Historical and unprecedented.

My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. My community of Burlington is located between Toronto and Niagara Falls on the shores of Lake Ontario. Many local businesses in my riding are eager to benefit from visitors enjoying our hospitality while their businesses contribute greatly to the local economy.

While we see that the tourism industry is improving, impacts of ongoing global economic uncertainty continue to present challenges. That’s why our government must remain committed to ensuring tourism remains a priority for ongoing support, ensuring communities like mine continue to thrive.

Can the minister please explain what our government is doing to encourage and promote tourism across Ontario?

The growth we’ve seen in Ontario’s tourism sector is encouraging. Just recently, we all had the privilege of meeting with representatives from the Tourism Industry Association regarding the good work they’re doing for this sector.

The tourism sector contributes significantly to Ontario’s economy and benefits many other industries as well. The importance of tourism cannot be understated. It’s vital that our government continues to address challenges that many tourism-related businesses face.

Can the minister please elaborate on the long-term outlook for tourism in Ontario?

We have launched the largest transit expansion plan in the history of this province—

Let’s look at the city of Toronto. We’re building the Scarborough line, where we actually have shovels already in the ground, and the Ontario Line—just visiting that with the Premier and the Minister of Infrastructure a week ago. We’ve got shovels in the ground on these historic projects.

What are the facts here? The members opposite, both the opposition and the Liberals, have voted against each of those investments. They voted against getting shovels in the ground on the Ontario Line and the Scarborough subway extension—$70 billion of transit expansion and investment that we have done, the members opposite have voted against. We will continue to build transit across this province.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re getting this province moving and we’re building world-class transit. We will take no lessons from the NDP on how to build transit.

Thank you to the member for Carleton for that excellent question and her superb work on behalf of her constituents. Mr. Speaker, every Ontarian deserves to feel safe when purchasing something as essential as a water heater. Our government will not stand by and let bad actors leverage tools like NOSIs, in bad faith, to empty hard-working Ontarians’ pockets.

That is exactly why our government has begun the necessary work to restore confidence to consumers by launching a vital round of consultations that will inform our ongoing work to put an end to the harmful misuse of notices of security interest, otherwise known as NOSIs. Let me be unequivocally clear—very clear, crystal clear: This government and this Premier will not stand idly by and let our most vulnerable consumers be taken advantage of by bad business practices. We are taking decisive action to protect consumers.

Thank you very much for the question. Again, it’s an opportunity to thank our firefighters who have done an outstanding job during the 2023 fire season.

Mr. Speaker, when I was in Timmins last week, we announced $20.5 million to further expand our ability to fight wildfires in this province, and part of that was a recognition, again, of the fantastic job that our firefighters do: recognizing that we need more strategies around recruitment and retention for firefighters; recognizing that they require mental health supports because it is a tough and demanding job.

And my door has been open to the firefighters. We have met. We have discussed their concerns. We have talked about how we can make things even better in Ontario, how we can take this great force and work together to protect Ontarians, protect communities and protect the infrastructure in our communities. Those conversations will always continue, Mr. Speaker, because I have the utmost amount of respect for wildland firefighters in Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, we strive to make working conditions better for our firefighters in Ontario. They are doing a great job, and we’ll continue to work with them and make sure that job is something they’re always proud of, because we sure are proud of them.

Supplementary question?

Mr. Speaker, through you, thank you to the minister for his crystal clear response. I’m very pleased to see that the minister has started consultations to address this important issue and the negative effects it has on so many Ontarians. That being said, the most important voices that our government should listen to on this subject are the people of Ontario themselves.

Speaker, through you: The people of Ontario expect that their government will protect them from fraudulent schemes. They deserve our respect and protection from harmful and illegal business practices. That’s why it is vital that those most impacted by this predatory misuse must be included in the consultations.

Can the minister please elaborate on how our government is conducting consultations and what actions will follow to protect consumers? Thank you.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Housing. For too many Ontarians, finding an affordable home they can call their own seems out of reach. At the same time, many municipalities struggle to attract new jobs and businesses due to various challenges. Our government recognizes the critical importance of both increasing housing supply and spurring economic development in communities across our province.

This Legislature recently debated Bill 134 which, if passed, will help more Ontario families realize the dream of home ownership while also empowering municipalities to boost local employment opportunities.

Can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to make housing more affordable and to better support our municipalities in attracting new jobs and industries to their regions?

As we work towards building more housing, a thriving supply chain is crucial for both urban and rural communities across our province. Municipalities will play a key role in strengthening our supply chain networks at the local level. However, not all municipalities have the same capacity and resources which can create challenges when applying for provincial programs and incentives. It is vital that our government recognizes the importance of municipalities as equal partners.

Can the associate minister please explain how our government is supporting municipalities to benefit from provincial supply chain programs and provincial supply chain strategies?

Mr. Speaker, through you again: The member is absolutely right. The most important stakeholder we have are the people of this great province, and we need to be speaking directly with them and to listen to them to build a solution that protects them from bad actors using NOSIs to drain their pockets.

But I want to take this opportunity and also thank our member from Markham–Unionville for bringing forward his motion to investigate this issue more deeply because of consumer concerns, as well as the great member from Kitchener–Conestoga for his work with the Waterloo Regional Police Service to raise awareness of this widespread fraud.

Speaker, this is why my ministry is consulting with consumers, businesses and experts alike to determine the best solution possible, and this is only the first of many steps to come for our fellow citizens.

To the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, through you, Speaker: There have been a record number of wildfires in the province this year—738—and none have been more affected than the forest rangers who put their lives and health on the line for us by fighting these fires. They need to be reclassified so they will be recognized, compensated, and receive the same WSIB protection as all other firefighters.

