That may have been the longest five minutes in the history of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I recognize that. Had there been a single objection to us continuing, I would have moved on, but members on both sides of the House wanted to introduce their guests. I’m glad that we were able do to that. Thank you for your patience.

It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

Moving on to the next question.

Minister of Infrastructure.

The Premier.

Look at this again: The Leader of the Opposition, that’s all she can talk about. But what I want to talk about is the fact that the Ontario Science Centre business case is being made public today. What I want to talk about is the new deal, the historic deal that the Premier and the mayor of the city of Toronto had struck, providing the city with more operational funding, with more support for TTC trains and streetcars, for the homeless, for one-fare service integration, improving the quality of life for the people, the hard-working people of the city of Toronto. And Mr. Speaker I want to talk about the vision for Ontario Place which includes far more than what she obsesses over.

Mr. Speaker, we are bringing Ontario Place back to life because we want it to be a place that families can enjoy and the city of Toronto is supportive of bringing the science centre, building a brand new facility with 10,000 more square feet of exhibition space.

Mr. Speaker, what the Premier did over the last couple of days is make sure that the city of Toronto, the largest city in Canada, is now financially secure and has financial sustainability for years to come.

And the new deal did include the city’s support for a brand new science centre facility. The old science centre is 54 years old. We want to make sure there’s a new science centre for generations of children to enjoy.

This question is for the Premier. After five years of Conservative rule, life is more expensive then ever for ordinary people. From big cities to small towns, more and more people are depending on food banks to get by, even while they work full-time. This week, we learned that food bank use has increased by 36% in Ontario over the last year alone. That’s about 5.9 million visits. In the Niagara region alone, food bank use has increased by a staggering 56% driven mostly by people visiting for the first time.

Speaker, while people struggle under the weight of this cost-of-living crisis, why is the Premier’s top priority the construction of a luxury spa in downtown Toronto?

So, Speaker, I’d like to hear from the Premier: What is so special about this luxury spa that the government is literally changing the law to make it happen?

Rents are skyrocketing and we are nowhere near the one and a half million homes that we’re going to need. We’ve got a minister of housing who brought together stakeholders and municipalities this week only to refuse their request for help.

Speaker, it’s time for the Premier to get real. Why is he dragging his feet on building the housing that people need while fast-tracking a luxury spa that no one wants?

Let’s go through what’s really in Bill 154. The Conservatives are giving themselves unprecedented powers to bypass laws to force through this luxury spa development on behalf of a private company. This bill would also block lawsuits against the government for misrepresentations or misconduct and would block legal remedies for—and I’m going to quote here, Speaker—“misfeasance, bad faith, trust or fiduciary obligation.”

Why is the Premier giving his government the power to commit misfeasance and breach of trust with this Ontario Place scheme?

Interjections.

The appearance of abuse of power is so bad under this government that the current minister of housing is reviewing more than half of the MZO decisions made by his predecessor, and the Auditor General is investigating. And now the Conservatives are giving the Minister of Infrastructure the power to issue ministers’ zoning orders.

Back to the Premier,: When this government is already under multiple investigations for its abuse of planning authority, including a criminal investigation by the RCMP, why would the Premier give MZO powers to the Minister of Infrastructure?

Interjections.

You know, again, Mr. Speaker, the opposition, all they want to do—

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, we’re leading North American job creation, economic development. We’re leading North America when it comes to creating new opportunities for families to get a job—

Ontario is Canada’s largest life sciences sector, and we have a storied reputation around the world. Ontario is where insulin was discovered. We developed the first cardiac pacemaker right here in Ontario, and we detected the gene that cracked cystic fibrosis. That’s what the 70,000 men and women who work in life sciences do.

In the last three years, we have attracted $3 billion in new life science business. That’s because we lowered taxes and reduced red tape in Ontario. We have 1,900 firms generating $11 billion in annual exports. All of that is because we lowered the cost of doing business in Ontario by $8 billion every single year. You don’t achieve those heights by raising taxes.

Speaker, we plan to grow that 70,000 to 85,000 people and they too will care about a carbon tax. This growth only happens because we keep our taxes low.

My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Earlier this week, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing hosted a housing round table with municipalities. Municipalities told the minister very clearly that they were ready to cut red tape to get more housing built, but they needed more funding for growth-related infrastructure.

They asked the minister to allocate funding under the Building Faster Fund, based on housing permits, which they can control, rather than housing starts, which developers control. Why did the minister say no to these municipalities?

