It’s an honour to be able to speak in the Legislature today, to follow the Minister of Finance and my colleague from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, the parliamentary assistant as well to Finance.

I rise to speak to the third reading of the Progress on the Plan to Build Act (Budget Measures), 2022. As demonstrated by the fall economic statement and the fall bill that is before us now, our government is taking an approach like no other. We are building Ontario’s economy and we are attracting investments and good jobs to our province. We are building Ontario’s workforce by ending the stigma against being employed in the skilled trades. We are building key infrastructure for Ontario, getting shovels in the ground on critical projects across our province. And we are keeping costs down, putting more money back in the pockets of people, where it belongs.

For example, to reduce costs, we are making changes that would allow a person with a disability on the Ontario Disability Support Program to keep more of the money they earn by increasing their monthly earnings exemption from $200 to $1,000 per month. We heard in the committee stage from employers that this will have a positive impact on workers and businesses. Businesses are short of labour and many folks who are not able to work to the extent that they wanted to will now be excited to be able to work and keep more money.

We are also investing an additional $40 million in 2022-23, for a total of $145 million, for the latest round of funding in the Skills Development Fund, to help the businesses that are driving Ontario’s economic growth to hire, train and retain workers.

Starting in 2023-24, we are investing an additional $4.8 million over two years to expand the Dual Credit Program so more secondary school students are encouraged to enter a career in the skilled trades or early childhood education.

We are also providing Ontario small businesses with $185 million in income tax relief over the next three years. To support eligible small businesses, we are now automatically matching municipal property tax reductions for small businesses within all municipalities that adopt the small business property subclass.

Together, Ontario has come far. We have stood together through tough times and got through them together. A growing economy and new jobs are the best ways to support the province’s path to balance and long-term prosperity.

When faced with a degree of uncertainty, governments need to be ready for anything. Governments need to be flexible and forward-thinking. We have a fiscal plan that is ready to support people and businesses when and if the time comes.

As our progress update and the fall bill illustrate, we remain committed to managing Ontario’s finances responsibly and transparently while maintaining our commitment to support the people of Ontario during these uncertain times. The Ministry of Finance is working, along with the Treasury Board, to manage the province’s $198.8-billion budget and to oversee our $186.8 billion in revenues through taxation, business enterprises and non-tax revenue. Our government is making record investments in the priorities that matter to every family, worker and senior in Ontario. This is not an easy task, but our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, is getting it done. We remain strategic, responsible and measured when it comes to how we support the people of this province.

In the province’s 2022 fall economic statement, Ontario’s real GDP is projected to rise by 2.6% in 2022, then by 0.5% in 2023, 1.6% in 2024 and 2.1% in 2025. These projections are prudently set slightly below the average of private sector forecasts due to uncertain global economic conditions. Ontario’s economy will continue to see growth in the near term, but growth is projected to slow significantly, below 2% in 2023 and 2024. This is something we are thinking about today because the province must remain agile and responsive to any short-term instability while also thinking about our long-term plans for growth.

Ontario’s net debt-to-GDP ratio is now forecast to be 38.4% in 2022-23. This is a decrease of three percentage points compared with the forecast of 41.4% in the 2022 budget. While this has been an improvement, we anticipate that economic uncertainty could cause the net debt-to-GDP ratio to rise in the near term. We are making sure we proceed in a cautious way. Right now, paying interest on the province’s debt remains Ontario’s fourth-largest expense. That’s billions of dollars that could be invested in public services and programs.

That is why our government has taken prudent steps in our 2022 fall economic statement. We are making record investments in the priorities that matter to the people of this province: building infrastructure, training workers and keeping costs down for families and businesses.

Speaker, one of the ways we’re working to keep costs down while fostering economic growth in our time of global uncertainty is in the regulated sector of auto insurance. The main way we do that is through the provincial regulatory agency, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario or FSRA for short.

