My question is to the Premier.

The property at 502 Winston Road in Grimsby was removed from the greenbelt. New Horizon Development Group purchased this property after you became Premier. Since then, the co-founders and their families made substantial donations to the PC Party.

Given public concerns in Niagara, what actions have you taken to investigate potential links between these donations and the greenbelt decision?

What have you done to investigate the surge in the financial support and the degree of favoritism in the greenbelt sell-off?

Thank you to the excellent MPP from Simcoe–Grey for the question. He is doing a marvellous job advocating for seniors in his riding. He invited me to kick off the Grand Parade and meet the friendliest people in Alliston, Ontario. Events like this are important because they create ways for seniors and their families to get active, be together and support each other.

I’d like to give a big shout-out to Contact Community Services for this marvellous event. I encourage all members to follow their lead and bring seniors in their community together.

In fact, Contact Community Services received $25,000 to help isolated seniors live healthy, get engaged and access resources in the community. This is how we are supporting seniors in Simcoe–Grey and across this province to get together, get the supports they need and be in their community.

It’s always an honour to speak in the House—today, actually, is my first chance speaking since we came back from break—and to give a few comments on the first annual Test Your Smoke Alarm Day.

There are some sobering statistics that we don’t often think about. In 2022 in the province of Ontario, 133 people died as a result of residential fires. That’s an incredible number. It’s the highest in two decades. There are also statistics to show that a working smoke alarm, between 2015 and 2021—I’m going to reword this, because this is a very serious issue. Between 2015 and 2021, homes without working smoke alarms accounted for nearly three out of four deaths, 74%.

Another statistic, and this one is a US statistic, but I think it would pertain to Canada as well: According to the US National Fire Protection Association, a working smoke alarm in your home cuts your risk of dying in a fire by 55%.

It’s very easy to do. There are people who forget, but it’s easy to do. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not much of a cook, and the few times I’ve tried to cook something, often the smoke alarm goes off. You know what? I have been guilty of taking it down. It’s easy to do because you always think that it will never happen to you.

I commend the fire marshal’s office for giving us the chance to remind people once again—it’s so easy to do—to check it and make sure it works.

I don’t think we can talk about the risk of fire without talking about firefighters, both volunteer and professional, who actually run towards the fire while, hopefully, we are running away. For those people who take the ultimate risk, the least we could do is to remind people to make sure your fire alarms, your smoke alarms are working.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the member from Oxford and his long journey to get the Hawkins Gignac Act passed, which makes carbon monoxide testers also a requirement in houses in Ontario. The member from Oxford is on the opposing party, but he happens to be my uncle, so I’m kind of obligated to mention it. It is an example of a really good initiative that took far too long to get through this House, but it did finally get through. It happened. He was so adamant because he had a tragedy happen in his riding. We’ve all had tragedies happen, and it’s one of the things that drives us to prevent further tragedies from happening.

There’s one other issue I would like to mention regarding emergency services, particularly in northern Ontario: There are parts of Ontario—parts of populated Ontario—that still do not have 911. They don’t have it. I am told that people are working on it and we’re going to get it, but as we speak, there are people in this province, especially those moving to my part of the world, who think they have 911. If they hear their fire alarm and they call 911, they will not be directed anywhere. That’s something else we need to change as quickly as possible.

Thank you very much for the opportunity.

It is my privilege to rise in the House today in recognition of the inaugural Test Your Smoke Alarm Day, taking place on September 28.

Interjections.

I want to thank Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal for launching and tirelessly promoting this important day of action and awareness. And I want to thank my colleague the member from Oxford, whose private member’s bill a long time ago paved the way for us and our action today.

Mr. Speaker, fire statistics show that fatal fires have increased year over year for the past four years. Last year there were 133 fire fatalities in the province. This is the highest number of fire-related deaths in the province in two decades. Statistically, the Office of the Fire Marshal’s investigators found that in the majority of fatal fires, there were no working smoke alarms.

This troubling trend continues. This summer, a mother and her child from Brampton and a 54-year-old in Waterloo died in residential fires with no working smoke alarms. There has also been a high number of fatal fires in First Nations communities across Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, these preventable deaths prompted Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal to spearhead the first-ever Test Your Smoke Alarm Day. This day of action aims to raise awareness about the critical importance of having working smoke alarms in our homes and the role they play in keeping our families safe.

