That was a bit of a news flash. I hadn’t heard that.

The queen of the carbon tax isn’t fooling anybody. Her majesty is in full support of the federal Liberal government’s federal carbon tax—one that went up 23% on April 1, and one that’s going to go up again next year. It’s driving up the cost of everything in our province.

We know that when the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, comes in, she is going to continue to make life more expensive.

They’re trying to rebrand over there. They’re trying to talk about some tax credits, but it’s just not believable because we know the track record of Liberals at every level.

The funny thing is, when it comes to the carbon tax, across the country, Liberal Premiers, NDP Premiers—they’re all with Premier Ford on this.

We need to scrap this punitive carbon tax now because it’s driving up the price of everything. It’s driving people to food banks. It’s driving people into energy poverty. We don’t need it. It’s time to scrap the tax.

Thank you to the minister for that response. It is reassuring to hear that our government stands firmly behind the people of this province and continues to fight the costly carbon tax.

While we have constantly introduced measures to make life more affordable, more needs to be done to address Ontarians’ ongoing affordability concerns.

But last month at the Empire Club in Toronto, the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, called our gas tax cut a gimmick. She said that she would cancel it when she got a chance.

Many of our constituents are already struggling. Denying them financial relief is not only unfair but also cruel.

Speaker, can the minister please tell the House why Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals are out of touch with their support for the carbon tax?

The member addresses something extremely important, which is planning for the future.

I think back to 2006, when the government of the day introduced something called the Ontario growth plan, which said they knew Ontario was going to grow at a record pace. But we also knew, at the same time, that we have an aging population, which means that we have record growth within the senior sector.

Speaker, the last Liberal government, even though they knew about this growth, failed abysmally to plan for that growth. In fact, they said they were simply hoping for the best. They made this plan to build 35,000 spaces in long-term care—and guess what? They missed the mark by 33,000. When they left government in 2018, they had built a net new 611 beds.

That’s exactly why this government, after years of neglect by Bonnie Crombie’s party over there, is getting it right. We’re building for seniors. That is our plan. It is simple: Let’s build. Since 2018, 18,000 spaces have been built or have shovels in the ground.

We are working for our seniors because they worked for us. We’re taking care of them in Ontario.

Willowdale—four and a half kilometres north to south, three and a half kilometres east to west. I have more spaces being built in my riding alone than the Liberals built over their entire mandate in the province of Ontario. And that’s the story across every single region.

I have letters here from members of the independent party, from the members of the NDP, asking for more development in their neighbourhoods, because they understand something very important: that seniors took care of us, and it is our turn to take care of them. That is what this government is doing.

We are supported by the Ontario Long Term Care Association, who says, “No ... jurisdiction has made this level of continued commitment and investment in long-term care.”

Speaker, this Premier is showing his leadership in taking care of our seniors. We’re getting it done for those who took care of us in Ontario.

My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Representatives from the Niagara region visited Queen’s Park this week with a simple request for collaboration: Help build an affordable housing project within St. Catharines at 320 Geneva Street with the regional government. This project means 85 new—new—units of bridge and supportive housing. Niagara is seeking a provincial partnership on capital costs. It means getting people off the streets, out of encampments, and into safe, stable homes.

Minister, will your government commit to funding the completion of 320 Geneva Street in St. Catharines?

We all know this government is lagging on its affordable housing targets, risking federal funding and leaving communities in desperate need.

Minister, here’s an opportunity to build affordable housing served on a silver platter to you. The municipality will soon have shovels in the ground. With a provincial commitment, we can ensure the federal government comes to the table.

Will you fully support the 320 Geneva Street new-build project and help provide families with dignity and a place to call home in Niagara? This is a new build; this isn’t what you’ve done. We’re asking for a commitment from this government.

Parliamentary assistant and member for Niagara West.

The next question.

I have to say, it’s a pleasure to be able to stand here and speak about Niagara Week. We’ve had an amazing visit from representatives across the Niagara region, who had the opportunity to sit down with many of the ministers and the Premier. We had a great meeting with the Premier, the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Infrastructure, who all spoke about the incredible amount of investments that are happening in the Niagara region.

I want to give one example that refers to what the member opposite is speaking about. One of the things we heard from the delegation from Niagara was gratitude for an 86% increase in the Homelessness Prevention Program funding. What that increase means is—it used to be $11 million a year going into the Niagara region for homelessness prevention funding to support exactly the investments in bridge housing that you’re speaking about. That is now over $20 million a year—annualized funding, tens of millions of dollars going into these services to ensure that those who need it most are getting the investments.

I’ll talk more about all the investments that are happening in Niagara in the supplementary.

But it’s not just when it comes to that program—it’s also investments that we’re seeing in health care and in education. New schools are going up in every corner of our region. It’s investments in health care—by seeing not one but two new hospitals coming to the Niagara region, the largest investment in Ontario’s history. It’s about changes to ensure that we have good jobs, and yes, it’s about—earlier this week—ensuring that the people of the Niagara region are going to have excellent jobs at Asahi Kasei, with a $1.6-billion investment in the EV battery plant. Those are providing good jobs. It’s not just putting food on the table for hard-working families, but ensuring that they’re able to put a bit away for a future rainy day.

That’s the kind of investment that this Premier and this government is going to continue—

Interjections.

My question is for the Minister of Long-Term Care.

Ontario’s long-term-care sector is being impacted by a rapidly aging population.

Speaker, the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, failed to plan ahead for the needs and care of our seniors. As a result, only 611 long-term-care beds were added across our province, and 40,000 Ontarians were left waiting for a place in a long-term-care home.

