I’m rising this morning to pay great thanks to Dr. Danielle Brown-Shreves, who is a family physician in our community who has just been recognized by the Ontario College of Family Physicians as being a regional family physician of the year. She just won a Dr. Reg L. Perkin Ontario Family Physician of the Year award from her colleagues, and let me tell you why, according to her colleagues.

Dr. Brown-Shreves leads the only Black-led team-based family physician clinic in our city. Dr. Brown-Shreves opens up “wellness day” opportunities for people in our city who do not have health coverage because of their citizenship status. Dr. Brown-Shreves spends her own time meeting directly with settlement agencies in our city, above and beyond what we would expect health practitioners in our province to do.

That’s what leadership looks like to me, Speaker. That’s why I want to thank Dr. Brown-Shreves and her team from the bottom of my heart for all you do to keep our city healthy. Our city is living in a context where at least 150,000 do not have attachment to a nurse practitioner or to a family doctor. This government has only allocated $30 million in the next two years—that’s two bucks per Ontarian—to expand primary health care. They should sit down with Dr. Brown-Shreves, they should sit down with the Restore clinic and they should listen to other initiatives from Ottawa Centre I’ll be talking about in this House in the next two weeks to put us back on track.

Dr. Brown-Shreves, thank you for your service.

Giving Tuesday was earlier this week—the world’s largest generosity movement. It was created in 2013 in Canada with a simple goal of encouraging people to do good in their own communities. Giving Tuesday has spread to over 90 countries, including thousands of non-profit organizations participating in whatever ways they can.

Many organizations in my riding of Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston participated this year, highlighting their missions, asking for donations and gaining new supporters, organizations like the Perth and Smith Falls District Hospital Foundation, who are seeking donations to their MRI campaign. Lanark County Interval House is requesting donations to its Christmas holiday program, as well as becoming a volunteer. The Lanark County Community Justice program is appealing for socks, mitts or gloves, which will be donated to someone in need, and Southern Frontenac Community Services celebrated Giving Tuesday by acknowledging their wonderful volunteers and thanking the public for rallying behind its mission to work with others to provide health and social services.

I would also like to congratulate the Perth Lions Club. I had the pleasure of attending their 70th anniversary celebration last weekend—70 years of service and giving back to its community.

Let’s all think about how we can lend a hand to one favourite non-profit, not only on Giving Tuesday but throughout the year.

I am honoured this morning to announce that Well Grounded Real Estate’s dedication has elevated them as leaders in purpose-built housing, where from being a finalist in the North American division, they are now winners of the 2023 Holcim gold award in the global competition for excellence in sustainable architecture and design in Venice, Italy. It gives me great pride to report that this project is taking place in my riding of Scarborough Centre at 1925 Victoria Park.

This purpose-built is a mid-market rental building that fulfills a critical void in the marketplace, representing a scalable strategy for solving Ontario’s housing crisis, which our government, under the leadership of the Premier, is tirelessly working to solve.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Jonathan and Gabriel Diamond, both vice­presidents of Well Grounded Real Estate, for taking us to the world stage. Welcome to your House. Your accomplishments not only bring pride to yourselves, but to all Scarborough Centre residents, all Ontarians and all Canadians.

Thank you and congratulations for your success, but also for elevating Scarborough Centre on the world stage.

I stand today to honour firefighters like Captain Sean Coles, who served as a firefighter for 24 years—nearly half his life. He was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer and is not expected to see Christmas. He is the father of two kids, and after his diagnosis, Sean not only had to fight cancer, but also fight to ensure his family was supported, because even though he had dedicated 24 years of service, he was one year short of qualifying for benefits for his family.

The blue bracelet I am wearing was created to raise funds for Captain Coles’s family, who would have been left without their father and unsupported. Thankfully, just last month, the latency period for esophageal cancer, the mandatory period of service before qualifying for financial supports, was reduced from 25 years to 15 years.

Sean has the relief of knowing his family will be financially supported. As well, his name will be added to a memorial, showing he gave his life for something bigger than himself.

But more needs to be done. The risk of kidney and skin cancer is also incredibly high, and their latency period must be lowered. The restrictions for eligibility for colorectal cancer must be changed. It makes no sense that once a firefighter reaches 61, they’re ineligible for supports, even though they can serve on a truck until 65.

Firefighters die of cancer at two to four times the rate of the general population. They are at the highest possible occupational risk for cancer. We must step up for firefighters the way they step up for us.

I was pleased to join members of the Lebanese community and my colleague from Ottawa–Vanier yesterday to raise the Lebanese flag in recognition of Lebanese Independence Day. On November 22, 1943, Lebanon was declared a sovereign nation, following 23 years of mandate rule.

November is Lebanese Heritage Month here in Ontario. It recognizes the many contributions of the Lebanese community across our province. I was proud to introduce Bill 60 here in the Legislature, the Lebanese Heritage Month Act, and I would like to thank the member from Nepean and the member from London West for helping to pass that into law in 2017.

