I’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s ruling that landlords cannot ban air conditioning, as access to cooling during extreme heat waves is a human rights issue. It has long been a health issue, and now it is finally recognized as a human right.

As the number of extreme heat waves increases, the right to accessible and safe housing must include air conditioning. Extreme heat makes life unbearable. It is extremely dangerous, especially for seniors and those living with disabilities. Despite empty words in 2020, the Ford government has failed to deliver air conditioning for seniors in long-term care. This government has failed seniors, time and again.

The commission grimly notes, “Extreme heat caused by climate change is killing people.”

In London, tenants like the folks at Huron Gardens have been organizing to protect their most vulnerable neighbours from extreme heat.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission is now calling on this government to include air conditioning as a vital service like the provision of heat.

The Ontario NDP were well ahead of the curve, fighting to protect Ontarians from extreme heat. I look forward to supporting my colleague the MPP for University–Rosedale’s motion when she re-tables it. I encourage all members to vote in support of this motion.

It’s an honour and a privilege to speak in this House for the first time today. I want to congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, on your re-election, and I know you will serve this House very capably in your important role. I also want to congratulate all members on both sides of the aisle on their election success on June 2. It is said that the voters are always right, and from this side of the House I say the voters absolutely got it right on election day.

I particularly want to thank the hard-working voters of Simcoe–Grey for their overwhelming support. Simcoe–Grey has a long and proud history of being Progressive Conservative, and I want to acknowledge my predecessor, Jim Wilson, who represented the residents in this House with distinction for 32 years. Jim was a committed, determined and effective champion for our residents, and I can tell you that as I knocked on thousands of doors in the election, I heard time and time again how much Jim had represented our constituents. He has set the bar for effective representation in Simcoe–Grey very high. To the residents of Simcoe–Grey and to the residents of our province, I pledge to continue that tradition of committed and determined representation that Jim Wilson and, before him, George McCague and Wally Downer have established in this great riding.

Speaker, Simcoe–Grey has a population of over 152,000 and consists of seven municipalities: six in Simcoe county and one in Grey county. It stretches from Thornton in the south to Thornbury in the north, from Alliston in the west to Angus in the east. It is a growing, dynamic and diverse region that has incredible opportunities and is facing some significant challenges.

Geographically, Simcoe–Grey is blessed with an abundance of green space and natural features, as well as miles of shoreline along the southern shores of Georgian Bay. From the longest freshwater beach in the world and the UNESCO Georgian Bay Biosphere to the Niagara escarpment and the greenbelt, the low-lying hills and ridges of Canadian Shield bedrock support a rich mosaic of forests, wetlands and habitat with an incredible abundance of biodiversity.

Simcoe–Grey boasts a diverse and dynamic economy. There is a long-standing and robust farming sector in the south that goes back to the early 1800s and was one of the region’s original economic engines—

I’ve been hearing from health care professionals in my riding of Hamilton Mountain about the devastation happening to our local hospitals. A local nurse reached out to my office to share her concerns. Her message, sadly, was not surprising. She told me that our health care system is falling apart before our very eyes. Our province has abandoned all health care workers. They are constantly short-staffed, working long hours with a high patient-to-staff ratio. Patient care is being put at risk due to this government’s lack of respect, and underfunding of our health care system. She asked me to call on this government to repeal Bill 124 to ensure health care workers are paid accordingly. Health care workers should be allowed to negotiate fair wages for their work, but Bill 124 is keeping them from doing that.

I’m calling on the Premier and his government to immediately repeal Bill 124. Health care workers have been the backbone of this pandemic. They have put themselves, their own safety, the health of their families all at risk. They deserve fair compensation for their work. The Premier needs to do the right thing and repeal Bill 124 immediately.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, this is my first time rising in the 43rd sitting of the Ontario Parliament. I want to congratulate you on your re-election and also congratulate each and every MPP on their election or re-election.

