With the GTA population expected to increase by between two and six million in the next 20 years, Ontario needs to have a plan. We will need the necessary infrastructure to accommodate more residents, and most importantly, we will need enough housing. We can’t afford delay and red tape. A population increase of this magnitude requires immediate action. Experts and advocates are calling on the federal and provincial governments to address the crisis and move aggressively to support the oncoming population increase.

Speaker, can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing explain how the strong-mayors legislation will help expedite priority projects and housing so that we can keep up with population growth?

—those 25,000 applications to the nursing programs right here in Ontario.

Let’s look at the opposition’s record. You admit you need more nurses. Let me see: a $61-million investment in the Learn and Stay program, which would bring 3,000 nurses in the next four years—did this opposition support it? No.

Interjections.

The Ministry of Long-Term Care’s investment of $35 million to increase enrolment to allow for over 1,000 RPNs and over 800 registered nurses—did the opposition support us? No.

The Ministry of Long-Term Care’s investment of $100 million to support upskilling and training of nurses and registered practical nurses—did they support that? No.

Our investment of $342 million to add over 5,000 registered nurses and 8,000 PSWs—did they support this? No.

This government is making the investments and providing the opportunities for students to enter the nursing profession.

Let’s elevate our language.

The Minister of Colleges and Universities—

The member for St. Catharines, come to order. The member for Kitchener–Conestoga, come to order. I have to be able to hear the minister in her reply.

Restart the clock.

The Minister of Colleges and Universities.

My question is to the Premier. The Ministry of the Environment has approved the use of a former dairy farm lagoon in Armstrong township for the importation, storage and spreading of raw sewage from Quebec. I have made the minister, the ministry and this Legislature aware several times of the issues involved with the approval process and have been unable to get answers, so I’ll make them here.

Could you please confirm that adjacent property owners need to be consulted as part of the EA process?

When my office contacted the ministry regarding the use of a former dairy lagoon, the ministry responded that the site did not contain an abandoned lagoon, even though it obviously does. When my office contacted the ministry regarding the well that provided water to the former dairy farm, the reply was that no prior well existed on the property. Once again, that is not accurate.

The community is losing faith in the role of the ministry in the approval of this project. Minister, will you commit to releasing all documents pertaining to your ministry’s approval and monitoring of this project?

I want to thank the member for Eglinton–Lawrence for that tremendous question. I think it’s so very important, especially during the time of a municipal election, that we’ve got to make sure that we get that plan in place. Municipal governments play a crucial role in determining housing supply.

But the member is right. As Ontario’s population has grown, housing—new construction, the supply of housing—hasn’t kept pace. We’re now facing a housing crisis that freezes too many young families out of the market. Our proposed strong-mayor system will empower municipal leaders to work more effectively with the province on provincial priorities like building more housing.

On this side of the House, we understand that municipalities play that critical role in ensuring our success, but we have to—and I have to implore the opposition to really look at this. This is so important, that we give the mayors in our two largest cities the tools that they need to get the job done. That’s exactly what our proposed bill will do.

Speaker, let me just say that I won’t be able to give him specific answers to that, so I will take it under advisement and meet with him after question period.

Moreover, Mr. Speaker, we know how important agriculture is to the province of Ontario. It’s something that the Minister of Agriculture has been talking about constantly. We will continue to work with our farmers, we will continue to work with communities, and we’ll continue to work with this member to ensure that what we are doing each and every day is highlighted, respecting the fact that we need to protect our environment, making sure that the rules that are in place protect not only our communities but protect the people who work within our communities, and ensuring that our farmers and our agriculture community are respected in that process.

As I said, Mr. Speaker, at the conclusion of question period, I will sit down with the member and take some additional advice from him and hear some of his specific concerns.

Thank you to the member from Richmond Hill for that excellent question.

You improve the security of an organization when you have diverse mindsets.

Today, September 1, is International Women in Cyber Day. It is a day set aside to bring awareness of the challenges women face and to celebrate women’s achievements within the cyber security industry.

To better address the growing demand for jobs in the cyber security field, we have to encourage a diverse set of voices throughout the field and in leadership positions.

I’m really glad the Minister of Education highlighted the importance that our government is making in changing the face of STEM for young kids—because we are modernizing our science and technology curriculum to place an emphasis on STEM that will encourage more young girls and women to explore cyber security.

Mr. Speaker, women can be at the forefront of this industry and can change the landscape in cyber security while increasing their representation.

In the world of cyber security, it is becoming increasingly evident that our sensitive and private information is vulnerable.

