I want to join the associate minister in welcoming the Ontario Public Transit Association to Queen’s Park—in particular, Matthew Wolstenholme, who’s here from OC Transpo. Thank you, Matthew, for your service.

Today, I would like to welcome all the representatives from the Ontario Public Transit Association to Queen’s Park.

I just wanted to recognize my friend Adina Isenberg who is here. She’s a breast cancer advocate.

I’d like to welcome a number of guests from the Association of Power Producers of Ontario: the wily veteran David Butters, Grant Berry, David Timm, Stephen Somerville, Lynn Wizniak, Pat Dalzell, Charles Conrad, Safouh Soufi and Nick Best. They have a reception this evening in room 230 between 5 and 7. I encourage all members to attend. Welcome, everyone.

I’d like to welcome Caroline Lidstone-Jones, who is the CEO, and Allie Kinnaird, the director of policy from the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council. Meegwetch for coming.

I’d like to introduce a good friend of mine Salman Sima to the Ontario Legislature today.

I also would like to make a quick point of order.

Halfway through our peaceful rally, which we had a permit for, we were told by police that we had to wrap it up because there was a counter-protest of 4,000 people coming our way and they couldn’t guarantee our safety. So I just wanted to stress how—

The member for Carleton is asking to do a point of order.

I recognize the member for Carleton.

Monsieur le Président, ça me fait grand plaisir d’accueillir la famille de notre capitaine des pages, Danté, de la merveilleuse circonscription de Davenport : sa mère, Nyllia Cocito Zanabria; son père, Francis Cronier-Thériault; et sa grand-mère Claire Cronier. Bienvenue dans votre Assemblée législative.

Speaker, the people of this province are concerned about being able to pay their bills or find a family doctor. To the Premier: When will this government clean up this mess of their own creation so they can start to help people who are struggling right now?

To the Premier: Is he concerned about what the greenbelt documents will reveal to the RCMP special prosecutor?

Final supplementary?

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Speaker, through you to the Premier: Last year, I asked the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing about a minister’s zoning order issued in Oro-Medonte for a medical innovation park. The innovation park was never built. Instead, the owners attempted to sell the land, unchanged, for about 10 times what they paid for it before getting the MZO. The former minister said he would revoke the order, but he never did.

Why is the Premier allowing this speculator to keep the profits from an MZO for a medical innovation park that was never built?

This Premier has said they have: “The most ethical, most transparent and most accountable caucus” he’s ever seen. Well, that was before a damning Auditor General’s report that highlighted a pattern of preferential treatment and deleted emails, that was before a minister broke ethics laws twice—and let’s not forget the fact that this government is currently under an RCMP criminal investigation for its dirty deals.

Speaker, my question is for the Premier: Would the Premier like to take the opportunity to correct the record?

Interjections.

Speaker, this question is for the Premier. The NDP has found that the Premier has issued as many fast-track minister’s zoning orders benefiting just the guests alone at the Ford family wedding reception as the previous government issued during its entire 15 years in power—18 MZOs.

Speaker, my question is for the Premier: Why is the Premier’s government handing out MZOs to his friends like party favours?

To the Premier: Did Mr. Rehmatullah get these MZOs because he is the Premier’s friend?

To the Premier: Did the government give preferential treatment to the Cortellucci family, Mr. Nigro or any of the other guests at the reception?

As we’ve said the entire time, we will assist the RCMP in its work, but that’s not going to stop us from doing what we set out to do: That is ensuring that we build more homes across the province of Ontario.

Look, we’re encouraging and inviting over a million people to come to Ontario each and every year. That is a million people who will help build our economy, who will help build our province to make it a bigger, better, stronger Ontario, but, at the same time, we have to worry and help those who want the dream of home ownership.

I was just out on Sunday, I came across a young Ontarian who has done everything right: Christina. She said the same thing: “I’ve done everything right. I had a 20% down payment, but the increase in interest rates is hurting me. It’s hurting my family. You have to do something about it.” We’re doing something about it. We’re reducing taxes for all the people in the province of Ontario. The Premier has shown leadership with encouraging the Bank of Canada to stop its rapid rate increase. We’re going to continue to do everything we can to support Ontarians and the economy.

It is no secret that we inherited a government and a province that was really hurting. We were the most indebted jurisdiction. We were the highest-taxed jurisdiction. We were the most over-regulated jurisdiction in Canada. We had out of control hydro rates. People had to choose between heating or eating. Companies were fleeing Ontario. Investment was fleeing Ontario. All of that changed in 2018 when Ontarians elected a strong Progressive Conservative majority.

What have we done? We’ve put in the environment to create 700,000 jobs. We’ve reduced taxes, eliminated useless red tape. We’ve cut the cost of doing business in Ontario by $8 billion while at the same time, cutting taxes for the lowest-income Ontarians and building, with the largest investment in transit and transportation in the history of the province. We’re getting the job done for the people of the province of Ontario and we will not stop.

I can tell you, as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, I will not stop on that mission to ensure that we can meet our goal of building 1.5 million homes, because they may want the next generation to live in their parents’ basement, we want the next generation to have all of the same advantages that we have had: The dream of home ownership to become a reality, and we will not let obstacles stand in the way.

In her own question, she highlights just how bad the previous Liberal and NDP coalition government was. They got nothing done for the people of Ontario. We’re doing just the opposite. We’re getting it done.

Now, the member opposite might be opposed to that, but in my community, we are very much in support of that. Do you know why, Mr. Speaker? Because more purpose-built rentals and more seniors-focused housing means more homes available for the next generation who want to get out of their parents’ basement and into the community. That’s why we’re doing MZOs.

