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October 23, 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-Oct-23 vol. A (PDF)

L027A - Thu 23 Oct 2025 / Jeu 23 oct 2025

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Thursday 23 October 2025 Jeudi 23 octobre 2025

Orders of the Day

Emergency Management Modernization Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la modernisation de la gestion des situations d’urgence

Reports, Financial Accountability Officer

Members’ Statements

Health care

Hill House Hospice

Tenant protection

Sports and recreation funding

Halloween events in Spadina–Fort York

Communal water treatment systems

Riding of Windsor West

Luso Canadian Charitable Society

Melly’s Workplace

House sittings

Introduction of Visitors

Speaker’s birthday

Question Period

Government accountability

Government accountability

Government accountability

Government accountability

Autism treatment

Government accountability

Housing

Social services

Government accountability

Indigenous economic development

Social services

Autism treatment

Post-secondary education and skills training

Business of the House

Deferred Votes

Homelessness Ends with Housing Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 visant à mettre fin à l’itinérance grâce au logement

Introduction of Visitors

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

Introduction of Government Bills

Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 visant à lutter contre les retards et à construire plus rapidement

Petitions

Social assistance

Social assistance

International trade

Social assistance

Macular degeneration

Interprovincial trade

Front-line workers

Hospital parking fees

International trade

Retirement homes

Domestic violence

Orders of the Day

Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 visant à bâtir une économie plus concurrentielle

Emergency Management Modernization Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la modernisation de la gestion des situations d’urgence

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Let us pray.

Prières / Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Emergency Management Modernization Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la modernisation de la gestion des situations d’urgence

Ms. Dunlop moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 25,

An Act to make statutory amendments respecting emergency management and authorizing enforceable directives to specified entities providing publicly-funded community and social services / Projet de loi 25, Loi visant à apporter des modifications législatives concernant la gestion des situations d’urgence et autorisant la formulation de directives exécutoires aux entités publiques désignées qui fournissent des services communautaires et sociaux financés par les fonds publics.

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

Hon. Jill Dunlop: I will be sharing my time with the member from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex and the member from Burlington.

Madam Speaker, on May 26, I introduced legislation that would modernize the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to build a stronger, more resilient province. This act has not undergone a comprehensive update in more than 15 years—until now. I’m pleased to go into more detail about what’s contained in the proposed Emergency Management Modernization Act, or EMMA, as we call it. EMMA sets the foundation for a safe, practised and prepared Ontario. It is the blueprint that sets out emergency management roles and responsibilities to protect Ontario—before, during and after emergencies.

We all know the world has changed a lot since 2009. And under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is ensuring that Ontario’s emergency management legislative framework reflects today’s realities. The reality is that emergencies caused by flooding, wildland fires, natural disasters, pandemics and cyber attacks are on the rise. Ontario must be protected. In 2024, Ontario had 109 significant emergency events that required 67 Emergency Management Ontario staff deployments. To date in 2025, our province has already had 59 significant emergency events with the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre being fully activated for 76 days.

I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of our emergency responders, our Ontario Corps partners and volunteers who have risen to the challenge to protect the people of Ontario when disaster strikes. That’s why we’re taking this necessary step to ensure Ontario is safe—now and in the future.

This draft legislation represents a clear and modern framework, one that is aligned with the complex emergency management landscape and best practices, and incorporates important lessons learned from past emergencies. This legislation proposes a phased implementation approach. In the short term, it includes proposed amendments to enhance provincial emergency management leadership and coordination. And in the medium to long term, it would enhance roles and enable new partnerships for communities, the broader public and private sectors.

The development of this legislation was informed by extensive engagement with our partners. Madam Speaker, collaboration is integral to advancing emergency management. That is why last year the ministry engaged with more than 550 partners on how to modernize the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Fourteen in-person sessions and 33 virtual ones were held across Ontario.

Simultaneously, my ministry created a discussion guide on the proposed modernization of the act, which was posted to the Ontario Regulatory Registry and the Environmental Registry, asking for feedback, which resulted in 91 written submissions received. Through these engagement efforts, we heard from municipalities, First Nations communities, emergency management organizations, critical infrastructure entities, professional associations and members of the public.

This May, Premier Ford and I held a round table where we heard from dedicated emergency management professionals including Ontario Corps partners, who agreed that this modernized legislation was long overdue. This August, I met with over 100 municipal leaders at AMO, where I received positive feedback on our legislative modernization efforts and a shared commitment to building a more coordinated and resilient emergency management system. These conversations are essential to ensuring that our policies are grounded in local realities and that our approach remains responsive, forward-looking and community-focused.

Our engagement is focused on five key areas:

(1) The scope of an emergency and emergency management;

(2) A one-window approach to provincial emergency management coordination;

(3) Enhancing coordination between government, broader public sector and external partners;

(4) Improving the consistency, quality and inclusivity of emergency management programs; and

(5) Reflecting how Ontario works with First Nations in emergency management.

Two clear themes emerged about where our modernization efforts should be focused. The first was a need for enhanced provincial leadership and coordination in emergency management. The second was a need for communities to have strengthened and tailored capacities for all components of their emergency management responsibilities. Madam Speaker, I’m pleased to let you know that the proposed modernized EMCPA responds to what we heard.

On the first point, allow me to summarize how this proposed legislation would strengthen provincial leadership and coordination in emergency management through amendments to the current act. First, it would define emergency management as organized activities to: prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. This amendment will ensure a consistent

interpretation across the province about the scope of emergency management, provide clarity to partners and better alignment with best practices.

As well, Madam Speaker, it would set out the purposes of the act including:

(1) Providing emergency management to Ontarians to safeguard their health, safety, welfare and property;

(2) Facilitating coordination with municipalities, Indigenous communities, organizations in the public and private sectors, federal, provincial, territorial and international governments; and

(3) Providing for emergency powers during a declaration of emergency.

This change reflects how emergency management relies on strong collaboration between the province, communities and organizations. It also ensures a consistent

interpretation about the aim of emergency management in Ontario.

Next, if passed, this legislation would identify that the minister is responsible for providing leadership and coordination of emergency management across the province. To fulfill this role, the legislation sets out significant aspects of the minister’s powers, duties and functions for the purposes of this act. Some of these include: monitoring and assessing hazards, risks, vulnerabilities, resources and facilities in Ontario; reviewing, assessing and advising on the development and implementation of emergency management programs and plans; coordinating and delivering training or emergency management exercises; and overseeing the coordination of the deployment and use of Ontario Corps.

Next, the act would continue to enable the Commissioner of Emergency Management to operate under the minister’s direction. These amendments would provide clarity that the Commissioner of Emergency Management is responsible for directing the operations of the provincial emergency management organization—Emergency Management Ontario—which enshrines into law the one window for provincial emergency management coordination.

Madam Speaker, let me tell you about the great work that Emergency Management Ontario does. This organization is responsible for:

—maintaining situational awareness across the province and assisting in deploying resources and or personnel where required;

—proactively collecting and monitoring data to inform emergency management planning and response activities, including hazards, risks and potential impacts on people;

—coordinating across provincial ministries and partners to inform government decision-making;

—enhancing partnerships and facilitating resource-sharing; and

—supporting our communities across Ontario through tailored training and public education programs.

In times of emergency, the province, through Emergency Management Ontario, maintains extensive emergency management capacity coordinated through the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, or the PEOC. Staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the PEOC constantly monitors emerging and evolving situations across the entire province. The ministry’s network of dedicated field officers stand at the ready, at a moment’s notice, to provide support and guidance to communities.

This year alone, our field officers have been deployed 204 times to 16 incidents, where they supported communities like my own community of Orillia, Sandy Lake First Nation and Peterborough, just to name a few.

But field officers are just one part of our response. In December last year, Premier Ford made history by creating Ontario Corps, mobilizing one of Canada’s first volunteer corps for emergency preparedness and response—and I hope you have all signed up to be Ontario Corps members.

Ontario Corps is a network of ordinary citizens, skilled partners and supporters that can quickly mobilize to provide support and critical services such as clearing roadways, delivering food, offering shelter and ensuring the most vulnerable have the help they need during emergencies. They are the proud embodiment of Ontario’s unshakable spirit: resilient, compassionate and always ready to rise to the challenge to protect Ontario when disaster strikes.

Through Ontario Corps, we are uniting Ontarians with one singular mission: to stand together as one team in times of crisis. Whether it’s a severe storm, a flood, wildland fire or any other emergency, Ontario is ready. That’s because our government believes in creating a culture of readiness, a culture that empowers people and communities to help each other during our greatest hours of need.

This proposed legislation would enshrine Ontario Corps into law as a key provincial resource and capability to be deployed during an emergency, including personnel, services, equipment, materials and facilities, coordinated by the Commissioner of Emergency Management.

And to ensure Ontario Corps and its partners have the necessary supports and capabilities they need to protect Ontario, our government has made a historic $110-million investment, $10 million of which is going directly to our 13 Ontario Corps partners. Because of this investment, we can now mobilize specialized equipment and personnel anywhere across the province within 24 hours. No matter how big or small, communities can access flood mitigation barriers, drones, water pumps, chainsaws, air purifiers and other supplies to help their recovery and relief efforts.

The recent ice storm in communities like mine, as well as in Gravenhurst and Peterborough, and the response to support communities impacted by wildland fires exemplifies the positive impact of Ontario Corps. I’ll take a moment to share my personal experience on the ice storm a little later, but let me take a moment to talk about Ontario’s fire season and how my ministry worked in coordination with my colleagues at the Ministry of Natural Resources.

This summer, my ministry supported the safe evacuation of and provided wraparound supports for over 2,200 people affected by wildland fires in Manitoba and over 6,000 people from northern Ontario. Through Ontario Corps, we were able to provide 182 generators, 75 air scrubbers, 705 air purifiers, 440 N95 masks and close to 50,000 infant care supplies to northern communities affected by the wildland fires. Ontario Corps members were also able to provide first aid support to evacuated community members staying in Peterborough and hygiene kits at several host sites across southern Ontario.

I have a clear message to everyone here and to all Ontarians: No matter what political stripe you are, consider signing up to be part of Ontario Corps and encourage others to do the same. Now more than ever, we need to stand together and not divided, to protect Ontario and support the safety of the communities, our friends and family that we cherish so deeply. I know we all share a deep and profound love of our province, and in our hearts, we understand that when push comes to shove, the people of this province will do whatever they can to help their neighbours. This proposed legislation is a win for all of us and the people of Ontario, and it’s just the right thing to do.

So how do we make it all happen? Well, also included in the proposed legislation is a key responsibility for the Commissioner of Emergency Management to coordinate a provincial emergency management planning framework that describes how the government coordinates all aspects of emergency management at the provincial level. This framework would be developed with provincial ministries, partners, and issued by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and reviewed every five years.

