We’re very concerned with some of the things we’re hearing from the mayor and council in Waterloo. Obviously, we’ve had a very good dialogue recently with the big city mayors. I attended their last meeting, and I look forward to continuing the conversation around development charges as we develop the rules around those DC incentives.

We do not believe as a government that non-profits and affordable housing providers should be charged huge, unsustainable fees from municipalities. We believe the best way to incentivize those costs is to directly eliminate or reduce development charges. That’s the policy of the government. We look forward to working with our municipal partners, but we’re very concerned with some of the things that are being discussed around Waterloo regional council.

I’d like to thank my friend our member from Kitchener–Conestoga for his excellent question. Our government has revamped training for police, who are now better prepared to identify situations where people are in mental distress.

I want to highlight and showcase the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ontario, a place that does extensive training for over 1,500 amazing cadets that will graduate this year to keep Ontario safe. And we’re not stopping there. Ontario is currently funding 18 mobile crisis response teams to ensure better outcomes and appropriate responses, and we’re investing more than $4 million over two years to keep all of Ontario safe.

Monsieur le Président, ce sont des gens formidables qui nous protègent au quotidien.

The crisis diversion program engages mental health professionals in the Waterloo Regional Police communications centre, with the goal of diverting appropriate mental health-related calls away from traditional dispatch police response. Waterloo Regional Police Service is a leader in addressing mental health through the lens of public safety, and we are grateful for their partnership in this issue.