Smoke alarms are a first line of defence. They provide early warning that can mean the difference between life and death in the event of a fire emergency. However, smoke alarms are only effective when they are in good working condition, and that’s why Test Your Smoke Alarm Day is so crucial.

This year’s theme is “Saved by the Beep,” emphasizing the vital role that properly functioning smoke alarms play in safeguarding our homes and loved ones. “Saved by the Beep” reminds us that the simple act of testing our smoke alarms can be a lifesaver. These small devices are often taken for granted, and yet they have the power to provide early warning and save lives in the event of a fire.

Mr. Speaker, on September 28, I encourage all residents of Ontario to just take a few minutes and test your smoke alarms to ensure they are functioning properly. Here are some steps to follow on Test Your Smoke Alarm Day:

(1) Press and hold the test button on your smoke alarm to ensure it makes a loud and audible sound. The sound will be three loud beeps.

(2) Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm if they are more than a year old. I’ve led by my own example of changing all my batteries at our home, which is the right thing to do.

(3) Vacuum or gently dust your alarms to remove any debris that may interfere with their operations.

(4) Ensure you have smoke alarms installed outside all sleeping areas and on every storey of your home. For added protection, we encourage everyone to install a working alarm in every bedroom.

(5) Lastly, replace all smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old.

To learn about the Saved by the Beep campaign and find resources on smoke alarm maintenance, safety, tips and educational materials, I encourage Ontarians to visit the dedicated website, savedbythebeep.ca. There’s a wealth of valuable information to help people ensure the safety of their home and family.

By participating in this initiative, we are not only prioritizing the safety of our own families, but we are also contributing to the overall safety of our communities. A well-prepared and vigilant community is a safer and more resilient one.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, let’s make Test Your Smoke Alarm Day an annual tradition in our province. Together, we can help prevent tragic fire-related incidents and protect the well-being of all Ontarians.

Thank you for your commitment to safety. Let’s work together to save lives by making sure that every home in Ontario is equipped with a properly functioning smoke alarm.

“Petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas health care and support services are increasingly understaffed workplaces; and

“Whereas health and care services rank second highest for lost-time injuries ... among all sectors in Ontario; and

“Whereas complex care is increasingly prevalent with the growing and aging population; and

“Whereas recipients of care prefer services outside of large institutions and close to or inside their homes, whether group homes, retirement homes, or other residential care facilities; and

“Whereas developmental support workers (DSWs) are the backbone of group homes and similar residential care facilities that deliver care for people with exceptionalities; and

“Whereas bites, cuts, broken bones are all too common injuries when doing this work; and

“Whereas all group home and residential care workers deserve workplace protections as we ask them to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities; and

“Whereas it is not currently mandatory for employers to provide WSIB protections to DSWs, particularly in group homes where a majority of DSWs and workers like them provide care; and

“Whereas approximately 25% of health and care workers have no WSIB protections under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997; and

“Whereas efforts to expand WSIB coverage to DSWs and all workers like them has received yes votes from members of all political parties represented in the Legislature; and

“Whereas there is currently legislation before the House: Bill 54, WSIB Coverage for Workers in Residential Care Facilities and Group Homes Act, 2022;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“Legislate or regulate an expansion of WSIB to offer mandatory coverage to all health and care service workers in Ontario by categorizing all those who operate a group home or residential care facilities, including retirement homes, rest homes and senior citizens’ residences, a schedule 1 employer.”

I agree with this petition, affix my signature in the corner and hand it to page Devyansh.

I move that when the House adjourns on Thursday, November 2, it stands adjourned until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

I move that the following changes be made to the membership of the following committees:

On the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, Mr. Leardi replaces Mr. McGregor, Mr. Kanapathi replaces Ms. Gallagher Murphy and Mr. Oosterhoff is removed; and

On the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. McCarthy is removed; and

On the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Cuzzetto is removed; and

On the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, Mr. Jones, Chatham-Kent–Leamington, is removed; and

On the Standing Committee on Social Policy, Mr. Rae is removed;

On the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy, Ms. Kusendova-Bashta replaces Ms. Smith, Thornhill; Mr. Rae replaces Mr. Holland; Mr. Coe replaces Mr. Thanigasalam and Mr. McGregor is removed; and

On the Standing Committee on the Interior, Ms. Gallagher Murphy replaces Mr. Flack, Mr. McGregor replaces Ms. Dixon and Mr. Leardi is removed; and

Finally, on the Standing Committee on Government Agencies, Mr. Holland replaces Mr. Coe, Mr. McGregor replaces Mr. Sabawy and Mr. Jones, Chatham-Kent–Leamington, is removed.

