Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity. A question for the government: You’ve talked about this bill; you’ve talked about your housing plans. Can you tell us what percentage of the homes you expect to be built will be targeted to those in the bottom half of income earners and what percentage of their after-tax income you expect they will be spending on these homes?

You know, the Minister of Housing was talking about how his family emigrated here from Italy. My family emigrated here from Italy, and to be honest, our towns are next door to each other in Italy. But my family came here in 1950 and my father ended up buying a house in 1953 in Port Credit. We’ve been living there for 70 years; he paid $14,000 back then. My two sons—one is becoming a CPA and the other is becoming an engineer. They want to live in the riding their great-grandfather, grandfather and father have lived in, and they cannot afford it. How will this bill help build more affordable housing for our future and our immigrants that are coming into this country?

Thank you. We’ll have to move to the next question.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Housing is more than just a structure; it’s the very foundation for families. When we fail to provide it, it reverberates and disrupts our collective communities and ideals. While private development is vital, building houses remains a paramount public responsibility. It’s about championing purpose-built houses. A balanced approach is essential, yet our current provincial strategy leans heavily on private incentives, sidelining public housing investments.

This week, as we discuss housing affordability, we must remember, if Ontario’s strategy primarily incentivizes private developers to build affordable housing, leaving municipalities to shoulder the burden, we’re missing the mark. In Niagara alone, the wait-list for affordable housing spans two decades.

Municipalities still feel the weight of transferring social housing funding responsibilities by Mike Harris.

Premier Ford, the time has come to honor your commitment to make municipalities whole for the development charges. Ontario has the potential to do more. We need a comprehensive governance framework and provincial funding to address the housing crisis. It is critical we bolster the construction of non-market homes, particularly for young families and low-income households.

We must champion a grant-based approach for the non-profit and co-op sectors, support community land trusts and devise a robust rental housing strategy. If we are not building non-market housing, we risk not doing enough. Let’s refine Ontario’s approach and build a housing future that services all Ontarians.

Thank you very much to the member for the question. The answer is simple: It is another in a series of bills that we’ve put forward to eliminate red tape and remove obstacles. The member is absolutely correct; it was the bargain that people made when they came to this country: You work hard, play by the rules and you will have the opportunity to succeed. But after 15 years of Liberal and NDP mismanagement of the economy, they’ve forced us into a housing crisis. We are untangling that mess.

We have one more mess to untangle, and that’s the federal government’s refusal to eliminate the carbon tax and to help us remove obstacles federally so we can get not only this crisis resolved in Ontario, but across Canada.

Madam Speaker, friendship is the cornerstone of human connection. It brings the best of humans to society and helps to bring relationships we cherish.

The Jain Society of Toronto, a local community organization with many members from Mississauga–Malton, is serving the community with the Jain words “Maitri Bhavna,” which means to be a friend to everyone in the universe.

This morning, the members of JSOT organized the launch of World Friendship Year on the auspicious occasion of the 2550th Nirvana Utsav of Bhagwan Mahavir at the Legislative Assembly under the leadership of His Holiness Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni Ji, a versatile thinker, poet, social reformer, writer, world peace ambassador and founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti.

His resounding spirit of friendship reminds us of the value of working together, supporting each other, ensuring no one is left behind.

Madam Speaker, Mahavir Swami once said, “In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.”

Acharya Ji’s lifetime dedication to promoting religious tolerance and universal value is commendable. I would like to thank him for his tireless efforts, selfless service and unwavering dedication to the global community, inspiring everyone. My best wishes as you embark on your journey in promoting friendship. Let’s all work together and build a better world, including a stronger Ontario. Jai Jinendra.

I rise today to share my summer experiences in the wonderful community of Markham–Unionville. Over the summer, I had the privilege of spending quality time in my riding. I connected with the incredible families that make up our vibrant constituency. I heard their diverse perspectives and listened to their stories. These conversations were invaluable in helping me better understand the unique needs and concerns of our community. We exchanged ideas. I am grateful for the openness and warmth with which I was received.

