This petition has been signed by a few people here on the sheet that I have. The petition is a solution to a problem that we have in this Legislature, in the province of Ontario. The solution is, we need to pass Bill 191. It’s a bill that creates a child care worker and early years workforce committee to help develop a workforce strategy so that we can promote and create and retain and recruit a child care workforce. There are 65,000 new workers that we need in Ontario in order to meet demands of child care spaces, and so this petition is a solution to that.

The signatures on this petition are asking the Ontario Legislature to pass Bill 191 so that we can actually address the workforce and get the workers in the spaces that we need, so people can access affordable child care in this province.

I would like to thank all of the supporters of the Spot—this is the supervised consumption site—for their signatures on their petition. You can sort of hear them because they’re outside of the Legislature right now.

Did you know, Speaker, that in Sudbury the overdose death rate is three times higher than in the rest of Ontario?

They submitted an application in 2021 for funding for a supervised consumption site, which we call the Spot, but the government refuses to fund them. They were operated for a while by money that came from the municipality and then by donors, and while they were operated, they had over a thousand visits. They reversed all 17 overdoses that happened on-site, and they helped decrease the amount of overdoses throughout our community because they tested drugs.

I agree with the petition to immediately approve funding for the supervised consumption site in Sudbury, to save lives. I will add my name to it and ask my good page Myah to bring it to the Clerk.

Thanks again very much for the question.

Mr. Speaker, we’re very lucky that Ontario has the minerals to power the EV revolution. We’ve got nickel deposits in Timmins, of course, that are huge. The next round of drilling will, of course, make Canada, Ontario—give us the highest nickel resource globally. Not only do we have nickel in Timmins, but we have nickel in Sudbury and the Ring of Fire.

We don’t want the nickel from Indonesia. The Indonesian nickel is financed by the Chinese. It’s powered by coal, and the tailings go right into the ocean. We don’t want that nickel. We want the nickel from Ontario.

These companies are burdened by the carbon tax.

On top of that, we’ve got rare earths in the Ring of Fire—so we secure the supply chain for our national defence, as well. We’ve got the minerals to secure the supply chain from northern Ontario into southern Ontario.

We have to scrap this tax. The Liberals must scrap this tax.

I do want to thank the member opposite for the question, because it does allow us to highlight some of the things that our government is doing to support our small businesses across the province.

Just in the 2024 budget, we added an additional $6.8 million over the next two years for our small businesses—for those who want to start their businesses through the Starter Company Plus Program with grants of up to $5,000; for many of our young people who want to have a Summer Company program.

Just yesterday, the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development had a young man, 16 years old, who was actually producing freeze-dried fruits and ice cream, and it was just a great opportunity that he was taking—one of the programs that we support.

Our regional innovation centres are providing great services for those who wish to export their products.

Our Small Business Enterprise Centres are there on the ground helping people who have great ideas and want to get them off the ground.

We’re investing in women’s futures and women’s economic—

Yes, many, many businesses are struggling. But there is one thing that the member opposite, her party, the provincial Liberal Party can do: They can call on their federal counterparts to scrap the carbon tax, which is adding massive expenses to all of our businesses across this province. It’s hurting our growth.

The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade travels the world and brings amazing investments into Ontario. The Minister of Colleges and Universities, the Minister of Agriculture and I were just in Indiana, talking about how we can attract more businesses to come here, start and grow. And we’re having tremendous success, but you know what hurts all of that? The federal carbon tax.

So once again, we ask you: stand with us, call on your federal counterparts and tell them to scrap the tax today.

Once again, I’ll remind members to make their comments through the Chair.

The Associate Minister of Small Business.

The Associate Minister of Small Business.

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

The House recessed from 1157 to 1500.

Report adopted.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Debate adjourned.

I’ll once again recognize the member for Hamilton Mountain to present her petition.

Over the last four years, many of our small businesses have been abandoned, while this government was busy bailing out big-box stores and granting funds to some businesses that weren’t even located in Ontario.

We called for a ban on all evictions by commercial landlords for the duration of the pandemic and a utility payment freeze for small and medium-sized businesses to help them survive.

A recent Better Way Alliance report on small businesses found some business owners had seen rent hikes of 10%, 50%—some of them doubled from one year to the next.

In 2022, we promised to create a standard commercial lease to help protect our small business owners.

We’ve even called for rent control.

