It’s pretty obvious that Ontarians are having a hard time buying groceries. That’s why people with jobs are being forced to go to food banks. You know who else is having a hard time? The farmers who actually produce the food. They’re having a hard time paying their bills. Who else? The processors are having a hard time making their margins.

You know who isn’t having a hard time? The monopolies who control the grocery business. Their profits are going up higher than inflation, and they keep going up. The monopolies, which this government seems to be the gatekeepers of—because they support them, very much so. They want to give them as much business as they can.

At what point is the government of Ontario actually going to protect the people who produce the food and the people who consume the food from the monopolies?

I would respectfully submit to the member opposite that if he really cared for farmers, the best thing he could do is support our budget, because we are bringing so much relief all across Ontario thanks to the Minister of Finance. He is engaging all of us in terms of making sure Ontario remains affordable.

Talking about affordability, we need to recognize—yes, we have the amazing Beef Farmers of Ontario in the House today. I would like to share with you that they were part of a rally on April 2 that was hosted by the President of the Treasury Board in Holland Marsh. They came together with 25 other farming and rural organizations to stand up with the Premier and myself to send a direct message to the federal Liberals, as well as the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie. That message is simple: Scrap the tax.

My question is to the Premier. Two days ago, the TTC faced a massive service disruption, with Line 2 being out of service for 12 hours. Thousands of people were impacted as they were crammed onto shuttle buses that could not meet demand. Commutes from Scarborough were more than doubled.

Do you know what we heard from this government? That’s right: nothing. Because this government doesn’t take responsibility for its failures. They talk a big game, but when their neglect becomes clear, they can’t face it. They don’t want to face the nurse who missed a shift or the patient who can’t see the doctor because they couldn’t make it in on time.

Will this government continue to pass the buck on reliable and safe transit, or will they actually provide the TTC with the funding Ontarians really need?

We know where their priorities are. It’s not in making Ontarians have public services they can rely on. It’s not ensuring that they can get to work on time. It’s making sure that cheques get cleared on time.

Under this government, we have seen massive delays to the subway, bus services cut, fare increases and the Scarborough RT derailed. Through you, Mr. Speaker: Will the Premier commit to funding the operations of the TTC so it runs on time, or will he continue to let Toronto transit riders down?

I want to thank the member from Peterborough–Kawartha for his great question. We think it’s a great policy objective of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, as its chair, to support community enhancement programs. This program is focused on places like the South Porcupine arena, where we’re supporting refrigeration equipment—compressors, condensers and dehumidifiers—to become more energy efficient and drive down costs; Pointe au Baril’s community centre, increasing their energy efficiency; and the Wharncliffe local services board, energy efficiencies for their fire hall and community hall—all good things to do for our buildings that mean so much to our communities in northern Ontario.

What they can’t handle is the crushing cost of the carbon tax. As the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry might say, a fully integrated tax chain on everything, including the construction and implementation of these energy-efficient—

I appreciate the question. We have a robust set of rules that are independent and available to both landlords and to tenants. The member opposite has highlighted an example where the Landlord and Tenant Board had a hearing, had a result, and there are remedies. So I would advise the member opposite to work with their constituent to work within those rules that are independent and not to be meddled with by the government, and I’m sure they will have a proper result.

The Landlord and Tenant Board is issuing orders within 30 days 90% of the time at this point, so they are in fact doing their job on that end.

Maybe the member misunderstands that the Landlord and Tenant Board is not an enforcement agency; it’s a tribunal that has independent hearings and then issues orders.

I’d be happy to engage with the member opposite to help educate her office on how the Landlord and Tenant Board works, but other than that, I don’t know what else I can do for her.

Thank you to the minister for his response. The reality is the carbon tax does not lower a single emission. It’s a useless tax that just makes it harder on families and businesses. It’s shameful that the federal government continues to force people in the north to pay more for their daily necessities. It’s fine for the Liberal elites in southern Ontario to say, “Just use public transit,” but Speaker, how does somebody in Whitefish Bay, Elizabeth or Emo hop on a subway? The federal Liberals must learn to respect northern communities and finally scrap this punitive tax.

Speaker, can the minister further elaborate on the detrimental effects the carbon tax is having on communities all across northern Ontario?

I just want to thank my constituent Judy Noonan, who brought this petition last week when they came to Queen’s Park for Community Living Day.

The petition notes that social assistance rates in Ontario are far below the rising cost of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and $1,308 for those on ODSP. It also notes that the CERB provided $2,000 a month. So the petition calls on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to double social assistance rates for Ontario Works and Ontario disability support payments.

