer fee cuts if experts are telling you it won’t make housing affordable?

The NDP has laid out their housing policy pretty clearly. They stand with higher fees that add up to $116,900 on the cost of a home in the greater Golden Horseshoe. That’s what—

Interjections.

They will always stand up for higher fees. They will always stand up for delay which adds cost at the end of the day. We’re going to stand with young families, with new Canadians and with seniors who want to realize the dream of home ownership. That’s who we stand up for.

Interjections.

We’re going to continue to stand up for those taxpayers who want to realize the dream of home ownership. The NDP—it’s really Ontari-no that they stand up for.

The member can disagree with her former colleague at Toronto city council, but we are going to ensure that those mayors in Toronto and Ottawa and the work we’ll do in those six regions—that we’ll be able to get shovels in the ground.

We’ve got an ambitious plan, Speaker, one that will put a plan in place to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. A third of the growth in the next decade will take place in Toronto and Ottawa. We need to ensure that those mayors have the tools. This bill does just that.

Today, I will speak about the greenbelt, with a question to the Premier. Yes, we’re in a housing crisis. We all know we’re in a housing crisis, and we wish to do something about it. But why step foot into the greenbelt when there are plenty of other options? We’re talking about building up existing communities. There are plenty of ideas—innovative, creative ideas—to do that.

Building up along the corridors in Toronto: Danforth corridor is in my area and it is on a subway line, so why not add up the two storeys and go up further? You’re talking to the biggest YIMBY you will ever meet. And why not encourage people to put in laneway suites, garden suites and secondary suites? Why not look at vacant properties, which you’re not doing? Why not look at all the great home-share organizations? There are over 2.2 million empty bedrooms in the city of Toronto. There are great programs partnering up students—

Interjections.

My question primarily is: Why bulldoze the greenbelt, destroying precious farmlands and wetlands, when there are plenty of other options available to solve this housing crisis? Why exactly does the government think the greenbelt exists to begin with?

Speaker, through you to the member—

We’re being very responsive to the Housing Affordability Task Force report. We are taking many of the suggestions and putting them in force against—

At the end of the day, the consultation on the greenbelt deals with an addition; we’re going to be adding a net gain of about 2,000 acres to the greenbelt. We’ll continue to look at other options around the Housing Affordability Task Force.

We made a commitment. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we said to Ontarians we would table a housing supply action plan each and every year of a re-elected government. That’s a commitment, Speaker, that we’re going to act on.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Having a roof over your head is exactly why the government, in 2018, dealt with this exemption, so that we could have the type of climate that we experienced in 2021.

The fact of the matter is, Speaker, we had the most rental construction in over 30 years, and that’s something that helps all tenants in the province. We’re going to continue to work with our partners to increase the supply of housing. That’s why, in Bill 23, the deepest development charge discounts for purpose-built rental are family and affordable rentals. We want to encourage—we want to keep building upon the success of the rent control exemption by providing further incentive to build that type of rental housing that I think we can all agree we need again right across this province.

Recent reports have shown that housing starts in Canada have decreased by 11% compared to the previous month.

The ongoing housing supply shortage concerns many hard-working Ontarians in my riding. Individuals and families are worried about their economic futures and the ability to achieve their dream of home ownership.

Mr. Speaker, the other day, my niece, who is a civil engineer, posed a question to me. She said, “Uncle, you and Mom are lucky because you and your generation can buy a house. Our generation cannot buy a house. We are unfortunate.” Imagine, two professionals, my niece and her husband, with good-paying jobs—they cannot afford to buy a house in Ontario.

Our government must take bold and decisive action now to help those who have felt left behind in the housing market. Can the Associate Minister of Housing please share with us what our government is doing to deliver on our mandate of building 1.5 million homes in Ontario?

Thank you to the associate minister for that answer. Ontario’s population is steadily increasing, but housing construction is not keeping pace. With Ontario families feeling disadvantaged due to the housing supply shortage, it is clear that we must take action now to work with all levels of government to respond to this issue. We must take the initiative to empower our municipalities, as they play a crucial role in supporting Ontario’s housing needs.

Speaker, can the Associate Minister of Housing please share how our government works with our municipal leaders to prioritize housing supply?

I want to thank my honourable colleague for the question and certainly for the advocacy he does in his community when it comes to housing.