My question is to the Premier. This government denied too many small businesses the support they needed during an unprecedented pandemic. Today, what will you do to protect our small businesses and our commercial tenants?

Many small businesses in St. Paul’s, of course, like Oakwood Hardware—a family business deeply rooted in our community—are hurting. The affordability crisis has hit them, and it has hit their customers. It has hit the artists, the musicians, the single moms, the youth—everyone who calls these businesses a part of their home, a part of their community.

My question is to the Premier. Will you take a moment today to extend your condolences to Oakwood Hardware and a number of other small businesses and families in midtown, in Little Jamaica and across Ontario that have had to see their doors shuttered during your tenure?

My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development. Ontarians have had enough of the Liberal carbon tax. It is driving up the cost of daily necessities for communities across the province, especially in the north.

Speaker, it’s unfair that individuals and families in northern Ontario are being hit hardest at the gas pumps as well as at the grocery stores, and it’s even more unfair that the opposition members representing these communities are ignoring their own constituents and supporting a punitive tax.

The federal government needs to listen to Ontarians and get rid of that carbon tax today. Speaker, can the minister please tell the House how the Liberal carbon tax is driving up costs for northern communities?

Your committee begs to report the following bill without amendment:

Bill 188, An Act to amend the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and various other Acts / Projet de loi 188, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2017 sur les services à l’enfance, à la jeunesse et à la famille et diverses autres lois.

Constituency week, as everyone knows, started with the May long weekend, and me and my little girls have a ritual: We jump in the water no matter what the temperature is. It was 49 degrees—shocking to the system. I’m just proud of those little girls for taking that jump.

Similarly, boaters and the like were shocked at the price of gas for their boats and for their quads. These aren’t just features of tourism and relaxing on the lakes and cottages; these are forms of transportation for the people in my riding. So the repining persists.

Most people describe this tax as a “royal pain” and they want the king of the carbon and the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, to do what we want to do, and that’s scrap the tax.

I beg leave to present a report from the Standing Committee on Social Policy and move its adoption.

It’s my great pleasure to introduce and welcome an important guest, Mr. Harmeet Singh, president of Hart College of Cardiac Sonography and Health Care Inc. Also, he runs cardiac medical services not only in the GTA but across Ontario.

Thank you for the wonderful services you do during this difficult time, and welcome to the Legislature of Ontario.

I beg leave to present a report on Value-for-Money Audit: Ontario Energy Board: Electricity Oversight and Consumer Protection, 2022 Annual Report of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and move the adoption of its recommendations.

As Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, I’m pleased to table the committee’s report. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the permanent membership of the committee and substitute members who participated in the public hearings and report-writing process.

The committee extends its appreciation to officials from the Ministry of Energy and the Ontario Energy Board.

The committee also acknowledges the assistance provided by the Office of the Auditor General, the Clerk of the Committee, and legislative research.

With that, I move adjournment of the debate.

Thank you. Petitions?

I have a petition here entitled “Prioritize Public Health: Keep Our Community” Public Health Ontario “Labs Open.” This was signed by thousands and thousands of people across the province. Their concern is that this government is closing local public health labs in Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton, Peterborough, Kingston and Orillia. They want to ensure that we invest in public health infrastructure by keeping these labs open.

We certainly must have learned from COVID how important it is that we are able to do timely and quick testing when it comes to public health emergencies.

This petition says that these public health labs are critical and that the government’s plan to privatize and/or close them is unwise, and we certainly agree with that.

I’m going to add my name to those of all of these concerned citizens who have taken the time to sign this, and I’m going to give it to page Hosanna to take to the table.

As you will have heard, Speaker, in the House, Ontario currently has about 2.4 million Ontarians who do not have access to a family physician or primary care, and we know that puts their health at an imminent risk, and we know that primary care helps keep patients out of emergency rooms.

We want to encourage the government to do everything they can to address, to fix this doctor shortage. Certainly, we would like to see the government have a strategy to increase the number of staff support for primary care providers, so they can spend their time treating patients instead of doing paperwork.

I agree, again, that this doctor shortage should be a major concern of this province. I think our health care minister said it’s not a major concern; I disagree, and the people who signed this disagree.

I’m going to add my name to this and give it to page Ethan to take to the table.