All provincial emergency management plans under the proposed bill must conform with this planning framework. This would enhance clarity, accountability and coordination in provincial emergency management programs. This will make sure that the planning framework is reflective of emerging best practices and is incorporating lessons learned from past emergencies.

This planning framework will also work alongside new requirements for provincial ministries to fulfill prescribed emergency management functions to be set out in future regulations. These changes will support a stronger and more coordinated provincial role before, during and after emergencies.

The proposed legislation would also strengthen provincial leadership by outlining the duties and functions of the Cabinet Advisory Committee on Emergency Management. This committee would perform any advisory duties that the executive council directs with a report into cabinet annually, at minimum.

Madam Speaker, we know the communities in Ontario are not the same, and one size does not fit all. Municipalities need to have stronger and tailored capacities for all components of their emergency management responsibilities, and that’s why the legislation would enhance community capacity through robust and scalable emergency management programs.

Currently, all municipalities, regardless of size or capacity, have the same emergency management program requirements. Every municipality in Ontario is required to have an emergency management program, including emergency response plans, and to make those available to the public.

This can be a burden to our smaller municipalities. We recognize that in smaller municipalities, the same people may wear many, many hats. And we all know that some municipalities in the same geographical area with similar hazards and shared services are already working together to plan for emergencies. The proposed legislation would enable municipalities who want to work together to establish a joint emergency management program and plan. This would reduce duplication, help better manage resource constraints and provide flexibility for municipal emergency management programs based on need and capacity.

It is a move away from the one-size-fits-all approach and ensures that we are meeting communities where they are at. Madam Speaker, if the legislation is passed, we will work with municipalities to develop the necessary regulations to implement these changes.

Another important area that the proposed legislation seeks to address is regarding municipal emergency declarations.

First, we propose to clarify that a municipality may request provincial assistance from the province to support preparing for and responding to an emergency without issuing an emergency declaration. This includes the deployment of Ontario Corps capabilities. To be clear, an emergency declaration would not be required to deploy Ontario Corps to help a community in need. This clarity would ensure municipalities are using the most efficient levers to support their emergency planning and response.

Secondly, the proposal would ensure greater accountability from municipalities to establish preconditions for a municipal head of council in declaring an emergency. This includes a requirement that municipalities establish and approve an emergency management plan that describes the actions the head of council is authorized to take in order to protect property and the health, safety and welfare of their community.

Prior to declaring an emergency, a head of council would be required to consult their approved emergency management plan and be satisfied that the actions outlined in the plan require an emergency declaration. Once declared, the head of council would then regularly report to the public about the emergency declaration until it has been terminated.

They would also be required to report to their municipal council every 30 days until declaration has terminated on why it is necessary for it to remain in effect. A written report must also be submitted to the minister on the emergency declaration.

Madam Speaker, a clear process is critical to our success when every second counts. These proposals would clarify the process for municipalities declaring an emergency while making it clear the declaration is not required to seek and receive provincial assistance.

Finally, I will speak about the proposed authority in the bill to establish regulations to designate and set requirements for provincially regulated entities that operate or provide critical infrastructure.

As Ontario grows through bold policy decisions that attract new investments and strengthen our economy, we must act swiftly to protect and modernize the critical infrastructure that underpins our province. It is the backbone of our province, and its resiliency demands our attention now.

Roads, energy systems, water systems and communications can all become vulnerable. Ontario’s critical infrastructure operators face the same risks from natural disasters and cyber attacks as we all do. We must learn from past experiences like the 2003 blackout or the 2022 Rogers outage. That’s why we need strong, thoughtful legislation to safeguard these vital assets.

This legislation, if passed, will allow for regulations to identify these provincially regulated operators and ensure they meet emergency management program and planning requirements and keep them current and updated. This could include, for example, having an emergency management plan, identifying critical services required for business continuity and conducting a risk assessment.

If the legislation is passed, we will work with critical infrastructure operators to identify designated entities and develop the necessary regulations to implement these changes. Let’s ensure our government’s investments are resilient, secure and ready to withstand future emergencies.

Finally, I want to take a moment to focus on my first-hand experiences on the ground. As the first Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response, I have travelled throughout the province and witnessed first-hand how our government’s modernization of the sector is creating a more practised, prepared and protected Ontario.

I was appointed in March 2025, and 10 days later the ice storm hit, not only in my area, but in that of many of my colleagues in the chamber. I awoke to cracking trees on my property and power outages. I personally experienced nine days without power. I know some of our areas were even longer. I want to thank all of the public utilities that came to help out all of our areas impacted by the ice storm. There were 31 utilities from Ontario that came to Muskoka, to Orillia, to the Kawarthas and to the Peterborough area to assess—and I know they were a sight for sore eyes at that time, to come to our area.

We also welcomed utilities from New Brunswick, from Manitoba and from Saskatchewan coming in to help at times of need, which was really important.

What I saw first-hand in my own community was the partners that I regularly work with in this role, and had previously when I was at the college, really come together to support our community day in, day out. Our firefighters not only were dealing with the ice storm in the area, but we also had, on the second day, lightning hit our waste water plant. So you can imagine the turmoil that was happening in our own community—but everyone coming together to support one another.

At that time in the season, there were still snowplows on the roads, or plows on the trucks, and they were using snowplows to clean the debris off of the roads, it was that bad in the communities. But everyone came together. It was absolutely incredible.

I also toured some of the other areas. I remember, when we were leaving Orillia, we were coming through Beaverton and that was the first place that had power. We were like, “Great; let’s stop for a Tim Hortons coffee.” Then we realized it’s cash only. I happened to have $40 with me, and while we’re getting coffee—there was a gas station right next to us—“You know what? We don’t know what we’re driving into. We better get gas while we’re here.” So, for $40, we were able to get four coffees and put some gas in the car and make it to Peterborough.

It really shows the importance of having our 72-hour kits ready, that people are prepared. I think that is so important and something that I strive to ensure, that we’re getting that message out to folks. It’s really important. I hope that everybody here is prepared for that. I know that back during Emergency Preparedness Week I gave out educational materials to everyone in the House. I hope you took that back to your constit offices and are aware that you can download that information as well and use that when you’re out in the communities at events. To share that information is so important.

I also saw, not only with my own community coming together but with Ontario Corps being deployed to my area, the important work that they were doing. We had Team Rubicon all over the devastated areas, helping to clean up debris.

I was speaking with one household and I said, “What was it like when someone knocked on your door and said, ‘I’m here to help you and I’m going to clear that tree off of your lawn because it is blocking your car in?’” And some people said, “The first question I asked was, ‘How much it was.’ They said, ‘No, we’re here to help you.’ The second was, ‘It was like an angel came to my door.’ How amazing is that, that in a time of need there are people out there coming and helping us?”

We also had Georgian Bay search and rescue, another one of our Ontario Corps partners, doing door-to-door wellness checks. I was with those folks at one point. We were knocking on people’s doors and letting them know that there were actually warming centres set up in town; that you could go, even if it was just to charge your devices, to grab a hot drink and to chat with other people, that these services were being supported to the community and were available. Getting that news out to people was important, and there were so many other Ontario Corps partners who were not only helping my area in Orillia but were also helping up in the Muskokas and the Kawarthas as well—incredible people.

In total, Ontario Corps volunteers provided over 6,000 hours of support during the ice storm, directly helping thousand of Ontarians in a time of immense need.

As I mentioned earlier in my remarks, I have travelled across Ontario, meeting with First Nations partners and Ontario Corps volunteers, including the north, travelling from cities like Thunder Bay and Timmins to places like Oliver Paipoonge, Conmee, O’Connor and Neebing, and what I have seen makes me so proud. Because of our government’s historic $110-million investment, communities are receiving new and updated resources such as generators, chainsaws, fire pumps, fuel supplies, mobile shelters, woodchippers, sand-bagging machines, drones and so much more.

I experienced new emergency training programs for residents, First Nations partners, young women and front-line emergency personnel, equipping people and the next generation with the skills they need in the event of emergencies like wildland fires or flooding.

Speaker, when you reflect on the work my ministry is doing, it directly supports the progress our government is making by creating pathways for many people, especially young people, to seek out employment in front-line and emergency services. Just yesterday, I had a chance to see first-hand how we’re inspiring our youth at this year’s Dreamer Day, which was truly inspiring.

If you’ve never been to Dreamer Day, there were 4,000 young women from across the province. I met specifically with a group from North Bay early in the morning and we met with the incredible women at our emergency preparedness and response booth. Some of our on-the-ground women were there talking about what their careers are now and what led them to this point. We met with Toronto paramedics and Toronto Fire, and they spoke to the young women too about careers in public and emergency management and all the different professions that you can have within those different careers—so incredible to see.

I hope that some of those 4,000 girls yesterday had a chance to stop at our booth and are now thinking about a career in emergency management.

One other thing I would like to tell you about is an opportunity that I had twice this summer. I was invited to Camp Molly. I don’t know if anyone here has heard of Camp Molly. If you haven’t, you need to check it out online and hopefully it’s come to your communities. The first one I participated in was at Lac Seul First Nation. This one was held through one of our Ontario Corps partners, the Independent First Nations Alliance, and it was specifically for Indigenous girls. They had women firefighters coming in to help with the girls, and they definitely put me through the ropes that day.

I put on the gear and the tank, and I had to crawl through the maze, and with the girls as well, we did auto extrication.

But to see how the empowerment of these young women—the first day, they’re checking in, they’re getting all their gear and everyone’s a little nervous because they don’t know anybody there. Within the next day, they were up there dancing; they were having a great time together, really making great connections, but also empowering young women to get into emergency management, public safety and the different careers that you can have within those areas.

Camp Molly also came to my area in October, which was very fortunate. The Premier was also in the area too, so we had a stop-by to visit with the girls, and they were supported by our Orillia Fire Department, Oro-Medonte fire department, Ramara, Rama—all of the surrounding fire departments coming in to help out with that. It’s an incredible opportunity for young women, 15 to 18, to look at careers in the firefighting profession. So if it’s something that pops up in your community at any time—I know there was 10 camps this summer—I definitely encourage young women to get into that.

With that, I think I’m going to hand it over to my amazing PA, who—I did have the chance to visit your community this year, where we presented some of the community emergency preparedness grants and saw how that’s really impacting your communities—not only yours, mine, but many of ours in this House.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I recognize the member from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex.

Mr. Steve Pinsonneault: It is my honour to speak today on this proposed legislation alongside Minister Dunlop. That was an amazing real-life experience which shows the importance of this ministry. Thank you for that, Minister Dunlop.

As Minister Dunlop highlighted, the government first announced this historic investment of $110 million over three years to enhance emergency management in Ontario in the 2023 budget. We are committed to protecting Ontario by strengthening our emergency management capabilities. We want to have the right tools, partnerships and resources in place to hit the ground running when an emergency strikes.

