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May 14, 2025

44th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2025-May-14 vol. A (PDF)

L014A - Wed 14 May 2025 / Mer 14 mai 2025

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 14 May 2025 Mercredi 14 mai 2025

Orders of the Day

Municipal Accountability Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la responsabilité au niveau municipal

Members’ Statements

North Shore Firefighter Challenge

Government accountability

Nursing Week

Robert Cairns / Egypt Festival

Hospital services

ARCH Hospice

Hospital services

Family Service Toronto

DANI’s Place

Agri-food industry

Introduction of Visitors

House sittings

Question Period

Hospital services

Health care funding

Health care funding

Nurse practitioners

Health care funding

Government accountability / Health care funding

Housing

Hospital funding

Nurses

Government accountability

Small business

Nursing agencies / Health care funding

Public transit

Supplementary questions

Introduction of Visitors

Introduction of Bills

Ontario University Athletics Week Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la Semaine des sports universitaires de l’Ontario

Protecting Seniors’ Rights in Care Homes Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la protection des droits des personnes âgées dans les maisons de soins

Petitions

Asian Heritage Month

Social assistance

Affordable housing

Orders of the Day

Supply Act, 2025 / Loi de crédits de 2025

Supply Act, 2025 / Loi de crédits de 2025

More Convenient Care Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour plus de soins commodes

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Good morning, everyone, including our little ones.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Municipal Accountability Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la responsabilité au niveau municipal

Mr. Flack moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 9,

An Act to amend the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Municipal Act, 2001 in relation to codes of conduct / Projet de loi 9, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2006 sur la cité de Toronto et la Loi de 2001 sur les municipalités en ce qui concerne les codes de déontologie.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the minister.

Hon. Rob Flack: We’re here today to talk about something very important to the people of Ontario that we have heard for many, many years: consistent and accountable municipal governance. I’ll be sharing the floor alongside the Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the parliamentary assistant, Laura Smith.

Accountability has been something near and dear to me and my career my entire life. Clear, ethical standards and processes and consistency across the province is the foundation of good governance. It is the foundation for safe, respectful and productive municipal workplaces. For too long, Ontario has been guided by a fragmented system of accountability for local elected officials, with all 444 municipalities abiding by their own code of conduct and integrity commissioner process. This is not sustainable, nor does it work in the best interest of the public.

Municipalities realize this and have long advocated for change. A standardized municipal code of conduct has been a top request from many municipalities in Ontario for many, many years. Our government is answering that call. We’re answering their call.

I would like to thank my predecessors in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing—Paul Calandra and our now hard-working government House leader Steve Clark—for their hard work and diligence to move this file forward and make this day possible.

I would also like to thank the staff and public service leaders in our ministry for their expertise and collaboration in getting us to where we are today. Most of all, however, I need to give credit to our municipal partners for their extensive contributions—and I mean extensive—to this initiative and high level of engagement. This includes AMO, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, as well as:

—the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario;

—the eastern and western wardens’ caucuses;

—the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association;

—the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities;

—the Rural Ontario Municipal Association;

—Ontario’s Big City Mayors; and

—Ontario’s small urban mayors.

It’s a substantial list, and that is because it is a substantial issue that has challenged municipalities and this province for many years.

Our 444 municipalities have a shared goal of being accountable to their community members and creating a work environment that is safe, respectful and free of harassment—and we are supporting them in this initiative.

I think the importance of this legislation can be summed up through one phrase, which is credited to Voltaire, but was made popular through the movie Superman—

Interjection.

Hon. Rob Flack: —sorry, Spider-Man—and I’m sure we’ve all watched—“With great power comes great responsibility.” Yes, honourable member, I screwed up, but we got it right: Spider-Man.

And unfortunately, we have had instances in the past where leaders do not use their power in an ethical and responsible way, as befits their position or their office. The result is bad actors, and that is unacceptable. For far too long, there’s been no recourse available in extenuating circumstances such as this, where leaders are using the power they hold for self-interest, resulting in hostile and ineffective workplaces.

I’m sure we have all experienced working in an environment such as this. Speaker, in my career, I experienced it in leadership positions, and I can tell you that I dealt with these unfortunate situations thoroughly, respectfully and expediently. I always had a saying: “Be ruthless in the decision and compassionate in the execution.” But you have to get rid of the bad that’s resulting in hurt throughout the whole organization, and it boils down to accountability, which again is key to this entire bill.

Keeping bad actors on the payroll has negative consequences for the entire employment population, not only in the public sector but in the private sector, and it has to be dealt with, as I said earlier, expediently. It causes high turnover, it’s demotivating, and it interferes with productivity and output in the workplace. Waiting to deal with bad actors is one of the toughest HR issues you have, again both publicly and privately, but you have to deal with it and deal with it immediately because the long-term negative consequences on any organization can be very, very detrimental. That is why we’re taking action to change this and change this through this legislation.

Over the last number of weeks, since stepping into this role, I’ve had the great honour and pleasure of meeting with many figures from municipal governments—many leaders, mayors, councillors—throughout the province. The vast majority of these mayors and councillors are there because they want to bring public service excellence to their constituents, hopefully like all of us here today.

They’re motivated to better their communities in substantial ways, and they want to have clear governance rules in place and recourse available in the rare cases—and I repeat, rare—when people do act in bad faith so they can maintain public trust in these municipal systems and institutions and continue building vibrant communities which they serve. We support their aspirations. As an elected official—all of us—I know how important it is to have clear, ethical guidelines.

Our government has been recently re-elected with a strong mandate to protect Ontario during a time of widespread economic uncertainty with tough headwinds ahead of us. As I said, we have strong headwinds against us which are affecting our auto sector, the agricultural sector, the food industry and, yes, our municipal sector indeed.

People are hesitant to spend more of their discretionary income which is impacting local business. Construction costs have gone up because of these detrimental and punitive tariffs, and local jobs are at risk, as we talk about every day in this Legislature. As you’ve heard me say before, the only thing predictable about Donald Trump is his unpredictability, and it’s having a rippling effect across our economy, right across our province and indeed our country.

That is why now, more than ever, we need to take bold action to help our workers, businesses, communities and local governments to weather the storm of economic uncertainty or Trump unpredictability. If passed, this proposal would strengthen and standardize the municipal code of conduct and the Integrity Commissioner framework in Ontario, and that is a key component of this legislation, Speaker. It will bring clear and consistent rules to every municipality, all 444, across Ontario.

It is the result of broad, extensive consultation, as I said. It is part of our larger vision for effective local governance. Some will say that this took us too long to get where we are today, but to that I say, it’s important for us to get it right—as you say, measure twice, cut once, but make sure we do it right. Why? For the people of Ontario who rely on their local governments, an important part of our democratic system, and also for the members who serve on local councils.

We know how impactful this legislation will be for municipalities right across the province, and this is a situation which demands us to, again, measure twice and cut once accurately. We’re taking a balanced approach to maintain the sanctity of our democratic system while ensuring there is recourse available for people acting in bad faith.

Through the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario’s recommendations—and again, another broad consultation was taken—and the consultation led by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2021, we heard loud and clear that:

(1) Municipalities would benefit from a standard code of conduct; and

(2) Everyone deserves a safe and respectful workplace, and the people of Ontario deserve good governance.

We intend to create these conditions by developing a standardized code of conduct, a consistent municipal integrity commissioner investigation process, and a severe penalty to serve as a deterrent for serious violations.

If passed, the Municipality Accountability Act would enable standard rules and processes that municipalities and the public can have trust in, and ensure that municipal leaders are held to account, particularly in extenuating circumstances that demand serious action. Furthermore, the proposed changes would also enable mandatory code of conduct training for elected officials, which will help to prevent some code of conduct violations—please God. A standardized code of conduct would provide consistent ethical standards across Ontario’s municipalities, which could help council members to better understand their obligations.

Since day one, our government has had the backs of our municipal leaders, our councils, and our partners. The proposal I am discussing today—to enable a new, standardized municipal code of conduct and integrity commissioner framework—is part of a broader vision we have for local governance. This vision is one of strong and secure Ontario communities—a vision in which municipalities are accountable and effective; a vision in which municipalities have the support and tools they need to deliver the best possible service they can to the residents and constituents.

I would like to give some examples of how we’ve already been making this vision a reality.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our government acted quickly to give municipalities the ability to hold meetings electronically, to allow them to continue to function while protecting public health. Following that, we saw that electronic meetings became instrumental for municipalities. In fact, they increased opportunities for public participation and engagement. So we made changes to the Municipal Act and the City of Toronto Act that allow municipalities and their local boards to continue to hold meetings electronically, if and when they choose.

Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw municipalities struggle with sharply increased costs for essential things like infection prevention and control in homeless shelters. We saw the struggle, and we responded by creating the social services relief fund. This program delivered more than $1.2 billion in emergency aid to municipal service managers and Indigenous program administrators, to improve housing and homeless shelter solutions. This funding not only helped deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, but it had a lasting impact and has made a tremendous difference in people’s lives.

As Associate Minister of Housing, I got to travel the province and deal with many, many municipalities in the north, eastern Ontario and southwestern Ontario—to see the great work that Habitat for Humanity, Indwell and Good Shepherd did in terms of supporting those in most need. I saw first-hand how municipalities create a positive climate, a strong climate, for safe and productive use—bringing in their core values and the key policies they want to do to help their constituents.

We also have implemented changes to make the municipal electoral process more efficient for local staff, potential candidates, and third-party advertisers. This included amending the Municipal Elections Act to allow candidates and third-party advertisers to submit their nomination and registration forms electronically, to reduce red tape and increase efficiencies.

Supporting our municipal partners in this ministry, in this province, in this government is paramount to our success.

We responded to long-standing requests from municipalities and municipal stakeholders and made changes to eliminate duplication by combining the provincial and municipal voters lists into a single list managed by Elections Ontario.

Speaker, as I mentioned, these initiatives are all part of our vision for effective, accountable local governments.

Our proposed legislation is another piece of this accountability—another tool in the tool box to support our municipal partners to get the job done in an effective and ethical way.

And because we believe in reducing red tape and streamlining and modernizing processes, we have worked very hard, in partnership with municipalities, to identify ways to improve local service delivery while better respecting taxpayers’ dollars.

We have introduced programs such as the Audit and Accountability Fund, the Municipal Modernization Program and the Streamline Development Approval Fund to this end. The Audit and Accountability Fund was geared toward Ontario’s larger municipalities and supported initiatives focused on increasing digital services, modernization, streamlining and service integration. The Municipal Modernization Program helped small and rural municipalities improve delivery of their critical local government services.

The Streamline Development Approval Fund was targeted at helping large municipalities modernize local approval processes for residential developments, again tackling the need for more homes built faster in Ontario.

