Since we came into office in 2018, we have been focused on building homes for people, and that has included, of course, rental housing. One of the things that we saw, which was the hallmark of the previous Liberal and NDP coalition in this province, was that rental housing starts literally collapsed across the province of Ontario. What we are seeing, of course, is that rental housing starts in the province of Ontario, under our government, are at a 30-year high, and the good news on that is that in the first half of 2023, that pace has increased by over 44%.

One of our biggest challenges in Toronto and across the province has been the supply of rental housing, and we are tackling that head-on. At the same time, we are making significant investments in the Landlord and Tenant Board to ensure that we can get through cases much more quickly, and I thank the Attorney General for that.

We have introduced a number of pieces of legislation to better protect tenants across the province of Ontario, but ultimately, we have to increase that supply so that there are more options for all Ontarians.

Interjections.

While the minister talks sunshine and rainbows for other parts of the province, that does not help my seniors in Haldimand–Norfolk. Approval and supporting projects elsewhere is not actually getting the beds built in Haldimand–Norfolk.

Dover Cliffs, a retirement home in Port Dover, was one of the projects announced for expansion, but those plans have been paused after the project went to tender this spring. From announcement to tender, it’s been four years—I call that a snail’s pace. Dover Cliffs is a class C facility; B- and C-class licences will expire at the end of June 2025. Where will those 70 residents at Dover Cliffs go? There are actually 26,531 licences set to expire in two years, according to the Financial Accountability Office, and yet again here this morning, we don’t see a plan to get shovels in the ground.

Speaker, can the minister assure seniors of Haldimand–Norfolk there will be a bed for them close to home in 2025, or will he relocate them halfway across the province?

There’s a lot to update this House on in long-term care, which we’ve been doing for the past several years, to be frank: a $10-billion capital plan with a plan to build and redevelop 58,000—and they’re not beds, they’re homes in this province for our amazing seniors.

In fact, Speaker, the member does mention something very important, which is that construction costs have escalated. That’s why we introduced the construction funding subsidy under the leadership of our last Minister of Long-Term Care, which has led to the approval of 11,000 beds for construction in this province.

The member sits next to the independent Liberals, who built 611 net new beds for the better part of a decade. I’m proud to update this House that, under this Premier’s leadership, since 2018, we have completed—or are under construction—18,000 beds in this great province.

There’s more work to be done, but we’re on track. We’re going to take care of our seniors in Ontario.

We acknowledge that seniors need more homes. It is this government that has taken it upon themselves to actually build that capacity and staff it with health human resources. So I encourage the member: Perhaps instead of standing in question period and saying, “The neighbourhood needs this and that,” come to me and show that information to me and let’s work on that because this government has proven, under the leadership of this Premier, that we are building those very beds in this province.

After a decade of neglect under the people who sit next to her, this government has taken it upon themselves to take care of our seniors. They took care of us—

Interjections.

My question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. The previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, ignored the housing crisis that was developing across our province. There are currently hundreds of thousands of individuals and families struggling to find a home that meets their needs. Also, the lack of transit infrastructure creates barriers to accessing convenient transit services. Our government put forward the solution of developing transit-oriented communities to increase housing supply. This is a positive step forward and shows that our government understands that housing is one of the most important infrastructure issues facing our communities.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how transit-oriented communities are helping to build a stronger Ontario?

Our government has made excellent progress to expand transit networks, but we must remain focused on solutions that will provide even more transit options. Can the minister please explain how our government is addressing Ontario’s growing transit infrastructure needs?

Thank you to the member for asking the question.

Mr. Speaker, our government has made a commitment to build more homes in the province of Ontario, and one of the ways that we intended on reaching that target is through our Transit-Oriented Communities Program. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We’re expanding the subway system by 50% in the city of Toronto and in York region, and that’s why we’re no longer building station boxes, but rather communities around the stations.

Exhibition, King-Bathurst, Queen-Spadina, Corktown, East Harbour, Bridge and High Tech are already under way. Last week, we announced that we’re sharing information with the city of Toronto, working collaboratively with them on six new, complete communities. Eastern, Gerrard-Carlaw South, Pape, Cosburn, Thorncliffe and Lawrence will all be new transit communities where people can live in the future.

Mr. Speaker, these six proposed TOCs would create approximately 5,900 new residential units in the city of Toronto, including affordable housing units, as well as 1,900 jobs, all at or within walking distance of a transit station.

We are building complete communities that will have housing, jobs and community amenities close to transit. By building complete communities, we are making life more convenient and affordable for the hard-working people of Ontario.

