I’m grateful to the member from Don Valley North for his important question.

Recent attacks against police officers are completely unacceptable. Especially at this time, we remember the sacrifice made by Constables Hong and Northrup and Russell. We can’t thank our police officers enough for their heroic work that they do to keep Ontario safe.

Monsieur le Président, je suis fier de soutenir nos policiers, qui assurent la sécurité de l’Ontario tous les jours.

Our policing partners put their lives on the line every day, and we recognize that police officers deserve our support and respect. We will provide the police with the tools and resources they need to keep us safe. Most importantly, we will have their backs each and every day.

Since our government came into office, we’ve invested over $300 million in grants for policing in the city of Toronto alone. More than $28 million of those monies were allocated through our anti-gun and gang strategy.

Retirer les armes à feu illégales est notre priorité absolue.

We’re optimistic that the federal government will continue to invest in Ontario’s anti-gun and gangs program and to take important action to stop the illegal firearms that are coming into our province at international borders. I urge our federal counterpart, Minister Mendicino, to go to the border, make an announcement and step up the inspections at the border so that Ontario can keep itself safe.

I want to thank the member for the question. We take public safety all across Ontario very, very seriously. And as the federal government is considering making it an essential service, as the member opposite said, this is something that we will absolutely support. But in the meantime, as the member knows, as the Community Safety and Policing Act came into force just last week, First Nation police communities have the right to opt in, and we hope they do, so that we will continue to fund adequate policing services and to provide those monies for the communities that they need.

I take this responsibility very, very seriously. I take public safety across Ontario very seriously.

I want to thank the member for the question. The Community Safety and Policing Act, which will come live on April 1, replaces a piece of legislation that’s 35 years old. And under both the old act, the Police Services Act, and the Community Safety and Policing Act, police can enforce municipal and First Nations bylaws equally. Our government, as the member knows, takes public safety very seriously all over Ontario.

But I want to say one other thing. Thanks to the Chiefs of Ontario, who made a suggestion to establish a collaborative table under the Ministry of the Attorney General, we did just that. The collaborative table is an excellent table to table ideas for us to consider. That’s exactly why it exists.

Mr. Speaker, we take public safety seriously all across Ontario.

Just two weeks ago, I was at the Ontario Police College. This was my sixth march past ceremony. I made a point of meeting with all of the cadets that are going to First Nations police services. It was over two dozen.

We take public safety in the four corners of Ontario very seriously. That’s exactly why the Community Safety and Policing Act, that will come live on April 1, will provide an unparalleled opportunity for communities all across Ontario to feel that the legislation brings them up to the times that they’re in.

One more thing: It is very important to know that I stay in regular contact with the police chiefs on a regular basis, including those serving First Nations communities.

I’m delighted to introduce to this House our two amazing Deputy Solicitor Generals, Karen Ellis and Mario Di Tommaso, together with leadership from the Ministry of the Solicitor General. I’m also delighted to introduce members from the minister’s office of the Ministry of the Solicitor General. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Speaker, this moves us closer to bringing the Community Safety and Policing Act into force, establishing a modern and robust policing legislative framework that advances transparency and accountability in law enforcement and supporting everyone that keeps Ontario safe. I look forward to discussing the many aspects of this proposed legislation in the House in the weeks to come.

Madame Gélinas moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 103, An Act to amend the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 with respect to activities related to vapour products / Projet de loi 103, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2017 favorisant un Ontario sans fumée en ce qui concerne des activités liées aux produits de vapotage.

I want to thank the member for her question. Let me be clear: No one convicted of serious and disturbing crimes like these should be receiving a taxpayer-funded salary. Our government brought forward legislation, the Community Safety and Policing Act, that, once enforced, will allow a chief of police to suspend an officer without pay if the officer is charged with a serious offence. This legislation, as members know, replaces a piece of legislation that’s over 30 years old. Our expectation, Mr. Speaker, is that those who keep our province safe uphold the highest standards of professional ethics, and we will accept nothing less.

I want to repeat again that no one convicted of a serious crime, and disturbing crimes like these, should be receiving a taxpayer-funded salary. We expect all those that keep our province safe to uphold the highest standard of professional ethics. Mr. Speaker, I’ll repeat it: We will accept nothing less.

I’d like to thank the member from Brampton West for the question and for his leadership in his community.

Let me say this absolutely straight: Car theft is absolutely unacceptable. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes, communities, and in their own vehicles.

We’re proud of our record investments and are working hand in hand with law enforcement to tackle automobile thefts across Ontario.

Our government is investing over $61 million in new technology for the police that will allow them to identify stolen vehicles much faster, such as the automated licence plate reader. We’re also investing $267 million through the Community Safety and Policing Grant program.

