Well, I think that the first time the New Democrats are speaking about Bill 39 will, essentially, again show that they’re voting against increasing housing supply and giving our mayors the tools they need to get the job done—

We’ve indicated—and the Premier has been very transparent that he wanted to expand the strong-mayor powers. We were quite open with the Legislature with our Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act that we were going to focus on Toronto and Ottawa and then move to other municipalities. We believe the six regions of our province are the ideal opportunity to have that conversation, to be able to appoint a facilitator to work collaboratively, but, at the end of the day, have strong mayors with the tools they need to get shovels in the ground faster.

It’s shutting down democracy.

It is now time for questions and answers.

I just want to say: When the Minister of Municipal Affairs says, “I think we can all agree that the housing file is going well,” it would be laughable if it were not so serious.

By your own admission, the fall economic statement has downgraded housing starts from 2023 through to 2027. The government has changed the definition of affordable housing, raising the benchmark well past what most Ontarians can afford. The tenant advocacy group reported a shocking drop in affordable private market rentals from 2016 to 2021. The number of rentals costing $1,000 a month or more dropped by 36%, whereas luxury rentals costing $3,000 a month went up by 87%.

Bill 39 goes further than mayoral vetoes and we all know this. It would allow a mayor to propose and pass bills with only one-third-plus-one of the vote. Will the government admit that this is not about housing; it’s about control and legislating minority rule in Ontario?

Madam Speaker, one of the things I find interesting is how people on the other side don’t understand the simplicity of supply and demand. We’ve got two million people coming into this province. We need houses—it’s not only houses; it’s communities. People want to live where they work, where their hospitals are, where child care can be afforded and where their social services are, and not only do existing Ontarians need that; new Ontarians need that.

So I would ask the minister: How would this new legislation, if passed, help continue preparing the future growth and welcome new Ontarians looking to lay down new roots in this province, just like every other Canadian who wants to buy their new house needs to lay down roots?

That’s a fantastic question from my friend from Scarborough.

We’ve got young families, newcomers and those all over the province who—really, the dream of home ownership has been lost to them, so far. They want our government to ensure that they have a home that meets their needs and their budget.

While the province is set to grow by more than two million people in the next decade, you know, representing the good people in Scarborough, that many of those newcomers who the federal government has announced are going to come to our country—probably 60% are going to come to the greater Golden Horseshoe. So we need to ensure that those fast-growing communities and regions, and our two biggest cities, Toronto and Ottawa, have the tools they need to get shovels in the ground faster. The Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act did that in Toronto and Ottawa, and this Better Municipal Governance Act will extend it to the GTA. It only makes sense.

Ontarians gave us a clear mandate: that, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we were going to present a housing supply action plan that was going to build 1.5 million homes over the next decade.

Despite the NIMBYism and the BANANAism from the New Democrats opposite, we are going to continue to drive important public policy that’s going to get shovels in the ground, that’s going to eliminate bureaucratic delays that, in the GTA, add about $116,900 to the cost of an average home. On this side of the House, we want to lower those input costs. We want to create affordable home ownership. The BANANAs across can continue to talk the way they have been.

It doesn’t matter what study you want to look at—you can look at CMHC numbers, Scotiabank numbers—they all align with our Housing Affordability Task Force asking for 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. Then, you take what the member has presented, the issue about us welcoming new Canadians, new Ontarians—we know that out of the 500,000 people the federal government has talked about coming here, about 60% probably are going to come. Regardless of our population, we’re going to accept the lion’s share, and we welcome them. We have to ensure, as the member notes, that we’ve put a plan in place that’s going to actually get shovels in ground.

This plan builds upon the other 90 initiatives the government has done since we’ve been in office. And we’re going to continue to present initiatives every year, under the leadership of Premier Ford.

Further questions?

Further debate?

Since 2018, this Ford government has fought and failed in successive, high-profile lawsuits. Most of the cases involve legal challenges against new policies or legislation. Some of the examples are: carbon pricing, election finance rules, ministerial zoning, cap and trade, gas pumps, failing to consult with First Nations, shielding governments from negligence lawsuits, heritage building demolition, OHIP coverage for snowbirds—you see the trend, Speaker.

Most recently, on November 14, just this Monday, the government had to repeal a bill that stomped on workers’ democratic rights.

During this debate, two ministers said, “We must tackle problems and be laser-focused.” Another one said, “We’re not going to let them down.” We’re debating the bill today—An Act to amend the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Municipal Act, 2001 and to enact the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve Repeal Act, 2022.