I fully support this petition, will sign it and ask the page to bring it to the table.

I may need more than one page for this one.

In April, the residents of Durham were notified that their in-patient beds at Durham hospital would be eliminated, in the wake of their 24/7 emergency department being reduced to essentially bankers’ hours. So they’ve put together this petition that has amassed over 3,700 signatures in less than 48 hours.

It calls for the following things: Number one, it orders the South Bruce Grey Health Centre to stop any and all action against the Durham hospital immediately and reverse their decisions. It asks for them to release any and all business analyses, financial projections and health care staffing data that have been used to justify the changes to the clinical services being provided at Durham hospital. And then, finally, it calls on the government to fully and urgently implement all recommendations from Auditor General of Ontario reports on hospitals in northern Ontario and on emergency departments.

I fully and wholeheartedly agree with and endorse this petition, and I’m thrilled to pass it over to page Soyul.

The lineage of this carbon tax is well documented. It actually predates Justin Trudeau. It was Stéphane Dion who tried to introduce it and Canadians said no. But he couldn’t hold back. When he became Prime Minister, he brought in the carbon tax. So this is all en famille. One of the biggest supporters was Bonnie Crombie, who has now rightly lived up to the appellative term “queen of the carbon tax”—no surprise, from a party that referred to northern Ontario as a wasteland.

I referenced some projects in the previous answer, and the point here is that no government should be in the business of picking and choosing the kinds of energy efficiencies or the sources of heat and hydro in different regions across Canada. The goal here is to scrap the tax, let jurisdictions make good policy decisions on how we can reduce GHG emissions and have more energy efficiency and maintain the assets—

Interjections.

Thank you to the great member from Oakville for his question.

While the federal Liberal government remains fixated on more taxes that punish hard-working Ontarians and businesses, under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is getting it done for businesses and the families and communities that rely on them. Unlike the Liberals, we understand that more taxes and red tape strangle economic growth and job creation.

That’s why we’ve launched meaningful initiatives to reduce costs and cut red tape for entrepreneurs and businesses right across our province. We’ve cut business education tax rates and reduced electricity costs. We’ve reduced WSIB premium rates without reducing benefits. We are directly tackling the payroll expenses that weigh on our job creators.

Speaker, while Bonnie Crombie and the Liberals believe businesses are better off with more taxes, we’re doing all we can to deliver fewer costs and more benefits; it’s time for the Liberals to do the same. Tell Ottawa to scrap the tax now.

Speaker, I couldn’t agree more. It’s tone-deaf for the Ontario Liberals to say that small businesses across Ontario are better off under the federal government’s punitive carbon tax.

The NDP and the Liberals don’t hear when small businesses in their own ridings are being crushed under the weight of higher carbon taxes, but maybe they’ll open their ears after taking two losses back to back in Milton and Lambton–Kent–Middlesex. Those wins are a resounding vote of confidence for our Premier and our government’s plan to continue getting it done for the people of this province.

Ontario’s job creators do not want another tax. They want an affordable entrepreneurial landscape that allows them to invest, grow and create opportunities.

That’s precisely what our government is delivering through our strong economic plan for a stronger province.

But do you know what? It’s not too late. Call the feds. Tell them to scrap the tax now.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. Small businesses in my riding of Oakville are concerned about the negative impacts of the carbon tax on their operations, and they’re worried, indeed, about their very survival. It’s forcing entrepreneurs to pay increased costs that they cannot afford, especially during these difficult inflationary times. Our small business owners do not support these counterproductive tax measures.

Unlike the NDP and Liberals, our government understands the financial burden that the carbon tax places on businesses. That’s why, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we are reducing costs for families and businesses.

Can the associate minister please explain how our government’s pro-business approach ensures Ontario’s small businesses are saving money despite the burdensome carbon tax?

Unlike the members of the Liberal Party in this Legislature, we here believe that Ontario families and small businesses are not better off with a carbon tax. They’re not better off with increased operating costs, making it harder for them to stay afloat. They’re not better off with increased gas prices, making it harder for consumers to come out and support them. And they’re not better off being forced to pay the most in carbon taxes while they haven’t seen a dollar in promised rebates.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy here in Ontario. I don’t know why the members of the Liberal Party and Bonnie Crombie do not understand that.

Speaker, through you: Can the associate minister please tell the House how our government is working to offset the negative impacts of the carbon tax on small businesses right here in the province of Ontario?

