Good morning. Let us pray.

Prières / Prayers.

This being the first sitting Monday of the month, I ask everyone to remain standing and join in the singing of the Canadian national anthem, followed by the royal anthem.

Singing of the national anthem / Chant de l’hymne national.

Singing of the royal anthem / Chant de l’hymne royal.

—a report entitled Economic and Budget Outlook, Spring 2023, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario;

—a report entitled What Gets Measured Gets Managed: Ministries’ Performance Measurement, Program Evaluation and Annual Reporting, from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario;

—the 2022-23 annual report from the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario;

—the annual report of the review of expense claims covering the period April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, pursuant to the Cabinet Ministers’ and Opposition Leaders’ Expenses Review and Accountability Act, 2002, from the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario;

—the 2022-23 annual report from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario;

—a report entitled Expenditure Monitor 2022-23: Q4, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario;

—a Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt, from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario;

—a report concerning the Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, from the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario;

—a report entitled Lessons for the Long Term: Investigation into the Ministry of Long-Term Care’s Oversight of Long-Term Care Homes through Inspection and Enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario; and

—the final report concerning the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, from the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario.

Aujourd’hui est la journée franco-ontarienne, journée où nous hissons notre drapeau et où j’encourage tous mes collègues à s’adresser en français dans leur rôle législatif, comme je le ferai exclusivement toute la journée.

Je suis plus qu’heureux de faire reconnaître la fierté francophone à Queen’s Park. Il faut aussi prendre cette occasion pour rappeler que nos droits acquis doivent être protéger par nos institutions provinciales.

Dans le contexte où nous avons une pénurie de main-d’oeuvre qualifiée francophone dans notre système d’éducation; où plusieurs conseils scolaires servant des élèves francophones sont dans une situation financière précaire, augmentant les risques d’assimilation de la minorité francophone à la majorité anglophone; où le gouvernement retire le financement et refuse de financer un projet applaudi à travers le Canada, comme est celui de l’Université de Sudbury; où les services de santé en français sont de plus en plus rares, demandant des délais d’attente plus longs pour des soins et souvent un déplacement hors ville pour être soigné; où les coupures en santé font augmenter la demande pour des médecins de famille, qui est à son sommet, et que les petites communautés francophones du Nord se battent pour les mêmes ressources que les villes du sud de l’Ontario, chaque coupure et chaque décision de ne pas financer un projet qui apporte grand pour les francophones ontariens, c’est mettre en péril les droits acquis des communautés francophones de l’Ontario.

Aujourd’hui et tous les jours, protégeons le droit constitutionnel de la minorité francophone de l’Ontario à avoir des services en français—

I’m grateful to advocate for the many hard-working men and women in Niagara West, who make things and make things happen. I’m proud to support risk-takers and visionaries; the entrepreneurs who see opportunity and seize it, creating good jobs for so many in the communities of Niagara West.

Speaker, I wish to share with the House two special success stories in the manufacturing and food processing sectors from my riding, both out of the town of Smithville in West Lincoln. In August, I was joined by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry in Smithville to congratulate the Vrugteveen family and leadership team at Niagara Pallet on a successful grant through the Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program. Our government is investing $1.8 million to help Niagara Pallet expand its production facility and install pallet-making equipment. This will increase the company’s sales by 46% and create 30 new jobs.

Two weeks ago, I announced provincial funding through the Strategic Agri-Food Processing Fund for Highland Ridge in Smithville. The growing meat-processing company is receiving up to $1.7 million to increase processing capacity. This project will include construction of an 18,000-square-foot facility and installation of meat-processing equipment, including slicers, scales, metal detectors, smokehouse, grinders and mixers. Through the hard work of the de Jonge family and the Highland Ridge team, this new site will create over 20 new jobs for Niagara.

We are focused on restoring one of Ontario’s historic strengths: our manufacturing sector. With investments like these, more good paying jobs in Niagara West are on the way.

