There’s potential for contaminated groundwater in Wilmot township, where this government has told the region of Waterloo to assemble farmland for industrial use. Not only is that prime farmland at risk—across the road and downstream, you’ll find a cabbage farm where they make St. Jacobs sauerkraut; you’ll find a dairy farm where they also make award-winning Mountainoak Gouda cheese. In this region, if you need water, it has to be drawn from the underground aquifer. The Waterloo region is one of the largest groundwater users in Canada. Does this government realize that the aquifer must be protected?

How can these valuable agri-food operations be protected from contaminated groundwater with all the secrecy and non-disclosure agreements around assembling Wilmot’s prime agricultural land for industrial use?

Interjections.

Given the destructive effects of Bill 124, it is no surprise that senior health care workers have left their hospital positions and that even new nurses are being drawn into the nursing agency vortex—a situation that is pushing almost every hospital in Thunder Bay–Superior North into massive debt.

What is the government doing to attract nurses back into full-time positions and stop the flood of health care dollars going to shareholder profits?

When will the government address the wage gap identified in the Hay report and bring nurse practitioner wages up to levels appropriate to their skills and responsibilities?

Honda’s $15-billion investment is the largest investment in Canadian auto history.

Ontario has now attracted $43 billion in new auto and EV investments in the last four years. That is more than any US state.

What does that tell you, Speaker? Think about where we were under the Liberals—high taxes, red tape that was out of control, everything the Liberals could possibly do to hurt business. We step in, under Premier Ford, and what happens? Lower taxes, reduced red tape, lower electricity rates—$8 billion in lower cost of doing business every single year. That’s what’s bringing companies here into the province of Ontario. The lower cost of doing business has brought 700,000 workers here into Ontario since we were elected. This is what’s attracting businesses all over the world. They look at Ontario as this beacon, this light that’s happening here. They want to be part of it and now we’re at—

Look at today. Bloomberg has announced that Canada—and, as the Premier said, ostensibly Ontario—is now ranked number one in the world supply chain. We went from zero to $43 billion. We went from zero, last place, to number one. That is what’s happening.

We came so close to seeing the end of our auto sector under the previous government. Our workers were almost permanently sidelined because of the legacy of the Liberals.

From day one, as I said, our approach was to lower the cost of doing business—

My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade—although if the Premier wants to jump in, I’m good with that.

A little over a week ago, our province welcomed an historic generational investment in my riding of Simcoe–Grey. It is an investment that, before we took office, no one would reasonably imagine coming to Ontario. Economic development was at such a low priority for the previous Liberal government that no one could fathom global companies willingly choosing Ontario as a destination to invest and expand in. The Liberals’ high-tax policy chased out countless numbers of businesses and left our auto sector on the brink of collapse.

Thankfully, under this government, Ontario is in a much different place today. We have secured tens of billions of dollars in new investments in our auto sector and right across our economy.

Can the minister please tell this House more about Honda’s generational investment in Ontario?

Honda’s investment indeed is a game-changer for this province. It will create good-paying jobs for my constituents in Alliston and the surrounding region. It is a testament to the competitive advantage that Ontario now has in the automotive sector.

Ontario’s more than 100,000 auto workers are the best in the world. Automakers recognize this, and that is why they are doubling down in Ontario. They see an automotive ecosystem that has been revitalized over the last six years. It is now thriving and robust and leading in the world. They see a province that has everything they need—talent, low costs, an abundance of clean energy, and so much more. That is why they are choosing Ontario.

Can the minister tell us what Honda’s investment means for our automotive ecosystem?

Minister of Health.

Interjections.

The Minister of Health can reply.

Supplementary question.

Next question.

Speaker, I have regularly and consistently reinforced the value and importance of well water testing in the province of Ontario. I grew up on a farm in rural Ontario. My riding is primarily served by well water. I absolutely understand the value and importance of having well water testing available through our public health units. We will continue to do that, as we have, for decades to come. More importantly, we will also invest in Public Health Ontario, something that the member opposite, under their leadership, did not do.