The women involved in this industry are our front-line heroes, keeping us safe in an environment of new technology and cyber attacks. The same as a firefighter or a police officer, women in cyber security have the same ability to protect and serve our communities as well.

The industry is booming today and growing in exponential ways. I recently had a meeting with the Ontario Centre of Innovation and learned about the work they are doing to elevate women in the advanced technology industry to start up and scale up their businesses.

Mr. Speaker, now more than ever, I am excited to highlight and encourage young women to consider a career in cyber security. Our government will highlight women’s achievements and cast down barriers as an ally alongside them because women belong in every place, at every table and in every space.

Leading voices have warned that the lack of new housing and planning for population growth in Toronto could hamper the city’s economic future. These same voices have said that the top concern for everyone should be addressing Ontario’s housing crunch and the difficulty that many residents have buying and renting.

Many of my constituents are very concerned about home ownership for themselves and for their children. They ask why governments are not taking immediate action and cutting through the red tape that is holding up development.

Speaker, can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing explain how our strong-mayors legislation will result in more homes and provide reassurance to my constituents about their future in cities like Toronto?

The supplementary question.

The division bells rang from 1147 to 1152.

On August 31, 2022, Mr. Bethlenfalvy moved third reading of Bill 2, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes.

All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.

Third reading agreed to.

The House recessed from 1156 to 1300.

The ayes are 76; the nays are 30.

Speaker, through you to the member: I’ve said this many, many times in the House, that we need to work with our municipal partners to unlock more housing supply. Too many Ontarians are worried that they’re never going to be able to own the home that meets their needs and their budget. Our government has to move forward. We have to implement policies and build upon the success of More Homes for Everyone and our housing supply action plan.

I want to remind the members of the House that last year, we had the most housing starts, over 100,000. It’s the most we’ve had in our province in over 30 years.

But, Speaker, more has to be done. We need to pull out all the stops to ensure that municipalities have the tools to get the job done. We’ve committed to Ontarians in the last election that we’re going to be building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years, so that people can realize the dream of home ownership. That’s exactly what our proposed strong-mayors bill will accomplish.

I’m just rising on standing order 59 to outline the business in the coming week and to thank members on all sides of the House for a very productive week for the people of the province of Ontario.

On Monday, September 5, pursuant to standing order 9(i), the House, of course, will not meet, in recognition of Labour Day.

On Tuesday, September 6, in the morning and afternoon, we will be dealing with Bill 3, Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act. In the evening, we will have private member’s notice of motion number 2 from the member for Brampton North.

On Wednesday, September 7, in the morning and afternoon, we will proceed with Bill 3, Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act. In the evening, we will have the member for Scarborough–Guildwood’s Bill 9, Safe and Healthy Communities Act.

On Thursday, September 8, in the morning, colleagues, we will have tributes to deceased members of Parliament. Let me just thank members who have been participating in that. They are very important to the family members, and the speeches on all sides have really been very, very well done. So thank you and congratulations to everybody.

We will then have a statement by the ministry at routine proceedings. The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions will have a statement on World Suicide Prevention Day. In the afternoon, we will continue with tributes to deceased members of provincial Parliament and, in the evening, the member for Windsor West’s private member’s notice of motion number 1.

Deferred vote on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 2, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes / Projet de loi 2, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à édicter et à modifier diverses lois.

Thank you, Speaker—and I apologize; I was unable to be prompt with it. I do have visitors in the gallery today who I want to introduce to the House. David Ennis and Ian Sutcliffe are both students at the University of Windsor, and I’d like to welcome them here today. They’re experiencing the Ontario Legislature for the first time.

Buying a new home should be a dream, not a nightmare. We continue to hear about bad builders who extort homebuyers by raising the price of homes after contracts have been signed, or turn around and cancel the contract and re-sell the home to the highest bidder. This has to stop.

Your regulator, the HCRA, has only investigated 10% of all complaints, and not a single fine has been laid. To make matters worse, because of the government regulator’s inaction, many homebuyers have had to spend thousands and thousands of dollars in court, sign NDAs and go through years of unnecessary stress, because your government regulator isn’t protecting them.

Why is this government letting this happen, and if they’re not willing to act, are they willing to reimburse homebuyers for their legal fees since they are unwilling to protect them?

I move that the House recognize newly elected members of provincial Parliament for their contributions to public service and their communities.

But I’m back, Speaker, to talk a little bit more today and finish off just the last few remarks of my speech. I’m really pleased to have the opportunity to do so, because as it came to a conclusion the other day, I was talking about the flood that we’d had in the community of Bracebridge in 2019, when—I was obviously very fortunate to be the mayor of that community for many years. But I really wanted to talk about how the people in that community performed during such a difficult time, and how they are so representative of the people throughout our riding.