I would like to thank Madame Monique Roberge from Chelmsford in my riding for this petition.

“Whereas people in the north are not getting the same access to health care because of the high cost of travel and accommodations;

“Whereas by refusing to raise the Northern Health Travel Grant (NHTG) rates, the Ford government is putting a massive burden on northern Ontarians who are sick;

“Whereas gas prices cost more in northern Ontario;”

They petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:

“To establish a committee with a mandate to fix and improve the” Northern Health Travel Grant;

“This Northern Health Travel Grant advisory committee would bring together health care providers in the north, as well as recipients of the Northern Health Travel Grant to make recommendations to the Minister of Health that would improve access to health care in northern Ontario through adequate reimbursement of travel costs.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask my good page Sophia Rose to bring it to the Clerk.

I’m pleased to read this petition that was handed to me this morning by members of CAPE and the Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

“Petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly.

“For Meaningful Climate Action Stop Gas Plant Expansion.

“Whereas our planet is undergoing significant warming with adverse consequences for health, for agriculture, for infrastructure and our children’s future;

“Whereas the costs of inaction are severe, such as extreme weather events causing flooding and drought;”

Therefore “we, the undersigned, call upon the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to stop fossil gas and invest rapidly in lower-cost, proven renewable energy and conservation technologies.”

I wholeheartedly support this petition, will sign it and ask page Sophia to bring it to the table.

I would like to thank Jennifer Enright from my riding and members of the Canadian Amyloidosis Support Network for this petition.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas amyloidosis is an incurable disease that affects Ontario residents and their loved ones;

“Whereas amyloidosis, including hereditary and non-hereditary forms of the disease, is caused by abnormal proteins, known as amyloids, that build up in the tissues and/or organs of the body and can cause organ failure and can be fatal;

“Whereas recognition of this disease is critical in order to ensure that more Ontarians are diagnosed earlier. Earlier diagnoses can ensure patients receive treatments in a timely manner and can contribute to a more positive outcome, better quality of life and longer quality of life. In addition, these benefits can reduce the burden on society in general;

“Whereas both national and local support groups for patients are working to ensure that more treatment options are available to patients in this province, that more publicly funded drugs are available to fight this disease in Ontario, and that adequate care is accessible to all Ontarians no matter where they live;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly ... as follows:

“To recognize March 2024 as Amyloidosis Awareness Month to raise awareness of this disease among our fellow Ontarians and to improve outcomes for both patients and their families and for newly diagnosed and as-yet-undiagnosed patients.”

I fully support this. This is a disease that my father suffered from before he passed so, believe me, I think this is a very worthy and important petition.

I have a petition titled “To Raise Social Assistance Rates.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP);

“Whereas the recent small increase of 5% for ODSP still leaves these citizens” far “below the poverty line, both they and those receiving the frozen OW rates are struggling to survive at this time of alarming inflation;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its CERB program that a ‘basic income’ of $2,000 per month was the standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I wholeheartedly support this and thank Dr. Sally Palmer for continuing to gather these petitions and send them in to me. I give them to page Lucia to bring to the Clerk.

This petition is entitled “Support Ontarians Living With Long COVID.” I just want to thank Lesley Stoyan, who is an amazing local community organizer in St. Paul’s and is also a certified therapist and movement wellness coach. She does many things, but a lot of it has been impacted by long COVID.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the impacts of long COVID are extensive and devastating, which include migraines, dizziness, vertigo, brain fog, loss of smell or taste, and mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety;

“Whereas socio-economic analyses on long COVID project significant negative impacts on the economy through its effects on the labour market, gross domestic product, as well as added costs in health care and social supports;

“Whereas 1.4 million Canadians or approximately 500,000 Ontarians are suffering the devastating health impacts of long COVID;

“Whereas adequate treatment options for those suffering from long COVID are mostly limited to private clinics and can cost as much as $5,000 a month in order for them to continue in their day-to-day lives through gainful employment, parenting, and overall life enjoyment;

“Whereas the Ontario government has failed to properly address and support the escalating crisis of long COVID and how it is devastating the lives of an increasing number of Ontarians;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To immediately allocate funding to support fair, equitable, accessible, and appropriate treatment for the complicated symptoms of long COVID and implement a cohesive and comprehensive funded support system for those suffering from the disease.”

