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May 4, 2026

44th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2026-May-04 (PDF)

L068 - Mon 4 May 2026 / Lun 4 mai 2026

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 4 May 2026 Lundi 4 mai 2026

Royal assent / Sanction royale

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

Opposition day motion

Orders of the Day

Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la construction de l’aéroport Billy Bishop

Correction of record

Members’ Statements

Brandon Malcolm / Tyler Harrison

Worth Fighting For campaign

Eric Roher

Hospital funding

Freedom of the press

Health care

Vision Health Month

Municipal elections

Pediatric palliative care

Introduction of Visitors

Brandon Malcolm

Question Period

Government accountability

Government accountability

Government accountability

Government accountability

Hospital services

Freedom of information

Government investments

Justice system

Land use planning

Northern Ontario development

Northern airports

Government jet

Agri-food industry

Government accountability

House sittings

Deferred Votes

Protecting Ontario’s Workers and Economic Resilience Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 pour protéger les travailleurs et la résilience économique de l’Ontario

Fair and Free Elections Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 pour des élections libres et honnêtes

Opposition day motion

Birthday of member’s mother

Introduction of Visitors

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Justice Policy

Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy

Standing Committee on Social Policy

Introduction of Bills

Lydia’s Law (Accountability and Transparency in the Handling of Sexual Assault Cases), 2026 / Loi Lydia de 2026 (responsabilité et transparence dans le traitement des cas d’agression sexuelle)

Fair Prices and Tax-Free Groceries Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur les prix équitables et les produits alimentaires non taxés

Petitions

Traditional Tibetan medicine

Health care workers

Transportation infrastructure

Sexual violence and harassment

Student assistance

Ontario economy

Health care workers

Education funding

Sexual violence and harassment

Health care workers

Student assistance

Opposition Day

Freedom of information

Orders of the Day

Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 donnant la priorité à la réussite des élèves

The House met at 0900.

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

Prières / Prayers.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): You may be seated.

Royal assent / Sanction royale

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I beg to inform the House that in the name of His Majesty the King, the Administrator has been pleased to assent to a certain bill in Her Honour’s office.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Mr. Christopher Tyrell): The following is the title of the bill to which Her Honour did assent:

An Act to implement Budget measures, to enact, amend or repeal various statutes and to revoke various regulations / Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires, à édicter, à modifier ou à abroger diverses lois et à abroger divers règlements.

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I beg to inform the House that, during the adjournment, the following document was tabled: a report entitled Ontario’s Labour Market in 2025, from the Office of the Financial Accountability Officer of Ontario.

Opposition day motion

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Sudbury on a point of order.

MPP Jamie West: Under standing order 55, “no motion, or amendment, the subject matter of which has been decided upon, can be again proposed during the same session.”

I’m asking the Speaker to rule on whether Ontario NDP opposition motion number 3 and Bill 105, standing in the name of the member for Ottawa South, engage the same question rule.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Does anyone wish to speak to the point of order?

I will reserve my ruling on this point of order.

Orders of the Day

Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la construction de l’aéroport Billy Bishop

Mr. Sarkaria moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 110,

An Act to enact the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 / Projet de loi 110, Loi édictant la Loi de 2026 sur la construction de l’aéroport Billy Bishop.

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

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Thank you very much, and good morning, Madam Speaker. Before I start, I’d like to note that I will be sharing my time with the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation.

Once again, thank you, Madam Speaker, for this opportunity to speak before this House on a very critical piece of legislation.

At a time when President Trump’s tariffs are taking aim at Ontario workers and businesses, our government has a clear plan to protect Ontario. We are building a province that is more competitive, more resilient and more self-reliant so that Ontario can stand up to economic uncertainty.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is investing nearly $100 billion on the transportation infrastructure of tomorrow—from highways, bridges, transit across this province. These investments are creating good-paying jobs, strengthening supply chains, reducing gridlock and making it easier for workers, families, businesses and visitors to get where they need to go quicker and faster, which brings me to why we are here today.

We’ve tabled the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act to help unlock the full potential of one of Ontario’s most important transportation assets. This proposed legislation marks an important step in the province’s plan to support the long-term modernization and expansion of Billy Bishop airport, giving travellers more choice, more convenience and more affordable options.

Billy Bishop airport currently serves approximately two million passengers each year, connecting Toronto to more than 20 cities across Canada and the United States. It contributes nearly $900 million to Ontario’s GDP, and it generates $1.8 billion in economic output annually. It supports essential services such as Ornge air ambulance operations and helps people connect to the urgent care they need, when every minute matters.

