Like the rest of the province, Niagara is in a housing crisis and our government is taking bold action to fix this. We’re considering every possible option to get more homes built faster so that young families and newcomers in Niagara can find a home that meets their needs and their budget.

Last year, the people of Ontario re-elected a PC government under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford with a mandate to get 1.5 million homes built over the next 10 years. As hundreds of thousands of newcomers a year arrive in our province, we need to take action to ensure that there are homes being built for them and for all Ontarians.

Bill 23 addresses Ontario’s housing supply crisis. Those who say no to Bill 23 and building the new homes needed in our province must recognize the harmful cost of their opposition. The social harm of abandoning the future generations and millions of new Canadians to a housing crisis which has already impacted the social determinants of health, like poverty, stability and mental health, is something that we cannot accept.

Bill 23 takes transformational action to solve the housing crisis. It gives young families and new Canadians the hope to achieve the dream of home ownership. It helps local charities and community organizations build affordable and not-for-profit housing by reducing development charges for these crucial builds.

Our government is going to continue standing up for every young family in Ontario and in Niagara hoping to get into the housing market. We’re building more homes, creating more housing opportunities and ensuring every newcomer and young family in Ontario and Niagara can realize the dream of home ownership.

My question is to the Premier. In the face of an unprecedented health and homelessness crisis, Londoners have rallied behind a transformational whole-of-community response to help those struggling with homelessness, mental health and addictions. With leadership from local agencies, hospitals, emergency services, police, businesses, developers and city council, our community is united in making system-level change, and a generous donor family has galvanized $35 million in direct community funding. But London can’t do it alone.

Will the Premier commit today to funding the hubs and supportive housing units that are core to this first-of-its-kind local strategy?