Speaker, can the minister wrapped in red tape explain how this government and this legislation is letting people down by paving over protected greenbelt and agricultural land?

I’m happy to stand and give comments on Bill 39. It’s hard to know what to say when you see a government drop a bill like this while the housing bill is still being debated and we’re endeavouring to get people’s opinions across the province.

We have committees going on on Bill 23 right now—and I think the public should know that those committee hearings have been shut down. They’ve been shut down because the standing orders for this House say that you can’t talk about the same topic in two different places in this House. So we have all kinds of folks who have come in for Bill 23 hearings, to have their opinions heard—I don’t even know if all the members on that side of the House know what their own party, what their own government has done here.

We have people from all across the province who have come here to give their opinion in consultations at the committee hearings which are in this building.

We have 10 people from the city of Toronto who are showing up today to give their opinion, which the government asked for. The government chose for them to come here and give their opinion on the housing bill, and they don’t get to present today, and we don’t get to hear what they had to say. We could say that it’s possibly incompetence on the part of the government and perhaps the government House leader, but I tend to think they must have known what they were doing.

We have all these people showing up for committee, and now the committee is being shut down. We have the C.D. Howe Institute, Canadian mental health—a pretty important group that we want to be hearing from. We’re talking about homelessness and housing issues, so you’d think you’d want to hear from them. They’ve taken the time to come here today, and their voice has been shut down. The Toronto board of trade, the federation of rental housing—you’d think we’d want to hear from them.

Folks in my own riding, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority—they changed the Conservation Authorities Act in the housing bill. We want to hear from conservation authorities. They’ve come here. They’ve been shut down. The government doesn’t want to hear from them.

The town of Blue Mountain—they probably drove here through the snow for committee hearing meetings, and they’ve been told, “We are not interested in hearing from you.”

A lot of the groups that have shown up today, let’s be clear, were speaking against Bill 23—but one of them wasn’t AMO, the Association of Municipalities Ontario, because they weren’t even invited to the hearings by the government. The government didn’t want to hear, on a municipal affairs and housing bill, from the Association of Municipalities Ontario. Think about that. All these other people were invited, and many of them showed up, many of them probably drove through the snow, and now the government is saying, “Go home. We don’t want to hear from you. We’re not interested in what you have to say. We’ve got this other bill that we are going to drop today—a bill that no one asked for or recommended, that’s going to violate local democracy and the rights of municipalities to act in a democratic way. So you can all go home.” Let’s be clear that that’s what has happened this morning here at the Ontario Legislature. Quite frankly, it’s a disgusting manoeuvre by the government and extremely disrespectful.

In committee hearings last week, my colleague from University–Rosedale attempted to add extra days of hearings because AMO hadn’t been invited and other people wanted to speak. The government very strictly limited the amount of consultation and the number of hearing dates. So we voted and we got it on the record—we made a motion to have another day of hearings so that everyone could speak, and the government voted against it. They didn’t want to hear from more people. Now they don’t even want to hear from the people who showed up. That’s absolutely disgusting and disrespectful.

The government put forward this bill that no one asked for, that no one recommended—no consultation with anyone. They tabled a bill that will allow them to appoint regional chairs in York, Peel and Niagara. Just four years ago, in the middle of a municipal election campaign, this government cancelled regional chair elections in these regions—elections in which citizens were electing their chair at large because they had gone through a process and decided that it was more democratic, and they had gone through all the motions, so they had elections at large planned.

I know, being from Niagara, that we had folks who were actually raising money, were getting ready for a municipal election where they would be a candidate for chair of Niagara region. After they had already put their name forward, after they had already done all that work and started their campaign, this government came along and said, “No, we don’t trust citizens of those regions with free and fair elections.” Now they don’t even trust democratically elected councillors to choose their chair, as they did in the past. Now the Premier is going to hand-pick who he wants to rule in his stead and hand them additional powers to do his bidding.

I think we all realize on this side of the House how absolutely ridiculous it is, at a time when the government is failing education workers and children, when pediatric ICUs are over capacity, when we’re in an affordable housing crisis, that this Premier is focused on municipal governments and autocratic changes to municipal government. And the Premier isn’t just appointing elected positions here—

On Saturday, Whitefish River First Nation will be recognizing Ogimaa Shining Turtle for more than 20 years of service as the elected chief for the community. The Ogimaa is stepping down from this role to pursue other opportunities—and I know that I personally will still be looking to him for guidance and insight. Being a leader is no easy task, and being an Ogimaa is significantly more challenging because of the systemic barriers that stand in your way. Therefore, to serve that role for over two decades shows the leadership qualities that he embodies.