Insurance companies are crucial to Ontario’s continued economic vitality and growth. Just the other week, I spoke at an auto insurance sector event. I reiterated to the audience what Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said in the 2022 Ontario economic outlook and fiscal review: that the province is facing economic uncertainty, like the rest of the world. You see, many sectors, like the insurance industry, are experiencing challenging market conditions. In the face of these challenges, they must continue to meet the needs of their Ontario insurance customers. Insurance companies are also seeing the stubbornly high costs that businesses and consumers are seeing across the board. They see it through their high claims costs. And the year ahead is likely to be marked by ongoing economic turbulence and an economy-wide slowdown in growth.

To help keep costs down in this part of the economy, in the spring of 2020, we took quick and targeted action to enable financial relief for drivers. FSRA has reported that those actions have allowed over $1.8 billion in consumer savings since March 2020. We are continuing to work with FSRA on our commitment to improve auto insurance and reduce the cost to families across Ontario. We are creating more choices for consumers and developing strong anti-fraud measures in the auto insurance system.

Our government is also working with FSRA to develop a new framework for ensuring fairness in rates that would replace outdated guidance, including on existing territorial rating.

Speaker, the Ministry of Finance is responsible for not only overseeing Ontario’s auto insurance sector, but also, of course, overseeing the province’s finances. As noted in the fall economic statement, our government is projecting a deficit of $ 12.9 billion in 2022-23. That is nearly $7 billion lower than the outlook published in the 2022 budget. However, over the medium term, our government is projecting deficits of $8.1 billion in 2023-24 and $0.7 billion in 2024-25. This shrinking number could get our province back on track for a balanced budget. This approach demonstrates our ongoing effort aimed at eliminating the province’s structural deficit in the face of numerous challenges over the past couple of years.

Revenues in 2022-23 are projected to be $186.8 billion. That is $7 billion higher than forecasted in the 2022 budget. The increase in revenue is predominantly due to higher-than-expected 2021 taxation revenues. This revenue and deficit situation will help our government and the people of Ontario, because as a responsible government, we are making sure that we preserve the flexibility necessary in case of unforeseen events while continuing to implement our long-term plan to invest in the people of Ontario.

We know the economic road ahead may not be easy for our government or the people of Ontario. In the face of persistent inflation and more economic turbulence, we must promote stability by remaining flexible, responsive and strategic. We simply cannot ignore fiscal challenges that may be on the horizon and embark on a massive spending spree. This would only worsen inflation. Our government spared no expense to protect and support the people of Ontario throughout the COVID pandemic, but now is the time for us to show restraint. More provincial spending will only drag out an economic downturn.

I know many people from all walks of life are concerned about a possible economic downturn. Our government is focused on making sure Ontario is in a strong position to manage risks while remaining supportive of the people in this great province of Ontario. Whatever economic uncertainty may bring, we have a plan.

Our first-ever Building Ontario Progress Report shows many of our recent accomplishments, including attracting $16 billion in transformative automotive investments over the last two years to help Ontario become a North American leader in electric and hybrid vehicle building and battery manufacturing. And in my riding of Oakville alone, the Ford of Canada plant is being retooled to build electric vehicles so that Ontario will not only build electric vehicles but will actually be a global hub of electric vehicles, with essential manufacturing and critical minerals all located right here in our province. Indeed, later today Premier Ford is in Ingersoll, Ontario, to have another announcement in the province of Ontario related to electric-vehicle manufacturing.

Attracting these investments didn’t come by luck; it came by putting in the proper policies, the proper framework to attract investment. From 2003 to 2018, our great province saw over 300,000 manufacturing jobs leave our province, but by reducing red tape, reducing the cost of electricity for major manufacturers, by creating the right regime for business to flourish, Ontario is now attracting net investments, and we will be a global leader.

Ontario has also attracted investments of $2.5 billion over the past year, which will support the transformation in the steel sector and help make us a world-leading producer of clean steel. In both Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie, our government is helping industry adapt and modernize so that Ontario is a leader not only in steel manufacturing but in clean steel manufacturing. We should be proud of the investments we’re making and the environmental impact that will come out as a result of that.