These programs all provided funding to municipalities. These programs demonstrated the strength of our government’s partnership with our municipalities and our commitment to help them become more efficient while making life more convenient and affordable for families, businesses and communities.

We’ve also undertaken major initiatives to help communities accommodate growth. The new provincial planning statement streamlines land use planning in Ontario and cuts red tape and unneeded bureaucracy by creating one province-wide land use planning policy statement, which eliminates over 100 pages and 30,000 words of administrative burden. It is estimated it will result in 6,600 less hours of staff time and $500,000 saved across municipalities all across Ontario. The provincial planning statement in 2024 also gives more flexibility for settlement area boundary expansions.

Furthermore, our government has also answered the call from municipalities to provide more funding for critical housing and community-enabling infrastructure. We heard from our municipal partners that a lack of support for infrastructure was the number one barrier to getting more homes built in their communities. More homes built faster is a key initiative we are working towards implementing in this first session of our Parliament.

So, Speaker, we stepped up. We’ve introduced historic investments in municipalities to support housing- and community-enabling infrastructure, such as water, waste water and roads. This includes $2 billion in provincial funding through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund and the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program.

Recently, I also introduced legislation that would, if passed, provide municipalities with enhanced tools to end encampments and clean up our parks and public spaces. Parks and public spaces should be a place for fun, relaxation and recreation, not places that inspire fear, and we are taking action to ensure that that is the absolute case. That is a promise we made to municipalities as well as a core pillar in our election platform, which we won. A promise made, Speaker, is a promise kept.

As I mentioned, these policies and programs are part of our vision for a strong local government and system of government in this province. It is a vision we will continue working towards in collaboration with our municipal partners. The actions we take are all about empowering municipalities, ensuring they remain accountable and they have the tools and resources to effectively serve the people of Ontario.

Let me just, as I conclude, review again this legislation and why it’s so important. Again, our municipal partners asked for this. They’ve asked for it for some time. They support it.

I think the disciplines we’ve put in place—again, I liken it back to my private sector career. You have to hold people accountable. While in the private sector, one person usually hires an individual. In the public sector, we’re elected. That is why we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that the process involved to eliminate or remove somebody from office, a bad actor that deserves it, has incredible scrutiny, which includes working with the local integrity commissioner, includes working with our now provincial integrity commissioner and finally to a unanimous vote by council.

We have to take these allegations seriously, but when a person is elected, they’re elected by the community, their ward or their particular area of responsibility, and we have to make sure we do so in a diligent manner. Accountability is paramount, but we have to make sure the standards of that accountability really work in unison with what the public wants. It’s not easy when we deal with these tough situations, but again, if we wait and we let them fester and we don’t deal with them dead on, you usually end up with a more tainted and difficult workplace for everyone to work in.

We have to take these allegations seriously, but when a person is elected, they’re elected by the community, their ward or their particular area of responsibility, and we have to make sure we do so in a diligent manner. Accountability is paramount, but we have to make sure the standards of that accountability really work in unison with what the public wants. It’s not easy when we deal with these tough situations, but again, if we wait and we let them fester and we don’t deal with them dead-on, you usually end up with a more tainted and difficult workplace for everyone to work in.

Speaker, that is why we are taking time—we took time, and perhaps some would say it has taken too long. But again, I can say that when you look at all our municipal partners—all the organizations that make up AMO, that make up these great 444 communities of mayors and councils and municipalities—they’re on side. I had a chance to meet with AMO last week.

I would say the one thing my predecessor, Minister Calandra, said to do was to make sure we get this passed, and passed quickly. As I think everybody knows, it was tabled last fall, before the Legislature rose, and we had this thing called an election. So I’m very proud that we’re able to bring it back to legislation before this esteemed Legislature, to make sure that it gets passed.

I’m hoping that everyone across the aisles on both sides of the House can find value in this legislation and can support it enthusiastically, to support all 444 of our municipal partners.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Graydon Smith: I want to thank the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for sharing his time with me today. Of course, I’m always proud to rise in the House and talk about Ontario’s 444 municipalities and, as the minister referenced, the amazing job that they do. I’m thrilled to be in the role of the Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, to speak to a bill that has been a long-time focus of both the ministry and our municipal counterparts.

The proposed Municipal Accountability Act, 2025, is a provincial initiative that, if passed, would make a significant difference for the people of Ontario in the communities where they live and they work.

We know that across the province, we’re working together during unprecedented times to protect Ontario. And the work that municipalities do to support their communities helps the people of Ontario thrive every day.

Building a stronger Ontario means working together at all levels of government, working together to make sure that we’re all at our very best. That means building a strong foundation that allows local governments to provide the most effective and efficient service to their communities and their constituents.

As many of you know, I was mayor of Bracebridge for a number of years, and during that time, I, of course, saw just how closely connected municipal representatives are to the people in their communities. When you run municipally, you’re not just a name on the ballot; you’re a neighbour. You’re the person who gets stopped in the grocery store. You’re the person someone is going to talk to about snow removal or playground repairs. You’re the person they flag down at a town barbecue or after a school concert because they’ve got a question about that local zoning matter or about the road that runs in front of their house. And I can tell you that’s very, very true.

When I was councillor and when I was mayor, eventually my wife and I had to put a deal in place, and that deal was that we would no longer go grocery shopping anymore, because every single time we went out, she would finish what she was doing in 20 minutes and I would not finish talking to people for an hour and 20 minutes. So we’ve got this pretty good deal going on now that either she does it or I do it.

Even as a provincial representative, those questions get asked of you every single day, because you’re going to see that community everywhere, as I talked about. Council chambers are just one part of it. At those town fairs, on the sidelines of the soccer games, you need to have those conversations, that level of direct accountability—that knowing that people can come up and talk to you; that knowing that you’re going to take that issue, take it away, and work with colleagues. This is true, especially, in smaller communities. Remember, most of our 444 municipalities are small communities.

That’s the expectation of people when they elect you. You get that constant reminder that all these decisions—big decisions, small decisions—impact people’s daily lives. That’s a responsibility I’ve never taken lightly. That’s a responsibility I know councillors across 444 municipalities in Ontario don’t take lightly. And that’s why they’re never afraid to have that conversation with the province to tell us what they’re looking for.

Speaker, the existing municipal code of conduct and integrity commissioner framework is set out under the Municipal Act of 2001 and the City of Toronto Act of 2006. It requires municipalities to have a few things. It requires them to establish their own codes of conduct for council and certain local boards. Under these acts, municipalities can then appoint an integrity commissioner who can provide advisory services and apply the code of conduct that has been established locally thusly.

To have differing codes of conduct and municipal integrity commissioner investigation processes across 444 municipalities obviously creates a high degree of variability. Codes of conduct turn into snowflakes—no two are alike. What does that mean for the public? Well, that gets a little confusing for them, because what might be happening in the community next door in an investigation or a process or a matter with council may be handled differently than the way something similar would be handled in their community.

A standard code of conduct and consistent municipal integrity commissioner investigation processes would provide efficiency and consistent best practices. I think it’s something that not only municipalities have been looking for—but again, members of the public who want to pay attention to what’s going on in their communities, who are invested in their communities, have conversations with those councillors, like I talked about, and want to ask the questions of, “Hey, why is this happening in this manner?” So there’s always something to be said for consistency.

Speaker, before I get into the details of the legislation, I want to acknowledge and thank the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, in particular, for their advocacy and their advice on this matter. We all know that AMO brings municipalities together. It is the meeting spot for almost every municipality in Ontario and—a little sidebar—that for a period of time included Toronto, then didn’t include Toronto, and now it again does include Toronto.

So Toronto is back at the AMO table, which really shows that they represent every size of municipality and have conversations about the challenges within, regardless of how big you are geographically, where you are in this province, the size of your community. The great thing about AMO is that everybody gets a voice. They find that common ground to help municipalities deliver solutions for everyday issues faced by the people of Ontario. And they have a full-scope view, let’s call it, of the different needs of each community.

When AMO advocated for a mechanism for removal from office for serious violations, as well as more standardized processes and better training for integrity commissioners, we listened. AMO helps make municipal governments stronger and more effective, and their input was integral to the development of this bill. They are a true partner for the province—and I can speak to that, of course, on a more direct level, which I will, coming up in just a little bit.

For this initiative and for all matters of critical importance to municipalities, they’re on the front lines to help build and protect Ontario, and we thank them for that. We value that partnership, and we take our commitment to working closely with AMO seriously—so seriously that last year, when we had the opportunity to, again, renew the memorandum of understanding between AMO and the province, we quickly took it.

On a personal level, I’m grateful to AMO for our collaboration and all we are able to achieve through our strong provincial-municipal relationship.

As I talked about, I’ve been in municipal politics—12 years as the mayor of Bracebridge, and four years as a councillor before that; deputy chair of the district of Muskoka; president of Ontario Small Urban Municipalities; and president of AMO, during interesting times over the pandemic. During my time as president, I felt it was my job—and I know I was supported by the board—to work to support and enhance strong and effective municipal governments, and work with the province closely to do that. I always valued that relationship with the province. So I’ve seen first-hand how powerful this organization can be in bringing municipal voices together.

And now as associate minister, I’ve come full circle again, working alongside AMO, but from a different side of the table—literally, at a meeting that Minister Flack had referenced, last week. It’s interesting to look at the room from a different point of view, but it was really good. It’s a relationship grounded in mutual respect—one that I value immensely. And I’m very thankful for their support as we bring this bill forward.

Let’s talk about the bill. The proposed Municipal Accountability Act, 2025, would help improve municipal accountability by introducing regulatory authority to create one standardized code of conduct for all municipalities and establishing a regulatory authority to create standardized investigation processes for municipal integrity commissioners.

It would also provide a role for the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario to provide advice to municipalities on integrity commissioner selection, to provide training to municipal integrity commissioners, and to review all reports from municipal integrity commissioners recommending removal or disqualification of a member and conduct inquiries. That’s because protecting our democratic process starts with respecting our democratic processes.

Civic engagement is integral to our way of life, and it’s part of what makes Ontario one of the best places to live and work.

So that standardized code of conduct is intended to make it easier for elected officials to do those important jobs.

Speaker, the proposed changes include clear criteria that must be met in order to consider removal from office. To meet those criteria, the municipal integrity commissioner must determine that the member has contravened the code of conduct; that the contravention is of a serious nature; that the member’s conduct resulted in harm to the health, safety or well-being of persons; and that the existing penalties are insufficient to address the contravention or ensure that the offence is not repeated. To be clear, in order for the municipal integrity commissioner to recommend removal to the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario, all four criteria must be met.

