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March 8, 2023

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2023-Mar-08 vol. A (PDF)

L051A - Wed 8 Mar 2023 / Mer 8 mar 2023

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 8 March 2023 Mercredi 8 mars 2023

Orders of the Day

Building More Mines Act, 2023 / Loi de 2023 visant l’aménagement de davantage de mines

Members’ Statements

Dancing with the CCH Stars

Women’s services

Construct skills training

Women’s employment

Village Media

International Women’s Day

March break

Hospice care

Skills training

International Women’s Day

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

Introduction of Visitors

Members’ statements

Independent members

Independent members

Question Period

Health care

Women’s employment

Access to prescription contraceptives

Public transit

Health care

Court facilities

Women’s issues

Amateur sport

Infrastructure funding

Gender-based violence

Mining industry

Gender-based violence

Recycling

Women’s employment

Visitors / Visiteuses et visiteurs

Deferred Votes

Consumer protection

Members’ photograph

Introduction of Visitors

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

International Women’s Day

Motions

Committee sittings

Petitions

Mental health services

Hospital services

School facilities

Health care

Health care

Optometry services

Climate change

Health care

Road safety

Climate change

Social assistance

Orders of the Day

Building More Mines Act, 2023 / Loi de 2023 visant l’aménagement de davantage de mines

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Next we’ll have a moment of silence for inner thought and personal reflection.

Orders of the Day

Building More Mines Act, 2023 / Loi de 2023 visant l’aménagement de davantage de mines

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 7, 2023, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 71,

An Act to amend the Mining Act / Projet de loi 71, Loi modifiant la

Loi sur les mines.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Further debate.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Good morning, Speaker. It is, as usual, always a pleasure to rise in this House to speak on behalf of the good people of Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas.

This morning, we’re discussing a very important bill that will have implications, not necessarily directly for my riding, but for Ontario and for our environment and for our relations with Indigenous people. That’s what I’m going to speak about this morning.

We know, and we’ve been hearing in this House, that Canada and Ontario’s mining industry rightfully boasts about their role as industry leaders across the globe. We have, as we know, in Ontario a resource sector that has created some of the prosperity that we continue to enjoy in this province, as has been described. The Toronto Stock Exchange was founded on investments in extraction in our resource sector, so it’s a very, very important industry. We understand that.

We also would like to acknowledge the way in which the sector, the mining industry, has worked and has striven to continuously improve the way in which they operate. We see a mining industry that has matured in a way where they recognize the importance of operating in a safe manner, operating in a way that’s environmentally safe, a way that is safe for their employees, and a way that continues to be safe for the communities in which they operate. That is to be commended.

We see that this is an industry that is understanding the importance of looking at their tailings and making sure that that’s handled in a responsible way, their role in reclaiming land where they have operated. This is a responsible industry.

I would say that it’s not just about protecting the environment and the employees and the families and the communities; mining is big business and we know that in this province. The work that the mining industry has done to improve their practice to be good corporate citizens, if you will, has huge implications on the financial implications, the financial risks, that are involved in this sector. The mining industry understands, and we see them understand, that good regulation and good policy is good business.

Before I came to this House, I worked in corporate social responsibility, and it was just understood that if you did not operate in a way that was corporately responsible, if you were not a good corporate citizen, it eventually would impact the bottom line, and so it was the right thing to do, but it was also a thing that was good to do for business.

Some of these regulations that are in place and these practices are about de-risking this industry: de-risking an industry when it comes to people and when it comes to the environment, but also de-risking the financial investments that are made by people across this province. When I say people that are investing their finances into this industry, I’m not just talking about shareholders, which is an important consideration because we need to talk about investor protection when it comes to this industry.

We really need to understand how we protect the average retail investor that buys stock in these companies and is putting their good money at risk, their hard-earned dollars at risk. We also need to look at de-risking the financial implications for taxpayers, because so much money—public taxpayer dollars—is invested in this industry. It is a good investment if it’s invested wisely.

The member from Timiskaming–Cochrane in his speech yesterday—which we all quite enjoyed—talked about the big piece of silver that is actually here in this building, and it is a source of pride for his community. It came from the Keeley mine in Cobalt. It’s a source of pride for him; it should be a source of pride for all Ontario, because it’s placed right there with all of the other evidence of our history, the proud history that we have in Ontario.

To begin this, I want to say that we all here in this House, including the industry, have a responsibility to make things better, not in any way to devolve what has already happened in this industry. I am going to talk about ways in which I think that this bill is ill-considered in a lot of aspects and that we need to work together to make sure that a bill that has implications for such an important industry is a good bill, and this bill could use some improvement.

For the people that are listening, in a nutshell, when a company undertakes to explore a mine and open a mine, there are many, many steps that need to be taken, and these are all just reasonable expectations. We expect that a company will, as I’ve said before, make sure to protect the people that are working in the mine—whether it’s to explore the mine, to open the mine, to work in the mine, they need to be protected.

We expect that people who live in the community and the environment around them, that those things are taken into consideration, that environmental assessments and protections for post-mine operation are taken into consideration, because we have seen, unfortunately, examples in our history, whether it’s the mining industry or whether it’s other extractive industries, where we have poisoned our groundwater, we’ve seen examples where people have lived with air that was unsafe to breathe, contaminated soil.

This is the unfortunate legacy of some of the industries that have operated in Ontario and around the world, and we want to avoid that. Industries know and they must do simply what is expected: operate a mine in a way that’s reasonable and responsible, and so we have protections in place.

Let’s talk about the miners and their families, because we’ve seen mining tragedies. People have lost their lives in the mining industry because it’s a very dangerous, difficult job, and we want to make sure that miners are safe so that they return home to their families at the end of a day. Safety for workers is simply not negotiable. It’s something that we should all expect, that we operate at the highest, highest priority.

I would say that we’ve come a long way. We certainly have come a long way. I just would like to say we’ve heard stories about people who have had experience in the mining industry. I would just like to share that my partner worked at a mine, many years ago, and it was his goal—which he achieved—to get out of the mine by making the junior hockey team, which he did. He worked for the King Miners; that was the name of the hockey team. He describes an industry that was very, very dangerous at the time. This was many, many years ago.

We’ve since heard and learned from people who work in the industry that that’s changed quite significantly. Kudos to the industry, but there are still many, many cautionary tales when it comes to any industry that has such high stakes for people, for the environment and for financial investors.

I’m going to talk a little about the financial risk that we all—all of us—share in when it comes to the mining industry. It’s a reasonable question to ask the government, through this bill, how the public taxpayer will be guarded against assuming the liability and the astronomical costs of site remediation or cleanup, not only when things go wrong, but just in the regular course of operating a mine. That’s a reasonable question to ask: How are taxpayers being safeguarded and how is the average investor being safeguarded?

This bill waters down the financial assurances that should be in place or have been in place when mines begin to operate. We know that many of the big mining companies have operated for many, many years in a way that, as I said, has proven to be responsible and continue to improve their practices. But with early exploration, particularly when it comes to the Ring of Fire, we have to be mindful of junior mining industries who may or may not have the financial resources, may not have the balance sheet to backstop the costs, the environmental costs and the financial costs, that will result from their operations.

We need to protect that. We need to make sure there’s a level playing field, so that big industries that are prepared to operate at a high standard are not in competition with smaller operators that don’t put in the same standard of care, if that’s the case.

I think this is particularly important because, again, many of these mines will operate on public crown lands and who owns the responsibility of the cleanup and the cost? It’s the taxpayer. It’s the public.

A huge cautionary tale in this province would be the legacy of the oil and gas industry. People need to really understand the significance of the many, many oil and gas wells that have been abandoned in this province. If you go online and you search a map—just ask for a map of abandoned oil and gas wells—you will be shocked to find that there are 28,000 in the province and there’s probably one in a community near you.

Most of these are in southwestern Ontario, I would say in Conservative-held ridings. It used to be many of these were in rural areas where there were not a lot of people living. But as we’ve had development and urban expansion, these abandoned oil and gas wells can be in communities, right in downtown communities. In my community, Waterdown—it’s actually in Flamborough–Glanbrook riding—right in the downtown core, there’s an oil and gas well. These pose a significant risk to life and property.

We saw that with the experience of Wheatley. In the riding of Chatham-Kent–Leamington, the town of Wheatley literally blew up. The downtown core blew up after many, many times of people saying that there was a problem here and there was no response from this government. The town was flattened, 20 people were injured and hospitalized, and no one is assuming the responsibility for the cleanup. The cleanup and the costs are not being assumed by this government, despite pleas from the municipality. Wheatley is a huge cautionary tale.

The Auditor General has identified that almost 4,400—in fact, the Ontario petroleum industry itself has identified that 4,400 of these abandoned oil and gas wells pose an immediate and significant risk to people and to property. This is the legacy of an industry that we want to avoid, because the cleanup that no one wants to assume, that will end up being on the public dime, is going to be in the billions and billions of dollars.

I actually proposed that this would be a good opportunity for this government to engage in good green infrastructure. If they’re actually really very concerned about the environment and carbon capture that we hear, it needs to be acknowledged that these abandoned oil and gas wells are leaking and they’re a significant contributor of carbon gas emissions. This is a problem that this government does not want to acknowledge and is turning away from, but it’s a problem that we could be headlong running into recklessly, based on this tale if we’re not careful with a bill that needs to be improved.

We talk about industries that are too big to fail. Who would ever expect that the oil and gas industry would fail the people of the province of Ontario? But it has happened. People talk about this like it’s an Alberta problem—it’s not. It’s a big problem in Ontario. We have an oil and gas industry that is older than that of Alberta and, because of that, we don’t know where some of these mines are and what conditions the wells are in, and that is something that I charge this government with taking as your responsibility. As you move to the future, as you want to develop the Ring of Fire and build roads through the peat lands, look to the problem that we already have before us.

I also want to talk about the cautionary tale, which is how this government is treating their Indigenous relations. This is a government that, time and time again, has not stood up, has stepped away, failed to live up to their obligations under Treaty 9. I hear time and time again, “That’s the federal responsibility.” Does this government know, would be my question, do the members of this government know that the province of Ontario is a signatory to Treaty 9? You have a contractual treaty obligation to the Indigenous people in this community, and you’re not living up to that. Where does that lead us? It leads us to conflict, which is not helpful for any industry.

I could just talk about the cautionary tales that the Conservatives should know very well. Ipperwash comes to mind. This Conservative government, Premier Mike Harris at the time, had a conflict with the Indigenous community in Ipperwash. It resulted in a death. Dudley George was shot by a sniper in Ipperwash, and it caused significant, significant bad will and a legacy of poisoned relations to this day. There was an inquiry, with recommendations that this government should take seriously.

We only have to look the Ipperwash, the Oka crisis and, currently, the Indigenous-led “land back” movement that’s happening right now in Caledonia and other communities. We need to know that this “land back” movement is real and it’s about self-determination—as it has been described by the community: “It’s about self-determination for our peoples here that should include some access to the territories and resources in a more equitable fashion, and for us to have control over how that actually looks.” If you read those words, this speaks directly to the bill that’s before us.

How are we ensuring that Indigenous communities have control over development that is in their territories? It certainly is not helpful for the Premier to say he’s going to get on a bulldozer himself. That only exacerbates a difficult relationship.