Since we announced that historic $110-million investment, the government has made incredible progress by:

—creating Ontario Corps;

—launching the provincial exercise program;

—working with First Nation partners to make emergency management training more culturally appropriate;

—implementing the Provincial Emergency Management Strategy and Action Plan and keeping our commitment to transparency by publishing two annual reports outlining progress against its goals and actions;

—preparing for a new Ontario emergency preparedness and response headquarters—and the list goes on.

One thing I’m particularly proud of is the targeted investments this government has made in local community emergency management through the Community Emergency Preparedness Grant. Like our proposed new legislation, the CEPG Program is part of our work to modernize emergency management and support community readiness across the province.

Madam Speaker, the first round of these grants, announced in 2023, provided $5 million to 113 municipalities and organizations across Ontario to ensure they have the equipment, resources and training in place to help them prepare and respond to emergencies. The grant was open to communities with populations under 100,000 people; Indigenous communities and organizations, including tribal councils and other Indigenous service organizations; as well as non-governmental organizations with mandates or responsibilities in emergency management.

Grant recipients received between $5,000 and $50,000 for expenses or activities that promote emergency preparedness. For example, the funds could be put towards purchasing equipment such as sandbagging machines to keep flood waters from rising and damaging homes; generators to keep electricity running in communities impacted by prolonged power outages; thermal imaging drones to help contain wildland fires and assist in search and rescue efforts; and radio systems to communicate in areas without cell reception. Additionally, some recipients directed the funding towards emergency training to build up the local capacity and response.

I would like to take the time today to highlight some of the wonderful communities of Ontario and what they have used their funding for. Starting in the north, 26 recipients in northeastern Ontario received funding, including the city of Timmins, which received just over $48,000 to purchase a sandbagging machine, a drone, a generator and to conduct training and address annual flooding along the Mattagami River.

The town of Blind River received more than $46,000 to purchase a portable generator to power the communications tower and the public works facility and to develop emergency preparedness education material for their community.

Twenty recipients in northwestern Ontario received funding, including the Bimose Tribal Council, located in Kenora, which received over $43,000 to establish an emergency operations centre to serve its 10 member communities, equipped with sleep centre kits, air purifiers and other supplies to help displaced residents during the emergencies.

The Vermilion Bay District Lions Club, located between Kenora and Dryden, received just over $29,000 to purchase and install a backup generator to power the club’s refrigerators, freezers, hot water tank and stoves. All of these items can be used by the residents in the event of an emergency.

Thirty-three recipients in southeastern Ontario received funding including the township of East Hawkesbury, which received $50,000 to install a generator at the community centre to ensure residents can access washrooms, warming centres and charging stations during emergencies. In the event of an emergency, the community will have one more area to welcome residents and to keep people safe. If your power goes out, your plumbing is shut off, you’re unable to charge your cellphone and electronics—what would you do? Just think of how this space will boost the morale of the residents and give them hope during times of crisis.

Moving to the township of Oro-Medonte, which received just over $37,000 to purchase two fully equipped cargo trailers to transport emergency equipment and act as a mobile emergency command and rehabilitation stations for emergency workers.

Thirty-four recipients in southwestern Ontario received funding, including the township of Adelaide Metcalfe, which received over $15,000 to purchase a thermal imaging drone. This technology will make it easier, safer and more efficient to conduct search-and-rescue operations for missing or lost persons during low-light hours or adverse weather conditions.

The township of Middlesex Centre received just over $47,000 to purchase a quickly deployable inflatable shelter that could be used during large-scale community emergencies. It can act as a cooling or warming station, a mobile vaccination centre, an emergency services centre and more.

As you can see, Madam Speaker, funding was tailored to the unique needs of the community and organization, of all shapes and sizes, with one common thread—to protect Ontario and its hard-working people and businesses. Like the legislative amendments we are proposing to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, these grants help empower communities to enhance their own emergency preparedness and response capabilities to keep people safe.

Of course, Ontario will always be there to support our local municipalities or First Nations. This government is stepping up to ensure that communities and organizations across the province have the resources to help augment their own local emergency management efforts so that we can respond more quickly and more efficiently to the emergencies of tomorrow.

Madam Speaker, this program was so successful that last fall, we invested another $5 million for a second round of funding to 114 additional recipients across the province.

The second round of investment means that even more recipients can buy critical equipment and deliver essential emergency management training. It is ensuring that communities and organizations across Ontario have the resources they need and are ready for anything that comes their way, from wildland fires to flooding and tornadoes.

Madam Speaker, please allow me to take a few moments to highlight some of the ways that communities are putting the second round of funding to good use.

Once again, I’ll begin in the north. Northeastern Ontario communities received 45 grants. That includes the township of Hilton, which is receiving just over $47,000 to buy cots, blankets, emergency food kits and for its emergency warming centre to accommodate displaced residents during extreme cold events.

Northwestern Ontario communities received 24 grants. That includes the township of Ignace, which received $50,000 to build its fire department’s capacity to respond quickly and effectively to wildland fires. It is investing in training, as well as buying equipment such as generators, pumps and chainsaws.

Southeastern Ontario communities received 29 grants. That includes the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, which received $50,000 to purchase a sandbagging machine and solar signage to help redirect traffic away from hazard sites.

Southwestern Ontario communities received 16 grants. That includes the city of Niagara Falls, which received $50,000 to buy a generator for one of their more rural fire stations so it can continue to provide service during power outages during storms.

So far, over the past two years we have provided $10 million to 227 recipients to proactively invest in protecting their communities.

The return on investment for these targeted grants has been incredible. Many municipalities have told us personally that they have been transformative, especially those in rural and remote areas of our province. That’s why we launched a third round in September. We are investing an additional $5 million to help smaller communities invest in things like cargo trailers, drones, sandbags, skills training and other resources to shore up capabilities before an emergency strikes.

The ministry hosted information sessions to walk potential applicants through the process and answer questions about the program. The response was great. We had over 100 participants attend and learn more about the grant. Of course, we are making sure that every community is accounted for, nobody is left behind. That is why this round is open to communities and organizations that have not received funding from the previous rounds. For the first two rounds, we received 800 applicants, with 227 receiving funding. Applicants who were not successful in the previous rounds can also apply for round 3.

We recognize that each community has unique needs, so the range of eligible expenses includes: equipment such as generators, drones, flatbed trailers and air filters; supplies like sandbags, food kits, cots and public education material such as fridge magnets and brochures; training such as exercises, first aid, donation management and specialized equipment training; and services like emergency plan development, risk assessment and equipment installation.

To promote accountability and transparency, all recipients need to report back to us and demonstrate that the outcomes are being met as described in the application and the project has increased emergency preparedness capacity. Recipients must also provide an expense

summary detailing the actual expenses against the proposed budget. Any unspent funds should be returned to the taxpayer. If a recipient does not report back this information it may impact its ability to receive funding through any future iterations of this program, so it’s quite an important step.

Applications for round 3 close on October 28, so just a few short days away. The ministry’s evaluation team is ready to review so we can get approved grants out the door in a timely fashion.

Madam Speaker, if my fellow members would like to learn more about this important program or see details about which communities have already received funding, they can do so at ontario.ca/emergencygrant.

Emergencies and natural disasters disrupt economic activity, both during the acute emergency itself and in the years following. It doesn’t matter what political stripe we are—we can all agree—emergency preparedness is crucial for ensuring safety, minimizing risk and losses, and facilitating an effective response during crisis. Our efforts to prepare ultimately save lives and aid recovery.

That’s why the government has laid out a plan to protect Ontario, no matter what comes our way. By making targeted investments in local emergency capacity and response through the Community Emergency Preparedness Grant, Ontario Corps, proposed legislative changes to the EMCPA and through the many other ways this government is prioritizing effective emergency management approaches, we are ensuring that Ontario is ready for any emergency.

In conclusion: As we enter into the colder months, I would like to take a moment and remind everyone that safety starts with the individual. Before an emergency happens, it’s important to make sure you have a plan in place for your household in the event of a power outage or if you need to evacuate due to flooding or any other disaster.

When an emergency strikes, it is possible that some members of your household may not be home. If the network is down, you may be unable to call or text your loved ones, you’ll want to have an emergency communications plan in place. Talk to your household about backup ways to get a hold of each other if this scenario arises. You may agree on one or two out-of-town contacts who live far enough away that their networks will not be impacted by the emergency affecting your home. These out-of-town contacts could help you share information if you are unable to connect directly.

It is a simple thing, but it’s something you’ll be so grateful you thought of in advance in the event of an actual emergency.

It is also a good idea to ensure that the household has an emergency kit with essentials to stay self-sufficient for up to three days. Whether that kit is for your home or your car, make sure it includes things like water to stay hydrated during heat waves, emergency blankets to stay warm during colder weather, non-perishable food items and activities for the kids.

Madam Speaker, it is important that we all do our part to ensure we’re safe, practised and prepared, because at the end of the day, safety is our collective responsibility and the work that we do today will determine how ready the next generation of Ontarians will be.

Thank you for your time and attention on this critical work of our ministry. Thank you, Minister Dunlop, for bringing this legislation forward.

I would now like to turn it over to MPP Pierre.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I recognize the member from Burlington.

Ms. Natalie Pierre: Good morning, everyone. I’m happy to rise and join my colleagues in supporting second reading of the Emergency Management Modernization Act, 2025. I want to thank in particular my colleague the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response for all of her hard work.

If passed, this bill would modernize and improve our emergency management protocols, ensuring the safety and well-being of people and communities across Ontario. By amending both the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and the Ministry of Community and Social Services Act, the minister’s bill would help to keep Ontario safe and better prepared for any emergency. The proposed changes are informed by valuable feedback from stakeholders, best practices in emergency management and lessons learned from past emergencies.

The Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and its regulations have not been comprehensively updated in more than 15 years. If we’re going to be ready for the challenges of the future, we need modern regulations that reflect current realities. The government’s emergency management partners, including municipalities, have called for modernization of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. They told us that we need to address gaps in the framework, including the need for enhanced clarity in roles and responsibilities, and comprehensive programs that address the full scope of emergency management in today’s fast-changing world.

There were two primary themes identified through these consultations. The first is the need for enhanced provincial leadership and coordination in emergency management, and the second is the need for communities to have enhanced capacities. Speaker, with the increasingly complex emergency management landscape caused by risks such as extreme weather events, wildland fires and cyber attacks, it’s more important than ever for us to ensure that Ontario families are safe, protected and prepared.