While our government has made critical investments that address the care needs for seniors across the province, there is still more that needs to be done to increase capacity in long-term care.

Can the minister please tell the House how our government is ensuring all Ontarians can get the care they need in long-term-care homes?

Speaker, families in my riding of Newmarket–Aurora want to ensure that their loved ones will be taken care of in a long-term-care home in their community.

As Ontario’s aging population continues to grow, it is clear that we need to build more long-term-care homes across our province. By investing in long-term-care infrastructure and services, our government will be able to build a stronger system that will provide care and support for Ontario seniors and their families.

Once again to the minister: What is our government doing to build more homes faster in this province?

My question is for the Premier.

We’re working on a new downtown community safety plan in Ottawa to respond to a request from this government that we use funds to enhance people’s safety downtown and on our transit system. We now have 120 days to respond to the government. We’re meeting actively with local officials to help us come up with the best plan.

My question, which is a straightforward one, which is part of our preparations, is, is the government prepared to fund, in our community safety plan, an unarmed crisis response unit that could help our neighbours who are suffering with mental health issues and addictions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to welcome Dr. Purna Kandel from Brampton.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

On behalf of the member from Barrie–Innisfil, our Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, I want to welcome the mom of one of our great pages, Harry Patel, who has been working very hard in the last two weeks. Krutika Patel is visiting. Krutika happens to work with Aecon on the Darlington nuclear plant.

Welcome, Mom.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to do quick introductions for Dr. Purna Kandel, Kiroj Shrestha, Chanda Adhikari, Kamal Gywali, Bidya Karki, Man Poudel, Rajan Khatri and Dibesh Khanal, who are visiting from the Nepalese community—leaders here with us today at Queen’s Park.

Mr. Tabuns moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 198, An Act providing a climate change adaptation program for Ontario / Projet de loi 198, Loi prévoyant un programme d’adaptation aux changements climatiques pour l’Ontario.

The ayes are 65; the nays are 32.

I want to thank the government House leader for that response, but I would appreciate this morning, given the pressure I’m under as part of these negotiations at home, that we have a specific answer in this debate to the question; that is, when we put forward a plan for community safety in our city, to help some of our neighbours who are struggling—if anybody has been in our downtown or any downtown, you’ve seen them with mental health and addictions behaviours. We want to make sure that the best help is available to de-escalate people, reach people and get them on a pathway to treatment.

What we’ve seen in Toronto is that an unarmed crisis response unit of professionals is extremely successful. We would like to know, as we prepare to respond to the government, is the government prepared, in our community safety plan, to fund those unarmed professionals, to fund food security professionals? I see Rachael Wilson from the Ottawa Food Bank here in the gallery. There are many people who can be part of the strategy to make sure people get fed, people find affordable housing, and people get the help they need.

So the specific question to my friend opposite: Can the unarmed crisis response unit we’re getting ready be funded by the government in our proposal?

I just appreciate Diane, and I hope you all can do that, too.

I want to say clearly that, under the leadership of Premier Ford, public safety matters all over Ontario, including in Ottawa.

I want to give a special mention to a great chief in the Ottawa Police Service, Chief Eric Stubbs. I speak with Chief Stubbs on a regular basis, and he’s excited with the government’s announcement of helping to work with the city of Ottawa and put in extra resources that will help him combat the crime in the ByWard Market district, where acts of criminality are deterring tourism.

That’s why, throughout Ontario and in Ottawa, our government will work with police services, with municipalities, to make public safety not only a focus but a priority.

Visiting us from Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill is Yan Kiu Chan, the proud mother of our outstanding page captain Jeslyn Chui.

Welcome to Queen’s Park, and I’ll see you both after question period.

I just want to invite all the members of the House here to a demonstration. The University of Toronto engineering students have developed a device that goes on side-view mirrors that will detect a bicycle coming, and it will hopefully reduce doorings in the province of Ontario. It will be demonstrated at 12:30 on the front lawn.

Interruption.

Meegwetch. I want to welcome people from Mishkeegogamang First Nation: Mary Ann Panacheese, Lilly Southwind and Charessa Bottle. Welcome. Thank you for coming. Meegwetch.

Supplementary.

A number of members have points of order they wish to raise.

Members will please rise.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

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

Bill 180, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes / Projet de loi 180, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à édicter et à modifier diverses lois.

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

The division bells rang from 1147 to 1152.

On May 13, 2024, Mr. Bethlenfalvy moved third reading of Bill 180, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes.

On May 15, 2024, Mr. Fedeli moved that the question be now put.

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

Mr. Bethlenfalvy has moved third reading of Bill 180, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes.

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 1156 to 1157.

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.

It is now time to say a word of thanks to our legislative pages. Our pages are smart, trustworthy and hard-working. They’re indispensable to the effective functioning of the chamber, and we are indeed fortunate to have had them here.

To our pages: You depart having made many new friends, with a greater understanding of parliamentary democracy and memories that will last a lifetime. Each of you now will go home and continue your studies, and no doubt you will contribute to your communities, your province and your country in important ways. We expect great things from all of you. Who knows? Maybe some of you will someday take your seats in this House as members or work here as staff. But no matter where your path leads you, we wish you well.

Please join me in thanking this fine group of legislative pages.

Applause.

The House recessed from 1202 to 1300.

Report deemed adopted.

Mr. Sarkaria moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 197, An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act / Projet de loi 197, Loi modifiant le Code de la route.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

I have the pleasure to introduce an Oakville resident and a friend of mine, Matt Giffen, who is also the CEO and founder of Bench Brewing Co. in Niagara.