Questions?

A few weeks ago, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing introduced legislation that deals directly with the issue of affordable housing.

And our government, during the election, committed to building 1.5 million homes in the next 10 years. That’s something that we are in fact doing with the legislation we have proposed. This is actually great news for my riding—because one of the biggest issues was that the city of Ottawa refused to allow the village of Greely to expand. The village of Greely is so important, in fact, that I have been advocating for this, and we finally got the approval, because our government is here to listen to the people.

We will continue focusing on building homes, because the more homes we have, the more affordable it is for Ontarians to live in them.

Our government is delivering on the promise to help manage rising costs for low-income people with disabilities. We announced an increase to ODSP core allowances and the maximum monthly amount announced for the assistance for government plans.

We’re making significant changes that would allow a person with a disability on ODSP to keep more of the money they earn, by increasing the monthly earnings exemption from $200 to $1,000 per month. For each dollar earned above $1,000, the person with a disability would keep 25 cents of income support.

These changes are practical results—and the practical result is that approximately 25,000 individuals currently in the workforce will be able to keep more of their earnings, and it could encourage as many as 25,000 more people to join the workforce.

I want to thank my honourable colleague on the other side for that important question and for recognizing the fact that there are wonderful supports in this piece of legislation that will go to help individuals who need the help the most.

I would encourage all of my colleagues in this Legislature to really go through this fall economic statement and read the bill through. There are so many different supports that are available for every single individual, whether you’re a small business, whether you are a family member, whether you’re a senior, whether you’re on ODSP, whether you’re a child care worker, whether you’re a nurse—on and on and on. Obviously, it’s hard for me to highlight all of them, but there’s a whole suite of different initiatives worth billions and billions of dollars.

In my remarks, I mentioned the importance of making decent investments, especially when it comes to education. In my community of Milton, which is one of the fastest-growing communities, the number of new schools that I’ve had the opportunity to announce over the last four and half years—nine new schools, five expansions worth $250 million, over 7,000 new student spaces, and that’s just in my riding of Milton. We’ve been doing that right across this great province—spending billions and billions of dollars, not just building new schools, but also investing in education, making sure that our kids have the necessary resources to succeed in life.

As a proud parent of three, I understand first-hand the importance of making investments in education, in health care and every single sector. I’m proud to be part of this government that has been laser-focused on doing all of those things.

I want to go back to the member from Carleton. I really like what she just finished off with. I want to ask her a question on behalf of Donna Behnke from Elliot Lake.

You’re planning to raise the annual income for people on ODSP from $200 to $1,000—when will that take effect? Also, it’s great that you’re doing that for some, and you’re also providing additional funding for parents with children. However, there are some single individuals out there who just cannot work. What are you doing for them? What is in this fall economic statement that is available for them? When are you planning on helping those individuals, who need help as well?

Also, the second part of that question that I asked is, what are you going to do for those individuals who don’t have the ability to work? They also need support, and that is not in this fall economic statement. Try not to go off and say there’s pixie dust where there’s not. Those individuals need help, too.

I want to ask the member about the economic statement. I have a long-standing issue in my riding, and I’m sure everyone here in this chamber has heard that elderly parents, senior parents who have adult children with development disabilities—there is no housing plan for supportive housing for these adult children. These parents are looking after them. I have such a story that I want to share, but I won’t have time today—basically, they aged out. The parents had to go to long-term-care homes. Their daughter, who has an adult development disability, cannot get into Community Living supportive housing. Where is that in this budget? Can the member please talk about that?

We are going to move on to further debate. The member from Essex.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

In 2021, this government introduced, for the first time, and passed an act to proclaim November 16 COPD Awareness Day.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a serious and progressive disease that causes lung damage and blocks the airways. It is the fourth-leading cause of death in Canada, and it is a leading cause of illness.

The Ministry of Heath has taken significant action on COPD care and prevention, aligned with Health Quality Ontario’s advice, including increasing access to smoking cessation programs for patients in both hospital and primary care settings, including patients with COPD; increasing access to influenza and pneumococcal vaccines among COPD patients; and investing in early detection and treatment to slow the progression of this extremely serious lung disease.