But we know that Billy Bishop can do more, especially when it is fully utilized. As Ontario grows and as travel demand continues to increase across this province and across this country, we need more capacity, we need more competition, and we need better options for passengers. We need to reduce the pressure on Pearson airport. We need to support more routes and cheaper flights. And we need to make sure Toronto and Ontario have the transportation infrastructure to compete with the world’s leading jurisdictions.

Under the Toronto Port Authority’s modernization plan, Billy Bishop could serve millions more passengers each year, with runway enhancements to accommodate modern jet aircraft, improvements to the terminal building, and better access to Toronto’s waterfront. An expanded Billy Bishop could attract 10 million passengers annually and contribute up to $8.5 billion to Canada’s GDP each year by 2050. It would also support close to 23,000 jobs in Ontario’s construction sector alone.

For travellers, an expanded Billy Bishop would provide more routes, more convenience, cheaper flying options. For Toronto, it would strengthen a waterfront airport that can compete with world-class cities around the globe. And for Ontario, it would create more jobs, more investment, stronger tourism and a more competitive economy. This would be a game-changer for the millions of tourists who visit our province each year and the millions of business travellers who come to Ontario to invest and create jobs.

With Ontario’s population expected to reach and exceed 20 million by 2051, it’s critical that we build the transportation infrastructure needed to support that growth.

By supporting the modernization and expansion of Billy Bishop airport, our government is taking another bold step forward in our plan to protect Ontario and deliver the world-class infrastructure Ontario families and businesses depend on.

The legislation we’ve tabled, if passed, would allow the province to take over the city of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport and take ownership of the city-owned lands at the airport in exchange for fair compensation.

As part of the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026, city-owned parcels of land have been identified to support future airport expansion. The province is working with the Toronto Port Authority, Transport Canada, and the city of Toronto to complete the necessary due diligence, including carefully assessing each of those parcels and developing a fair compensation framework. Of course, any decisions on land requirements will be informed by the due diligence process, in collaboration with our partners.

There is way too much at stake for Ontario to move slowly. With our population expected to exceed over 20 million people in the coming years, we need to expand air travel options for Ontarians and visitors to our province. We need more competition in the air travel sector to support more routes, cheaper flights. And we need to support thousands of good-paying jobs in Ontario’s aviation, tourism and construction sectors. In the face of mounting economic uncertainty, we cannot afford to accept the status quo. We need to build faster, work smarter and get critical infrastructure built.

People have talked about expanding Billy Bishop for years. Our government is taking action. Now is the time to unlock Billy Bishop’s full potential. And we are not alone in saying that. An open letter supporting Billy Bishop’s long-term future has been signed by 77 leaders across more than 24 industries, sectors and communities. That includes voices from business, tourism, labour, health care, aviation—tourism and Toronto’s competitiveness. And our government agrees.

But while business leaders, tourism operators, labour leaders, health care partners and community organizations are calling for action, the NDP are writing letters to Ottawa to block it. That tells you everything you need to know.

If the NDP and the Liberals were in charge, Ontario would never build anything. They would rather stop progress than support more jobs, more routes, cheaper flights and a stronger economy.

Our government is choosing to chart a different path. Expanding Billy Bishop airport will strengthen Ontario’s economy and strengthen Toronto’s economy. People from around the world want to visit here, invest here, do business here. But a growing, global city needs world-class transportation infrastructure. That is why our government has made this historic decision to invest in Toronto’s long-term success.

We have worked with our partners on various deals to benefit this city. We signed the $1.2-billion new deal for the city of Toronto and Ontario to support the city’s finances, build critical infrastructure and keep people and goods moving. As part of that agreement, ownership and maintenance of the Gardiner Expressway and DVP are being transferred to the province to ensure these vital highways remain safe, reliable, toll-free and in good repair. The Gardiner Expressway and DVP are nationally significant economic corridors tied to the provincial highway network, facilitating domestic and international trade, boosting GDP and supporting millions of visitors to Toronto annually.

Supporting the expansion of Billy Bishop airport is another example of our government taking action to drive growth across this city and province. It would help reduce pressure on Pearson airport, welcome more travellers directly into Toronto’s downtown core, and strengthen Toronto’s position as a global destination for jobs, investment and opportunity.

But airports do not operate in isolation. They are part of a broader transportation network. When someone lands in Toronto, they need reliable ways to get around the city for work, for meetings, and to get to hotels, restaurants, hospitals, attractions and communities across this province. They need roads and highways that move. They need public transit and regional rail that connect to each other.

That is why our government is investing nearly $100 billion to enable that growth in transportation infrastructure across Ontario, including more than $30 billion to build, repair and expand highways, roads and bridges, to fight gridlock and to keep people and goods moving.

