Thank you to the member from Mississauga–Malton for the great question. We cannot afford to delay much-needed infrastructure investments. More delays equal more gridlock.

Our Premier is leading an ambitious plan to deliver the right balance of public transit and road infrastructure projects to keep pace with the demands of today and the future. Over the next 10 years, we’re investing more than $25.1 billion to support the planning and construction of highway expansion and rehabilitation projects across the province. As part of these efforts, we’re getting on with the building of new highways, like Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, and we’re finishing long overdue projects like the expansion of Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph and the Highway 3 widening between Windsor and Leamington.

Speaker, it’s not enough just to talk about building a better future. Under our PC government, we are getting it done.

Our government is building both. For every dollar that we are spending on highways, our government is spending three more to build transit. Over the next 10 years, we’re investing more than $61 billion to expand and build new transit alone. This includes the largest plan for subways built in Canadian history and delivering on our government’s mandate on two-way, all-day 15-minute service across core segments of the GO network. Expanding our highway and transit networks together will allow us to pave the way for a future that offers more transportation options and less gridlock for commuters, all while creating thousands of good-paying jobs in communities right here at home.

Speaker, the wheels are in motion. The government is getting it done.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, the Toronto Region Board of Trade estimates that the gridlock adds $400 million to the cost of goods in the region every year. This morning, for example, it took me one hour and 20 minutes to drive 40 kilometres to come to Queen’s Park. This gridlock is resulting in lost productivity and adds strain on physical and mental health. Commuters are losing over three million hours a year sitting in traffic, time that Ontarians should be engaged in what they love to do, working hard to grow and spending quality time with loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, we see first-hand how decades of inaction and underinvestment in transportation infrastructure have hurt Ontarians. In my community, I hear from constituents repeatedly how fed up they are sitting in gridlock.

To the Minister of Transportation: Can you please tell us what this government is doing to tackle the gridlock crisis plaguing Ontario?

Speaker, when the Liberals were in power, they talked a lot about building infrastructure, but at the end of the day, that’s all it was—talk. The fact is, especially when it comes to transportation, Ontario has an infrastructure deficit that the Liberals caused. With the greater Golden Horseshoe attracting two million people every 10 years, we are going to reach 15 million by 2051—more than the people we have in Ontario today. Unless we do something now, the problem we face today will only get worse. When it comes to fighting gridlock, we have heard no solutions from the opposition, except to pretend that all growth can be solved by transit, but we know that we need all hands on deck to address this issue.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Transportation, can she share with the members of this House and my residents the government’s plan to keep Ontarians moving?

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?