My office has noticed a disturbing trend: More than ever, we are seeing families, especially single-support families, being pushed onto the street. These parents are terrified for their children and tell us their only next option is to buy a tent and hope for the best.

Speaker, I came to this House four years ago to help children realize their potential. Now, after four years of this government, I am seeing more and more of them live in poverty. How will these children ever be able to access or reach their potential with nowhere safe to live, no access to school and no one looking out for them? We’re going in the wrong direction.

The opposition has put forward solution after solution. Today, my colleagues and I will re-table the Rent Stabilization Act to help keep people in their homes. I look forward to all members supporting this important legislation.

This government also needs to listen to the people of Ontario and finance and build new affordable and non-market rental homes. Years have been wasted as this government hopes private, for-profit developers will create truly affordable housing. Hope is not a plan. This government needs to actually do the building that will help families who live in poverty.

When will enough be enough? How many children need to live on the street before this government will recognize that Ontario is in a state of crisis?

Speaker, through you to the member for St. Catharines: I’d like to know more information about this eviction issue. Obviously, we have a process in place. We have a rental housing enforcement unit as part of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and in addition there are means with the Landlord and Tenant Board. I’m very concerned about the case that the member opposite has placed on the floor. Rest assured that we will get the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit involved in this case and do further investigation.

My question is to the Premier. I bring to the floor the heartbreaking experience of ODSP recipients being faced with housing questions and suspect evictions. Too often, I hear about the suspect trend of ODSP recipient evictions because the landlord is moving in family members—by the way, a claim that is nearly impossible to prove wrong until after the fact.

I spoke with St. Catharines resident Brenda LaCrew, who experienced this eviction. She was thrown into a housing market where she now has to borrow money from her friends to pay her new rent rate. Brenda spends 125% of her income on rent right now, forget the food and forget the other costs. That’s the reality for ODSP recipients.

My question is, when will the Premier commit to doubling ODSP rates and support the most vulnerable people in Ontario?

However, we have heard all week about this government’s talking point that the increase to ODSP at 5% is historic. The only thing historic about the increase is how long it took to make any increase. Freezing the rates for as long as you did throughout the pandemic is something we have not seen in decades. So, sorry, Premier, 5% is not historic; it’s actually a slap in the face.

But don’t take it from me; take it from members in my community of St. Catharines and Niagara. Tabitha Thomas is also facing a “family moving in” eviction and has called your increase “proof Ford doesn’t care about vulnerable people.”

Brenda LaCrew said, “Millionaires like Ford don’t care about regular people like me.”

Premier, will you change course and double ODSP rates in the face of your historic freeze to those rates from last term?

Ontario’s young families are being frozen out of the housing market due to a lack of housing supply. Ontario’s population is continuously growing, and our current rate of housing construction isn’t keeping up. Young people are already struggling with inflation and the rising cost of living in Ontario. Over the next 10 years, we expect over one third of the new growth will happen in Toronto and Ottawa.

Housing experts have already warned us that Ontario is falling behind in housing infrastructure investment because of the years of red tape and delays caused by the previous Liberal government. Speaker, can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing tell us what our government can do to empower our large cities, such as Ottawa and Toronto, to increase the housing supply?

The people of my riding want more housing choices, whether it be rental units, semi-detached houses near their workplace or fully detached houses where young Ontarians can grow and raise their families. Speaker, can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing elaborate on what other steps our government is taking to ensure that the dream of home ownership is attainable for the people of my riding and all Ontarians?