I couldn’t agree more. Again, thank you to Lesley Stoyan and all of those in St. Paul’s who have signed this. Thank you. I’m going to sign it and pass it over to Kian.

My petition is to “Stand Up for Early Years and Child Care Workers.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas child care centres across the province are closing rooms and limiting enrolment because they cannot retain staff in their programs; and

“Whereas child care experts and advocates estimate Ontario may need as many as 65,000 new child care workers to meet the expected demand for $10-a-day child care; and

“Whereas without a strategy to recruit and retain child care workers through setting a salary scale, increasing wages, and implementing decent work standards, parents will lose access to affordable child care; and

“Whereas early years and child care workers have long been overlooked in child care policy-making discussions; and

“Whereas the vitally important work of early years and child care workers has been historically undervalued, with low pay, poor working conditions, and high turnover;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately establish an Early Years and Child Care Worker Advisory Commission to develop recommendations on how to support the early years and child care workforce and address staffing shortages, including through a salary scale, increased compensation and improved working conditions.”

I fully support this petition and give it to page River to deliver to the table.

I want to thank Cathy Orlando, who’s joining us here in the gallery from Citizens’ Climate Lobby, for helping collect these petitions.

“Pause the Expansion of the Methane-Fired Electricity Generation.

“Whereas the Earth just passed through the hottest three months on record;

“Whereas Canada is experiencing the most severe wildfire season on record;

“Whereas the Ontario government is preparing investments for electricity supply for the long term;

“Whereas in light of recent reports by the RBC Climate Action Institute, Dunsky Energy and Climate Advisors and the Sustainability Solutions Group;

“We, the undersigned, call upon the government of Ontario to pause the expansion of methane-fired electricity generation and evaluate the role of renewable energy in the storage, conservation, distributed energy resources and municipal net-zero plans in meeting Ontario’s electricity needs.”

I support this petition. I’ve learned from Cathy’s daughter, Sophia Mathur, to listen to the experts. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to page Huzaifa for the table.

That concludes the time we have for petitions this afternoon.

Resuming the debate adjourned on September 25, 2023, on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 79, An Act to amend various statutes with respect to employment and labour and other matters / Projet de loi 79, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne l’emploi, le travail et d’autres questions.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to Bill 79. Much like the previous two bills introduced by the former Minister of Labour, there are a number of important issues addressed in the bill, but it tends to tinker around the edges. There’s a lot of substance missing. It gives the appearance of doing something for workers without actually taking on the most concerning issues.

I would like to start by looking at schedule 1, and I have here notes from the submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs’ review of Bill 79, submitted by the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, Workers’ Action Centre and Parkdale Community Legal Services. What they have said is that when the labour minister introduced the Working for Workers Act, he stated that it would strengthen protections for foreign workers. However, Bill 79, as drafted—and no amendments by the official opposition were accepted by the government—will not benefit most migrant workers facing exorbitant recruitment fees and labour exploitation. EPFNA only applies to foreign nationals who have valid work permits or are in the process of applying for a work permit. Many migrant workers fall outside of this narrow application. For instance, recruiters often bring migrant workers to Ontario on visitor permits. Because of the use of visitor permits, the EPFNA does not apply to those workers, who find themselves open to illegal fees and labour exploitation. This bill does nothing for those migrant workers.

The government talks of penalties and increased fines under violations of EPFNA; however, Bill 79 only proposes to apply higher fines to employers and recruiters that withhold passports and work permits. Nothing in this bill applies to penalties for illegal recruitment fees. Evidence exists that migrant workers have been forced to pay as much as $10,000 to get to work in Ontario. Therefore, schedule 1 also should have addressed workers in fear of employee retaliation for raising concerns of exploitation. Very few workers will come forward to raise claims of withheld documents and illegal fees. Those few migrant workers that do come forward and are successful in their claims find that fines and penalties are effectively not levelled against recruiters and employers found in violation of the act.