We are always listening to police on methods, tools and support that they can use to keep their communities safe.

Mr. Speaker, everyone deserves to live safely in their community, and our government will not stop until absolutely everyone is safe.

Just a few weeks ago, Halton police seized 35 vehicles that were stolen from across the Toronto area on their way to Dubai. The estimated value of these cars was over $2 million. I’d like to thank Halton police, their regional auto theft task force, and especially Chief Steve Tanner for carrying out this operation—it is due to the tireless efforts of people like Chief Tanner and his police officers that keep Ontario safe.

I want to say one more thing: We are imploring the federal government to increase border protections. And as I have said in every conversation with Minister Mendicino, meet me at the border and see for yourself.

I want to say that our government is acting in spending and investing over $500 million to modernize our correctional facilities. Our government is acting in hiring over 1,400 new correctional officers, some of which just graduated last week. And our government is acting again, Mr. Speaker, understanding that employee wellness is important, and we are providing resiliency training for front-line staff and improving managerial awareness of mental health issues through mandatory training.

We will always appreciate and acknowledge the hard work done every day by everyone that keeps Ontario safe.

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to say again, our hearts go out to the families in the James Smith Cree Nation whose lives were changed tragically in a flash. We mourn with those who mourn.

Public safety remains our inherent right—to live in our community safely, and to walk our streets and to play in our parks and to go to school and to work safely together.

To the member’s question—and I thank him for it: Having your vehicle stolen at gunpoint is a traumatic event.

To be clear, many of these thefts are, in fact, related to gun and gang crimes. That’s why our government, together with our federal partners, has invested over $200 million to fight gang violence fuelled by smuggled guns.

Mr. Speaker, we also provided additional funding to the Toronto Police Service for more than $72 million through the Community Safety and Policing Grant program.

Monsieur le Président, je suis fier de soutenir nos policiers, agents correctionnels et pompiers tous les jours, et tous ceux qui assurent la sécurité de l’Ontario.

Our government is ensuring that our front-line officers have the technology they need to fight crime in our modern environment. We’re investing over $60 million for police services across the province to purchase the latest technology needed to identify stolen vehicles, outstanding warrants, and to track down Amber Alert targets faster. This technology will allow police officers to be alerted to stolen vehicles within their view faster than they could run the plates themselves.

Monsieur le Président, je suis fier de soutenir nos policiers et agents correctionnels et pompiers tous les jours, et tous ceux qui assurent la sécurité de l’Ontario.

I appreciate the member from Mississauga Centre’s question.

Monsieur le Président, tous ont le droit de se sentir en sécurité chez eux et dans leur collectivité.

We’re working with law enforcement agencies across the province to keep Ontario safe, and our government has invested over $200 million to combat gun and gang violence. This unprecedented investment includes $6 million for CCTV cameras for municipalities and First Nations. And we’re investing over $267 million through the Community Safety and Policing Grant program to help police services address priority issues in their community.

Monsieur le Président, notre gouvernement a renforcé la sécurité publique, du premier au dernier échelon.

Community safety is a top priority, not just for those who work in and support Ontario’s policing services, but for all Ontario families.

Since our government came to office, we’ve invested over $17 million in grants for policing in Peel region alone. In fact, yesterday, the Peel Regional Police announced the results of outstanding work on Project Warrior. Peel Regional Police used the funding provided by the Ministry of the Solicitor General, combined with excellent investigative work, to take a staggering $12 million of illicit drugs off the street.

I want to congratulate chief—

Interjections.

I want to thank the member from Peterborough–Kawartha for the question.

Everyone has a right to feel safe in their own home and in their own communities. Our government has established the guns-and-gangs joint-forces operation that is being led by the Ontario Provincial Police. This is a province-wide tool to help ongoing battles against guns, gangs and violence throughout our province.

The guns-and-gangs joint-forces operation is made possible through a $75-million investment by our government and will increase both intelligence sharing and enforcement action. We will be working with all law enforcement agencies across the province, such as Peterborough, to keep Ontario safe.

Community safety is a top priority, not just for those who work in and support the justice system but for all Ontario families. And as I said before, everyone has a right to feel safe in their own homes and their own communities.

With this in mind, I would like to point out that since the member from Peterborough–Kawartha has been elected, our government has provided more than $11 million in direct grants for policing. For example, starting this year, the province will be investing locally $3 million through the Community Safety and Policing Grant Program.

I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that keeping our community safe is our highest priority.

Monsieur le Président, la sûreté et la sécurité de notre province seront toujours notre priorité absolue.