Currently, the penalties for violating the municipal code of conduct include a reprimand or a suspension of a member’s pay for up to 90 days. But there’s no existing mechanism to remove a member of council from office for a code of conduct violation.

For example, in the past year, a municipality reported repeated violations of their code of conduct by a member. That member was suspended for 90 days for a contravention of the code that was identified as a pattern of unacceptable behaviour. Following the 90-day suspension, more violations continued. The municipality also saw an escalation of threatening behaviour from outside of council, in support of the member in question. In response to these threats, the municipality moved council meetings to a virtual format to ensure the safety of all in attendance.

Isn’t that a sad, sad state of affairs—that municipalities can’t gather face to face to conduct the business of that community because they’re worried about their own safety, because of the actions that are occurring by a councillor and by the public?

By strengthening the municipal code of conduct and integrity commissioner framework, we can provide earlier intervention, with a complaints mechanism and reporting requirements.

The proposed changes would help ensure that there would be a high bar to reach for removal and disqualification from office. That process for removal from office would require an inquiry and recommendation by the municipal integrity commissioner—remember, we’re going to deal with two integrity commissioners here, both the municipal commissioner and the Ontario commissioner; an inquiry and concurring recommendation by the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario; and then a unanimous vote by the members of council—those who are eligible to vote—in support of the removal and disqualification.

It’s important to note that if the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario recommends removal and disqualification of a member from office, but all qualified electors of council do not vote unanimously in favour of this recommendation, no penalty would be applied.

Speaker, it goes without saying that local councils, local governments and local representatives know their communities best. They understand what’s needed from them to support their communities, in the work they do, but they need a safe, respectful work environment to get that work done. These proposed changes will help protect their work environment so members can focus their energy on the important things. The important things are municipal governance—the important things are listed on that agenda every time a council or a committee of council meets. It respects the important space municipal governments need to operate.

This process would end in the hands of those municipal governments. As mentioned, municipal integrity commissioners would still run those local investigations. They would submit a recommendation to the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario that a member be removed from office and disqualified for a period of four years for a serious code violation. Again, the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario would conduct an inquiry based on the municipal integrity commissioner’s recommendation from the local level.

If the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario determines that the criteria for removal and disqualification have been met, they would report back to the municipality, affirming the recommendation for removal and disqualification. And then the municipal council would vote on the recommendation of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario for removal and disqualification from office within 30 days. All members would be required to vote, except those who are the subject of the report, those who have an approved absence, and those who have a conflict of interest.

We know just how important this is to municipalities in Ontario. We have heard from them either in individual conversations or at conferences like AMO and ROMA. I’m proud to be here today—because Ontario municipalities have waited a long time for this bill. That high level of collaboration has driven that anticipation.

The goal of this bill is to provide a standard code of conduct and integrity commissioner framework for the new term of municipal councils beginning in November 2026.

At the same time, it is important for me to reiterate that most members of local government do an outstanding job and work with a very high degree of professionalism. We’re talking about the bad apples here. Those who show up every day, wanting to do a great job, deserve a safe and efficient environment to do that important work. We can all face challenges in our workday, and a standardized code of conduct helps to navigate through them. It helps to solve problems when they are small, before they become big, before they escalate.

As you’ve heard here today, we have reported instances of more serious violations, and they can be showstoppers for municipal governments—dragging the business of local government to a halt, and making it very, very difficult for people who have entered into the job of being a councillor or a mayor for all the right reasons to do the job they set out to do.

So our goal is to provide a mechanism for municipalities to restore safety and efficiency to their workplace as soon as possible. That clear framework, that standardized code of conduct will establish a fair and thorough process.

The processes I described as part of the standardized municipal code of conduct and integrity commissioner framework are thorough to ensure fairness for our great municipally elected representatives.

It’s also designed with feedback from local governments of all sizes, to best fit the needs of Ontario’s 444 municipalities.

Speaker and members of the House, I want to thank you for the time today.

I’d now like to yield the floor to my cabinet colleague, the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, who will inform the House about the extensive consultation process to inform the development of the Municipal Accountability Act, 2025.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member for Thornhill.

Ms. Laura Smith: I’m honoured to share the government’s time today in my role as the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

I truly appreciate the associate minister’s comments and input, and I value his experience in municipal governance, because that’s what we all want—good governance.

Let’s talk about our government’s efforts to work in partnership with our municipal partners to protect Ontario communities and ensure effective, accountable local governance.

I’m proud of the proposal that would, if passed, enable the creation of a new standardized municipal code of conduct, an integrity commissioner inquiry process that would be consistent throughout the province, and mandatory code of conduct training for members of council and certain local boards.

This proposal has been in the works for a while now. Throughout the process, we have always been clear: Everyone deserves a safe and respectful workplace. The minister talked about it, and the associate minister talked about it.

Once more, the people of Ontario deserve good governance and elected representatives who are accountable to them. Good governance and a good working relationship with a team is key for a province and a municipality.

I have a sports background. I was on the field quite often with young boys—and you always want to make sure that the men on the field would pass the ball to the right partner so that that next individual could make the right move. That’s what a lot of this is all about.

In Thornhill, I’m very fortunate to have positive team members. I have Mayor Del Duca, with whom I carry an active dialogue—and we both have a common goal of providing the best possible service to our community.

I also have a great working relationship with ward 4 councillor Mr. Chris Ainsworth. We literally speak daily. We talk about issues affecting our community. We see each other as true partners. We are committed to providing for our neighbourhoods, and we have a very supportive vision that works in concert with one another.

I also have a positive working relationship with ward 5 councillor Gila Martow, who has been in this House, who has worked here, and who’s also putting her years of service in our community. Her insight continues to benefit the residents of Vaughan.

Deputy Mayor Linda Jackson is a deeply engaging individual with the city of Vaughan. She always makes herself available when I have questions about specific programs. She brings a particular focus and care—truly, care—to issues, especially those around public safety. We both share that very high priority.

A team, as discussed, is only as strong as its weakest player or its weakest link. When everyone works towards a common goal, great things are possible, but even when one bad actor is in the mix, progress slows and trust is put at risk. When all members are working together, we function like a well-fitted puzzle, but when even one of those puzzle pieces does not fit, it distorts the vision and disrupts us as a whole. Similarly, just like a flat tire could stop a moving car, one disingenuous or uncooperative member can slow down the momentum of an otherwise effective team. Progress becomes harder and the road forward less smooth.

Too often, we’ve seen municipal officials not respect the investigation processes and attempt to undermine them. Our residents should not have to doubt the integrity of their municipal officials, and our municipal staffers should not be afraid of retribution when they seek accountability. Despite clear findings of misconduct, councils are often unable to hold other councillors accountable under the existing framework.

That’s why it’s so important that we get this proposal right, and that we get it done. Good governments demand not just an individual effort, but a team, collective accountability.

In Thornhill, and across Ontario, I’m proud to work with so many dedicated individuals who understand that our common goal, serving the public, must always come first.

We’ve listened to the advice of our municipal partners, including council members, heads of council and municipal staff. We’ve done a deep dive into this, and we have received input from experts in local governance and accountability. In short, we’ve done the research and the legwork to develop a proposal that, if passed, would help our municipal governments to be more accountable, effective and resilient.

I would now like to take you through some of the consultations and work that we’ve done to get us to where we are today.

Our government has actually been working on this initiative in earnest since 2021. We have proceeded carefully because we know how important this is and that we needed to get this right. As the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing said, we owe a debt of gratitude to our municipal partners for all their advocacy and the advice that fed into this initiative over the years.

That includes AMO—the Association of Municipalities of Ontario—as well as the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario; the eastern and western wardens’ caucuses; the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association; the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities; the Rural Ontario Municipal Association; Ontario’s Big City Mayors; and Ontario Small Urban Municipalities.

The Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has spoken about AMO in particular, but I want to take a moment to acknowledge the importance of the other municipal associations in Ontario. They advocate for certain regions of Ontario or for certain types of municipalities in terms of size and character. This advocacy strengthens our democracy by bringing forward issues and viewpoints that might otherwise not get the attention they deserve.

These associations also host important conferences and other events that offer educational and networking opportunities that enhance the professionalism of the municipal workforce and the quality of municipal service. I want to thank these organizations once again for their advice that helped us develop and hone this legislation.

This initiative started because of what we were hearing from municipalities and because we saw some of the problems they were having with unacceptable behaviour in their workforce and their workplace. While it was thankfully rare for an elected municipal official in Ontario to behave in a way that betrays the public trust, when it does happen, it’s an incredibly serious matter. Our government has been so clear on this. We will not tolerate workplace harassment or discrimination of any kind.

That’s why we once even took the unprecedented step of calling for the resignation of a sitting municipal councillor—because that kind of egregious behaviour, outlined by a municipal integrity commissioner, has no place in any work environment.

Our proposed changes are the result of extensive consultation with the municipal sectors, including municipal staff and members of council, and with the public. The input we received from our municipal partners has been invaluable, and they have helped us raise a standard for safer and more respectful work environments.

Let’s go back to 2021. At that time, we held consultations with our municipal sectors on strengthening accountability for council members and heads of council, in ensuring that they carry out their duties in an ethical and responsible manner. My colleague the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response hosted 18 round tables to hear from members of council, municipal associations, as well as municipal staff. At the same time, we held 90-day consultations, open to the public, to obtain feedback on how to strengthen municipal codes of conduct and maintain a safe and respectful workplace—including an online survey that received over 2,650 submissions.

As part of this exercise, we collected feedback on the recommendations from AMO on holding municipal councillors accountable, including increased financial penalties, suspension for certain violations, removal from office in certain circumstances, and better training in standards for integrity commissioners.

Throughout this consultation, many municipal sector stakeholders told us that they wanted changes to the code of conduct framework, including a way to remove members for serious misconduct, increasing training for local officials, and greater standardizations across the province.

After these consultations were conducted with the municipal affairs and housing ministry, we talked further, and we really got to the root of so many of the issues. For example, officials in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing conducted an analysis of municipal code of conduct and integrity commissioner frameworks across Canada. We looked at Canada as a whole, with the goal of identifying rules and structures with the potential to benefit Ontario and to help our province avoid any possible pitfalls. You always want to look to your neighbours to see what they’re doing, because they might be doing it better.

We learned, for instance, that in some parts of the country, codes of conduct for municipal councillors are not required at all. That’s the case in British Columbia and the Canadian territories.

We also learned that in provinces where codes of conduct are required, the degree of standardization varies greatly.

Some provinces, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta and New Brunswick, require certain subject matters to be addressed within codes of conduct. That, of course, has also been the case in Ontario.

Meanwhile, other provinces require that codes of conduct set out guiding principles that define the standards and values that the council expects members to reflect through their role. That’s the case, for example, in Manitoba.