I’d like to advise the House of some changes at the Table. I’m pleased to announce that, effective July 4, 2023, Valerie Quioc Lim has been appointed Deputy Clerk and executive director of the legislative services division.

Additionally, effective September 5, 2023, Meghan Stenson has assumed the role of Clerk of Procedural Services.

Please join me in congratulating Valerie and Meghan in their new roles and responsibilities.

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to visit and speak with many of the hard-working farmers across Niagara. They grow a wide variety of strawberries, grapes, cherries, peaches, apples, and much more.

However, they conveyed to me their deep concern for the future of this province’s food security as Ontario loses 319 acres of farmland per day. From MZOs to planned highway expansions and greenbelt flip-flops, farmers’ confidence in this government having their backs and protecting their land has been shattered. The farmers’ right to farm is being put at risk.

Over 861,000 jobs in this province are dependant on the agri-food sector, which currently contributes over $47 billion to Ontario’s GDP. Just last week at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, farmers made clear that once this fertile land is paved over, developed and destroyed, it is lost forever. This would have catastrophic impacts for Ontarians as we would have to rely more on costly imports and supply chains.

It’s my hope that this government will recognize the important role local farmers play in Ontario’s food security and support the greenbelt restoration act.

Good morning, everyone. I rise today to celebrate a momentous victory for the people of Ontario. Over the past weekend, my office organized a community call to action for the greenbelt, which turned into a beautiful celebration. This journey has been marked by grassroots organizing, passionate protests, petitioning, persistent questioning and thorough investigation. It has demonstrated the power of citizen engagement and an unwavering commitment to protect something so precious to us Ontarians.

I’m immensely proud of the tireless efforts of the countless individuals across the province who courageously stood up against the corruption that threatened our cherished greenbelt. This victory is a testament to the collective will of Ontarians who refused to back down.

It is also crucial to emphasize that the greenbelt land swap was never about solving the housing crisis. Instead, it exposed a lack of genuine commitment to addressing the pressing issues faced by Ontarians.

I want to extend my gratitude to the leader of Ontario’s New Democrats, Marit Stiles, for her leadership and unwavering dedication to the cause and for calling for an independent investigation that uncovered the dishonesty and mockery perpetuated by Premier Ford’s government.

I also commend the talented journalists who played—

The government has provided the Durham Regional Police Service with $200,000 to expand its video surveillance program to better protect communities like Whitby and other parts of the region from gun and gang violence.

The funding, through the Ontario Closed Circuit Television Grant program, can be used to replace outdated equipment, expand or enhance current technology, and install new or additional CCTV surveillance cameras in areas where gun and gang violence, illegal drug activity and human trafficking are prevalent.

Speaker, the Durham force is one of 24 police services across the province receiving funding, with more than $2.8 million being allocated. Durham police service chief Peter Moreira had this to say about the grant, “We value the continued support and investments in the CCTV program. We have already seen the benefit of these cameras as both a deterrent and a crucial investigative tool in solving crime and addressing gun and gang violence.”

Together with the Durham Regional Police Service, our government stands resolute in our fight against gun and gang violence, illegal drug activity and human trafficking, ensuring a safer and more secure future for all residents in the region of Durham.

I’d like to introduce some students from the University of Toronto: Luca Rampersad, Makayla Kelly, Emma Hartviksen, Jack Baker, Kati Gunnell, Joshua Bakradze, Kate Martens and Sara Yoneci. Welcome to your House.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome the LINC ESL class from the Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services to Queen’s Park. Thank you for making the trip from Scarborough North. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It’s a pleasure to rise in the Legislature today to congratulate three exceptional athletes who made big news in Oxford over the summer.

First, I would like to congratulate two students at Woodstock Collegiate, Aralyn Smith and Natalie Dodd, who were both on Team Canada at the 16th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships. Aralyn is from Embro and has competed in world championships since she was 12. Natalie is from a farm just outside of Hickson and has been interested in dragon boating since she was nine. They both did an amazing job, coming home with three gold and five silver medals. Team Canada also won the world championship, winning 52 gold medals, the most medals overall.

