Thank you for the question. Mr. Speaker, after decades of neglect by previous governments, addictions and support services in Ontario have rotted. They are non-existent. It’s a deeply unfortunate situation in Belleville, but unlike those governments, we take these issues seriously and we have already taken action to alleviate the pressure on the city and have begun discussions on longer-term solutions.

Last week, I joined the member for Bay of Quinte in Belleville, where we announced emergency funding to address the immediate needs of the community as identified by the CMHA. We’re helping them to increase temporary staffing at key service providers, add mental health supports for existing staff, improve the security of the downtown area and purchase new equipment for outreach teams and service providers that will help them identify and intervene early in the event of an overdose.

We also met with the mayor, the first responders and health care agencies to talk about the situation and how we’re going to work together to improve mental health and addictions care in Belleville. Mr. Speaker, we have a clear agenda to ensure that we build a system that will help the people of Belleville.

Let’s just start with where we began. How about the fact that you closed 13% of Ontario’s mental health beds and 9,645 hospital beds? How about the fact that you’re the ones that created the doctor shortage in the first place? How about the fact that you cut $53 million in mental health supports when you were in power? How about the fact that you voted against the Roadmap to Wellness and did not provide the support to the government in ensuring that we built the system—

Interjection.

Interjections.

That’s very fair. The member raises what is probably the most important piece of our long-term-care-home system and that is the hard-working front-line health care workers who make these homes homes every single day, doing the work for our loved ones that, frankly, many of us cannot do.

This unit is set out—and I want to be very clear on this—to go after the worst offenders and hold them to account for their actions. And as I said, we hope they are never used.

Service to our residents is the most important thing. That’s why our government is making sure we take care of our staff and give them the tools to do their jobs better. Just last fall, we invested $300 million to recruit thousands of PSWs to the long-term-care sector. In 2023 alone, we increased the local priorities fund by $35 million to support residents with complex needs.

We also invested $342 million into immediate and longer-term recruitment initiatives that would add over 13,000 workers to Ontario’s health care system. This includes 5,000 new and upskilled registered nurses and registered practical nurses, as well as 8,000 PSWs.

Speaker, the cat is out of the bag. This Premier is taking care of front-line health care workers and the amazing residents within the long-term-care system.

It’s great to hear the minister talk about the measures our government is taking to ensure every long-term-care resident lives with dignity and is offered the care they deserve.

While this is an important step forward in protecting Ontario’s seniors, some individuals are concerned that it will be used to punish workers in the sector. Speaker, we know that front-line staff are essential in providing quality care to residents each and every day. That’s why our government must build on the progress already made and continue to invest in initiatives that will expand and enhance the long-term-care workforce.

Can the minister please elaborate on how our government is supporting staff in long-term-care homes to deliver safe and effective care?

My question is to the Premier. Earlier this month, the mayor of Belleville declared a local state of emergency after EMS responded to 17 drug overdoses in just over 24 hours, with a total of 23 overdoses in less than 48 hours. Devastated by the loss and desperate for support, the mayor of Belleville reached out to this Conservative government, only to have the request ignored.

Belleville needs $2 million to fund a local health and social services hub and a detox centre to address the ongoing addictions and overdose crisis. There is no time to wait. The community wants to see a new service hub open by the end of this year. So my question to the Premier is this: Will you immediately fund the desperately needed service hub and detox centre for Belleville?

Belleville desperately needs adequate funding to build and operate a local service hub, not measly one-time funding. They need reliable, continuous support to address the addictions and overdose crisis.

The community has been asking, pleading for this funding for months with no answer from this government. It’s not a “tough ask,” as the Conservative member for that riding and the associate minister have told the mayor. What’s tough is watching our family members and our community members overdose and die in the streets.

Last week, the Premier acknowledged the need to urgently fund mental health and addiction supports, but the people of Belleville still have no commitment for a much-needed service hub and detox centre in their community. So I ask the Premier again: Will you honour your promise about increasing supports by immediately funding the construction and operation of a local health and social services hub and detox centre in Belleville? Yes or no?

Interjections.

My question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Ontario’s agricultural and food industry contributes over $48 billion to our province’s GDP and our economy. In my riding of Brantford–Brant, there are over 1,400 agri-food businesses that all serve a vital role in contributing to Ontario’s economic prosperity and job creation. That’s why it is of critical importance that our government supports measures that strengthen and grow this vital sector.

People in my riding were thrilled to hear the minister first announce the Grow Ontario Strategy to expand production and enhance efficiencies. Can the minister please provide the House with an update on what our government is doing to implement the strategy and ensure we are supporting the agriculture and food sector?

I appreciate the question from the member from Brantford–Brant very much because it allows us to stand in this House to share with everyone and those watching live that our Grow Ontario Strategy is working. For example, we had put in our strategy that we wanted to increase exports of Ontario-grown and -produced food by 30% by the year 2020 and essentially, in 2022 and 2023, we’ve actually increased exports by 20.9%. Ladies and gentlemen, our plan is working.