We are also supporting $8.7 billion in cost savings and support for Ontario businesses in 2022, with $4 billion going to small businesses.

We have also added over 11,700 health care workers, including nurses and personal support workers, since 2020.

We’ve also committed $25.1 billion in highway expansion and rehabilitation over the next 10 years so our communities are connected, gridlock is reduced, goods and people keep moving across the province. Our government is committed to getting people from A to B more quickly and safely by investing in subways, GO trains, roads and bridges, ensuring the people of Ontario spend less time commuting and more time with their families, their loved ones. Ensuring businesses can get goods and products to market quickly and safely has certainly been a goal of the government of Ontario.

I am confident that the Progress on the Plan to Build Act (Budget Measures), 2022, and our fall economic statement demonstrate this government’s strong track record and well-considered projections for the future of this province. We are making progress, Speaker, building what this rapidly growing province wants and desperately needs: hospitals, long-term-care homes, schools, subways and highways.

Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the third reading of the Progress on the Plan to Build Act (Budget Measures), 2022, as well as discuss the 2022 Ontario economic outlook and fiscal review, Ontario’s Plan to Build: A Progress Update. As shown in the fall economic statement and the fall bill before us today, our government is taking an approach like no other. Together, we have provided cost savings and support for Ontario businesses through actions such as lowering payroll costs, providing relief from electricity prices and taxes, and cutting red tape. These are the kinds of issues you may not see on the front page of the paper every single day, but they are critically important to ensuring businesses succeed and new investment is put into the province of Ontario. These are actions taken to increase Ontario’s competitiveness, strengthen provincial supply chains and make government services easier to access and interact with.

Our responsible, targeted plan demonstrates how we have been able to maintain a strong record of fiscal management while remaining responsive to the people of Ontario. It is the right plan to help families, seniors, workers and small businesses weather the economic challenges we may face.

Despite what may be on the horizon, I have confidence in Ontario’s economy, its businesses, its workers and its people.

We are committed to laying a strong and resilient fiscal foundation for future generations. We know that when our government took office, in June 2018, Ontario was the most indebted subsovereign government in the entire world. That was the legacy we were left with. That’s why the people of Ontario voted for a Progressive Conservative majority government back in 2018—for the future generations, to ensure we had economic stability and prosperity, to ensure we had the financial path to be able to support great education, great health care, great transportation. We needed that in order to secure our future. And once again, of course, we were elected in 2022 with an even larger mandate, to support that same policy plan.

We’ve laid out a path of economic prosperity for everyone in Ontario, despite what challenges may come our way. This government recognizes the potential in every person who calls Ontario home. We are responsibly managing government spending and ensuring financial integrity. We want to get through these uncertain times better and stronger than ever to ensure Ontario remains the best place for people to call home. We are building a stronger province—a province with a strong economy and good-paying jobs.

We’ve increased the minimum wage for workers in the province of Ontario to support lower-paid workers.

We want to be a province where anyone can start and grow a business. That’s why we are a government that actually opened and supported the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction to help get rid of duplicative regulations. Ontario has over 300,000 regulations. We have more red tape and regulations than any jurisdiction in the world. Our government is removing those that are duplicative, those that are unnecessary, those that are burdensome, to support families and individuals in this province, so we continue to make our province the best place to live, work and raise a family.

We want to be a province where everyone feels connected through highways, new roads and more reliable public transit. The largest transportation infrastructure investment in the history of Canada is being led by our government to build subways throughout Toronto, but, beyond that, to expand and electrify the GO network to regions outside of Toronto and the GTA and beyond; to build roads, bridges, highways supporting the 413. Individuals and families are supportive of this, but so are businesses. They know that the Toronto and GTA highways are among the most congested anywhere in North America. People looking into our province see a great talent pool of people. Toronto, the GTA—in fact, all of Ontario—is a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing in the future, but also for finance and technology. We have some of the most innovative and exciting companies in the world. But if people can’t commute in a responsible and reasonable time, if they can’t afford a house to live in those communities, if they can’t get safely and quickly from A to B, they’re not going to want to live here, and we’re not going to be able to attract the best and the brightest. So our government is committed to getting people connected through public transportation as well as highways, subways and bridges.