I made mention of Minister Piccini and I sitting down with some nursing students who are externs right now, working in the hospital sector. I asked them, “Where are your pathways? Where are you going when you graduate?” They said because of the extern program, they are more confident as students, they are better employees as registered nurses. They are excited to join the health care sector in the province of Ontario, and we are opening our arms to make sure that we make them welcome.

The Minister of Education.

The next question.

Thanks to the member from the Cornwall region for his question this morning.

We’re doing a lot here in Ontario to ensure that we’re combatting the punishing impact of the carbon tax on the people of Ontario, and that includes the gas tax break, eliminating tolls in eastern Ontario, ending the licence plate sticker fees, ending that very costly and wasteful Drive Clean program which was just another scam, and ensuring we’re bringing in One Fare.

We’re also investing in clean infrastructure for the future that’s going to ensure we have the energy we need that’s affordable, reliable and clean.

I’ve mentioned a few times in the House that a couple of weeks ago I was down at Sir Adam Beck talking about our billion-dollar investments in refurbishing our hydroelectric facilities in Niagara.

I’m really looking forward to joining the member from Cornwall a little bit later on this week, when we’re going to be making a similar announcement in his riding, ensuring we’ve got clean energy for the future.

We’re also refurbishing our nuclear facilities, and this is a tremendous story. The world really is watching what’s happening here in Ontario—not just in the evolution of our EV sector and EV battery sector, but in our nuclear sector. We’re building the first small modular reactor in the Western world at Darlington. We’re refurbishing the Candu reactors that we have—multi-billion dollar investments that aren’t just coming in on time and on budget; they’re coming in ahead of time.

We are building battery storage facilities and other non-emitting resources to make sure that our system is operating as efficiently as possible, investing in energy efficiency programs like the Peak Perks program and the ultra-low overnight rate for charging the EVs and cars of the future.

We have a plan, and it’s—

On the weekend, I attended a Jane’s Walk at Ontario Place organized by Ontario Place for All. We toured the incredibly beautiful, iconic parkland down at Ontario Place, where 190 bird species have been identified—many of them at risk, some of them on the verge of extinction.

This Premier saw that there was a problem with Ontario Place. He thought, “Do you know what? No one is making money from that iconic parkland on the waterfront in Toronto.” So he’s giving it away to a European mega-spa company that is now promoting an immersive wellness experience that allows people to pay money to connect with nature by watching videos of trees.

Why is he spending 650 million tax dollars to cut down 800 real trees so people can pay money to watch videos of trees?

My question is to the Minister of Energy.

The failed Liberal carbon tax is driving up the cost of everything, including basic necessities, and is punishing communities across the province, including my riding of Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

Speaker, driving is the primary form of transportation for most residents in rural Ontario. The carbon tax has placed a heavy burden on my constituents who now have to pay more for fuel, food and heating.

That’s why our government has not stopped fighting against the carbon tax. We are fighting for the people of Ontario.

Can the minister explain how our government is reducing energy costs for the people of Ontario as we combat the negative impacts of the carbon tax?

It is encouraging to see our government continue to build on our clean energy advantage while keeping costs down for the people of Ontario.

The governor of the Bank of Canada stated that the carbon tax contributes 15% each year to the upward pressure on inflation and that scrapping the tax altogether would lower inflation.

It is clear that the carbon tax is not helping Ontario; it is hurting us.

Our government must continue to deliver affordability by fighting the terrible Liberal carbon tax as we roll out real, practical solutions to make Ontario’s electricity grid not just more affordable, but also cleaner and more reliable.

Can the minister please explain how our government is achieving our energy objectives without introducing a costly carbon tax?

