I thank my colleagues from Ottawa Centre as well as St. Catharines for their question and for bringing this important point and question to the Minister of Transportation.

I want to thank the Minister of Transportation for meeting with me earlier to hear my suggestion on this.

To the member for St. Catharines, as the Premier said, I want to thank you very much, to you and Jonathan. Please convey our gratitude for the service that he’s providing to us.

Mr. Speaker, every man and woman in uniform to date, past and present, has sacrificed and continues to sacrifice for us. We will not forget them, which is why we expanded the Soldiers’ Aid Commission by 600% to put $1.55 million to include, past and present, those who served and continue to serve our country, which is why we removed the property tax for all Legion halls. Those who have served us, under the leadership of Premier Ford and our government will not be forgotten, and we will continue to have their back today and in the future.

The carbon tax raises the price of everything. I simply cannot understand why the opposition would support such a regressive carbon tax that makes building anything so much more expensive. It causes prices to rise across the board, which puts a heavy burden on our businesses. Because of the carbon tax, businesses are left with a tough choice: either absorb the extra costs themselves or pass them on to their customers.

While the independent Liberals and the opposition NDP have no problem with a regressive carbon tax, it is not fair or right that Ontario families, workers and seniors are being punished.

Can the minister please explain what impact the carbon tax has on our economy and our businesses?

In the member’s own question, she talks about how we have in fact made an investment. We have asked for expression of interest. We have had literally hundreds of applications come in. We are making those assessments. So, on one hand, she acknowledges that through our Your Health plan we’ve made an investment and a commitment to expand primary care across Ontario. Yet now she is suggesting that we are not doing that. Which is it? Because we’ve made the investment. We are assessing those applications as we speak—as I said, the largest expansion in multidisciplinary primary care teams in the province’s history. We’re doing that work.

Were you there? Were you supporting it when we put that in our Your Health plan in the budget? The short answer is no.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy.

The carbon tax is hurting our farmers, hurting our families and hurting our businesses. Unlike the independent Liberal members and opposition NDP, our government has always known that the carbon tax drives up energy prices across the province. That is why it is unfair that the federal government is choosing to exempt certain parts of the country from the carbon tax, while punishing others. During this time of economic uncertainty, Ontarians deserve respect and fairness when it comes to affordability.

Speaker, can the minister please explain why the federal government is only taking action to help a small number of Canadians regarding the carbon tax exemption and ignoring Ontario?

The carbon tax makes life more expensive for everyone in every part of Ontario, especially in the north. Speaker, through you: Can the minister please share his views on how devastating this regressive tax is for the people of Ontario?

The supplementary question.

The expression of interest came in mid-June. We are making those assessments with literally hundreds of applications. A member who is representing a party that, for 15 years, did nothing to expand primary care in the province of Ontario and, in fact, Speaker, actually cut the number of residency positions that were available for new docs and new physicians who were wanting to practise and train in the province of Ontario—I will take no lessons from that member on how to improve health care in the province of Ontario.

Speaker, to the member from Carleton: It’s pretty obvious the federal Liberals have looked at the polls and they didn’t like what they saw, and that’s why they acted. After years of saying that it would return more in benefit to those across the country, they’re now realizing that that’s simply not the case; that the carbon tax is driving up the price of everything, as the member mentioned.

But to exclude only home-heating oil, which affects a vast majority of residents in Atlantic Canada and only 2.5% of those who use home-heating fuel in Ontario, while ignoring the 70% who use natural gas or propane, is just unforgivable. It’s an open admission, first of all, that the federal government wasn’t telling us the whole cold truth for years.

And for all those years, our government’s been standing up, time and time again, fighting the federal carbon tax all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. We’ve been making life more affordable for the people of Ontario by driving down heating costs, by driving down the price of gasoline, by making electricity more affordable. When will the opposition parties stand with us?

We’re not done fighting for the people of Ontario. The good member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston is going to be presenting a motion a little bit later on this month to give the opposition parties another chance to stand up for the people of Ontario. He’s bringing forward a motion to eliminate the carbon tax on fuels and inputs for home heating for people across Ontario. I want to know—they’ve got time to think about it: Will they be supporting the member of the PC caucus’s motion to eliminate the federal carbon tax?

