I want to thank my honourable colleague from Eglinton–Lawrence not only for the question but for the great work that she does on behalf of her constituents.

Speaker, I actually had the opportunity and the pleasure to speak at the event that the member is referring to. In my remarks, I emphasized just how important it is for us to continue building on our collective effort to increase housing supply.

Increasing supply is a big part of the solution to the housing crisis, and our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, alongside the municipal affairs and housing minister and the parliamentary assistant, will continue to introduce policies that will get more shovels in the ground, for us to build homes faster.

I’m proud to say that last year we saw the most purpose-built rentals on record, with just under 15,000 homes. Let that sink in for a second. We set the record for the most purpose-built rentals ever recorded here in the province of Ontario.

So it’s clear our policies are working—

Back to the minister, Speaker: What’s clear is that our government must support innovative investments in clean technologies like hydrogen that will position Ontario as an energy leader.

As we have seen, energy prices and the stability of our energy grid are linked directly to Ontario’s economic competitiveness. Under the previous Liberal government, surplus electricity generation from Ontario’s nuclear and hydroelectric fleets was sold at a loss to competing jurisdictions. Ensuring we have the right energy supply mix is critical to restoring Ontario’s economic and competitive edge.

Speaker, can the Minister of Energy please elaborate on how our government will ensure we have the right energy supply mix and how this will benefit hard-working families here in Ontario?

My question is to the Associate Minister of Housing.

The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board recently published its 2023 Market Outlook and 2022 Year in Review reports. These reports indicate that high borrowing costs have resulted in a market shift from home ownership to rental demand.

Other industry voices such as the Building Industry and Land Development Association and the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario are urging all levels of government to take action regarding policies that will promote purpose-built rental development.

We as a government need to take these matters seriously and take action to ensure families and individuals can still access our housing market.

Speaker, can the associate minister please share what our government is doing to address this market shift?

Heart valve disease is one of the most common heart problems today, affecting over one million Canadians, including one in every eight people over the age of 75. With Ontario’s aging population, the number of people affected is growing. Cardiologists have described this as the next epidemic of heart disease. When left untreated, the mortality rate is up to 50% every year. When it’s detected early, treatments are effective, but the symptoms are often dismissed as a normal sign of aging. A stethoscope check can detect heart murmurs and other sounds that indicate valve disease. That’s why regular scanning is critical, especially for people at high risk. Unfortunately, only a quarter of adults had a stethoscope check in the past year.

By proclaiming Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day and Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week, the bill would help raise awareness of the risk of the symptoms of heart valve disease, and ultimately, it would help to improve the detection and treatment of this condition.

I appreciate the opportunity to ask this question of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. I am so proud that agriculture is one of the largest economic sectors in my riding of Brantford–Brant, with ginseng crops being a major product. Our farmers work day in and day out to get Ontario-made products to market that help support our economy. And, from the bottom of my heart, to all the farmers in my riding: Thank you for putting the best-quality food on our tables every single day.

But over the past few years, our ginseng growers have been hit by significant challenges in their primary overseas markets due to supply disruptions as a result of COVID-19. Our government must show leadership by recognizing, appreciating and understanding the complexities and uniqueness of ginseng.

Speaker, can the minister please share how our government is supporting the sustainable growth of this industry?

I know this isn’t really a point of order today, but I would like to wish my number one supporter, my husband, my best friend and the first lady of St. Catharines a very happy 60th birthday.

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and soon $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP);

“Whereas the recent small budget increase of 5% for ODSP still leaves these citizens well below the poverty line, both they and those receiving the frozen OW rates are struggling to live in this time of alarming inflation;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its 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 double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I will sign this petition wholeheartedly and pass it on to Keira to send down to the table.

I think this is a great question. When I went to Renfrew county to see the reveal, it was very clear that femicide doesn’t just hurt those families, it hurts a whole community.