Our goal, of course, is to have a province where you can build a career and raise a family, to make it affordable. Our government has been committed to making life affordable, whether it’s the child care tax credit, whether it’s reducing the licence sticker fees that my colleague talked about earlier, helping save families hundreds of dollars, in many cases, per year.

The economic challenges before Ontario may not be for an easy road, and there are some things we cannot predict. Ontario is not an island; we are subject to the world’s economy. But by remaining flexible, we can overcome any challenges and make Ontario a better place.

I’m confident in our plan and proud of the significant progress our government has made on our plan to build. I certainly hope that the opposition will see all the good that is in the fall economic statement here, and even if they may disagree with some things and typically not vote to support the government—I understand they have a role as opposition. But I hope they’ll see the good in the fall economic statement here, the good that we’re doing for those that are on ODSP, for the seniors, for the businesses, and support the fall economic statement.

Further debate?

It is now time for questions.

Thank you to the member from Whitby—a very good question.

We understand that in the province of Ontario there’s an enormous skills gap. We are missing economic growth that we potentially could have if we had a match of skills to jobs. There is an enormous shortage of skilled workers here in Ontario, and the Skills Development Fund specifically supports innovative training projects that upskill workers and job seekers, including apprentices, preparing them for meaningful careers.

The first two rounds of funding delivered 388 training projects, helping more than 393,000 workers in the next step of their career for in-demand industries. So by bridging the gap, by encouraging young people, supporting workers, transitioning workers from perhaps sectors that they no longer feel comfortable in or would like to adapt to, we are encouraging that skills mismatch to be reduced.

This past Friday, I had the honour of having Premier Ford and the finance minister out to my riding. One of the stops was the skills development centre at Durham College. Both speakers spoke about the importance of skills development in our province. Could the member from Oakville speak a little bit more broadly about how the legislation proposes to address the labour shortage in the province of Ontario, particularly as it relates to the skilled trades?

I thank the member for his question. A lot has been talked about ODSP, and we on this side of the House are very proud of three major measures we’re doing to this program:

(1) We’ve increased it by 5%, as you well know. That’s a major change, something that hasn’t been done before, and that’s now in the books.

(2) Indexing it to inflation, beginning in July of next year, and that again will connect ODSP payments to inflation—a fundamental change.

(3) The measure in this fall economic statement of increasing the income threshold from a monthly level of $200 to $1,000 is a game-changer. We heard from committee representatives in the finance committee first-hand how powerful that will be, and we’re looking forward to seeing that as an effective change, if this bill is passed.

Thank you to the Minister of Finance and his parliamentary assistants for their debate. One of the things the bill talks about a lot is how difficult it is to make ends meet, and one of the things that concerns me is that people on social assistance, ODSP and OW—I know they’ll talk about increasing allowable earnings and the 5% increase to ODSP. In OW, there was no increase at all.

What I want to draw attention to is that the poverty line in Ontario is $19,930. OW yearly makes $12,478, and ODSP with the 5% increase will make $15,472.80. Are the minister and parliamentary assistants comfortable with this massive deficit, recognizing these people will be below the poverty line by a substantial amount for the next four years?

Thank you to the member opposite. This morning, we’re specifically speaking about the fall economic statement. No doubt, the issues that you raised may not specifically be in this particular bill. However, we have, for example, Bill 23 that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has brought through, which certainly encourages the building of affordable housing. In fact, we’ve lowered or reduced development fees, for example, on not-for-profit housing, on affordable housing. That will certainly help make housing more affordable to those in need. That’s certainly one of the aspects that we are doing to make life more affordable for the people of Ontario.

