Thank you to the member from Spadina–Fort York for his remarks.

Under this proposed legislation, we are really striving to streamline and improve underground infrastructure. My question is whether the member objects to changes like providing longer delivery timelines for larger construction projects that would need more dedicated time and effort to properly and safely assess the underground infrastructure. Speaker, through you—in addition, depending on the member’s response: I would then ask the member to basically explain why they think something so complex and technical should not be carefully examined to ensure the fastest and safest method possible.

I want to thank the member from Newmarket–Aurora for her question.

Absolutely, safety is first. Safety has to be first, and speed has to be second, but we can balance those out. We can make sure we’re doing something safely, and this is why this government—and I was talking about this in my speech—really needs to look at this “get it done” attitude that it has. Getting it done is great, but if you have to reverse everything and backtrack on major pieces of legislation that you’ve passed over the last five years, then you’re not actually getting anything done; you’re just wasting time. Get it done, but get it done right and get it done safely.

Questions?

I’d like to thank the member from Spadina–Fort York for his presentation today and for recognizing what happened to 294 Central Avenue in my riding of London North Centre and the seriousness of it.

I also think of what happened during the construction that is currently under way—it happened in 2022—of a railway underpass on Adelaide Street, actually, at Central Avenue as well, when construction crews accidentally hit a natural gas line that affected 1,800 businesses and consumers, who had to be evacuated from their homes. Thankfully, there were no injuries, but it was because of the collaboration of a number of different city services to make sure the people were safe.

Currently in Bill 153, it has removed the ability of the owners of underground infrastructure to charge for certain locate requests, but they’re also not going to be required to pay if they miss deadlines. Does the member have any sense from the government or from the legislation how these will be fulfilled in a timely way?

It is my pleasure to rise in the House today to reiterate my support for Bill 153, the Building Infrastructure Safely Act, 2023.

This bill is just one component of our government’s ambitious legislative agenda to build the infrastructure Ontario needs today and to address the needs of tomorrow. It is also a testament to our government’s dedication for fostering a safer, more efficient and cost-effective environment for developing infrastructure in Ontario. This includes key priority areas such as housing, health care, transit and Internet connectivity.

Madam Speaker, I would like to highlight how this bill fits in the context of our government’s broader vision and commitment to ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for Ontario. With Ontario growing at an incredible speed, this bill would also play a vital role in maintaining public safety and safeguarding the critical underground infrastructure systems that support our communities and our economy.

Under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, Ontario has embarked on one of the most significant capital investment plans in the province’s history. This significant commitment aims to revitalize schools, hospitals, public transit, roads, housing and to provide a universal access to high-speed Internet for every community across the province by the end of 2025. That’s why this bill focuses on eliminating locate fees, streamlining processes and protecting both workers and critical infrastructure. That positions Ontario as a leader in responsible and forward-looking governance.

We know that by building and maintaining more infrastructure, we are growing communities. And we know it will take a concerted effort, led by the government and accomplished by strong partnerships. It is thanks to strong stakeholder support from a wide range of stakeholders that we have gotten this far.

As we plan for Ontario’s future, we will make use of every tool available to make sure the infrastructure projects we all need are built, whether small or large. We will ensure that all infrastructure is built and maintained to the highest standard of safety standards, because we owe it to our communities, to businesses and to individuals to ensure they feel the benefits from these projects. This includes our construction workers, our trade workers and our skilled workers—all the hard-working people who help build this province by creating and maintaining our infrastructure. It is all part of building Ontario faster and strengthening our communities and laying the foundation for long-term economic growth.

Madam Speaker, the most important of the proposed legislative amendments to the One Call act is the prohibition on underground infrastructure owners or operators from charging fees for locates. Our goal is to keep costs down for a wide range of construction projects while protecting the public from damages to critical infrastructure. Not only would this be consistent with a long-standing industry practice across Canada and the United States, this would also align with our broader plan to facilitate the efficient and safe completion of vital infrastructure projects.

Bill 153 proposes amendments to the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, which is administered by One Call, an administrative authority overseen by the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery.

Within our ministry are 12 administrative authorities that have certain delegated responsibilities in specific sectors and industries, and they administer and enforce certain Ontario laws regarding consumer protection and public safety. For example, if you live in a condominium unit, you have benefited from the work of administrative authorities such as the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario. If you have ever hired a licensed electrical contractor, that contractor has been licensed by the Electrical Safety Authority, which enforces the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. The Travel Industry Council of Ontario regulates all Ontario registered travel retailers. It also administers a fund that can reimburse consumers if their registered travel agent has major financial troubles. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority regulates technical safety, including elevating devices and amusement park rides.

All of Ontario’s administrative authorities have one thing in common and that is their responsibility to protect consumers and the public interest. Because they are governed by different statutes that have been amended over the years, their frameworks have evolved in different ways. Through the Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2020, steps have been taken to address these differences and to improve and harmonize the accountability, oversight and transparency requirements of most administrative authorities. Over the past few years, ministers’ orders have directed several administrative authorities to make changes to the governance and composition of their respective boards of directors. The overarching goal is to ensure the delivery of critical consumer protection programs and services, and public safety laws.

Our government has asked Ontario One Call to take on a more complex role. As such, it is important to provide them with the tools to help them work better with us. This includes more complex work to support the improvements of efficiencies in locate delivery, which requires better systems, backed up by better and sustainable resources.