I think we all need to understand the importance of our conservation lands that protect us from flooding and that clean our water. The government’s changes that would allow not only development on this land but the sale of conservation lands, which threatens endangered species and certainly their habitat—these changes are not helpful when we’re facing climate change. They will increase our risk of flood, fires and droughts in our province, and this is a major concern for people across the province. Once they hear that our conservation authority lands are at risk, they certainly are prepared to sign it, as they have done here. I agree that we need to protect conservation lands in this province.

I’m going to add my name to the signatures and send it to the table with page Hosanna.

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.

I would like to thank the 8,000 people from the Muskoka area who have signed this petition. Basically, they wrote up this petition because the board of directors of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare is looking at closing the hospital in south Muskoka and moving all of the beds to Huntsville. The residents and the people in south Muskoka, the 8,000 people who signed the petition, are opposed to this. They want to keep the hospital in south Muskoka open, with an emergency room, with in-patient beds. So they are asking for two things. The first one is that they want changes to how the board of directors for Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare—that’s the hospital corporation that looks after south Muskoka and Huntsville—to be duly elected, so they have a say. Second, they want to make sure that the hospital in south Muskoka stays open.

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

Every other province in Canada has made agreements with Bell Canada to make sure that 911 was available everywhere. It is time for Ontario to do this.

The tourist season is coming in my riding. If you’re good enough to swat out the mosquitoes and blackflies, you’re welcome to Nickel Belt—and I hope you don’t run into problems, but if you do, remember to memorize the 1-800 number, because 911 doesn’t work.

I support what Beaver Lake is trying to do. I will affix my name to it and—

There are about 200 people who have signed because most of them live either on Joe Lake East or on Dixon Lake Road. Those two roads in Nickel Belt used to be maintained when they were part of the city of Valley East. When the city was amalgamated to become part of the city of Greater Sudbury, the city of Greater Sudbury only maintained a part of Joe Lake East, and they are supposed to maintain it all. The Dixon Lake Road has been graded and plowed on occasion but not maintained on a regular basis. So they want the province to make sure that the city of Greater Sudbury respects the act that basically said that they have to maintain the road.

I’m happy to sign this petition, and I will ask page Farah to deliver it to the Clerks.

As you know, Speaker, in northern Ontario, we don’t have access to all of the health care services that exist in Ontario, but we do gain access through the Northern Health Travel Grant that pays for part of the travel and accommodations when we have to come to Toronto or Ottawa or London for tertiary care that is not available in the north. Unfortunately, the rates for compensation for your travel and accommodation are so low that a lot of people end up in a situation where they cannot afford to come down south. They will forgo the treatment and the care that they need because they can’t afford it. The accommodations used to be $100; it will soon be $170 a night—but it is impossible to find a hotel room in Toronto for $170 a night; the same thing with the mileage. They are asking for a full review of all of the different parts of the travel grant, so that people in the north have equitable access.

I fully support this petition. I will affix my name to it and ask page Emily to bring it to the Clerk.

Mr. Sarkaria moved second 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.

I recognize the Solicitor General to continue debate.

I’m delighted to follow my colleague the Minister of Transportation and speak on Bill 197.

I want to congratulate my colleague the Minister of Transportation, the Associate Minister of Transportation and the parliamentary assistant for continuing the government’s message that public safety matters. It matters to Ontarians morning, noon and night.

When the minister just spoke, he spoke of the government’s commitment to extend our confidence in public safety by addressing a few issues that are very important.

The minister spoke about those people who think it’s okay to steal our cars; it’s not. And regardless of where we sit in this chamber, we all agree that no one should confront somebody knocking down their door at 5 in the morning who demands that the keys be turned over so they can steal our cars and send them off to another place in the world. This is completely unacceptable.

And when I stood with the Minister of Transportation just a couple of weeks ago, we highlighted that for those people who steal the cars, there would be maximum sentencing of suspending licences. The minister spoke of that, and I want to thank him.

Madam Speaker, I want to talk for a minute about why stealing cars is so unacceptable and why Bill 197 makes consequences for people who think it’s okay. Let me take you back to the recent auto theft summit in Ottawa.

Madame la Présidente, comme je l’ai dit récemment, lors de la conférence à Ottawa sur le vol des voitures, je prends la sécurité publique très au sérieux. Nous sommes préoccupés par l’augmentation récente des vols de voitures. Je suis préoccupé par l’augmentation de la criminalité. Mais, en même temps, notre gouvernement propose des solutions et des stratégies pour assurer la sécurité de l’Ontario.