Speaker, this legislation, if passed, would strengthen the province’s ability to prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. The legislative proposals, if passed, would do the following:

—strengthen provincial leadership and coordination of emergency management;

—establish the purpose of emergency management in Ontario and define emergency management;

—mandate executive oversight of the coordination of provincial emergency management;

—emphasize that the minister is responsible for providing leadership and coordination of emergency management across the province;

—enable the Commissioner of Emergency Management to direct Emergency Management Ontario and coordinate the implementation of the provincial emergency management planning framework; and

—facilitate enhanced clarity, accountability and coordination in provincial emergency management programs.

Speaker, members of this House should know that the minister’s bill, if passed, would also:

—support the enhancement of community capacity in emergency management;

—enable flexibility regarding requirements for municipal emergency management programs and plans based on needs and capacity;

—allow two or more municipalities to voluntarily establish a joint emergency management program;

—clarify the process to ensure accountability of municipal emergency declarations under the act;

—provide clarity on municipal requests for provincial assistance to support the preparation or response to an emergency;

—identify that Ontario recognizes and supports community-led emergency management; and

—allow regulations to designate and set requirements for any provincially regulated entity prescribed as critical infrastructure.

Speaker, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is proposing through this bill its own amendments to the Ministry of Community and Social Services Act. These amendments would, if passed, improve the government’s ability to provide more uniform, timely and binding direction to our ministry-funded service providers during extraordinary situations.

With an estimated budget of more than $20 billion this year alone, MCCSS is the third-largest provincial ministry by expenditure. The ministry provides critical supports for Ontarians who need it most. These supports range from accommodations for individuals with developmental disabilities to emergency shelters for women and their dependents who have experienced violence. That means we provide funding for vital services, which help to support millions of Ontarians in communities large and small across the province.

Speaker, we take our responsibilities to these support programs very seriously, and it’s critically important that we keep them running even in emergencies and extraordinary circumstances.

In the past, the ministry has been limited in its ability to direct our service providers during and following emergency situations. We do have some existing authorities that enable us to provide specific types of direction to entities funded by the ministry, but there are some gaps and inconsistencies. This could lead to delays in issuing direction, which in turn could create confusion about requirements and compliance issues.

The disruption caused by a public emergency could put many people at risk, such as women who have experienced violence—and their children. Without these proposed amendments, the ministry would not have clear legislative authority to issue uniform and binding direction to all MCCSS-funded entities during and following urgent situations. This means that the ministry would have to issue non-binding guidance.

Our proposed legislative change would allow us to issue more timely direction to ministry-funded service providers in certain situations. Those situations would be spelled out in regulations, but they could include extraordinary events such as extreme weather, natural disasters or interruptions to essential services.

A practical example might be a flood that impacts a ministry-funded group home residence for adults with developmental disabilities or a ministry-funded residence for women and families fleeing violence. The residents in these facilities might need to be relocated to another location due to unsafe living conditions.

If the flooding was more widespread and affected multiple ministry-funded service providers, then the additional direction from the ministry could help support the safety of residents and the safety of staff by providing a faster and better coordinated response. This response would provide clear direction to funded service providers on the relocation of individuals. It could also identify and leverage potential resources in other communities, facilitate community partnerships and identify any broader provincial supports available to those affected by the flood.

A second practical example of how our proposed amendments, if passed, would help keep Ontarians safer would be in the event of a power outage at a ministry-funded, multi-service agency. A sustained power outage in an agency that delivers multiple services could require a coordinated response from the ministry.

I say that, Speaker, because some services may be covered by clear legislative requirements during extraordinary circumstances while others may not. In those cases, enabling the ministry to issue binding direction to ministry-funded service providers in extraordinary circumstances would allow us to take action in a timelier manner.

The proposal also sets out measures to deter and mitigate non-compliance with the minister’s direction. That includes the power to issue a compliance order if an entity fails to comply with a directive, or even to reduce or terminate funding for failure to comply with a compliance order.

In recent years, other sectors in Ontario that support vulnerable populations, such as long-term-care and retirement homes, have developed more nimble, comprehensive and coordinated emergency management approaches. This has allowed these sectors to more effectively respond to emergencies or other extraordinary circumstances. The proposed amendments to the Ministry of Community and Social Services Act are along those lines.

Since the proposal will be set out in regulation, we will be using the regulatory registry posting to gather feedback on this in the future. Our community partners will be able to share feedback on the draft regulations when they are posted to the Ontario Regulatory Registry.

Speaker, our government is strongly committed to protecting Ontario and ensuring that our province is strong and resilient. The minister’s bill would strengthen Ontario by modernizing our emergency management protocols to ensure that families and communities are safe, practised and prepared. I therefore urge this House to give speedy and unanimous passage to the minister’s bill.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Questions and comments?

Mr. Ted Hsu: My question is kind of a very general question for the government. If we’re planning ahead over the next years and decades for emergencies, it seems to me that you should at least mention some of the sources of the emergencies that are coming, and one of them which is not mentioned is climate change. The climate is changing. One of the things that’s doing, for example, is slowing weather patterns. So the heat waves last longer; the rain lasts longer. So you’re going to get more heat waves and more chances of flooding and more chances for wildland fires.

My question to the government is, why didn’t they talk a little bit about the sources of emergencies in the coming decades?

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you to the member for that question, which I think is a very important one, and which is why Premier Ford recognized the importance and made this a full standing ministry on its own: to ensure that we are protecting our communities—and why we are investing in our smaller communities to ensure that they are prepared for upcoming activities.

As you mentioned, we’ve seen an increase in forest fires, in flooding, things like ice storms. I know my colleague from the Muskoka area, MPP Smith, saw a huge storm back in November or December of last year. A lot of chaos happened in that area then, and then again with the ice storm, so recognizing that these events are increasing—increasing in severity as well—is why the Premier ensured that we have this standing ministry to help support our communities and to also protect all of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Further questions?

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: My question is to the minister. Thank you very much for your remarks, and I would like to thank you for your leadership during this past ice storm where it was happening in your own riding but also having to deal with what was going on across the province. Thank you.

My question is, looking at the legislation, why is it that the government seems to need legislation to codify Emergency Management Ontario as the one window of emergency coordination and response? Could you respond to that? Why are we doing that?

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you to the member for your question and for your compliment on how we dealt with the ice storm across Ontario.

This act is important because it hasn’t been modernized in 15 years, and a lot of things have changed in that time. We did consultations. We had over 550 respondents. We heard from municipalities, from stakeholders, the importance of, when an emergency happens in their area, having that one-window approach so that they’re not having to contact several different ministries, but their CMC can then coordinate with the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, where we can then coordinate with those ministries through our ministry.

Just helping with the ease—when you’re dealing with an emergency time matters and having that one-window approach and that one contact will help ensure that we’re helping much quicker.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Further questions?

M. Guy Bourgouin: Je remercie la ministre pour ses commentaires. J’écoutais attentivement.

Moi, j’ai été élu en 2018. Puis depuis 2018, depuis que j’ai été élu—je sais qu’elle en a parlé avant parce qu’elle a était élue beaucoup plus longtemps que moi. C’est la députée de Nickel Belt qui a amené souvent à votre attention, au gouvernement, que le 911, qu’il y a beaucoup de régions dans le Nord—vous oubliez que dans le Nord, il y a beaucoup de places où on n’a pas de signal de 911.

Puis c’est bien beau de moderniser, mais je n’ai pas entendu dans vos allocutions de dire—allez-vous faire certain que, partout en Ontario, partout dans les régions du Nord, on a accès au 911? Parce que même au point où on parle, il y a bien des points morts où on ne peut même pas appeler s’il y a une urgence, accident, le « ice storm », des feux de forêt. Ça met du monde dans des situations très dangereuses. C’est quoi votre plan pour le 911 pour faire certain que, partout dans le nord de l’Ontario, on ait accès au 911 pour protéger nos êtres chers?

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you to the member for that question—obviously, a very, very important one. I know you have talked to the Solicitor General about that and brought that concern to his attention.

Obviously, during ice storms, snowstorms or any power outages and having lack of communication in any area of the province, we see how difficult that is. And I hear that from our CMCs that I have visited in smaller communities.

So I encourage you to continue working with the Solicitor General. I will as well, expressing the concerns that I hear from municipalities to help ensure that we have communications across our province.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Questions?

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Thank you very much for your remarks this morning.

My question is really about some of the implementation around this and what specific funding will be provided to municipalities to meet the obligations under this new provincial emergency planning framework.

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you to the member for that question, a very important one—and the work that we’re doing with our municipalities, with my field officers who are on the ground working to ensure that we’re helping with the training of the municipalities.

We have a $110-million grant that we provide to municipalities. We’ve had two rounds of that grant. We’re actually in the third round right now, and I would encourage municipalities of 100,000 or less who have not received the grant yet to please apply for it. I’ve been with several of our members here to see the impact that that grant is making on municipalities, having things like backup generators for our warming centres, chainsaw equipment, things to clean up debris. We see some municipalities who have coordinated with their local police services as well to have drones, which are so important in many different ways.

But working directly with those municipalities to ensure—and we heard from them directly; this is going to make their lives much easier, when they’re able to coordinate with other municipalities on their emergency management plans, and really looking at, rather than the one-size-fits-all for municipalities, but working for specific needs.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Further questions?

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I appreciate this. This is well overdue and well needed. My concern is that we need to use the words “climate disasters.” I talked to the insurance companies today. They said 40 years ago, there were 17 climate disasters. Now there’s 130 or 113 every year in this past decade, so we have to recognize that there is a difference. Tell me what you are doing to adapt and mitigate so we can prevent these emergencies and adapt to prepare so that the damage isn’t as bad as it has been when it comes to flooding and fires etc.

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you to the member for that question. Our slogan at the Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response is, “A Safe, Practised and Prepared Ontario.” That’s what our officers are doing on the ground—ensuring and working with our municipalities on education and preparing them for any upcoming disasters. I know I’ve participated in some of those training exercises, which are so important. We know these things may happen. We’re better to be prepared ahead of time so that we know how to work with those.

Something I did recognize, my take-away from the ice storm, being the new kid on the block in the ministry, was ensuring that our municipal leaders understand their role in this as well, which is why we went back to AMO in the spring and said that we think it’s really important that we do a presentation to our municipal leaders so that they recognize that the PEOC—the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre—is able to provide these services and supports to a municipality in a time of crisis, being able to deploy Ontario Corps if needed, and also understanding that they don’t need to declare an emergency to enable those supports to happen.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): There’s time for one more quick question.

Mr. Deepak Anand: To the minister, my question is very simple. While drafting this bill, you spoke to the municipalities, First Nations and other management partners. What was their feedback for this bill? What they wanted in this bill, can you share with the House, please?

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you to my colleague for that question. I’ve got 20 seconds left, so I would say the big take-away from those conversations and the feedback we had was on a one-window approach. When there is an emergency and seconds matter, hours matter, we need to be able to coordinate everything, so having the one-window approach through my ministry for us to connect with all the other ministries that may be included, that might be something, if there’s a disaster—

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Thank you.