A minority of provinces have taken a fully standardized approach by mandating the adoption of a model code of conduct—and this includes Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

These comparisons provided useful context and helped guide us towards a proposed model that was right for Ontario. We wanted to get the right fit.

During this period, we also heard more from AMO. We received correspondence from the AMO board and directors, and we took note of policy updates published by AMO on its website. Strengthening the codes of conduct has also been a recurring topic of discussion and a lively debate at the annual AMO conference and the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference.

All of these ideas and advice fed into our work to develop the proposed legislation.

Speaker, I will also note with appreciation the interest the opposition has shown on this topic. In the House, the member for Orléans and the member for Niagara Centre have both brought attention to these important matters by tabling legislation that would have added certain requirements to municipal codes of conduct.

Then, last year, as the work continued within the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Premier wrote to the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario, seeking his advice on developing a consistent and uniform code of conduct framework for all local elected officials, because, as I have said, we wanted to make sure we got this right. With great power comes great responsibility. The Integrity Commissioner of Ontario was asked to identify the best ways to improve standardization of the municipal integrity commissioner framework, including a possible role for the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario’s office.

The Premier asked him, as well, for recommendations to improve standardization of codes of conduct for members of municipal councils and certain local boards across this province.

We were very pleased with the advice the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario ultimately provided. The recommendations included, in part:

—developing a standardized code of conduct with flexibility for municipalities to create additional rules if reviewed and approved by an oversight body;

—establishing a standard process for municipal integrity commissioner investigations; and

—requiring mandatory code of conduct training for members of council.

The recommendations also helped identify a role for the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario’s office to provide advice to municipalities and training to municipal integrity commissioners.

After reviewing the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario’s advice, our government moved forward late last year with the legislation.

The Minister of Education—then Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing—introduced Bill 241, the Municipal Accountability Act, 2024. If it had been passed, the bill would have enabled the creation of a new standardized municipal code of conduct and a municipal integrity commissioner inquiry process that would have been consistent throughout the province. In doing so, it would have implemented key recommendations from the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario. It would have also established a new penalty of removal and disqualification from office for serious code of conduct violations.

This particular aspect of the legislation—removal and disqualification from office for serious code of conduct violations—has been something that AMO and so many others in the municipal sector have weighed in on, and we greatly appreciate their input.

I was proud that through our extensive consultation and in-depth work, our government landed on a proposal in Bill 241 that heeded that input and that struck a careful balance between respecting democracy and deterring unacceptable behaviour. Speaker, as you know, this legislation died on the order paper, with the dissolution of the Legislature ahead of the 2025 Ontario provincial election. In that election, the people of this province gave our government a strong mandate to move, and we are taking that to action by supporting our businesses and our workers, and to safeguard the economy and communities for the long term by making Ontario more resilient and self-reliant.

This plan includes our vision for effective, accountable local governments. We know codes of conduct are a priority for the municipal sector, and they also continue to be one for our government, which brings us to today.

As I mentioned at the outset of my remarks, the Municipal Accountability Act, 2025, would, if passed, enable the creation of a new standardized municipal code of conduct, an integrity commissioner inquiry process that would be consistent throughout the province, and mandatory code of conduct training for members of council and certain local boards.

Speaker, I’m proud of the collaborative efforts this proposal represents. As the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing said, and as the associate minister said, we have a vision for strong local communities—a vision in which effective, accountable, modern municipalities provide the best possible services, helping residents and businesses thrive in our complex and our uncertain world.

Once again, I want to thank our municipal partners for their advice and their advocacy on this file. That includes heads of council, council members, the municipal executive leaders and staff.

And I’m going to say it one more time—w,ith great power comes great responsibility. The minister spoke about this, and this really means something in my community, in my home.

This is the most significant improvement to municipal accountability in decades, and it’s what our partners are bringing to the table. We’ve been asking for this information, and they’ve delivered and we’re so proud to be bringing it forward today. We believe that the public deserves accountability, but it must also be fair, principled and rooted in due process. That’s the balance we have struck with this legislation. I’m proud of this because the process itself is so balanced, and we’ve taken such a remarkable and progressive look at so many areas of Ontario.

I’ve only been in this role for about a month, but I’ve been so pleased to find that we have such a great relationship with all of our municipal partners. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several of them over the course of the last few days and really getting to know them—because it let me expand on my relationship of just Thornhill and go beyond that, and for that, I’m so grateful.

Our proposal, if passed, would help ensure that those municipal workspaces are safe and that municipal elected officials are held to a high standard of accountability, as the people of Ontario expect and deserve.

I want to thank everyone in the House for listening.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Question?

Mr. Jeff Burch: First of all, congratulations to the minister for bringing this forward. I’ve been the municipal affairs critic since 2018. This is the third minister I’ve worked with on this since 2021. So it’s an awful long time coming, and I know there are a lot of people who have been waiting for this.

It’s also very similar to the private member’s bill I tabled prior to the last government legislation, except in a few areas, and the main area is that a decision on removal of a councillor is being left to council and not a judge—as AMO recommended, and as I had in my PMB.

Requiring a unanimous council vote following two inquiries by two integrity commissioners finding serious misconduct sets the bar really high.

So my first question is, doesn’t that set the bar too high, and isn’t the process politicized by referring it back to council?

Hon. Rob Flack: Thank you to the member opposite.

We’ve talked about this legislation, and I know there may be differences in opinion. I understand. I’ve listened to members opposite about the unanimous support by all members of council—I get it. But this is the democratic process, at the end of the day. It’s not private industry. So we feel we need to set a very high bar for the removal of an elected council member or official.

I look over at my esteemed colleague the Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. We’ve talked about it extensively, and through his extensive experience—we’ve thought, we’ve listened, we’ve learned.

While I appreciate your opinion, we believe this is still setting that high bar or standard to make sure that we act, and act properly.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Question?

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Good morning, everyone. It’s great to see you this early in the morning.

Bill 9 is a step in the right direction, for sure.

It’s nice to hear from my colleague right here about all his work on a private member’s bill. We, too, the Liberals, have a colleague from Orléans who had a private member’s bill on this, which unfortunately did not pass.

So I’m glad to see that you’ve incorporated ideas.

I, too, am worried. It’s great to have the framework for serious misconduct of elected officials and having a concrete, clear, tangible result—repercussions for those actions—but I’m very worried about the threshold. So a unanimous vote—many of us were municipal councillors. How possible do you think that unanimous vote will be? That never happens. So can it be changed?

Hon. Graydon Smith: I appreciate the question.

I think this is a really important component of the bill. I think the threshold and the bar should be very high. And I think, as it goes through the multiple tests, as it goes through the local integrity commissioner, as it passes through the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario—by the time it has circled back to that council and by the time that recommendation has been made, I think a council or an individual councillor would maybe vote against it at their peril, come next election time, for one.

We need to take this incredibly seriously. It is the will of the people to put people into office. And so those elected officials who are around that table, who know that situation the very best, who have had the guidance of multiple integrity commissioners—to provide information to make the decision—should be the ones who make that decision.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: My question is also to the Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

I have to ask about that bar—because I know it is so important that we have that high level—but also about the standardization for integrity commissioners. I know we had really different kinds of approaches in different parts of the province, from one municipality to the next, and frankly, that created unequal sets of expectations that either councillors or those looking to run for council were under.

We saw some politicization of integrity commissioner complaints in the past, especially at the local level.

So I’m wondering if you could share why it’s important that we’re going to have this standard approach that’s going to actually lead to greater accountability, but also lead to consistency in the application of the law for these councillors.

Hon. Graydon Smith: I spoke about that in my remarks today.

I think the standardization is very important. Right now, it is a patchwork, among municipalities, as to what is in their codes of conduct—maybe it’s appropriate; maybe it’s not. I think for people who especially are in small communities—and I used this example before. What’s going on in the community beside them—if you replicated that in your community, you might get two very different outcomes from a code of conduct process. That shouldn’t be that way. There should be a standardization.

There should be an expectation across this province that if there is a transgression, the process is going to be similar regardless of whether you’re in municipality A or municipality B. It gives comfort to the citizens of those communities, and it gives very clear expectations and comfort to members of council.

So I think that’s definitely a priority in this bill and one that—I’m very glad we’re going to take that step. It’s something that we’ve heard about lots in terms of consultation already.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member from Niagara Centre.

Mr. Jeff Burch: To the minister: One of the things that AMO has raised—and I know I’ve had conversations with the former minister around this—is that this could place higher costs on smaller municipalities in terms of hiring an integrity commissioner.

So are there any plans to support smaller municipalities that will have financial hardship meeting the requirements in the bill?

Hon. Rob Flack: Again, a great question.

I think, as the member knows—and I’ll also defer to the associate minister—municipalities don’t have to hire a full-time integrity commissioner. They can hire a lawyer or someone who has that skill set, on a part-time basis, to deal with these issues. So the costs shouldn’t be punitive, but the costs are also important to have.

I want to emphasize that in this legislation, we’ve now moved to have the Ontario Integrity Commissioner rule on these matters, and that is very important.

And I would come back to your first question: Where I think the unanimous approval is important is that if you’ve got the local integrity commissioner and the Ontario Integrity Commissioner saying that they’re upholding what council originally thought—I often think, if the council isn’t going to follow those rules, they’ll be accountable in the very next election.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member for Ajax.

Mr. Rob Cerjanec: I appreciate this legislation coming forward. As previously mentioned, it builds on previous private members’ bills that were brought forward in this Legislature.

I’ve kind of worked on both sides of it. I’ve worked in a political office at the municipal level, and I’ve worked, actually, as a senior executive on a public school board.

So my question for the minister is, has the government considered extending this legislation to apply for school boards? Has there been any thought that has been taking place into that? Some of the similar issues and matters could come up from time to time at the school board level.

I’m sure the members opposite know, as well, that there are integrity commissioners at the school board level.

Ms. Laura Smith: This is a significant improvement in itself, and we’re putting one step forward with this action. We’re going to be consulting over the summer. And I’m hoping that this goes to committee, because then we can get a very wholesome look at what’s involved. We’re really proud of it, we have to say, because this is probably one of the most significant improvements to municipal accountability in decades. And I’m proud that we were able to work collaboratively on this as a group. The partners that we’ve seen from AMO who have brought forward their information—it’s very positive.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): We can do another quick question.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: I’m just wondering what kind of resources you’re going to put forward for the Integrity Commissioner, because this is a lot more significant responsibility for them. Are you going to put your money where your mouth is and help them out?