I would also like to congratulate Folden’s native Ella Shelton as well, who will be leaving Oxford for the Big Apple after being drafted on the New York team of the new Professional Women’s Hockey League. Previously, Ella played in the NCAA for Clarkson University, was part of two Canadian world championship teams and won a gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Ella was New York’s first pick in the draft, and she was drafted fourth overall.

Congratulations again to these three amazing athletes. Your hard work and perseverance has paid off. You are an inspiration to the young girls in Oxford who dream to compete in professional sports one day.

I’d like to welcome the members of the U of T NDP, including Chaitri Shah, Francesca Policarpio, Jake Barton, Avreet Jagdev, Amareena Saleh, Marie Kinderman, Asima Kidwai, Tuneesha Roy, James Sinton and Samuel Sarjeant.

I would also like to welcome to the House Patrick Porzuczek from the reopen-the-Minden-ER group.

I also want to wish the very best to my new legislative assistant, Ayesha Khan, who is also in the House.

It’s great to be back in the Legislature. I hope everybody has had a wonderful summer. I know for myself it was full of meaningful community events and a chance for me to connect with my constituents and hear from them on what matters most to them. Over the last few months, I met with many people in Brampton East, and residents have had great conversations on various topics. However, the one that stood out was mostly in regard to the rising crime rates and the need for greater bail reform.

Speaker, in April of this year, our government announced a $112-million investment towards the development of violent-crime bail teams, which included funding to upgrade technology, provide prosecutors with additional resources for complex bail hearings and bolster support for the OPP repeat offender parole enforcement squad.

Despite our government’s great work thus far, we collectively need to do more. As parliamentarians are back in session across the country, I urge our federal members to make the necessary changes and push forward with meaningful bail reform. It’s important that all governments work together to make Ontario a safe place for all residents to live, work and play.

Speaker, our government and our premier will always work hard to keep Ontarians safe, healthy and prosperous. I look forward to our government’s continued efforts to urge the federal government to collaboratively achieve strong and meaningful bail reform.

Abuse of power, the breach of public trust, the exchange of favours for personal or political gain: You may rightly be attributing these sentiments to the government’s ongoing greenbelt corruption scandal, but, Mr. Speaker, this may be just the tip of the iceberg.

Ten days ago, I wrote the Auditor General of Ontario to investigate this government’s unilateral decision to expand the city of Ottawa’s urban boundary in 2022. Following a comprehensive review by the city, they added 1,200 hectares in 2020. This was done after extensive consultation and analysis with the public, with stakeholders and with experts.

A key factor in the city’s analysis was the protection and preservation of high-quality farmland as dictated by the provincial policy statement. However, in November 2022, the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing used his ministerial powers to override the city’s process and add an additional 654 hectares to the boundary. One area of concern in particular, Mr. Speaker, was an expansion of 37 hectares in Orléans, land that was zoned agricultural resource by the city and protected from development.

According to media reporting, in August 2021, when the property was still designated as ag resource, it was purchased for $12.7 million by the Verdi Alliance companies, a group of companies insinuated in the Integrity Commissioner’s most recent report. Meanwhile, this group donated over $12,000 to the provincial Conservative Party in 2021 and 2022. Mysteriously, a year later, these—

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the tireless and relentless work of two mothers who live in rural Carleton.

Cheri Nixon of Osgoode and Jennifer Bugden of Munster are among the many parents in rural Ottawa who have had the lives of their families—and their communities—turned upside down because the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority was unable to secure school bus contracts for thousands of students living in suburban and rural Ottawa. Now, many families are facing difficult circumstances. They have a commute into the city of at least an hour for work, but they are left with no way to get their children to school.

