To the Premier: A constituent in my riding has a student debt of $66,000 from her undergraduate degree. Over the past 18 months, your government has doubled the interest on her student debt, from 3.5% to 7%.

Instead of gouging Ontario students with these high interest rates, will your government do what the NDP government in British Columbia did and eliminate interest on student debt?

Ontario students continue to have the highest student debt rate in this country and the lowest per-student funding in the country. One in six bankruptcies in Ontario is tied to student debt. And 46% of Ontario university students have anxiety and depression because of student debt.

The NDP has successfully pushed the federal government to eliminate interest on federal student debt. Instead of supporting the NDP fight to eliminate interest on student debt, your government has allowed the interest rates on student debt to double.

Will your government follow the NDP’s lead and eliminate interest on student debts?

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is, when we met with stakeholders just last week—the Premier and our parliamentary assistants—we heard loud and clear from our agricultural stakeholders that the number one issue in Ontario right now is labour. You can grow all the crops that you want in this province, but if we don’t have processors with the proper labour force, then it’s all for naught.

Our number one priority is making sure—

Interjection.

Again, we have a housing crisis in this province of Ontario—and our processors and our stakeholders are asking for more homes to support that labour.

It was a real pleasure for me to meet with the nurse practitioners yesterday and hear directly about how an innovation that, frankly, wasn’t in existence in previous years has been such an integral part of our medicine and health care system.

I often talk about how it is critical that we have regional health teams that work together, that coordinate that care no matter—from diagnosis through to treatment and, ultimately, palliative, if that is necessary.

It is heartening to hear the member opposite acknowledge that innovations, like nurse practitioner-led clinics, are an important part of how we can assist patients in the province of Ontario.

We will absolutely, as I said yesterday, continue to expand that model because we see it working very valuably.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

I thank the honourable member for the question.

The consultation that the government has engaged in is for a very important purpose: We have a crisis in housing in our province.

We are proposing to remove 15 areas from the greenbelt, and in exchange, we’re going to be adding over 2,000 acres. Many of those thousands of acres will be prime agricultural land that we’ll add in as part of the Paris Galt moraine and the urban river valleys. The government is taking a balanced approach.

Again, when you look at the fact that last year was our best year in over 30 years—we only had 100,000 starts. The proposal that we put forward to Ontarians to consider will allow, as a minimum, 50,000 homes to be built. In addition, we will add significant opportunities for protected land that will go back into the greenbelt. The net gain is thousands of acres.

Speaker, there are already now thousands of acres that are zoned for housing development. Housing development isn’t being hindered by the land specifically in the greenbelt.

We are going to need agricultural land. Despite the great job that farmers have done increasing productivity—I’m a farmer; I know—you need the base land.

Again, why is the Minister of Agriculture so silent on the need to protect one of the greatest gifts that God has ever given us, the farmland in Ontario?

My question is for the Minister of Long-Term Care.

As Ontarians grow older, their health care needs often become more complex. Data shows that Ontario has an aging population. In 2011, just over 14% of our population was age 65-plus, but over the last decade, the number has grown significantly and will only increase further.

But our seniors are not statistics. They are individuals who deserve quality care. Those with unique care needs like dementia greatly benefit from specialized care while avoiding unnecessary hospitalization.

Speaker, what is our government doing to ensure our seniors with complex needs receive the quality care they deserve?

Sadly, the reality is that while our senior population grew over the last decade, the health care system did not.

From 2009 to 2018, the Liberal government failed to plan for seniors’ services and programs needed. The Liberals’ lack of attention on health care services for our seniors created a rise in hallway health care and a long-term care wait-list that ballooned to an appalling 40,000 people.

Our health care system is deeply interconnected, and more seniors on long-term-care wait-lists means more pressure spread across the system.

Could the minister please explain how these new behavioural specialized units will address these pressures, especially for the residents in Scarborough–Rouge Park?

Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé.

The nurse practitioners’ association is at Queen’s Park today. They have a very simple ask to the government: Lift the cap on the number of nurse practitioner-led clinics. The 25 existing nurse practitioner-led clinics are all success stories. Everywhere in Ontario, they provide access to top-quality, interdisciplinary primary care to over 100,000 Ontarians who used to go to our overcrowded emergency rooms for care.