One of our most promising investments has been in the Best Care in Primary Care program, recognized by clinicians and patients as a highly effective, made-in-Ontario, team-based, patient-centred care model. Best Care has successfully reduced emergency room visits by 63% and hospitalizations up to 60% among COPD patients. This program has improved mental health among chronic disease patients who are receiving whole-of-person care for the first time. As demonstrated in peer-reviewed studies, Best Care in Primary Care has saved our health system millions of dollars in cost, alleviated pressures on capacity and significantly improved the quality of care and life for Ontarians living with COPD.

On this World COPD Day, I want to recognize the work of health care professionals, from physicians to nurses to respiratory therapists, who support people living with COPD every day and encourage Ontarians to remember that your lungs are for life.

Good morning, Madam Speaker. It’s a pleasure to see you in the chair today.

I’m going to be addressing the chamber and this assembly on Bill 36, which is the Progress on the Plan to Build Act, and as is my tradition, I’m going to start my address with a very short story that is going to tie directly into the subject of debate and assist us in illustrating what I’m talking about today.

As I’m wont to do, I’m going to start this story on the second concession of Anderdon township, because that’s where I grew up. On the second concession of Anderdon township, there is a row of lots. All of the lots are one-acre lots, because there’s no sewer line on the second concession; you have to put in septic tanks. Immediately behind the one-acre lots, there’s a railroad, the Essex Terminal Railway. It’s still in operation today. On the other side of the railroad, there’s a subdivision, and that’s where I live. I literally live about half a mile from where I grew up. I grew up on the east side of the railroad, and now I live on the west side of the railroad. Some people have an expression—they say sometimes that they grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, but that does not apply to me. I grew up on the right side of the tracks. In truth, in Anderdon township it doesn’t matter if you grew up on the east or west side of the tracks; you always grew up on the right side of the tracks, because if you grew up in Anderdon township, where I grew up, you always had opportunity, and if you worked hard, you knew you were going to make it. We all knew that. I certainly knew that. I always had a summer job. I went to school, I went to university—more than once.

I eventually decided to go to law school. I became a lawyer and opened a law office. I opened up that law office right in the town of Amherstburg, eight minutes from my house. So my commute to work was eight minutes—from my house beside the railroad tracks in Anderdon to my law office in Amherstburg.

Running a law office for 24 years was great. I had lots of clients. I had great people to work with. I had two full-time employees. I was making a good—

Last night, London inaugurated our new city council. I want to take this time to thank all of them for stepping up to serve the city of London and to wish them all well in leading our great city to meet its potential.

It’s deeply concerning that councillors are being sworn in on the same week this government is going out of their way to strip them of their powers with Bill 23. This new legislation takes power away from cities right when they need it the most. It costs municipalities hundreds of thousands in lost revenue and gives the minister sweeping powers they’ve never had over bylaws and local planning. It’s also a direct attack on conservation authorities.

Ontario is losing almost 320 acres of prime farmland per day, but this government wants to make the incredibly rich even richer.

This bill hurts the environment, renters and weakens democracy. It jeopardizes affordable housing stock, and it’s a gravy train giveaway to politically connected developers.

I worry that this government’s party with the public purse is completely out of control.

Speaker, our city councillors were elected by the people of London to lead our community; this government was not.

Ontario cannot go backwards on the environment, democracy, and protections for people who need them the most.

I hope that this government will listen and learn what municipalities require, and collaborate rather than dictate.

Madam Speaker, I would like to inform the chamber today of a tremendous community organization in my riding of Newmarket–Aurora called Inn From the Cold, whose mission is to meet the needs of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. They provide emergency shelter in harsh winter conditions and offer a drop-by program which is open seven days a week, where community members are served meals and have access to shower and laundry facilities as well as to computers and the Internet.