I just have to say, it’s really heartbreaking to sit on this side of the House and hear our MPP from Mushkegowuk–James Bay, to hear our MPP from Kiiwetinoong talk about the lack of resources in Indigenous communities that are in Treaty 9, that are the obligation of this province, of this government.

We talked about clean drinking water that generations of young people and people have not had access to. We just heard about tragic fires. We heard about a 10-year-old girl who died in a house fire because there was no fire truck in her community. We heard about an entire family in the riding of Kiiwetinoong, including an eight-year-old boy, who died because they don’t have access to the basic necessities of fire protection. That’s a failure of this government. It doesn’t bode well going forward when you’re talking about developing in Indigenous communities.

I’d just like to make sure that you understand that, in fact, this is a significant and current problem. I have a letter here that I would like to quote from. It was sent to the federal minister, but it has bearing on what we’re doing here.

These chiefs wrote and said, “We voiced our deep concerns ... for the region we know as the Breathing Lands, in which there is a push to develop a massive mining complex in the Ring of Fire. These are the world’s lungs, and rampant mining development could not only destroy this globally critical carbon sink, but release its huge store of carbon and escalate climate change further into catastrophe. Development here would be reckless if it occurs without full, robust investigation of all the potential consequences.”

They go on to say, “We are from here and have always been here and have been the only peoples here, ever. Western ways have led us to a climate crisis, and too many Western ‘solutions’ to this crisis are being built on the further sacrifice of Indigenous peoples’ territories, rights, and futures. We will not sit on the sidelines and watch this happen in the Breathing Lands. Any attempt by the crown to come back with less than the equality we ask for and deserve ... will be seen as nothing but an attempt to dress up a broken window with pretty drapes. And any such attempt will lead to our active enforcement of the moratorium issued last April.” And they attached a copy of the moratorium.

These are strong words, and they signal conflict that this government is risking for this industry. It’s signed by the chiefs of Attawapiskat, Eabametoong, Fort Albany First Nation, Kashechewan and Neskantaga First Nations. These are nations that are operating in the area in which you’re trying to develop.

My question to this government is, are you listening? The motto of this place is “Audi alteram partem,” which means “Hear the other side.” We have significant experience, our MPP from Sudbury has significant experience in this industry. This is our job, to make government bills better, because not only is this good for investment—because good policy makes for good investment—it is what is expected of us. We are going to propose reasoned amendments to this bill in committee.

Whether you take it into closed session or not—which has happened—I need everyone who is listening to know that we will be proposing amendments to improve this bill because that is our job. Our job is to protect public tax dollars and investors, to protect our environment and to protect people in their communities, and that’s what we’re here to do.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Questions?

Mr. Will Bouma: I enjoy engaging on this legislation. I got to be here yesterday afternoon and hear debate on it also.

I’m intrigued. I just want to confirm with the member from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas—because the member from Sudbury was pretty explicit that the principles of what we’re trying to do in this legislation are excellent. He has a few concerns about the implementation, and he pledged that the opposition would be supporting this bill on second reading so that it could be looked at by committee. Listening to the member from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas this morning, it sounds like the opposition has changed their mind and is not supporting this bill on second reading. I just want to confirm that they’re still going to support the bill on second reading.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: “Audi alteram partem”—hear the other side. It doesn’t sound like you were listening, because I said that we are going to be proposing amendments to this bill. This bill is at second reading; at committee, we are going to be proposing amendments, amendments that will improve this bill, amendments that will address the concerns of consultation with Indigenous First Nations, amendments that will ensure that the haphazard way in which you have gone forward with this bill doesn’t have implications for the environment and doesn’t have implications for the financial risk that’s faced not only by investors but the people and taxpayers of the province of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): The member from University–Rosedale.

Ms. Jessica Bell: Thank you to the member for her presentation. My question concerns First Nations consultation and accommodation. What is appropriate First Nations consultation and accommodation with mining projects such as these?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Thank you for the question. It’s an important question, because, as I said, no one in this province wants to see conflict. We do not want to see roadblocks. We don’t want to see moratoriums. We don’t want to see injunctions. That is not good for the prosperous future that we all expect in this province. So skipping the obligation of free, prior and informed consent, rushing past that—you’re only going to have to be drawn back. You’ll only have to circle back and do it again.

So free, prior and informed consent is not just an option; it’s required from us as signatories to Treaty 9, it’s required under UNDRIP and it’s required by the federal legislation. So if you don’t do it now, in a short-sighted way, the costs to redo it, to do it right in the first place will be astronomical.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): The member from Essex.

Mr. Anthony Leardi: My question relates to the delay which has been reported in opening mines in the province of Ontario. According to the Ontario Mining Association, they have said quite clearly that it takes on average 10 to 15 years to open a mine in Ontario, and they’ve also said quite clearly that part of this delay—at least part—is due to the inordinate amount of time that it takes for getting permits, and that is the main thrust of this legislation—to speed that process up.

So my question to the member is, does the member agree with the Ontario Mining Association that it takes too long? Does the member disagree, or something else?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: I would say to the member, how long should it take to open up a mine? I mean, that’s the question. You say 15 years is too long. It sounds like a long time. But are you talking about opening it up, or are you talking about developing it? It’s not clear what you’re talking about. In fact, in the bill, you do nothing; there’s nothing here in the bill that will speed up the permitting process. You’ve only changed it so that the minister has direct approval.

But what you are failing to acknowledge is that a chunk of that time is about acquiring the financial resources that are needed to open up a mine. It costs a lot of money, and mining companies need not just their money; they need other people’s money—taxpayers and investors. What you’ve done now, instead of ensuring protection for investors, you’ve watered down the financial assurances that are required as part of just opening up and closure plans. So that is not helpful to this industry. It’s not helpful to attract investors in this industry.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Will Bouma): Questions and responses?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: It’s a very important bill that’s coming forward, because it’s going to be a very economic, important piece to the north and rural areas. And we’ve been hearing overall that the mining industry, of course, wants to develop and manufacture products, and the mining industry wants to be part of the economic opportunities that have been presented.

But there are questions and concerns around some of the pieces in this legislation, and one of those examples is that the legislation is taking away decisions from directors of the mines and giving them to the minister. That is something that’s crucial to making sure that people have trust and faith in that process.

Can you talk a little bit about why the concerns are going from the director of mines’ responsibilities and putting them in the hands of the minister?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Thank you very much for the question. I would say that speaks directly to the issue of confidence, that in order to have the moral authority to operate in a community, people and investors have to be assured that they’ve taken the political decision-making out of this, that this decision-making has to rely on technical experts, industry experts. Taking these significant decisions and just putting them into the minister’s office doesn’t help this industry.

What this industry needs to do is to have certainty, to have clear and transparent processes. I keep talking about investors. Investors are not going to put their money into an industry where they are just rolling the dice that the minister of the day is favourable to what they’re trying to do, because governments change, thank God, and ministers change—looking forward to it—and this is not helpful for the stability of the industry.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Will Bouma): Questions and responses?

Mr. Mike Harris: When we talk about sustainability, transparency and certainty, as the member opposite has highlighted, how are our investors, how are businesses and how are, in some cases, folks from other jurisdictions supposed to come here and confidently invest when it’s taking 15-plus years to open some of these mines?

We need these minerals now. We need good jobs in Ontario. Why does the opposition continue to stand in the way of that?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: To the contrary, we’re not standing in the way of it; in fact, we are not at all. You are not identifying all of the core problems when it comes to opening up a mine. Financial investment is one of the key barriers. I don’t know if you’re saying we do not have a robust mining industry in Ontario. We already do; it already exists. We’re global leaders and proud of that.

People are investing in our community. They are investing in this industry because they know that there are good regulations, that there are good protections, that they’re operating in an environment that is robust and that has the kind of protections that attract investments, attract employees and skilled workers, and attract the kinds of things that we want in this province. It already exists. So it’s hard to understand why you are watering this down.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Will Bouma): Time for one more quick question.

Interjection.

Mr. Mike Harris: We’re a little sleepy still this morning, I guess.

Let’s look back, then. I’m from North Bay. Other members may suggest it’s not north enough, but I still call it northern Ontario. North Bay had a vibrant secondary mining sector. It provided a lot of machinery and materials that were used. Under the previous government, we lost hundreds, if not thousands, of mining jobs out of North Bay, which had quite an impact on the community itself.

To say that there is investment—that investment has come because of a Progressive Conservative government that has started to make changes, has started to make smart, pragmatic changes to regulation. I hope—and I’d love to hear—will the member support this bill when it comes up for the vote at second reading?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: We’ve said we are supporting this bill at second reading to get it to committee so that we can do our job. Our job is to help you make your bills better. This bill has been ill-considered. You’ve rushed it through; it’s flawed.

The intention is there, the intention that we all share, which is to support and improve the mining industry for the prosperity of Ontarians, but you need help with this bill to make sure that’s what happens.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Will Bouma): Further debate?

M. Stéphane Sarrazin: Je suis fier de me lever ici en Chambre pour démontrer mon support au projet de loi 71, la Loi de 2023 visant l’aménagement de davantage de mines.

J’aimerais débuter par féliciter le ministre des Mines, le ministre du Développement du Nord et leurs équipes pour l’excellent travail, non seulement envers ce projet de loi mais dans plusieurs autres dossiers.

Si le projet de loi 71, Loi modifiant la

Loi sur les mines—Building More Mines Act, 2023—est adopté, les changements permettront aux sociétés minières d’économiser du temps et de l’argent. L’amélioration de la

Loi sur les mines créera des conditions permettant aux entreprises de construire davantage de mines tout en respectant les normes environnementales et l’obligation de consultation.

Ces mises à jour garantiront également que nous aurons les minéraux essentiels et nécessaires pour construire la chaîne d’approvisionnement des véhicules électriques et autres produits ici même en Ontario. L’Ontario possède certains des gisements les plus riches en minéraux au monde, notamment dans la région du Cercle de feu, qui abritent des minéraux essentiels utilisés dans la fabrication de véhicules électriques, de téléphones intelligents, de produits pharmaceutiques et plusieurs, plusieurs, plusieurs autres technologies.

Notre gouvernement comprend qu’il faut faire en sorte que ce soit plus facile pour les entreprises de faire affaire dans notre province.

L’Ontario a tellement à offrir. Je dois dire que je suis tellement fier de voir notre province prospérer et surtout fier de faire

partie de cette équipe, sous le leadership de notre premier ministre Ford. Il faut mentionner que nous avons un ministre des Mines qui est un champion dans ce secteur, avec une multitude d’expériences dans le domaine. Je crois que nous sommes choyés à cet effet.

Vous savez, monsieur le Président, nous avons plein de champions dans notre équipe. J’en profite pour mentionner que nous avons une équipe incroyable. Tous mes collègues députés ont le même but, qui est celui d’améliorer le sort des résidents de l’Ontario. Grâce à eux, l’Ontario est vraiment sur la voie de la prospérité.

Notre gouvernement améliore la

Loi sur les mines afin de créer les conditions permettant aux entreprises de construire plus de mines de manière efficace et d’aider à renforcer les chaînes d’approvisionnement en minéraux essentiels fabriqués en Ontario pour les minéraux essentiels et les véhicules électriques. Ces changements rendraient l’Ontario plus compétitif, attireraient de nouveaux investissements dans la province et ouvriraient la voie pour que l’Ontario devienne la première juridiction au monde, leader dans l’investissement et le développement miniers.

