Last week alone, we had several hundred million dollars in new investment. Heddle Shipyards is investing $107 million in St. Catharines so they can tackle the Vessel Life Extension project. That’s 30 new jobs—$3.4 million in support through our government’s AMIC operation.

Medicom, a $165-million investment in London: This is a 140,000-square-foot production facility that’s being built. There’s 135 new jobs coming. If you remember before the pandemic, Speaker, we made virtually no PPE here in Ontario. Today, we make 74% of the PPE we buy. Once Medicom is up and running, making nitrile gloves here in Ontario, 92% of all PPE that we buy will be made domestically right here in Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, I tell you what’s going to happen, and what has continuously happened in the province of Ontario, is that the people of the province of Ontario continue to prosper because of the policies of this government.

The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade just talked about a massive investment that is coming to Ontario. This is on top of $27 billion worth of other investments.

We all know that when they had the opportunity, they literally drove out the auto sector. Do you remember that? The auto sector was gone, and they were transitioning to a service economy. We said that we’re going to reinvest and bring jobs back to the province of Ontario.

The member asked, who’s going to prosper? The people of the province of Ontario will continue to prosper. Ontario Place will bring thousands of jobs. It will bring thousands of tourists from all over Ontario, all over the United States. It is a destination that we should continue to be proud of, but, unfortunately, under the Liberals and NDP, they allowed that destination to crumble. We are bringing it back to life, just as we brought it to life when Bill Davis was the Premier. We’re going to bring it back to life and make it even better than before.

I tell you what’s happening, Mr. Speaker. Do you know who’s going to get new things? The city of Toronto is going to get new buses and trains because of the deal. That’s what’s going to happen. Our streets will be safer; our buses and our transit system will be safer because of this deal. We will revitalize a destination that she calls a “jewel.” We’re actually going to revitalize it so people want to come back to it.

Thousands of jobs will be created by this. So, who’s going to prosper? The people of the province of Ontario will prosper. It is a gift for all of Ontario.

I know the member has weddings on her mind. She was just married recently. I congratulate her for that, Mr. Speaker; I think we all do.

It highlights the problem of today’s NDP. They stand for nothing. They’re angry at each other. They’re angry at the province. They’re angry at the people. And that is why they keep losing election after election after election.

My question is for the Minister of Health. Our government was elected with a strong mandate to serve the people of Ontario. After years of neglect and disrespect from the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, Ontarians support us to make decisions that will make life better for everyone. This includes taking leadership to address affordability concerns and ensuring that our health care system receives the support that it requires.

Unfortunately, our hospitals are having to deal with unnecessary rising operational costs thanks to increasing federal taxes, rising interest rates and ongoing international supply chain issues. Hospitals across Ontario should be able to focus their resources on providing front-line services, not on taxes and red tape.

Could the minister please inform the Legislature about how rising costs from increasing federal taxes are negatively impacting our hospitals?

While our government is advocating for all Ontarians, the opposition NDP and Liberals are oblivious to the far-reaching negative impacts that higher taxes and burdensome red tape are causing, among many other things they’re oblivious to.

When it comes to accessing specialized health care services, there are times when residents in northern Ontario need to travel to other parts of our province. I know that many of my constituents rely on vital programs, like the northern travel grant, that help offset long-distance travel costs. With costs for fuel and accommodation continuing to rise, it is not right or fair that residents in the north should have to endure these additional expenses just because they need medical care and services.

Can the minister please explain how increasing taxes and burdensome red tape are negatively impacting the people of northern Ontario?

My question is to the Premier. When asked for an update on the Eglinton Crosstown public-private partnership, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster essentially said he would let the public know when he knows. After a decade under construction and over $1 billion over budget, this response from Mr. Verster is unacceptable.

What is it going to take to fire Mr. Verster?

Mr. Speaker, our government has launched the largest expansion of public transit in the history of this province. The NDP and the Liberals have voted against it every step of the way.

Let’s look at the Ontario Line: 28,000 cars being taken off the road, and what do the NDP do? They vote against that.

We were just announcing a milestone on the Yonge North subway extension just this past Friday, another large milestone in making sure we get shovels in the ground. That project will reduce travel time by 22 minutes, but it will also put over 26,000 people in 10 minutes’ walking distance to a transit station.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we have built an incredible $70-billion program to support public transit across this province. It’s about time that the NDP support that plan.

Mr. Verster, and you as Minister of Transportation paying him $1 million a year, have had multiple chances to explain significant operational failures. For the tens of thousands of people whose daily lives are disrupted and the hundreds of small businesses who have been forced to shut down, Mr. Verster’s response is an insult. Is this government so incompetent that you cannot recognize massive failure, or do you really like Mr. Verster that much?