It’s always an honour to be able to get up and speak on behalf of the people of Kiiwetinoong, especially on the fall economic statement.

There seems to be a lot of talk about the Ring of Fire, but also there’s lots of talk about how Ontario is the best place to call home. It all depends on where you live. I know, when you talk about the Ring of Fire, you’re talking about working with two First Nations, and there are so many First Nations in the surrounding area of the Ring of Fire. That’s exactly what colonizers do; that’s a very colonial approach. When are you going to start talking to other First Nations? When are you going to stop being very colonial?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It’s always nice to see you in the chair.

We’ve talked about building and what our government has done—we’re building hospitals, we’re building long-term-care beds, we’re building the much-needed transit here for the people of Toronto. But I just wanted to ask the parliamentary assistants, what are we doing to help support our seniors? Some of our seniors are living on a fixed income. During this time of rising costs of living and economic uncertainty, can you tell us how they fit into this plan?

On November 23, Kartik Saini, a 20-year-old international student, was struck, dragged and killed in my community at Yonge and St. Clair by a Ford F-250 pickup truck.

Kartik was a cyclist. He was riding his bike home that day. He deserved to get home safely. All road users, including vulnerable road users, deserve to get home safely. They do not have two tonnes of steel protecting them.

On November 30, a ghost bike memorial ride was organized with hundreds from the cycling community and allies in attendance to honour Kartik.

Speaker, we must have tougher road safety rules to save lives. We must implement a Vision Zero provincial road safety strategy, to reduce deaths and injuries on Ontario’s roads to zero. Make the Fairness for Road Users Act and the Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act law today to help families and communities find justice and some comfort, if that is ever possible. These laws will make our roads safer for all.

I want to thank Cycle Toronto; Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists; the bicycle mayor of Toronto; Bells on Yonge; Centre for Active Transportation; Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition; the Bike Brigade; Darnel Harris, ED of Our Greenway; Robin Richardson of Yonge4All, and so many others who are leaders advocating for safe roads for vulnerable users and overall low-carbon modes of transportation, like walking, biking and taking transit.

Yonge4All has been appealing for our midtown Toronto Yonge complete street pilot to be permanent. Complete streets are safer streets that take into account the needs of all users. I support their work because everyone deserves to get home safely.

Syncreon is an automotive company which employs people in Essex county and in the surrounding areas. Syncreon does work for Stellantis, but in July of this year, Stellantis announced that they were going to bring some of that work back into the Stellantis shops, and that means about 300 syncreon employees have now been displaced.

But they have hope, and that’s because a new labour action centre has been opened for those syncreon automotive workers. The labour action centre offers a holistic approach to job-seeking, with peer-to-peer support from people who come directly from the ranks of syncreon. The centre will provide vital community support and direct assistance and will help syncreon employees with new employment, retraining and upgrading of their skills.

The new labour action centre is a partnership between the Ontario government and Unifor. The Ontario government is putting in $360,000, and Unifor is making an in-kind contribution of $45,000.

I want to thank the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for his support, and I want to join him in saying that we will never stop working for workers.

I have a question for our colleagues. I heard, many times in this allocution, the government say how responsible a government they are.

Well, let me remind you that you’re also signatory to Treaty 9. If you talk about responsibility, you need to address the water advisories. You need to address the housing crisis. When you have communities that are two, three generations living in a single dwelling, communities that can’t expand because of government issues, these issues need to be addressed. Responsible governments would recognize that they need to fix these issues.

I’d like to hear the colleagues across: What have they done to address that, if they’re a responsible government?

Further questions?

Third reading debate deemed adjourned.

I thank the member for her great question. It’s so important, how we’re supporting seniors, and this government is doing that in a number of different ways. One of the things we’re doing immediately is to help vulnerable seniors by proposing to double the Guaranteed Annual Income System payment, GAINS—that’s right, double those payments—starting next month in January 2023. It would support about 200,000 of Ontario’s lowest-income seniors. This is such an important measure, and it’s going to those that need it. This is what this government has done with these targeted measures in the fall economic statement to benefit those most in need.