In my riding of Ottawa South, we have a very strong, deeply rooted Lebanese community. Every year, there are wonderful celebrations in our riding, celebrations of Lebanese culture, such as the annual St. Elias festival. It’s one of the biggest festivals in Ottawa. Actually, one of my friends, Michael Qaqish, met his now-wife there at the Lebanese festival. I always like to say about the festivals that they combine the five Fs, which are faith, family, food, friends and fun. If you’re ever in Ottawa in the middle of July, please come.

Lebanese Heritage Month is an opportunity for Lebanese Canadians to celebrate their culture and traditions. It’s also a great opportunity to recognize and educate future generations about the great contributions the Lebanese community has made to our community, to our province, to our country and to the world—contributions made to, but not limited to, law, science, politics, business and culture.

Happy Lebanese Heritage Month.

It’s an honour today to speak in front of the House. I would like to speak about the people in my riding of Cambridge who are truly fortunate to be cared for by countless organizations dedicated to making their lives better.

Among those organizations is the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre on Coronation Boulevard, which provides quality health care and services to Indigenous peoples. With six locations in southwestern Ontario, the organization recently marked its 25th year of caring for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, from Windsor to Waterloo-Wellington and north to Owen Sound. In that time they have provided care to more than 35,000 people. A highlight of the 25th anniversary was a grand opening of the location on Dundas Street in London, Ontario. However, celebrations will continue in the next couple of months.

The Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Centre was founded in response to epidemic, systemic health disparities and things that were not equal within the Indigenous population of Ontario. Its mission is to empower Indigenous families and individuals to live in a balanced state of well-being by sharing and promoting holistic health practices. The centre provides innovative, Indigenous-informed care through a combination of health and social services.

This past summer, myself and MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy were honoured to attend the grand opening ceremonies at the Cambridge location, where we were treated to the traditional sights and sounds of Indigenous culture. We were privileged to have a meal with the centre, and they served buffalo meat, which my EA Grace Camara had never tried before. Now she is a lover of that meat.

I would like to welcome to the people’s House, from Brantford’s North Park Collegiate Student Anti-Racism Coalition, Bhumi Shah, Alicia Melick, Lily Song, and Cordelia Simmons. Welcome to the people’s House.

Thank you to the member for the question. Funny that she’s speaking about the business case but yesterday she was calling it a “shell game” and a “scam.” There is no scam here. We made the business case public, and the numbers are very clear that we would be saving $257 million over a 50-year period and up to $600 million in tomorrow’s dollars over a 50-year period.

Now, I know what the Leader of the Opposition is doing. She doesn’t want children to have a science centre for the next 50 years. That is what she is saying, because she’s not thinking about the long-term sustainability of that facility.

Mr. Speaker, the evidence was clear yesterday. I was super happy to share it with the public. And I’m sorry, but they have nothing to say.

But let’s talk about the size of the science centre: 18% of the size of the science centre is actually used for exhibits today. The new facility, although smaller in size, more energy-efficient, would actually be more sustainable and will have 10,000 more square feet of exhibition space for the children to enjoy.

Interjections.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce four wonderful people that I met with this morning, as well as their cohorts: Jazzlyn Abbott from McMaster University; Alyssa Hall, from BUSU, Brock University—woo hoo!—and Carleigh Charlton, BUSU, Brock University; and Victoria Mills, Queen’s University.

Welcome to your House. It was a pleasure meeting you.

Once again I’d like to welcome Michau van Speyk from the Ontario Autism Coalition. Welcome back to Queen’s Park, Michau.

I’d like to welcome again both Jonathan and Gabriel from Well Grounded Real Estate to the House today. Welcome to your House.

I’m delighted to introduce, Dr. T. Varatharajah, subject of the biography Untold Truth of Tamil Genocide, and the author, Raji Patterson.

In the last stages of the war in Sri Lanka, in 2009, Dr. Varatharajah continued to show compassion and humanity by upholding his Hippocratic oath in unimaginable conditions, even as tens of thousands of people were killed around him.

I encourage all the members to come to boardroom 432 after question period to hear his incredible story.

Welcome to the Legislature of Ontario, Dr. Varatharajah.

I’m proud to introduce and welcome Vivian Chiem, Julian Mollot-Hill, Angelique Dack and Zarreen Brown from the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. Thank you very much for a productive and interesting meeting this morning.

This year, at their 2023 Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award ceremony, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce paid tribute to Al Taylor.

In 1959, on his 20th birthday, Al founded Taylor Moving and Storage. In the 63 years since the company’s founding, Al Taylor estimates his company has moved more than half a million people. That’s more than the number of people who currently live in Hamilton.

Today, Taylor Moving and Storage employs more than 120 people, including Al’s sons and grandson. From the very start, Al knew the importance of keeping his business in the community. His story, rooted in hard work and determination, mirrors the very soul of entrepreneurship. From sweeping floors at 14 to driving trucks at 16, Al’s early days provided a hands-on education in the school of hard work. He hustled, built relationships based on integrity and trust, laying the foundation for an extraordinary legacy.

