I’d like to state before starting that I’ll be sharing my time with the Solicitor General, the Associate Minister of Transportation, and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation.

Ontario has some of the safest roads in North America. In fact, for decades, our province has ranked among the top jurisdictions with the lowest fatality rates on the roads. And we are certainly proud of that track record.

But that is not to say that our work is done. There’s always more that we can do. That is exactly why our government has tabled legislation that would introduce the toughest penalties in Canada for impaired driving. And we aren’t stopping there.

We have all seen the epidemic that car thieves have caused in our province. It needs to end.

The Safer Roads and Communities Act would crack down on these criminals. It includes measures that, if passed, would strengthen commercial vehicle safety and enforcement. It will provide e-bike safety. And, most importantly, it shows that our government is taking decisive action to make Ontario’s roads safer. We’re taking the action that previous governments have failed to do, that the federal government has failed to do, and that our opposition has been silent on for too long.

On average, one in three roadway fatalities involves impaired driving by alcohol or drugs. In 2022, more than 20,000 Ontarians had their licences suspended for impaired driving. So far, just this year alone, 10,000 impaired driver charges have been laid by the OPP. Compared to 2022, that’s an increase of 16%. That’s one driver every 26 minutes. It’s completely unacceptable.

In 2022, our ministry conducted a roadside survey of Ontario drivers. That survey found that one in five drivers tested positive for drugs, alcohol or both. The same survey found that since 2014, the number of drivers who were testing positive for drugs had increased by 55%.

And if that isn’t enough to see the immediate need for change, the Office of the Chief Coroner determined that the percentage of drivers who were killed and tested positive for cannabis more than doubled between 2012 and 2020.

This is why we say enough is enough. Our government is determined to get tough on impaired drivers, to get them off the roads, and we will, if the Safer Roads and Communities Act passes. This act would introduce a lifetime suspension for driver’s licences for anyone convicted of impaired driving causing death under the Criminal Code. If you are convicted of killing someone while impaired behind the wheel, you will forfeit your privilege to drive, for life. We are ready to do everything we can to make sure those dangerous drivers cannot get back on our roadways. There’s absolutely no excuse for alcohol- or drug-impaired driving—not under any circumstance.

Our message to Ontarians is simple: Our government will not tolerate putting other people’s lives at risk, and a lifetime suspension for impaired driving causing death makes that clear. These measures would make anyone in this province think twice before driving while they are impaired.

That’s not the only measure in this bill aimed at cracking down on impaired driving. Our government plans to introduce supporting regulations that would require anyone convicted of impaired driving to install an ignition interlock device upon licence reinstation. Currently, those convicted of impaired driving can voluntarily install an ignition interlock device to reduce their licence suspension. Alternatively, they can sit out the ignition interlock requirement by refraining from driving for their full licence suspension and ignition interlock term. Combined with the measures in this bill, our government plans to introduce future regulations that would eliminate the sit-out period, requiring anyone convicted of impaired driving to install an ignition interlock for a prescribed length of time. If you get behind the wheel impaired and put other people’s lives at risk, you should have no choice but to install an ignition interlock. This is a vital tool to make sure impaired drivers are closely monitored and rehabilitated before being permitted the privilege to drive on their own.

We know that making interlock devices mandatory doesn’t go far enough. So we’re taking further steps to send a clear message.

The Safer Roads and Communities Act would introduce a time-limited zero-tolerance condition for alcohol and drugs for anyone convicted of impaired driving. If the bill passes, the zero-tolerance period would begin after a driver satisfies the ignition interlock and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Back on Track requirements.

Impaired driving is never okay—even if our opposition chooses to stay silent. We are going to make sure that people who choose to drive impaired and put other lives at risk are held accountable. Our government will never take any chances when it comes to road safety. That’s why these drivers will have to work hard to get their licence back.

To drive that point home, the Safer Roads and Communities Act would introduce longer roadside licence suspensions for first- and second-time drug- and alcohol-related offences. These suspensions would apply to young and novice drivers who violate their zero-tolerance condition, as well as drivers who perform poorly on field sobriety tests or have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 or higher.

