It is a pleasure to rise to today to share with this House some important investments our government has made in my riding of Perth–Wellington.

Last week, I was joined by the Minister of Education to announce a brand new Catholic elementary school in Drayton, Ontario. This represents $17.3 million in investment by our government in our rural education system and will create 222 new student spaces and 64 new child care spaces.

This is a huge investment for Drayton and area because, for too long, local families did not have any affordable child care options locally. But our government is delivering for rural Ontario after years of inaction from the previous Liberal government.

Speaker, the good news doesn’t stop there. I also had the pleasure of announcing that our government is funding a major expansion of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Listowel. This investment of $5.8 million will help build an additional 150 student spaces and 98 child care spaces. These two projects are part of our larger $1.3-billion plan that more than doubles the funding to build new schools and expands child care spaces across Ontario.

Since 2018, our provincial government has invested over $34 million in communities across Perth–Wellington to build 250 new child care spaces and 470 new student spaces. While the previous Liberal government closed 600 rural schools, our government will continue to invest in rural Ontario.

I would like to introduce Judy and Rick from my great riding of Perth–Wellington, and Aunt Marilyn, as well, who is here from Toronto—it’s an okay place.

I’d also like to recognize Judy. She has worked in the member for Wellington–Halton Hills’s constituency office for 33 years, and I believe she is most likely the longest-serving staff to an MPP currently in Ontario.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Applause.

Thank you, Speaker. That was the right answer. He wants to make sure I tell his family he’s treating me well here, which are great constituents in my riding of Perth–Wellington.

My question, obviously, to my colleague from Niagara West: He did allude to it in his speech, but I know he reads the legislation before this House in great detail, so I will obviously ask a housing question. I was wondering if the member can share with this place what is the number one challenge that your municipal colleagues in Niagara West are finding to get houses built in Niagara West and across Ontario? What is the number one thing they need?

I would like to introduce a couple of visitors I have here today. I have Andrew from the tourism association of Ontario, I have Sara and Derek from the OFA and from the great riding of the Perth–Wellington, and I have Melinda and Kevin from Farm Fresh Ontario—and it is also Kevin’s birthday today.

Agri-tourism activities are defined as agriculture-related educational, entertainment, historical, cultural, limited accommodations or recreational activities, including you-pick operations or farm markets, conducted on a farm that allows or invites members of the general public to observe, participate in or enjoy that activity.

The act provides that if an agri-tourism provider includes warning language set out in the act in signs at or near the main entrance of each agri-tourism activity or in every contract entered into with each participant in respect of the agri-tourism activity, no cause of action arises against an agri-tourism provider for any harm a participant sustains during an agri-tourism activity if harm is a result of a risk inherent in an agri-tourism activity.

The act also provides that agri-tourism providers are not required to eliminate risks inherent in an agri-tourism activity.

It is a pleasure to rise today to highlight some recent announcements I was able to make on behalf of the Minister of Health in my riding of Perth–Wellington. Last month I was pleased to announce not one but two local family health teams would be receiving funding to expand primary care in our rural communities.

The Minto–Mapleton Family Health Team will receive over $560,000 to hire two additional nurse practitioners, an RPN and a medical receptionist. This funding will ensure an additional 1,600 residents can access primary care closer to home.

The Listowel–Wingham family health team will receive over $822,000 to expand primary care to serve an additional 2,000 residents.

Speaker, it truly was a historic day for our rural public health care sector. The province-wide investment of $90 million represents the first expansion of primary care in Ontario’s history, ever. It is disappointing the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, had 15 years to expand primary care in rural Ontario, and they chose not to, Speaker. In fact, the current Liberal members and the current NDP members voted against our historic expansion.

Despite these obstacles the previous Liberal government put in place, we are rebuilding our public health care sector. We’re expanding medical school spots and nurse practitioner spots. We expanded the clinical extern program. Speaker, our government will continue to expand primary care.

I want to introduce Dave and Maria Hartney, who are in the gallery, from the beautiful riding of Perth–Wellington.

Perth–Wellington is a place of vibrant energy and growth, and today, I want to celebrate an incredible success story of one of our small businesses.