In addition to these visits, my team and I embarked on a mission to identify and celebrate the outstanding efforts of our residents in beautifying their homes. We introduced the landscaping award to recognize those who went above and beyond to enhance their properties. They spread joy and vibrancy throughout their neighbourhoods and fostered a sense of belonging within our community.

I was glad to present over 1,400 awards to deserving homes. Each award serves as a shining example of generosity and community spirit. These awardees have contributed significantly to making Markham–Unionville an even more beautiful and tightly knit place to live.

I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all those who welcomed me to their homes. I also thank those who dedicated their time to nominating their neighbours for the landscaping award.

Together, we are building a stronger and more connected community that we can all be proud to call home.

Thank you, Speaker—as if you don’t know who I am.

Es salaam aleikum. It’s my honour to stand today and recognize as many as a hundred Muslim leaders representing major community organizations across the province, including in my riding of Brampton North. These organizations do fantastic work to promote the voice of every single Muslim-Canadian in Brampton and in Canada as a whole. I thank them immensely for the service they provide to our country.

The Muslim community is strong and proud. I see it every day in my riding of Brampton North. Over the last number of decades, Canada, specifically Ontario, has been so fortunate to have new generations of Muslims come to Ontario and call it home. With them, they bring a tradition of hard work, respect and commitment to standing up for their neighbours.

Canada is home to over 1.9 million Muslims, and, mashallah, there are about a million living right here in Ontario. I want to assure our entire Muslim community that whether your name is Jameel or John, Mark or Mohammed; whether you pray on Friday, Sunday or not at all; our government has your back. We will ensure that you can safely work, succeed, practise and live your faith.

I want to thank the leaders who took the time to be here today, and I encourage all members to join the reception later today at 5:30 p.m. in the dinning room.

Members’ statements? The member for—Brampton North.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because we need to address the housing crisis, and we must do it urgently, with partnerships across all sectors.

My riding, Scarborough–Guildwood, is at the forefront of the housing crisis, where 45% of residents spend more than 30% of their income on housing. The only way out of this mess is by building more housing, but while we need quantity, we also need quality. We can’t just keep sprawling outwards, and we shouldn’t develop the greenbelt. We need dense, complete communities, communities that have frequent, fast transit access, neighbourhoods that have enough schools to support the student population.

We need our cities to have an abundance of housing that is affordable, with rent control, so that residents aren’t driven away, so that they can spend their hard-earned money investing in their family’s future, communities that have jobs within them, not an hour commute away, and that sustain local business and the entrepreneurial sprit that radiates in Scarborough.

As a female entrepreneur, Mr. Speaker, I saw first-hand how important local business is to the spirit of the community. There are good projects that take it upon themselves to provide for this. And we need a government that is willing to prioritize this modern way of housing, not by building new sprawl or paving the greenbelt.

Good morning, Speaker. The Ford government’s record on the environment and fighting climate change is abysmal. This government broke the law when it comes to Ontarians’ environmental rights—and, of course, the greenbelt grab that threatened the destruction of thousands of acres of farmland and wetlands.

Ontario’s recent climate change impact assessment report identified the very imminent risk climate change poses to Ontarians’ health, livelihoods and property. This grim report was presented to the government in January but was quietly released seven months later with no announcement. Maybe they hoped we wouldn’t notice that this government does not have a climate change plan.

Now we learn through investigative reports that many of Ontario’s gas plants which were supposed to run only during peak periods are actually running almost 24 hours a day. And there are many more gas plants on the way.

While the entire world moves towards greener energy, this government is making things worse. Let’s not forget the cancelled electricity conservation programs that would have saved carbon emissions and saved consumers money.

Ontario hasn’t built any new wind or solar energy since Premier Doug Ford tore down wind farms and ripped EV chargers out of the ground.

The climate crisis is here. Instead of a government that is acting to protect us, we have Premier Doug Ford, who is focused on helping his friends get richer. This is a government with their head in the sand and their hands in the cookie jar, but we on this side of the House will continue to push for real leadership on climate change and the climate crisis.