Will the minister lift the cap on the number of nurse practitioner-led clinics so unattached patients in communities across Ontario, including in Coniston in my riding, can gain access to primary care?

In Capreol, the nurse practitioner-led clinic is the only show in town. They have thousands of people who want access to primary care. They have nurse practitioners who are available to fill those roles, but the nurse practitioner clinic in Capreol has no funding to hire them. Their request for funding continues to go unanswered.

Minister, why is this affordable, effective, immediate solution to our health care crisis being ignored? Why don’t you fund more nurse practitioners in the existing clinics?

Yes, I would. Thank you, Speaker. It’s with great pride that I’m able to read an explanatory note explaining this bill.

This bill, of course, is being introduced days before Trans Day of Remembrance, on November 20, and I’d like to share with you that the bill enacts the Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee Act, 2022. This act provides that the Minister of Health shall, within 60 days of the act coming into force, establish a gender-affirming health care advisory committee. The advisory committee shall submit a report making recommendations to the minister for improving access to health care and coverage for gender-affirming health care for all Ontarians. After receiving the advisory committee’s report, the Minister of Health shall inform the assembly of the measures that the minister intends to recommend to the government of Ontario so that they can implement the recommendations to ensure that every Ontarian has gender-affirming health care and that it be delivered as speedily and as freely as possible.

Mr. Glover moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill Pr10, An Act to revive Maizal Tortilleria Inc.

When members submit written questions to the order paper, I believe the government has 24 sessional days, but my written question number 1—I’ve now waited 98 calendar days. It was due yesterday from the Minister of Health, and I would ask that I receive an answer to my written question, as is my right as a member.

Last night, my private member’s bill, Till Death Do Us Part, passed second reading. While it’s a very hopeful step for seniors in the province of Ontario, there is still so much more that we can do to ensure that senior couples are reunited in long-term care.

For Jim and Joan, who have been separated for five years, after 65 years of marriage—yesterday was their anniversary—there is a toll on their health. Jim is now seeing a heart specialist. Joan’s mental health has declined. There is the saying, “Love is patient, and love is kind”—but love is running out of patience, and they are running out of time.

What I want to ask the Minister of Long-Term Care today: Will this government commit to Jim and Joan and thousands of other seniors across this province that you will bring my bill forward at the social policy committee, that we will call delegations, and that we will ensure that reunification for seniors in Ontario is possible, that it is resourced, that it is funded, and that seniors who enter long-term care never have to go through the pain and anguish that Jim and Joan McLeod have experienced over the years?

I will repeat what I’ve said. When we have these innovative programs that are working, that are providing care in our neighbourhoods, in our communities, we obviously want to embrace that and endorse it. It’s why Ontario health teams are such an important model that ensures individual organizations are working together to treat the patient first and foremost—it’s not about stand-alone operations; it’s about ensuring our Ontario health teams are doing the appropriate care and coordinating that care around patients. We will continue that work because we know it’s working.

Last week, I had the pleasure of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Many, I know, came and enjoyed it. We were joined by the Minister of Northern Development and the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This annual fair, as I have said before in this House, has been a successful platform promoting agri-business in Ontario for the past century.

The agri-food sector provides critical support to our province’s economy and food security, and we must continue to foster its growth and development.

Can the Minister of Northern Development please inform the House what actions our government is taking to build a more robust agri-food sector in Ontario, especially for northern communities?

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Northern Development please share with us what investments our government is making to provide additional certainty for agri-food businesses, especially those in our remote and northern communities?

I just want to acknowledge, as I give this brief explanation, that Bob Murphy from the Toronto community for safe cycling is with us here today, and it’s one of the vulnerable road user organizations advocating with us this morning. Thank you, Bob, for being here.

The bill amends the Highway Traffic Act. It is also about the legal consequences, as you mentioned, of a collision that seriously injures or kills a pedestrian, a cyclist, a mobility device user, a roadway worker, an emergency responder outside their motor vehicle or another individual listed in this bill.

Some highlights include that the driver who caused the injury or death is guilty of an offence if they caused it by breaking one of the rules listed in the bill, which includes unlicensed drivers, driving while using a cellphone, speeding, careless driving, disobeying signs or lights at intersections or pedestrian crossovers, improper signalling, sharing the road and so on and so forth.