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): We will now move to members’ statements.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Members’ Statements

North Shore Firefighter Challenge

MPP Bill Rosenberg: Today I have the honour of recognizing an outstanding event that recently took place in the town of Thessalon: the second annual North Shore Firefighter Challenge. This incredible gathering united firefighters from across northern Ontario to compete, train and, most importantly, celebrate the courage and dedication of those who serve on the front lines of emergency response.

Proudly hosted by the Thessalon Fire Department, the challenge featured events designed to test skill, endurance and teamwork, including the bunker gear showdown, hose relay, self-contained breathing apparatus obstacle course, and search and rescue simulations. These exercises were more than just competitions. They mirrored the real-life challenges our firefighters face every day and offered an invaluable opportunity to sharpen vital skills in a supportive, high-energy environment.

This event was a true community celebration. Families and residents came not only to cheer on the participants, but also to engage in fire safety education and enjoy the festivities. From the kids’ junior challenge to the mobile live training unit and trade show, this event brought learning, laughter, and a renewed appreciation for the incredible work our fire services perform.

I want to commend the organizers, volunteers, and especially the firefighters, both local and visiting, who made this event such a tremendous success.

The North Shore Firefighter Challenge is a shining example of the spirit of northern Ontario—resilient, community-focused, and committed to service.

Government accountability

MPP Alexa Gilmour: For months, the Premier wore his “Canada is not for sale” hat—a message that I think we can all agree with. But now Bill 5 tells us a different but very familiar story.

Imagine this, friends. A wealthy foreign investor promises the Premier he’ll build a new concert hall, an elaborate hotel, perhaps a roller coaster on the waterfront, if, and only if, he suspends environmental protections and workers’ safety rules by calling it a special economic zone. If it sounds familiar, that’s because it’s Ontario Place, the greenbelt, the “notwithstanding” clause, all rolled up into one bill.

But it is so much worse: If Bill 5 passes, the government can expropriate land—yours, mine, the city’s—with one stroke of a minister’s pen. No municipal bylaw, no environmental regulations or even government statutes could protect it. Workers’ rights, workplace safety, are all at the discretion of one ministry. It is that bad.

I am so proud of the constituents in my riding of Parkdale–High Park who, by the hundreds, have been writing letters, calling my office daily, and even coming in person to sound the alarm for all Ontarians on Bill 5.

The government may think that this election gave them a mandate for this shameless overreach of power, but we in this House serve the people of Ontario, and the people of Ontario say, “No.”

Nursing Week

MPP Tyler Watt: It’s an honour to rise today in recognition of Nursing Week, a time to celebrate the dedication, compassion and tireless commitment of Ontario nurses. As a nurse myself, I know first-hand the profound responsibility and privilege that comes with this profession.

Every day, nurses across this province provide care that is not only skilled, but deeply human. From ERs to long-term-care homes, community clinics to surgical units, nurses are there advocating for their patients, comforting families, and often holding the health care system together.

This year, as we reflect on the ongoing challenges in our health care system, we must not only recognize nurses; we must act. We must listen to their voices, address chronic understaffing, invest in necessary infrastructure, and ensure safe working conditions and fair compensation. Words of thanks must be matched with policies that show real respect.

To my colleagues in this chamber: Let us not forget that nurses are the backbone of care in Ontario.

To my fellow nurses: Thank you for your skill, your heart and your strength.

Happy Nursing Week.

Robert Cairns / Egypt Festival

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Today, a hero from Mississauga will be laid to rest: Robert Cairns.

At 100 years old, Bob Cairns was a patriotic veteran who served during the Second World War as part of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. He was a faithful member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Erin Mills United Church, and our local Conservative association.

On behalf of the people of Erin Mills, thank you to Bob Cairns for his selfless service to Canada. May he rest in peace.

Speaker, I was honoured, in 2019, to introduce the Egyptian Heritage Month Act. Canadians of Egyptian origin have contributed to the rich fabric and culture of our province. I am proud to join the celebration of this heritage, culture and history.

This weekend, the Discover Egypt Festival will return to Celebration Square in Mississauga, showcasing Egyptian culture, music, entertainment, food and artwork. Bring your family and visit the Egyptian museum, take a photo beside the sphinx, attend the sound and light show, and learn about the mysteries of Philae temple—the eternal love story of Isis and Osiris. I invite you, all my colleagues and all Ontarians, to join me in Mississauga from May 16 to 18 for this exciting event.

Hospital services

Mr. Chris Glover: A couple of months ago, an ice storm swept through central Ontario and caused all kinds of damage. One area that was particularly hard hit was the community of Haliburton. It’s a place that I’ve been visiting since I was five years old, when my parents had a trailer there, and I have many friends in that community. Cellphone towers were down. The Internet was down. Many residents lost electricity for 10 days. So the Internet was not working, cellphones were not working—there was no way to communicate.

One thing that would have been really helpful for that community in that state of emergency would have been an emergency room. Unfortunately, two years ago, this government closed the emergency room in Minden. Even though there was a paramedic site set up during the time, there was no way to communicate with the community—“Hey, there’s a paramedic site set up if you have an emergency.” So the community had no way to access emergency room services in Minden during this crisis.

The community has been fighting for two years to reopen the Minden emergency room. Two years ago, they were here, on May 10, 2023, and the Minister of Health actually said while they were in the room, “The Minden hospital is not closing.” That’s a direct quote from Hansard. Yet, four days later, the H came off the sign, they put all of the hospital beds into a van, shipped them out, and closed the hospital. The Minister of Health said the emergency room was not closing.

The people of Minden and the people of Haliburton are demanding that the hospital emergency room be reopened so that they never have to face a crisis, like the one two months ago, without an emergency room.

ARCH Hospice

MPP Chris Scott: Today, I’m proud to stand to recognize an exceptional cornerstone of our community in Sault Ste. Marie, ARCH Hospice. This is a place defined by unparalleled compassion, dignity and strength.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the 11th annual ARCH Hospice Heroes dinner, an extraordinary event that celebrates those remarkable volunteers, dedicated staff and visionary community partners who exemplify the very best of service, humanity and leadership. Their actions don’t just change lives; they uplift our entire community.

ARCH Hospice is powered by the remarkable efforts of over 1,000 volunteers—everyday heroes whose compassion and generosity touch lives. Last year, through their selfless dedication, ARCH raised over $1.3 million, ensuring the delivery of dignified and compassionate end-of-life care for families when they need it most.

Madam Speaker, ARCH Hospice embodies the very essence of leadership: serving others with integrity, humility and unwavering dedication. It reminds us of the immense power that we all hold when we come together with shared values.

I want to sincerely congratulate each of this year’s ARCH Hospice Heroes award recipients, and I would like to ask my colleagues in the House to join me in congratulating them. Their extraordinary example inspires me and our community to strive for even greater heights every day.

Hospital services

MPP Wayne Gates: A few years ago, my office was contacted by a Fort Erie resident who suffered a heart attack. Thanks to the swift response of the doctors, the nurses and the staff who work at Douglas Memorial’s urgent care centre, he was stabilized and his life was saved. If the urgent care centre wasn’t open, he wouldn’t have made it to GNGH in Niagara Falls or the St. Catharines hospital. But today, if this had happened after 8 p.m., when Douglas Memorial is currently closed, the outcome would have been tragic.

Fort Erie is home to 36,000 people, with a rapidly growing population that has increased by more than 7% since 2016. Close to 30% of the residents are seniors, many of whom live alone and do not have reliable transportation. Despite this, the Ford government and Niagara Health have restricted Douglas Memorial’s urgent care hours to just 10 hours a day.

Let’s be clear: Residents in Fort Erie deserve around-the-clock care.

Fort Erie also faces a significant shortage of family doctors, with as many as 12,000 residents without a family doctor. That worsens the strain on urgent care services and puts lives at risk.

I am calling for immediate action: Restore 24/7 operations at Douglas Memorial urgent care. Our community’s health and safety and lives depend on it.

Family Service Toronto

For over a century, Family Service Toronto has been a cornerstone of support, offering critical services to seniors, families and individuals facing mental health challenges, gender-based violence, developmental disabilities and financial hardship. Their range of mental health services is impressive: individual, couples and family counselling, as well as walk-in sessions. But what truly stood out was the care and respect shown to every person who walks through their doors.

This new funding will enhance their Seniors Community Connections program, offering workshops on stress management, elderly abuse prevention, healthy living, and volunteering.

Congratulations to Family Service Toronto, and thank you for your continued commitment to making our community stronger.

DANI’s Place

Ms. Laura Smith: On Mother’s Day, I had the pleasure of attending, along with my family members, at the DANI cafe for their annual Mother’s Day brunch. The food was delicious and served in the beautiful outdoor cafe that has been serving the Thornhill community for years now.

DANI’s cafe is just one initiative that has been redefining employment opportunities for those individuals with developmental disabilities—providing training, employment and a lifeline for so many individuals.

Founded by Kathy Laszlo in honour of her son Dani, the DANI organization has long championed dignity, autonomy and inclusion. Kathy’s vision and dedication—along with her director Rudy Barell—has made such a meaningful difference in countless lives.

Their mission also includes DANI’s Place residential support, which is an innovative initiative, redefining inclusive housing for adults with developmental disabilities. DANI’s Place brings these visions to life, offering homes where live-in directors create warm, friendly, family-style environments rooted in care and connection.

It’s funny; I went to visit them the other day, and the residents don’t actually call themselves “housemates.” They refer to each other as “homies,” which I thought was great.

Happy belated Mother’s Day, especially to my friend Kathy Laszlo and the entire DANI team.

DANI’s Place is more than just a model of inclusive care; it’s a model of a truly caring society.

Agri-food industry

Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady: I love this time of year. Up with the chickens and the roosters, driving across Norfolk county to get to a highway, I get to take in the beautiful sunrises and the sight of farmers in their tractors, working up the land—perfect rows, the earthy smell all around indicating a healthy and fertile growing ground for Ontario’s food.

As we stare down threats from our neighbour to the south, it’s time Ontario responds with the same nature for our agricultural industry as we have for, say, manufacturing. Now, more than ever, we must work across party lines to tariff-proof our economy and protect the places we cherish and love here in Ontario.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to stand with the Green Party to introduce the Protect Our Food Act. This legislation will protect our most valuable farmland and food sovereignty while stimulating our economy and ensuring future generations can have access to and enjoy the highest quality and quantity of food.

Right now, we are in asparagus season in my riding—one of my favourite crops—and by May 24, the majority of crops in the area will be in the ground. Over the coming months, careful hands and thoughtful minds will tend to those crops.

Of course, no crop is immune to the wrath Mother Nature can inflict at any given time. This is why it’s so important to make hay while the sun shines.

Speaker, while we might have enough land today, that does not mean we will have enough for tomorrow. We must look beyond today and keep in mind the needs for the future.