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of GRIT Engineering’s brand new, expanded location in Stratford. GRIT Engineering, founded and led by Montana Wilson, is a shining example of what small businesses can achieve when they combine determination, dedication and vision. They offer a wide array of high-quality services, including geotechnical engineering, civil engineering, surveying and environmental services.

It’s no exaggeration to say that GRIT Engineering plays a vital role in building our great province. It was wonderful to walk through their state-of-the-art facility, witness the cutting-edge technology they employ and meet some of their dedicated team. What’s even more remarkable is that GRIT Engineering is one of the few female-led consulting engineering firms in Ontario. The company also provides 24 individuals in our local community with well-paying jobs, with the majority of employees being under the age of 40. They’re not just building infrastructure, Speaker; they’re building careers and opportunities in Perth–Wellington.

Montana’s recent recognition as the recipient of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association inaugural Service Professional of the Year award is a testament to the outstanding professionalism and integrity that she brings to everything she does. She is truly a role model for young women everywhere.

Speaker, it’s great to see the continued success of small businesses in our rural community. I want to wish Montana, Nick and their whole team much success.

It’s time for a real question. A couple of weeks ago, I had the honour of representing our great Minister of Long-Term Care at the grand opening of the West Perth Village, an upgraded long-term-care home of 128 new beds in my riding of Perth–Wellington. It was a great day, Speaker. I want to give a shout-out to the West Perth community and all the volunteers that came together to make this project a reality.

The board began this project many, many years ago. It’s unfortunate, under the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, there was no movement—none, Speaker—on getting these 128 beds built.

Can the Minister of Long-Term Care please inform this House on what our government is doing to get long-term care homes built across my riding of Perth–Wellington and Ontario?

The minister alluded to some of the other great projects in my riding. I’m pleased to say, under this Premier and this Minister of Long-Term Care, we are going to build, and are in the process of building, 943 new long-term-care beds in my riding alone. Speaker, as we know, under the previous Liberal government they built 611 beds in the entire province.

As many people in this place will know, interest rates are higher, there’s a rising cost to construction, but that’s not stopping us, Speaker. We’re going to continue to get long-term-care beds built across Ontario.

Can the minister please share with this House what our government is doing to continue to support our long-term-care sector to get it done?

I would like to introduce Peter and Beverley Maranger, great community leaders from my riding of Perth–Wellington. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Beckett Gloor is page captain today, from my beautiful riding of Perth–Wellington. I would like to welcome his parents, Tracy and Steve Gloor, to Queen’s Park.

It’s an honour to rise to talk about Perth–Wellington today, Speaker. I know we talk about our ridings a lot in this place, and it’s great to be able to do that. I’m thinking, really, of—we did celebrate agriculture week and Thanksgiving and all the bounty that our farmers collect every year, and the great work our government is doing to support our farm families, whether it’s through our Grow Ontario Strategy and the investments we’re making there.

As the member from Essex—I heard briefly in his remarks about the trade that we have. The amount of exports and agriculture that we provide to the States and across the world is truly great. I know, with our Minister of Economic Development and under the leadership of our Premier, we’ll continue to do that moving forward, ensuring that our agriculture sector remains strong.

But it’s not just our agriculture sector that we continue to support; it’s also Small Business Week in Ontario—and I know there’s plenty of small businesses in my riding of Perth–Wellington. The Minister of Tourism is in front of me here, and I know he has been to the beautiful riding of Perth–Wellington and to Stratford and has seen the many small businesses.

Whether that’s in the hospitality sector, whether that’s in the manufacturing sector—truly, Ontario is thriving again because of the leadership of our Premier and our ministers in our cabinet.

I think of the great announcement yesterday that was made in eastern Ontario: 600 net new jobs—that’s just direct jobs.

We’re going to continue to build Ontario for the next generation and going forward.

I rise today to recognize and celebrate some recent investments our government has made in my riding of Perth–Wellington.