My question is back to the minister. Earlier this year, the Regional Planning Commissioners of Ontario pointed out there were hundreds of thousands of development-ready homes in Ontario that were approved for construction but remained unbuilt. No matter how fast a municipality issues a housing permit to a developer, they cannot force the developer to build.

This is my question to you, Minister: Why is this minister withholding infrastructure funding from municipalities for something they cannot control?

Interjections.

The opposition will come to order. The Premier has a right to answer these questions. You’re asking questions; he’s got the floor.

Premier?

The final supplementary?

The supplementary question.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Under the previous Liberal government that was supported by the NDP, investment was fleeing the province of Ontario. By contrast, since taking office, this government has welcomed record levels of investment from across our economy in an array of industries. Global companies in auto, advanced manufacturing and the tech sectors have been coming to Ontario to set up shop, and we’ve also seen unprecedented levels of investment from life sciences companies. Yet the opposition expects us to do nothing when the federal government continues to hike the carbon tax on Ontario businesses and workers.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is supporting investments in the life sciences sector?

But even as we do that, we continue to hear from the opposition members in this House, and they defend and they even brag about the federal carbon tax. They say how much good the federal carbon tax can do. They don’t understand that raising taxes on businesses and people hinders innovation and growth and job creation.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government and its pro-business strategy, low-cost approach is helping our life sciences sector and the Ontario economy?

Let’s dig a little deeper into this special deal that this Premier seems to be so obsessed with, because there seems to be repeated preferential treatment for Therme: no fairness monitor for procurement, no scoring criteria for bids, and a half a billion public dollars to give Therme a parking garage, even though the government told other bidders they wouldn’t pay for it. And even that wasn’t enough: Now, they’re letting Therme bypass all the environmental and heritage laws.

My question to the Premier is: Why is the Premier so determined to give preferential treatment to this one private luxury spa operator?

The challenge is that I actually did not have a round table with municipalities this week on housing. I had a housing forum that included municipalities, not-for-profits, that included home builders, that included representatives from modular building. It was a round table—it was actually a forum with 300 people from across the province of Ontario who are focused on building homes, Mr. Speaker. That was what it was all about, not just the municipal sector.

We had a lot of very productive meetings, and they were focused on one thing. They said the same thing to us: “Help us get shovels in the ground by removing red tape. Remove obstacles.” And we heard time and time and time again that the federal government has to step up to the plate and help us with infrastructure, to enable housing to be built faster across the province of Ontario. So, that is what we’re up to, Mr. Speaker.

Unfortunately—it was an open forum—the NDP did not send anybody to participate in that forum. I would have thought the critic for the NDP would have been there, maybe the Leader of the Opposition, but they didn’t show up. But that is consistent. They haven’t showed up since they’ve been in this place, Mr. Speaker.

Interjections.

Let me unpack it for the member opposite: It was a public forum. Anybody could have applied to it, but in order to do that, you’ve actually got to read the public pages, and apparently the member didn’t do that.

With respect to infrastructure, in about—I don’t know—45 minutes the member opposite is going to have the ability to vote for infrastructure for our municipalities to get shovels in the ground faster. I’m hoping that the member opposite will vote for that, Mr. Speaker. We’re bringing forward a use-it-or-lose-it policy so those developers, those home builders that don’t get shovels in the ground after doing all of the work with their municipal partners will lose that allocation.

But here’s the big thing: The member opposite could call 1-613-JAGMEET and bring down the federal government if they don’t redirect that $15 billion worth of spending to put housing-enabled infrastructure in the ground. That’s what we need, Mr. Speaker.

Remarks in Anishininiimowin. Good morning. My question is to the Premier.

Speaker, the ongoing systemic gaps in both the federally and provincially funded education systems have resulted in systemic discrimination for First Nations children. The Chiefs of Ontario launched two reports on these gaps in K-to-12 schools across Ontario. The evidence in the reports confirms the need to increase supports for First Nations learners in the provincial system. I ask: What is Ontario doing to address the inequities for First Nation learners?

I do appreciate the member opposite’s question. We are committed to the success of First Nation, Métis and Inuit students. It’s why we’ve increased funding for Indigenous education. This year is a really important year because in the Truth and Recon-ciliation Commission report, they asked the government of Ontario to close the gap to ensure every child is learning residential school history. We’ve now done that this year. We’re proud to have done so. I did it with the Minister of Indigenous Affairs.

In addition, we signed a reciprocal education agreement to allow Indigenous students on- and off-reserve in order to access the schools of their choice without having to face the red tape and often months or years of delay to get into our schools. We more than doubled the Indigenous graduation coach program. I appreciate there’s more to do, and we’re going to continue to work across the government to ensure the success of these kids—they graduate, they achieve their potential, they get good jobs—and that we’re able to remove the barriers that have held them back historically in this country.