I am very pleased to announce that this year our government has supported Inn From the Cold with two Resilient Communities Fund grants, for a total of $277,400, through the Ontario Trillium Foundation. These grants helped Inn From the Cold with staffing costs, including the hiring of a systems navigator. The grants also helped with the costs associated with building a new website to improve its digital presence, as well as to implement a health and wellness strategy and organizational risk management plan.

When touring the facility, I had the privilege to meet their systems navigator and volunteers, while witnessing first-hand the many vital services they provide.

I would like to thank Ann Watson, the executive director, and all the volunteers at Inn From the Cold for the great work they do in our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about one of Manotick’s most charming and whimsical shops, the Gingerbread Man. Many from the historic village of Manotick and those who have travelled from far and wide to see the one-of-a-kind shop will remember the gingerbread aroma that fills the shop, the incredibly detailed gingerbread showpieces, the multitude of gingerbread cookies for every occasion, the famous butter tarts, the delicious Kawartha ice cream, and so much more.

Richard Palframan started the Gingerbread Man in 1998 in Toronto. In 2001, he moved his home and business to Manotick. The shop has grown with the village of Manotick and has had the pleasure of watching neighbourhood families grow and of having their gingerbread houses become part of Christmas traditions.

The shop is also where Richard met his wife, Kaori. Kaori helped the business grow with her fantastic shortbread, banana bread and intricate decorating skills.

Unfortunately, on November 4, Richard and Kaori were devastated by a massive fire that took away their home and business. The 150-year-old building, which was one of the first houses ever built in Manotick, will have to be torn down. The weeks before Christmas are the busiest time of year for them. The loss of business means loss of revenue to pay their bills and support the community, and the loss of their home means that they are left with a hole in their hearts.

Mr. Speaker, this is a huge loss for the village of Manotick.

I send out my condolences to Richard and Kaori. And if anyone wishes to support them, please check out their website.

I would like to once again make this House aware of a situation in my riding: the importation, storage and spreading of raw human sewage, imported from Quebec, stored on a former dairy farm lagoon. The neighbours raised concerns when this was approved by the current Minister of the Environment. I contacted the minister, especially because it was a former dairy lagoon and there was a well situated in the area. The ministry replied that it was a green site, there was no former infrastructure, and there was no well. There is a well; it was former infrastructure—when I made this, again, aware to the minister, no reply.

A few weeks ago, I wrote the minister a letter saying, “Well, since the ministry didn’t even identify that there was a well, how can the neighbours be assured you’ve identified any of the other infrastructure around the former dairy site?” I got a nice letter back on Friday saying that everything is fine.

On Saturday, hopefully by coincidence, the lagoon was pumped. On Saturday night, after dark, excavators went in and excavated till 4:30 in the morning. I called the MOE—no report. But the local MOE inspector did send an email to one of the neighbours that this was MOE-sanctioned and they were digging out the former foundations of the barn that didn’t exist.

We no longer have faith in the ministry. We need all the documentation.

All of us remember that, under a Liberal government, 300,000 jobs fled the province of Ontario. But I have good news, because those jobs are coming back. They’re coming back to my riding of Essex, and they’re coming back to the town of Kingsville.

I had the pleasure of going to Kingsville with the Minister of Economic Development and Trade. He brought a provincial investment of $1 million to the town of Kingsville, and that $1 million is going to be matched by $11.5 million from business investors, for a total of $12.5 million of manufacturing investment in the town of Kingsville. That’s a town of 21,000 people, so $12.5 million is a big deal. It’s going to create 29 jobs—good jobs, skilled jobs, jobs you can start a family with, jobs you can build a house with.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Minister of Economic Development and Trade—and I want to thank the leadership of the Premier.

I want to congratulate Idol Core Industries of Kingsville and MC3 Manufacturing of Kingsville for creating good, long-lasting jobs for the people of the county of Essex.

Normally, when we get up and do members’ statements, we talk a little bit about something that’s happening in our ridings. But gosh darn it, Speaker, I am so excited, I just can’t hide it—the World Cup is coming November 20, on Sunday. I am a huge football, or soccer, fan. Believe it or not—for everybody here in the House—I have two children and one of them has the middle name Chelsea, after Chelsea Football Club, and one of them has the middle name Robben, after the Dutch footballer Arjen Robben. I’m very excited and I’m really looking forward to seeing, for the first time since 1986, Canada playing in the World Cup.