Recently, I was able to announce on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs that five worthy initiatives in my riding would be receiving a combined $270,000 in rural economic development funding. The municipality of North Perth will be receiving $137,000 for its agriculture excellence action plan, which will support our flourishing agriculture and agricultural technology sector. Perth county will be receiving $50,000 for its workforce attraction and retention kit for employers. Drayton Entertainment is receiving more than $49,000 to modernize operations and support the adoption of more environmentally friendly practices. The town of Minto is receiving $20,000 for their Move to Minto business attraction campaign—and I encourage all businesses to move to Minto. Lynes Blacksmith Shop in Kenilworth is receiving $17,000 to help maintain a historic and culturally significant landmark.

Our government has provided over $4.3 million to support 80 projects across rural Ontario in this recent round of RED funding. Speaker, as you know, rural Ontario is the backbone of our provincial economy. Annually, businesses in rural Ontario contribute $99 billion to our provincial economy.

I am proud to be part of a government that continues to support our small businesses and rural economic development.

Thank you, Speaker, and welcome back to the Legislature. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to announce a plethora of investments that our government is making in my riding of Perth–Wellington:

—$200,000 for local seniors programming;

—$300,000 for palliative care;

—$6.6 million for local hospital capital funding;

—$3.4 million for local ERs and hospital bed capacity;

—$188,000 for local events and festivals; and

—$400,000 for our local police services.

This is all great news, but there is more. Since 2018, our government has secured $25 billion in auto and EV investments and $3 billion in life science investments. There have been 700,000 new jobs created, including 40,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector. In the skilled trades, apprenticeships are up 24%. Our students are entering the health care sector in droves. Over 4,300 students have registered in the Learn and Stay program.

Our government continues to make historic investments in health care. We are increasing land ambulance funding by 6% for our municipalities, to $811 million in total. We are investing an additional $51 million in the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program.

Our government will continue to focus on building a strong Ontario. When will the opposition get on board?

It’s my honour, obviously, to share my time, as we’ve already heard from the great Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the associate minister in this place. It’s an honour to speak on our government’s proposed legislation that would support a much-needed fourth housing supply action plan. Our proposals are crucial to our government’s work to get housing built that Ontarians desperately need.

Speaker, my riding of Perth–Wellington is home to over 4,000 farm operations and many predominantly rural municipalities. These communities, like others across Ontario, are feeling pressure and demand for housing that is greater than the supply currently is. Whether it’s for farm workers, rental housing for young people and new immigrants, or the missing middle, there is a need for housing in every single community in my riding. That’s why I’m pleased to be part of a government that is acting so strongly to support more homes across all areas of Ontario and delivering on our commitment to see 1.5 million new homes built by 2031.

I’m also pleased to speak on behalf of a generation of Ontarians—my generation—which has faced historic difficulties when it comes to finding a home they can actually afford. I’m proud to be part of a government that understands the difficulties that my generation and future generations will face if we do not address this housing crisis.

We’re taking historic action to tackle the housing supply crisis and build the homes Ontarians need. Our housing supply action plans have made great progress, as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing alluded to earlier, but more work needs to be done. This proposed legislation and corresponding changes to the provincial policy statement would see that more is done, not only in our urban centres, but also in our rural areas.

Ce projet de loi ferait avancer les choses tant dans nos centres urbains que dans nos régions rurales.

Speaker, our province is layered with planning rules and land use plans. All of Ontario is subject to a set of planning rules called the provincial policy statement, also often referred to as PPS. Where the PPS is the sole set of land use planning rules, it’s fairly clear what rules a developer or a builder must follow to get a proposed residential project approved. However, in the greater Golden Horseshoe, there is an additional set of planning rules called A Place to Grow. If we want to get the homes built that we desperately need now, let alone in the future for the sizable population growth we’re going to see, it is critical that builders and developers have a clear and streamlined set of rules to follow in this and all areas of our province.

Ontario is projected to grow by 5.6 million people by 2046, and the greater Toronto area alone is expected to be home to 2.9 million of those people. Not only that, but the greater Golden Horseshoe generates more than 25% of Canada’s gross domestic product. So I think all members of this House will agree that, as I said, it’s critical we get land use planning right in this region and across all regions of Ontario.