The government of Ontario came in in 2018, inheriting the highest child care prices in Canada—roughly $50 to $60 a day, a 500% increase under the former Liberals—and it really was unacceptable. We priced parents out of the market. Mothers often had to make a choice of working or raising their kids, and that’s a false choice for so many.

And so, we got to power. We rolled up our sleeves. We negotiated a better deal, and we now have cut fees by 50%, saving at least $8,000 a child in this province. That’s a meaningful action that puts money in the bank for working parents. We’re also increasing spaces—86,000 more to go.

If the member opposite wants to be constructive in her advocacy for London families and operators, then stand with us. Stand up to the federal government for a deal that allows them to fund for-profit child care so that 30% of the operators in London could receive the funding they deserve, so that all parents receive affordable, accessible child care in the province of Ontario.

The member opposite speaks about accountability. We are, right now, because the province of Ontario had the fortitude to negotiate a mid-term review, which allows technical officials, public servants, between the Ministry of Finance at the federal government and the Ministry of Finance at the provincial government—working through technical analysis of the numbers. What it will prove to the feds, and what I hope the member opposite will stand with this government and articulate to the federal government, is that there is a delta; there’s a gap. We knew this when we signed the deal. And what we should be is united, as a Parliament, to demand more funding and more flexibility from the feds so that we actually support all families and all kids in all regions of this province.

My question is to the Premier.

I met with the Toronto child care advocates and London child care providers, and they’re very concerned about this government’s lack of accountability and transparency in the implementation of the $10-a-day child care system. It’s astonishing that, two years later, there are still looming questions. They want answers, and they want to know where the money is being spent.

Will the Premier commit to requesting that the Auditor General provide a full audit of the government’s spending on the $10-a-day child care program?

Can the Premier tell the London child care advocates and providers—who actually sit on the government’s advisory group, and they haven’t met since June—who is the government consulting with for the funding formula advice?

The member opposite references scope of practice. Let’s talk about some of the things that our government has been doing with our health care practitioners specifically as it relates to scope of practice.

Of course, we all are aware, because over 700,000 Ontarians have accessed it, of a scope-of-practice change that happened with our pharmacies. That is a direct patient-benefiting outcome that we have seen. Scope of practice just announced with midwives, ensuring that they can continue to serve their patients and the babies they help deliver in the province of Ontario—those announcements were just made very recently. Scope-of-practice changes for registered nurses and nurse practitioners—we are making sure that clinicians who work in our health care system in the province of Ontario are practising to their highest level of education, because we know it leads to better patient outcomes.

As the member opposite knows, there are OHIP-covered, funded services that we continue to expand and provide in the province of Ontario.

I want to talk specifically about those individuals who, under our changes, an expansion only in cataract surgeries—we have seen the wait times for cataracts in communities decreasing dramatically. We specifically chose cataracts because it had some of the highest wait times in the province of Ontario. What does that mean? It means people who couldn’t continue to drive, who couldn’t work, who couldn’t volunteer, who couldn’t read a book to their grandchildren—by expanding cataract surgeries in four communities, in existing publicly funded, OHIP-covered divisions, we have seen a dramatic decrease in the wait times. We’re going to continue to do that because that’s what the people—

Interjections.

I’m going to give you a very specific example. Ontario invested $5 million in the Centre for Integrated and Advanced Medical Imaging, for a 3,500-square-foot facility to harness cutting-edge innovation. Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joe’s Healthcare Hamilton, who are partnering with Mohawk College and McMaster University to harness cutting-edge technology—their improved system, a partnership between private hospitals as well as hospitals, colleges and universities, means that they have found MRIs that will enable centre staff to reduce scanning times by 50%.

That’s the kind of innovation that our government will continue to fund, because the people of Ontario deserve to have—

The supplementary question.

I’ll remind the House that they make their comments through the Chair.

The Minister of Infrastructure can reply.

The Associate Minister of Small Business.

The supplementary question.

There are a lot of private conversations taking place in the chamber such that the cumulative volume is making it difficult for me to hear what is being said by the people who have the floor, so I’d ask everyone to please quieten down. Thank you.