L’exploitation minière est un contributeur clé à l’économie ontarienne ainsi qu’un moteur de développement économique pour plusieurs régions. Bien que le nombre fluctue en fonction des variations des prix des matières premières, l’exploitation minière en Ontario génère des revenus d’environ 10 milliards de dollars par an.

En 2021, le secteur minier de l’Ontario a produit pour 11,1 milliards de dollars de minéraux, ce qui représentait 20 % de la valeur de la production totale du Canada. En 2021, l’exploitation minière en Ontario a directement contribué un total annuel estimé de 8 milliards de dollars au produit intérieur brut, le PIB; 2,9 milliards de dollars en salaires; et environ 75 000 emplois directs et indirects dans la province. Environ 70 % des contributions au PIB des sociétés minières de l’Ontario restent en Ontario.

Les sociétés minières de tout l’Ontario jouent un rôle important dans les communautés locales où elles opèrent et contribuent au bien-être économique et social en donnant la priorité à l’embauche et à l’approvisionnement locaux, en soutenant les initiatives de santé et d’éducation et en s’engageant et en s’associant avec les communautés des Premières Nations.

En 2021, l’emploi direct dans le secteur minier en Ontario totalisait environ 29 000, avec plus de 3,7 milliards de dollars versés en indemnisation totale aux travailleurs. Le salaire hebdomadaire moyen en Ontario pour les emplois miniers directs est supérieur de plus de 60 % au salaire industriel moyen de la province. Les travailleurs miniers gagnent en moyenne près de 2 000 $ par semaine. Ce sont de très bons revenus ici en Ontario, monsieur le Président.

Et 44 % des fournitures, des matériaux et des services sont achetés localement auprès d’entreprises ontariennes. Ça, c’est important. L’industrie minière a versé un total de 373 millions de dollars en impôts aux trois paliers de gouvernement en 2019. Évidemment, ce sont les statistiques que j’ai pu recueillir de 2019. Je ne les sais pas en 2020, mais sûrement que c’était aussi impressionnant.

Le secteur minier de l’Ontario compte l’une des plus fortes proportions de travailleurs des Premières Nations de toutes les industries de la province, à 11 %, soit près du double du pourcentage de la population canadienne qui s’identifie comme peuple de Première Nation selon les données du recensement de 2016.

En 2020, il y avait 142 accords actifs en place entre les communautés des Premières Nations et les sociétés minières de l’Ontario. C’est important de le souligner : 142 accords en place entre les sociétés et les peuples des Premières Nations ici en Ontario, et ce sont des relations mutuellement bénéfiques.

L’impact de l’exploitation minière va au-delà de l’extraction et du traitement des minéraux. L’exploitation minière est liée à de nombreuses autres industries et secteurs de l’économie, y compris le transport, la construction, la fabrication d’équipement, la gestion de l’environnement, les services géologiques, l’éducation et la recherche, entre autres.

L’industrie donne un coup de pouce majeur à notre secteur financier: la Bourse de Toronto, le TSX, est la principale bourse minière mondiale, répertoriant le plus grand nombre de sociétés minières publiques dans le monde.

D’après un rapport de recherche économique de 2022 produit par l’Ontario Mining Association en partenariat avec, à l’époque, le ministère du Développement du Nord, des Mines, des Richesses naturelles et des Forêts de l’Ontario, le secteur minier de l’Ontario prévoit que la contribution au PIB de l’industrie minière augmentera de 25 % entre 2020 et 2025, par rapport à une contribution directe totale estimée à 7,5 milliards de dollars en 2019 et 9,3 milliards de dollars prévus d’ici 2025.

La valeur des minéraux produits par les principales mines de l’Ontario devrait également augmenter de 33 %, et le nombre d’emplois équivalents temps plein soutenus directement ou indirectement et induits par l’exploitation minière augmentera de près de 7 %.

Il y a actuellement 37 exploitations minières actives dans la province, qui couvrent un ensemble diversifié de métaux et de minéraux, y compris des métaux précieux et de base et des minéraux non métalliques. Dix de ces mines produisent des minéraux essentiels, notamment—on les a nommés à plusieurs reprises dans les derniers jours—le cobalt, le cuivre, l’indium, le nickel, des éléments du groupe de platine, le sélénium, le tellurium et le zinc. Il existe actuellement 16 projets miniers critiques importants en Ontario.

L’exploitation minière profite à toutes les régions de la province, offrant un large éventail de possibilités d’emploi et de partenariat. L’industrie minière de l’Ontario crée un environnement équitable, diversifié et inclusif pour les groupes historiquement sous-représentés. Des statistiques de 2016 : 13 % de la main-d’oeuvre étaient des femmes, 9 % appartenaient à des identités des personnes des Premières Nations et 6 % appartenaient à des minorités visibles. Près de 70 % des membres de l’Ontario Mining Association ont déclaré avoir des objectifs en matière de diversité et équité entre les sexes en ce qui concerne les postes d’autorité.

Il y a plus de 1 400 entreprises d’approvisionnement et de services miniers en Ontario. Et ça, c’est important de mentionner : indirectement, on a 1 400 entreprises, au minimum, qui contribuent à l’économie du secteur minier. En tant que producteurs de minéraux et de métaux qui sont des éléments clés dans la transition vers une énergie propre, les sociétés minières de toute la province adhèrent également aux normes environnementales les plus élevées en matière de conservation d’énergie, de réduction des émissions de carbone et d’adoption de technologies propres.

Plus des trois quarts des sociétés minières de l’Ontario participent à des programmes de tarification du carbone qui visent à réduire les émissions de GES et à stimuler l’innovation, et 82 % des grandes sociétés minières de l’Ontario ont établi des objectifs de réduction des émissions de carbone et 64 % ont des objectifs de gestion de l’énergie. Les sociétés minières ontariennes ont adopté des technologies propres à un taux de près de 14 % supérieur à la moyenne de l’industrie.

En 2021, 878 millions de dollars ont été investis dans l’exploration minière en Ontario. Notre gouvernement croit que nous pouvons faire mieux. Notre gouvernement est toujours en quête d’opportunités de développement économique et de créer de bons emplois pour les Ontariens. Notre gouvernement met les Ontariens en priorité.

Monsieur le Président, je dois vous dire que je suis fier de faire

partie de cette équipe dirigée par le premier ministre Ford, mes collègues ministres et députés. C’est incroyable, les choses qui se font ici pour le peuple ontarien. Grâce à notre gouvernement, l’Ontario est en voie de devenir un leader mondial dans beaucoup de secteurs.

J’aimerais vous raconter une petite expérience que j’ai vécue en tant que député et adjoint parlementaire du ministre de l’Énergie. J’ai eu la chance de participer à quelques conférences ici au Canada, aux États-Unis et ailleurs dans le monde. À certaines de ces conférences, j’étais un des seuls représentants du gouvernement de l’Ontario.

Monsieur le Président, vous devriez voir l’intérêt des gens à vouloir communiquer avec moi quand ils voient ma petite étiquette, ici même, qui mentionne que je suis un représentant de l’Ontario, spécialement avec la mention « adjoint du ministre de l’Énergie de l’Ontario ». Beaucoup de représentants de plusieurs pays ont les yeux rivés sur notre province—pas juste dans le domaine de l’énergie, mais dans plusieurs autres domaines, et celui des mines n’en est pas une exception.

Je dois dire que ça n’a pas été toujours le cas. À l’époque où le Parti libéral était au pouvoir, pendant les 15 années précédant la venue de notre gouvernement—avant 2018—la province était un exemple de quoi ne pas faire en matière d’énergie et probablement dans d’autres secteurs aussi. Mais grâce à plusieurs stratégies comme celle-ci aujourd’hui, le projet de loi 71, notre gouvernement fait en sorte que notre province continue à progresser pour devenir un leader mondial dans plusieurs secteurs.

Est-ce que j’ai mentionné que je suis fier de faire

partie de cette équipe? Je pense que je l’ai mentionné à quelques reprises. Nous travaillons fort. Notre gouvernement a publié l’année dernière sa stratégie sur les minéraux critiques, un plan quinquennal qui comprend la résolution des problèmes de réglementation pour que les mines soient construites plus efficacement.

Ce projet de loi visant à modifier la

Loi sur les mines, si adopté, attirera davantage d’investissements dans le secteur minier de la province, tout en renforçant les chaînes d’approvisionnement en minéraux essentiels de la province pour les batteries et les véhicules électriques. Ce projet de loi pourrait faire avancer les projets miniers critiques en :

—permettant aux entreprises d’obtenir plus facilement un permis pour récupérer les minéraux des résidus miniers et des déchets;

—améliorant la planification de la fermeture en ayant plus de professionnels qualifiés disponibles pour certifier les plans;

—permettant aussi une plus grande flexibilité dans les techniques utilisées pour réhabiliter les mines une fois qu’elles sont fermées; et

—créant aussi plus d’options pour les entreprises de payer une assurance financière.

Comme mentionné par le ministre des Mines, ça ne devrait pas prendre 15 années pour ouvrir une mine. Ce processus prend trop de temps et coûte trop cher, ce qui entraîne des retards dans les projets et des opportunités perdues pour le secteur ontarien de l’exploration minière et de l’exploitation minière.

Nous devons construire. La région du Cercle de feu a un potentiel multigénérationnel pour la production de minéraux essentiels, notamment la chromite, le nickel, le cuivre et le platine nécessaires à la fabrication d’acier propre et de véhicules électriques.

Les modifications à la

Loi sur les mines augmenteraient la certitude de la planification des activités et généreraient des investissements dans le nord de l’Ontario afin d’offrir d’importantes possibilités de développement économique aux collectivités du Nord et aux peuples des Premières Nations.

Les villes comme Sudbury, Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Elliot Lake, North Bay sont toutes des villes où l’on retrouve une concentration de francophones. Beaucoup de ces gens ont des ancêtres québécois qui sont venus ici en Ontario pour travailler dans les mines.

J’ai moi-même de la famille qui travaille ou qui a travaillé dans les mines, monsieur le Président. J’aimerais profiter de l’occasion pour les remercier pour leurs contributions dans ce secteur.

En conclusion, je suis fier de pouvoir prendre la parole ici en Chambre pour le débat sur ce projet de loi, et je remercie mes collègues du ministère des Mines—il y en a un drette ici devant moi, l’adjoint parlementaire—pour leur travail exceptionnel.

Monsieur le Président, je suis certain que les membres de l’opposition voteront en faveur de ce projet de loi. Plusieurs d’entre eux représentent des circonscriptions du nord de l’Ontario, qui sont les régions où l’on retrouve le plus de mines et d’entreprises qui bénéficient du secteur.

Mes collègues du parti de l’opposition auront sûrement de la difficulté à s’opposer à ce projet de loi. Monsieur le Président, laissez-moi vous dire, ça ne doit pas être facile de travailler en tant que membre de l’opposition. Notre gouvernement présente tellement de bons projets de loi pour améliorer le sort de notre province et aider les Ontariens à obtenir de meilleurs emplois. Ça doit tellement être difficile de voter contre toutes ces initiatives de notre gouvernement.