Further debate?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Good morning. I appreciate the opportunity to address this bill. As I can see from the clock, I won’t have that much time to actually get into it. I’ll say a few things, and I’ll have an opportunity to actually address it in greater detail this afternoon.

Speaker, I don’t endorse this bill. I don’t think that the approach that’s been taken by the ministry with regard to emergency services is one that actually serves Ontario well. And I think there are substantial problems around the treatment of social services that should give everyone pause.

I want to talk, before I go into the bill itself, about the context that we’re going into. We are going into a world that’s changing very rapidly and very profoundly. When it comes to the climate that we live in, it has become increasingly clear in the last few years that the rate of climate change is accelerating and that, by next year, we will probably hit the 1.5-degree limit that the Paris climate agreement was put together to try and keep us within. But it also looks like, within the next decade, we’ll hit two degrees centigrade increase in our temperature.

I know, for most people, these are very abstract numbers. They don’t really mean a lot in our daily lives. But what they will mean in our daily lives is far more extreme weather events, far more costs in terms of insurance and simply maintaining our infrastructure. They will mean a substantial drop in our standard of living. Those considerations are going to mean that we have to have an emergency management system that is far more sophisticated, reactive and thoughtful than the one that we have in place right now.

And it is not because we lack skilled, capable, dedicated people. Firefighters on the ground, people who respond to floods, to wildfires, put their lives on the line, and they deserve credit and support from this government—from any party in this Legislature.

But I would say that many of my colleagues may not be thinking about what the new world will look like. I would say, in January of this year, with the fires that went through Los Angeles, we have a picture of the future, and that is that we will not just have wildfires in forests, but we will have wildfires in our cities.

Last November 2024, New York City Fire Department dealt with over 200 wildfires in city parks. They were overwhelmed. Thank God, no fatalities. They were able to control them. But the world has not yet hit the 1.5-degrees-centigrade increase. The hotter it gets, the drier things get, the more likely you have uncontrolled fire.

In Los Angeles, firefighters and emergency responders did everything they possibly could to contain that fire and to protect human life. But frankly, they were not able to contain that fire. In part, it’s because this society—American society, Canadian society—is not yet ready for the idea that we could have wildfires within our cities again as we had centuries ago. That is a reality that we’re going to have to adjust to. I don’t believe that the bill before us today actually takes account of that new reality.

The other new reality is around flooding. I would say my colleagues from northern Ontario can speak to this, where they see surging insurance rates because people are getting hit with floods more often than before. But I have to say, those in cities should be aware that there’s a huge risk and threat to people living in basement apartments.

In New York City a few years ago, 11 people drowned in their basement apartments—11 people drowned in their basement apartments. That says something, because the reality is that it’s very difficult to upgrade your water management, your waste water system fast enough to protect people in basement apartments. And so, I think it’s something like 100,000 basement apartments are at risk in New York City. That’s an awful lot of housing that’s at risk.

You’re looking severe, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Sorry.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Ah, okay. Just because you look severe doesn’t mean that I’m going to be cut off. That’s a comfort.

London, England has a similar problem with the flooding of basement apartments—a substantial part of their housing stock now at risk. London, as you all are well aware, is a city famous for rain. But historically, that has meant one or two inches of rain a day, not five, six, seven inches of rain. When you get that level of rain, you get water flowing across sidewalks, pooling in backyards, running down basement stairs and filling apartments. And so tens of thousands of units in London, England are at risk.

We here in Toronto have had flooding in basement apartments as well—not yet at the scale we’ve seen in New York City or London, England, but we will be—

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I’m sorry but I must interrupt the member.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Reports, Financial Accountability Officer

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I beg to inform the House that the following documents were tabled from the Office of the Financial Accountability Officer of Ontario:

—a report entitled Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: 2025 Spending Plan Review;

—a report entitled Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security: 2025 Spending Plan Review;

—a report entitled Ministry of Education: 2025 Spending Plan Review; and

—a report entitled Ontario Health Sector: 2025 Spending Plan Review.

Members’ Statements

Health care

Mr. Jeff Burch: It’s been 840 days since the Port Colborne and Fort Erie urgent care centres lost their after-hours services, and we have yet to hear a response from this government to the community’s pleas for assistance.

Over the summer, the situation worsened, with rotating closures between the two sites during peak tourist season. A recent report from the Port Colborne Health Coalition emphasized the urgent need to restore these services in Port Colborne.

Co-chair of the coalition, Betty Konc, stated, “We here in the most southerly portion of the Niagara region are being left behind when it comes to access to health care—through no fault of our own, and due to a hospital improvement plan that is outdated and no longer serves the needs of Port Colborne and Fort Erie. We are being treated like a poor second cousin, and it’s time that stopped. We need 24/7, 365-day care, the same as our counterparts in the northern part of the region.”

As the report revealed, with 7,000 new housing units planned and an aging population, 96% of residents in a city-run survey support 24-hour urgent care. Residents are asking this government for help.

Speaker, in the coming weeks, I’ll be tabling thousands more petition signatures from residents across Niagara demanding these services be restored, and I thank the Port Colborne Health Coalition for their hard work and advocacy. We will keep fighting until we have fair access to quality health care in Port Colborne and the entire region. We need to be putting health care services into the community, not taking them out.

Hill House Hospice

Mrs. Daisy Wai: This summer I have been very busy making announcements on behalf of our government and the Ontario Trillium Foundation for providing funding to various organizations in support for their service in Richmond Hill.

I was honoured to announce the Ministry of Health’s operational funding for an additional three beds at the Hill House Hospice. I also joined the hospice in recognizing the impact of an Ontario Trillium grant to improve the access to end-of-life care resources.

For nearly three decades, Hill House Hospice has provided a space of comfort and compassion for families experiencing some of life’s most difficult moments. The hospice is a true sanctuary for the families it supports each year.

Thank you to Hill House Hospice’s board of directors, front-line staff and volunteers. I truly am touched by the heartfelt dedication to our community’s physical, emotional and spiritual care at every stage of their life.

Tenant protection

MPP Stephanie Smyth: In the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible residents, tenants’ associations and community organizations in Toronto–St. Paul’s who work tirelessly to make our neighbourhoods stronger and more connected.

But a troubling story has come to light. At 355 St. Clair Avenue West, many long-time residents, most over the age of 70, are living in conditions that are increasingly unsafe and inaccessible for seniors. They faced above-guideline rent increases for so-called capital repairs that have made things worse, not better.

Residents were charged an AGI for a new HVAC system—the second replacement in 15 years—that performs worse than the old one, and another for an elevator that continues to fail residents in a 25-storey building with no generator. When the power goes out, emergency lights last only two hours, leaving seniors trapped in their homes and first responders forced to climb floor after floor.

Nobody, including seniors, should have to live this way, and this government should be ashamed that people in Ontario are being left to live like this. We are letting them down. Speaker, tenants deserve accountability and not higher rents for broken promises.

Sports and recreation funding

Mr. Brian Riddell: It’s always an honour and privilege to speak in the House. I rise today with excitement to highlight some of the investments in my riding.

Thanks to our government’s continued commitment to build stronger, healthier communities, Cambridge is receiving over $21 million in new provincial funding to enhance recreation infrastructure that will benefit residents of all ages.

First, I am thrilled to see the investment towards a new Cambridge Recreation Complex. This multi-use facility will be one of the largest in the region, featuring an aquatic centre, triple gymnasiums, indoor walking track, fitness spaces, community rooms and even a new public library branch. It’s a game-changer for families, youth and seniors in Cambridge.

Next door, in North Dumfries, the Ayr Community Centre will also benefit from $1 million to support important repairs and rehabilitation, ensuring this cherished space will remain safe and vibrant for the surrounding rural community.

These investments are a reflection of what happens when we listen to our local needs, plan for the future and care about our community for the well-being of our community members.

On behalf of the people of Cambridge and North Dumfries, I want to thank Minister Lumsden for his strong show of support.

On a side note, I’d just like to say: Go, Jays, go!

Halloween events in Spadina–Fort York

Mr. Chris Glover: I’ve got to say, I love every part of this province and all of the 124 members who are in this House are justifiably proud of the ridings that they serve. But I will say, there is no better place in Ontario to celebrate Halloween than Spadina–Fort York.

On Halloween evening, the Liberty Village Halloween parade wends its way through Liberty Village with hundreds of trick-or-treaters in tow, and I want to thank the Liberty Village BIA and the Liberty Village Residents’ Association for this annual fun event. Not too far away in CityPlace, the Halloween Crawl runs through the evening with businesses and condo buildings giving treats to about 2,000 trick-or-treaters.

Leading up to the big day, Fort York hosts after-dark lantern tours where you can hear chilling and eerie tales of Fort York and its historic surroundings. Learn about a haunted lighthouse and the bloody battle of York. And if the Fort York tour doesn’t chill you to the bone, you can take a ghost walk at Exhibition Place to explore the exhibition’s haunted past and learn a few well-kept secrets that are currently only known by staff who work the late shift.

Even the dogs in Spadina–Fort York get into the spirit of the season. On October 25, the Bentway hosts Howl’oween, an iconic canine costume contest. So come on out. There is no better place to spend the spooky season than Spadina–Fort York.

Communal water treatment systems

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: This past Monday, I tabled my private member’s motion. Critical infrastructure is required to build homes faster. It can influence the affordability of homes, especially in small and rural municipalities, including those found in York region.

I’ve been listening to constituents’ concerns regarding the lack of affordable and attainable housing, especially for the younger generation who are looking for their first home or even the ability to move out of their parents’ home and rent, or even constituents who are looking to downsize but lack accessible housing options. This is what compelled me to table this motion, as it will, if passed, help deliver on innovative building solutions, namely, communal waste management systems that allow for environmental stewardship.

By adopting measures to streamline the development of communal water/waste water treatment systems, we could unleash the potential of the construction of hamlets of homes, condominiums, rental units and businesses in small and rural municipalities where a waste water system is not available to a municipality. And if the municipality wants to expand, a communal system could provide the answer for their growth.

Riding of Windsor West

MPP Lisa Gretzky: Windsor is in crisis. We have the highest unemployment rate in the country at nearly 11%; youth unemployment, almost 18%. Thousands of people in my community are out of work and struggling to put food on the table, all while watching opportunities slip away. Workers at Titan Tool and Die have been locked out for over two months. They’re fighting to protect their jobs as the company guts the plant, shipping equipment and their jobs across the border to the US. I’ve been on that line many times, talking to and standing with those workers, raising their concerns in Windsor and here in the Legislature.

But what about the Premier? He was in Windsor and so was the Minister of Labour. They didn’t meet with those workers, walk the line or listen to them. They’ve shown no interest in fighting for them and that tells you everything that you need to know about this government’s priorities. The Premier loves to say he stands with workers, that he has got their backs, but the truth is good-paying jobs are disappearing, public services are being cut and food bank use is at a record high, all while the Premier points fingers at others and takes no real action.

