SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Ontario Assembly

43rd Parl. 1st Sess.
April 25, 2024 09:00AM
  • Apr/25/24 11:00:00 a.m.

I thank the member from Essex for that question.

As we all know, the carbon tax that has been inflicted upon us is hurting the cost of building houses throughout this province. Even still, in the last three years, we’ve built more homes—in the 1980s. And even more importantly, we’ve set a record—27% increase, last year, in purpose-built rentals.

Let’s look at another factor. In the last five and a half years, we built more purpose-built rentals than in the entire 15 years of the Liberal government.

And we’re going to do more. We’re going to pave the way for more housing to be built. We’ve lowered the HST on purpose-built rentals. We’ve lowered development charges. And we are investing in massive infrastructure—billions in infrastructure across this province, to get shovels in the ground faster.

But when I talk to modular home builders, they complain about the cost of transportation to get from A to B—their homes. The carbon tax—

Mass timber construction is an innovative technique that has the potential to lower our carbon footprint while building more housing in Ontario. It’s sustainable, it’s energy-efficient, and it lowers our carbon footprint. I’m proud that our government is expanding the use of mass timber construction. However, mass timber materials are heavy. They need to be transported. And guess what hurts that transportation cost? The carbon tax. We need to get rid of the tax. Building with mass timber uses 50% less carbon than building with steel.

Let’s axe this tax. Let’s make it affordable for all Ontarians to get into the housing market. Axe the tax.

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