J’aimerais terminer en disant que moi-même, dans ma circonscription de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell—nous sommes un peu loin des régions d’exploration des mines, mais nous avons quand même une fonderie, Ivaco Rolling Mills, qui fait la fonte de métal et utilise aussi certains minéraux dans leur processus. C’est une des entreprises qui est là depuis 30 ans, puis même aujourd’hui, elles bénéficient des mines, car le métal est un des, comme on dirait, « by-products » ou sous-produits du titane qui est exploré dans des régions au Québec.

Je sais que beaucoup de gens veulent voir ces compagnies qui prospèrent depuis 30 ans rester ici, puis c’est une belle opportunité de pouvoir opérer des mines en Ontario pour pouvoir avoir ces produits-là près de nous pour pouvoir continuer de façon plus facile d’avoir le transport et d’avoir accès. Je remercie encore notre ministre des Mines pour cet excellent projet de loi, puis je le supporte à 100 %.

Le Président suppléant (M. Will Bouma): Merci. Questions?

M. Joel Harden: C’est agréable d’avoir des nouvelles de mon ami de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell ce matin. Il représente ma ville natale de Vankleek Hill, et nous avons des amis en commun. C’est pourquoi nous savons tous les deux à quel point il est important de bien consulter les gens sur des projets importants, des projets avec des impacts environnementaux comme Colacem, un projet de cimenterie de L’Orignal.

Est-ce qu’il y a une réponse de mon ami? Parce que c’est un sujet délicat pour L’Orignal. Est-ce qu’on a des leçons aujourd’hui, avec Colacem, pour ce projet de loi ici?

M. Stéphane Sarrazin: Écoutez, comme mon collègue de l’opposition le mentionne, il a de la famille a Vankleek Hill, puis s’il y a un endroit où il y a beaucoup de gens qui ont bénéficié d’avoir de bons salaires dans le secteur du métal puis qui travaillent justement à l’usine, la fonderie à L’Orignal, c’est bien les gens de Vankleek Hill.

J’ai travaillé moi-même, quand j’étais plus jeune, en tant qu’électricien—c’était un de mes premiers métiers—justement à la fonderie de L’Orignal. Je peux vous dire qu’il y avait plein de gens de la région. On avait, à un moment donné, 800 employés, puis c’est un secteur très important. Puis je pense que pour cette raison-là, au fil des années, on a vu beaucoup de choses qui se sont améliorées. Je l’avoue, je travaillais là voilà 30 ans. Les impacts côté pollution étaient moins surveillés, mais aujourd’hui, grâce à tous les gouvernements, on tient ça de près, puis on fait sûr que les—

Le Président suppléant (M. Will Bouma): Merci. Merci.

Questions?

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: Je voudrais remercier le député de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell. Merci de votre discours. La sécurisation de la chaîne d’approvisionnement nécessite que l’Ontario puisse être compétitif face aux autres juridictions. Ma question pour le député : qu’est-ce que cette loi va faire pour assurer que notre province est la première juridiction d’exploitation minière à l’échelle mondiale?

M. Stéphane Sarrazin: Merci à ma collègue pour cette question. Écoute, quand on parle de—je cherche le terme, excusez-moi, en anglais—mais « securing the supply chain », la chaîne d’approvisionnement, c’est plus important que jamais. Suite à COVID, on a vu que les pays doivent subvenir à leurs besoins plus que jamais, et je pense que de développer ici le secteur minier en Ontario est un exemple de comment nous pouvons bénéficier en sauvant sur le transport, en ayant la main-d’oeuvre.

Puis je crois que c’est une excellente opportunité pour nous de pouvoir créer des jobs, des emplois payants dans les différents métiers. Moi-même, monsieur le Président, je suis électricien de métier. Même si je suis devenu politicien au fil des années, ça reste que ce sont des sujets qui me tiennent à coeur. Je vois plein de gens alentour de moi qui gagnent leurs vies à faire des métiers qu’ils aiment—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Will Bouma): Thank you.

Questions?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: We know we don’t want the men and women who work in mines to wind up living in mining camps long-term. We want them to be building communities in neighbouring municipalities or creating new communities, but in order for people to have confidence that they can build their lives in these communities that are very close to where the mines are, and raise families there, they also need to be confident that the remediation that follows has already been planned and financed, that those financial guarantees are there. Otherwise, you’re looking at very precarious—you don’t know whether you can really trust those places as places to live for the long term.

That’s my concern, and I wonder if you can speak to that.

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: I have a few people I know who work in the mining industry. Let me tell you, I don’t reach out to them often, but when I talk to them, they say that working in a mine and being part of the staff working in a mine seems like a family thing. These companies are, more than ever, investing in their people and they’re creating nice opportunities to gather all their people and do some leisure activities. I’ve learned it from people working there at the mines.

I think for that reason that the companies are, more than ever, oriented on their people, and I don’t see that as becoming a problem in the near future.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): The member from Thornhill.

Ms. Laura Smith: I want to thank the member from Glengarry–Prescott–Russell for his statement. We’re engaging with communities, Indigenous and Indigenous organizations, and my question to the member is further to that. I’m asking him how this will affect the communities that are relying upon this industry and the consultation that has been involved with the Indigenous communities.

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: I think with this bill there is a big misunderstanding from the opposition about regulations. This bill doesn’t change regulations and consultations. We’ve seen, in the province, more than ever, projects that are partnered with First Nations, and I think our government has the will to keep working with First Nations and consult with the public on different projects in the near future. And I think we need their partnership in order to be successful in this province.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): The member from Hamilton.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: West–Ancaster–Dundas. It’s a problem, honestly. People are saying my riding name so wrong so often that I almost said it wrong myself the other day.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): The member from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Merci au député de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell. J’ai apprécié votre discours ce matin. Si je ne me trompe pas, je n’ai pas entendu l’environnement être mentionné. La protection de l’environnement—je n’ai pas entendu ça être mentionné. Et ce n’est pas seulement l’environnement; c’est les gens qui travaillent dans le secteur minier.

Est-ce que vous pouvez nous rassurer que projet de loi va protéger les travailleurs? Et finalement, est-ce qu’il y a des assurances que les gens qui vont investir seront protégés s’il y a une faillite dans ce secteur?

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Quick response?

M. Stéphane Sarrazin: Je crois, quand ça vient à la sécurité des employés, que ce soit dans n’importe quel secteur, que nous avons différents ministères qui font sûr de suivre ça de près, parce qu’on sait tous que la sécurité des Ontariens est une des choses qui nous tient le plus à coeur.

En tant qu’ancien maire et ancien président de comté, je peux vous dire que je peux constater que la plupart des politiciens ont la santé des gens à coeur, puis c’est ça qui est la priorité. Quand ça en vient à l’environnement, bien, je peux vous dire qu’aujourd’hui, avant qu’un projet ne se concrétise, il y a tellement d’études qui sont mises en place pour démontrer l’impact environnemental que je ne crois pas que ça va être un problème pour nous. Je pense qu’on doit continuer. On ne change pas la réglementation; on fait juste faire en sorte que c’est plus facile de bâtir des mines en Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Further debate?

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It gives me great pleasure to rise as the official opposition critic for economic development, job creation and trade to add my thoughts about Bill 71, the Building More Mines Act.

As I start my comments, I think it’s important that members on the other side, on the government benches, recognize that this is a bill that the official opposition will be supporting at second reading, but we do very much rely on this government to travel the bill, to travel the bill properly and to listen to as many stakeholders as wish to appear at committee to make sure that this is a strong bill, a robust bill and one that has been built with public consultation.

Because when we see many pieces of legislation that are brought forward in this chamber, much is left lacking, and that is perhaps intentional on the part of this government, to omit things which are very glaring in their absence.

I’d like to also start by saying this government’s track record on relationships and partnerships with Indigenous peoples is abysmal. As well, their record on enhancing and maintaining environmental protections is similarly abysmal. In 2018, when this government first assumed power, in their throne speech, they started it without an Indigenous land recognition—a horrible omission. And then, one of their first acts was to cancel the Indigenous curriculum-writing sessions while people were already in attendance. They were either already on their way or they had arrived and they were told to go home.

Now, as well, we’ve heard and seen an ideological obsession to not declare September 30 a provincial holiday to recognize truth and reconciliation, which is truly bizarre.

But as I move my comments towards mining, mining is an excellent industry here in the province of Ontario. It’s a great and strong industry. It provides good-paying jobs, those union jobs with benefits, with a pension. I know members across the aisle are probably going to plug their ears and shriek, but it actually provides paid sick days. Imagine that. I know they’re very upset about that concept, but that is something that is provided with more union membership.

Mining also has a history in the province and it has moved away from that history. I believe our House leader, the member from Timiskaming–Cochrane, mentioned how, in the past, there were not closure plans, there was not the same sort of responsibility that has now been placed and that the mining industry has welcomed and is something that they’ve worked very hard to make sure that they are good corporate partners, good global citizens. They’ve brought up the industry. They’ve made sure that they are not only looking after the now but they’re looking after the eventualities of their industry within the province, which is excellent.

This is a huge financial risk, not only for the industry itself but also for the province, and we want to make sure that it’s one where we look after our environment for generations to come.

I’d like to also turn to what is known as “a dish with one spoon” teachings. I’d like to thank Dan and Mary Lou Smoke, some wonderful people from my riding, who have taught me about what that concept actually means and what that teaching means. Frequently, it is a covenant that was engaged in between Indigenous peoples to indicate a shared responsibility, an agreement. Sometimes you might refer to it as a truce as it were so that they can share within the wealth in Mother Earth.

When we take a look—it’s called “a dish with one spoon”—the dish refers to the land, and it’s meant to be shared peacefully; it’s meant to be shared equally; it’s meant to be shared among all people for their benefit, and the spoon is what refers to the individuals living on that land. But what it actually means at the heart of it, as Dan and Mary Lou have indicated to me, is that there is enough when we share with one another. There is enough when we take good care of the earth.

“A dish with one spoon” also has resonance with extracted economies: that we don’t pillage the earth; we don’t take too much from the earth—and if we do take from the earth, we make sure we take in moderation and we make sure we do not destroy what’s left for future generations to come.

This has resonance in many other places in the world and many other disciplines. For instance, in Tao Te Ching there is a writing that says “the person who knows when enough is enough will always have enough.” When we share with one another, when we don’t hurt the earth too much, we will have a good environment for generations to come.

I also think of the words of Bishop Terry Dance. We live in a world right now where there’s this singular focus on what he calls “unbridled acquisitiveness.” There is this rampant greed where people are more interested in what they themselves can obtain and what they can take than there is about how we should look after one another, and that’s something I believe we have to be very cognizant of and very careful of. If we look after one another, we all win. If we look after the environment for generations to come, those generations will also win. We need to take the selfishness out of many of these equations.

As I look at this legislation itself, there are some deep concerns, one of which would be that, in Bill 71, it replaces the “director of mine rehabilitation” anywhere in the Mining Act with “minister.” We know from this government that their track record on environmental protections is abysmal. They’ve ripped out those charging stations that were already paid for—it was a bad business. Not only were they paying to destroy something, but they were paying to destroy something they had already paid for. So if they could have taken money and thrown it in the toilet, it seems this Conservative government would have done so in their ideological battle against environmental protections.