I am proud of Cheri Nixon and Jennifer Bugden for wanting to do something about the problem. They organized Facebook groups, started petitions and spoke with class, dignity and passion at my community barbecue on Saturday, September 9. They have stepped up to become valuable leaders in the community, joining me in the fight to get this situation resolved. They met with Minister Lecce in a Zoom call to make him fully aware of what families in rural Ottawa are facing.

In addition, Jennifer has been engaging with the community to reopen Munster Elementary School, which was shut down by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in 2015. The school’s closure put a village full of children on school buses while a beautiful and well-maintained building has sat empty, with the exception of some weekly community events that take place on some evenings.

Mr. Speaker, every riding and every community needs people like Cheri Nixon and Jennifer Bugden. The heart and soul they have transcend the villages they live in. What they have both accomplished in a short time sets an example of dedication, determination and selflessness. Right now, they are inspiring everyone, including their—

Thank you very much.

And I’m pleased to inform the House that we have with us in the Speaker’s Gallery today a delegation from the House committee on international trade of the Arizona House of Representatives.

Please join me in warmly welcoming our guests to the Legislature today.

Merci beaucoup.

I want to acknowledge some of my constituency office staff who are here visiting today. Tanya Da Silva and Alastair Munro are here from my office in Kingston and the Islands. I want to thank them very much for their work and welcome them to Queen’s Park.

I also want to introduce everybody to my lovely wife, Tara Sharkey—they’re all in the public gallery. She has walked every step of the way in my political journey, sometimes carried me through difficult times, and she has been a great partner—and lastly, at the risk of embarrassing my daughter Vera-Claire, who’s starting a two-week stint as a legislative page here in this chamber.

Welcome back, everyone.

I’d like to introduce Patrick Macklem, who’s the professor emeritus of constitutional law from the University of Toronto. He’s in the west members’ gallery.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It’s a great privilege to introduce to the House members of our constituency team in Ottawa Centre. We have with us Erica Braunovan, Ethan Smith-Johnson and Sharon Lee. I would not have been able to make it here this week on my bicycle without those fine folks.

Also tuning in: John Purkis from Ottawa.

Thank you a million times, colleagues, for everything you do.

J’aimerais souhaiter la bienvenue aux représentants de l’Assemblée francophone de l’Ontario à l’Assemblée législative : M. Fabien Hébert et M. Peter Hominuk.

“Dear Mr. Day:

“A writ of election dated the 28th day of June, 2023, was issued by the Honourable Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario, and was addressed to Darryl A. D’Sousa, returning officer for the electoral district of Scarborough–Guildwood, for the election of a member to represent the said electoral district of Scarborough–Guildwood in the Legislative Assembly of this province in the room of Mitzie Hunter who, since her election as representative of the said electoral district of Scarborough–Guildwood, has resigned.

“This is to certify that, a poll having been granted and held in Scarborough–Guildwood on the 27th day of July, 2023, Andrea Hazell has been returned as duly elected as appears by the return of the said writ of election, dated the ninth day of August, 2023, which is now lodged of record in my office.

“Yours sincerely,

“Greg Essensa

“Chief Electoral Officer

“Toronto, August 10, 2023.”

Applause.

“Dear Mr. Day,

“A writ of election dated the 28th day of June, 2023, was issued by the Honourable Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario, and was addressed to Richard Derouin, returning officer for the electoral district of Kanata–Carleton, for the election of a member to represent the said electoral district of Kanata–Carleton in the Legislative Assembly of this province in the room of Merrilee Fullerton who, since her election as representative of the said electoral district of Kanata–Carleton, has resigned.

“This is to certify that, a poll having been granted and held in Kanata–Carleton on the 27th day of July, 2023, Karen McCrimmon has been returned as duly elected as appears by the return of the said writ of election, dated the ninth day of August, 2023, which is now lodged of record in my office.

“Yours sincerely,

“Greg Essensa

“Chief Electoral Officer

“Toronto, August 10, 2023.”

MPP Hazell was escorted into the House by Mr. Fraser and Mme Collard.