I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of Ontario’s farm families, and I think protecting their land is a great way to show this respect and appreciation.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Before we move on to introduction of guests—if I could please have some quiet in the House. The sidebar conversations could please come to a close—or at least, at the very minimum, just bring your level of your conversation down.

Introduction of Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I would like to draw your attention to the Speaker’s gallery, and I would like to introduce Robin Martin, who represented the riding of Eglinton–Lawrence in the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments.

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: I’m delighted to welcome the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs leadership here and all the fire chiefs who have joined us today in Queen’s Park. Thank you for keeping our province safe.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: I have a few constituents who are here today. I want to welcome David Upper and Andrea DeJong from St. Catharines fire. Thank you so much for being here.

I also want to welcome Dwayne and Catherine Otten, along with their children Austin and Morgan, who are here today with OCHEC.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

MPP Wayne Gates: I’d like to welcome all the residents who got on the bus this morning from Fort Erie to come to Queen’s Park to fight for Douglas Memorial Hospital. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: I’d like to welcome a beautiful Beaches–East York resident, Sarah Dermody, from the department of psychology at TMU. She’s here with Science Meets Parliament Ontario today. I hope all of you get to meet them.

Mr. Brian Saunderson: It’s my pleasure to welcome to the House today members of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects—in particular, Aaron Hirota, president; Glenn O’Connor, past president; and Aina Budrevics. Welcome to the House.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): There are no political messages in the introductions.

I recognize the member for Waterloo.

Ms. Catherine Fife: I’d like to introduce Colleen Stevens from the Ontario Health Coalition for hospitals day of action.

For page captain day, Catherine Tao is here to support her son Hayden Huang, who has served as a wonderful page here at the Legislature.

Finally, folks with the Canadian Science Policy Centre are here today for the Science Meets Parliament Ontario program.

Welcome to your House.

MPP Tyler Watt: I’d like to recognize Dr. Michelle Acorn and Barbara Bailey from the NPAO; Sandi Jones from SEIU nursing division; Kathryn McGarry, OLP president and nurse; as well as Dianne Martin from WeRPN. Thank you for being here.

Mr. Joseph Racinsky: I’m happy to welcome to the Legislature the fire chief for Puslinch, Jamie MacNeil, and the mayor of Centre Wellington, Shawn Watters.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to welcome some young leaders from King and Vaughan who are making a big difference in our community: Jean-Marc, Raphael, Lauran, Lotan, Madeline, Amanda, Brandon, Maia, Ornella, and Sabrina. They are exceptional young people. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: This morning, I want to welcome St. Catharines fire chief Dave Upper and deputy fire chief Andrea DeJong, who are here today on behalf of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs; as well as my good friend Sue Hotte, chair of Niagara Health Coalition; and Matthew Goodman from St. Catharines, who is also here today on behalf of the health coalition, for their day of action. Welcome to Queen’s Park. Welcome to your House.

Mr. Ted Hsu: I would like to welcome Paula Laughlin of Victim Services Kingston and Frontenac; and Sruthi Narayanan, Ryan Grant, Margoth Córdova and Mehrdad Hariri, who are amongst around 38 people here today for Science Meets Parliament Ontario.

I hope that everybody has a good meeting with the many people who are here from across Ontario for Science Meets Parliament Ontario.

Hon. Graham McGregor: We’ve got Bruce Chapman and Sarah Rogers here from Victim Services of Peel. These guys are heroes. They’re doing great work for us in Peel region.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. David Piccini: I would like to give a special welcome to Cobourg fire chief Ellard Beaven and deputy fire chief Kevin Ashfield, fellow “meat draw extraordinaires” at the Cobourg Legion; and Ian, Julie and Frank, young leaders I have the privilege of working with in my office, who are here today. Welcome to question period.

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: I would like us to all welcome to the House the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects; the Ontario fire chiefs; everyone who got on the bus, who drove in, who biked in, who walked into this building from the Ontario Health Coalition; as well as my own team who has been supporting me throughout these years. I want to start with Winston Lee; Ben Donato-Woodger; Emma Beattie; Elena Keuning; Amontaye Mullings; Annie Dowd, our OLIP intern; Arhaan Lulla; Loudes Alexander; as well as Sarah Gardiner, who is leaving us very shortly.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): We’ve had a little delay on making the mikes hot, so I’m going to recognize one more person: Windsor–Tecumseh.

Mr. Andrew Dowie: I’d like to welcome James Waffle, fire chief from the city of Windsor, and Drew Marquardt, who is here for Science Meets Parliament. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): A reminder: There is a time at 1 o’clock for introduction of visitors, if you were unable to introduce your guest.

House sittings

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the government House leader on a point of order.

Mr. Steve Clark: On a point of order, Speaker, I would just like to announce to the House that the night sitting scheduled for this evening has been cancelled.

Question Period

Hospital services

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is for the Premier, and before I begin the question, I do want to acknowledge all of the folks who are here from all across Ontario with the Ontario Health Coalition hospital day of action.

For over a year, the people of South Bruce Grey—Durham, Chesley, Kincardine—have faced closure after closure of their local emergency rooms. They’ve been calling for help from the province, from their member of Parliament, and instead they watched last year as things became worse. They had the worst year on record for unplanned emergency room closures. Chesley’s ER was at the top of that list with the highest number of hours closed.

So my question is, does the Premier know how many times emergencies closed over the last year?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As we make investments in our health care system—31% increase since 2018. I would suggest to the member opposite that, as we make those investments, as we ensure that not only we have the capital builds that are going on—over $50 billion across Ontario in 50 different communities—that we ensure that we not only have the capital, we are investing in people through ensuring, like programs like Learn and Stay, that people have the opportunity to train in the province of Ontario.

As we direct the College of Nurses of Ontario, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to quickly assess and review and ultimately license the internationally educated, we are seeing that we have more physicians, more nurses, more allied health professionals wanting to work in the province of Ontario, and we are welcoming them with open arms.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the Leader of the Opposition for supplementary.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Well, Speaker, right there, you got it: The Minister of Health doesn’t even know the answer to the question, because they don’t track it, right? They don’t collect. They don’t report data to show how common their unplanned closures actually are.

Even during the Liberals’ hallway health care crisis, unplanned emergency room closures were pretty rare, before this government came in. But last year, let me tell you, one in five hospitals had unplanned closures.

And by the way, thank you to all of the investigative journalists out there who do that work to track that stuff. Hospitals in Clinton, in Chesley, Kincardine, Walkerton, Durham have had repeated, sometimes simultaneous closures over the last few years. And then there’s hospitals like the one in Minden, where they had their emergency room permanently closed.

So back to the Premier: What is the Premier going to do to make sure this year is not even worse than last year?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Well, in this discussion, facts do matter, and in fact, last summer, we had the lowest number of unexpected closures.

Why do we have unexpected closures? Because we need to make sure that we have sufficient staff in those hospitals. We are working directly with Ontario Health. They work directly with those individual hospital corporations to ensure that they have those coverages.

I think it’s really important to remind everyone that we need to ensure these emergency departments are safe. That means, at an absolute minimum, two nurses and one physician need to be there. Is the member opposite suggesting that we should be ignoring those safety measures while we ensure that we continue to expand health human resources across Ontario?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: There were 25,000 hours last year of emergency rooms closed in the province of Ontario. The only reason they are not unplanned anymore is they have become so darn common that they have to actually plan them now.

You don’t have to look much further than northern Ontario to see that. They are facing very unique challenges, certainly, with health care access, and that’s why we have supported the OMA’s call to create a northern command centre to help coordinate services and personnel and other resources among those northern communities.

The government recently said they were going to move forward with creating some kind of northern health care command centre. I would like to know, when will northern communities see this command centre become operational?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As Ontario Health continues to work with individual hospital organizations, we in fact have seen a 96% decrease in the number of unexpected closures. Why? Because we’re doing the work on the ground directly with those hospitals.

We’re also working very closely with the Ontario Medical Association to make sure that our compensation model is appropriate for, as the member opposite says, remote, rural communities across Ontario. We’re doing that work, and I will stand by the work that Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health have been doing with other partners, including the OMA, the College of Nurses of Ontario and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

A hundred thousand nurses we’ve been able to license in the province of Ontario since 2018. Why? Because they know that Ontario is an amazing place to work and live and practise in health care.

Health care funding

Mr. Jeff Burch: To the Minister of Health: Niagara hospitals are routinely running at over 100% capacity. Emergency departments have long waits. Patients have to transport themselves from town to town to access different hospital services or to support their loved ones in hospital. Yet, under this government, the urgent care centre in Port Colborne is slated to close in 2028, and emergency services are being scaled back in Welland.

Will this government take responsibility, commit to stopping the urgent care closures in Niagara and restore our hospital capacity?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: You know, Speaker, as I was at the groundbreaking for the South Niagara Hospital—standing, actually, with the MPP from Niagara Falls, who understands that these investments, whether it is in West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby or, of course, the South Niagara Hospital, we are adding 600 hospital beds in the Niagara region because of those investments. That is the impact that we have when we actually invest in health care.

The member opposite needs to think about that when he listens to the budget tomorrow and, ultimately, gets an opportunity to decide whether he is going to vote for or against these hospital investments, because that is the work that we have been doing as a government under the leadership of Premier Ford. That is how we are ensuring that while Ontario leads Canada in terms of the matching individuals with primary care, in terms of the wait times, we can do better. And we will get to that last 10%, ensuring that people have a primary care provider in their community.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question? The member for St. Catharines.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: To the Premier: With both Port Colborne and Fort Erie Urgent Care Centre slated to close, currently operating at decreased hours, and no emergency surgeries taking place at the Welland Hospital, the St. Catharines hospital site is completely overwhelmed as a result. ER wait times of over 18 hours and six seniors laying on gurneys in the hallway for days on end is the new normal. The St. Catharines site was never designed to service the entire region, and skilled front-line staff are at the breaking point.

Will this government commit in the 2025 budget to include funding to restore emergency services across all Niagara before the system completely collapses?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: In addition to the 600 new beds that will result when we open the South Niagara Hospital and the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, I have to ask the member opposite, why did you vote against a $2-million investment for the Niagara region, connecting 7,600 additional individuals to primary care? You cannot have it both ways. If you believe that health care is something that you want to invest in, then you actually have to vote, and you’re not doing that. We make investment after investment.

As I’ve highlighted, a 31% increase in the hospital and health care budget in the province of Ontario, and the member opposite and the party opposite continue to vote against those investments.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Reminder: questions and answers through the Chair.

I recognize the member for Niagara Falls.