There are several challenges brought on by the magnitude of growth that is forecasted.

There will be increased demand for major infrastructure investments—this includes renewing aging infrastructure and addressing infrastructure deficits associated with growth.

There will be increased traffic congestion, with resulting delays in the movement of people and goods. Already we are seeing those delays in the greater Golden Horseshoe, and they are costing billions of dollars in lost GDP every year.

The impacts of globalization are transforming the regional economy at a rapid pace. This makes long-term planning or employment more uncertain.

Speaker, people over the age of 60 are expected to represent more than a quarter of the population by 2041, especially in communities such as mine in Perth–Wellington. That means we will need more age-friendly development that can address unique needs and circumstances. This includes a more appropriate range and mix of housing options, easier access to health care and other amenities, walkable built environments, and an age-friendly approach to community design to meet the needs of all people.

But all these planning rules on top of planning rules result in massive delays in getting land use approvals and enormous costs to the builders or developers and municipalities to get these approvals through. We need to streamline Ontario’s planning rules and encourage more housing.

That’s why, on April 6, our government launched its 60-day consultation on the Environmental Registry of Ontario, seeking input on the proposed combining of the PPS and A Place to Grow into a new province-wide land use planning policy instrument. We propose to integrate these two planning instruments into one streamlined housing-focused policy, which will be called the provincial planning statement. This would increase housing supply and speed up planning approvals by simplifying existing policy and refocusing on achieving housing outcomes. Our proposed provincial planning statement would do this by giving direction for all of Ontario, as well as direction tailored to the unique needs of large, fast-growing municipalities. As the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing already noted, all of Ontario—not just the GTA—should be a place to grow. In our new proposed planning statement, this direction is organized across five key pillars. Those pillars are: generating an appropriate housing supply; making land available for development; providing infrastructure to support development; balancing housing with resources; and, obviously, implementation.

For the first of those pillars, generating an appropriate housing supply, our proposed new land use document would give specific direction to Ontario’s largest and fastest-growing municipalities in planning for major transit station areas and other strategic growth areas and in greenfield lands to ensure an appropriate supply of housing. However, simpler and more flexible policies would be given to all other municipalities to reflect local conditions while encouraging growth. For those large and fast-growing municipalities—we’ve identified 29 in Ontario.

Our proposed new planning policies would also enable more rural housing by allowing greater flexibility in smaller communities such as mine in Perth–Wellington. This could, for example, create more housing for on-farm workers or for farm operators’ children, if they choose to do so. It could also be done through engagement with the private sector in small and rural municipalities to provide infrastructure needed for new housing.

Our proposed policies would also require more housing near transit. This means Ontario’s 29 large and fastest-growing municipalities would need to plan for growth around transit in urban centres and other strategic growth areas such as downtowns, and for undeveloped land, as well. For transit-related growth in what are called the major transit station areas, we provide minimum density targets that municipalities have to meet in their land use planning. Those same municipalities would have the right to see maximums for density and height. As well, municipalities would be encouraged to meet provincial density targets for undeveloped land.

Our next pillar in our proposed provincial policy planning statement is more land for development. This is part of our plan to build all sorts of homes for Ontarians, in urban and suburban areas as well as rural parts our province, while still maintaining our strong environmental protections across Ontario.

Speaker, it’s essential that municipalities plan for future growth with regard to population and employment. Our proposal would therefore require municipalities to ensure that enough land with water and waste water pipe access is ready to meet their communities’ anticipated housing needs over the next three years. We would also require municipalities to adhere to a 25-year planning horizon.

Our government has said this time and time again, but it bears repeating: We will continue to encourage municipalities to build where it makes sense. That means major office and institutional developments should be near transit, and areas of retail and commercial activity that provide jobs should also permit and encourage housing, schools and other community uses to create a complete community. Municipalities would need to consider increasing density on employment lands as well as locations near transit corridors.

Of course, municipalities would need to balance housing needs against other necessities. That means large parcels of land must be preserved for agriculture and heavy industry that will require separation from residential areas and other sensitive uses. This would help mitigate the potential effects of their operation, such as noise and odours.