My colleague is right. Nationwide housing starts did fall, and our province wasn’t immune to this. There are global factors at play here that go beyond what our government can control, like high interest rates and the rising cost of building materials. And while we would like to see more from our federal counterparts, we never said the road ahead will be easy for Ontarians, and we never said that there won’t be bumps along the way.

But if we continue to work together and make changes for the things that we can control, like approval delays and unnecessary fees, and by introducing legislation every year for the next four years, I am confident that, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we will get the job done and we will deliver on our promise to build 1.5 million homes for Ontarians in the next decade.

Our municipal partners play a huge role when it comes to the number of housing starts. In fact, not only have we sent 29 of the largest and fastest-growing municipalities housing targets, we also have allocated more than $45 million under the Streamline Development Approval Fund to help Ontario’s 39 largest municipalities modernize their approval processes. And we have also introduced strong-mayor legislation to give local municipalities the tools they need to get more shovels in the ground and do them faster. We are serious about solving the housing crisis in our province and we are willing to work with all levels of government to once again give back the dream of home ownership to all Ontarians.

Mr. Speaker, my message to the member’s niece is: We will not give up on you. You will realize the dream of home ownership under this government.

I move that, whereas all Ontarians have the right to adequate housing; and

Whereas to ensure an adequate supply of housing, Ontario must build 1.5 million new market and non-market homes over the next decade; and

Whereas the for-profit private market by itself will not, and cannot, deliver enough homes that are affordable and meet the needs of Ontarians of all incomes, ages, family sizes, abilities and cultures; and

Whereas the housing policies of successive PC and Liberal provincial governments have relied almost entirely on the for-profit private market to deliver new housing; and

Whereas these housing policies have focused on delivering profits for investors, rather than homes for people, and thus have failed to ensure that newly built homes are actually affordable and meet the needs of all Ontarians; and

Whereas these housing policies have failed to end exclusionary zoning, and have blocked access to affordable and adequate housing options in the neighbourhoods where people want to live; and

Whereas these policies have encouraged more speculative and market bubbles, and have driven up the costs of housing beyond the reach of ordinary Ontarians; and

Whereas these failed housing policies have put tenants at increased risk of rent gouging, eviction and displacement, and have threatened the inclusivity and vibrancy of growing neighbourhoods; and

Whereas these failed housing policies will sacrifice more irreplaceable farmland, natural heritage and greenbelt lands to costly and unsustainable urban sprawl, putting Ontario’s food security at risk;

Therefore, the Legislative Assembly calls on the Ontario government to implement a comprehensive housing plan that ensures the right of all Ontarians to adequate housing, including ending exclusionary zoning and enabling access to affordable and adequate housing options in all neighbourhoods; stabilizing housing markets and stopping harmful speculation; establishing a strong public role in the funding, delivery, acquisition and protection of an adequate supply of affordable and non-market homes; protecting tenants from rent gouging and displacement, and ensuring the inclusivity of growing neighbourhoods; and focusing growth efficiently and sustainably within existing urban boundaries, while protecting irreplaceable farmland, wetlands, the greenbelt and other natural heritage from costly and unsustainable urban sprawl.

I’m proud to rise today to speak to our opposition day motion to ensure that every Ontarian has a safe and affordable home that they can afford, that is their own.

In Ontario today, we have a housing affordability crisis. In Toronto, we have over 10,000 people who are homeless; they’ve got no homes. They’re sleeping on couches. They are living in parks, in encampments. They are trying to access overcrowded shelters that are full most nights, and they have nowhere else to go.

When it comes to the rental market, we are seeing rents that are at record levels. That might be very good for investors, but it is horrible for Ontarians who cannot afford to pay the rent and pay for their bills and pay for food, especially at a time when we have an inflationary crisis that is, in particular, affecting our housing sector and our food sector. It is scary.

We also have a situation where the dream of home ownership has gone up in smoke.

This government has been in power for four years and a bit now. They’ve had four and a half years to address the housing affordability crisis. Have home prices gone up or down? They’ve gone up. Have rental prices gone up or down? They’ve gone up.

There is the classic saying—the Canadian dream—that if you work hard, you will be able to afford a home that you will one day own. In Ontario today, if you work hard, you will be lucky to find an apartment that you can afford to rent. That is how bad it has gotten.