What we’ve seen is that according to this bill, the fines have been increased, but between 2009 and 2017, only two employers were given a fine—of $250—out of 35 employers found in violation of the EPFNA. Similarly, under the Employment Standards Act, prosecutions of employers in violation of the act went from 79 in 2017-18 to only 12 in 2021. Clearly, we need to increase the proactive enforcement of both the EPFNA and the Employment Standards Act.

Considering the significant barriers that migrant workers face, a complaint-based approach to minimum standards compliance cannot effectively address the systemic mistreatment and wage theft that we see migrant workers face. A more effective strategy of enforcement is through proactive inspections of recruiters and employers of migrant workers. Proactive inspections are supposed to be conducted by the employment standards officer in a manner that protects the identity of individual workers that may have made a complaint. Unfortunately, under this government, proactive inspections have declined from almost 3,000 in 2017 to 224 in 2021. It really begs the question of how sincere the government is in applying fines to wage theft and other forms of exploitation of migrant workers. Indeed, the deterrence of the fines proposed in Bill 79 is negligible if those fines are never actually levied against anyone.

Finally, they have another recommendation. The ministry also publicizes prosecutions under the Employment Standards Act. Given that the ESA and the EPFNA are complementary pieces of legislation and part of the same minimum standards, prosecutions under the EPFNA should also be published. That’s about section 1.

We in the official opposition know that we need to create new jobs as part of our transition to a low-carbon economy. I must say, I’m very interested to hear what the members of the Ford Conservative caucus are prepared to admit about the existence of climate change after our summer of incredible floods and fires.

I’m just going back to some statements that were made in the House at the end of the spring session. At that time, we had drifting smoke from wildfires triggering special air quality advisories for large swaths of Ontario—we recall that here, in this House and outside this building—with Environment Canada warning of high levels of air pollution that can be harmful to everyone’s health, even at low concentrations.

“At Queen’s Park, Premier Doug Ford acknowledged the ‘major impact’ of the blanket of smoke across the greater Toronto area but said the province is ‘responding in full force’ with 142 fire ranger crews, 28 aircraft and nine heavy water bombers.”

Now, I’m going to come to these numbers again later, because numbers can be very deceptive. We don’t know what these numbers compare to, so, in fact, we don’t know whether these numbers and the number of people fighting wildfires are actually sufficient.

“During question period, NDP leader Marit Stiles claimed this isn’t an ordinary fire season and expressed concern about the ‘new normal’ in Ontario as children are forced to stay indoors due to poor air quality.

“‘This is not normal, with the very real impacts of climate change being felt by millions of Ontarians,’ Stiles told the Legislature. ‘Yesterday, the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry refused to acknowledge a connection between the climate crisis and these forest fires.’

“Ford, who accused the NDP is politicizing the wildfires, pinned the blame on campers and the weather.

“‘I have heard approximately 50% of the fires are started by lightning strikes, the other 50% are people starting campfires and not putting out the campfires properly.... I’m asking every Ontarian, please do not light any campfires.’

“When pressed on whether climate change is contributing to the current wildfire season, Ford dismissed the suggestion.

“‘They happen every single year similar to the floods,’ Ford said. ‘The wildfires fires start every single year.’”

I have another article here. The headline is “World on Fire: 2023 Is Canada’s Worst Wildfire Season on Record, and It’s Not Over Yet.” That was on September 4.

“More than 15 million hectares have gone up in smoke across the country this year, shattering the previous record of 7.6 million hectares in 1989 as well as the 10-year average of 2.5 million hectares.”

Oh, my goodness. And we know that four wildfire firefighters died this summer, one from Ontario, working out in BC. People have lost their homes, communities have been evacuated again and again, and clearly—although it might not be admitted on that side of the House—climate change has arrived. It’s urgent that we deal with it.

In fact, it was interesting: I listened to something on the CBC. It was a series of 30-year-old interviews with David Suzuki, and those interviews 30 years ago were saying, “This is urgent. We absolutely must do something now. We can’t fiddle around.” Well, apparently we are still fiddling around, at least on one side of the House.