I want to start by thanking the constituents of Mississauga–Erin Mills for renewing their trust in me. It is my honour to represent the people of Mississauga–Erin Mills, and I will take this opportunity to reaffirm my commitment, since day one, to be their voice in this respected Legislature and deliver their opinions and concerns.

The people of Ontario have spoken: Under the leadership of Premier Ford, people believe in our side of the House. They see that we are the only ones who can get it done for families, for putting more money into people’s pockets. We are the only side that says yes to building homes, yes to reducing fees, yes to reducing taxes, yes to building highways, and yes to creating a sustainable and efficient health care system that serves all the people of this great province.

Mr. Speaker, it’s very important that the federal government raise their health care spending share to Ontario to 35% of the funding. It has been agreed over the years that just provincial funding is not enough to deliver the sustainable health care that Ontarians deserve.

We are challenging the status quo and building the province after so many years of neglect, and re-boosting our economy in the recovery from the pandemic. The people of Ontario can depend on this side of the House to always do the right thing.

Yesterday, I coached my nine-year-old son’s soccer team, the Soo City Junior United, in the finals of the Grand Rapids Cup, where we were trailing 3-0 at halftime against the BC Fire of Saginaw.

After my best Vince Lombardi impression at halftime, our boys took to the field and within minutes had managed to score our first goal, bringing the game to within two. A new-found sense of resilience, they overtook us even after Saginaw responded with a goal of their own to restore their three-goal lead. Over the next 30 minutes, we played a full court press like you’ve never seen before. We scored four straight goals and took the lead 5-4 and, then, with just over a minute left to play, on Saginaw’s first shot in what seemed like an eternity, they scored and once again the game was tied.

Teams started prepping for penalty shots. I heard the referee’s alarm go off, and as he checked his watch and brought the whistle to his mouth in what seemed like the most harmless of plays, one of my boys kicked the balls out for a corner kick. The ref decided to let them take that corner kick even though time had expired—and you can probably guess what happened? A weird bounce and the ball was in the net. The ref blew the whistle, the game was over. We lost 6-5. We were all in disbelief. Our boys played their hearts out. They gave it their all but came short.

My favourite part of coaching kids is that there are so many life lessons that come out of it. This past weekend’s lesson is that sometimes in life, regardless of how hard you work, you just fall short, and that’s okay because you truly cannot win them all and nothing is perfect.

But as Lombardi himself said, “Chase perfection ... catch excellence.” My boys were excellent this weekend, and I’m beaming with pride because of it.

I would like to update the House on a potential environmental issue that’s happening right now in the township of Armstrong in Timiskaming district. Last year, a sewage lagoon for raw human sewage was approved on a former dairy farm, in the former dairy lagoon. A company from Quebec is importing that sewage. Why the neighbours found out? When the trucks started coming.

Part of the process is consultation. Many of the neighbours were not consulted at all. Had they been consulted, the ministry would have known that there was a well on the property because it was a former dairy farm. When we asked the ministry if they had looked for that well and if the consultant had looked for that well, the response was that there was no well on that property. We are still waiting for answers from the ministry, because the ministry also said it wasn’t a former dairy lagoon. Yet in the plans of the site, the lagoon was enlarged. Also, there is no actual proof that the piping that came from the barn to the lagoon was ever removed.

We are quickly losing faith, not in the consultants but in the ministry to actually protect the health and welfare of people in northern Ontario. And if they can’t do it on little projects, God knows what they’re going to do on big projects. We need their help right now to assure people that things are going to be safe.

It’s always an honour to rise on behalf of my constituency in Scarborough–Guildwood, yet today my heart hurts. Gun violence is a public health issue that leaves long-term impacts on our communities. It touches all of us.

As provincial leaders, this is our problem and we must do more to break cycles of violence and help communities to heal. We know that exposure to gun violence has mental and physical health impacts that extend far beyond the victims. We know gun violence traumatizes people and leaves a trail of sorrow in its wake, and we know without access to long-term supports, it leads to generational trauma.