Maybe you should go talk to your new leader. The number one concern for their new leader is, “Let’s raise $1 million, because someone has to pay for my salary.” That’s what her number one issue was. That shows me you picked the wrong leader. Maybe you should have picked the guy in the far back instead of that leader.

The number one issue—

Interjections.

Interjections.

My question is for the President of the Treasury Board. In the past year, we’ve seen emergencies like wildfires, floods and storms in all parts of Ontario. The people in my riding of Burlington and across the province are looking to our province in times of need. It’s our responsibility to keep all Ontarians safe in the event of emergencies. We must continue to do all that we can to ensure our province is prepared as much as possible for any urgent situation that may arise.

Speaker, can the President of the Treasury Board please share what our government is doing to strengthen emergency management and ensure that Ontario is prepared for the future?

Every day, we hear from people who are struggling to find a home. When this government isn’t busy blaming this province’s challenges on other levels of government, we hear them talk and talk about a promise to build housing. But, Speaker, just like they broke their promise to protect the greenbelt, leading to the $8.3-billion greenbelt scandal for which they’re now under RCMP criminal investigation; just like they broke their promise to lower income taxes for middle income families, they’re breaking their promise to get housing built. They promised to build 1.5 million homes by 2031, but the current forecast is they will get just 870,000 houses built by then. And to date, cities have received more support from the federal government than through this government’s Building Faster Fund.

My question to the Premier: When will he admit to the people of Ontario that, once again, he has broken their promise to them and that his housing plan is failing?

Ontario Liberals are incredibly proud of our new leader. A big city mayor and former MP, Bonnie Crombie has a great deal of experience working to improve the lives of Ontarians, not like this government working to help their insider friends. She’s getting new developments approved. Mississauga, once considered a suburb, has been transformed under her leadership into a full-fledged metropolis. In fact, last year, the city of Mississauga issued a record number of building permits, and the city currently ranks fourth in the continent for the number of construction cranes. To imply that housing construction is in decline because of mayors like Bonnie Crombie is not only disingenuous but deeply disappointing—

Building 1.5 million new homes requires something akin to a wartime effort. It requires co-operation with civil society and other levels of government. We cannot, and should not, be kneecapping them.

Speaker, once again to the Premier: When will he admit his housing plan is not working and start working with, not against, our municipal partners to get the housing crisis solved?

The NDP have had multiple opportunities to support public transit in this province and they have said no every single time. On one hand, they want to support the Liberals and the highest carbon tax, on the other hand, they don’t want to support $70 billion of public investment into transit. They’ve got to pick a side. Like the House leader said, they stand for absolutely nothing.

When we’re taking 28,000 cars off the road on the Ontario Line, on the Eglinton West LRT extension, taking 6.5 million fewer trips in your cars, what do the NDP do to that? They vote against that every single time. The highest carbon tax from the NDP, no investment in public transit—they vote against it every single time.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we will build highways, we will build roads, we will build subways and we will build LRTs and change the transportation network across this—

Interjections.

Thank you to the member for Burlington for the question. Simply put, there is nothing more important than the safety and the well-being of our families and our loved ones. Our government, through Emergency Management Ontario, supports emergency preparedness and mitigation, and we coordinate response and recovery with our partners, keeping the more than 15 million people in Ontario safe. This is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year job, and I am so proud and grateful to all the dedicated emergency responders and personnel who do it.

I’m pleased that our government has earmarked a $110-million investment to strengthen emergency management and to make Ontario even more safe and more prepared. And I’ll have more to say about those investments in the supplementary.

One of the ways our government is ensuring that Ontario is safe, practised and prepared is the Community Emergency Preparedness Grant. This new grant will help communities purchase critical emergency equipment and supplies, such as sandbagging machines or generators, or could be invested in emergency management training. This grant is a prudent and responsible investment that gives communities the tangible resources that they need to keep people safe when the next flood, wildfire or severe storm impacts our province.

I look forward to continuing to work with local levels of government, First Nations communities and organizations to prepare for emergencies now and in the future.

I’m going to again remind the NDP member that as we bring these investments forward, whether it is through the fall economic statement or our budgets, your party and you vote against them. So when we make changes legislatively for as-of-right, which allows physicians who wish to practise in the province of Ontario to quickly do that without having to wait for their licence to be transferred, the member opposite votes against that legislation. When we have capital investments of over 50 new expanded, renovated hospitals, including, of course, in his own area with the South Niagara Hospital, you vote against it.

I will say, you do show up for the photo op, but you vote against it when you have an opportunity to make a difference in your community. That’s your legacy.

I have to say, the investments that we continue to make, whether it is a 50-bed rehab expansion in Sudbury at Health Sciences North, whether it is a 72-bed expansion at St. Joe’s—again, where was the NDP? They were voting against these investments in their own community. Again, they will show up for the photo op, but when they can make a difference in their community and support those changes and investments, they vote against it.

