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.

My question is for the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery. No jurisdiction wants to fall behind in implementing technological advancements that can make it more convenient and efficient for people and businesses to interact with government services. However, with new emerging technological advancements, the protection of personal information is rightfully a key concern for many individuals.

Ontarians need reassurance that our government is protecting the safety and security of their personal information in an ever-evolving digital world. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is approaching the integration of digital solutions that will help to improve the delivery of public services?

It’s reasonable to say that confidence in the security of the digital world is critical to our province’s success in the digital economy.

Ontarians are looking to our government for answers, and they expect our government to protect them and their personal information.

Can the minister please explain how our government is ensuring that Ontario is protected from any potential or perceived digital threats?