Madam Speaker, two summers ago, we provided $73 million in provincial funding to speed up construction on the Gardiner Expressway. Thanks to our investment, construction on the Gardiner was completed more than a year and a half ahead of schedule. That saved Ontario’s economy over $270 million by getting drivers and goods out of gridlock more than a year sooner than originally planned. And the 140,000 drivers who use the Gardiner Expressway every single day are now saving up to 22 minutes per trip each way.

We’re building priority highway infrastructure like the 413 and the Bradford Bypass, which will save drivers across the GTA up to a half hour per trip—that’s five hours per week back into the time of those who want to spend it with family, friends, or doing the things that they desire.

We are twinning the Garden City Skyway on the QEW—a vital link to Niagara Falls and two international borders—and assessing the feasibility of a new driver-and-transit tunnel expressway under Highway 401 to fight gridlock on one of the most congested highway corridors in North America.

In addition, we’re laying the groundwork to widen sections of Highway 401 between Kitchener and Milton, Durham region and Port Hope.

We’re setting the stage to widen a

section of Highway 400 in Barrie, as well.

We’re also building better public transit for people travelling across the province. We’re investing $70 billion—which is the largest expansion in public transit, not just in Ontario’s history, not just in Canada’s history, but in North America. It includes one of the largest subway expansions in Canadian history. We are building new subways, new LRTs and rail networks that will transform the way people travel across this province for generations to come.

Most importantly, we are delivering results for Ontarians.

Earlier this year, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT opened to the public, slashing travel times from Kennedy station to Mount Dennis station by almost one hour.

The Finch West LRT is up and running, bringing 230,000 people within walking distance of reliable transit and moving more than 50,000 riders each weekday.

We’re also building historic generational projects like the Ontario Line, a project that will move 400,000 people every single day when it is operational and running; the Scarborough subway extension, giving the people of Scarborough access to rapid transit that they were denied under previous governments; the Yonge North subway extension; and the Eglinton Crosstown West extension. These projects will reduce gridlock, cut travel times, and connect more people to jobs, housing, education and, most importantly, opportunity.

Madam Speaker, we are also expanding regional rail. Through our GO expansion, we are working to deliver two-way, all-day service on GO Transit’s busiest rail routes. GO extensions will bring new and improved service to communities in Durham region, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton and Niagara.

Earlier this year, our government broke ground on a historic project, the Bowmanville extension. We launched the first-ever weekend service between Kitchener and Toronto. We started construction at the Caledonia GO station, which will connect riders on the Barrie line to TTC bus services and the Eglinton Crosstown. And we finished construction at the Confederation GO station in Hamilton, connecting thousands of daily riders to rail and bus services that they can count on. We are building an integrated transit network that makes it faster, easier and more affordable to get you where you’re going.

Madam Speaker, Billy Bishop airport fits directly into that work. More visitors and business travellers will mean more demand on Toronto’s roads, highways and transit systems. People expect to have those transportation options when they arrive in Ontario, whether they are travelling by transit, by rail or by car.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is building the connected transportation network our growing province needs—transportation infrastructure that was neglected by previous governments for far too long, who built absolutely nothing.

That is why the legislation before this House is so important. Through this legislation, our government is helping to unlock Billy Bishop’s full potential so we can bring options to air travellers across this province—cheaper flight options, more routes, more convenience to the millions of people from across Ontario who will use this airport every single year.

An upgraded airport on the waterfront would help the city and province compete with world-class cities across the globe—take, for example, Chicago, O’Hare and Midway; New York, JFK and LaGuardia; London, Heathrow and London City. World-class cities have built the transportation infrastructure to position them to be competitive.

We have to support tourism and business travel across Ontario and, most importantly, support the creation of thousands of jobs that will come through this expansion, from a construction perspective, but also from airport operations.

This is another practical step in our plan to protect Ontario, strengthen our economy and keep our province moving forward.

Madam Speaker, with that, I will turn it over to my colleague and friend Parliamentary Assistant Bresee.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): I recognize the member from Hastings–Lennox and Addington.

Mr. Ric Bresee: I want to start by expressing my appreciation to Minister Sarkaria for outlining our government’s plan to unlock the full potential of Billy Bishop airport.

Speaker, our government understands the important role that Billy Bishop airport already plays here in Toronto and for Ontario and for all of Canada. It connects passengers to more that 20 cities across Canada and the United States, and in doing so, it supports thousands and thousands of jobs. It helps to bring business travellers, tourists, and, most specifically, it brings investment into the heart of Toronto. It gives passengers another option in a region where travel demand continues to grow and grow. We believe that there is a clear opportunity to build on that success.

Billy Bishop can help bring more travel options to Toronto, support more good-paying jobs and, ultimately, strengthen Ontario’s economy.