This past April, I was deeply concerned and saddened by a drive-by shooting that took place in Scarborough. After midnight prayers, a group was heading back to their vehicles when shots rang out and five young men were struck by bullets in a brazen attack. Fortunately, no lives were lost. However, I know from speaking with the victims and their families that the aftermath of this random act of violence still affects them and our community today.

It’s a problem that Bill 9, the Safe and Healthy Communities Act, would bridge. By declaring gun violence a public health issue, my private member’s bill would allow for trauma-informed counselling and supports for survivors. Speaker, I urge all members of this House, on September 7, to make the change that we so desperately need by supporting Bill 9.

I’d like to congratulate everybody on their re-election, including the Speaker of the House.

The riding of Cambridge consists of two unique communities that I represent: the city of Cambridge and the township of North Dumfries. As one of the fastest-growing areas in Ontario, the city of Cambridge is located along the 401 and is part of Waterloo region. It’s a place with vitality, innovation and quality of life. The city of Cambridge is only minutes to the regional airport in Waterloo and only 50 minutes to Toronto Pearson, depending on traffic.

The city of Cambridge was incorporated in 1973 when the three municipalities of Galt, Preston and Hespeler and the settlement of Blair were amalgamated into a single legal entity under a new name—a new name that was not really that new because Preston used to be called Cambridge Mills. Each of these communities possess a long and proud history. A healthy sense of rivalry has always governed relations among the three communities. Even today, our residents will tell the outside world they live in Cambridge and call that home, but they identify themselves from the area that they came from: Galt, Preston and Hespeler.

While the original communities had come together well in the years since amalgamation, they began life apart. As a result, Cambridge is blessed with not one historical downtown, but three, and we’re preserving this for future generations. Cambridge is well poised to continue to flourish into a prosperous city and one of the best places to live in Ontario. The region of Waterloo is one of Ontario’s fastest-growing and economically prosperous areas.

Now, welcome to the picturesque township of North Dumfries: North Dumfries is mainly an agricultural community. Its quaint location, proximity to large economic centres along the 401, as well as accessibility to the Canadian Pacific’s main rail line make the township of North Dumfries the ideal place to live, work and play—

From the beautiful riding of Essex, I’d like to welcome my son, Andrew Leardi.

I’m very pleased to welcome to the Legislature today and introduce my parents, Kathy and Geoff Stiles, from the great riding of Ottawa–Vanier. Thanks for coming.

I would like to introduce some visitors from the riding of Barrie–Innisfil: Moji Ahmadi and Hamid Ghaneian, the parents of our page Pania Ghaneian. Welcome.

I would like to introduce my family, who is joining us in the members’ gallery today: my husband, Matt; my daughters, Mira and Clara; and my son, Luc. I hope members will join me in warmly welcoming them to their first question period at Queen’s Park.

Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to move a motion to allow an emergency debate on the health care crisis this afternoon during orders of the day.

Hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to finish what I start this time.

I rise to speak as the member for Simcoe–Grey. It’s a great honour to be here today as part of a House that is prepared to get things done and to improve lives for the residents of our province.

As the member for Simcoe–Grey, I want to speak briefly about my riding. With a population of over 152,000, it consists of seven municipalities, six in Simcoe–Grey and one in Grey county. I want to highlight this morning the ways in which those municipalities are working together collaboratively to serve their residents effectively and efficiently, something that this government has been working hard with our residents and lower-tier governments to make happen. We know that there is only one taxpayer, and I want to congratulate each of these municipalities for their initiative and their leadership.

On Friday, my colleague from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, MPP Byers, and I attended a meeting with the mayors and CAOs of Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Clearview, Town of the Blue Mountains and Meaford to discuss their work regionally to address issues relating to transportation and housing—issues that are very compelling and pressing for all of our residents.

Last week, both the councils of Collingwood and New Tecumseth approved the renewal of the water supply agreement that will continue and expand the supply of safe and abundant drinking water from Georgian Bay to the residents of New Tecumseth.

Speaker, these are just two examples of how my municipalities are working very hard collaboratively to provide effective and efficient governance for their residents.