Al’s story embodies the Canadian spirit of entrepreneurship and community building. The Taylor legacy continues through Al’s sons, Richard and Russell Taylor, who purchased the company in 2002.

I would like to congratulate Al Taylor for his years of service to the Burlington community.

I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 9(h), the Clerk has received written notice from the government House leader indicating that a temporary change in the weekly meeting schedule of the House is required, and therefore the House shall commence at 9 a.m. on Monday, December 4, 2023, for the proceeding of orders of the day.

It is now time for oral questions.

The final supplementary.

Good morning, Speaker. Yesterday, the government finally released its business case for relocating the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place, finally, after they tried to hide it for so long. It showed that the cost of building a new science centre at Ontario Place would be double the cost of repairing the existing science centre. All the so-called savings come from the lower cost of operating a half-sized science centre over 50 years.

So, my question is for the Premier. Why would this Premier force the people of Ontario to pay twice as much for a science centre that’s half the size?

Let’s talk about kids. Let’s talk about children. Schools from across the province visit the science centre. Kids and families learn about science and the world around us. The government is slicing it in half and reducing its capacity, planning to fire science centre staff—that’s how they’re going to find savings—and making it harder for kids to actually go there.

Back to the Premier: At a time when we need people to go into the sciences, why is this government making it even harder?

I would like to welcome Jordan Vecchio, who is from my constituency office, here, and Andrew Green, who used to work in this building for the former member from Don Valley East.

I would especially like to welcome my long-suffering wife, Linda. She is here today.

Interjections.

Speaker, I’ll tell you, the legacy of disrepair is on this government and the previous government.

But I will give them some advice for free here: They can save $650 million right now by cancelling the public subsidy for their luxury spa. How about that?

The Ontario Science Centre is a crucial cultural and educational hub as well as an employer for people in East York, including in the Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods. Instead of making the necessary repairs, the Premier wants to spend twice as much to build a new science centre that’s half the size and located an hour farther away for anybody who doesn’t already live in downtown Toronto.

So, to the Premier: Why won’t the Premier listen to the people of Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park and many other communities served by the science centre and keep it where it is?

To the Premier: Why is this luxury spa so important to him that he is rewriting the laws of the province of Ontario to make it happen?

Interjections.

Speaker, to the Premier: What does it tell Ontarians about this government’s secret 95-year-long deal that they have to rewrite the laws to protect themselves?

Here’s another thing that Bill 154 does: It would give another minister, the Minister of Infrastructure, the power to issue MZOs. I asked the Premier yesterday why he would do this, and he answered, “Why wouldn’t we?” Well, I’ll tell you why they shouldn’t. They’re under a criminal investigation already by the RCMP and the Auditor General for abusing MZOs to benefit their insider friends.

To the Premier: Is this government expanding MZO powers to make it easier to grease the wheels for more of their insiders?

You know who our insiders are, Mr. Speaker? Olivia Chow, the most powerful NDP leader in the province of Ontario. That’s who our insiders are, all right? That’s who our insiders are. This is a caucus that is going to vote against somebody who sat in their caucus, an NDP leader, mayor of the city of Toronto.

You know what this deal does? The deal ensures that there is housing in the city of Toronto. The deal, supported by the mayor of Toronto, brings back Ontario Place. Yes, it saves the science centre. Yes, Mr. Speaker, but it also provides transit and transportation for the city of Toronto. That is why the city of Toronto, led by Mayor Olivia Chow, are supporting this deal. She was in this place, not two days ago, touting the importance of this deal. The only one who is against this deal is the NDP Leader of the Opposition. And why is she against it? Because they are against everything. There is nothing that they want. This is a radical NDP, a weakened NDP leader—she should take the advice of the mayor of the city of Toronto and support this deal for the people of Toronto.

Interjections.

How can you, in one breath, say, “We want you to do more of what you’re just doing in Toronto,” but in the other breath, lead question period with, “We don’t like the deal; we’re voting against it”? The member for. St. Paul’s, in her member’s statement, said she would be voting against the very same bill that the mayor of the city of Toronto is in favour of—

Interjections.

To hear the NDP stand in their place now and ask us to continue doing the job we’ve been doing for five years—and they have voted against it every single time. We’re bringing back roads; we’re building roads. We’re making them safer. That member votes against it. His own caucus has just said they are going to vote against the bill, a bill that we are bringing forward to improve transit and transportation in the city of Toronto, to create thousands of jobs for the people of Toronto.

I tell you what we will do: We will continue to reach out to our municipal partners. We’ll continue to make those investments to improve roads not only in southern Ontario but in northern Ontario, bring back the Northlander, expand Highway 401, make our roads safer, improved bridges, and bring jobs, hope and opportunity back to what you called a “wasteland” with the support of the Liberals.