When I went to that conference, it became obvious that we have an auto theft crisis. Bill 197 acknowledges this threat to our inherent right to live safely in our communities.

Again, I want to say, and I’ve said this before, we’ve never had a Premier, we’ve never had a government in my lifetime that has prioritized public safety more than our government, led by Premier Ford. And thanks to the minister and the associate minister, we have prioritized having some of the safest roads in North America.

Our new legislation would improve safety and protect families and communities by targeting road users who engage in reckless behaviour, including impaired driving and stunt driving, as well as those convicted of auto theft. And that is absolutely a preoccupation of this government—eradicating auto theft. Nobody should be confronted with having their car stolen, and this government is doing something about it.

The Safer Roads and Communities Act, if passed, would also introduce measures to improve safety for e-bike users and enhance commercial vehicle enforcement.

Impairment still exists in our communities, and it’s totally unacceptable. A driver’s reflexes and decision-making abilities are slowed, making it difficult to react quickly to sudden changes or hazards on the road, such as pedestrians and other vehicles. This often leads to risky driving behaviour such as speeding, aggressive driving or failure to obey traffic signals.

When speaking to police services, we see that impaired drivers are more likely to be involved in high-speed or head-on collisions, which tend to result in more severe injuries or fatalities. The aftermath of such accidents involving impaired drivers has profound consequences on the families. And I have to tell you, too many of us in this chamber have heard stories of people who have been impacted by somebody who was drunk or impaired and should not have been behind that wheel.

That’s why this government is introducing legislation that, if passed, would implement the toughest sanctions in Canada for impaired driving.

We have to tackle auto theft. I’m proud to be part of a government, led by Premier Ford, that came forward with the provincial auto grant. This $51 million—monies that are flowing across Ontario today in municipal and First Nations and OPP police services are proof of how seriously we’re tackling it. The $51-million investment over three years has started to pay dividends.

Just yesterday, Peel police service, as an example, made an announcement of a tremendous auto theft bust. I want to give a shout-out to Chief Nishan Duraiappah and everyone at Peel police service who made a difference, found our cars and are sending a message to those people who are stealing them: We’re going to put you on notice, and we’re putting you out of business.

Impaired driving in 2022 alone caused 110 fatalities and over 1,000 injuries.

We live in a province that everyone needs to feel safe in, especially those people who come here to discover Ontario, to see what our province is all about. We have people coming into our province as guests, as tourists, and we want to make sure they know that they can feel safe here.

It’s also unfair to the front-line people who keep our communities safe every day—and I’m thinking of our police officers, our firefighters, our correctional probation and parole officers, the auxiliary and special constables, and the 911 call operators. There is a network in the Ministry of the Solicitor General that works hand in hand with the Ministry of Transportation to ensure that our roadways are kept safe by being vigilant.

As part of the bill that we’re talking about today, we want to make sure that convicted drivers who operate a vehicle without regard to being impaired are aware that there will be substantial consequences. I might add that they may also be charged further under the Criminal Code of Canada or the Highway Traffic Act for improper use of a vehicle, and that’s something that’s important.

This legislation will also tackle stunt driving. Stunt drivers, as the Minister of Transportation said, are problematic because of their reckless behaviour—and they do so speeding; they do so weaving through traffic and performing dangerous manoeuvres. These actions not only endanger the drivers themselves, but everybody else on the road. Stunt driving contributes to anxiety and reduces road safety. Street racing also creates a public nuisance, and the minister spoke about that. It often generates excessive noise, disrupting the peaceful enjoyment in our local community.

Madam Speaker, I’ll end where I started. This bill is another example of our government’s commitment to public safety, our government’s commitment to accept our inherent right to live safely in it, to drive on our roads safely, to ride our bikes safely, to be able to go to work safely and to come home at the end of the day, and to shop and to play in the park and to pray, and to do so safely. Road safety is just as important. It has been a privilege to work alongside my colleagues the Minister of Transportation and the Associate Minister of Transportation to make sure that the message across Ontario is uniform. We live in the most amazing province and jurisdiction anywhere in the world, but it should be safe for everyone.

Madam Speaker, it has been a privilege to speak on this bill today.

Over to the Associate Minister of Transportation.