We also recognize that residential development cannot happen in a vacuum.

Being one of the former parliamentary assistants to the Minister of Education, I was very pleased to see that we’re encouraging school boards and municipalities to work together to encourage them to innovate and integrate schools into housing developments.

Infrastructure corridors must also be considered and protected. Communities need electricity; they need transit; they need transportation. And our government recognizes the growth demands being placed on large and fast-growing municipalities such as those in the greater Golden Horseshoe. So our proposed land use policies in our provincial planning statement would have special direction for them while giving them flexibility. However, all planning authorities would still be required to integrate storm, sewage and water into development planning so that they can minimize risks and accommodate growth.

Our province is blessed with many resources, and we need to protect them. That’s why our proposal would require municipalities to map and designate prime agricultural areas to support our province’s productive and valuable agri-food network.

I want to state that Ontario would maintain all greenbelt protections, including policies on environmental and agricultural lands.

Just as valuable, Ontario’s water resources need protection. Municipalities would be encouraged to adopt a watershed planning approach rather than requiring watershed plans.

Aggregates, too, are a resource that must be protected. To make it easier to build housing, we must allow access to aggregates—and that is sand and gravel used in making cement. If we’re to work to lower housing costs, we must allow access to these deposits in more cost-efficient locations, as well as streamline the approvals process needed to extract these necessary resources.

Speaker, our proposed policies would also encourage municipalities to focus on improving air quality and addressing the impacts of a changing climate.

Of course, we’re also proposing some further legislative measures to support our actions to streamline land use planning rules to build more housing.

Our proposed changes would allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to require landowners to enter into agreements for projects assigned to the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator. This would help ensure commitments made by property owners are fulfilled; for example, in a case where a ministerial zoning order may be contemplated.

Speaker, as you can see, our proposed policies for land use planning in Ontario are extensive. They are just what our province needs to address our housing supply crisis and meet future demand.

As I mentioned earlier, our 60-day public consultation on these proposed policies and our proposed provincial planning statement began on April 6. I encourage those who wish to comment to go to the Environmental Registry of Ontario.

As you’ve heard from my colleagues who spoke before me, our government is committed to our goal of helping build 1.5 million new homes by 2031.

Our Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants plan and its supporting proposed legislation is the package that Ontarians need now and for the projected demand in the future.

Now I’d like to turn it over to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery.

It’s my pleasure to rise in this place to recognize the Wellington Heights senior girls volleyball team. For the first time in their history, the senior girls volleyball team captured the district 4 championship. After losing the first set of the semifinal match against Norwell, the Wolverines battled back, taking the next three straight sets to win. They would go on to beat Westside Secondary in the final to take the district 4 senior girls volleyball championship and earn a spot at the CWOSSA tournament. At CWOSSA, they made it all the way to the semifinals before losing a hard-fought battle with Delhi District Secondary School, ultimately placing third in the tournament.

I want to personally congratulate the entire team on winning the district 4 senior girls volleyball championship and making history. You should all be very proud of each other and your accomplishments and your showing at CWOSSA. Thank you to coach Kosempel and coach Barnard for your supporting this amazing team on their journey. Thank you to the entire community for cheering on your Wolverines. Go, Wolverines!

It’s an honour to rise in this place. I believe I’m one of the few members left, and it’s great to save, in my opinion, the best member for last. But it’s an honour to rise here today.

I want to begin by congratulating Speaker Arnott on his recent election to the position—a historic position in our parliamentary tradition. I also want to thank the member for Mississauga–Streetsville for also standing for Speaker of the House. It takes courage to put one’s name forward, and even more courage to put one’s name forward in front of a bunch of politicians. I would like to thank my predecessor, Randy Pettapiece. He represented the riding of Perth–Wellington for a little over a decade. He was actually the last member to win three consecutive elections since the late Hugh Edighoffer—a big feat in our riding of Perth–Wellington.