Thank you to the minister for her response. It’s encouraging to see our government demonstrate leadership in protecting the well-being of our families and our loved ones. The people of this province, including my constituents in Burlington, will be pleased to know that our government is taking every necessary step to keep them safe.

The President of the Treasury Board spoke about the $110-million emergency management support we outlined in our last budget. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is spearheading a comprehensive emergency management plan and safeguarding our province through this investment?

The Ontario Health Coalition was able to identify 1,199 vital hospital services closures; that’s 868 ER closures, 316 urgent care closures, 11 obstetrics closures, labour and delivery closures, ICU closures, lab closures. Every single one of these closures puts people’s health and lives at risk.

The minister must be very proud; her plan to create a crisis is working perfectly. How many more private clinics will the minister be able to fund given this level of crisis?

Interjections.

Safety is a top priority for this government. As the Minister of Transportation—we have a budget of over $27 billion to invest in our roads, our highways and bridges.

I look forward to working with the member. We have made significant progress on that specific project. We appreciate the challenges that she has mentioned, and we are working with the appropriate partners to ensure that project is well under way.

Unlike the Liberals and NDP, our government is committed to making sure that we’re building highways, we’re building roads, we’re investing in our bridges across this province—$27 billion in our budget over the next 10 years, which both the Liberals and NDP have voted against every single time.

We are saying yes to investing in rural communities across the province—including the Argyle Street bridge, with a new five-span steel arch bridge. The design of the bridge replacement is complete, and our government is in the process of obtaining final approvals to proceed with construction.

Thanks to the Premier and the leadership of this government, we’re investing in our roads, we’re investing in our bridges—$27 billion. That project will be a part of those investments.

Unfortunately, the previous Liberal government had 15 years and did absolutely nothing with infrastructure.

We’re going to continue to make sure we make the necessary investments to build bridges, build roads, build highways and build transit across this province.

My question is to the Minister of Transportation. There’s nothing the people of Caledonia want more for Christmas than to hear that the reconstruction of the Argyle Street bridge will begin. I’ve promised this House I will rise on this matter until shovels are in the ground. This is my fourth question related to the bridge since August 2022.

A few weeks ago, I sat in traffic in the middle of the bridge when the sound of sirens was heard. An ambulance was attempting to get across. Cars had nowhere to go, the paramedics were clearly frazzled, and people were panicked. This should not be happening on any bridge in this province, and yet it has been happening on a daily basis in Caledonia for the past few years.

The people of Haldimand county are fed up and they are tired of this government’s inability to get the job done.

Speaker, through you to the minister: What is the date the reconstruction of the Argyle Street bridge will begin?

The progress—I’d like to know what that progress is.

The ministry kicked Lorrie Harcourt from her home, the toll house, in 2019. She could still be living in her home that she spent 35 years redoing.

The lack of an answer leads me to question, what is holding up the reconstruction? Why doesn’t the minister just tell us? The people of Caledonia are good people, and they deserve a good reason, and maybe they’d be sympathetic if they actually knew what that reason was. But as I warned the previous minister, many fear the bridge is at risk of collapse. No government, no minister wants that on their hands.

Speaker, through you to the minister: Could he clearly articulate why he’s taking this risk and what it is that is preventing the reconstruction of the bridge?

My question is to the Premier. The Ontario Health Coalition released their report today. Just this year in the province of Ontario, there have been closures in 868 emergency departments and 316 urgent care centres.

These closures are affecting my community at the Douglas Memorial urgent care centre in Fort Erie. Nearly half of the population of Fort Erie is over 55. Some 8,000 residents do not have a family doctor, and there is no reliable public transit in town. Having an urgent care centre open 24/7 can mean the difference between life and death for our residents.

Speaker, when is the Premier going to stop fighting nurses in court, repeal Bill 124, properly fund our public health care system and ensure that every community has access to the health care they deserve and need when they need it?

Supplementary question?

Supplementary question? The member for Nickel Belt.

The Minister of Health.

Thank you to the member from Mississauga–Erin Mills for the important question. Our government is on a mission to help our young people enter skilled trades. That is why we’re making historic investments to show our young people that these careers are ones they can be proud of.

The minister was recently in Mississauga, joined by the wonderful Minister of Education, to visit our latest Level Up! skilled trades fair. Across the province, more than 28,000 young people, parents, educators attended our fairs last year, getting hands-on experience in Ontario’s 144 trades. I’m proud to say that under the leadership of this Premier, we are seeing an increase in the number of apprentices signing up across the province, up 24% last year alone.

To the workers of Ontario: We will continue to work with our partners in the industry. We will continue to make investments to fix the system and help more people find good-paying jobs—