MPP Wayne Gates: My question is to the Premier: A busload of 48 residents is here at Queen’s Park to ask why this government will spend $9.4 billion on private, for-profit nursing agencies while refusing to invest $10.4 million needed to keep the Douglas Memorial urgent care doors open 24/7. The Auditor General’s report was very clear: Urgent care centres are essential to our health care system. They save lives and reduce pressure on ERs. In towns like Fort Erie, a community with a largely senior population and very little public transit, closing overnight creates a risk of somebody dying.

Will the Premier stop the cuts and ignoring Fort Erie by committing right now to fully restoring 24/7 urgent care in all service at Douglas Memorial—yes or no—before another person dies?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Only in an NDP alternate reality could a 31% increase to a health care budget be characterized as a cut. The member opposite from Niagara Falls was standing at the groundbreaking, begging to be part of the announcement, because we were investing in health care in the Niagara region. And we will invest in health care, whether it is in Windsor, in London, in Ottawa, in Timmins, and the list goes on and on—50 different capital projects.

We are making that commitment, we are making those changes, and I will not stand with an organization and a party that is philosophically opposed to any type of innovation. If we want to actually make it better for the people of Ontario—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Opposition will come to order.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: —then we’re going to invest in community surgical centres. We are going to invest in people who want to upskill in their communities. We are going—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the leader of the third party.

Health care funding

Mr. John Fraser: My question would be for the Premier. We all know it’s Nursing Week here in Ontario, and I think all of us want to thank nurses for the care they provide us and for caring for the people that we care for most.

What is this government doing in tomorrow’s budget to ensure that nurses in long-term-care homes and hospitals have safe nurse-to-patient ratios?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I’m certainly not going to presuppose what the Minister of Finance is going to announce tomorrow. What I will say is keep listening, because it is a very positive continuation of the work that our government has already done. As I said, 31% increase to the health care budget. Why? Because it was ignored by the previous Liberal government.

We had a government who was choosing to cut residency seats and medical seats in the province of Ontario. Compare that to what our government has been able to ensure: not only expanding the number of medical seats in every single medical school across Ontario but actually opening two new in Brampton that are taking on students in September of this year. That is making progress. That is ensuring that we have a made-in-Ontario solution to ensure, as our population ages and grows, we have the health care human resources there ready to work.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Mr. John Fraser: Don’t tell me how much you’re spending; just tell me what the results are, and the results aren’t good.

Many of you know my mom was a nurse for 33 years at National Defence Medical Centre. She worked on the floor. I would pick her up from work often—night shift, overnights—and I knew when they were short because I saw how physically and mentally exhausted she was, and also how late she was for the pickup. Right now in Ontario’s long-term-care homes and hospitals, they’re running short every day—every day—just as any nurse working in one of them.

It’s a fairly straightforward question: What is the government going to do in this budget to ensure that those nurses in long-term care and hospitals have safe nurse-to-patient ratios?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Real examples mean that people get service in their community. What does that mean? It means that in February of 2024, we announced 78 new or expanded primary care teams. That means that in 78 communities across Ontario, we have nurse practitioners, we have primary care providers who are providing service right now, today. In Innisfil, nurse practitioner-led clinics; in Minto-Mapleton, nurse practitioner-led clinics, who are taking on patients and taking that load off to ensure that people have pathways other than just going to an emergency department.

I know that we can continue to do better. While Ontario leads Canada, we have an opportunity to train and educate and ultimately hire people in our communities. That’s what we’re doing with our primary care expansion. That’s what’s making an impact in our communities.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Final supplementary.

Mr. John Fraser: The minister might have missed a piece in the first two questions: I’m talking about hospitals and long-term-care homes and the fact that they’re running short there all the time. Nurses are exhausted. They’re tired. They’re burning out. And for every 10 nurses this government hires, six leave. That’s a result that’s not good.

I guess the question is, again, is this government going to do anything in this budget to relieve the pressure on nurses by creating safe nurse-to-patient ratios in this budget?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Well, frankly, those numbers are not borne out when you talk to the College of Nurses of Ontario. What we see is that we have been able to license over 100,000 nurses in the province of Ontario. We have 30,000 nurses in the province of Ontario, who are training right now in the system. What are we doing in our hospital systems? We are upskilling existing primary-care and front-line nurses. Why? Because we want to give them opportunities in their communities, in their hospitals, to be able to upskill and be part of a different department.

We are ensuring, through working with colleges and universities, to have a Learn and Stay program. That means that people who traditionally have not been able to invest in their education have an opportunity through a Learn and Stay program, where the province of Ontario, the people of Ontario, cover their tuition and their books.

Nurse practitioners

Mr. John Fraser: Just for clarification, this question won’t be about hospitals or long-term-care homes; it will be about the community. We know that 2.5 million Ontarians don’t have a family doctor: That’s one in six. Actually, in the Premier’s own riding, it’s closer to one in three. That’s a pretty bad result, I think. How did we get here?

My question is—

Hon. Sylvia Jones: You cutting medical seats didn’t help.

Mr. John Fraser: My question, if the minister wants to hear the question, is, what is this government doing in this budget to bring nurse practitioners in our community under OHIP?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: With the greatest of respect, it’s a bit rich for a member from the Liberal Party who actually cut medical seats in post-secondary institutions to suggest, “How did we get here?” Well, how we got here is Ontario leads Canada in the number of primary care practitioners matched to patients—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The leader of the third party will come to order. The government House leader will come to order. The Minister of Education will come to order.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: —why? Because we know that when people are attached to a primary care provider, they get better service, and that allows them to continue to stay well and get access.

I will say, even though Ontario leads Canada with over a 90% attachment rate, that last 10% is exactly what we are doing, focusing on our primary care action team under the leadership of Dr. Jane Philpott. We’ve already made an announcement of 78 new primary care multidisciplinary teams last year. We’ve just closed the application process for this year, and there’s more to come in June.

Mr. John Fraser: Right now in communities across Ontario, nurse practitioners work in the community. Too many of them are being forced to ask people for their credit card instead of their OHIP card. We all know it’s happening in all the ridings. I know the minister and the Premier want to pretend it’s not happening. It’s happening. So, I guess it would be better if we actually brought those nurse practitioners in the community under OHIP. I think the government can find a way. It might provide a quicker solution than the ones that you’re suggesting right now, because look where we ended up.

Your solutions so far over seven years have left 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor, and that number is just going to grow. I know you’ve got a primary care plan, but it’s not too ambitious.

So will tomorrow’s budget provide the resources necessary to ensure that nurse practitioners working in all of our communities, trying to provide primary care, will be covered under OHIP?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Only a Liberal could suggest that a $1.8-billion investment in primary care expansion is nothing. We have ensured through our pathway that not only—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Don Valley East will come to order.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: It’s really important to reinforce that the last 10% who are looking for that primary care provider—those multidisciplinary teams include doctors; they include nurse practitioners; they include dietitians and mental health workers. Why? Because it is exactly how our health care professionals want to work, and it is exactly what patients need because, no matter where you are in your continuum of care, you have a pathway and an opportunity to deal with exactly the appropriate primary care provider clinician that you need to deal with your existing condition. That’s what we do when we expand and we ensure that there’s an expansion of primary care—$1.8 billion.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Final supplementary?

Mr. John Fraser: Some 2.5 million Ontarians don’t have a family doctor and don’t have access to primary care. Right now, across all of our communities—I would argue probably everyone in this Legislature, all of our communities—there are nurse practitioners who are being forced, when they hang out a shingle, to ask people for their credit card instead of their OHIP card. It’s something the Premier says never happens in Ontario, but it seems to be happening more and more and more every day.

Part of a simple, quick solution would be just to find a way to support nurse practitioners in the community under OHIP. They’re out there. There are lots of them. Why won’t the government just simply provide the support that’s necessary to allow nurse practitioners to be able to practise in our community under OHIP?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As we expand the opportunities within our communities, we have nurse practitioners working in hospitals. We have nurse practitioners working in long-term-care homes. We have nurse practitioners leading nurse practitioner-led clinics in places like Minto-Mapleton, in Innisfil. Those—

Mr. John Fraser: You paused nurse practitioner clinics for seven years.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Absolutely inaccurate. We were the first jurisdiction to actually allow and train nurse practitioners in Ontario, across Canada. We lead when it comes to ensuring that multidisciplinary teams, including nurse practitioners, work together to serve that patient. We will continue to do that work because—again, I will remind the Speaker and the member opposite—it is exactly the type of multidisciplinary team that patients and clinicians want. It is the best form of service, and we will continue to do that, as opposed to the one-offs that you are referencing.

Health care funding

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Because of this government’s snap election, a promised funding formula review of public health was cancelled. In my community, Middlesex-London Health Unit is funded the third lowest in the province, despite our city growing 5% faster than the rest of Ontario. Public health is cost-effective, but because of funding inadequacy, health promotion programs are gone and health protection programs are being eroded.

My question is simple: Will London be brought up to the provincial average of public health funding?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Response? The Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Perhaps the member opposite wasn’t paying attention with previous budgets where we actually increased public health funding by 20%. I want to be very clear: That is outside of the COVID-pandemic-related funding that, of course, we provided for public health units across Ontario. When public health units make a determination that they want to provide services above and beyond what the mandated programs are, then yes, there is an obligation for the public health units and their boards to plead their case and make their case for why that is needed in their community.

But I think that when we stand up and talk about our investments in public health, when we ensure that we have said a 1% increase annually so that they can plan, that is the kind of consistency that we need to ensure that public health units have continuity and understand where and what their funding will be—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for London North Centre.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: These are Conservative “facts.” Only this government would call a 1% increase restoring a cut that they had made somehow a benefit. This government will congratulate itself for shifting public money into private pockets.

Fewer dollars means fewer staff and poorer health. This government’s cuts and neglect have meant that people at MLHU have lost their jobs and health is being affected. Last year, 22 and a half positions were cut; seven and a half positions are being cut right now. More than 13 people will lose their jobs next year. The year after that, 20 more people will lose the jobs that keep people healthy. By the end of this, MLHU will have only a third of their staff left.

Through you, Speaker, I implore the Minister of Health: Will you allocate MLHU a million dollars in emergency funding so that health professionals will keep their jobs and keep protecting our community? Yes or no?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Of course we see and know the value of public health units. We saw it during the pandemic when they were out in communities, ensuring that people understood and knew the value of vaccinations and any questions that they had.

We made those investments with public health units because we knew that they were in the front of the line. We have consistently stayed with a 75% provincial, 25% municipal funding flow for public health units, and we’ll continue to do that.

Having said that, when individual public health units make determinations about what they need to do to protect their community, they are empowered to do it. It is exactly why we have public health units in the province of Ontario.

I’m not sure what the member opposite is suggesting when we see not only a 20% increase to their budgets but also a commitment to add 1% annually so that they can plan accordingly.