I want to move on to wildland firefighters, because there are many issues here. I received a number of copies of this letter, and I will read it. It’s from a constituent in my riding.

“I’m writing to you today to express my extreme disappointment at the Ford government’s cuts to wildfire management programs and unfair treatment of those on the front lines working hard to protect us and our communities.

“Forest fire workers are working around the clock to manage record-breaking fires with minimal resources provided. But the Ford government is gambling with their safety, and our ability to breathe clean air. There are runaway fires burning right now that could have been contained, but there are not enough crews. This year, Ontario is 50 crews short, because the Ford government cut 67% of funding for wildfire management programs.”

This brings me back to the uselessness, or the tactic, of giving numbers—how much money is being spent—when we don’t know how much it compares to and how much is actually missing. So it’s a 67% cut of funding for wildfire management programs.

“High turnover persists in Ontario’s aviation, forest fire and emergency services because of low pay and precarious work. Bill 124”—oh, we’ve come back to Bill 124 again—“has made the crisis even worse. Experienced workers are moving to different jobs where they’re better paid and have more job security. This means there are not enough experienced fire rangers to lead crews.

“Representatives from 14 bases met with the minister to reiterate their demands for:

“—better wages;

“—danger pay;

“—more permanent, full-time jobs;

“—proper training and equipment.

“This government has the power to fix this crisis. It is gambling with our safety with cuts and wage caps across the public sector. As a constituent in your riding, I urge you to listen to forest fire workers and move quickly to fix the crisis.”

This letter is signed by Khelsey Benson, who is from the riding of Thunder Bay–Superior North.

I want to continue on the topic of wildland firefighters. Last night, on CBC News, there was a very sad story, and I’m going to read a little bit of this: “Kim Leblanc is the widow of Thomas Leblanc, a former wildland firefighter who died from cancer in 2010. She fought for almost 10 years to get Ontario’s workers’ compensation system to recognize that his illness was caused by 35 years of wildfire exposure.

“Thomas Leblanc spent 35 years fighting wildfires in Montana, Alberta, British Columbia and his home province of Ontario, but when he developed a cancer linked to firefighting, he was repeatedly denied workplace coverage.

“‘Being outside was his dream,’ his widow, Kim Leblanc, said from the family home in Coldwater, Ont. ‘He loved it. He was like a Dalmatian sitting in the front seat of that fire truck and waiting for the call.’

“In 2009, Leblanc found a lump in his neck and was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, one of more than a dozen cancers considered a presumptive work-related illness in most parts of Canada for structural firefighters.” That means urban firefighters. “That means the illness is automatically accepted as likely being caused by occupational exposure—making it easier to access workplace compensation and supports.

“Leblanc applied to” the WSIB “for compensation but was rejected.

“In all but four jurisdictions in Canada, wildland firefighters are excluded in legislation from the presumptions granted to structural firefighters, who respond to fires inside buildings, fire alarms, chemical spills and accidents....

“Thomas Leblanc died at the age of 54 in August 2010, roughly a year after he was first diagnosed. He asked his wife to keep fighting the WSIB claim.

“‘He said nobody, nobody should have to go through this,’ she said.”

This is something that surely could have been addressed in one of these three workers bills, but it is not addressed, and I know that it has been raised. It’s been raised numerous times.

I just want to go back to some of the warnings that were expressed earlier in this year. This is from June 2, just before we ended our session at the Legislature:

“A water bomber flies overhead of Parry Sound 33, one of the more aggressive fires Ontario rangers dealt with in recent years.

“While provincial firefighters are trying to douse the flames of several forest fires in northern Ontario, their union is raising concerns about how the Ontario government is running the wildfire program.

“JP Hornick, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union (OPSEU), said the province is short 50 fire crews this season....

“A big problem, the union leader says, is how the province has been approaching the recruitment—and retention—of its” firefighters.

“‘Every season [the province] faces the same problem.... There’s a scramble to manage with too few workers.’

“‘What you have is that young workers start but there are too few permanent jobs, and so they leave.’

“According to Hornick, the province offers firefighters three to six-month contracts, rather than year-round employment.

“It wasn’t always this way....

“‘Used to be that in the non-fire season what the rangers would do is clear brush,’ Hornick said.