Drivers are travelling across the entire province without seeing a single inspection station that is open. While MTO and OPP blitzes have led to charges being laid, drivers need to be stopped earlier and more frequently. The lack of proper training and lax enforcement of truck safety is resulting in horrific crashes and constant highway closures.

We know there is a new super-station opening up on Highway 11/17 in Shuniah, but on other major routes, inspection stations remain closed, as they have been for years.

Will the government finally commit to staffing inspection stations across the province so that the highest possible standard of safety is enforced on our highways?

Safety in the transport industry and across all of our roads is the utmost priority for this government. That is why, when it comes to commercial licensing, we have some of the most robust processes and licensing and training in the entire country and, in fact, across North America. It includes a minimum of 103 hours of instruction and covers a variety of issues, from entry-level knowledge skills to those practical skills needed to operate large trucks on Ontario’s roads.

Our MTO enforcement officers run across this province ensuring that our roads remain safe, and I appreciate all the work that they do, day in and day out, supporting the safety of our highway and transportation networks across this province.

We will continue to ensure that we work together with all members of this House to improve safety on our roads.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. As a small business owner herself, the minister knows personally that starting and operating a business takes immense effort. Entrepreneurs are constantly balancing costs, and any additional burden can have a massive impact.

Sadly, the businesses in my riding are telling me that they are facing unprecedented economic challenges due to the carbon tax and high interest rates. While the independent Liberals and opposition NDP are willing to support this regressive carbon tax, our government believes that penalizing businesses in this way is unacceptable.

Can the minister please explain why the negative effects of the carbon tax on small businesses in Ontario are having such a negative impact on the people?

Thank you to the great member from Thornhill for the great work and advocacy she does for Ontario’s constituents and job creators.

Speaker, small businesses are the heart of our province, sending vital goods and performing essential services throughout all of our neighbourhoods. That’s why our government is steadfastly opposed to the federal carbon tax, a policy that disproportionately hurts small businesses and the families that they feed and support. Whether it’s a mom-and-pop shop struggling with higher fuel delivery costs or a manufacturer seeing production expenses rise, this carbon tax amounts to an unfair penalty on Ontario’s job creators.

The NDP and Liberals talk about affordability, but time and time again, they side with a carbon tax proven to damage our economy, eliminate jobs and weaken communities right across Ontario. If they truly stood with entrepreneurs, they would join us in calling on the Prime Minister to remove this job-killing tax.

My question is for the member for Bay of Quinte, also the Minister of Energy. We’ve spent much of this week talking about how the carbon tax is raising the cost of everything. In fact, my father, who lives in the Bay of Quinte riding, called me and said that he has heard that the Bank of Canada and the federal government have now acknowledged what we’ve been saying for years: The carbon tax is harmful to the people of Ontario.

In response to my father: That’s what our government has been working diligently to find practical solutions for, to make Ontario’s electric grid not just more affordable, but also cleaner and more reliable.

Speaker, can the minister please share information so that my father knows about what actions our government is taking to reduce energy and reduce costs for everyone in Ontario?

Our government knows that making life more affordable needs to be a top priority, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t also reduce emissions at the same time. These initiatives prove that it’s possible to oppose a carbon tax while continuing to fight climate change. Taking money out of your pocket doesn’t fight climate change.

Ontario deserves both a healthy environment and a healthy economy. Speaker, can the minister please speak to the benefits of implementing energy solutions that help reduce costs for Ontario taxpayers?

Supplementary question?

Thank you again to the member for the question. I know first-hand the sacrifices entrepreneurs make and the challenges that they face each and every day. That is why I was proud to see the Premier and the Minister of Finance stand up for both businesses and consumers by extending the gas tax cut until June 2024.

For small businesses and families, every dollar counts. By keeping an extra $260 in people’s pockets, this tax cut will allow residents greater ability to support local small businesses, whether buying goods or supporting a local restaurant. For businesses themselves, cheaper fuel means lower transportation expenses, allowing them to save elsewhere, whether it’s delivering products to stores and customers, commuting employees or other necessities.