I want to thank my friend from Richmond Hill for the question, and I’d be happy to explain what Access to Justice Week means both for this government and for my ministry. It’s occurring across Canada all throughout this week, and it involves government and stakeholders reviewing and working together on important changes across Canada and within our provincial justice system. This year is going to be the eighth annual Access to Justice Week, with participants examining a variety of different issues across our system.

But right here, we’re building a justice sector that is modern and works for people. Under the leadership of the Premier, we’ve seen transformational investments in improvements to our system, greatly increasing access to justice. We are investing in people, processes, technology and capital.

I’ll have more to say in my supplementary, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Attorney General. All Ontarians deserve access to a justice system that is easy to access, efficient and fair. However, Ontario’s justice system is difficult for some to access due to barriers such as inclusivity, equity and affordability of legal services. These are all important issues that need to be addressed in order for Ontario’s justice system to be effective.

Speaker, this week marks the start of Access to Justice Week across Canada. This is an opportunity to explore how this sector can be improved and updated. Can the Attorney General please explain the significance of Access to Justice Week and how its goals promote an effective justice system for all?

Speaker, Ontarians benefit from a convenient and efficient court system that supports them in addressing their legal matters. That is why our government must focus on replacing procedures that are slow, outdated and ineffective. Can the Attorney General please explain how our government is transforming and modernizing assets in the justice system?

Very similar to the minister, I’ve sent years and years in Scarborough–Guildwood. We have a lot of friends there. But I’ll tell the new member: Why don’t you ask your colleagues why they voted against a hospital that’s been overdue for decades? Why don’t you ask your members why they—

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The residents of Scarborough–Guildwood and across Ontario are struggling, and under his government, rent has never been higher. The average new listing for rental apartments in Toronto is almost $4,000 a month, or 60% of the household income of my riding.

This government has had five years to address the housing crisis, but what do they have to show for it? One RCMP criminal investigation.

Does the minister think it is past time for his government to bring back rent control, or will they keep showing they don’t care for the renters of Ontario?

But he has only recently been appointed Minister of Housing; he has the opportunity to right his government’s wrongs. He has already backtracked on the previous minister’s decision to expand urban boundaries and develop farmland, and he’s already backtracked on developing the greenbelt, after it came out that his government gifted their developer friends $8.3 billion in prime real estate.

Now, through you, Mr. Speaker, I once again ask if the minister intends to backtrack again and restore universal rent control that his government got rid of in 2018.

Order.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has the floor.

The next question—

Interjections.

Interjections.

The next question.

Restart the clock. Supplementary.

I’m going to ask the Premier to pause for a second. I can’t hear the Premier because of the noise in the House. It’s not an issue with the volume of his voice; it’s the heckling that’s going on, so come to order.

Restart the clock. The Premier has the floor.

Interjection.

Interjections.

Two reminders, the first one being that members should make their comments through the Chair. Secondly, when the Speaker stands, whoever has the floor should sit down.

Start the clock.

My question is to the Minister of Health. In April 2022, this government announced that it would finally be investing direct funding for home care. This money was supposed to go directly to improve access and quality home care because it was a mess. Quality home care should actually be a shared goal for all of us. It means more than one bath a week, for sure. However, in filing an FOI request, Seniors for Social Action Ontario has learned that at least seven of the provincial home and community care support services have returned millions of dollars to the Ministry of Health as of March 31, 2022.

When our seniors are crying out for better care, and some have become so despondent that they are contemplating medical assistance in dying because that seems like the only option for them—these caring agencies didn’t want to send this money back. They know what the need is.

Can the Minister of Health explain why millions of dollars are being returned to the ministry when the need for home care in Ontario is so great?

To the Premier: Wanda is a senior living at 55 Brownlow with her daughter and granddaughter. As we speak, her and their neighbours are facing demovictions. They’re being told that the city must rush through approving their demovictions because if they fight it, the Ontario Land Tribunal will leave them with nothing. Planners are telling tenants they need to take away their homes today so that this government’s tribunal—one stacked with their buddies, I might add—doesn’t take away their housing tomorrow, all while giving Wanda and her family nowhere else to go.

My question is to the Premier. Will you repeal Bill 23? Will you stop demovictions? Will you bring back rent control? Where is Wanda, where is her family, where are neighbours and tenants across Ontario supposed to go? Will he speak to them? Will the Premier of Ontario speak to the tenants in our gallery today and let them know that their right to housing is a human right that they will respect?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, I’d be happy to outline some of the initiatives and funding and changes that we’re making. We provided funding to legal aid to ensure there was continued access to justice for those who need it. In 2020, we updated the Legal Aid Services Act for the first time in 30 years.

