My question is to the Premier. On June 9, this government gave three minister’s zoning orders to Southbridge Care, a for-profit long-term-care facility owned by a real estate investment firm, Yorkville Asset Management. None of these MZOs had been requested by the local municipality. One of the MZOs was for Orchard Villa in Pickering, where 78 seniors died during the COVID-19 pandemic and the military had to be called in to take over. The executives and lobbyists for this particular operator have strong donor and political ties to the Conservative Party.

My question is, did the minister give preferential treatment to Southbridge?

I’m going to tell you what happened. After taking over Southbridge’s Orchard Villa, the military reported that residents had been choking from improper feeding, the presence of cockroaches and rotting food, dehydration, and patients were left in soiled diapers. The Premier said—the Premier, not Wayne Gates. The Premier said, “It was the worst report, the most heart-wrenching report I have ever read in my entire life. Ever.” But this government rewarded Southbridge with three minister’s zoning orders in one day—including Orchard Villa.

Why did the Premier and minister give preferential treatment to Southbridge Care Homes when our seniors were dying and being treated with disrespect every single day in that home?

What we will continue to do is to provide MZOs when it helps move the province of Ontario forward—MZOs for long-term care, MZOs to build hospitals, MZOs to build supportive housing in the city of Toronto.

Will I stop issuing MZOs when it supports the priorities of the province of Ontario, when it helps people in the province of Ontario, when it helps job creation, when it gives people their first home? No. I won’t stop doing that. Will I continue to issue MZOs when it means an old long-term-care home can be torn down and replaced by a brand new one? No. I’ll continue to do that.

They want to stand in the way of all of that; I won’t.

In fact, some of their own members have asked me for MZOs in their own ridings, so that we can get long-term-care homes, so that we can get socialized housing in their homes.

So I say to the member very clearly, for the caucus members around you: I will continue to issue it when it is in the best interests of the people of the province of Ontario.

What you’re hearing from the opposition is continued frustration that what we are doing is using the tools that we have to help build a stronger economy, to help restore confidence in industries that had lost it. This is a party that worked with the Liberals to drive out manufacturing. We lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs. The Liberals and the NDP said that we should transition our economy to a service economy.

What we’re doing is building a better, stronger Ontario—$27 billion in investment; over 700,000 people have the dignity of a job. And I will do whatever I can, along with this caucus, to support that.