Perth–Wellington is a relatively new riding. Many members have represented both Perth and Wellington county in this House. I also want to recognize the still-living former members John Wilkinson, Bert Johnson and Karen Haslam. All of these people have represented Perth county in this Legislature at some point during my lifetime. Of course, I have the distinct honour of representing the three northern municipalities of Wellington county in this place, as well. I grew up in Harriston, which is in the town of Minto in Wellington county. The member that represented the town of Minto, Wellington North and Mapleton for many years—and, in fact, became my MPP when I was four months old—is the current honourable member for Wellington–Halton Hills. Life has some full circle, it seems, for both of us.

I had the pleasure of working with Randy Pettapiece from 2018 to January 2020. I learned a lot about what it means to be a good representative. I now also know how truly time-consuming it can be. I want to congratulate him on his retirement, and I hope he and Jane are enjoying their time with their grandchildren.

It’s an honour and a pleasure to serve the people of Perth–Wellington in Queen’s Park. I want to thank you for your trust, and for those who did not vote for me, I will continue to work to earn your trust over the next four years. As I said on the evening of June 2, I accept this position not only with excitement, but also with solemn anticipation of the weight of elected office.

Perth–Wellington is home to many vibrant and growing communities, but the land was cared for by many Indigenous peoples before Wellington or Perth county even existed. The Saugeen Ojibway Nation, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Chippewa people all resided within what is currently Perth and northern Wellington county.

It’s home to the highest number of chicken farmers in all of Canada. We are also home to over 5,026 grain, oil-seed, dairy, pork, beef, poultry and egg farms. If you can grow it, most likely you can grow it in Perth–Wellington. We’re also home to the Butter Tart Trail, and I encourage all members to take part in that. It’s a very delicious trail. We’re also home to many manufacturing companies across the auto sector, and many different trades and logistics companies are important industries in our area. They employ just under one-quarter of the workforce.

It’s also a hub for the arts, boasting the Stratford Festival, Drayton Entertainment and also the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, among many other cultural organizations that generate and contribute millions of dollars to the local economy. It’s also home, obviously, of Justin Bieber, Corey Conners, Lloyd Robertson, and it’s also home to Letterkenny, which is based on Listowel, Ontario.

Perth–Wellington also has the distinct honour of being the home of Canada’s most patriotic village. The Toronto Star ran a front-page headline during World War II that read, “Arthur Village Gives Sons and Money to Aid the War.” One in seven Arthur residents fought in the Second World War. This village is still just over 1,000 people—one in seven. We owe a great debt of gratitude to this generation.

I would be not be standing in this historic place were it not for my volunteers and my campaign team. I want to thank some of them. Specifically, I want to thank Allyson Cardiff, George Geottler—who many on the government side know—Jacob Shuker, Avery Miller, Matthew Steward, Tate Driscoll, Ron Faulkner, Walter Traschel, Dave Turton, Mayor Bridge, Rose Van Sickle, Irene Blight, Tim Sparks, Bob Archer, Bill Andrus, Jim Hutton, Mike Pacheco, Amanda Brodhagen, David Southam, Ralph Robinson, MP John Nater, Justine Nater, and Ainsley, Bennett and Caroline Nater. I could go on, but I will dispense to keep my remarks brief.

Whether it’s putting up signs, knocking on doors and making phone calls or simply being there to provide advice and guidance, I owe a great deal to these people and many others. If it were not for these volunteers and many other people, I would not have the privilege to stand in this place.

I also want to thank my constituency staff—Patti, Jake and Avery—for helping me serve the people and communities of Perth–Wellington. I was in the office on June 3 taking phone calls, and we opened our doors to the public on Monday, June 13. I committed to being ready on day one during the election, and my staff helped me keep that promise.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention some of my longest supporters: my parents. My dad, Mervyn Rae, was, until recently, a dairy farmer for his entire life. He’s one of the hardest-working people I know. Even though he has now sold the dairy herd, he still gets up before the sun rises to feed his remaining cattle. My mother, Mary Winger Rae, in addition to helping with the farm, is the amateur artist in the family, whether it’s photography, painting or drawing.

My mother and father sacrificed a lot for my sister and I. They always encouraged me and my sister to pursue our passions and goals in life, and I am blessed to have grown up in such a supportive household. Without their love and support, I would not be standing here in this place today.