I was saying that we got a lot of good things done during our council times through the term, but then we got to 2019, and very quickly we had some changes with some unfortunate weather late in the season, and saw a flood that was quite devastating for a lot of people. In Bracebridge—it’s a unique community—there’s quite a bit of elevation to it, but also a lot of it, obviously, was built near water. So in portions of the community, things were absolutely fine—you could drive around and it was a regular day—but in portions of the community, things were very far from fine. We have an urbanized area and a lot of rural area in the Bracebridge community. A lot of properties were cut off, and a lot of people were at risk for their personal safety and the safety of their property.

It was amazing, Speaker, because so many people came together. The people who maybe didn’t have so much on the line and lived in parts of the community where everything was fine immediately dropped everything to help those in our community where things were very much not fine. It was an incredibly touching and moving experience, as the leader of a community, to see people come together like that. But this was a persistent event. It had rained after the initial rains that caused the flooding, and it snowed. People were working incredibly hard over what was a weekend—where they had the opportunity to be away from their jobs or their loved ones, to pitch in and lend a hand, but the workweek was coming, and frankly, people were burning out. There’s only so much that a group of volunteers can do, but they refused to quit, and we got some help for them from the military. I want to thank them again for the amazing job that they did.

It was easy to get down when the weather continued to be tough and make this event drag on longer than everyone hoped it would, but you would have these moments of spectacular human kindness from people who wanted to help, from people who wanted to volunteer—and not just from our community, but from other communities. Just when you were at your lowest and feeling like our community was in a perilous place, and people were getting burnt-out and tired, my phone would ring and it would be someone from Peterborough, or it would be someone from Orillia or somebody from Hamilton with a simple question: “How can I help? I’ve got a shovel. I want to sandbag. I want to help. What time do you want me there?”

Boy, it picks you up when you see that kind of good in people, and you know that there are folks out there for whom just simply sitting at home watching the news was enough of a call to action for them to say, “How can I help?” I find those words some of the most powerful words that one individual can speak to another.

As I wrap up my remarks, I just want to say that those folks, the folks in my community who asked that question, “How can I help?”, are the inspiration for me wanting to do this job, the inspiration for me wanting to represent people every day, represent everyone every day—but they’re particularly inspiring. I’ve always found that without volunteers, obviously, our communities would cease to function. We make incredibly important decisions here; I did so in my previous municipal history, but it does not compare, in many ways, to the volume of acts of kindness that happen every day amongst individuals to keep communities whole and really make them what they are.

So I salute everybody who asks another individual or group, “How can I help?” I salute those who volunteer their time to groups to make communities better, organizations better, our society better. It’s what makes Ontario an amazing place. It’s what makes Canada an amazing place.

I’ll conclude my remarks at that today, Mr. Speaker, but I do appreciate the opportunity to celebrate volunteerism, to thank everybody who does take that time to help one another, and to encourage people to take those opportunities, every time they have them, to do so.

Sorry; if I could just emulate that—I missed the opportunity to introduce my amazing volunteers, Ewan and Davide, who are here for my inaugural speech.

There are more people coming, but they are not here yet. Thank you so much.

I’d like to thank Dr. Sally Palmer for providing my office with these petitions.

“To Raise Social Assistance Rates.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and woefully inadequate to cover the basic costs of food and rent;

“Whereas individuals on the Ontario Works program receive just $733 per month and individuals on the Ontario Disability Support Program receive just $1,169 per month, only 41% and 65% of the poverty line;

“Whereas the Ontario government has not increased social assistance rates since 2018, and Canada’s inflation rate in January 2022 was 5.1%, the highest rate in 30 years;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized through the CERB program that a ‘basic income’ of $2,000 per month was the standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly to increase social assistance rates to a base of $2,000 per month for those on Ontario Works and to increase other programs accordingly.”

I wholeheartedly support this petition. I will affix any name to it and give it to page Daniyal to bring to the Clerk.

It’s an honour to rise today to present this petition. I want to thank, again, Marlene and Bernie from the Merry Dairy ice cream store on Gladstone. It reads:

“I Support Small Ice Cream Shops in Ontario.

“Whereas small ice cream shops offer customers a delicious treat, dairy producers valuable clients, and offer staff jobs;

“Whereas the Milk Act prevents small ice cream shops from local wholesaling, even if the source of their dairy ingredients comes from a certified dairy plant. In fact, the Milk Act currently restricts the wholesale of any products made with dairy ingredients, not just ice cream;

“Whereas small ice cream shops that wholesale without their own certified dairy plants are subject to thousands of dollars in fines ...;

“Whereas consumers have the right to choose from a variety of safe dairy products, and not just those made by large suppliers;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to allow small ice cream shops access to local markets for wholesaling, provided all ingredients are fully traceable, and all dairy ingredients come from certified dairy plants in Ontario.”