Furthermore, research is so important and we need to continue to innovate. Our strategy set out that we wanted to see more than 250 patents and licences realized by the year 2032. Through 2022 to the end of 2023, we actually saw 43 patents and licences realized through funding by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Our strategy is on the mark—

And the supplementary question.

The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Order. Order.

Okay. Let’s start the clock. The next question.

The supplementary question?

Thank you, Minister, for that response. From the minister’s response, it’s clear that our government has committed to tangible actions that will ensure the continuous growth of the agri-food sector in Ontario.

Agri-food businesses in my community and across the province expect their government to implement measures that are innovative and will address their needs. It’s critical that our government ensures that these industries have access to new processes, new equipment and new technology to expand production and enhance efficiency.

Speaker, can the minister please provide an update on some of the actions and results of the new Grow Ontario Strategy?

I really am pleased and proud to share with you that not only are farmers responding to the importance and the need to drive innovation to realize efficiencies and increase yields, but our processors are as well, and our programs are hitting the mark.

Just last week, I was in Strathroy, and I visited Nortera. It’s a processing plant that specializes in frozen vegetables. They actually have plants in Strathroy, Ingersoll and Tecumseh in southwestern Ontario, and they process 635 million pounds of frozen vegetables. Last year, they actually invested in new technologies to drive line efficiencies that ultimately resulted from a new enhanced bagging and scale piece of equipment. This spring, based on success, they’re actually investing in new optical sorting equipment that will drive continued product quality.

Again, Speaker, our strategy to grow Ontario is working, and—

Thank you very much.

The next question.

The Premier will take his seat. The member for Ottawa South will put the cards back in his wallet.

Supplementary question?

I apologize to the Minister of Health. I had to interrupt because I couldn’t hear what she was saying because of the noise in the House.

I’m going to ask the member for Ottawa South to come to order and the government House leader to come to order.

Interjections.

Oh, Speaker. Let’s do a bit of compare and contrast, shall we? The Liberal government cut residency positions in the province of Ontario. The Conservative government actually expands residency positions, and two new medical schools in the province of Ontario, in Brampton and in Scarborough.

The previous Liberal Premier acknowledged, after you were defeated, that her biggest regret was how she decimated the health care system. It was your Premier and your leader who said that—

Interjections.

Thank you for the question. First and foremost, our thoughts are with those workers in Terrace Bay in that mill that has been idled. We want to get them back to work as soon as possible. That’s why, Mr. Speaker, the moment that this happened, we started outreach not only to the workers but to the mayors of the affected communities all through the sector to make sure that we have opportunities that are presented to us to work with the owners, to work with the sector to find a way to get this mill back up and running again.

Speaker, we know that the forestry sector is a very integrated sector. When something like this happens, it can cause challenges all throughout the sector. We are leaving no stone unturned to find a way to get this mill back open, whether it’s with the current owner or whether it’s with another operator. We know that the future of forestry in northern Ontario still remains bright. We will find ways to get over this hurdle and continue to make northern Ontario the strong powerhouse that it deserves to be.

Mr. Speaker, this government continues to invest in the forestry sector in Ontario; we’ll make no bones about that. We want to ensure that this sector is very strong in the northwest, in the northeast and all throughout the integrated—and I’ll use that word many, many times, “integrated”—forestry sector that exists in this province. It is one of the backbones of our province’s economy, and 142,000 people work in this sector. We’re making investments every day, whether it’s through our biomass program or our forestry innovation program, to ensure that opportunities continue to exist in forestry in Ontario now and well into the future.

To the Minister of Natural Resources, through you, Speaker: As you know, the mill in Terrace Bay has been idled since January. I have met with the union leadership, mayors, First Nations chiefs, our provincial and federal representatives and small business owners in Terrace Bay and Schreiber, and nothing has happened to slow down the potential social and economic collapse of these communities. There are 500 direct lost jobs but 1,900 jobs at risk throughout the region.

Given that the owners of the mill won’t communicate beyond saying they will entertain offers of purchase, I’m wondering what update the government can share with these workers about their plans to address this issue.

Who is going to ensure that the company does not get away with leaving a huge cleanup liability for a potential buyer or the community of Terrace Bay?

Mr. Speaker, for the Premier: 60 seconds isn’t enough time to list this government’s failures in health care, but let’s give it a try. What if I told you emergency room wait times are the worst they’ve ever been, and ER closures have become the norm? That’s because we’re losing family doctors faster than we’re gaining them, and thousands of patients are losing primary care overnight.

On top of that, Bill 124 has shattered our workforce for nothing—you sure got that done—and there’s still no health care worker retention plan, so now temporary staffing agencies have stepped in and are burning a hole in our hospitals and long-term-care homes. But the Premier says, “Just let it burn.” As a result, hospital debts are ballooning, and they’re being forced to rely on high-interest loans because this government does not have their back. And now, desperate patients are being forced to turn to private for-profit clinics that are overcharging elderly patients while this government turns a blind eye.

Mr. Speaker, why should this government trust any of the Premier’s promises when all he has to show for his efforts is this long list of health care woes?