But we’ve also seen Bill 23, which is the commodification of the greenbelt for a few very well-connected backroom insiders, under the disguise and the weak cloak of calling this a bill for affordable housing. So when we see this consequential change of the “director of mine rehabilitation” being replaced with “minister,” it doesn’t exactly inspire trust on behalf of the official opposition, or really anyone in the province, because nobody believes this government on their track record of environmental protections.

Also, we see that there is the elimination of the reference to the director of mine rehabilitation altogether—the person who’s going to be looking after this in the future. And why is that eliminated? You know, MiningWatch Canada’s Jamie Kneen has said, “Undoing safeguards and making the process more streamlined and less accountable is really just, I think, a recipe for disaster.”

Kate Kempton, an Indigenous rights lawyer, has said, “Ford is proposing to strip the closure plan approval process and First Nations engagement in it to a bare minimum, which was—it’s basically taking of the last thread of protection that we have.”

Kneen goes on to say, “This (Pirie’s reassurances of continued environmental safety and Indigenous consultations) is coming from a government that has shown no consistent respect for either of those things, so it’s really hard to take that seriously.”

In this bill, as well, the rehabilitation will be changed to a different use or condition that the minister determines. Again, I’m not so sure that we can trust the minister. And the minister becomes the locus of control, as they will look at the land and they will deem it suitable for future use or a site determined by the minister.

Now, I also want to make sure that we add in the record that the mining industry has really raised the standard. They have made sure that they have financial security, they have closure plans. This government is really tinkering with these closure plans, which is very concerning. They also are very curiously, where there is a closure plan, weakening that in a very strange way. This bill allows the applicant, who may not meet all the existing criteria for a mine closure plan, to nonetheless submit a claim. Is this a workaround? That’s a good question that we have.

Further, the bill sets out that the minister shall file a closure plan within 45 days of it being submitted or return the applicant for resubmission if it misses one of their parameters as set out in the act. Why is there this contradiction? We’re not sure. This needs to be answered by this government.

I also want to highlight what we heard as we travelled with the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, which was the concept of tailings. MIRARCO, who submitted a presentation for the committee, also said they have the Centre for Mine Waste Biotechnology, the first of its kind in Canada, which will take a look after those tailing ponds, which grow exponentially year after year after year and the dams are just made higher and higher. We know and we’ve heard from the member from Sudbury about the crisis that happened in Brazil, where hundreds of people died. But this company has a great way to extract some of the things that are being left there as waste.

I just want to point out some of the statistics that they shared with us at committee. They felt that there’s between $8 billion to $10 billion of nickel contained in the Sudbury mine—

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes): Thank you to the member from London North Centre. The time for debate has come to an end.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Members’ Statements

Dancing with the CCH Stars

Mr. Nolan Quinn: I’d like to recognize our Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation for their inaugural Dancing with the CCH Stars event held on Saturday at Cornwall’s Aultsville Theatre. This fundraiser celebrated the exceptional care, tenacity, compassion and hard work of our local health care professionals who treat patients across SDG, Akwesasne and Cornwall.

Dozens of local businesses sponsored the event. Thank you to the many community-minded businesses that always step up. Success is not possible without the support of the business community.

The event sold out in less than two days, and guests were treated to high-quality entertainment.

Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation will purchase $50,000 worth of medical equipment for a special project chosen by the winning team.

I’d like to acknowledge the six teams of dancers who spent the last five months training with two local dance schools, Powell School of Dance and Studio C Dance School—talk about dedication:

—Dr. Akram Arab and Meghan Cafferky;

—Dr. Celine Lemire and Anthony Powell;

—Dr. Renee Givari and her husband, Tim;

—RNs Joy Cella and Amie McCosham, RPN Kathleen Jack and Dr. Leslie Stephens;

—Josée Amyot, RN, and Rhiannon St. Pierre; as well as

—Andrew Bissonnette and Robin Barillaro, both RNs at the hospital and at the college.

Congratulations to Dr. Akram Arab and his dance partner, Meghan Cafferky, who won the competition, with $50,000 going towards medical upgrades supporting critically ill patients at CCH’s ICU.

Huge congratulations to the Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation executive director, Amy Gillespie, and development coordinator, Kelsey Lindsay, on raising over $125,000.

Women’s services

MPP Lise Vaugeois: When I was a young woman in the 1970s, there were no women’s shelters and there were no rape crisis centres, but because of the growing second wave of the women’s movement, women were gathering together and creating safe spaces from the ground up. But if you read the newspapers of the time, you would have seen these community builders—these feminists—described as half-crazed man-haters out to destroy the world as we knew it.

Well, we did want to change the world as we knew it because domestic violence was commonplace, though never spoken of at the time, and victims of sexual assault had no supports and were blamed for the behaviour of their attackers.

Thank goodness those activist women persisted, and others have come along since to keep these safe places going in spite of perpetual underfunding, because today we are still struggling with violence against women and gender-nonconforming folks, femicides and rapes that are still routinely blamed on the victims. And if those victims are racialized, especially those who are Indigenous or Black, then they will be doubly blamed—particularly in our court systems—because being racialized is often reason enough to be beaten down and cast aside.

We call these things sexism and racism and say that we want to celebrate diversity, but talking about diversity doesn’t acknowledge the root of the problem. Sexism and racism aren’t here because people look or act a bit differently from ourselves. They are tools to take what would not otherwise be freely given. They are here because of beliefs in entitlement—beliefs that some people have the right to dominate others, that some have the right to punish those who deviate from gender-based norms or the right to punish those who don’t go along with what someone has decided they should be doing.

I’m thinking at this particular moment, actually, of the Indigenous communities that are being told, “We know best,” even if it takes being run over by a bulldozer to get their agreement.

I want to turn now towards those people and organizations in northwestern Ontario who put themselves on the line every day to provide safe spaces and name the residential shelters of northwestern Ontario. These are Beendigen and Faye Peterson House in Thunder Bay, First Step Women’s Shelter in Sioux Lookout, the Geraldton women’s shelter in Greenstone, Hoshizaki House in Dryden, Marjorie House in Marathon, New Starts in Red—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. I want to thank the member for her presentation.

The next member’s statement.

Construct skills training

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: Last December, I had the privilege of attending the second-year anniversary event for Construct, a social enterprise by Blue Door. It was held at their brand new training space in my riding located in Aurora. Construct is a proven solution to end homelessness. It provides individuals at risk or who have experienced homelessness with in-class training and hands-on experience in the construction industry.

Both youth and adults are given the opportunity to improve their lives by gaining financial stability and affordable housing through a well-paying career. Construct is working to turn insecurity into permanent change by connecting participants with apprenticeships and opportunities with contractors and unions. Since Construct’s launch in 2020, which was made possible by our government’s support through a grant of over $1.3 million, they have seen over 200 trainees go through the program, which has helped participants find over 120 well-paying construction jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to thank our government for providing the funding. The positive impacts on people’s lives resonate throughout my community.

Women’s employment

MPP Jamie West: Today is International Women’s Day. Today, we remember that International Women’s Day was inspired by working women.

Today, we remember that, in 1908, 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York to protest unfair working conditions.

Today, we remember that, in 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed 146 workers in 20 minutes. Today, we remember that most of the workers were Italian or Jewish immigrants aged 14 to 23. Today, we remember that these workers were trapped behind locked doors, trapped out of reach of firefighter ladders. Today, we remember these workers died from the fire, these workers die from smoke inhalation, and today we remember that 62 of these workers died by leaping from factory windows to the pavement below. These workers died because the doors were locked to prevent worker theft.

These workers died because the doors were locked to prevent union organizers from entering. The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed 146 garment workers in 20 minutes, and from those ashes International Women’s Day was reborn.

Speaker, we are legislators. If we want to truly celebrate International Women’s Day, let us honour the workers who died. Let’s write labour laws that make it easier to join a union. Let’s write labour laws that demand better working conditions, demand better wages and demand better safety.

We are legislators. Let’s truly celebrate International Women’s Day and make life better for Ontario’s workers.

Village Media

Mr. Ross Romano: Earlier this month, I was able to make a Northern Ontario Heritage Fund announcement in the digital tech sector in beautiful Sault Ste. Marie. Village Media was a recipient of two separate grants, totalling nearly $130,000, that were used to upgrade their Sault Ste. Marie facilities and assist in the purchase of technology and communications equipment.

Ontarians may recognize names like SooToday, OrilliaMatters, StratfordToday and many other digital media platforms that are based at their headquarters on Queen Street in my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie.

And Village Media does not stop there. They own and operate local news sites in a number of markets and also provide technology, consulting and fulfillment services to strategic media partners.

Village Media has grown to become a worldwide media company, with outlets across Canada, the United States and even Nigeria.

I would like to congratulate Jeff and the entire Village Media team on the newest Village Media outlet based right here at Queen’s Park, the Trillium.

International Women’s Day

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: Today, on International Women’s Day, I want to focus on real actions that this House has the power to take to support all women. To support all women, we need pay equity. This means enacting the Pay Transparency Act shelved by the Conservative government, which would have ensured that women in all sectors, such as law, technology and business, would receive equal pay for equal work.

To support all women, we need to take the housing and homelessness crisis seriously. Women don’t want to hear vague talking points about how much you love them. They want this government to find the love to actually fund shelters and fund housing that will truly support them.

To support all women, we need to reverse the cuts to sexual violence support centres and legal aid. These services heal and empower women and allow women across Ontario to access justice.

To support all women, we need to implement recommendations from the Renfrew county inquest to stop gender-based violence in Ontario, including recommendation number one, which will declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.

To support all women, we need to pass the gender-affirming health care act and ensure all women have access to the health care that they truly need and deserve.

To support all women, we need to follow the lead of provinces like British Columbia and guarantee universal, free access to contraception.

To support all women, we need to repeal Bill 124, which is sexist and wage-suppressing. That will truly support women.

Happy International Women’s Day, everyone.

March break

Mr. Mike Harris: Speaker, March break starts next week for families across my riding of Kitchener–Conestoga and, of course, across the province. Members from all parties will be heading back to their communities to connect with constituents and spend time with their families.

I want to remind everyone that when school is out, of course so are kids. With the weather warming up and school out, children will be excited to play outside and visit with friends. So keep in mind that crosswalks or intersections that normally have crossing guards during school days may not have them next week. On residential streets without a school, remember that kids will be present during weekdays. Exercise caution when near community centres, as they will be running camps and activities.

That said, there’s plenty of free family fun to be had across Waterloo region.

Speaker, 3-on-3 basketball tournaments are taking place nightly at community centres across Kitchener. Participation is open to kids aged 12 to 17, and you can register at the door.

In addition, a number of local arenas across Waterloo region are holding free March break skates. There is a free skate on Sunday, March 12, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. at RIM Park. You can also check out the city of Waterloo and the city of Kitchener websites for more information.

Kitchener Public Library has hockey skates that you can borrow from the Central Library on Queen Street North. Waterloo has a similar program at the Eastside branch of the Waterloo Public Library.

Local libraries are another source of activities for little ones, as well.

Hospice care

Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady: I rise today to talk about an amazing group of volunteers in Haldimand–Norfolk who are working to make life better for people in the worst of human situations.

The Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice has been soldiering through the past few difficult years undeterred, with the long-term goal of building a six-bed hospice in a location central to the two counties.