Currently, drivers receive a three-day roadside suspension for their first occurrence and a seven-day suspension for their second occurrence. This just isn’t long enough. We need to teach people who drive under the influence that their recklessness in endangering Ontarians’ lives will not be tolerated.

If the Safer Roads and Communities Act passes, drivers would receive a seven-day roadside licence suspension for their first drug- or alcohol-related occurrence, and if they do it a second time, that would result in a 14-day suspension.

In addition to these measures, the Safer Roads and Communities Act would align the look-back periods for all drug- and alcohol-related offences or occurrences. A look-back period determines the escalation of sanctions for repeat offenders. Currently, administrative monetary penalties and licence suspensions have a five-year look-back period. Ignition interlock and remedial education requirements have a 10-year look-back period. If this act passes, all look-back periods would be harmonized at 10 years. Our government has a long memory when it comes to drivers who put others at risk. We want to align all look-back periods to 10 years to take a stand against impaired driving and those who choose to do it repeatedly.

Policing is central to keeping our roads safe. Safe roads are not possible without making sure that the police have every possible tool they need to combat impaired driving, so that is exactly what we are doing. The Safer Roads and Communities Act includes several measures that will support our front-line police officers. The Safer Roads and Communities Act, if passed, would amend the Highway Traffic Act to clarify that police can stop drivers for sobriety testing whenever they are driving, whether that is on or off the highway. If you’re driving impaired, pulling off the highway to evade the police isn’t going to work. Our government is making that crystal clear: If you get behind the wheel impaired, there will be nowhere for you to hide.

In recent years, we’ve also seen auto theft become a growing problem across our province. Actually, calling auto theft a problem doesn’t seem to convey the gravity of this situation. It’s an epidemic. In Ontario, a vehicle is stolen every 14 minutes. From 2021 to 2024, auto theft increased by 72% across this province. In Toronto, auto theft increased by 81% over the same period, and violent carjackings rose by 78% from 2021 to 2022. Brazen thieves are using weapons to carjack hard-working Ontarians, compromising the safety of our communities and roadways. Nobody should exit their car with a gun to their head, and the chilling reality is that this could happen to anybody. We’ve had enough.

If the Safer Roads and Communities Act passes, anyone convicted of auto theft would face a driver’s licence suspension for 10 years, a 15-year suspension for their second offence, and a lifetime suspension for their third.

The fact of the matter is that motor vehicle theft has become a plague in this province. Our government is looking to step in in every possible way so that this doesn’t become the standard for Ontario’s future. The Solicitor General has done an exemplary job of providing our enforcement officers and partners with the tools they need to crack down on car thieves and put them behind bars where they belong.

Of course, car thieves aren’t the only cowardly criminals putting innocent Ontarians in danger on our roadways.

Stunt drivers are constantly putting innocent lives at risk with their blatant disregard for the safety of others on the road. Those who threaten safety have no place on our roads, and we want to make sure that they face the consequences of their reckless actions. In 2021, we passed the MOMS Act, which increased the licence suspension and vehicle impoundment periods for anyone engaging in stunt driving, street racing or aggressive driving. The Safer Roads and Communities Act is taking that a step further. If the Safer Roads and Communities Act passes, it would amend the Highway Traffic Act to ensure that anyone convicted of stunt driving faces a mandatory minimum licence suspension. Currently, courts have the discretion to suspend a driver’s licence following a stunt driving conviction, which means minimum suspension lengths aren’t applied in all cases. We want to change that and apply minimum licence suspensions. By willingly engaging in these dangerous driving practices, these drivers must have a minimum suspension, full stop. The proposed legislation would ensure that anyone convicted of stunt driving receives a mandatory minimum licence suspension. That means one year for a first conviction, three years for a second, and a lifetime suspension, reducible to 10 years under certain criteria, for a third. Any subsequent convictions would be met with a lifetime suspension that cannot be reduced.

Stunt driving is not a harmless act. It can lead to dangerous and even fatal consequences. Anyone who disregards the safety of others should face a stiff penalty. If you’re convicted of stunt driving, you don’t get the privilege of getting behind the wheel again with a light slap on the wrist. If the Safer Roads and Communities Act passes, stunt drivers will learn that lesson the hard way. The legislation shows that we are taking concrete action to protect families and people on our roads. If you put others at risk, you will pay the price.