We now have Alberta putting advertisements in the Toronto subway system, encouraging Ontarians to move to a cheaper province and to take their skill set with them. These are teachers, nurses, paramedics, librarians, tradespeople, baggage handlers. They’re leaving. We now have a net exodus of people moving away from Ontario to other provinces, and it is mostly because this province has become too unaffordable. The reason why it has become so unaffordable is because it is too expensive to find a home to rent and it is too expensive to find a home to own. Why would you stay in a city where you can no longer afford or ever afford a down payment? Why would you stay in a city where you now pay more in rent than someone pays in a mortgage if they bought a home 10 or more years ago; today, people who are renting pay more. Why would you stay in a city where you spend 50% of your paycheque paying off an investor’s mortgage and the chance of you having your own mortgage to pay off has gone up in smoke?

That is this government’s legacy and the Liberal government’s legacy. It is not just the federal government’s responsibility. It is the provincial government’s responsibility as well.

What I find so challenging is that this government says, “Yes, we have a housing crisis”—they have a hard time saying the word “affordable,” but they acknowledge that there is a housing crisis, and then they introduce a bill like Bill 23, which outlines their myth of a road map to get us out of this housing affordability crisis. When I look at Bill 23, I am honestly shocked at its impact on renters, on municipal budgets, on affordable housing, on the greenbelt, on the farmland, and I want to go through this with the time that I have.

This government, with Bill 23, is cutting funding to affordable housing. You’re going to make it so that developers do not have to pay their housing services fee of $1,000 per unit, which goes to affordable housing programs and shelters. That’s what Bill 23 does.

This government, with Bill 23, is cutting the definition of affordable housing. So if a developer builds a home that is quasi-affordable, at 80% of market rent or 80% of the sale price, then they get to have their development fees eliminated. But when we look at the definition of affordable, we see that a one-bedroom condo in downtown Toronto for $440,000 is affordable, according to this government. That is not affordable. You need to earn over $130,000 a year for that to be affordable. That is a shame.

This government is doing nothing in Bill 23 to lower rent—nothing. This government is doing nothing to bring in real rent control so renters are protected from eviction and can build their lives because they’re protected from eviction in a community. They’re doing nothing about it. In fact, what they’re doing is making it worse.

With Bill 23, this government is going to make it easier for developers to set their sights on purpose-built rentals and say, “Well, that area is already zoned for height, so we are going to demolish that purpose-built rental and build a luxury condo.” Those renters who used to have the right to return to that building once construction is complete will no longer be able to do that, which means that all these affordable private market rentals that exist in the city of Toronto, in my riding—health care workers live in these buildings; seniors live in these buildings—are gone. And luxury condos that retail for $3,000 a month in rent, if the owner chooses to rent them out, won’t even be protected with rent control.

That’s your idea of achieving housing affordability in Ontario today. Well, it’s not going to achieve its goal. It’s that simple.

We are calling for a better vision, and I’m going to summarize it now.

Yes, we have a housing supply crisis. We need to build 1.5 million homes to meet demand for current Ontarians who are living in their parents’ basements or are living two families to a purpose-built rental because they can’t afford to branch out on their own. Yes, we need to build homes for future Ontarians as well—no question. But we shouldn’t be building 600-square-foot condos and 3,000-square-foot McMansion monster homes, because they’re not affordable or too small. We need to build homes that meet the needs of Ontarians. We need to build homes for the people who intend to buy them and then live in them, so that they can raise children in them, have pets in them, retire in them, but we’re not doing that. This government is more interested in helping developers and speculators than it is in helping everyday Ontarians find the home that they need. That is a shame.

We are calling for measures to bring forward zoning reform.

We are calling for measures to increase the number of people who are working in the trades, through increased immigration and recruiting people from high schools, so we can ramp up construction.

We are calling for government investment in the housing sector by establishing an entity called “Housing Ontario” to build housing at cost—250,000 homes over 10 years. This isn’t pie in the sky. The city of Toronto is already doing it. They have the Housing Now program where they’re building non-market and for-profit homes on public land at cost in order to provide homes for people. Some of them are affordable. Some of them are rentals. Some of them are condos. They’re doing it. Why aren’t we? We have over 6,000 properties available to access where we can build housing. Why aren’t we doing that? We’re not, but we should be.

We need to augment that—because it’s not just about supply; it’s also about affordability—with real rent control on all units, new and old. We need to bring in vacancy control so there’s a cap on how much the rent can be raised once a tenant leaves, because that will provide protection and stability for renters.

We need to build supportive housing and affordable housing, because there are so many people in Ontario who will never be served by the private market. They need the helping hand of government to provide them with a supportive home and an affordable home so they can rebuild their lives and live good lives.