That concludes our members’ statements this morning. I’ll remind all members—not wanting to single anyone out—that the members’ statements are to be 90 seconds. That’s one minute and 30 seconds.

Two weeks ago, members of the Jewish community in my riding of Eglinton–Lawrence and across Ontario observed Rosh Hashanah, the start of the new year according to Jewish teachings. I wish all who celebrated a blessed and pleasant new year.

Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holy Days. The following 10 days are days of repentance and culminate in Yom Kippur, also known as the day of atonement and considered the holiest day in Judaism. Through fasting, prayer and the repentance of sins, Jews make amends for sins committed against God or others.

Given the profound significance of these holidays, recent news that I’ve received is very concerning. Within my riding, banners advertising the High Holy Days for local shuls, including the Song Shul, Temple Sinai and Shaarei Shomayim, were vandalized or stolen from their Lawrence Plaza location. A fourth banner which did not mention the High Holy Days remained intact. They were replaced and then stolen again, but the fourth unrelated banner remained untouched again.

This vandalism targeting the Jewish community has no place in Ontario. Thankfully, B’nai Brith, who is always active, is aware of it and is taking action.

Our government, Mr. Speaker, remains committed to combatting anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred through initiatives such as the Anti-Hate Security and Prevention Grant and mandatory Holocaust education in grade 6, starting this year.

We all need to do our part to promote tolerance, understanding and respect for all of our neighbours, no matter what their race or religion.

I’m proud to share the news that the Northway Wellness Centre has officially opened in Sault Ste. Marie.

On September 19 earlier this year, I joined the team from Sault Area Hospital and many community partners at Northway to share with the public that the 20-bed residential withdrawal management facility centre would begin accepting patients on September 25.

Northway Wellness Centre is the home to the residential withdrawal management and safe beds program and will be offering services such as comprehensive assessments, medical support, counselling. They will be able to refer patients and families to all of the related services and offerings within our community.

The new facility will provide treatment options to people in our community who are suffering and their families by complementing the significant investments that have been made to build out-of-hospital services and numerous community wraparound supports and services that support vulnerable persons in crisis before they end up in a hospital. These supports are all critical and will help people to heal and to thrive.

Northway will be staffed by a mental health and addictions team including doctors, nurses and social workers.

I want to say a special thank you to the Ministry of Health and to Sault Area Hospital and all of the various community organisations and leaders for making this a reality and for bringing this incredible new facility into our community. It is going to help so many.

Dementia in its many forms is a critical health care issue that affects patients, families and caregivers in profound ways. In the region of Durham, there are over 4,000 residents with dementia. While there are many dementia care services and programs in place today, there’s still a lot of work to do. Consequently, Ontario Tech University and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences have launched the Advancement for Dementia Care Centre, a vital new community-based partnership aimed at uncovering solutions to improve the quality of life of patients and caregivers through innovation and research and deployment of new technologies.

Speaker, one ADCC example of accelerating care involves a “living lab” at Ontario Shores, where cutting-edge technologies can be adapted, implemented in real clinical settings and evaluated based on their practical application. This innovation will support patients’ psychosocial needs and behavioural challenges.

Clearly, the partnership between Ontario Tech and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences will positively impact the care of people living with dementia and their families living in Whitby and other parts of the region of Durham.

It’s a privilege to welcome Jennifer, Lucy, Holly, Laura and Jake from the Canadian Liver Foundation to Queen’s Park today. They are hosting a reception this afternoon, at 12 in room 228. Everyone is welcome. I welcome you to Queen’s Park.

We have several members from the TVO branch of the Canadian Media Guild. A few of the executive are here: Meredith Martin, Cara Stern and Dan DiMillo.

I am seeking unanimous consent that, notwithstanding standing order 45(b)(iv), eight minutes be apportioned to the independent members as a group for debate on opposition motion number 1 today.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On your behalf, I do believe I see your wife sitting up in the gallery. Lisa Arnott is here, and I think we should all give a round of applause for her putting up with the Speaker for many, many years.