Speaker, it’s an honour to sign this petition. I’ll send it with Juliet to the Clerks’ table. And I understand that back home I have 70 more pages of this waiting for me.

I consider it both an honour and a privilege to be standing here today representing the people of Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston as their member of provincial Parliament. The encouragement and support I have received through both the nomination and election process has been second to none, and I’m very appreciative.

This inaugural speech allows me the opportunity to introduce myself, to thank my constituents, volunteers and family for their support, and to describe as best I can what has driven me to the decision to enter the world of politics.

First and foremost, I want to thank my wife, Brenda-Leah, for her ongoing support. Not only did she encourage me to run, but she went to work. A retired teacher and principal, she took charge of coordinating the volunteers, and I thought, “Oh, no, the principal is back.” She even had these crazy T-shirts made up with my picture on them during the nomination. It embarrassed my son—a collector’s item, I’m sure.

My mother-in-law, Amanda, at age 86, was a real trooper in the campaign office, along with friends and family and association members.

I want to give a special shout-out to our friends Debbie and Terry Shay, whose enthusiasm and “have fun” attitude was contagious.

I want to mention my sister Anne Marie, who drove from Greely almost every day.

My campaign manager, Shawn Morrison, who some of you know, stuck with me from the beginning, and is still sharing his experience and advice as I bring on new staff and get settled in.

My nephew Chris McGuire has been taking on the financial part of the process.

My wife, Brenda-Leah, and I have raised three children in the Smiths Falls area. Justen, who is now 28, runs his own successful and expanding construction company and has had to pick up all the heavy lifting at our farm where we raise black Angus beef—one of the hardest-working people I know. Thomas is 26 and is a computer engineer graduate, and he works for the federal government. His IT help during the campaign was never-ending. No matter what time we called, he could always solve our IT problems. Amanda, his twin sister, is a singer-songwriter and actress in Nashville, and she never ceases to amaze us. Last Friday morning, I got home and gathered up the mail at the mailbox, and in the local paper there was a beautiful picture of Amanda announcing her new single release called Somebody’s Maybe. She writes songs about love and female empowerment, and we could not be more proud of her. I’d like to mention that you may have seen her performing on The Bachelor last January. All three children supported me with their own special set of skills during the campaign, and we’re very proud of all three of our children.

Full disclosure: I never had political career aspirations. My father would say, “Why don’t you throw your hat in the ring?” And I would say, “No, thanks.” But life is a journey, and that journey has led me here. The time just felt right.

My education played a big part in this decision, but I’m not talking about my formal education in economics and business; I’m referring to my real education, life’s education—primarily my time working in the community health centre model of care at the North Lanark Community Health Centre, now called ConnectWell Community Health.

My previous position as CEO of ConnectWell Community Health was a position I enjoyed, and it gave me great satisfaction over the years. I learned the value of interdisciplinary care—physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, respiratory therapists and many other allied health professionals working together. Health promotion and illness prevention programs and services are a big part of the CHC model. I learned the value of collaboration, working with partner organizations and different levels of government.

With the spirit of collaboration and co-operation, the North Lanark CHC grew from a staff of under 20 to a staff of over 240 employees, with services stretching from the Ottawa River in Renfrew county to the St. Lawrence River in Leeds and Grenville.

I am proud of ConnectWell’s accomplishments and the dedicated people who work there.

That experience also makes me very optimistic for Ontario Health. I served on the collaborative council for the Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Ontario Health Team, and I believe that this model of greater collaboration will result in many system improvements and better health outcomes, and a better experience for our patients and health care providers. Our nurses need this. We all need this.

Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston is very rural. Rural people have extra challenges because of the very nature of being rural. Their work is also very important to us for our food production, lumber supply, and others. “Resilient” and “independent” are two words that I use to describe people from rural Ontario. They deserve our respect and attention in terms of providing services to them. Health equity is an important element of how we develop and invest in our health care system.

I want to tell you a story. One day I was in the health centre reception area. There were a couple of very senior ladies there, who were sisters. I got talking to them. I knew them well; they were regular clients at the health centre. I walked them out to their car. As I was closing the door, I said, “It’s great that you’re still driving and getting out to where you need to go.” One of the sisters smiled at me. She said, “Yes, dear. But, you know, my licence is just good for Lanark.” Resiliency, independence—they got themselves where they needed to go.