Meegwetch, Speaker. Remarks in Oji-Cree.

I rise today and stand in solidarity with Grassy Narrows as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of their successful logging blockade on December 2.

This logging blockade was an action of land protection for members of Grassy Narrows. Elders, youth, community and council members showed up to say no to unwanted resource development. They stopped loggers on the highway in the middle of winter to protect their lands. The people of Grassy Narrows have seen first-hand the effects that clear-cut logging was having on their treaty territories. Since then, they have prevented industrial logging on their 7,000-square-kilometre homeland that saved over 15 million trees and helped build the movement for Indigenous sovereignty and “land back.”

Also, Grassy Narrows has suffered from environmental degradation due to the dumping of mercury in the English and Wabigoon Rivers in the 1960s. These actions poisoned their water, damaged the environment, and they paid in full with ongoing health consequences for the people today.

Free, prior and informed consent are more than just words. They are actions. Solidarity with Grassy Narrows land defenders. Meegwetch.

An alumni friend’s son, David, recently died while studying at university. His parents are overcome by their loss. My heartfelt condolences to David’s family and friends.

Speaker, David was an exceptional child, full of potential. Suicide robbed him of the future he richly deserved. Sadly, he is not alone. David’s parents hope this story will prevent other tragedies.

The weight of academic and social expectations may feel crushing to vulnerable youth. We must pay attention to their struggles. First-year college or university students are often away from the security of home for the first time. The pressure to achieve success is overwhelming.

Speaker, I call on high schools, universities, colleges, families and peers to all take action to support our youth and arm them with the tools of resilience and hope.

Our government is ready to play a role as well. Students in need of help can find it at any one of 22 youth wellness hubs across Ontario. These hubs offer mental health and addictions supports, social services navigation and primary care service to anyone aged 12 to 25, all on a walk-in basis. They offer our youth a safe space to express themselves and speak about their issues. Their lives may depend on it.

This morning, I’m proud to share some amazing news for the great people of Brampton. Our government is committed to improving and innovating the way we provide services to people across the province, which is why I’m so proud to announce that our government is implementing a new remote queueing pilot project that is aimed at streamlining and innovating our DriveTest centres, addressing current wait times and improving the customer experience. This pilot project will start with DriveTest Brampton and in a matter of days expand to DriveTest Toronto Metro East. This will allow customers to join the queue for services prior to arriving at DriveTest Brampton and track their place as well as the estimated wait time. These new changes now mean that the residents of Brampton will no longer have to wait in line and will be updated with an SMS text message as they approach the front of the queue. Under the pilot, customers can join the queue simply by clicking a link available on the DriveTest website.

Speaker, this good news doesn’t just end here. We’re also expanding the hours of operation of DriveTest Brampton and increasing the number of customer service agents to further reduce wait times and queues.

Our government is committed to reducing wait times and innovating services, and this is a government that is getting it done for the people of Brampton and for the people of Ontario.

WindReach Farm in my riding strives to enrich the lives of persons of all ages with special needs by providing opportunities to enjoy experiences in farming, nature, outdoor recreation and other activities, and to share those experiences with family and friends.

This past Saturday, I joined the hard-working staff from the farm and its many supporters from across the region of Durham to celebrate the 33 years that WindReach has provided impactful programs and services. I believe that the heart of any community like Whitby resides in the people who create ongoing, meaningful change and the support of those who need extra care and attention. Days like today, when we’re celebrating the 33 years, are a celebration of WindReach Farm’s history, but they’re also a chance to rededicate ourselves to the future, to ensure that WindReach Farm continues to be a safe place for those with physical, emotional and intellectual disabilities.

Speaker, as their member of provincial Parliament, I dedicate myself to continuing the great work of WindReach Farm.