Across Ontario, 800,000 people are out of work and Windsor is being hit the hardest. My constituents aren’t asking for special treatment; they’re asking for respect, fairness, for a government that shows up when it matters and fights like hell for every job and every person. It’s time for real action from the Premier, not slogans, photo ops and empty promises. Windsor needs a Premier who doesn’t just talk about protecting jobs, but actually does it.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I will caution the member on profanity in the Legislature.

Luso Canadian Charitable Society

MPP Mohamed Firin: I am honoured to rise in the Legislature today to recognize the incredible work of Luso Canadian Charitable Society, dedicated to serving individuals with disabilities. Over two decades ago, a group of Portuguese Canadian community leaders identified a critical community need: Individuals with disabilities were often housebound, faced significant limitations and lacked physical channels to integrate with society. Recognizing this, they established Luso to empower, nurture and promote the social integration of adults with physical and developmental disabilities.

Today, Luso operates three modern support centres in Toronto, Hamilton and Peel, supporting more than 300 families each year by delivering 5,600 hours of annual programming. Through life skill workshops, creative arts, technology training and social initiatives, Luso empowers their participants to learn, connect and thrive in a safe and supportive environment. I had the privilege of visiting the Luso centre in York South–Weston for an OTF grant recognition event. It was inspiring to see first-hand how their programs are changing lives in our community and beyond.

Supported by the government of Ontario through the 2025 budget, Luso’s newest

chapter is now under way, which will offer accessible housing to 45 individuals and 24/7 care to adults with complex disabilities. Luso has been recognized by both the Portuguese government and the Azorean regional government for its outstanding service.

Madam Speaker, the story of Luso is a story of community, care and commitment. I invite all members in this House to join me in congratulating the Luso Canadian Charitable Society on more than two decades of outstanding service.

Melly’s Workplace

Mr. Lorne Coe: Recently, the Honourable David Piccini, the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, and I announced that Melly’s Workplace and café in Whitby would receive $872,000 through the Skills Development Fund to support their Raise the Bar project. This project helps young men and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities build the skills they need to secure jobs in office administration, customer service and the manufacturing and processing sector.

Aimee Ruttle and Ellen McRae, the co-founders of Melly’s, said that the ministry funding will expand their person-centered coaching model, delivering hands-on training and work experience that breaks down barriers and creates clear employment pathways for over 75 eager youth and adults.

Every day, we witness the skill, dedication and passion that people with varying abilities bring to the workplace. Melly’s is a place where challenges don’t matter—they don’t matter. They continue to push the limit and ensure that every person has the opportunity to thrive and pursue their passion, whatever that may be.

Our government is committed to supporting the important work of organizations like Melly’s as we build an Ontario where individuals with varying abilities can fully engage in their communities and live the lives they choose.

House sittings

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 9(h), the Clerk has received written notice from the government House leader indicating that a temporary change in the weekly meeting

schedule of the House is required. Therefore, the House shall commence at 9 a.m. on Monday, October 27, 2025, for the proceeding orders of the day.

I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 9(g), the Clerk has received notice from the government House leader indicating that a temporary change in the weekly meeting

schedule of the House is required, and therefore, the afternoon routine on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, shall commence at 1 p.m.

Introduction of Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I would like to take a moment to mention that in our Speaker’s gallery today we have the consul general of the Republic of Türkiye in Toronto, Mr. Can Yoldaş. Please join me in warmly welcoming our guest to the Legislature.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: It’s great to be here today. In the Speaker’s gallery, I have the honour of introducing a prominent Canadian entrepreneur and technology visionary, Sir Terence Matthews. Sir Terry is an officer of the Order of the British Empire and has been appointed an officer of the Order of Canada. He’s joined today by Veronica Farmer, Scott Phelan and Nadirah Nazeer. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

MPP Jamie West: In the members’ gallery, we’re joined by Kirsten Marcelin Sandiford, who is advocating on behalf of her son Régis, as well as all those under the Ontario Autism Coalition.

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I’d like to welcome my husband, Ryan Fobel, and his parents, my in-laws, Maribeth and Richard Fobel, here to celebrate my son, James Fobel, who is page captain today.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I am very pleased to welcome members from the Ontario Autism Coalition to the chamber today. President Alina Cameron and her incredible team have come to advocate for meaningful improvements within the Ontario Autism Program. They have released the 2025 OAC community survey report. It’s a vital report that reflects the experience of autistic individuals. I recommend that each and every one of my colleagues read that.

I want to say welcome to Queen’s Park. Thank you for your leadership, your dedication and your tireless advocacy.

Hon. Graham McGregor: Today, we have some guests from Canada Vendors and the Pan-African Arts, Culture and Trade Institute. Please join me in welcoming Maryam Muritala, Oluwatomilola Titilope Adenuga, David and Julia Bebiem, Napoleon Ogbola and Chiamaka Diana Okafor. Welcome to your House.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: It’s a beautiful day, everyone. I would like to welcome to the House an amazing architect, a city builder, Ramsey Leung, who happens to have a birthday today—what better way than to celebrate than with us?

Ms. Marit Stiles: I want to welcome all of the CUPE and OPSEU public service workers who are joining us here today as part of their Worth Fighting For campaign, including CUPE Ontario president, Fred Hahn; OPSEU president, JP Hornick; and first VP, Laurie Nancekivell.

Mr. Aris Babikian: In the galleries today are students from the University of Toronto, Scarborough campus, who are visiting as part of a course in which they are learning about the Ontario Legislative Assembly. In a couple of weeks, they will also be participating in a mock question period here. Welcome to all of you and enjoy your visit.

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: I’d like to welcome members of the Ontario Autism Coalition to Queen’s Park today, including Adrianna, Martin, Alina, Jodie Erin, Katharine, Ashley, Sandra, Leah, Jay, Kirsten, Bruce, Amy, Benjamin and Antonio. Welcome to Queen’s Park and thank you for your advocacy.

Ms. Laura Smith: I would like to welcome Michael Coristine, family law and criminal lawyer from the great riding of Thornhill. Welcome, Michael.

Mr. John Jordan: I want to welcome members of the FASD. A special welcome to my friend Rob More and his wife Shelley.

Someone some of you may know is Bill King, from his time here at Queen’s Park, the deputy reeve of Lanark Highlands. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. David Piccini: I want to welcome Melanie Winter from Support Ontario Youth here to the Legislature, along with Adam Bridgeman and Finn Johnson from the carpenters’ union. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: I would like to welcome Jocelyn Cheechoo from Moose Factory for being here today. ᒥᑵᐨ

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: I would like to welcome the grade 5 students, teachers and parents from Maurice Cody public school who are here today on a school tour. Welcome.

Speaker’s birthday

Mr. Dave Smith: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Is it a real point of order?

Mr. Dave Smith: It’s a real point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Okay. I recognize the member for Peterborough–Kawartha.

Mr. Dave Smith: I just wanted to wish a happy birthday to my good friend, the Speaker of the House.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): You’re out of order—

Singing of Happy Birthday.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): And you will never get called upon again.

Question Period

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: Good morning and happy birthday, Speaker.

A church, a nightclub, a dentist’s office: What do they all have in common? Well, they all got the friends-and-family special from the government: $2.8 million to the church that hosted a PC minister’s wedding; $6.5 million to the Premier’s favourite nightclub owner; $2 million to a dentist’s office represented by the former labour minister’s wife. Just this morning, we heard about iSolutions Inc., connected to a PC Party vice-president, who received $1.75 million.

Speaker, this is not a coincidence: This is by design, and the rot starts at the top.

My question to the Premier is, can the Premier explain how it is possible that so many of the recipients of the SDF funding have close, personal connections to the Premier and members of his government?

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

Hon. David Piccini: I’m proud to stand up to talk about investments made in personal support care workers—over 54,000 trained through the Skills Development Fund.

Let’s mention another one: SEIU. They donated as an organization to that member’s riding association, and we funded their WorkersFirst Technologies program, which is doing incredible work to reduce agency dependency for staffing, to bolster staffing in a health care sector that was beleaguered. And 600 long-term-care beds built by the former Liberal government, supported by the NDP—I’ve got more under construction in my riding today, Speaker, and we’re going to need a next generation of personal support care workers to staff them. That’s what we’re focused on investing in.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Let’s be clear, Speaker: This government has failed. They have failed to deliver real opportunities for workers all across this province. We see it every day.

Instead, the Minister of Labour admitted that he hand-picked winners and losers, prioritizing low-scoring applications over funding for higher-scoring applications. We need a plan that uplifts families and workers. Many of these workers are here in the gallery with us today, fighting on the front lines to help Ontarians get ahead. This half-baked, pay-to-play scheme is not a substitute for a real plan to get people working in the province of Ontario.

I’d like to ask the Premier, did he know that the minister was picking winners and losers based on his personal relationships and political donations?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, you know who else supports the Skills Development Fund: the former leader of that party, Mayor Andrea Horwath, when we’ve made investments into the Hamilton community.

They are against blue-collar workers in the province of Ontario. That is why those workers and their unions abandoned that party in the last election: because we have a plan. We have a plan to unlock critical minerals, something they don’t support. We have a plan to build highways, roads and bridges. They don’t want a new road or bridge built ever in the province of Ontario. They have no plan. They have no plan to build. They’re anti-nuclear, Speaker. We’re building new nuclear. We’re building SMRs.

All of the workers who collect a paycheque and earning a salary in those rewarding careers know that when it comes to their careers, the NDP say no.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, let me be clear: The problem is not with the fund; it’s with the politicians, right? It’s with you, this government, this minister, who are taking advantage of a jobs disaster in this province that is of their own making, taking advantage of the brutal reality that workers are facing right now in Ontario, all across this province.

The problem is who didn’t get the funding because they weren’t connected enough to this minister and this government. The government has lost the trust of workers and the people of this province.

To the Premier: How many more embarrassing headlines before this minister resigns?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, since they’re not interested in talking about the blue-collar workers I mentioned, let’s talk about another “who.” They’ve just introduced union leaders in this place who donated $35,000 to their own party.

Speaker, come on. That’s not what this is about. People are free to donate to whomever they want to donate. This is about workers and this is about a plan to unlock critical minerals, something they don’t support. This is about a plan to build critical infrastructure and public transit, something they don’t support. This is about a plan to build new nuclear plants and unlock energy, something they don’t support.

They want us dependent on dirty dictators for oil, for gas, for natural resources. We want to unlock the might that is Ontario and the incredible working-class workers who are angry and abandoned their party in favour of a PC government with a plan for workers of this province.