The member is opposed to that. I am not; this Premier is not; this Conservative caucus is not. We’ll get the job done for the people of the province of Ontario. We’re in a crisis, and we will ensure that we meet the goal of 1.5 million homes.

But when we’re talking about building homes, what you see is that municipalities, towns, are asking us to bring these MZOs. There is a favourable motion from their council because they want the exact same thing: They want to build homes for people. This Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and this Premier are bringing billions of dollars of investments to communities across the province, and they need housing. When long-term-care homes are built with four hours of care, that means more nurses, more PSWs. They need to have a place to live. We’re building that in different communities, and we’re going to continue to get the job done.

We have so much to untangle, left behind by the previous Liberal and NDP administration, but we’re on the right path: 700,000 jobs, 700,000 people who have the dignity of a job who had lost the dream of that under the Liberals and NDP, who were moving to every other part of this country because they didn’t see Ontario as a place to live, work, invest or raise a family. That all changed in 2018. We’re on the right path, and we will not be distracted by the opposition.

I want to thank the member from Brantford–Brant. You’re doing a great job out there. I hear it when the calls are coming in.

The carbon tax—and I’ve said it from day one—is the worst tax you could ever put on the backs of people, on the backs of businesses. It’s making us uncompetitive around the world. It is a tax imposed by a bunch of elites and extremists on one side of the aisle that hurts working families across our province. When I heard what the Parliamentary Budget Officer said, I couldn’t believe it. Ontario families will be out nearly $2,000 a year once 2030 comes around because of the carbon tax. It’s unbelievable: $2,000. And by the way, that’s after-tax dollars, Mr. Speaker. This is wrong. It’s not fair to the people. The carbon tax is making life more expensive every single day in every part of our province—

Now it appears that the NDP and the Liberals are trying to confuse Ontarians about their record when it comes to their support of the carbon tax. The Liberals now seem to be uncertain about where they stand. We saw just last week that the Liberal member from Orléans voted in favour of our motion to remove the carbon tax on groceries—thank you, my friend; I appreciate it—while the rest of the six members that they have voted for it. Even the NDP members voted this one time against the carbon tax and they have the carbon tax king sitting over in the corner that has voted for the highest carbon tax—

My question is to the Premier. I introduced a motion last week to recognize Indigenous determinants of health across ministries. Speaker, the health care system in Ontario does not work for Indigenous people. Not doing enough to improve that makes this government part of the problem.

The chiefs of the Sioux Lookout area declared a public health emergency and social crisis related to mental health and addictions. Will this government support the motion to improve Indigenous health outcomes in Ontario? Yes or no?

Interjections.

Whatever this government thinks they’re doing isn’t happening fast enough. Will this government support my motion to recognize colonialism in being an Indigenous determinant of health? Yes or no?

Interjections.

The supplementary question.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

And the supplementary question.

The next question.

The Minister of Northern Development and Indigenous affairs.

To reply, the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

My heart goes out as well to the young lady, to the family and to the entire community with respect to the grave loss that occurred on Sunday.

Mr. Speaker, we know that there are gaps in care that are faced by Indigenous communities and those in the north, and we have been and will continue making investments to ensure that these gaps are filled. In August I was in Sioux Lookout to announce the opening of new safe, sober and withdrawal-management supportive treatment beds with an investment of over $4 million.

In addition to that, annually, we’re investing $40 million in Indigenous care organizations and are building productive working relationships to ensure that Indigenous communities throughout the province have access to culturally appropriate mental health and addiction supports.

We know that more needs to be done, Mr. Speaker, and we are working to ensure, through the different investments that are being made, that the care that is culturally safe and appropriate is being provided to all communities in the province.

I want to acknowledge the unfortunate passing—the suicide—of a young lady, Elaina Cecilia Nancy Beardy, who committed suicide in Sioux Lookout on Sunday evening. She’s from Kingfisher Lake, the member from Kiiwetinoong’s home, and has family in Sachigo Lake. Her grandfather, Titus Tait, is a friend of mine. We grieve with the communities. I just wanted to acknowledge that first and foremost.

With respect to the private member’s bill, there is a good way of working through the Legislature with respect to those private members’ bills. When you want to put a report on the table for us to consider and debate, maybe put it out a little bit sooner than one day before the motion is tabled.

If you’re a friend of the Premier, this government will hand out MZOs like candy, but if you’re building affordable housing, this government makes you wait. Years ago, the city of Toronto requested MZOs to fast-track several affordable housing projects. Unlike many of the MZOs this government gives out to its friends, there was public consultation, a staff recommendation and council approval. The government approved all the city’s MZO requests except one, an affordable housing building at 175 Cummer in Willowdale. It remains in limbo to this day.

Speaker, will the Premier tell us, did the government single out that affordable housing project for delay because it was opposed by the PC donor who is building luxury homes across the street? Yes or no?

Interjections.

So let me get this straight, colleagues. Let me just get this straight, because they are flipping and flopping all over the place, the NDP, right? Now he wants me to do an MZO, but he’s against the hundreds of social housing that Toronto did get and is building and has completed because of an MZO in their own communities, in some of their own backyards.

What is it? Do you want an MZO, or do you not want an MZO? This is the dilemma of the NDP. One day they want a carbon tax; the next day they don’t. But hallelujah, last Thursday, they voted with us to repeal the carbon tax. So we’re making progress; we’re making progress. But let me tell the member opposite, I’m encouraged by the fact that despite what his leader has said, he is in favour of doing MZOs to build the communities faster. The division within that party continues, but he can count on us to get the job done.