In August, we announced a generational online transformation of our justice system, a $166-million investment that will drive the courts’ digital transformation, centralizing and improving access to court information and documents for everybody.

When it comes to tribunals, we’ve seen millions of dollars of investments in people, in staff, in processes and systems that were left to rot under the previous administration. We had to replace them. This builds on our previous work of justice accelerated, which saw generational change to our justice system through technology and updating outdated rules.

Mr. Speaker, you can no longer serve documents by telegram; you can do them by email—

Interjection.

My question is to the Premier. Elaine, a senior, has been living in her rent-controlled apartment at 220 Lake Promenade for decades. She will soon be evicted because her building is slated for demolition, even though it is in good repair.

Tenants are being unnecessarily displaced and new buildings will not be under rent control because this Conservative government removed it. These demolitions of perfectly good apartments are making the housing crisis worse because it’s removing rent-controlled units from the housing stock. Will the Premier protect tenants like Elaine by bringing back rent control for all tenants?

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Speaker, look, one of the problems we’re having across the province of Ontario is a lack of supply, and that’s a lack of supply that has been brought on by historic obstacles put in the way by the Liberals and the NDP, right? They say they want to help tenants, yet every bill that we’ve brought in here to protect tenants further and to give them more rights, they have literally stood in their place and voted against. They want to increase taxes on those who want to build affordable homes. It is part of their plan.

So I say to the member very sincerely, if you want to help tenants, help us build more homes. We’re at, this year alone—the first half of this year—a 44% increase over last year in purpose-built rentals across the province of Ontario. We are at a 30-year high, but more needs to be done. You cannot unravel the mess they left this province in in five years. We’re seeing that, right? It is going to take us longer, but if they would help us, we could move even quicker.

This is a member who has voted literally against the very same people that today she is suggesting she wants to support. When we have brought more measures in to protect tenants, that member rose in her place and voted against them. When we reduced taxes so that more purpose-built rentals could be built, that member voted against it. When the Minister of Finance brought in a bill and forced the federal government to remove the HST and PST on purpose-built rentals, they voted against it.

You know what is causing the problems across the province of Ontario? Fifteen years of attitudes like that that put obstacles in the way of the people of the province of Ontario. That is what caused the problem—

Interjections.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. As 2023 Small Business Month continues, thousands of entrepreneurs across this province and in my own riding are looking to our government for the resources they need to launch a successful small business.

There are many ways to earn a living in Ontario, but entrepreneurship will always be among the top. Owning your own business gives you independence as well as an opportunity to provide jobs for others in your community. That said, starting and growing is hard work. That’s why it’s important that our government continues to make critical investments that will support small businesses across Ontario.

Can the associate minister please share how our government is supporting Ontarians to successfully launch their own small business?

The previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, gave up on small businesses. They watched both businesses and jobs flee the province. Their agenda was higher taxes and more red tape.

But under the leadership of the Premier, Ontario is once again open for business. Can the associate minister please explain how our government is creating the conditions for small business owners to thrive once again?

I really want to thank the member from Thornhill for the great question. During Small Business Week, I visited many great small businesses across our province together with our great caucus. I want to talk about one specific business in Orillia that I visited alongside the Premier and the member from Simcoe North.

Leadbetter Foods launched a butcher store in 1926 on Main Street in Markham. Through their hard work and determination, the Leadbetter family was able to grow that small business and have expanded their operations into processing and distribution. They now have two large facilities in Orillia and are continuing to provide good food and good jobs right here in Ontario. The Leadbetter family’s journey and success is a testament to what small businesses can do in this great province.

Our government will continue to make record investments and help create the stable economic conditions needed for more Ontarians to start, operate and grow a successful small business right here in Ontario.

What would be beneficial is if the NDP understood that their job in this Legislature is not to unequivocally oppose everything that this government is doing, especially when it comes to supporting our small businesses in their constituencies. But unlike them, our government will continue to ensure that more entrepreneurs can enjoy the same success the Leadbetter family has had and make certain Ontario remains the best place to live, work, raise a family and own a business.

I want to welcome the grade 5 class from Thorncliffe Park Public School who will be joining us in the gallery shortly. I’d also like to acknowledge my new legislative assistant, Joe Ramlochand, who’s just on his second day today.