I want to congratulate my colleague the member for Toronto Centre on her very thoughtful comments on Bill 157. She talked about the changes to the coroner’s inquest rules in schedule 5; she has advocated, as have I, for the government to implement the findings of the Renfrew county coroner’s inquest on the murders of Carol Culleton, Nathalie Warmerdam and Anastasia Kuzyk several years ago.

So my question is, do the changes that are included in this bill require the government to implement any recommendations that may come out of a coroner’s inquest? Because we have certainly seen the government refuse to implement the number one recommendation out of the Renfrew inquest, which is to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.

Good morning, everyone. Today, I want to congratulate a local Sault Ste. Marie business on their 20th anniversary. Loplops Gallery-Lounge is a fixture of downtown Sault Ste. Marie and our local music scene.

Owners Stephen Alexander and Jennifer Bellerose have seen ups and downs during the last several years with our economy, especially the last few years when COVID was happening. Over the last 20 years they’ve really been able to see a bit of it all, but they’ve remained strong through adapting their business model with the changing of the times.

It is great to see the fun holiday-themed event, the 12 Musicians of Christmas, is back after a five-year hiatus, and I just want to offer my congratulations to both Steve and Jenn on the very many great memories that we’ve had at Loplops over the years. I’m looking forward to another 20 years ahead.

Next question?

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Good morning. I want to thank the member for her contributions this morning.

One of the things that I like to emphasize is positive moves within time, and this bill has made changes under the Victims’ Bill of Rights, expanding the list of crimes where victims are presumed to have suffered emotional distress. Right now, under this section, that only includes assault by a spouse, sexual assault and attempted sexual assault. This is now proposed to be expanded to include human trafficking and certain sexual offences, including those committed against a minor.

My question to the member is, does the member opposite think that these modifications are a positive move?

Thank you very much to the member for that significant question. No, there is absolutely nothing in this bill that speaks to the recommendations that came from the Renfrew inquest. Not only is recommendation 1 from the inquest free of monetary obligations, declaring IPV an epidemic allows us to address it with the same type of urgency. But I would draw the government’s attention to recommendation number 4 in the Renfrew inquest, which is to create an implementation framework to make sure that everything in that inquest report can be implemented as quickly as possible. That can go into Bill 157; it would strengthen the access to justice bill.

I did say in my remarks that it is positive. There is some merit, but it doesn’t address the core issues that we have that are failing the justice system. By ensuring that there is not a requirement to meet the emotional duress, including those three categories, what it doesn’t do is actually remove the cost or additional charge in time that a victim of crime would have to go back to court for and have the resources to sue through another civil court system in order for them to access justice. That is why that section falls too short.

Colleagues, the traffic in Brampton is out of control. Our population has doubled in the last 20 years; our transit, road and highway infrastructure has not.

Highways are a provincial responsibility, and Brampton residents had to watch as the previous Liberal government studied, delayed and ultimately cancelled Brampton’s bypass highway, Highway 413. When our party made the 413 a key platform item in the 2022 election, Brampton responded in a huge way, sending me and my four PC Brampton colleagues to Queen’s Park as part of the majority government. The message was clear: Build the highway; get it done.

Apparently, the federal Liberal environment minister wasn’t listening, and his government wasn’t listening, because they have stepped in and declared a federal impact assessment. This is massive government overreach, for one purpose: to kill the Highway 413. Colleagues, the federal impact assessment is the same study required for a nuclear power plant. The federal government has never declared one for a new provincial highway before the 413. That means highways like the 401, 412, 404 and 418 never had to undergo this impact assessment. And yet, when Brampton wants a new highway, we hear all the excuses come out.

Speaker, I am, and my residents are, so tired of excuses. I have one message to the federal Liberal environment minister: Get on board with Highway 413, or get out of our way.

I am proud to rise today on international world volunteer day, a day to celebrate the important role that volunteers play in our communities across the globe.

According to Volunteer Canada, over 12 million Canadians generously contribute their efforts to numerous causes annually. Here in Ontario, their contributions have shaped our province through their compassion, community and spirit of giving back. Their impact is immeasurable.

My community is blessed with countless volunteers and community organizations who give so generously to improve the lives of others, and I thank them all.

Today I’m proud to be joined by two amazing community volunteers, Brigette Contento and Michael Verrelli, who lead the Humberlea Community Group and do so much to build a happier, healthier and safer community. They organize food drives and bring food to our most vulnerable. They’ve created an outdoor skating rink and set up an outdoor library in their park. They host year-round events for our children, like their annual Santa Claus parade, spooky Halloween get-togethers, Easter egg hunts and more. When they’re not busy hosting their own events, they’re attending and helping in others and are members of various committees like the 31 Division Community Police Liaison Committee.

Brigette and Mike, thank you so much for making our community better every day. We are all lucky to have you. And thank you to all volunteers everywhere.