Currently, we are fortunate to have Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice as well as East Haldimand Hospice providing vital palliative supports in our communities, not only in the way of medical care, but spiritual and emotional care as well.

However, right now, Haldimand and Norfolk residents have to go to Hamilton, Brantford or beyond to live in a hospice facility during their final days. Families in already stressful situations find making the trip afar challenging, and it adds to the stress and grief.

I think we can all agree that we want the very best for our loved ones, and perhaps one day ourselves, when we are faced with end of life. Hospice care provides compassion, quality and dignity.

Locals are finding unique ways of fundraising for the Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice, which comes with a steep price tag of about $14 million. The group will undoubtedly reach its goal, but is asking the province to lend a hand with respect to operating costs. The estimated cost of operating the six-bed hospice would ring in around $1.5 million annually.

I am asking this government, in its upcoming budget, to have a good look at the many benefits and value of investing in end-of-life care across Ontario.

Skills training

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Mr. Speaker, in my riding we used to have a high school called Western Secondary School. It was a skilled trades high school, the only one in my riding, and the Liberals shut it down.

By contrast, this PC government invests and believes in the skilled trades, and that’s why we have the Skills Development Fund, which we use to help purchase machines for high schools. Some of the high schools in my riding that have benefited from this fund are Belle River District High School, Sandwich Secondary School, Kingsville District High School and North Star High School. They have received CNC milling machines, plasma cutters, lathes, desktop milling machines, high-precision conventional milling machines, lathes with readouts and more.

I want to thank the Minister of Labour and Skills Development for these fantastic investments in our young people and skilled trades because as we say often, when you have a skilled trade, you have a job for life.

International Women’s Day

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I want to wish all members in this assembly, particularly the female members, a happy International Women’s Day and I want to stand here to recognize the talented women, not only who sit in this assembly, but the talented women who are behind the male members of this assembly, as well as the non-binary members of this assembly.

This Parliament finally boasts what I would consider the most diverse and the most equitable that we’ve ever seen. We still have a lot more to do, but we should celebrate where we have come. And I can say that, Speaker, because this month I will celebrate 17 years in this assembly and my daughter this Sunday turns 18. Through her eyes, I have watched this assembly grow. Through all of you, I have been able to see some of the great changes.

In fact, during the first months of my tenure here at Queen’s Park, when she was just an infant, we fought to make sure that there were change tables in the bathrooms and that we had seats for children in the restaurant. I remember her creating a security incident here because Christina Blizzard taught her that there were ghosts in the assembly and she took all of the other children and hid off in the library with them, causing a lot of parents from Nepean to be quite alarmed for the safety of their children. They were safe, and the ghosts didn’t turn out.

She once asked me if Garfield Dunlop ate peanut butter and jam sandwiches, to which I said, “I don’t know.” She said, “But does Bob Bailey?” I said, “I can guarantee: Yes.”

She has been a page on this floor. She learned to walk on the third floor of the assembly. She once had a very long and lengthy political debate with Steve Clark about whether or not Justin Bieber’s song was Never Say Never or Always Say Always. She blamed me in 2020 on her birthday for cancelling her hockey tournament when I was Minister of Sport—it apparently coincided with a global pandemic.

And she has seen me work with nine leaders of the official opposition, four different Speakers—but I’m sure she was your first; she liked you the most, I’m sure. She has seen three Premiers and six elections. And through all of that, she has become an amazing young woman and on Sunday, my little girl Victoria Varner turns 18. She’s not in the assembly with us today, but I wanted to say thank you to her for standing by me as a remarkable young woman on this International Women’s Day. Through her, I see progress and I see growth.

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that the following document has been tabled: a report entitled Ontario Health Sector: Spending Plan Review from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Will Bouma: I’d like to welcome Jason Cleugh, Lindsay Fitch, Colin Cleugh, Joe Raspa, Joel Spiridigliozzi, David McAdam, Richard Court, Charlie Lyons and Tim Schindel. Thank you for breaking bread with us this morning at the prayer breakfast.

MPP Jill Andrew: I would like to welcome Monsieur Antoine and Madame Danielle Mital and all the students visiting from l’École élémentaire catholique du Sacré-Coeur. Bienvenue au parc de la Reine. Welcome.

Mr. Trevor Jones: Please welcome members of the Ontario Dairy Council with us today, and a reminder that there is a reception in rooms 228 and 230 immediately after question period. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I would like to introduce Dr. Hava Starkman, Dr. Mary Boulos, Dr. Nour Bakhache and Liz Thompson from Cover ContraceptiON. Welcome to Queen’s Park today.

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: I’d like, this morning, to welcome a constituent of mine who I was pleased to see when I walked in, Albert Borgo, from Quality Cheese. He’s the vice-president, making cheese with Ontario milk and having it sold and distributed throughout the province of Ontario. Welcome to your House.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: I’d like to welcome Fraser Passmore to the Legislature. Fraser is a kind person who I had the pleasure of working with in my riding of Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas and can always be counted on to protect birds and rescue cats. Welcome to your House.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I just wanted to recognize someone who is friend of many in this assembly, someone who I’m very, very proud to consider a very strong woman in the place, and that is Kim Wright. Kim, it’s good to see you today.

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: I’d like to recognize a friend and colleague, Toronto city councillor, James Pasternak. Nice to see you, Chainsaw Jimmy.

Hon. Stan Cho: Four special guests—one was just mentioned now—but my best man, Jaspal Singh, and his daughter Sophie are visiting me.

As well, of course, Councillor Pasternak, I think the members from Thornhill and Eglinton–Lawrence will agree is one of our favourite councillors, as well as Jenya Drazman, his outreach coordinator for the constituency. Welcome to the Legislature.

Ms. Jessica Bell: I’d like to recognize the staff and board members of Youth Without Shelter and Helix House in University–Rosedale. They include Kim Wright, Anastasia Kemp, Emily Reign, Jacob Messam and Don Martins. Welcome to the House.

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: I’m pleased to welcome a number of members of the Ontario craft wineries who are here today: Norm Beal, Len Pennachetti, Paul Speck, Del Rollo and Erin Mitchell, as well as inviting all members to an important reception this afternoon at 5 o’clock in rooms 228 and 230. I look forward to seeing you there.

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: I see in the galleries Parkdale–High Park page Lindsay Matheson’s family: her father, brother, sister and grandma. Welcome.

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: I’m delighted to congratulate Vedant Ravilla from Oakville North–Burlington who is page captain today, and welcome his parents and family: Damodar Ravilla, Lakshmi Kanderi, Kishanth Ravilla and Bhanunathi Kanderi. Welcome.

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: I want to welcome my friend Charlie the Chaplin. He’s here every day to support members, to help members, to keep healthy faith at Queen’s Park, and we thank him for his work and help in making a prayer breakfast this morning for everyone.

Mr. Mike Harris: We haven’t had an opportunity to see her here in the Legislature over the last while, but I did hear Barbara Stevens—Barbara, it’s good to see you on TV. Thanks for tuning in today.

Mr. John Vanthof: On behalf of the official opposition, I’d also like to welcome the Ontario Dairy Council here today. Ontario dairy farmers produce the best milk in the world, and without the people who process them to make the best products in the world, we wouldn’t have the industry we have.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Youth Without Shelter to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Joining us here today are board members, directors, staff, as well as some of the youth who are visiting us from the shelter: Emily Reign, Jacob Messam and Don Martins Obioha. Welcome to the House. I look forward to seeing you after question period.

I also see my chief of staff, Alexandra Hoene, and my manager of stakeholder relations, Shaida Maleki.

Ms. Laurie Scott: Just to add on to the member from Timiskaming–Cochrane, Kawartha Dairy will be here at lunch scooping Kawartha Dairy ice cream from the great riding of Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock.

Members’ statements

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I feel compelled to remind members of standing order 33(a), and I’ll read it to you:

“Members’ Statements

“Length

“33(

a) A member, other than a leader of a recognized party in the House or a minister of the crown, may be recognized to make a statement for not more than one and a half minutes”—one and a half minutes is 90 seconds.

I’m not singling out any one member or any party, it’s just that we’ve gotten to the point where the members’ statements are considerably longer and I’m going to have to start enforcing that standing order, if need be. I hesitate to interrupt members mid-thought or mid-sentence, but I think we have to rein that in. I just want to inform the members of that fact. Thank you.

Independent members

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I recognize the member for Ottawa–Vanier on a point of order.

M me Lucille Collard: I am seeking the unanimous consent of the House that, notwithstanding standing order 40(e), five minutes be allotted to the independent members as a group to respond to the ministerial statement this afternoon on International Women’s Day.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Madame Collard is seeking the unanimous consent of the House that, notwithstanding standing order 40(e), five minutes be allotted to the independent members as a group to respond to the ministerial statement this afternoon on International Women’s Day. Agreed? Agreed.

Independent members

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Ottawa–Vanier on a second point of order.

M me Lucille Collard: Thank you for your indulgence.

I am seeking the unanimous consent of the House that, notwithstanding standing order 100(a)(iv), the independent members be permitted to share the five minutes allotted to a single member for the debate on private member’s public bill M62, standing in the name of the member for Haldimand–Norfolk.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Madame Collard is seeking the unanimous consent of the House that, notwithstanding standing order 100(a)(iv), the independent members be permitted to share the five minutes allotted to a single member for the debate on private member’s public bill M62, standing in the name of the member for Haldimand–Norfolk. Agreed? Agreed.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): It is now time for oral questions.

Question Period

Health care

Ms. Marit Stiles: Good morning, Speaker. Happy International Women’s Day.

Another day, another report showing this government’s complete failure to address Ontario’s health care needs. At nearly every turn, this government chose not to help Ontarians when they needed it most.

Today’s report from the independent Financial Accountability Office shows that this government could have kept people—107,000 people—from waiting in pain. They could have protected our loved ones in long-term care. They could have kept emergency rooms open for when people so desperately needed them—and, Speaker, there were 145 unplanned emergency room closures last year. This government chose not to.

Speaker, to the Premier: Will the Premier admit his government underfunded health care as an excuse to sell it off?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health to reply.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I won’t, because the numbers in fact show that since 2018 we have increased health funding in the province of Ontario by $14 billion.

The Financial Accountability Officer is actually showing that the status quo doesn’t work and cannot work into the future. Imagine for a minute, Speaker, if we had a Liberal government—or an NDP government when they were in power—that decided not to close residency spots. In the case of the Liberal government, over 50 new physicians would be practising in the province of Ontario if they hadn’t made that decision in 2015.

We are making the investments. We are making those increases and I am incredibly proud of the work that we’ve been able to do in a very short period of time: 3,500 new hospital beds in the province of Ontario since we took power. Those beds are serving people safely, with caring and compassionate staff that will continue to be there when we need them.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Ms. Marit Stiles: The government can rattle off all the numbers they want. I’ll just share one number from this report with them—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. Government side, come to order.

Ms. Marit Stiles: —$21.3-billion shortfall for health care. There’s a number. The fact is that people are feeling the effects of this crisis across this province every day. The FAO report shows that the Conservatives’ ideological push toward a two-tier health care scheme is going to fail Ontarians. It’s failing them now. There are still not enough hospital beds and not nearly enough staff to keep them in use, and that’s in your plans. There’s no real plan to reduce wait-lists, even more emergency room closures are coming and we’ll still be 30,000 PSWs short.