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, the problem is that the Premier and this meddling minister have once again muddied the waters, right? A giant cloud is hanging over this fund. It’s hanging over this fund because of this minister, because he has decided that instead of actually handling this fund properly and separate from political and partisan influence, he is in there with his fingers and his staff, giving them, his friends, preferential treatment, just like they did with the greenbelt.

If you look around at what’s happening in our province, what do you see? Look at the headlines, for goodness’ sake. Workers need support, right? Instead, the Premier is once again looking the other way while his minister runs a friends-and-family special with taxpayer dollars.

Other provinces have funds like the SDF, Speaker, but they are administered by public servants, not by political staff. Will the Premier take the Auditor General’s recommendation and clean up this pay-to-play culture?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the Minister of Labour.

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, other provinces don’t have the Skills Development Fund, but what we have is a program—we’ve accepted the Auditor General’s recommendations.

Let’s talk about where I was yesterday, Speaker. I shook hands with an executive member of the union who donated $25,000 to that party just yesterday. But I could care less, because what they’re doing is offering pathways for Indigenous youth, for young women to enter the skilled trades.

That’s what we care about, and they know they’re going to enter rewarding careers because we’re building homes. We’re building public infrastructure.

Do you know what they were excited about? The electrification of public transit, a plan under this Minister of Transportation, a plan they voted against. They’re excited about opportunities to work in the north in the critical minerals mining sector, something those members voted against. They’re excited to build hospitals, schools and bridges, something they voted against when they were part of the previous Liberal government shutting down schools in rural Ontario.

These workers are supporting us. They’ve abandoned that party, and they’re mad because they abandoned them.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: You know, Speaker, this minister wants to talk about workers. Let’s talk about workers. Let’s talk about what it’s like when you show up at a plant gate in the morning for your shift and there’s a post there saying, “Shift is cancelled.” Now, you’ve got to go back to your family and tell everybody, “I’ve got no work. I’ve got no plan for the future. We don’t know what’s next.”

You can create all the training positions you want, Minister, but you’ve got no jobs for those people to take. What I’m hearing from people who’ve received funding from the SDF, frankly, is that they’re very concerned about the cloud that’s hanging over this fund right now because of this minister and his preferential treatment of those applicants. It is casting a pall over the whole thing. If he wants to save the SDF, he should do the right thing, Speaker, and he should resign.

Will the Premier of this province take political interference off the table and force this minister to resign?

Hon. David Piccini: I challenge that member to name one recipient, Speaker, because I’ve been up here the last few days naming real people who are getting training.

Who else does she want us to say no to? Does she want us to say no to Finn Johnson and Adam Bridgman, who are here today with the carpenters’ union? They’re doing incredible work. They support us because they know we’ve got a plan that puts their members to work. They’ve done an amazing job. They’re part of our plan that’s resulting in real stats that have seen a doubling of the number of women registrations into apprenticeships and a historic high in the number of youth registering into apprenticeships.

Who do they want us to say no to? Is it carpenters? Is it IBEW? Or are they just mad because all of those unions abandoned them because they know that the NDP are broke? They have no plan to grow this province, no plan to build, because they want to cater to special interests who say no to everything.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Show us the plan. Where’s the plan? There is no plan.

People, let’s talk about facts, shall we? By the way, I will point out to you, Minister, that you may not be hearing what people are really saying—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Through the Speaker.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, he may not be hearing from the real people and their concerns because people out there know how vindictive this government is, and they are afraid.

Yesterday, the government wanted to talk facts. Let’s talk facts. Ontario has 200,000 fewer jobs today than when this government took office in 2018, with 705,000 people unemployed just last month. Record high youth unemployment has reached 18%. Almost 20% of young people in this province are unemployed.

Where’s the plan? You’re too busy with your pay-to-play schemes to hatch a plan to keep people employed, for goodness’ sake.

So to the Premier: Are you proud of the jobs disaster that you have created?

Hon. David Piccini: Let’s talk jobs disaster. When they were propping up the previous Liberal government, we saw manufacturing jobs flee the province of Ontario.

Just this month, 8,800 new jobs were added in the province of Ontario. Do you know who’s part of our plan? Melanie Winter from Support Ontario. Look behind; say it to her face. She’s part of our plan to train the next generation of folks, like Noah. Let’s talk about a real person who’s now a shipbuilder.

We know they’re against defence because they want to defund cops. They don’t want to support our first responders. They’re sure as heck against our military, Speaker. They don’t want us to have a strong military.

Well, on this side of the House, we want to build ships, we want to support our first responders, and our jobs plan is showing results. Without question, we’re going to keep supporting those workers.

Government accountability

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Minister of Labour. I want to pick up where I left off yesterday.

I remember as a young father—and I told you yesterday when I was looking for work, I was lucky. I had someone to bail me out. My dad was always there to bail me out. He understood. Truth of the matter is, he was out of work for much longer—a year and a half. He had nobody to bail him out—nobody.

Right now, in Ontario, there are hundreds of thousands of families with nobody to bail them out, and they’re looking to the government.

So my question to the minister is, how can this minister shovel money out the door to lobbyists like Kory Teneycke while these families are struggling?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, that’s incorrect. Every dollar is going to training and since that member doesn’t seem to understand training for blue-collar workers, let me speak to him about something he might better understand: Mitacs, who offer applied research for post-secondary doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows.

He doesn’t care about blue-collar workers, so let’s talk about white-collar workers, Speaker. I’ll read a quote: “Mitacs welcomes today’s announcement of the next round of funding under the Ontario government’s innovative Skills Development Fund.” These ongoing investments “in skills is a critical component of ensuring that Ontario has the talent it needs” for diverse “innovation and economic growth.” You know who said that? A CEO, who didn’t donate once, not twice, not three times, but four times to the Liberal Party, Speaker—to the Liberal Party.

And Speaker, in my supplementary, I can’t wait to talk about the board members—board members like John Malloy, who was a former candidate for that party, who didn’t donate once or twice but 21 times to the Liberal Party.

We could care less who they donated to, Speaker, because this is worthwhile applied research that matters in the province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Mr. John Fraser: Well, I understand blue-collar work because I did it for 25 years before I got here, so I think the minister might want to correct his record on that.

He should understand that the minister’s job is not to make rich people even richer. Putting food on the table and a roof over kids’ heads is not the only thing that parents want to do. You want your kids to be able to participate in sports; you want to do things for them. You want them to have music lessons; you want them to have nice clothes. There are hundreds of thousands of families out there right now that are facing that every day—they’re facing that struggle; they’re facing that hurt.

So when they see the minister shovelling money out the door to make rich people even richer—people like Kory Teneycke, Amin Massoudi, Nico Fidani-Diker; the list goes on and on and on—it hurts them. So why is the minister doing that?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, it’s about impact and it’s about impact for those young electrical workers who I met yesterday. They’re on a pathway for jobs, Speaker, working as electrical workers. Perhaps he’s upset because he can stand up here and claim all he wants, but he’s lost touch with blue-collar workers. The same IBEW union that donated 22 times—22 times—to the Liberal Party to the sum of over $40,000.

Or perhaps it’s because operating engineers have lost faith in him; they donated over $72,000 to the Liberal Party. Or maybe it’s the $350,000 they donated to the Working Families Coalition who supported the Liberal Party.

Speaker, what this is about is impact—impact for those next generation of operating engineers, electrical workers who recognize that this government has a plan to build in the province of Ontario. They just have a plan to tax people.

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

Mr. John Fraser: I’m glad the minister brought up impact, because the impact that this government is having on those families is they’re losing more and more hope every single day.

So let’s not talk about donations. Speaking of which people, we have the story of Tim Iqbal, the PC Party vice-president. That a new law of quid pro—no. He’s your party vice-president, and you gave him $1.7 million for what? Does anybody know? Does anybody want to answer? His software company. Wow.

Minister, we can’t make this stuff up. It just keeps coming. We’re having a hard time keeping track. Slow down—slow down.

Why are you shovelling so much money out the door to make already rich people even richer, like Kory Teneycke, Michael Diamond, Amin Massoudi and now—what’s his name? He’s a PC Party vice-president: Tim Iqbal. Why are you shovelling all this money—

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

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, I’m not going to slow down, I’m never going to slow down for the workers of this province, like the 180 youth—

Mr. John Fraser: Keep shovelling.

Hon. David Piccini: Sorry, I got under his skin, Speaker—at Civiconnect who’ve received better training for better jobs. Do you know who works at Civiconnect? Joshua Bell, who is the former Liberal candidate for Flamborough–Glanbrook and VP of their own fundraising. But it doesn’t matter, because I support Joshua and the work he’s doing for the 180 youth at Civiconnect. We’re going to support them for rewarding careers because we’ve got a plan to put those people to work.

Government accountability

Mr. Adil Shamji: Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Labour. This is a government that has proclaimed it will protect Ontario even as it fails to do so. Health care is faltering, housing is plummeting and it feels like everyone is losing their jobs—everyone except the Minister of Labour.

The Premier continues to protect the same minister who squandered hundreds of millions of dollars on low-ranking projects pushed by friends and lobbyists like Kory Teneycke, while racking up favours: glass seats at a Leafs game, fancy Parisian weddings, over $100,000 for his own riding association.

Madam Speaker, why does this Premier continue to defend a minister who has done nothing but trade in quick bucks and quiet favours?

Hon. David Piccini: We’re focused on the 12,000 people in that member’s own riding who have received support through the Skills Development Fund through 17 projects. But let’s give another one for the good doctor: my taxes supporting post-doctoral fellows. Again, they receive support through the Skills Development Fund—their CEO, who supports this party, or their board member, who ran for that party, who donated over 22 times.

But that’s not what this is about. This is about real, practical, rapid training to support people in levelling up, to support them in getting access to better jobs with bigger paycheques, to support hands-on learning. We’re offering wage subsidies to help them get access to those better jobs, like the 12,000 in that member’s own riding. We’re not going to stop, because this is about having an impact for real people.

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

Mr. Adil Shamji: You know, I listened intently to the minister’s deflections and excuses about the Skills Development Fund for the last week, and he either doesn’t care or he doesn’t get it. Now, I know he’s a smart guy, but let’s make it obvious for him: The problem isn’t with the Skills Development Fund; the problem is with his management.

Let’s make it even more obvious—and please, help me out:

—giving money back to Ontario taxpayers: good;

—giving money to the minister’s friends and scoring an invite to a fancy Parisian wedding: bad;

—launching a program to create well-paying jobs: good;

—giving high amounts of funding to low-ranked PC insiders: bad;

—supporting first responders: good;

—supporting Kory Teneycke: bad;

—training workers for in-demand sectors; good;

—shady back-room deals, bad—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Response—

Interjections.

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

Hon. David Piccini: I want to talk about a story about Jennifer, who, through common core training, got a job at Musselwhite mine, working in our mining sector. Colleagues, is that good or bad?