Thanks to my colleague and friend the Minister of Transportation and the Solicitor General for this bill and for their overview of the Safer Roads and Communities Act and its potential to revolutionize road safety in this province.

Madam Speaker, our government is proud to take a stand against criminals threatening the safety of hard-working Ontarians.

The Safer Roads and Communities Act, if passed, will have some of the strongest penalties in Canada for impaired driving.

I would like to use my time today to draw attention to the serious issues of impaired driving. This is not just a lapse in judgment. Impaired driving is a choice—a terrible choice—that costs innocent lives, people’s lives, and causes irreparable damage to the families impacted by these tragedies. We have all heard heartbreaking stories about impaired driving leading to catastrophic results, and many of us have seen them first-hand or have been personally impacted by these stories. Our government has a responsibility to do everything within our power to protect road users so that they can get home safely each night. We take that responsibility seriously. Impaired driving is something that we will not stand for.

Between 2012 and 2022, the number of fatalities on our roadways increased by 7%. Much of this blame is given to impaired driving, a factor in one third of road fatalities in Ontario.

As my colleague the Minister of Transportation mentioned, the Ministry of Transportation conducted a roadside survey in 2022 that found one in five drivers tested positive for drugs, alcohol or both. This is simply unacceptable.

To create a safer environment for all road users, we must take bold, decisive action to deter unsafe and high-risk driving and to hold those who jeopardize the safety of others accountable.

When we introduced the Safer Roads and Communities Act, we were proud to have an endorsement from Steve Sullivan, the CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada. Mr. Sullivan echoed our sentiment, that, frankly, too many people are still making the dangerous and life-threatening choice to drive impaired.

We also heard from Carolyn Swinson from MADD Toronto, whose son and father were both killed by impaired driving in separate collisions. These horrific tragedies have had life-altering impacts on Ms. Swinson and her family, and she’s not alone in this.

People who have first-hand experience with the devastating consequences of impaired driving have thrown their weight behind this bill. They have put their stories forth to underscore the importance of this legislation.

We need to ensure that sanctions for impaired driving hold drivers accountable, and we need to ensure that we come down hard on repeat offenders, plain and simple. That’s the only way to send a clear message.

With this bill, Safer Roads and Communities Act, we are using every tool in our tool box to prevent fatalities and other tragic outcomes on this province’s roadways. That’s why we are toughening sanctions for impaired driving across the board. If you kill someone while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will face consequences.

These criminals do not just magically understand the weight of their actions; we need to be tough on these individuals who choose to drive impaired and put lives at risk. We need to send a strong and clear message.

That’s why the Safer Roads and Communities Act would introduce a lifetime driving suspension for anyone convicted of impaired driving causing death under the Criminal Code. That is the harshest penalty at the Ministry of Transportation’s disposal, and it is what we need to do to deter impaired driving. Going to prison is not enough.

The Safer Roads and Communities Act—if this bill passes, you will forfeit your privilege to drive if you’re convicted of killing someone while you are impaired behind the wheel. If that sounds like we are being tough on crime, it’s because we are. It is only fair. Our government has no sympathy towards these criminals who choose to open their car doors, sit in the driver’s seat and put their foot on the gas. It is a choice, and that choice must have lasting consequences. That is especially true when they take the life of an innocent individual. In fact, every day, I think of the innocent Ontarians whose lives have been destroyed by impaired drivers. These tragedies are already unimaginable for most people, and we need to do everything we can so no one else has to experience them.

If you kill someone while you’re driving impaired, the criminal court will deal with you, but the Ministry of Transportation will also apply severe consequences to your driver’s licence. We’re going to use every option available to come down as hard as possible on individuals who selfishly make the choice to drive while impaired. If the Safer Roads and Communities Act passes, that’s exactly what we’ll be able to do.

Anyone who makes the terrible decision to drive impaired and doesn’t end up killing someone should count themselves lucky. They could have destroyed the hopes and dreams of an entire family, but they didn’t, and we’re going to make sure that they think twice before they ever take that risk again. They will not just get off scot-free and think, “That was a close call.” We are keeping our eyes open, ensuring convicted drivers install an ignition interlock device.

Currently, drivers convicted of impaired driving can bypass the ignition interlock requirement by choosing to sit it out and not drive during their ignition interlock term. But why should we give them that option when they could have killed someone with their recklessness? What kind of message does that send if we’re trying to deter people from driving impaired? What message does that send to families whose lives have been upended by impaired drivers?