Mr. Speaker, we are taking action. On February 10, the government did provide only part 1 of Ontario’s response to the Office of the Chief Coroner, and that reflects the progress we’re making so far. Across government, we are taking action to make sure women are kept safe. We are investing in programs and organizations, like some of the many who came here today, to see that women are given the freedom and the opportunity to be free and live in their communities, like our investments in the Investing in Women’s Futures Program, like our investments in just so many others. Mr. Speaker, we take this very seriously. We believe women should be safe, and we did send the national action plan to the FPT for the justice ministers, with a written request that they commit to taking further action to improve the justice system responses—

Today we have a guest from the greatest riding in Ontario, the great riding of Brampton North: my dear friend and the founder and publisher of Road Today. His daughter Saanvi is in model Parliament here today. Please give a warm welcome to my friend Manan Gupta. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Thanks, Speaker. The proposed legislation, the St. Thomas-Central Elgin Boundary Adjustment Act, 2023, will help secure new investment opportunities for a land site that has the potential to create thousands of new jobs in southwestern Ontario. We’re proposing to move the site, which currently straddles two municipalities, into one municipality, St. Thomas. This would reduce red tape and help ensure the site is shovel-ready for future investment by helping to ensure that all needed permits and site changes can be approved faster. The proposed actions show that the government is ready and willing to take the steps needed to compete in the global marketplace for the jobs and investment Ontario needs.

MPP Wong-Tam moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 64, An Act to proclaim Chosen Family Day / Projet de loi 64, Loi proclamant le Jour de la famille choisie.

I want to thank the member for the question. Our thoughts continue to be with the victims, the families and friends and all those impacted by the tragedy.

Everyone has a right to feel safe in their own home and their own community, free of intimidation and the threat of violence. The Ministry of the Solicitor General has provided an interim response to the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario. We will continue working across government to provide updated responses in advance of the anniversary date of the verdict’s release. This will allow the time needed to continue to carefully review and consider recommendations, provide a whole-of-government response and ensure meaningful steps can be identified and taken to address these issues. Mr. Speaker, we are going to get it right.

To reply, the Solicitor General.

The House recessed from 1208 to 1500.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

Again, I want to thank my honourable colleague for the question. In addition to the record purpose-built rental starts that we had last year, our latest piece of legislation, More Homes Built Faster Act, offers incentives for the construction of more rental units by reducing development fees: 25% on three-or-more-bedroom units, a 20% discount on two-bedroom units and a 15% discount on one-bedroom units.

To further increase rental supply, we also introduced as-of-right policies in our most recent bill to allow for more units to be constructed on existing residential lots. Other legislation allows for basement apartments, garden houses or main residences to have up to three rental units without obtaining additional building permits or paying any additional development fees.

Ontarians deserve to have affordable options when it comes to housing, and as we’ve said before, we’re going to continue fighting for every Ontarian to make sure they do in this province.

Thank you to the Associate Minister of Housing for the answer. In the same report, published by Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, the market outlook for 2023 emphasizes the need for more rental supply to keep up with rising demands. Rental vacancy rates are projected to fall and competition between rental households will increase in 2023.

Owning or renting a home provides a sense of place and pride in community. It offers individuals and families economic security for decades, even during turbulent times. With the team we have at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as was just mentioned by the associate minister, I have a lot of confidence that we can build more housing that people will be able to access. But I want to ask the associate minister once again, what other approaches is our government implementing to address the rental shortage, now and for the future?

A question to the Premier: During the Renfrew inquest, the jury was clear that significant change needs to happen in the way Ontario provides treatment to those who perpetuate intimate partner violence, but Ontario has not responded to this recommendation. International Women’s Day is fast approaching. How many more women will have to suffer preventable violence and death at the hands of perpetuators before Ontario will make meaningful changes in the system that’s supposed to protect them?

Can the government explain how many times it has been warned about the inadequacy of the services they provide perpetuators of intimate partner violence and why this government won’t actually fix it today? When will we get a commitment? When will you fix this?

Chosen families are made up of individuals who may not be biologically related to one another. These families are especially important to the 2SLGBTQI+ community. For individuals who have been rejected by their biological families, chosen families are picked instead of assigned, providing each individual the freedom to choose who they want to be understood and loved by. Chosen families help to impart a sense of acceptance and belonging in 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Chosen Family Day, held on February 22 of each year, celebrates the importance of such a day for the chosen families they belong to.