Interjections: Good.

Hon. David Piccini: Exactly.

Or let’s talk about one closer to home that they might actually understand, since we’ve established people of all political stripes get support. Let’s look at the Quinte Economic Development Commission. Their project supports manufacturing workers and aims to create a resilient manufacturing sector, something they decimated. They got over 1,460 people into jobs. One of their board members, David O’Neil—let’s remind them why that name sounds familiar—ran for their party in the last provincial election. But is funding for manufacturing good or bad?

Interjections: Good.

Hon. David Piccini: Exactly, Speaker.

What’s bad is that party and what they did for manufacturing in the province of Ontario. They decimated it, Speaker.

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

Mr. Adil Shamji: My head is spinning from the mental gymnastics required to understand this government’s far-fetched excuses for facts, even as the facts are clear as night and day—another day, another donor, another deal.

Today we learn of a PC Party vice-president with a software company who got nearly $2 million. Their past candidate in Niagara Falls got $4 million. Yesterday, we learned of $1 million to train PSWs in a long-term-care home that hasn’t even broken ground yet but is, coincidentally, linked to the Minister of Long-Term Care, and $100 million awarded to firms represented by the Premier’s campaign director, Kory Teneycke. When it walks like a duck, when it talks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.

And so, my question for the Minister of Labour is, simply, has he no shame?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, if this is hard in mental gymnastics, remembering the candidate who ran in the last provincial election, maybe it’s because he didn’t get out and work hard enough at the doors supporting his fellow candidate. But it didn’t matter, because David is a good man doing good work for the manufacturing sector in our community. We may disagree politically, but that doesn’t stop us from supporting that worthwhile project, because it’s about impact.

For the post-doctoral fellows, the board member of that company that donated 22 times very recently to that party, it doesn’t matter, because it’s supporting a health care sector, a priority sector for this government, who are building new hospitals, who are building new long-term-care homes.

Again, the interim leader, who was interim leader so many times for that party, who didn’t build any long-term-care beds when he was at the helm—we’re building them here. We’re creating those opportunities, and we’ve got a plan to support the people of Ontario. And we’re not going to stop.

Autism treatment

MPP Alexa Gilmour: While the Premier’s wealthy friends command this government’s attention, Ontario’s autistic children are begging—begging—to be seen.

Today, the Ontario Autism Coalition released a damning report. It is irrefutable proof of this government’s failure that has pushed families to the breaking point: 64,000 children waiting five to six years for help when early intervention is key; services that don’t match children’s needs or don’t exist in rural Ontario; families sinking into debt, losing their homes and their mental health trying to care for these kids. Every day another child is left behind, another family breaks under the strain.

To the Premier: When will this government start governing for Ontario’s children instead of well-connected friends?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Ontario Autism Coalition, Alina Cameron and the entire team for being here and hosting us this morning, and for the advocacy work they do right across the community. We appreciate it.

Madam Speaker, let me make it very clear. We said this from day one: The status quo was not working. We listened to families. We listened to those with lived experience. We listened to clinicians. We put in a program that was built by the community. We doubled the funding of the Ontario Autism Program from $300 million to $600 million. In the recent budget, thanks to the Premier’s support, we have increased that investment by an additional $175 million, bringing the total to $779 million. Now, what has that done? It has allowed us to serve tens of thousands of families in the program that was built by the community.

I’m not taking any credit for it. Neither is the government. I thank the community that put this program together. We’ll continue to listen to them to expand the program and improve services and supports for the—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I look forward to this minister reading the report by the community about this program and changing his talking points accordingly, because nearly one in five families of autistic children has called or has considered calling Ontario’s children’s aid society for help. Parents in Ontario are wondering if giving up their child is the only way to get help from this government. In fact, some heartbroken parents have already been forced to make that decision. This is the state of Ontario Autism Program.

Through the Speaker to the Premier: What will it take for the Premier to notice these children?

Hon. Michael Parsa: I thank the honourable member for the question again. I’ll just remind the honourable member, just when we formed government, there were a total of 8,000 families across the province receiving supports and services—8,000, that’s it. There were no other paths for them. Why? Because the previous government let down the families.

Remember, the NDP held the balance of power for three years. The NDP could have brought down their government on this issue. They chose not to do that.

What we said is we want to listen to families, work with families. Again, that’s why I thank the advocacy group because they’ve done so much in this space to help us improve services and supports for families. In expanded core clinical services today alone, nearly 23,000 families are receiving supports as opposed to the 8,000 in total before—tens of thousands of families.

And we’re not done. We’re never going to stop working with families to support children and youth in this province so that they can continue to thrive in this province.

Government accountability

Mr. Ted Hsu: Speaker, I’ve been listening all week as this government has tried to claim that the opposition is against skills training. Nothing could be further from the truth. I know that several organizations in my riding are applying for the next round of SDF support. I know they are capable of providing excellent training, and I hope they succeed in getting funding.

But how will this minister ensure that they won’t have to hire a PC lobbyist like Kory Teneycke? How will this minister ensure that they won’t have to attend PC fundraisers? How will this minister ensure that they won’t have to endorse the PC Party? How will this minister ensure that they can complain about the result if they want without being put on a blacklist? And if he cannot ensure this, will the minister resign?

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

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, all they need to ensure is they donate to his failed Liberal leadership contestant and then he’ll write them a supportive letter for SDF. But at the end of the day, that’s not what this is about, and it—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order. The member from Ajax will come to order.

Hon. David Piccini: That’s not what this is about.

They culled the fund. They don’t support this fund. They made it very clear that they don’t support this fund—this fund that’s having impacts for very real people in priority sectors across Ontario.

We’re going to continue making those investments—again, investments like just yesterday, with electrical workers, with A Women’s Work, led by Natasha Ferguson: first lady of construction, doing incredible work for racialized women. She stands as a role model and an example for those young women.

It’s no wonder they’re so upset because we’re creating meaningful opportunities for those next generation of women—women who didn’t have—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Mr. Ted Hsu: I don’t ask for donations in return for favours. I get donations—and many smaller-sized donations—because people believe in me, not because I dangle the public purse in front of them. I do politics differently, and last election, I had the biggest margin of victory in the province. I believe that you can try to do politics in a way that is fair, transparent and accountable and still get elected by a healthy margin.

Why should you have to endorse the governing political party before getting help to train workers? Why should you have to attend a fundraiser or hire the right lobbyist like Kory Teneycke before getting help to upskill workers and improve their lives?

Will the Conservatives change their ways? Will they remove this dark cloud over all efforts to improve our economy? Will the minister do the honourable thing? Will he resign?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, a coincidence that the only SDF letter I get from that member is from someone who donated the max to his failed leadership campaign and his riding association? That member is great. If you doubt it, just ask him.

The bottom line is the Skills Development Fund is having a real impact on workers. I talk about Jennifer. She’s one of 100,000 stories, 100,000 people who found meaningful employment within 60 days of taking the Skills Development Fund—people in the manufacturing sector who were put out of work when they recklessly destroyed the manufacturing sector.

My first labour ministers meeting had a quote from Kathleen Wynne: “I want Ontario to be a service industry, a service sector.” We know they wanted to decimate manufacturing, and we’re going to make sure we support those workers in a sector we deeply care about.

Housing

MPP Mohamed Firin: Madam Speaker, through you, my question is for the Honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Ontario families are working hard every day to build a better life, but across this province, people are feeling the strain of higher costs and ongoing economic uncertainty. Years of federal inaction, delays from previous Liberal governments and rising inflation have driven up the cost of everything, from food to fuel to housing.

Now, with the new economic threats from Donald Trump and instability in global markets, Ontario families are paying the price. It has never been more important to make it faster and cheaper to build the homes that they need. Our government is taking action and we’re getting results for the people of Ontario.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is protecting Ontarians and building a stronger and more affordable housing market for everyone?

Hon. Rob Flack: Thank you to the member from York South–Weston; a great question indeed.

As I think everybody knows, we are facing economic uncertainty like we never have in many, many years. It’s not business as usual. People have hit the pause button, builders and buyers alike. Will the HST come down like the federal government promised? Will interest rates drop? They should. Will the cost of building come down? We’ve hit the pause button.

That’s why we introduced Bill 17 in the last session. What did it do? What is it doing? It has deferred DCs until occupancy; it has eliminated DCs for long-term-care homes; it’s standardizing the building code; and it’s getting rid of studies, red tape and costs. It takes too long and it costs too much to build homes in this province.

We’re going to continue on this path, Speaker. I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt we’re going to see a resurgence in housing in this next building season. And, most importantly—most importantly—this government, this Legislature, will pass meaningful legislation in the weeks ahead to get that job done.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for York South–Weston.

MPP Mohamed Firin: Thank you to the minister for his response.

We know housing challenges facing Ontarians didn’t start here. They were made worse by years of federal inaction, previous Liberal government delays and soaring inflation. Families are feeling it every day and they’re counting on us to get it right.

For years, red tape and costly delays have driven up the cost of construction, and unnecessary studies have pushed home ownership out of reach for many families. Now, our government is taking action to fix that. We’re working with municipalities, builders and communities to get shovels in the ground faster and lower the cost of building homes.

Speaker, can the minister please share what steps our government is taking to remove these barriers that stand in the way of getting homes built for Ontarians?

Hon. Rob Flack: As I said, it takes too long and it costs too much to gets homes built in this province, and we’re changing that. We’re going to continue to look at ways to reduce unnecessary red tape—I talked to many builders this summer, many municipal leaders, and get these facts: It can be a third of a cost of a new home or more in certain parts of the province in the cost of a home. Where does the third come from? HST, land development charges, unneeded studies, the cost of interest. It is an expensive proposition to build a home—a third of the cost for a new home.

This has been generations in the making—four to five decades. We have to unravel that layer by layer. We need to lower those costs.

That is why we’re going to work hard to continue to bring forth meaningful legislation and get that job done. The dream of home ownership in this province needs to be kept alive, and it will be under this government.

Social services

MPP Lisa Gretzky: My question is to the Premier. Front-line workers in developmental services, child protection, children’s treatment centres and social assistance services are here today because they’ve had enough of being ignored, underpaid and pushed beyond their limits. These largely women-led sectors were unfairly targeted by the unconstitutional Bill 124, which suppressed wages and devalued essential care work. As a result of chronic underfunding, vulnerable children are living in offices and hotels while those caring for them are turning to food banks and even living in shelters. Meanwhile, the Premier gives millions of taxpayer dollars to his donors and friends.

Why does this government continue to attack women-led sectors and starve vital public services instead of investing in them?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Protecting Ontario’s vulnerable is at the heart of every single decision we make at the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. Together with our amazing partners on the ground, in every community across the province, we are working to improve outcomes for every individual that accesses service through our ministry.

I’ll tell you this: Gone are the days, through previous govern