Start the clock.

Supplementary question.

Minister of Health.

There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.

The House recessed from 1141 to 1500.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

I haven’t heard the member read the petition, but I would ask him to briefly summarize his petition so that we can move on.

Thank you to the great member from Newmarket–Aurora for the question.

Speaker, food entrepreneurs are core ingredients in the recipe for thriving local economies and strong communities we can all be very proud of. That’s why I was thrilled to recently attend the Restaurants Canada 2024 trade show. And the message came through loud and clear: The federal carbon tax is taking a huge bite out of these businesses. I heard from the owners of a popular family diner, who said their monthly natural gas bill for operating ovens, fryers and kitchen equipment has increased significantly over the past year because of this tax. This is, sadly, just the tip of the iceberg. Across Ontario, restaurateurs, cafe owners and food truck operators are being threatened by escalating expenses on all fronts, thanks to the federal carbon tax.

I hope now the opposition will listen to the restaurateurs right across this province and tell the federal Liberals to—

Speaker, Ontario farmers, growers and food producers are the foundation of our economy and food supply chain. From the tender fruit orchards of Niagara to the innovative greenhouse operations around Leamington and the Holland Marsh, these multi-generational family businesses work tirelessly to feed us while sustaining good jobs.

The Liberals need to get out of their urban bubble and talk to the working people of Ontario.

Speaker, imagine you’re a fifth-generation egg farmer. Thanks to the carbon tax, your natural gas heating costs have tripled, but your sales have not. That’s money going out of your pocket instead of being reinvested into modernizing your operations and hiring more locals.

So you can thank a Liberal the next time you pay more for a carton of eggs at your local grocery store.

This Premier and government will continue to fight for Ontario’s small businesses, and we’re going to continue to call on the federal government to scrap the tax.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business.

Small businesses in the restaurant and foodservice industry are not only vital job creators, but they have an integral role in our economy and in our local communities. Our province would not be the same without restaurateurs who foster job growth, support local agriculture, and put Ontario’s culinary scene on the international map.

That’s why it is shameful that the federal government continues to strain all these small businesses with their costly carbon tax.

Our government knows the carbon tax makes it more challenging for businesses to survive, and we won’t stop fighting until the federal Liberals finally scrap this tax.

Can the associate minister please share with the House what foodservice operators across Ontario are saying about—

The Liberal carbon tax is not only forcing our favourite restaurants to reduce their staff levels or raise prices on customers, but it is also squeezing every penny from the farmers and agricultural producers who supply these small businesses.

Farmers across the province have been speaking out against the federal carbon tax because it is raising their already-high expenses and cutting into their bottom line. It is unacceptable for them to face an additional tax burden from the Liberals, and it is unacceptable that the Liberal members in this House are content to see Ontario farmers and small businesses being taxed more.

Can the associate minister please explain why small and family-run farms, as well as food producers, cannot afford this regressive carbon tax?

It’s a true privilege to welcome Andrew Daher from the city of Windsor. He’s the commissioner of human health services, and he’s visiting us today.

Madame Gélinas moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 192, An Act to amend the Health Protection and Promotion Act with respect to maximum patient-to-nurse ratios / Projet de loi 192, Loi modifiant la Loi sur la protection et la promotion de la santé en ce qui concerne les ratios patients-personnel infirmier maximaux.

The bill also authorizes the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations adding new classes of provincial parks and specifying the objectives of such parks.

I have a petition for the assembly here with regard to the Landlord and Tenant Board. It was brought to me by my constituent Jenny Song, who has been experiencing problems with small landlords getting justice or access to justice in terms of a bad tenant. In the petition, she summarizes the kind of measures that the Landlord and Tenant Board could take to avoid the unreasonable, unfair and costly delay that she’s experiencing.

I agree with this petition, and I’m going to give it to page Soyul and thank her very much.