Speaker, the holidays can be a difficult time, and this year more Londoners than ever are struggling. At the same time, more Londoners than ever are also showing up to help, and I want to recognize just a few.

First, the staff and volunteers at Northwest London Resource Centre who stepped up in a big way to meet the need, expanding food bank services in my riding from two days a week to six in partnership with the London Food Bank.

Next, Fran and Mary, residents of 30 Base Line Road in London West and organizers of their building’s caring cupboard. When the cupboard was put out of commission by a fire last month, they collected grocery store gift cards for the seniors from their building who relied on emergency food supplies. Thankfully, their cupboard will reopen for food donations again this week.

Special appreciation to the hundreds of volunteers at churches around the city who cook and serve community meals for people and families who are struggling, often including musical entertainment, as at St. John the Divine Parish in London West.

Finally, much gratitude to the 700 local businesses and non-profits that are part of the annual Business Cares Food Drive and the many, many Londoners who contribute so generously in ways big and small.

Thank you to all. And to all residents in London West and to everyone in this chamber, I wish you a safe and happy holiday season, however you celebrate.

From the 2015 National Youth Survey, the agency found that Canadian youth are less interested in politics and they feel less strongly that voting will make a difference. The voter turnout among youth in 2011 was over 35% lower than that of individuals aged 54 to 74, while research shows that political participation affects youth development.

The High School Model Parliament program presents an ideal opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience as MPPs, fostering an understanding of parliamentary processes and the significance of the democratic system. Several students attending debate classes in my riding of Don Valley North have applied and been chosen in take part in this fantastic program. I look forward with anticipation to seeing them in the chamber, engaging in meaningful discussions on various issues.

This initiative serves as great means to engage and involve the youth. Today, they take every opportunity to learn and experience, and tomorrow, they will emerge as leaders.

Congratulations to all selected participants. We eagerly anticipate hearing the perspectives of our youth.

As Christmas approaches, bringing snow and good tidings,

I’ll share with you news about fun in my riding.

From Sunderland to Haliburton and all places between,

There’s good times to be had and good friends to be seen!

People lining the streets to spread Christmas cheer,

Hearing carols and laughter when Santa gets near!

There’s good food and good drinks, and of course the reindeer!

None of this would happen without volunteers.

Kids waiting for Santa, along the parade route they stood

Smiling and laughing and telling him they’ve been good

All the local craft shows bring the people flocking,

With goodies aplenty, you’ll sure fill your stocking!

As we continue to celebrate this holiday season,

Let us always remember that Christ is the reason.

Through the cold winter nights, let compassion exceed,

Say hello to a stranger and help those in need.

With my speech almost over and my time almost out,

Come to HKLB and see what it’s all about.

Merry Christmas and happy new year.

Good morning. I want to welcome to the House today Bill Gleed and his son Derrick Gleed. Derrick is a former regional councillor from Durham. Bill Gleed is an insurance professional, for decades beloved by thousands of clients and beloved by the McCarthy family. Welcome to the House, gentlemen.

As we approach Christmas, I think back to all of the people that I know who try to make life better in some way for others. There’s a truly kind-hearted lady in my riding who freely gives her time to make a positive difference for so many. I’m talking about Pam Dickey from Trent Lakes. She lives just outside of Buckhorn and has been volunteering for community care for a number of years.

During the pandemic, not only did she help out by delivering groceries to some vulnerable seniors but she also took to the phones to do wellness checks just to make sure people who couldn’t get out still had a friendly voice to talk to on a regular basis. For the last year or so she has also been volunteering with Community Care Meals on Wheels.

Speaker, this Christmas, Pam has taken it upon herself to make sure that 20 seniors who have lost their spouses will still have a homemade Christmas dinner. In her very own kitchen, she’s cooking enough turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberries, gravy and all of the other fixings to make a traditional Christmas dinner, and then she’ll personally deliver all of those dinners to 20 very lucky single seniors.

Pam, thank you for what you do. You exemplify the true meaning of what Christmas is.

Unfortunately, Speaker, more Ontarians than ever before are turning to hunger relief organizes because they can no longer afford basic necessities like food and shelter. Hunger in Hamilton is reaching record levels, with the number of people turning to food banks nearly doubling since last year. Almost 50% of households say they would become homeless without food banks.

People, including families with young children and seniors, cannot keep up with soaring food prices, unaffordable costs. It’s heartbreaking that in our communities, hungry seniors are seeking help to find meal programs because they can no longer afford to feed themselves.

This last weekend, I participated in the Salvation Army kettle bell drive, and I was moved by the generosity and compassion of Hamiltonians. There are also many ways you, too, can give back this holiday season:

—the Ancaster Community Services Holiday Assistance Program will provide over 150 holiday hampers and gifts to income-challenged families and seniors in the community;

—Good Shepherd Christmas Wonderland is bringing people together to share a festive meal;

—Neighbour to Neighbour, who have been serving our communities for 35 years through their community food centre, will be providing a free Christmas meal that is open to all; and

—we could consider donating to support free and low-cost programs for vulnerable seniors through Dundas Community Services.