Speaker, small businesses, including businesses in all of their ridings, shouldn’t be paying Ottawa more just to get less. We call on the NDP and Liberals to join us and tell their federal counterparts that hard-working Ontarians desperately need more money now in their pockets. Axe the tax now.

My question is to the Premier. Residents of Flamborough–Glanbrook are calling on the government to shut down the Stoney Creek dump. The industrial dump has wreaked havoc on their neighbourhood. The lingering stink has caused health issues, ruined outdoor play and forced residents to keep their windows closed.

A local mom wants the Premier to know her kids cannot play outside because the putrid smell is so awful, and now, a plan for a much-needed elementary school is paused. Residents have had enough. They feel they’ve been misled by developers while purchasing million-dollar homes. GFL is a lucrative business who have moved their own business offices off-site.

When will the Premier look out for this thriving community and shut down the dump?

Certainly, I share the concern of those families, and my heart does go out to them. I know they haven’t been able to have a summer like many other families have had because of this issue. As soon as I learned about the issue from the member for Flamborough–Glanbrook—she has had huge leadership on this front. We’ve been talking to GFL almost every day on this issue, talking with officials on the ground to take action to ensure that this issue is resolved.

And I will say that the Premier very much has his attention on this file as well. I’ve spoken to the mayor of Hamilton. Let’s be clear, Speaker, we want to get to the bottom of this issue and ensure that we’re taking every action necessary. An order has been issued for this landfill to take serious action, to take swift action to resolve the matter. I’m happy to share a copy of the order with the member opposite.

We take it very seriously, and I do have a copy of the order in front of me right here, where we have taken serious action. We’ll take whatever is necessary to get the issue resolved for these residents, who do deserve a resolution. I’ve been working with the mayor, who’s very up to speed with what we’re trying to do to ensure that this action is taken, so that residents can get back to their day-to-day lives. I will be passing on a copy of this order with a page to the members opposite.

All right, so this one is for Ron this morning, down in Prince Edward county. Listen, I’m pleased to talk about all of the initiatives that our government has undertaken, not only to make life more affordable, but also to drive down emissions across our province. You don’t have to do what the Liberals did and are doing, in making life more affordable, to drive down emissions.

We’ve introduced the Clean Home Heating Initiative, which makes hybrid heat pumps available to natural gas customers in various locations across the province, something we think the federal Liberals should support us on as well. We’ve introduced the ultra-low overnight rate for those who have and are considering buying an electric vehicle, so they can charge at off-peak times in the overnight period, saving themselves money. We’ve introduced the Green Button standard right across the province at local distribution companies, giving customers the opportunity to reduce their bills, by having the data they need, by up to 18%.

What else have we done? We’ve reduced the electricity rate through the Ontario Electricity Rebate for customers, between 15% and 17%, and of course taken 10 cents off a litre at the gas pumps, too—

Interjection.

The Ministry of the Environment approved the expansion of the landfill in 2019, against the wishes of the community and the city, who voted against the expansion. At that time, the ministry said that the environmental impacts would be appropriately managed; quite obviously, this dump is not being properly managed.

Now the ministry says the foul odour residents are experiencing is unacceptable. They’ve received over 900 complaints in six months. The city is exasperated and has called for a veto on any future expansions. One area councillor said, “If the landfill odours can’t be contained, the dump must be closed.” That’s what the residents are asking for.

Premier, why do the profits of a private conglomerate like GFL matter more than the health and well-being of Stoney Creek residents?

Thank you to the minister for being such a progressive advocate for the small businesses and entrepreneurs in Ontario.

This regressive carbon tax hurts the very people that any government should be helping. The carbon tax hurts the farmers who grow the food, the truckers who move the food, the restaurants who serve the food and the consumers who buy the food. Even worse, it is Ontario entrepreneurs and our small businesses that are forced to shoulder increased costs because of this regressive tax and rising interest rates.

At a time when concern for economic security and cost of living is so high, the last thing Ontarians need is higher taxes. Speaker, can the minister please explain why removing harmful taxes like the carbon tax is so vital to helping support our small businesses?