As I was writing this speech, my thoughts were drawn to those in my family who are no longer with us. Earlier this year, my last living grandparent, Trudy Winger, passed on. None of my grandparents lived to see me take my seat in this House, but I know they are looking down with pride.

Finally, I would like to recognize my partner, Meghan Thomson. She has willingly agreed to support me in this crazy—and it is crazy—lifestyle of elected office.

Applause.

We’re both community-minded individuals and have chosen to sacrifice some of our privacy and time to serve the good people of Perth–Wellington. I can never thank her enough for the love and support she shows me every day.

As some of my colleagues will know in this place, I was fortunate enough to go abroad for my graduate studies and had the privilege of attending the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna in Austria.

Similar to many post-secondary students, I also completed a couple of internships while completing my studies. One such internship was with the Maltese embassy in Vienna. One of my colleagues was an older gentleman who had worked with the embassy for over 20 years. He was a soft-spoken man. He worked with the ambassador on many different multinational files at the United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

One day, he shared a piece of advice with me from his many years of experience working in international diplomacy. He said: “As an individual you cannot change the world in one sweeping moment, but you can change a small aspect of it in your own way.” These words have stayed with me, and I hope all members take them to heart as I have.

Only 1,968 Ontarians have ever sat in this place. Fewer still have been a minister of the crown, and even fewer have been Premier. However, we can all effect a small amount of change in our ridings and our communities.

One of my favourite quotes is from a former politician, the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. He made this speech before women held elected office, so bear that in mind—but it’s great that obviously women and other genders can hold elected office, now that we’ve progressed. But the quote goes, “It’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph”—I really need to organize my sheets—“of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

I encourage all members to dare greatly.

The throne speech and our budget are calls to action for Ontarians to dare greatly and help build Ontario. It was an honour to be here to listen to the Lieutenant Governor enumerate our government’s policies in the coming Legislative session. The throne speech and budget addressed the importance of our health care system and our plan to stay open.

I want to take this chance to thank all my local hospitals, their staff and their boards and CEOs, the family health teams, long-term-care staff and the various other health care providers that work day and night to provide the best care possible. I commend them and their staff for working tirelessly throughout this entire pandemic.

The importance of a well-functioning, quality health care system is not lost on me. That is why I have been in constant contact with my local hospital CEOs, local family health teams, long-term-care homes and other health care providers.

It is clear the importance of a well-functioning, quality health care system is important to this government. That is why we have made important investments in our health care sector.

Starting in the 2021-22 fiscal year, our government started investing $342 million over five years to strengthen our health care workforce through upskilling, retention and recruitment initiatives. We have already added over 10,500 new health care professionals and will continue to work with health care providers to encourage more people to join this honourable profession.

We’ve also committed to investing $4.9 billion to hire more than 27,000 new personal support workers, registered nurses and registered practical nurses by 2025 for our long-term-care facilities. This is to ensure residents receive on average four hours of direct care per day.

In budget 2022, we did commit to expanding the Community Commitment Program for Nurses and the Learn and Stay grant, as we’re calling it, with a $142-million investment. This program allows nurses and graduates to receive a full tuition reimbursement in exchange for committing to a practice in a rural or northern community—a direct benefit to Perth–Wellington.

We are also investing $41 million annually to support the clinical education component in our nursing education program, something my hospital CEOs and boards and nurses have said is important.

Prior to the election, our government passed legislation that prohibits regulatory colleges from requiring Canadian work experience as a qualification for registration in the nursing or personal support programs. It also requires regulatory colleges to certify potential applicants in a timely manner so that internationally trained health care workers can start as soon as possible. So far, well over 760 internationally educated nurses have been deployed through this program. In addition to these changes, the Minister of Health has written to the College of Nurses and the College of Physicians and Surgeons to quickly approve credentials of internationally educated health care workers.

This is not an exhaustive list, and our government has undergone and will continue to be undertaking significant, concrete, important steps supporting our health care sector moving forward.

