A glorious morning, everyone, and welcome to the new member from Hamilton Centre.

Housing is an issue that is top of mind for most Ontarians. For many, owning a home is completely out of reach, and finding a home to rent is also a struggle. There are simply not enough homes to go around and not enough that are affordable.

Enter the government, with their impressive, albeit lofty, goal to build 1.5 million homes in the next 10 years.

Last week, we received the 2023 Ontario budget. The government projects over 80,000 housing starts a year for the next three years. This is a substantial decrease from the forecast in last year’s budget, and if we continue this way, we’ll need to build almost 200,000 homes a year thereafter. This will be next to impossible, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Premier explain to Ontarians how the government plans on achieving the goal of 1.5 million homes in 10 years based on the numbers we saw in the budget last week and considering we are already behind schedule?

We know people want to live in existing communities, in urban centres and vibrant neighbourhoods, with access to infrastructure they need to enjoy a fruitful life: schools, public transit, parks, hospitals, shops. We should focus on creative solutions—building up and not building out, not creating more sprawl. It can and should be done. Homes don’t have to be built in the greenbelt. They don’t have to be built on flood plains and wetlands. They don’t have to be built in areas where you need to access everything by car.

Mr. Speaker, my question is, will the government be focusing on building in existing communities, and if so, what are some of the solutions that they are exploring and how will they do so quickly, efficiently and sustainably?

I appreciate the question from the honourable member. There was an inspection that was done at the home, and the home itself has been ordered to fix the generator problem by June 30 or face administrative monetary penalties.

Speaker, as you know, the member opposite did vote against the increase in inspectors. We have the highest inspector-to-home ratio in North America now, something that, of course, they voted against. The member opposite would remember that she specifically voted against the new homes that are coming to her riding. The member also voted against the additional 27,000 health care workers for long-term care and the over $60 million worth of funding for the member’s riding to increase the level of care. The Minister of Colleges and Universities is helping us attain that 27,000 additional health care workers.

Look, I’m glad to hear that the member opposite actually supports some of the initiatives that we’ve done, especially when it comes to inspection.

This is the exact same member who last week suggested that those health care workers working in for-profit long-term-care homes cared less about the seniors that they were caring for, and as a result, this gentleman here across the aisle suggests that’s why he can’t vote for all of the initiatives that we are doing to improve care across the province of Ontario—not something that they did when they held the balance of power. In fact, they completely ignored long-term care.

Here is the good news, Mr. Speaker: Because of the investments in the budget, we’re continuing to improve long-term care and—

Interjections.

Back to the Premier: The problems at Blackadar Continuing Care Centre, which is managed by Extendicare, are consistent. It is an obvious pattern. The recent power outage wasn’t an isolated incident. It has happened at this home three times in two years.

Three days after the news report from the Globe and Mail, the Hamilton Spectator reported that internal documents showed that—listen to this—that long-term-care home had dirt, mould and leaks in their home. Extendicare saying “not my fault, not my responsibility” is unacceptable. Long-term-care operators need be held accountable.

Speaker, through you: When will the Premier and his ministers stop protecting their corporate, profit-driven long-term-care buddies and protect seniors living in long-term-care homes, where 5,400 of our moms, our dads, our aunts and uncles, our brothers and sisters have died?