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.

Supplementary question?

Interjections.

The Minister of Transportation can reply.

Interjections.

I think we’re ready to start again. Start the clock. The next question.

Interjection.

Interjection.

The House will come to order.

Interjections.

Restart the clock. The Premier has the floor.

Members will please take their seats. I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor of the House at each other.

Interjections.

Let’s restart the clock. Supplementary?

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.

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—

Supplementary?

The supplementary question?

My question is for the Solicitor General. Our government recently announced the introduction of Bill 157, the Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2023. This proposed legislation contains several pivotal changes, including amendments to the Coroners Act.

The Coroners Act currently requires a mandatory inquest for each construction-related death, and Bill 197 will introduce the creation of a coroner-led annual review and public report of multiple accidental construction-related deaths each year. These changes highlight our government’s commitment to the safety and well-being of our workers.

Speaker, can the Solicitor General please explain how the proposed amendments to the Coroners Act will allow for faster and more meaningful recommendations for construction-related death investigations?

Losing a loved one is a tragedy and one of the most terrible things to happen to a family. Anyone who has lost a member of their family in an accident reserves the right and deserves the right to an inquest and to be a part of the process. It is of critical importance that our government provide Ontario families with assurance in upholding their right to an inquest.

Speaker, can the Solicitor General please tell the House how the proposed changes to Bill 197 will help bring justice to families?

I want to thank my colleague from Thornhill for the question. Any death, Mr. Speaker, is too many. Public safety is paramount, and our government is committed to exploring any option that may prevent further deaths. That’s why my friend and colleague the Attorney General introduced Bill 157.

The member is right. The Coroners Act currently requires a mandatory inquest for each construction-related death. Our proposed change would require an annual coroner-led review of accidental deaths that occur at or in construction projects in the previous year.

Mr. Speaker, the main intent of the proposed amendment to the Coroners Act is to prevent further deaths in the industry by reviewing construction-related trends and sector-wide issues, and make recommendations that can be identified faster. Mandatory annual review of construction-related deaths will lead to quicker justice. And at the end of the day, a safe Ontario is a strong Ontario.

I agree that the families need to have the right to request an inquest if necessary. That is provided in Bill 157. Their request for an inquest will be reasonably considered by the coroner. The proposed change for Bill 157 will make the delivery of the facts for families that much quicker. Mr. Speaker, these amendments would streamline the process, bringing justice to families in an expedited manner.

At the end of the day, our government will always be there for our workers, the workers who help build Ontario every single day, who keep us safe. We will always have their backs.

My question is to the Premier. Desjardins Credit Union just released a report showing short-term rentals are having a negative impact on housing affordability. The report found that neighbourhoods with a lot of short-term rental listings see their rents rise faster, have lower vacancy rates and higher home sale prices.

To increase the number of homes available for long-term rentals, Desjardins is calling for governments to crack down on short-term rentals in investment properties.

My question is this: Can you move forward on this simple request?

Back to the Premier: Justin is a University of Toronto student living in downtown Toronto. When his apartment was bought by a US investor landlord, he became a victim of illegal harassment to drive himself and his neighbours out of their homes. When his neighbours had given up and moved out, their landlord turned their homes into pricey short-term rentals where you can rent out one bedroom in an apartment by the week. That is the new reality for students in Toronto today.

Justin and his neighbours have called provincial bylaw officers begging for help, and no one has returned their calls. Can this government work with these tenants to enforce our rental laws?

Let me just say this: I too have concerns with that, but at the same time, as we know, coming out of COVID, there are a number of challenges we faced, in particular with respect to the Landlord and Tenant Board. That is why we put significant resources behind ensuring we could catch up.

I’m fully aware of the fact that, in many instances, people have turned to the short-term market because of the challenges with the Landlord and Tenant Board. As the member will know, though, the Attorney General has put significant resources into ensuring that we can bring the case backlog up to date.

Principally, many of these delays were as a result of—as you will recall, Mr. Speaker, we weren’t allowing evictions during that time period. We were ensuring that people could stay in their rental homes. But it’s also about additional supply, and that’s why we’re so focused on building more: 15,000 starts.

But I do share the member’s concerns. I am concerned about that, but I think we have to put in the climate to ensure that people who are in the short-term market feel confident about getting back into the rental market.

My question is for the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Ontario is experiencing historic labour shortages. There are currently about 300,000 unfilled jobs across Ontario, and many of these vacancies are in skilled trades. Our government must continue to show leadership and take action by working with employers and unions to encourage more people to enter the skilled trades.

By the year 2025, it is projected that about one in five job openings will be in the skilled trades. That’s why urgent action is needed now more than ever. In the next decade alone, Ontario will need over 100,000 more people in the construction industry only.

Speaker, can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to address labour shortages in the skilled trades?

Given the critical labour shortages that we are encountering, our government must address barriers that are creating challenges for women to enter the skilled trades. That’s why our government must do all that we can to empower the next generation to explore these careers.

Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant please explain what our government is doing to break down barriers for women entering careers in the skilled trades and the construction industry?