“‘They would do the kind of upkeep work in other areas of the ministry or across ministries to actually help prevent forest fires the following season and to help with things like snow clearing and whatnot.’

“‘With the cost of living crisis as it is and housing and travel that’s required, people simply either aren’t applying or they’re finding jobs in other sectors where they can find that permanent employment....’

“Adding to the challenge of recruitment is the lure of full-time firefighting work with municipalities—and their more lucrative salaries—which draws a lot of bodies out of the potential pool of firefighters....

“‘It should be a no-brainer that the wage gap needs to be closed, period,’ Hornick said. ‘They need their pay increase, but they also need that contract problem addressed.’

“‘There is no world in which we think that fire rangers should be on short-term contracts at this point with climate change the way it is....’

“The ministry has adjusted to staffing challenges” apparently “by mobilizing slightly larger crews,” even though they were still short 50 crews, “which they hope will provide enough experience to train future leaders.

“The province also has several agreements with neighbouring provinces and states to tackle larger fires, and if needed, can call on reinforcements from countries like Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.”

But it’s important to note—I had a very long conversation with an experienced fire crew leader who had been around for a long time, and what he said to me is that you need at least seven years’ experience fighting specific kinds of fires. For example, in northern Ontario, that would be boreal forest fires. He said it’s great when the international firefighters come, but they can only assign them to the simplest kinds of fires to put out because they don’t have the experience with the kind of fires that they’re facing. They need people to have permanent jobs so that that experience is built up over time. There are certainly young people out there, and I know of young people—because I met the father of one this summer who said his son had been a wildland firefighter. He had hoped it would be his career, but he got wind that there were only going to be part-time contracts available, so he quit and moved into something else.

In conclusion, again I want to emphasize that the work of wildland firefighters could have been addressed in this bill. The WSIB protections could have been addressed. They’re not here. It’s critical if we’re going to face climate change. Thank you very much.

This is titled “Stop the 413 GTA West Highway.

Petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Ontario government is pushing ahead with plans to build Highway 413, a redundant and wasteful 400-series highway through the greenbelt that would cost taxpayers an estimated $10 billion or more; and

“Whereas according to a TorStar/National Observer investigation entitled ‘Friends with Benefits?’ powerful developers and land speculators with political and donor ties to the Premier and the” Conservative “Party of Ontario own thousands of acres along the proposed highway corridor and would profit from its construction, suggesting that this $10-billion taxpayer-funded highway is about serving the private interests of the Premier’s friends and donors, not the public interest; and

“Whereas the Ontario government’s expert panel concluded in 2017 that Highway 413 would be a waste of taxpayer money that would only save drivers 30 to 60 seconds on their commutes; and

“Whereas that expert panel identified less costly and less destructive alternatives to new highway construction, such as making better use of the underused Highway 407, just 15 kilometres away; and

“Whereas Highway 413 would pave over 400 acres of greenbelt and 2,000 acres of farmland, destroy the habitats of at-risk and endangered species, and pollute rivers and streams; and

“Whereas building more highways encourages more vehicle use and increases traffic and congestion; and

“Whereas the highway would cause significant harm to historic Indigenous sites;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to stop” its Conservative “plans for building Highway 413.”

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve affixed my signature and am handing it over to Devyansh.

This petition is called “Support Bill 21, the Till Death Do Us Part Act.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas there are 38,000 people on the wait-list for long-term care; and

“Whereas the median wait time for a long-term-care bed has risen from 99 days in 2011-12 to 171 days in 2020-21; and

“Whereas according to Home Care Ontario, the cost of a hospital bed is $842, while the cost of a long-term-care bed is $175; and

“Whereas couples should have the right to live together as they age;

“Whereas Ontario seniors have worked hard to build this province and deserve dignity in care;

“Whereas Bill 21 amends the Residents’ Bill of Rights in the Fixing Long-Term Care Act to provide the resident with the right to be together upon admission and to continue to live with their spouse or their partner;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to direct the Minister of Long-Term Care to call Bill 21 to the Standing Committee on Social Policy to find a compassionate solution to provide seniors with the right to live together as they age.”

It’s my pleasure to affix my signature to my petition, and let’s get this done.

We’re going to move to questions for the member. Any questions? The member for Flamborough–Glanbrook.