Mr. Coe moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 65, An Act to amend the Remembrance Week Act, 2016 / Projet de loi 65, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2016 sur la semaine du Souvenir.

I want to express my appreciation to the member opposite for the amazing advocacy that he shares, not only on behalf of Brant county farmers, but also ginseng growers.

In the fall of 2021, I went into that region of Ontario to visit, first-hand, ginseng growers to see how the pandemic had impacted their markets at a global level, and we were very quick to act. It was our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford and my ministry team, that came together with our ginseng growers to introduce an industry-led pilot program that ultimately led to stabilizing this particular industry.

I’m really pleased to share with you that, most recently, we participated in a trade mission to both Japan and Vietnam, and it was in Vietnam where we secured three specific ginseng MOUs. We had the Ontario Ginseng Growers Association sign an MOU with the Vietnamese Pharmaceutical Association, and we also had a local Ontario ginseng company sign additional MOUs, with business-to-business opportunities lying ahead of them.

So a bright future lies ahead for not only ginseng growers, because they have a government that stands with them and understands agricultural and market issues, but they also have a government that believes that it’s important to stand with them as we build back our markets around the world.

I have a petition 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 over $1,169 per month, only 41% and 65% of the poverty line;

“Whereas 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 a month was standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario 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 will sign this petition and give it to page Wyatt.

I have been receiving a lot of petitions by mail entitled “Protect the Greenbelt.” Here is one that was signed by Dawn and Beth Richardson of Oshawa, among others.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Bills 23 and 39 are the Ford government’s latest attempt to remove protected lands from the greenbelt, allowing developers to bulldoze and pave over 7,000 acres of farmland in the greenbelt;

“Whereas Ontario is already losing 319.6 acres of farmland and green space daily to development;

“Whereas the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force found there are plenty of places to build homes without destroying the greenbelt;

“Whereas Ford’s repeated moves to tear up farmland and bulldoze wetlands have never been about housing, but are about rewarding PC donors and making the rich richer;

“Whereas green spaces and farmland are what we rely on to grow our food, support natural habitats and prevent flooding;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately stop all plans to remove what has long been protected land from the greenbelt, pass the NDP’s Protecting Agricultural Land Act, and protect irreplaceable farmland in the province of Ontario.”

Of course, I support this petition wholeheartedly. I will affix my signature and send it to the table with Paige.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario has one of the most dedicated and highly trained health workforces in the world. Over 60,000 new nurses and 8,000 new doctors have registered to work in Ontario; and

“Whereas hiring more health care professionals is the most effective step to ensure Ontarians are able to see a health care provider where and when you need to; and

“Whereas starting in spring 2023, the government will expand the learn and stay grant and applications will open for eligible post-secondary students who enrol in priority programs, such as nursing, to work in underserved communities in the region where they studied after graduation. The program will provide up-front funding for tuition, books and other direct educational costs; and

“Whereas with new as-of-right rules, Ontario will become the first province in Canada to allow health care workers registered in other provinces and territories to immediately start caring for you, without having to first register with one of Ontario’s health regulatory colleges. This change will help health care workers overcome excessive red tape that makes it difficult for them to practise in Ontario;

“Whereas we are investing an additional $15 million to temporarily cover the costs of examination, application, and registration fees for internationally trained and retired nurses, saving them up to $1,500 each. This will help up to 5,000 internationally educated nurses and up to 3,000 retired nurses begin working sooner to strengthen our front lines;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario continue to build on the progress of hiring and recruiting health care workers.”

I will sign this and provide it to page Vedant.

My petition is entitled “Petition to Raise Social Assistance Rates.” It reads:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and soon $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP);

“Whereas the recent small budget increase of 5% for ODSP still leaves these citizens well below the poverty line, both they and those receiving the frozen OW rates are struggling to live in this time of alarming inflation;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its 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 double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I fully support this petition. I will affix my signature and deliver it with a page to the Clerks.