Ogimaa Shining Turtle has been known by Premiers, Prime Ministers, ministers and leaders across the country as a steadfast advocate for his community, the Anishinabek Nation, and the rights of Indigenous people across Turtle Island.

During his time in office, Ogimaa oversaw the renovation to the community centre and the updating of the water system to ensure reliable, safe drinking water in Whitefish River First Nation. He helped bring new life to Rainbow Lodge and stood up for his community during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the safety of children and elders. He has stood up for the treaty rights of his community by asserting their right to hunt, fish and trap on their traditional territory and playing a major role in the Robinson-Huron Treaty annuities case.

You never say goodbye, as it brings an end, so I say to my friend, baamaapii—until our paths cross again.

I rise today to say it’s an honour to represent the constituents of Ajax, and I will continue to be an advocate for them.

I have the privilege of volunteering at the Homebound Wellness Centre. The Homebound Wellness Centre is a not-for-profit organization located in Ajax, servicing the needs of the seniors of Durham. They offer a large range of services for seniors, including mobile day programs, respite care, foot care clinics, support groups and a hot meal program, as well as delivering groceries to seniors during COVID. Their mission statement is to establish, operate and maintain social, recreational and health-related programs and activities for seniors in the community.

After two years of the pandemic, organizations like these are integral to improve the wellness and independence of seniors who are lonely and isolated, and individuals living with various traumas or postpartum depression.

One of my favourite programs to volunteer for is their Thursday night seniors’ dinner. It is really an amazing experience, being able to serve the various seniors who attend this program. It’s an array of cultures, languages and lived experiences, great conversations and amazing stories. Cerita Miller, the program director, is purposeful in creating and serving amazing meals, accompanied by music, singing and interaction. The seniors work on a project, usually a craft to take home; the last one gifted to me was a thankful pumpkin craft for my door.

These are an amazing time—and I thank that organization for all they do for seniors.

Winter is upon us, and while this time of year is often celebrated and welcomed as a time for holiday get-togethers, hot chocolate and outdoor winter activities, it is also a time of extreme hardship for our neighbours who are experiencing poverty and homelessness. As the temperature drops, it is important to note how this will affect the most vulnerable among us and to take meaningful action to address the systemic causes of poverty and homelessness.

My office has received calls from concerned constituents who have noticed an increase in people sleeping rough and in new encampments. As we head into the bitter winter months, they worry about access to housing and supports, and they worry about how government policies like low social assistance rates and lack of rent control are making people homeless.

In addition to being worried about their unhoused neighbours, many people who contact my office are worried about winding up on the streets themselves.

Kevin, who lives in a property owned by a large corporate landlord, has told us that his landlord is already distributing notices informing all of their tenants across all their properties to expect the rent to increase by at least the maximum amount set by the province. The landlord has also warned tenants that they will be seeking above-guideline increases wherever possible.

At a time of record-breaking inflation, low social assistance rates and a stagnant minimum wage, it is concerning to see corporate landlords attempting to rake in more profits, putting their tenants at risk of eviction.

This holiday season, we need to remember to support those in our communities who are experiencing poverty. That means doubling social assistance rates, raising the minimum wage, enacting real rent control, and building genuinely affordable housing, instead of boosting developer profits to build homes no one can afford.

I apologize; I have to interrupt the member. Unfortunately, we have run out of time for debate.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

It is with a heavy heart that I rise today in this House to pay tribute to David Murphy of Cornwall. Our community is mourning with the news on Sunday of his passing at the age of 50 from lung cancer. He was a non-smoker.

Speaker, 90 seconds will not begin to even explain the impact David had in our region. He was a great community leader, a coach to many youth, a fundraiser for too many causes to name, a friend, and a former municipal councillor. David was a proud lifelong Cornwall resident who dedicated his life to its betterment. David’s involvement and leadership in countless fundraising initiatives, not-for-profit organizations and local service clubs is the definition of a true community leader.

After making public that he had lung cancer, David started Team Murphy, with the mission of raising funds to help others with the costs of travel to Ottawa for treatment. In a short time, he raised tens of thousands of dollars for others—such a selfless endeavour during the ultimate fight for his life.

In the last month, David has been inducted into the Cornwall Sports Hall of Fame, as well as being awarded the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce president’s award, the Children’s Treatment Centre of Cornwall president’s award, and a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medallion.

David will be missed by our entire community. We extend our sincere condolences to his daughter and favourite human, Julia, and his friends and family.