We also urge the federal government to toughen penalties against auto thieves. For far too long, as the province has done—we have used every tool at our disposal to ensure that car thieves are held accountable, whether it be taking away their licence or improving and increasing funding to our law enforcement officers across this province. But it’s time for the federal government to take these criminals, keep them in jail and not let them out to terrorize our streets. It is about time they step up and put these criminals behind bars.

The Safer Roads and Communities Act also includes measures to improve e-bike safety. If passed, the bill would create regulation-making authority under the Highway Traffic Act that would allow e-bikes to be categorized into distinct classes. Each class would have its own prescribed vehicle safety requirements such as speed and weight limits, as well as operator requirements such as the minimum age for drivers and passengers. This proposal is a key step toward addressing safety concerns raised by stakeholders and community members and risks associated with heavier throttle-assist e-bikes. Today these e-bikes often exceed permitted weight or power-assisted speeds.

Our government has been at the forefront of e-bike safety, continuing to embrace innovation to improve outcomes for road users. The Cargo E-Bikes Pilot Program, for example, allows municipalities to choose where and how cargo e-bikes can be used. If the Safer Roads and Communities Act passes, we’ll take another step toward improving e-bike safety.

And it doesn’t end there. We’re also taking bold action to strengthen MTO Transportation Enforcement Officers’ ability to carry out the ministry’s commercial vehicle enforcement program. We need all hands on deck to keep our roads safe. If the Safer Roads and Communities Act passes, enforcement officers would be permitted to exceed posted speed limits for enforcement purposes; traffic would be required to move over for MTO enforcement vehicles when their lights and signals are flashing; and MTO Transportation Enforcement Officers would have the authority to seize fraudulent or suspended driver’s licences.

These legislative measures would build upon our tremendous success at improving commercial vehicle enforcement. Last year, the Ministry of Transportation increased enforcement activities on our northern Ontario highways. Additionally, we mandated the use of electronic logging devices for all commercial vehicles.

Madam Speaker, the results speak for themselves: MTO officers laid more than 3,600 charges and took more than 1,200 unsafe vehicles off the road.

Last month, we opened a new vehicle inspection station in Shuniah, near Thunder Bay. This $30-million state-of-the-art facility ensures that commercial vehicles are in good working order and takes those that aren’t are off the road, helping make Ontario’s northern highways that much safer.

We’re also making upgrades and building new rest areas across our highway network so drivers can take a break.

At the end of the day, everybody deserves to get home safely, and our government is doing everything in our power to make sure that is the reality.

By enhancing MTO’s Transportation Enforcement Officers’ ability to carry out commercial vehicle enforcement, our roads will be that much safer.

Despite Ontario’s track record of 20-plus years as one of the safest jurisdictions in North America, we will never sideline our efforts to make our roads even safer. That is the least we can do. We owe it to the hard-working people who call this province home. Even if the previous government sat idly by when change was waiting to happen, we will pick up the pieces one by one, because that is what Ontarians deserve.

Our province proudly welcomes hundreds of thousands of newcomers each year. They come here for a better life, to contribute to our economy, and to raise families. By 2051, the greater Golden Horseshoe will have a population of almost 15 million people. As our roadways become busier and busier with the growth, we need to make sure that everyone on Ontario’s roadways is protected.

By introducing the Safer Roads and Communities Act, our government is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to drivers who put other lives at risk by getting behind the wheel impaired. We’re getting tough on violent criminals terrorizing our roadways to steal cars for profit. We’re cracking down on stunt drivers who threaten the safety of our roadways. And we’re taking bold strides to improve e-bike safety and commercial vehicle enforcement across the province.

Our government is not one to back down from a challenge, and we are not one to stop working towards even more goals. When we tabled the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act in 2021, we ushered in a new era of road safety that improved the lives of families across this province. But our work is far from over, and the Safer Roads and Communities Act shows that we are constantly looking for new ways to protect people, families and communities. The passage of this bill would have a positive impact on this province that reverberates for generations to come. Road safety is not a political issue, and as minister, I will work with all members of this House to ensure that our communities remain safe. Our government is proud to table this legislation.

With that, I want to hand it over to my colleague the Solicitor General, who has been an integral part of putting this together.