In a nutshell, it’s continuing a piece of legislation that’s been attempted three times in this Legislature. I look forward on this fourth occasion to winning the support of my colleagues in this House to keep our streets safe.

Madame Collard moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 41, An Act to amend the Consumer Reporting Act and the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017 with respect to certain debts incurred in relation to human trafficking / Projet de loi 41, Loi modifiant la Loi sur les renseignements concernant le consommateur et la Loi de 2017 sur la prévention de la traite de personnes et les recours en la matière à l’égard de certaines dettes contractées dans un contexte de traite de personnes.

I rise to offer a friendly reminder to all members of the Legislature that a flu vaccine clinic is taking place in the library this morning and afternoon until 1:40 p.m. A flu shot is one of the best and most effective ways that we can protect each other, as well as our children, during the crisis we’re in. I encourage everyone to participate.

I’m going to paraphrase from the explanatory note. This bill would introduce new legislation that amends the City of Toronto Act and the Municipal Act and enacts other legislation. The proposed changes support our bold and transformative plan to get 1.5 million homes built in the next 10 years.

The bill, if passed, together with regulations, would give heads of council in Toronto and Ottawa an additional tool to further share our provincial-municipal priorities. It would also allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to appoint the regional heads of council for Niagara, Peel and York regions for the 2022-26 municipal council term. This would take decisive action to help address the housing crisis in some of Ontario’s fastest-growing communities.

Mr. Harden moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 40, An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act to provide for consequences to those who cause injury or death to certain road users / Projet de loi 40, Loi modifiant le Code de la route pour prévoir les conséquences qu’encourent les personnes qui causent des blessures à certains usagers de la route ou leur décès.

Yes, thank you. The bill amends the Consumer Reporting Act and the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017. The Consumer Reporting Act is amended to prohibit the inclusion in consumer reports of unfavourable information about a consumer that resulted from human trafficking. The Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017, is amended to add a new part IV which provides for the concept of a coerced debt, that being a debt incurred under a credit facility while the debtor was subjected to human trafficking.

I’m also very proud to say that this bill is co-sponsored by MPP Glover, MPP Schreiner and MPP Scott. Thank you for the support.

MPP Wong-Tam moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 42, An Act to establish the Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee / Projet de loi 42, Loi créant le Comité consultatif des soins de santé axés sur l’affirmation de genre.

I want to thank the member from Elgin–Middlesex–London. His contributions to the agri-food sector are well known, and we’re sure better off with him in our caucus making a difference in the agri-food sector. I appreciate him and my parliamentary assistant and the Minister of Agriculture joining me for more than $6 million worth of announcements in a variety of different places and spaces in the agri-food sector.

There’s a very important reason for that: The largest growth opportunity for the agri-food sector is actually in northern Ontario. That’s right; from the clay belt, in Thunder Bay–Superior North and Rainy River—the official beginning of the Prairies—we see a tremendous opportunity to boost up our agri-food production.

The Premier and I were announcing in the spring a beef barn—

Northern Ontario is ready to receive the opportunity to contribute to Ontario’s world-class agriculture sector.

The newly self-anointed and self-appointed food security man from Timiskaming–Cochrane had no less than $28 million worth of agricultural investments in his riding. And do you know what he did? He voted against them every time. Why?

Interjections.

Of course, the committees will make their own decisions with respect to what bills they hear at that time. I’m sure the member wouldn’t want the government dictating the work of committees.

For Jim and Joan—a wonderful letter from Jim explaining to me the circumstances of his situation. That is why we did make changes well in advance to ensure that we could speed up the process of bringing families and couples together much quicker. At first blush, the member’s bill actually would seem to delay that process and make it more difficult to bring families together—that’s certainly not, I’m sure, her intention. It’s not what we want to do.

Ultimately, one of the reasons why we’re making so many investments into long-term care across the province of Ontario is not only for people like Jim and his wife; it’s for families who want to be close to the people they love and communities that they helped build. That is why we’re building 60,000 new and upgraded beds in every part of this province. We’re going to rural and remote communities. We’re bringing long-term care into small communities that have never had long-term care before—because we’ve heard not only from people who live in big cities, but in small communities.

We want to be close to home. We want to be with our families and friends. And we want to be in the communities that we helped build for generations.

We’re getting the job done for people.