A healthy and thriving Ontario is one that can attract lucrative investments from businesses across the globe, bringing with them good-paying jobs and added tax revenue. In the automotive sector alone, Ontario has attracted investments of $16 billion, $5 billion of which is for Canada’s first large-scale electric battery plant. Many of these positions will require employees trained in the skilled trades. That’s why our government is making important investments in the skilled trades. In my riding alone, our government has invested over $1.8 million to create a new skilled trades training hub in the community of North Perth.

More recently, I had the pleasure of joining Premier Ford and Minister McNaughton at Dyna-Mig, an auto manufacturing plant in Stratford, to announce $5 million in funding to train 500 people from under-represented groups in our thriving automotive sector. The project will provide participants with the necessary skills for rewarding careers in machine operation, assembly, quality control and logistics.

Investments in training are important, but so are investments in infrastructure to get people to and from work. Our government is investing a historic $86 billion over 10 years to build and expand Ontario’s roads, highways and transit infrastructure across Ontario. This includes expansion of GO train services to London, which shares a line with the city of Stratford and the town of St. Marys in my riding. This will directly benefit my constituents in various ways, including by giving them more transit options. After years of talk by previous governments about expanding GO train service to Stratford, St. Marys and London, our government has got it done, and I was very pleased to see that in our budget we committed to continuing to make track improvements to increase the frequency of trips between my riding and Union Station in Toronto.

As some members will know, prior to being elected to this place, I worked for a non-profit education company, Shad Canada. Shad runs a month-long STEM and entrepreneurship program for grade 10 and 11 students at university campuses across Canada. Coming from an educational background, and as a co-parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Education, I cannot understate the importance of investing in our children and preparing them for the jobs of the 21st century.

We recognize that the past two years of hybrid and virtual learning have been difficult for our children, parents and teachers. That’s why our government launched a $175-million investment to provide tutoring supports to students across Ontario. This has benefited people in my riding of Perth–Wellington as well.

We also know that parents know what’s best for their children. That’s why our government, in its reintroduced budget of 2022, will include an additional $225 million over the next two years to provide direct payments to help their kids catch up. This will help students catch up on lost learning, while reducing the burden on parents and future educators, allowing them to focus on new material.

Our government has modernized the elementary science and technology curriculum, along with the de-streamed grade 9 science course and the new learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills; hands-on experiential learning; the skilled trades and coding. As was alluded to in the throne speech, with close to one in five jobs in the coming years being in the skilled trades, it’s imperative that our children not only appreciate the importance of these jobs, but are prepared to learn the skills they need for these rewarding careers.

As a first-time homeowner, I am keenly aware of the challenges our young people are facing when purchasing their first home. While previous governments have neglected building more homes, our government has made it a priority. In 2020, a year after our housing supply action plan was implemented, Ontario had over 81,000 housing starts, the highest level in a decade, and over 100,000 rental starts, the highest level since 1992. It is critical that our government continues to work with our municipal partners to build more affordable and attainable housing.

Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of making a Rural Economic Development funding announcement on behalf of our great Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in the city of Stratford. InvestStratford, the economic development corporation of the city, will be using the $80,000 in funding to develop a community tool box to support the development of attainable housing.

Our government is committed to working with our municipal partners to deliver a housing supply action plan every year of the next four years. It’s great to be part of a government that works with our municipal partners, because what works in downtown Toronto will not work in downtown Listowel. I’ve already had some great discussions with my local mayors and councillors about how we can build more attainable and affordable housing. Our government is committed to working with our municipalities to leverage surplus provincial lands and add new incentives to building attainable housing, which will lower the cost for potential buyers and make home ownership a reality for more families.

In conclusion, Ontario requires an ambitious plan and a government that understands and is willing to tackle the province’s most pressing issues. Ontario deserves a caucus that is made up of representatives from every corner of Ontario and who come from many different walks of life. Ontario, now more than ever, needs experienced leadership. Madam Speaker, this government is ready to build Ontario.

I know my colleagues from the NDP and the independent members will not always agree with our policies, but I look forward to working with everyone in this place to build a brighter tomorrow for all Ontarians. Together, let’s build Ontario.