That’s what we are calling for.

I urge you to support this motion, because this is the true path towards addressing our housing affordability crisis so everyone in Ontario can have a safe and affordable home.

I appreciate the opportunity to give some brief words on this motion.

Madam Speaker, as you know, of course, housing affordability has been something that the government has been seized with since day one of its mandate. In fact, it was one of the principal things that the Premier and this government brought forward back in 2018. It didn’t just start with this piece of legislation. It started with a number of pieces of legislation. It started with the Transit-Oriented Communities Act, which was to build upon the amazing work that is being done with respect to transit and transportation across Ontario.

I know we like to focus, a lot of the time, on the GTA and the great work that is happening in Toronto with the subways that could never be built that are now being built. But building up along those transit corridors—it’s also GO trains, which are being extended across the province of Ontario, and the Ontario Northland, which is being brought back. So we’re rebuilding those transit corridors and ensuring that there is proper housing in those corridors so that people have more options to find affordable accommodation. That has been one of the driving forces of what this government has been doing.

The member talks about affordability, but the reality is, of course, that we have also been seized with affordability, because we knew that when we took office back in 2018 there was no such thing as affordability. We all remember the high cost of energy in the province of Ontario. It was scheduled to go up, colleagues, about 18%. We put a stop to that. We said that was inappropriate. We remember the high cost of doing business in the province of Ontario. We removed some $7 billion in fees and taxes on our small, medium and large job creators so that they could bring business back to the province of Ontario. Do you what that means? That means more people working in the province of Ontario—thousands of jobs coming back, manufacturers coming back—and that means more people wanting to have the dream of their first home.

When you put it together, colleagues, with the bills that we have before the House, when you put it together with the work that the Minister of Finance has been doing to make sure that people can grow businesses in the province of Ontario, can afford to live in the province of Ontario; the work that the Minister of Education has been doing to ensure that our students succeed like never before; the work that the Minister of Labour has been doing to ensure that we have the jobs and the skills so that we can fill those jobs—when you put it all together, you have a province that is on the move, a province that is optimistic, people who feel good about the opportunities to succeed in the province of Ontario like they have never done before. When they look at everywhere else, when they look at other provinces, when they look at other jurisdictions, it is Ontario that they emulate, and it is Ontario that they want to be like.

When I look at the work that the Minister of Mines is doing to ensure that the vast resources of the north, which were stalled, which you could not get at because of the policies of the NDP and the Liberals—that is now something that is happening in the province of Ontario. And it’s not just for the people of Ontario; it is for the entire world. That means jobs and opportunity, again, like we have never seen before in the province of Ontario.

Just last week, we had a bill, an opportunity, and there was some dissatisfaction that two bills were being debated at the same time and we couldn’t do committee work. So we did bring the motion to this House—put forth, of course, in good faith, because the opposition asked us to—to allow those committee hearings to continue. We wanted to do that again today, but the opposition, as they so often do, changed their mind. One day they’re for it; one day they’re against further debate. They talked about this bill: “Wow, people didn’t get a chance to talk to the bill.” Well, we did what they asked, didn’t we? They wanted us to travel the bill. We hear this all the time: “The House no longer travels bills.” Well, we did; we went to the communities that would be impacted. We went to Markham. We went to Brampton. The odd thing is, we couldn’t fill those days—there were not enough people who were against the bill that we could fill those two days. In fact—

That is why we have a bill before the Legislature right now—we have a bill that is in committee that deals with the exact thing that is in the motion. The exact issues that the member has raised are actually being debated at committee right now—well, they’re supposed to be, but they don’t want to do their job.

We have put down real policies that will positively impact people across this province, and we have said from the beginning that we will not delay. We have to do this work. We have to continue to keep the province moving. We have to build these homes. We have to provide opportunity in all parts of the province of Ontario, but especially for the people in the ridings where NDP members are. It is up to us on the Conservative side to do the work that the NDP won’t do in their own ridings. So it is for those people, it is for the people who are so disappointed—now, fortunately, there are fewer ridings that actually have this problem, because so many more Conservatives have been elected.

For those people who want housing; for those people who want to continue the prosperity that we’ve seen in the province of Ontario; for those people who think that Ontario can continue to grow and prosper; for those who are thinking to themselves, “I want a new home, I want a rental property, I want the opportunity that my families have had”; and for all of those people sitting and wondering why a bill that is before the House right now can’t get back to the House, Madam Speaker, I move the adjournment of this debate.