Will the minister commit to the reclassification of these wildfire workers today?

Minister, they don’t want your thanks; they want the reclassification.

To the minister: The closed-door press conference the minister held last week excluded front-line forest fire workers. These workers called out the minister for his statement that he was unable to reclassify their position.

The ability to retain and, in fact, encourage new hires in forest firefighting is essential to meet the challenges of climate change. Minister, you can reclassify and deliver fair working conditions to these firefighters with a stroke of a pen. Will you do the right thing and commit to reclassification now?

Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé. Last week, health ministers from across the country met in Prince Edward Island. I, like many Ontarians, am quite anxious to find out what kind of progress was made for people suffering from rare diseases. Can the minister share with us?

The Charlottetown meeting for the health ministers federally, provincially and territorially was interesting last week. We covered a lot of topics.

Most pointedly, one of the issues that we pressed aggressively to our federal counterparts was to make sure that one of the changes that is being recommended—that is, changing the two-year family health doctors to a three-year training—be reverted and not moved forward. Why? Because every single provincial health minister understands that it is important today, right now, to make sure that we have as many doctors going into the system as possible, and now is not the time to move from a two-year residency to a three-year. We had unanimity on that particular topic, as well as many others that I’m happy to cover in my supplementary.

I point to Trikafta, which was one of the first ones. Ontario led the Canadian jurisdictions for a new drug that treated children with cystic fibrosis. With RSV, we now have a vaccine that is Health Canada-approved and is available to our most vulnerable in Ontario, the first and only province in Canada that is doing this for long-term care and high-risk individuals in retirement homes.

Why? Because we see in Ontario a need to make sure that we protect our most vulnerable, and we act very quickly to make sure that as these drugs come online and get approved throughout Canada, they are available to Ontario citizens.

My question is to the Associate Minister of Housing. Housing affordability has become a pressing impact across Ontario’s communities. Home ownership has become out of reach for many young families and newcomers in my riding of Chatham-Kent–Leamington. A significant number of renters are also facing unaffordable housing costs that limit their ability to purchase other life necessities.

Despite our government’s robust measures to accelerate housing supply, Ontario needs more homes built now. Our government must continue to build on our efforts to do all we can to address the housing supply shortage.

Speaker, can the associate minister please share with the House how our government is providing housing solutions for all Ontarians?

Thank you to the member from Chatham-Kent–Leamington, my neighbour down in southwestern Ontario, who is doing a great job.

As Ontario fights this housing crisis, we remain committed to ensuring that all Ontarians have a safe place to call home. Every month, I’m encouraged to see that we’re seeing housing projects under way in communities across this whole province. Why, Speaker? Because we’ve introduced four housing supply action plans. Why, Speaker? Because we’ve invested $1.2 billion in the Building Faster Fund, and we’ve invested $700 million in the homelessness prevention plan, up 42% or $200 million.

The plan is working. We’ve got shovels in the ground. We’re going to get keys in people’s hands. We’re on the pathway to success. The job is getting done.

Speaker, I’m proud to co-sponsor this bill with the member for Thornhill, Laura Smith.

The bill amends the Change of Name Act to provide that certain offenders are ineligible to apply to change their name. The offenders who are ineligible are those who are required to comply with Christopher’s Law (Sex Offender Registry), 2000.

Mr. Dave Smith moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill Pr30, An Act to revive Rapati Design and Construction Ltd.

This petition is titled “Support for the Passage of the Change of Name Amendment Act, 2023.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas sexual offences are heinous crimes, and protecting the community from sexual offenders should always be a priority, especially when these offenders try to change their name or identity;

“Whereas children are the most precious and vulnerable members of our community that deserve to feel safe and protected;

“Whereas victims and survivors of sexual offences live with pain and trauma from the actions of those who have preyed upon their vulnerability and made them suffer physically and emotionally;

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

“To urge the government to ensure that our communities are safe places from sexual violence and offenders through the passage of the Change of Name Amendment Act, 2023.”

I affix my name hereto, and I will give it to page Isolde.

The petition is to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

“Whereas the Ford government cancelled rent control on units built after November 2018; and

“Whereas the cost to rent a home has never been higher; and

“Whereas people are being forced to leave their communities because decent, affordable homes are increasingly out of reach;

“Whereas the rent control for all units act, 2022, will ensure tenants are not gouged on rent each year;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to protect tenants from predatory rent increases and pass the NDP’s Rent Control for All Tenants Act today to ensure renters can live in safe and affordable homes.”

I will proudly sign this petition and return it to the table with page Michael.

This petition is titled “Ontario Needs a Rare Disease Strategy,” and it reads:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario currently lacks a rare diseases strategy, which has left those who are living with rare diseases without access to the supports they need;

“Whereas in 2016, the Ministry of Health established a Rare Diseases Working Group committee to develop a provincial framework on this issue;

“Whereas the Rare Diseases Working Group Report was submitted to the government of Ontario in 2017 with important recommendations, which have never been implemented;

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

“Immediately pass the Rare Disease Strategy Act, and implement the recommendations set out in the 2017 Rare Diseases Working Group Report.”

I fully support this petition and will affix my signature to it.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Ford government cancelled rent control on units built after November 2018; and

“Whereas the cost to rent a home has never been higher; and

“Whereas people are being forced to leave their communities because decent, affordable homes are increasingly out of reach; and

“Whereas the Rent Control for All Tenants Act, 2022, will ensure tenants are not gouged on rent each year;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to protect tenants from predatory rent increases and pass” the NDP’s “Rent Control for All Tenants Act today to ensure renters can live in safe and affordable homes.”

I fully support this petition, and I stand in solidarity with our Livmore High Park tenants who are experiencing predatory rent increases.