I want to send out my thanks to all of these organizations and volunteers who are bringing joy to people in our communities who are hungry and alone. This holiday season, I want to express my warmest wishes to you and your family for a joyous and healthy holiday season.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Today I’m rising to highlight a recent investment that our government has made to combat auto theft in Ontario, and specifically in my region of Hamilton.

Mr. Speaker, every 14 minutes a vehicle is stolen in Ontario. In the last year alone there was a 14% increase in auto thefts right across Ontario. This investment of over $895,000 over three years will ensure that our Hamilton Police Service has the tools and the resources that they need to fight car theft and to keep our communities safe.

When the investment was shared, Hamilton police chief Frank Bergen said, “We thank the provincial government for funds received from this grant, which will be used to combat auto theft through increased staffing: two new investigators and an analyst. We will also be working closely with our policing partners to share strategic intelligence” involving “organized crime groups that impact our city.”

This funding to the Hamilton Police Service is part of the government’s new Preventing Auto Thefts Grant Program designed to support new and enhanced crime-fighting measures that focus on prevention, detection, analysis and enforcement. This Preventing Auto Thefts Grant is just one of several measures enacted by our government to fight auto theft. Earlier this year, Ontario also announced the organized crime towing and auto theft team to help police services identify, disrupt and dismantle organized crime networks.

Mr. Speaker, with the crime of auto theft growing across Ontario, I am proud that our government is tackling the issue head-on.

It is my very great honour to welcome Thornhill resident and student Ella Rosen in the gallery.

Mr. Speaker, thank you to the leader for the question. I got this feeling that the word “tourism” is a bad word. We’re talking about—now hang on for a second—tourism, which represents almost $36 billion in economic activity, just under 400,000 jobs and 82,000 business-related jobs and careers in tourism. Yet we talk about an opportunity, a destination—tourism is about finding a place to go, drawing people in, not just people in Ontario but the people across Canada and maybe into the United States. It’s driving tourism. A destination is important, whether it’s a spa, common areas, water parks, paddling, walking and being casual in an area where you can sit and be quiet—all these great things that tourists like. They want to come to. They want to come here. We’re making a world-class destination.

Interjections.

To reply, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

The supplementary question?

I’ve said many times that when individual hospitals have to make a very challenging decision based on the health human resources that they have available to them to temporarily close for an hour or shift a part of their operation, it is disruptive for a community. But that is exactly why our government has made such a conscious effort and investments in our hospital systems, in our health human resources: expanding the number of nurses that are training in the province of Ontario; expanding the number of residency positions that are available for physicians in Ontario.

We’ll continue to do that work and we’ll continue to expand the health human resources because we know how important it is to the people of Ontario.

We now have, in northern Ontario, physicians who are in our emergency departments having access to other physicians who have practised for longer and are able to walk through specific issues. That one change alone has ensured that we have had no physician shortages or issues in northern Ontario. Those are the kinds of policy changes that are actually being suggested by our hospital partners and making an impact in our communities.

We’ll continue to make those investments. In last year’s budget alone, we had an average increase in our hospital budgets of 4%. Those are the changes that we make as a government to make sure that our hospitals and our community system is robust and there for us when we need it.

Good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier. People in this province should expect quality health care that’s available when they need it. But under this government, we’re seeing critical services disappearing from communities. Emergency department closures are happening more frequently, and they are staying closed longer. A new report from the Ontario Health Coalition reported a staggering 868 emergency department closures this year alone.

Speaker, through you to the Premier: What possible explanation can this government offer to Ontarians who lost over 30,000 hours of emergency care this year?

Folks in Huron, Perth and Wellington are experiencing multiple simultaneous closures. Durham had 51 closures this year alone. People in Clinton haven’t had reliable access to an ER since 2019.

The holiday season is one of the busiest times for local hospitals and emergency rooms. What is this Premier going to do to stop emergency department closures over the holidays?

The newly renovated Mindemoya Hospital had to close because this government didn’t fund the staff to keep it open. Hospitals and long-term-care homes are being gouged by private staffing agencies taking over our health care system. Perth and Smith’s Falls hospital was forced to spend a whopping $2.8 million this year on temporary staff through private agencies. I’ve talked to local hospitals in northern communities who are worried about making payroll.

Speaker, we need investment to finally address these staffing shortages. Will the Premier stand up and commit new hospital funding to ensure care is available when the patients of Ontario need it?

The official opposition NDP have unearthed yet another secret government document that’s called “Ontario Science Centre modernization relocation plans”—very interesting. But what’s really notable about this document is the date: August 27, 2021.

Speaker, why did the Premier keep his plans for the science centre a secret during the 2022 election?

Speaker, to the Premier: Why should the public trust a Premier who clearly believes in decision-based evidence-making instead of evidence-based decision-making?