I’d like to welcome to the chamber a number of visitors who are here. Some of them have travelled great distances, including: Cait Alexander, who flew in from Los Angeles—and today is her birthday—she is here to support Lydia’s Law; Brian T. Sweeny, Dan Jennings and Michelle Jennings, who are parents of women who were killed due to gender-based violence; as well Vanshika Dhawan and Ivanna Iwasykiw, who are lawyers from Gluckstein Lawyers; and Sara Casselman, the executive director of the Waterloo region sexual assault centre.

Mr. Soleiman Faqiri was a man with schizoaffective disorder who was subjected to restraints, pepper spray and isolation while in prison, which ultimately led to his death. During this time in correctional facilities, he was awaiting a medical evaluation. He was not able to see a psychiatrist or have access to hospital resources, despite experiencing an acute mental health crisis. This inquest deemed his tragic and preventable death a homicide.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome people from Durham, including Kris Kennedy as well as Dawn McNab, who are the co-chairs of the Save the Durham Hospital Committee. Thank you for being at Queen’s Park and thank you for fighting to keep Durham hospital open.

MPP Wong-Tam moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 196, An Act respecting the use of correctional facilities and mental health crises / Projet de loi 196, Loi concernant l’utilisation des établissements correctionnels et le traitement des crises de santé mentale.

What happened, Speaker, is that the hospital in charge of the Durham hospital—it’s in charge of four different hospitals—has decided to, first, move all of the in-patient beds out of the hospital. The hospital in Durham used to have 24/7 emergency care; they’re now reduced to 10 hours a day, seven days a week of urgent care. We have seen this before.

The good people of Durham are here today. Many of them are part of a vulnerable population. They are at least 30 kilometres away from the nearest other rural hospital. This hospital has been there for over 100 years, and they want it to continue to be there. They want to have equitable access to our health care system.

We know that medicare consists of hospital services and physician services. Those services are offered to us for free. If the hospital in Durham is no longer there, it will mean longer transportation time to a hospital further away.

The people of Durham want to be able to speak to the Minister of Health, want to be able to speak to the Premier, so that they fully understand that they need to keep their hospital open.

I support this petition, Speaker, will affix my name to it and ask page Sophie to bring it to the Clerk.

We also have a birthday on this side of the House. We would like to congratulate the terrific member for Toronto–St. Paul’s on her birthday today.

I just want to wish the great member from Ajax and my great colleague a very happy birthday.

The ayes are 62; the nays are 35.

Thank you.

Supplementary?

The next question.

I have now three members that want to raise points of order, they have informed me.

Okay. We’ll move on.

Deferred vote on the motion that the question now be put on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 165, An Act to amend the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998 respecting certain Board proceedings and related matters / Projet de loi 165, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1998 sur la Commission de l’énergie de l’Ontario en ce qui concerne certaines instances dont la Commission est saisie et des questions connexes.

The division bells rang from 1142 to 1147.

On May 7, 2024, Mr. Smith, Bay of Quinte, moved third reading of Bill 165, An Act to amend the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998 respecting certain Board proceedings and related matters.

On May 14, 2024, Mr. Dowie moved that the question be now put.

All those in favour of Mr. Dowie’s motion will please one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Mr. Smith, Bay of Quinte, has moved third reading of Bill 165, An Act to amend the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998 respecting certain Board proceedings and related matters. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard some noes.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1151 to 1152.

All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.

Third reading agreed to.

The House recessed from 1156 to 1500.

First reading agreed to.

This petition is entitled “Bring Back Rent Control.” It’s addressed to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

It notes that the Ford government cancelled rent control on units built after November 2018. And the cost of housing in Ontario, both of renting and buying, has never been higher, and it’s causing many people hardships. There are 50,000 people a year who leave the province of Ontario, largely because they cannot afford housing. People are being forced to leave their communities.

The ask here is for the Legislative Assembly to protect tenants from predatory rent increases and pass the NDP Rent Control for All Tenants Act today to ensure that renters can live in safe and affordable housing.

I fully support this petition. I will pass it to page Diya to take to the table.

I want to welcome Alvin Mason, who is with us this morning. At 90 years young, Alvin is one of the—if not the—eldest Ontarian we know with an active skilled trades licence, starting back in 1958, proudly from the riding of King–Vaughan. Welcome to yourself, as well as your amazing son and your grandson, Perry, who is with us. Thank you for being with us. Welcome to the Legislature.