The government loves to brag about all the money it spent on health care, but what does it have to show for it? You wouldn’t see me bragging about spending millions of dollars on a car that doesn’t start. This government has created a problem that it cannot fix.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, to all Ontarians: They’re not thinking about your future; they’re thinking about their future. They don’t care about bringing your emergency room wait times down, and they don’t care about emergency room closures. They don’t care about keeping your family doctor or your nurse practitioner. They don’t care about anything unless someone is making a profit, whether it’s temporary nursing agencies, private for-profit clinics, developers drooling over the greenbelt, private companies like Staples, Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws. This government will always lead with greed.

Mr. Speaker, when will this government realize they could give the people of Ontario so much more if they would only focus on people, not profits?

My question is for the Associate Minister of Housing.

Like many provinces, Ontario is in a housing supply crisis, which has been decades in the making. One of the key areas we need to see improvement in is purpose-built rental housing. Due to excessive red tape and high construction costs, fewer rental units have been built over the past 40 years. In fact, over 80% of Ontario’s purpose-built rental units were built before 1980. That’s why our government must continue to take action to ensure we are improving rental housing construction across the province.

Speaker, can the minister please update the House on the progress our government has made on purpose-built rental housing?

My constituents were pleased to hear that we are committed to building 120,000 new homes in Mississauga as part of our plan to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. But, Speaker, we know that the former mayor failed to address the housing supply crisis in the city. Under Bonnie Crombie’s tenure, Mississauga only hit 27% of its 10-year target—one of the worst records in Ontario. The people of Mississauga deserved stronger leadership to help them achieve their dreams of home ownership.

Speaker, can the minister tell the House how Bonnie Crombie’s anti-housing agenda has made it harder to build homes in—

My question is to the Premier. Ontario colleges and universities are bracing for the impact of a 50% reduction in international study permits at a time when the sector is already at a breaking point. This was detailed in the blue-ribbon panel report which highlighted decades of chronic underfunding and years of declining provincial grants.

Speaker, does this Premier understand how critical post-secondary institutions are to our province’s well-being and prosperity? And will he commit to providing the urgent funding needed immediately to keep our colleges and universities afloat?

Ontario has had the lowest per-student funding in Canada since they started keeping statistics, spending half or less of what other provinces do. We have at least 10 universities and now many colleges facing deficits, which is going to put the sector and our communities at risk. Students are already struggling with cuts to OSAP and cuts to student supports and services. They should not be expected to cover this government’s failure to properly fund with tuition increases.

Speaker, what exactly is this government’s plan to keep Ontario’s colleges and universities solvent and sustainable?

Order.

Start the clock. Minister of Health.

The supplementary question?

Thank you to the member for that question. Quite frankly, we’re very disappointed with the federal government, who did no consultations whatsoever with the provinces. I ask you today: What have you done to stand up and advocate for more seats in this province?

I’ve heard from members all across my side and from ministries the impact this is going to have on our economy. At ROMA, I had an opportunity to meet with the tourism industry, who were saying that they’re going to be devastated without these students. It is going to be such an impact on the economy. That’s why, when we’re working with the federal government on the allocations, we will be looking at the labour market needs across regions in Ontario as a number one priority.

Also, ensuring that there is guaranteed housing for international students coming to our campus will be a priority, and ensuring the economic needs of each region is a concern as well.

This is going to be an impact across Ontario, and the federal government did absolutely no consultations with the provinces or with the sector.

I want to thank the blue-ribbon panel for their recommendations and for the hard work they’ve been doing. As I have said, we will be announcing our path forward shortly. But when we look at the impact that the federal government’s decision is going to have—the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade comes here every week with a new company wanting to come to Ontario. Why is that? Because of the skilled labour force that we have in this province.

I’ve talked to our colleges and universities about the impact it’s going to have. I was at Fanshawe College recently with the member from the area and we heard directly from them. Volkswagen came to the area because of the skilled labour market. Fanshawe is concerned about that. I’ve talked to Georgian College in my own neighbourhood, talking about the impact it’s going to have on hospitality and tourism in our region. This is going to be a huge impact and the fact that the federal government did this with absolutely zero consultation with the provinces and the post-secondary—

Thank you to the member from Mississauga–Erin Mills for that question. Know that Ontario set a new record in 2023 on purpose-built rental housing. It was the largest in our history, even above 2022, which was record. CMHA says that we got nearly 19,000 starts last year, up 27%. But we know that much more should be done in that arena and also in all types of housing construction. But results count, and our actions are working. We’ve lowered development charges, we’ve reduced red tape and the costs associated with it, and we’ve removed the HST on purpose-built rentals. Thanks to the Minister of Finance and the Premier for advocating in Ottawa—a job well done.

Speaker, there is much more to do. We know there is, but the best is yet to come.

Last May, Mississauga wouldn’t approve an application for nearly 4,700 units. Why? Because the buildings were too tall. Shadows?

Next, Mayor Crombie also blocked a 703-unit housing proposal that would replace a strip mall. Why? She went on record to say that she opposed the building because her favourite bakery was in the mall.

These actions prevented thousands of people from having a roof over their head. Why? Shadows and cake? Good gracious.

Speaker, Mayor Crombie’s housing record was abysmal. Ontario families cannot afford Bonnie Crombie.