I do have a number of people I’d like to welcome to the Legislature today: Mark Abbott, Doug Bagley, David Kroft, Daniel Cozzi, Katelyn Lockridge, Josh Clayton, Matthew Peck, Caitlyn Frost, Melonie Williams, Brayden Bagley, Kendall Garry, Lee Murdoch, Rick Koczka, Andreea Nicoara, Andrew Bull, Kelly Sander, Curtis Lockridge, Bart Adams, Mudasar Nawaz and Jess Maga. All of these people are Hydro One employees. They worked extremely hard throughout the spring and summer—when we’ve had violent storms that have made their way through the province—in restoring our power, our reliable supply of electricity.

I’d like to welcome them all to the Legislature here today and give them a big thanks, big gratitude, for their work.

My question for the Premier: According to Dr. Michael Warner, the OR at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto dropped to using just two out of 10 operating rooms at 4 p.m. That’s eight operating rooms sitting empty for more than 12 hours per day.

Why is the government choosing to send surgeons, nurses and funding to private, for-profit clinics while operating rooms in our hospitals sit idle?

Why is this government refusing to use the operating room, CT and MRI capacity we already have?

Thank you to the member opposite for giving me an opportunity to highlight the announcement that we made with the Minister of Long-Term Care on Thursday. It’s a plan to stay open, health care stability and resistance: a five-point plan that talks about not only health care human resources but giving hospitals the additional investments that they need to make sure that when there are operating suites available we are funding them additionally.

We are doing programs that allow our paramedics to go into community and serve people in community. In my own community, on the weekend, I was approached by someone who said they had been using the community paramedicine program for years, and they love it. It is exactly what they need to be able to stay safely at home.

The five-point plan covers a number of areas that we know we can focus better on and ensure that we have the health care services we need, where we need them.

I only point to the Ontario Hospital Association’s comments after the Thursday announcement: The OHA “supports the strategy announced today by the government of Ontario for the fall and winter 2022-23 as it will help maintain access to health services during what is expected to be a challenging period. It is essential that all partners continue to work closely together with a ‘Team Ontario’ approach to overcome the complex, underlying issues facing the health care system. Hospitals are here to serve the people of Ontario and will continue to do everything possible to meet their health service needs.”

We will continue those partnerships.

I am advised that constituents from Wellington–Halton Hills are here with us today: Wolfgang Stichnothe, as well as his grandsons Samuel Rogers and Jacob Rogers. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Well, the honourable gentleman is actually incorrect. Perhaps he didn’t have a chance to take a look at the bill, because had he looked at the bill, he would have seen, right in the explanatory note, that in fact consent will still be required. If he went a little bit further into the bill, subsection 60.1(7), he would see, again, that consent is still required.

What we’re doing, actually, is working with our acute care partners to finally be able to be in a position to address the challenges that have faced acute care for a very, very long time in this province. Long-term care is in a position to be part of that solution, and it’s in that position, ultimately, because of the investments that this government has made since coming to office in 2018.

So, again, the honourable gentleman is wrong. I’d be more than happy to send a copy of the bill over to him so that he can take a look at it for himself.

But the member’s tune has changed a little bit since Thursday, right? Because Thursday, colleagues, he was saying that people would be forcibly removed from hospital against their will, without their consent. He said that they would be moved into ward rooms across the province and hundreds of miles away from their family and friends.

Because of the investments that we have made in long-term care, that is not going to happen, and the member knows this. He knows that we will not move people without their consent. But it allows us to have a conversation. What homes might be available to a patient in a hospital who has been discharged in and around their homes of choice while they wait for their home of choice to become available? I think that’s responsible. It is part of the solution to the acute care challenge that we faced for decades, and I’m happy that long-term care can play a role.

Here is the thing: Long-term care—we can be part of the solution. It has been decades that long-term care has placed a challenge on the health care system, but because of the investments that we have made, that they have voted against, we can be part of the solution, and we will be.