We are sending a clear message by requiring anyone convicted of impaired driving to install an ignition interlock device for a prescribed period of time, varying based on occurrence. If you want to drive again, you will have to work hard at it. You will have to pay to install an ignition interlock device, and your car will not start if you’re about to make the same poor decisions again.

We don’t want anyone convicted of impaired driving to complete their ignition interlock requirement and then go back to their old ways. That’s why we’re also going to subject people convicted of impaired driving to a time-limited zero-tolerance condition once they’ve completed their ignition interlock period. The zero-tolerance condition would apply to the presence of both alcohol and drugs.

Our government is not going to let impaired drivers off the hook with a slap on the wrist. The people and families across Ontario deserve our best foot forward, so that is what we are doing. We’re coming down hard with these proposed measures in this bill. The longer suspensions for drug- and alcohol-related occurrences are another tool that we can use to keep roads among the safest in North America.

Currently, drivers receive an immediate three-day roadside licence suspension for the first drug- or alcohol-related occurrence. For the second occurrence, they receive a seven-day roadside licence suspension.

Those suspension lengths are simply inadequate if we want to take a tough stance against impaired driving in this province. That’s why, if this bill passes, first-time drug- and alcohol-related occurrences will get you a seven-day roadside licence suspension. Make the same choice a second time—you will face a 14-day roadside suspension. These suspensions are all in addition to monetary penalties, reinstatement fees, remedial education and treatment requirements, which escalate for every occurrence.

Make no mistake; if this bill, the Safer Roads and Communities Act, passes, there will be absolutely nowhere for impaired drivers to hide from the police. Some drivers may think they can pull off a highway onto a private property to avoid a Breathalyzer test when they are being followed by a police officer, Madam Speaker. However, I will say now and time again that this is simply untrue. If this bill passes, we are going to make it eminently clear and by enshrining it in law. The bill would amend the Highway Traffic Act to clarify that police do have the authority to stop a vehicle that pulls off a highway for the testing. So you may try to run, but, for sure, you cannot hide. If you have got drugs or alcohol in your system and you’re hoping to evade the police, if this bill passes, that is not happening anymore in this province. As my friend and colleague the Solicitor General stated, our government is proud to give the police the tools they need to be tough on crime, and that’s what the Safer Roads and Communities Act would do.

In addition to cracking down on impaired driving, the bill will ensure harsh penalties for stunt driving. In 2021, our government passed the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, also known as the MOMS Act. The MOMS Act introduced one-year licence suspensions for those convicted of stunt driving. Two-time offenders are subject to a minimum three-year suspension, and subsequent offences are subject to a lifetime driving suspension. But these suspensions require a court order, which means drivers convicted of this serious crime that put lives at risk don’t always face a licence suspension. But this bill, this Safer Roads and Communities Act, if passed, would amend the Highway Traffic Act to ensure anyone convicted of stunt driving would face a minimum mandatory licence suspension. That’s one year for the first conviction, three years for the second and a lifetime suspension for the third conviction.

Stunt driving has the same potential to destroy families’ lives, as I mentioned impaired driving does, and these are serious crimes. Ensuring licence suspensions for anyone convicted of the crime will help make our roads safer.

Every action our government takes, whether it’s building new highways or building subways or improving access to transportation in the north or enhancing road safety, is done with one goal in mind: We want to make sure Ontario remains the best place to live, work and raise a family. That means rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty to build the transportation infrastructure we need to support our rapidly growing population here in Ontario. It means jumping into action when we see any barriers to making Ontario the best it can be. And it means taking bold steps, decisive action to keep roads safe so Ontarians can get home to their families each and every day.

No one should have to live in fear when they get behind the wheel or take their family on a road trip, and no driver who knowingly puts the safety of others at risk should get away with slap on the wrist. That’s why this bill, the Safer Roads and Communities Act, if passed, would forge a path towards a safer and more prosperous Ontario.

We take our responsibility to protect road users with the utmost seriousness. By getting tough on impaired driving, we’ll send a clear message to anyone who even thinks about getting behind the wheel with alcohol or drugs in their system. By cracking down on stunt driving, we’ll protect people across the entire province.

This bill also includes measures to combat auto theft and bolster commercial vehicle enforcement, which my colleague and friend the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation will discuss now, Madam Speaker.