So my question to the Premier, again, is, will this government abandon their plans to divert public dollars away from our hospitals and into the hands of private shareholders?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: On International Women’s Day, I have to ask if the member opposite, the leader of the official opposition, will join me in congratulating hospital providers and hospital leaders across Ontario who have successfully decreased our surgery backlog to pre-pandemic. That is a success we need to acknowledge.

We committed as a government to make sure that we were pre-pandemic for surgeries by the end of March. Because of health care workers and hospitals stepping up and making those investments, we actually achieved that goal earlier this month.

I am incredibly proud of the 50 new hospital builds, expansions and renovations that are happening right now in the province of Ontario. In Niagara, in Hamilton, in Ottawa, in Mississauga, we’re making those investments because we absolutely understand that we need to be prepared for a population that continues to grow in the province of Ontario, and an aging population.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The final supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Do you know what? If the minister wants to celebrate International Women’s Day, repeal Bill 124. Stop suppressing the wages of health care workers in this province.

The Conservatives can say that nobody is going to have to pay for health care. They’re praying that their plan is going to work, but this report tells a different story—and they have a terrible track record, Speaker. Why should anybody trust them? Because after all, this is the same government that said they’d never carve up the greenbelt. They said there was going to be no crisis in health care and that they’d never privatize it.

The people of this province deserve a government they can trust to put their needs first. The facts in this report speak for themselves. Speaker, to the Premier, will this government put patients ahead of profits?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats. I’ll remind members to make their comments through the Chair.

Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: You know, we are already seeing some innovation that is making a difference in the lives of people who are waiting for surgeries, who want to be back with their family, at their job and in their community. In December, 49 new MRIs were announced—operational funding in the province of Ontario, including hospitals that had never had an MRI before, like Collingwood General and Marine.

We have invested and we will continue to invest because we want people to have access to those diagnostic opportunities and those surgical clinics in community. When we make those investments, we see hospitals and hospital workers stepping up and doing the right thing. And I have to highlight and congratulate Bluewater Health in Sarnia–Lambton: 10 new hospital specialist doctors are starting at Bluewater Health, and that’s the kind of investment where we see we are actually making a difference on the ground and in community.

Women’s employment

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, 107,000 people waiting in pain and this government sat on $21 billion in health care funding. That’s just shameful.

I want to wish everyone in this House, especially the women, a happy International Women’s Day again, and I am reflecting on how far women and gender-diverse people have come and how far we have to go.

Nurses and personal support workers have been lauded by the government for their heroism. They hold up our health care system, they take care of our loved ones and they’re predominantly women. But this government is fighting them in court over the right to suppress their wages—shameful.

My question to the Premier is, will he drop his wasteful appeal of his government’s legislated wage gap, Bill 124?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The President of the Treasury Board.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: I want to absolutely thank the incredible work that our health care heroes are doing across this province and all the work that they have done throughout this pandemic into today. That is why, as a province, we launched the largest health human resources recruiting and training program ever by any government, Mr. Speaker. That is why nearly 12,000 nurses were registered last year, a record high for any province, for this province. And that is why we have continued to make historic investments into ensuring that our health care human resources, our health care workers are supported by this government.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, the members opposite have voted against each and every single one of those measures. We will continue to do whatever we can to support health care workers across Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: I guess that’s a no, Speaker. It’s very unfortunate. But it’s not just nurses and personal support workers, it’s education workers in the province who have faced a similar sexist fight with this government. Some 70% of CUPE’s education workers are women, and more than half of them are working additional jobs to make ends meet. Instead of giving them a fair wage, this government used the “notwithstanding” clause against them like a sledgehammer, until they were forced to learn an important lesson, I think, for this government: Women will not back down. We will not back down.

My question to the Premier is, will he stop holding down women’s wages?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity.

Hon. Charmaine A. Williams: We are getting more women into jobs, more than ever before. We are investing heavily in employment training and support so women have access to in-demand skills and opportunities. In fact, we’ve seen an increase just in December alone of gains for women in full-time employment of up to 63,000. So we are building Ontario, and women are at the forefront of that.

But, Mr. Speaker, I think what the members opposite may be failing to understand is that in order for women to have access to the support, to be in a healthy mindset to get jobs, maintain jobs, they need to feel safe. And women are not feeling safe, mainly because they don’t have a safe home to go to. We are working to build homes faster in Ontario.

Many women are staying in shelters longer, because they don’t have places to go. We’ve heard this in shelters across Ontario. I’ve been to Hastings, Oakville, Burlington—they’re saying the same thing. So, Mr. Speaker, if the members opposite really want to support women and put women’s safety and priority first, they’ll support Bill 23, our government’s—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

The final supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: I’d note, Speaker, that they never addressed the wage gap, which was my question. So that’s a no: no to women who are working in the jobs that make our communities work, no to the women that care for our children, no to the women that care for the sick and the elderly and no to every woman who does the same job as a man, because—still—women in this province are earning 70% of what men earn. You fought the midwives. You refused the call to raise the minimum wage that so many women in this province rely on. You’ve stalled progress on pay equity and pay transparency.

Again, to the Premier, will you stop fighting women who just want what’s fair?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats. Again, I will remind members to make their comments through the Chair.

The associate minister, once again, to reply.

Hon. Charmaine A. Williams: The government is dedicated to supporting equal pay for equal value, for work of equal value, and that is why we’ve been working diligently on empowering women and providing women with the supports to make sure they have all the resources to enter and re-enter the workforce.

We’re also breaking barriers for women so that they feel free to enter male-dominated jobs—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Opposition, come to order.

Hon. Charmaine A. Williams: —such as ones in skilled trades, STEM. We know those jobs pay well. Our government introduced the Supporting Retention in Public Services Act to ensure that existing pay equity gaps are not widened and to help employers meet their obligation when it comes to equal pay for equal work. So I would like to say that we also have the Pay Equity Office to ensure that we have functioning and strong complaint systems.

Mr. Speaker, wraparound supports, job training, entrepreneur supports—we’re making investments. Women are at the forefront of the post-pandemic economy, and we’re seeing women get into jobs more than ever before.

Access to prescription contraceptives

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: My question is to the Premier. I have tabled a motion today that will have a great impact for people across this province. It is time that Ontario takes an important step towards gender and reproductive equality and commits to covering prescription contraceptive care under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. We need to guarantee access to contraceptive care at no cost for anyone who needs it. This will ensure better gender equality and lead to better health outcomes. It will lower barriers to access, enabling people to make better decisions about their health and family planning.

It is my sincere hope that this government will support this motion today, on International Women’s Day.

To the Premier: Will the government follow British Columbia’s lead and introduce a no-cost prescription contraceptive policy for all residents in Ontario?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I look forward to reviewing the member opposite’s motion. We obviously are looking closely at what British Columbia has proposed. Look, I’m a firm believer that when there are good ideas, when there are innovative ideas, I am always willing to talk and have those conversations to see if and when it is appropriate.

As the member opposite would know, many private members’ bills from across all parties have been passed in the last session and in this session. We’ll continue to see whether there is validity and where we can work together on important issues like women’s reproductive health.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question: the member for Scarborough Southwest.

Ms. Doly Begum: Speaker, access to contraception is health care and offering anything other than publicly funded access is not good enough. While other provinces across the country are leading that change, lack of action from our government will make Ontario fall behind.

We know the reality. Study after study points out that existing coverage for contraceptives leaves low-income individuals, especially women from marginalized communities, behind. While this change comes at a small cost to the province, the difference it will make in the lives of those impacted will be immense.

Today is International Women’s Day and all of us in the House are focused on the important issue of gender equity. My question is, will this government commit to ensuring universal access to contraception in the upcoming budget?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I’m not sure you heard my previous answer, but I said I am happy to take a look at and make an assessment on whether this is something that Ontario should be moving forward with.

Look, our record proves very aggressively that when there are new opportunities, like the cystic fibrosis drug Trikafta—it was actually the province of Ontario that was the first to put it on the drug formulary. Luxturna is another drug that as recently as last week we have ensured that a very limited number for very important treatment is available for individuals who are suffering from blindness.

We are there with patients to make sure that as innovations happen, we can move forward on changes that are impacting people’s health and people’s lives. We are absolutely going to be there.

Public transit

Mr. Graham McGregor: My question is for the Minister of Transportation—a great minister. For the people in my riding of Brampton North, access to reliable and convenient public transit must be a priority. People of all ages and from all walks of life rely on public transit for themselves, their families and their livelihoods.

The people of our province expect transit networks to be stable and efficient. Our government must continue to deliver on its commitment to expanding Ontario’s public transit system to meet local community needs. We know where the NDP stand: They vote no time and time again as our government works to get shovels in the ground and build the transit our communities desperately need.

Speaker, can the minister please explain where our government stands and how we are making critical investments in public transit that will strengthen communities and support economic growth?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you to the member from Brampton North for the important question. Commuters deserve nothing less than a transit system that will get them where they need to go every day. That’s why, in February, I was thrilled to announce that our government is investing over $379 million for public transit in 107 municipalities across Ontario.

Our government is providing municipalities with the supports that they need to succeed. We’re investing in public transit across Ontario, including in the great city of Brampton.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Graham McGregor: Thank you to the minister for her response. A little louder for those around: “the great city of Brampton.”

It is welcome news that our government is so significantly investing in public transit. As we know, Brampton is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. As more people turn to public transit, there is no disputing that now is the time to invest in this key infrastructure. The gas tax funding will help to ensure that communities have the resources they need to continue to deliver safe and reliable transit service. After 15 years of neglect from the previous Liberal government, backed by the NDP, it is essential now that all governments work collaboratively together to provide the quality of transit service that our communities so rightly deserve.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is working with our municipal partners in supporting effective public transit?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: As the member notes, ensuring that people can get to work, home, to medical services when they need to is more than just a luxury, it’s an essential service. We’ve heard from municipalities that they need our continued support after the last few challenging years, and we’ve been there to help them every step of the way.

To further support municipalities like the city of Brampton, we’re providing a one-time additional top-up of $80 million included in this year’s funding through the gas tax program. This will allow Brampton to accommodate its growing population and its increasing ridership while supporting economic growth in the city.

With more people returning to public transit, now is the time to invest in this critical infrastructure. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re getting it done.

Health care

MPP Jill Andrew: Some 689,000 people in Ontario have eating disorders and they disproportionately impact women and girls. Sherri is one of them. Sherri has been waiting for a publicly funded adult in-patient bed since 2021. Why? Because there are only 20 publicly funded beds in Ontario. People who cannot afford to pay $30,000, $50,000, $60,000 for private care are dying on wait-lists. Last we spoke, she was still on a wait-list that was closed. I don’t want Sherri to die.

My question is to the Premier. Will this government increase adult ED beds, address the specialized staff shortage, make the temporary 14 pediatric beds permanent and create billing codes to ensure ED survivors and families aren’t paying out of pocket for the physical and mental health care they so desperately need?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

The AG report in 2016 showed that the Liberals spent $10 million to send 127 kids to the United States for eating disorder treatment. We spent $16.5 million—and we spend that annually—to make sure that they can be treated closer to home, right here in the province.

Our investments are building the supporting treatments and beds and spaces across Ontario: $8.1 million, seven beds at CHEO, five at SickKids, two at McMaster; $11.1 million annually for 20 treatment spaces in underserved communities like Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.