On the weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Celebrate Life with Lights, an event organized by Navneet Sharma—a cancer survivor and the founder of the Cancer Warrior Canada Foundation—for their fifth Annual Cancer Awareness and Fundraiser Gala.

Cancer Warrior Canada Foundation is a group of inspired individuals who create awareness about breast cancer, early diagnosis and treatment options. They not only work hard to raise money for research, but they also help to support patients, survivors and their families as they go through this journey.

Every year, thousands of women are diagnosed with breast cancer—our mothers, our grandmothers, our sisters and friends. A diagnosis can be devastating, not only physically, but emotionally and financially.

I want to commend all the great work Navneet Sharma and the amazing team at Cancer Warrior Canada Foundation are doing, and for their dedication in raising awareness about breast cancer, early diagnosis and treatment options. Events like this help fight and address the stigma that breast cancer has. They’re the true community heroes.

Every year, on October 28, Greeks all over the world celebrate Oxi Day—No Day. It is the day the Greek people and Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas rejected the ultimatum made by Benito Mussolini in the 1940s, hence refusing to be subjugated to the tyranny of fascism, and defending their freedom and democracy.

Oxi Day has a special place in modern Greek history. In addition to being the cradle of democracy—it is the destiny of the Greek people through the ages to be the vanguard of the ideas and the principles ancient Greeks gave to humanity. That legacy has continued for the last 5,000 years and has left its indisputable impact on our way of life.

I had the honour of participating in the gala dinner on October 29 and the October 30 parade on Danforth Avenue.

I would like to congratulate the Greek community centre of Toronto, the participating GTHA Greek organizations, thousands of volunteers and the audience for keeping the memory and flame of Oxi alive and passing it to the next generation.

We make our living by what we do, and we make a life by what we give.

Recently, I was touched by the words of Order of Canada recipient Dr. Lucky Lakshmanan: “Life is the art of giving.”

While many people have more than they need, some don’t even have enough to fulfill their need.

I’m always inspired by the volunteer-based organizations and programs, such as Fueling Healthy Minds, that believe in giving and uplifting the community. In the region of Peel, more than 20% of children come to school with empty stomachs. In 2020, when schools were closed because of COVID-19, lots of these students who were using the school breakfast program were left with need. In direct response, my wife, Aruna Anand, led a 100% volunteer-based breakfast program and served over 225,000 nutritious meals, with the support of Sai Dham Food Bank, the YMCA of GTA, school staff, and many selfless volunteers. Every Friday, through Fueling Healthy Minds, I witnessed the art of giving being the most important ingredient to make our community a better place to live for everyone.

I urge all Canadians, and, as a first-immigration immigrant, especially new Canadians who are working hard to gain a sense of belongingness, to indulge in giving back to the community. Give time, give love, give respect, and give your resources. Together, let’s all participate in the art of giving.

I rise today to address the Conservatives’ proposed updates to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System. Their changes encourage skipping over what you don’t know when it comes to developing wetlands.

In my science and business career, the following idea has served me well: If you’re unsure about something, go ask people who know more than you do.

Just look at some of what the Conservatives are doing in their headlong rush to develop land. “If there is uncertainty about wetland delineation, evaluators are encouraged to consult with MNR”—this is deleted; in other words, in typical Conservative government fashion, “Don’t check with the scientists. They may know something you don’t like.”

“If an evaluator is uncertain how to proceed with or interpret any component of this evaluation system they should contact the appropriate MNR district office”—this is cut; in other words, “If you’re not sure, don’t bother checking with the MNR biologist or ecologist and all the expertise they have access to.”

To add insult to injury, there is this: “A wetland that has already been evaluated may be re-evaluated,” which means now that the MNR scientists are out of the way, somebody can go back, hire another evaluator and try to open up a wetland for development.

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are afraid of any informed balance between environmental protection and economic development.

On August 19, 1942, there were nine young men from Richmond Hill who landed at the Blue Beach, Dieppe, France, as part of Operation Jubilee. Eight of them did not return alive. It was the biggest single-day loss for Richmond Hill. The heroes who sacrificed their lives in exchange for our freedom were Private George Charles Adams, Private Thomas Millar Armstrong, Private William John Findlay, Lance Corporal Joseph Albert Glover, Private Ernest Albert Goode, Private Charles Hill, Private Roy Alexander Walker, and Private Russell Thomas Wice. Private Adams’s older brother, Sergeant William John Adams, was also involved in the raid. He was captured and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner. However, upon returning to Canada, he continued to serve with the York Regional Police.

We should remember and pay respect to them not only on Remembrance Day but every day. We should also remember their family members who sacrificed along with them.