Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Supplementary question?

The next question.

The supplementary question?

My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The cost of rent is out of control. Oshawa has experienced some of the most dramatic rent increases in the province. Between 2014 and 2023, the cost of renting increased by 61%. These aren’t just numbers. These are real people.

I met with Mark who was relieved that his family found an apartment so they’re not on the street. But now they’re facing a steep rent increase and they already can’t afford groceries. People are hurting. Will the government bring back real rent control for real people?

We used to have real rent control in Ontario. Now, all we have are loopholes for big corporate landlords. People are spending 50%, 60%, 70% of their income just to keep a roof over their head. That’s money they should have for activities with their family or a night out at a local restaurant, money to save for the future. But instead, they’re in such a mess.

Will this government deliver real rent control, please, so that people can get back to their lives?

That’s the difference between the opposition and us, Mr. Speaker. What we believe that will help the challenge that people have with finding rental housing is to actually build more purpose-built rental housing. I feel that that will work, and we’re showing that it does work because under the policies of this government, we have the highest level of purpose-built rentals not in one year, not in two years—but ever, Mr. Speaker. And that is giving more people more options and that is what will bring the price of rental housing down across the province of Ontario.

I was speaking to the mayor of Oshawa, and he could not have been more supportive of the things that we are doing to help his community grow. That includes the groundbreaking investments that we’ve made in the automotive sector in that area.

So let’s see: We’re building more purpose-built rental housing than ever before. We’re getting more shovels in the ground for housing than ever before. We’re saving the automotive sector in Oshawa and making it bigger. We’re expanding the GO trains. We’re building more hospitals in that part of the region. We’ve got more jobs. We’ve reduced the cost of transit and transportation. We’re building more schools, more long-term-care homes, reduced the costs to the people in Oshawa and all of Durham region. I’d say we’re on the right path, Mr. Speaker.