I will say, I’m a little partial to the German team. We normally fly the German flag outside our house during the World Cup, but this year it’s going to be a little bit different; we’ll make sure that the Canadian flag is on top.

I encourage everybody, if you have an opportunity—it’s a little bit different with it being in Qatar this session; the games are going to be on at different times. It’s going to be a little weird. They start on the 20th. If you have an opportunity, please tune in and support Canada.

I know we have some athletes from Team Ontario here today. Welcome to the Ontario Legislature. Maybe one day they’ll have an opportunity to play in the World Cup as well.

Remarks in Oji-Cree.

Good morning. Winter is almost upon us. This morning I’d like to raise awareness of the impact of house fires and the risks in First Nations.

In 2019, in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug—also known as KI—a mother and four children passed away from a house fire.

Unfortunately, I have stood here in this House and asked for moments of silence multiple times for people in Kiiwetinoong who have died in house fires.

At the time, KI had a non-operational fire truck and an incomplete fire hall due to a lack of funding—despite First Nations having a 10-times-higher mortality rate compared to non-First Nations communities in Ontario. First Nations children ages zero to nine have the highest fire-related mortality rate, which is 86 times greater than non-First Nations children in Ontario.

House fires and hazards are at an increased risk in all First Nations, where access to fire departments and emergency medevacs require additional time for support—or they may not even have access to this, who do not have access to year-round roads, a challenge for 24 fly-in First Nations in Kiiwetinoong.

These concerns are directly linked to the safety, well-being and lives of children.

As the seasons change, I ask the members to consider the experiences of families in the north as they try to stay warm while living in these conditions.

I rise today to pay tribute to the thousands of acres of protected land that will be lost to the government’s plan to pave over the greenbelt, and to give voice to the millions of people in this province who love the greenbelt. They want the Premier to keep his promise. Over and over again, inside and outside this House, the Premier explicitly promised to protect the greenbelt from development. There’s a reason these lands are protected. It’s the land that protects us from expensive floods and that cleans our drinking water. It’s home to so many places where people love to spend time with their family. It’s home to the farmland that feeds us and supports our economy. All of this is under threat so that a handful of land speculators can turn millions into billions, and the rest of us will pay the price in longer commutes, higher flood costs, increased property taxes and reduced food security.

Speaker, there are 88,000 acres of land already approved for development within existing urban boundaries, where we can build affordable homes in communities where people want to live.

We simply cannot afford to continue to lose 319 acres of farmland each and every day.

So, on behalf of my constituents and millions of Ontarians, we say, Premier, keep your promise. Keep your hands off the greenbelt.

I’m honoured to welcome business delegates from Nigeria, organized by my good friend Bose Odueke. In the gallery is Peace Wisdom, Dr. Chinwendu Bilite Onyegbula and Kehinde Akinsanya. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

As parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health, I’d also like to introduce the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario. Thank you to the member opposite for announcing all their names.

Nurses from across the province are here to meet with MPPs and government officials today to highlight the critical role of nurse practitioners across the province.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It is an honour to welcome the Nurse Practitioners’ Association to Queen’s Park. That includes: Barbara Bailey, Amanda Rainville, Corsita Garraway, Jennifer Clement, Chantal Sorhaindo, Dana Cooper, Lauren Scott, Teresa Wetselaar, Kelsey York, Clinton Baretto, Krysta Cameron, Claudia Mariano, Valerie Winberg, Andrea Anderson, Beth Cowper-Fung, James Lindberg, Jayme Wilson, Thomas Gendron, Noah Mondrow, Vanessa Mooney, Justine Rose, Marcela Killin and Pavarni Jorgensen.

I also want to thank police officers from my riding who are here: Matt Hall, Jacques Roberge and Steve Train. Thank you for coming to Queen’s Park.