We are making investments to ensure that anyone who needs support in the province of Ontario gets it where and when they—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much.

The supplementary question: the member for Niagara Centre.

Mr. Jeff Burch: Speaker, through you to the Minister of Health: Jane Wigmore, a retired OB/GYN nurse from Port Colborne, reached out to my office concerned about the unacceptable four-month wait for Pap test results. She said, “It is of the utmost importance for women to get their results as soon as possible because the chances of survival depend on early detection so that treatment for diseases like cancer can begin as soon as possible.”

Jane would like to know, is it acceptable to this minister that women in this province are waiting over four months for the results of a Pap test?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: No, I don’t think it’s acceptable. I think that as we get diagnostic imaging and as we get diagnosis and information in community, we need to get those tests back quickly so that if and when there is further intervention that is necessary, that is available quickly.

We all understand—I’m sure the member opposite understands—that the faster that a person has access to treatment and testing, the faster that they can move forward on their diagnosis and treating of it. I have been working closely with our lab partners to make sure that they have a plan to ensure that those tests that are taking, frankly, too long to come back are expedited so that we can get appropriate care in Ontario.

Court facilities

Mrs. Robin Martin: My question is for the extraordinary Attorney General of Ontario. Ensuring our courts and justice system are up to date and modern is essential for a properly functioning justice system. Our government—and the Attorney General, in particular—has overseen a tremendous transformation in how courts function in Ontario. There are many modernization achievements.

Last week, our government announced the long-awaited opening of a new courthouse in downtown Toronto. The project has been in development for over nine years and replaces six justice buildings. Individuals are interested in how this new consolidated building will impact the delivery of judicial and court services.

Speaker, can the Attorney General please elaborate on how this new courthouse will provide improved justice services going forward?

Hon. Doug Downey: I want to thank the excellent member from Eglinton–Lawrence, and although I’m just the regular Attorney General, I’ll answer the question nonetheless.

By building, upgrading and modernizing our infrastructure, including the ways we deliver justice, we’re ensuring that Ontario is built to last, today and for the future. I’m honoured to talk about the new Toronto courthouse—a modern, accessible, state-of-the-art building. It brings together criminal courts from throughout Toronto, 73 judicial hearing rooms, modern technology that allows for virtual and hybrid hearings in every courtroom and upgraded security features throughout the building. It’s truly a courthouse of the future.

The new Toronto courthouse is designed to support victims and accommodate the unique needs of drug treatment, Gladue and youth and mental health courts.

Mr. Speaker, it was our government, it was this infrastructure minister, it was this Premier, that got the courthouse of the future built. I’m very proud to stand with my colleagues on this momentous occasion.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question?

Mrs. Robin Martin: Thank you to the Attorney General for his response—although, I am very impressed with the transformation we’ve seen in our court system, and that’s why I’m such a big fan.

Unfortunately, the previous Liberal government did little, really, to improve and modernize our court system, which was outdated, bureaucratic and, frankly, inconvenient. It is essential that our government provide leadership and implement a new strategy that brings Ontario’s justice system into the 21st century. Our government must focus on creating modern court services for Ontarians that work for them, especially in an increasingly digital and accessible world.

Speaker, could the Attorney General please explain how this new courthouse is accessible and better serves all Ontarians.

Hon. Doug Downey: Our government rose to the challenge of modernizing Ontario’s courts, breaking down barriers, transforming access to the justice system in Ontario. It’s all part of our plan to change the culture of the system, to identify the best path forward and to fix the problems that affect Ontarians in how they access justice in Ontario. We call this strategy Justice Accelerated, and it has informed our work in the last few years as we deliver a better justice system for everyone in Ontario.

Women’s issues

Miss Monique Taylor: My question is for the Premier. Every day, women in this province are expected to step up and fill a gap left by this government. A mother recently reached out to my office because she had to leave her job as a teacher to care for her child with autism. She was forced to switch careers, take on financial barriers and become a behavioural therapist so she could actually give her child the services that she could not get in Ontario.

A parent should be able to be a parent. They should not have to become the service provider that this government is not providing.

The Premier and his government seem to be okay with mothers having to step up and run their own program. Can the Premier tell us if this is the new expectation for mothers in Ontario?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Happy International Women’s Day to the member opposite.

Our government doubled the Ontario Autism Program budget. Nearly five times as many children are receiving services than under the previous government. That’s approximately 40,000 children receiving services.

The reality is, we are in constant communication with families, with people across Ontario about autism. And the fact that we are improving the system from what it was before—about 75% to 66% of families and youth and children with autism were not going to get any service under the previous government’s efforts, and that was supported by the NDP. So I’m questioning why you didn’t speak up earlier. This is something that our government—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Under the previous government, you did not take the action necessary to create a better program. Our government is doing that and will continue to do it.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Supplementary question: the member for Parkdale–High Park.

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: My question is to the Premier. Ontario has a serious problem in recruiting and retaining staff in licensed child care centres. The wages of child care educators, who are overwhelmingly women, are not competitive with other occupations that require a college education. To have enough educators to offer good-quality care, there is no real alternative to raising the wages—simple as that.

The Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario has urged the Conservative government to develop and implement a province-wide salary scale for registered ECEs and child care staff to address recruitment and retention issues. On International Women’s Day, will the Premier commit to that?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I appreciate the question from the member.

As the member knows and all colleagues will know, since 2018, we knew that we had to rebuild the province of Ontario, and that, of course, included child care. The member will know that we were left with a system that was completely unaffordable, that people could not access. Across the province, it was unequal—we couldn’t bring people into the system.

We worked with our partners at the federal level to ensure that Ontario had a made-in-Ontario program that brought fees down for all of the people of the province of Ontario so that families could afford child care. What does that mean? It means that families have options. More people can get back into the workforce, including women.

But we went a step further. We are consulting with ECE workers across the province of Ontario because we know how important they are. We can’t succeed if they don’t succeed. That’s why we’re consulting and we’re making sure that the program that we fought for in the province of Ontario—that this Premier, this Minister of Education, ensured that we have a better program than anywhere else in the country. Unfortunately, they voted against it, but we’re getting—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

The next question?

Amateur sport

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: My question is to the Premier. The Greater Toronto Hockey League is a non-profit organization comprised of many hockey teams providing youth with the opportunity to participate in Canada’s official winter sport. The GTHL is part of the Ontario Hockey Federation, the governing body of amateur hockey in Ontario and a provincial sports organization that receives operational funding from the province.

Parents teach their kids that team sports are a great way to have fun and learn important skills that can last a lifetime. And that’s what parents buy into when they invest in their kids, these teams and the league, financially.

However, what we are seeing is that non-profit teams within the GTHL are quietly being sold and bought, under the cover of darkness, for millions of dollars.

Can the Premier tell us what kind of financial oversights are in place for the provincial sport organizations they govern, including the GTHL?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To respond, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

Hon. Neil Lumsden: Thank you for the question, and I couldn’t agree with you more with respect to when it comes to our youth and sport. One of the biggest drivers for the development of young people in sport: learning how to deal with people, teammates, understanding direction, understanding that things aren’t easy and they’ve got to work through things.

When we talk about the funding of the PSOs, which we do in a very successful way in Ontario, we allow them to get better at the levels they want to—that they need to provide the services that they provide.

You asked about oversight. We don’t feel a need at this point to go into the books to find out what every minor hockey, football or soccer organization does. If there’s a problem, we will look into it, but at this point, it’s only speculation. So I can’t get into that right now with specifics, but I will tell you that our ministry supports minor sport for all the right reasons and will continue to do so in the province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question?

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: These transactions should be publicly available so that parents and players can understand where the proceeds are going and who is benefiting. The finances for the OHF and GTHL can be found on their websites, but unfortunately, this is not the case for the non-profit organizations within the GTHL, the largest minor hockey league in the world, with 500 teams and over 40,000 players. It’s a huge part of my community of Beaches–East York. Even my husband was a coach and my son a player.

Parents want their children to be healthy, happy, safe and active. They trust that when they provide them with an opportunity to participate in Canada’s game, there will be transparency and accountability. Will the Premier show Ontario taxpayers, parents and kids the respect they deserve and shed light on these significant transactions? Because it’s not clear who is benefiting, and parents want to know. Will the Premier help us follow the money trail?

Hon. Neil Lumsden: Again, thanks for the question. It’s an interesting one, as a parent and as a guy who coached in the Burlington rep hockey system for about 20 years and other associations around Ontario in minor sports. I found that when I had meetings with parents, on all fronts, whether it was for the organization or about how we were teaching and directing our young people, regardless of the sport, and they wanted to take it past the ice surface or the field, that questions should be directed at the organization if there are concerns on how the organization is being run.

So I’d suggest to those parents, as I would do myself as a parent, that if I have concerns, I’d be calling the office of the GTHL.

Infrastructure funding

Mr. Aris Babikian: My question is to the Minister of Infrastructure. Under the leadership of the Premier and this minister, our government continues to deliver on our commitment to actively build infrastructure projects in communities across the province. The essential work being done by the province’s construction sector is critically important, yet they are encountering some challenges.

Within the current economic climate, it is all but certain that project costs could escalate due to a number of external factors. Nevertheless, it is essential that our government continues to prioritize projects that modernize our province’s public assets.

For the good of Ontario’s economic prosperity, job creation and the health and well-being of Ontarians, can the minister please explain how our government is investing in infrastructure projects while navigating the effects of global economic uncertainty?

Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you to the member for the question. Challenges such as inflation, rising costs of products, materials and supply chain disruptions are all real challenges that we’re facing here in Ontario, but also across the world. Our government, as a team, made a decision to face these challenges head on and forge ahead and continue to build Ontario.

Last week, we updated the P3 pipeline, which includes 38 major infrastructure projects which include an estimated value of $35 billion. Mr. Speaker, there’s some good news here, as two projects previously in pre-procurement now have gone to the market, where builders can make their submissions to Infrastructure Ontario: the Garden City Skyway twinning in Niagara, as well as the Ottawa Civic Hospital, one of our larger hospital expansion projects. Mr. Speaker, this is not a time to hesitate or delay. It is a time to build Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Mr. Aris Babikian: Speaker, as the population continues to grow in my riding, it is critical that we build the necessary services to support their needs. Transit, highways, schools and long-term-care projects are important to the families and the people of my community. Under the previous Liberal government investments in expanding transit and improving health care facilities were not a priority. Sadly, the communities in my riding of Scarborough–Agincourt were left behind, as were many others across the province.

People deserve better and they are counting on our government to strengthen Ontario’s communities by investing in critical infrastructure. Can the minister please explain how our government is delivering on the promise of building public infrastructure that supports the local needs of communities?

Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you to the member.

Mr. Speaker, can I take a second to wish my parliamentary assistant, the MPP from Scarborough–Rouge Park, a very happy birthday today? I know this is something that’s very, very close to his heart: Another P3 pipeline update is the Scarborough subway extension. We are now taking that contract off the pipeline because it has been awarded—the stations, rail and systems contract. This will now go into the partnership phase, where there will be a 12-to-18-month period where the contract owner—the province of Ontario—as well as the selected builder will work collaboratively to address risk and price.

I know how excited the people of Scarborough were when Minister Mulroney, the Minister of Transportation, was ther