Madam Speaker, this bill also advances important changes made under the Getting Ontario Connected Act, 2022, in improving the locate delivery system and making the process of obtaining locates more efficient, all while maintaining Ontario’s strict safety standards. Among these changes made to the Ontario One Call act, it included requiring designated broadband projects to use a dedicated locator. A dedicated locator is agreed to by the project owner and the affected members, and it is responsible for responding to locate requests for the duration of the project. This model helps drive efficiencies and avoid duplication by allowing a project owner to get all their locates completed by one locator, rather than waiting on different locators from each underground infrastructure owner or operator.

These proposed changes to the One Call act similarly work to streamline processes, providing One Call with the explicit authority to charge and collect fees. It would allow One Call to make bylaw changes to implement ministers’ orders without requiring member approval and allow the minister to specify additional objects for One Call. This ministerial power would, if passed, give the minister the ability and flexibility to expand One Call’s role in the future and address unexpected issues.

Some other proposed changes to the One Call act include protections for the authority’s statutory officials, officers, directors, employees and agents from personal liability. These are reasonable protections currently provided to other administrative authorities, and this amendment, along with other measures, would bring One Call more in line with other administrative authorities.

Madam Speaker, these are necessary changes if One Call is to evolve as a public safety administrative authority. These changes are in response to the feedback we received in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, such as underground infrastructure owners and operators, excavators, municipalities and others, on how to improve and ensure locate delivery and ensure the sustainable operation of One Call, while limiting cost impacts.

Before I wrap up, this bill, if passed, is a key part of our government’s plan to build Ontario. I hope that all my colleagues in this House will join us in supporting legislation that will ensure our province has the capacity to grow at the pace we need it to. Our government is proud of what we have accomplished, but more work must be done. And I can assure you that we will continue to work with our public and private sector partners to ensure that the critical infrastructure Ontario needs is built.

I appreciate all those who supported our bill for the benefit of our fellow citizens and residents. I’m looking forward to hearing from my colleagues in this House on how we can build—

It is good to hear debate today and that things are pretty collegial, and it’s nice to hear the member from Spadina–Fort York actually agree with something that the government has put forward. I hope that he’s going to support this bill. And maybe I’ll give him an opportunity to talk a little bit more about the things he does like in this bill and that he can support and it sounds like the NDP caucus will support.

I’d also remind him that there are PC members on that side of the House as well; it’s not just the NDP caucus. We won a second majority government that is so large it actually wraps around the other side of the Legislature.

So we’re talking about those things too, and I’d love to give him another 30 seconds to talk a little more.

I want to thank the member from London North Centre for the question. I didn’t realize the house was in your area. I had said London West, but the NDP caucus was in London last summer and I will say it’s a really, really beautiful city. You guys have incredible, incredible architecture and a really happening place. We went to some restaurants in the downtown core. I’m really impressed with the way the downtown core has been revamped and animated.

Let’s see. As far as your question goes, I don’t see anything in the legislation about that. Certainly we need to be very cognizant of this.

We’ve got a housing crisis. We’ve got a supply shortage, but we’ve got an affordability crisis. The two are somewhat interlinked, but for many people in this province, market housing will never be affordable for them.

The other thing that’s happening right now is market housing is not being built because of the high interest rates, because people, the developers, cannot build under the current financial situation. We’ve got a 40-storey tower—well, an 80-storey tower that’s half-built—at the corner of Yonge and Bloor. It’s $1.3 billion over budget and it’s bankrupt, so we’ve got this tower sitting there that can’t be completed.

Housing is not getting built by the for-profit market right now. The government needs to look at non-market housing in order to—

That “ready, fire, aim” strategy—this government has been using it over and over again over the last five years, and it just wastes a lot of time and it wastes a lot of money. It’s not a strategy that should be implemented.

This is the third revision to this act in the last year. So the question is, had they done the proper consultation the first time they were looking at this act, would there have been need for three different acts? Or could this have been done all at once and sped up the process of getting this legislation through, and at the same time, making the building of homes more efficient? That’s a question for the government.

There’s 15 seconds left. There are some good things in this bill, and I’ll acknowledge that.

Interjections.

Thank you to the member from Spadina–Fort York for his debate. One of the things he talked about extensively was the failure to actually get things done. I had heard it described in the past as “ready, fire, aim.” Today, there was a cartoon by Theo Moudakis from the Toronto Star, who called it, “Get it done then walk it back,” which just is stuck in my head.

Now, in terms of this bill, Building Infrastructure Safely Act, is there anything in this bill that you’re concerned about that we’ll be coming back to debate again to fix the errors in this bill? Or are there any bills coming forward that you’re afraid we’re going to be having to patch up because of the “ready, fire, aim” approach of this government?

Further questions?

I know approximately 44% of Ontario One Call’s 847 members are municipal partners. It means a significant number of the locate requests are there to ensure the safety and security of the communities that are being served.

My question to the member from Spadina–Fort York is this: Is the construction of more homes to bring down the cost of housing and unlock access to the Canadian dream for millions of newcomers in the coming years a value which this bill would provide, or is it better to retain the existing processes, red tape and bureaucratic fees that Ontario One Call is trying to alleviate but that always seems to be brought back into part of the conversation?

Thank you to the member from Mississauga–Erin Mills.

Third reading debate deemed adjourned.

Report continues in volume B.