Another thing you will hear in Lanark and Frontenac Highlands is the saying, “It takes a tank to get a tank.” I heard this a lot when the gas station at McDonald’s Corners closed. I’ve also heard, recently, appreciation for the elimination of the licence sticker fees and for the gas tax reduction. In rural areas, there are no transportation options. Transportation always comes at the top of the list in community-needs surveys or focus groups.

Broadband is another rural challenge. Connectivity is so important, and I’m happy to report that new investments are making a difference, but we still have more work to do. We are making progress and getting it done.

Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston is a beautiful area, made up of a lot of small towns and villages, hundreds of lakes, and a diverse topography, from rolling farmland to forests to the Canadian Shield.

Throughout Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston, you will find the spirit of communities coming together to celebrate arts, craftsmanship, agriculture and the good food that grows from the fruits of our labour. From the inspiring and boundless imagination unfolding every year at the incredible, world-renowned Puppets Up! festival to the historic agricultural fairs in Maberly and Perth, and the Highland games in Almonte, as a few examples of excellence in our heritage—and welcoming every age to make memories steeped in history and tradition.

In Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston, we have a strong connection to our railways and waterways and the courageous and talented people who forged a path to the future—creating the unparalleled Rideau Canal lock system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and leaving behind a legacy still celebrated at the site of the eastern Ontario railway museum in Smiths Falls, where youngsters can tuck in with history on an overnight stay in a caboose, and the midsummer CabooseFest held every year in Sharbot Lake.

There are also many recreational opportunities—trails, skiing.

I’ve enjoyed the Rideau Canal my entire life and have taken many trips by boat from Ottawa to Kingston, or a side trip up the Tay River to historic Perth, with its many shops and restaurants.

So if you are planning on attending the International Plowing Match on September 20 to September 24, you may want to travel through Lanark and Frontenac counties and take in some of the sights.

There are many local heroes from my riding.

I need to mention Brooke Henderson. Brooke was born and raised in Smiths Falls and made the Smiths Falls golf course her second home. She has won more major golf tournaments than any other Canadian, including two LPGA events. Along with her sister Brittany, they are real ambassadors for Smiths Falls.

Bailey Andison is another Smiths Falls native, bringing home medals for swimming from the Pan American Games.

There are many others, and as we go back in history, they include R. Tait McKenzie, who was born in Ramsay township and who was known for his contributions to education and the arts.

James Naismith, born in Almonte, invented the great game of basketball.

A local hero, through COVID, was Dr. Paula Stewart, the medical officer of health for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. Paula provided great leadership, working with the Ontario Health team and bringing all of the health service providers together, achieving the highest vaccination rates in Ontario.

I would also like to mention that the true value of our community paramedics was realized as they provided many vaccination clinics, including mobile and pop-up. They also visited long-term-care homes and residential homes to vaccinate people who could not get out. Like so many health care professionals, they worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic.

I want to recognize all of you, as members of provincial Parliament. Over the past few months, I have a new appreciation for the work, commitment and responsibility that we’ve all taken on, and that members before us took on.

I would like to acknowledge Doug Wiseman, who served as MPP of our riding from 1971 to 1990. Mr. Wiseman was a friend of my father, Leo Jordan, and he encouraged Dad to enter into politics after 39 years with Ontario Hydro. In my father’s inaugural speech, he said, “I want to say that I am not only proud to represent the riding of Lanark–Renfrew but to follow in the footsteps of the calibre of previous MPPs like Doug Wiseman.” Dad went on to describe the basic principles to which he would serve, including honesty, integrity and accountability. I plan to uphold the same high standards as my father. He also had lots of advice for hydro, but I’ll leave that discussion for our Minister of Energy.

I also wish to acknowledge and thank Senator Bob Runciman, who represented the ridings of Leeds and Leeds–Grenville for 29 years and was then appointed to the Senate of Canada from 2010 to 2017. It was certainly an honour for me to have Senator Runciman attend and speak at the opening of my campaign office. His advice to me: “Make your constituents proud.”

There are many positive and sustainable changes coming to the province. Building our economy, infrastructure and housing are just a few.

My passion is health care, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to work as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care. This is my opportunity to learn and contribute to improving the experience of our long-term-care residents and their families, making sure that those who need long-term care get long-term care, that those who need home and community care get home and community care, and that people working in health care are in a positive work environment and that it is a career they can enjoy and prosper in.

I thank all of my constituents for honouring me with this opportunity, and I look forward to working collaboratively with all members of this 43rd provincial Parliament.