To respond on behalf of the government, the Minister of Education.

It won’t surprise the member opposite that I’m a little bit more optimistic. I’ve worked very closely with the Minister of Education. In fact, the Chiefs of Ontario’s Moving Forward: Strengthening Relationships for Future Generations Annual Report 2022-2023 says on page 21, “There’s been important work to expand Indigenous learning opportunities throughout the Ontario school system, including more responsive curriculum and new programs as well as renewed efforts to engage families and communities.”

Now, that’s coming from the Chiefs of Ontario’s annual report, Mr. Speaker, and it’s being backed up by significant investments through the Indigenous Education Grant that serves two important functions: it supports Indigenous student achievements and well-being as well as creating new areas and new opportunities for knowledge for all classrooms and all children to learn about the important contributions of Indigenous history and Indigenous culture. The Priorities and Partnerships Fund focuses squarely on performance of Indigenous students and their well-being. Mr. Speaker, we’re closing that gap.

I certainly appreciate the member’s advocacy, but I also want to remind people of what we have already done in the province of Ontario. Already in the province of Ontario, we have access to contraceptives for anyone under the age of 25. We have it for individuals who are challenged financially, to access through the Ontario Trillium drug benefit program.

These programs are put in place and have been part of our Ontario health system because we understand that we need to ensure that there is equitable access, and we need to make sure that it is targeted in a way to protect the individuals who need it most, which is why with those two programs alone, we cover 40% of the population.

My question is to the Minister of Health.

I’ve received over a thousand stories highlighting barriers to accessing contraception. Today, I bring these voices to our debate on Ontario’s motion.

Zara, 27, has to choose between contraception and rent. Nadiya’s—also 27—unintended pregnancy forced her job resignation due to unaffordable child care.

It is about gender equity, empowerment and affordability. As BC and Manitoba show, universal contraception offers affordability, gender equity, and health cost benefits.

Will the minister commit to starting public consultations on this critical issue to improve Ontario’s health outcomes?

The member from Brantford–Brant is right. He’s also a volunteer firefighter—and I want to say thank you—as was the member for Sarnia–Lambton, and others.

What the independent Liberal members don’t seem to get—and they’re downplaying the tax; they did it, in recent days, when we spoke about the cost of policing—is that every time you fill up a fire truck, any vehicle that’s used in firefighting, you are paying the carbon tax. When you are buying equipment and other resources that you need to keep Ontario safe, you are paying the carbon tax on those costs. The Ontario firefighters are being penalized for this carbon tax on the cost of fuel, on procurement and on operations. It’s totally unacceptable. Whether it’s about public safety and policing or fire-fighting, it’s unacceptable.

Our message to the federal—

Je suis fier de soutenir nos pompiers et tous ceux qui assurent la sécurité de l’Ontario.

My question is for the Solicitor General. It’s no secret that Ontarians are fed up with the unnecessary and useless carbon tax. It is a regressive and harmful tax that hurts everyone, including the important public services that keep our communities safe and well.

While we have heard about the negative impact that the carbon tax is having on rising costs for families and businesses, it is very concerning that firefighters in communities across Ontario are also being impacted. The carbon tax is driving up fuel and gasoline costs for everyone in our province. It is not right, and it is unacceptable that response vehicles used by firefighters should be negatively impacted by this federally imposed carbon tax.

Can the Solicitor General please explain the negative effects of the carbon tax on our front-line firefighters across Ontario?

It is vital that we provide our brave and courageous fire-fighters with the tools and the resources that they need to protect our communities, instead of paying for additional fuel costs because of the carbon tax. Can the Solicitor General please elaborate on how our government supports our front-line firefighters instead of punishing them through the regressive carbon tax?

My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development. Because of the federal carbon tax, life has never been so unaffordable. Northerners are already feeling the pressure at the gas pumps, where fuel costs are significantly higher than in the rest of the province. While Ontarians are struggling because of rising costs, the independent Liberals and the opposition NDP members continue to agree that the carbon tax should nearly quadruple, raising the price of everything even higher.

The carbon tax adversely affects our businesses and negatively impacts our economy and Ontario workers. Speaker, can the minister please explain how the carbon tax negatively impacts individuals and families in northern Ontario and in Indigenous communities?

Speaker, can the minister please provide further details on the adverse effects that the carbon tax is inflicting on the residents, communities and businesses throughout the north?