Government accountability / Health care funding

Mr. Adil Shamji: For the Premier: As we speak, there is legislation before this House that seeks to establish new objectives for health care in Ontario. Notably, this bill promises, without any guarantees whatsoever, that health care will be province-wide, convenient, connected, inclusive, empowered and responsive.

In his remarks last night, the member from Sault Ste. Marie went so far as to say that this bill is his promise to his constituents, yet even as he said that he was breaking that promise because 4,000 patients in Sault Ste. Marie have just been fired from their doctors. In Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, that promise has been broken already with the closure of the Durham ER. In Algoma–Manitoulin, that promise has already been broken with repeated closures of the Thessalon emergency department. In fact, not even 20 minutes ago, emergency doctors throughout the province received an email desperately asking them to keep them open.

Madam Speaker, why is the Premier allowing his MPPs to make promises that they are already breaking?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The debate that happened last night for the Primary Care Act really is a watershed moment to ensure that, going forward, we have consistency in how we expand and offer primary care in the province of Ontario.

I’ve said many times—and this is CIHI data; it is not Ministry of Health data—that Ontario leads Canada in the attachments for their individual physicians’ primary care to a patient.

Having said that, we are laser-focused on that last 10% because we know that people who have a primary care provider in their community have better health outcomes. We are ensuring, with a $1.8-billion investment, something that started in February 2024 with 78 new primary care and multidisciplinary teams continues under the leadership of Dr. Philpott. We will ensure that that work happens. We’ve had that second round, and you will—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Don Valley East.

Mr. Adil Shamji: I will say again that even as this minister says that she’s connected more people to health care than any other province or government in history, her ministry is literally sending out desperate emails to doctors across the province begging them to keep understaffed emergency departments in hospitals open. And I should have known that I wouldn’t get a serious answer from her, even as she has 17,000 people in her riding without a family doctor.

In Huron–Bruce, this government’s promise has already been broken with repeated closures at the Clinton Public Hospital emergency department. It’s broken in Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, with the closure of the Minden emergency department. The Minister of Health has herself had ER redirects in her own riding—not surprising, considering one in five hospitals have had unplanned ER closures in the last year.

So, Madam Speaker, to the Premier: Will tomorrow’s budget reverse these closures and restore ER access for Ontarians, or will it leave health care as an afterthought, just like in this government’s last throne speech?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As we make investments in primary care, as we train new students who want to practise and learn in the province of Ontario, as we expand medical school seats not only in our existing medical schools but two new, in York region and, of course, in Brampton, is the member opposite suggesting that those investments shouldn’t happen? Because, respectfully, when you vote against those investments you are de facto suggesting that you do not believe in them.

We make those investments. We will continue to ensure that the remaining 10% of Ontario residents who are looking for a primary care provider get that opportunity, unlike the Liberal government, when they were in power, actually cutting medical seats in the province of Ontario. Imagine, Speaker: Over 350 students who did not get the opportunity to train to become a doctor. That is your legacy. We will do the work to get it done.

Housing

Mr. David Smith: My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Families in Ontario want a safe and affordable place to live. They want a chance to own a home. But for too long, the previous Liberal government let costs rise and delayed growth. They didn’t act. That is why our government is taking action. We are cutting the red tape, we are building faster and we are working with cities and towns to get shovels in the ground. Our new housing legislation will make it easier to build roads, bridges and homes. It will help builders work faster and help people find a place to live.

Speaker, can the minister share how this new legislation will help us to build more homes and support our economy?

Hon. Rob Flack: I think everybody knows we’re facing economic headwinds from the Trump tariffs to the attacks on jobs in Ontario. We all know that it can’t be business as usual. That’s why we’re pro-acting, Speaker.

In Vaughan this week, I introduced Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act. And what’s it doing, Speaker? It’s creating the environment, the conditions, to get housing built.

We’re providing tools to our municipal partners, like key critical infrastructure. The Minister of Infrastructure announced $400 million more to provide our municipal partners with getting key infrastructure in the ground. That’s on top of the already $2 billion we’ve invested to support their need to get shovels in the ground.

Speaker, I was proud to stand there with the association of municipalities, Ontario home builders, BILD, RESCON, LIUNA and more. Why? They’re all in support of our plan. In unison, together, everyone achieves more. It takes too long to get shovels in the ground. We’re going to change that.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Mr. David Smith: I want to thank the minister for the great work he’s doing within the ministry.

For too long, the previous Liberal government let costs rise and delayed growth. That is why our government is taking action. We are cutting red tape, we are lowering costs, we are making it easier to build. With this legislation we will help builders put shovels in the ground faster. More homes mean stronger community, good jobs and a secure future for Ontarians.

We are also supporting critical projects like long-term-care homes to get built. This means our seniors get the care they deserve.

Can the minister share how these changes will help us build more homes and keep life affordable for Ontario families?

Hon. Rob Flack: As I said in my initial response, it takes too long and it costs too much to build a home in this province. That’s why we are not waiting, Speaker. We’re acting; we’re pro-acting. That is why we deferred DCs until occupancy, again, helping our home builders get shovels in the ground, enabling key cash flow to get the job done. That is why, to the member’s question, we eliminated DCs in long-term-care homes—eliminated them, Speaker. And that is why we’re making it easier for schools to accommodate growth.

It takes too long to get shovels in the ground. That is what this act is going to improve. We’re going to make it more affordable for people to buy a home and keep the dream of home ownership alive in this province for generations to come.

Hospital funding

They are asking for support from the province to help fix their structural deficit and support other enhancements, including their request for 119 additional beds across their sites to support our ever-growing community. They hope to be included in the upcoming budget.

To the Premier: Will the government adequately fund hospitals and hospital infrastructure in tomorrow’s budget?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Respectfully, we already do. When you invest $50 billion in 50 different capital projects, that would suggest that you are actually making investments in hospital capital.

Now, what happens tomorrow at 4 o’clock when Minister Bethlenfalvy announces his budget, I will leave to him. Having said that, when you have hospital capital builds across Ontario, whether it is in Windsor, whether it is in Mississauga, in London, in Ottawa, in Niagara, those are investments in people. We are ensuring that as our population ages, as our population grows, we are putting the capital in place to ensure that not only the hospitals in Kitchener-Waterloo but across Ontario have the commitments and the investments they need to ensure that top-of-the-line, quality care that the people of Ontario have come to deserve and know so well. We’ll get it through their capital pieces.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Seventy-five percent of the hospitals in the province of Ontario are running operational deficits. It is a serious issue.

Recently, the Premier released a list of nation-building projects to be prioritized. While this list included the $100-billion 401 fantasy tunnel, hospitals did not make the cut, even though the list of communities waiting for a hospital continues to grow.

We put forth a motion asking the government to designate critical hospital infrastructure as nation-building projects and fund them in the 2025 budget. This government voted against that.

If the Premier wants to invest in nation-building infrastructure, as he says he does, he should start here: build hospitals, expand urgent care, reopen our emergency rooms.

To the Premier: Does your government consider building hospitals to be a nation-building project? Because hospitals and a strong health care system pull investment into the province of Ontario. We need to protect this great province.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: It sounds like, based on the member opposite’s question, she actually wants us to pause and wait for the federal government to suddenly come and be part of the solution for hospital capital. They have never been part of the solution for hospital capital, and I don’t expect that they will be any time soon.

What we will do is—we as a government and we as a province—make those investments. We’ve done that with $50 billion for 50 capital projects, and we will continue to do that as we have subsequent budgets and fall economic statements.

I think it’s really important and telling that the member opposite is suggesting we need to pause hospital capital while we wait for the federal government to come to the table. I have no intention of stopping. I will not wait for the federal government. We will get it done.

Nurses

MPP Tyler Watt: It is nurses’ week, and as a nurse, I want to share a little bit about what it’s like to be a nurse in Ontario today. Right now, you get to work, you pay ever-increasing parking fees, and you wonder if you’re going into your shift fully staffed—chances are, you’re not. You get there, you work through your 12-hour shift, and then you’re mandated to stay an extra four hours, to 16, because once again, you’re too short. You’re burnt out. You’re frustrated.

As nurses, we all just want to do what we came there to do—it is to provide quality and compassionate care to our patients. But in this current system, we are unable to do that.

Premier, nurses don’t need more slogans. They need respect, fair wages, and safe working conditions. We don’t like to be called heroes and then you slap us with Bill 124 and freeze our wage increase annually during a pandemic.

Premier, will you finally listen to Ontario’s nurses and commit today to investing in nurse retention and guaranteeing safe staffing levels in our hospitals and communities?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I want to remind the members to ask your questions through the Speaker.

Response? I recognize the Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I’m not sure if the member opposite is aware of an upskilling program that has actually trained over 1,000 nurses to be able to work in their emergency departments, in their local hospitals, in their communities. Have they spoken and do they talk to the nurses who have been able to benefit through—over 400 nurses from 72 rural and remote hospitals who have received upskilling training? That’s the investment that we make in people, to ensure that individuals who are practising in, perhaps, one department—want to work in ICU, in an emergency department. When we invest in our people, we are investing in our communities.

We have seen a very high interest and uptake in individual RNs who are taking advantage and using those opportunities to upskill and ultimately better serve their communities.

We will continue to invest in people. We will absolutely continue to invest in capital. But at the end of the day, this is about ensuring individuals have opportunities to train, work and stay in their community.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Nepean.

MPP Tyler Watt: With respect to the minister—nurses aren’t buying it. You’re saying that you’re investing in us and you’re investing in people, but we live the real lives on the front lines in the hospitals and in the communities, and that is just not what’s going on. If this government were truly making historic investments, we wouldn’t have hospitals relying on agency nurses at double the cost, we wouldn’t see ERs in rural and urban communities alike closing because they don’t have staff, and we wouldn’t have thousands of nurses leaving the profession, telling us that they feel disrespected, unsafe, and unheard, especially from this government.

Minister, you can’t fix a health care staffing crisis with press releases—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Once again, I’d like to remind the member that you ask your questions directly through the Speaker.

MPP Tyler Watt: Sorry.

Through you, Speaker: You can’t fix a health care staffing crisis with press releases or slogans. You fix this by listening to nurses—by giving them the wages, working conditions, and respect they’ve been pleading for.

So, Speaker, through you to the Minister of Health: Will this government finally act—not with more spin, but to ensure safe nurse-to-patient ratios and make public health care a place where nurses want to stay?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Speaker, I certainly understand that the member opposite is new and perhaps doesn’t understand the history of the Liberal government. They actually cut medical seats. It is important to understand, by cutting medical seats, you have actually ensured that fewer people—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Liberal Party will come to order.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: —have access to medical training in the province of Ontario.

Allow me to quote Doris Grinspun from th