That’s why we’ve tabled this legislation. If passed, the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act would allow the province to take over the city of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement that governs that airport and, in doing so, take ownership of the city-owned lands at the airport in exchange for fair compensation, marking an important step in our government’s plan to support the long-term modernization and expansion of Billy Bishop Airport.

Madam Speaker, the goal here is very clear: We want to support more travel options for passengers. We want to reduce the pressure on Pearson airport. We want to increase competition in the air travel sector. And that, in turn, will do something else we want. We want to help bring down costs for consumers and support good-paying jobs in aviation, tourism and in construction.

Toronto is a world-class city. It deserves a world-class airport in the downtown core—an airport that welcomes travellers from around the globe to experience all that Toronto and this great province has to offer, whether they are here for business or for pleasure. For far too long, people have simply settled for less.

They said we couldn’t fly jets out of Billy Bishop airport. This government, under the leadership of the Premier and our fantastic minister, says, why not? Why not throw our support behind an expansion project that will generate billions and billions of dollars in economic output for our province and for our country? Why not support thousands of good-paying jobs in Ontario’s aviation, tourism and construction industries?

By tabling the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, we are taking the next step in our government’s work to unlock Billy Bishop airport’s full potential.

Interjections.

Mr. Ric Bresee: And yes, contrary to what the members opposite are saying, it needs that full potential expansion to support modernization and that expansion.

Currently, Billy Bishop serves approximately two million passengers annually. The airport connects Toronto to more than 20 cities across Canada and the United States and currently generates $1.8 billion in economic output per year, contributing $900 million to our gross domestic product right here in Ontario. Despite the opposition, Billy Bishop airport supported 9,000 good-paying jobs. These are numbers that show Billy Bishop is not only a vital transportation hub for us, but an actual economic driver in our province.

But those numbers are just a glimpse of what we can expect after Billy Bishop’s expansion. Under the Toronto Port Authority’s modernization plan, the Billy Bishop airport would serve up to 10 million passengers annually by 2050. Expanding and modernizing that airport would generate up to $140 billion in economic output over the next 25 years. This is awesome.

The expansion would generate more jobs, attract more investment to our province and enhance regional and international connectivity to Toronto.

Once Billy Bishop airport is fully expanded, the Toronto Port Authority estimates the airport’s activities would contribute up to $8.5 billion—billion—to Canada’s economy by the year 2050. Expanding the airport is expected to support 23,000 jobs in Ontario’s construction sector alone; that’s in addition to the job growth that we’d see in the aviation and tourism sectors. Given these numbers, how can we say no to an opportunity like this?

Our government was elected on a promise to protect Ontario, a promise to build Ontario into the most competitive jurisdiction in the G7. And we’re taking the steps to do just that, by tabling the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act.

Speaker, it is our duty as a government to ensure that we have the transportation infrastructure to support our growing population. It’s predicted that Ontario’s population will exceed 20 million people by the year 2051.

We need to invest in Billy Bishop airport to keep pace with growing travel demand all across the sectors. Billy Bishop airport is an important and currently underused part of Ontario’s transportation network.

With an upgraded airport on the waterfront, Toronto and Ontario will be able to compete with world-class cities all across the globe, supporting tourism and business travel for all of Ontario, and creating thousands of new jobs for Ontario workers. This is incredibly important.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government has been making historic investments in transportation infrastructure to keep our people and our goods moving.

Since day one, we’ve worked to tackle the gridlock in Toronto, which currently costs our province billions of dollars every year—I think the last estimate was $56 billion a year that that gridlock costs us. We recently provided $73 million in funding to the city to accelerate construction on the Gardiner Expressway. The result was that that work was completed more than one year ahead of time—a government program more than one year ahead of time—and in doing so, saved Ontario’s economy more than $273 million, saving 140,000 daily drivers up to 22 minutes per trip. That’s significant productivity improvement.

We’re restoring vehicle lanes on some of the city’s busiest streets so that drivers spend less time in gridlock and more time at home with their families.

We’re studying the feasibility of building a driver-and-transit tunnel underneath a

section of the 401, running from Scarborough to Mississauga, on one of the most congested highway corridors in all of North America.

We’re moving forward to harmonize municipal road-building standards so Toronto and other cities across the GTA can build roads faster, more efficiently.

Speaker, these are bold and forward-thinking measures that our government is eager to embrace as we continue to work to keep people moving.

We’re investing $30 billion to build, repair and expand highways, roads and bridges all across this province.

Construction is already under way to build Highway 413, which will save drivers in York, Peel and Halton regions up to 30 minutes per trip—I’d like to save that in my driving.

The Bradford Bypass will save drivers in York region and Simcoe county up to 35 minutes per trip.

We’re twinning the Garden City Skyway—twin that bridge on the QEW, improving traffic flow along that very vital route to Niagara Falls.

And Madam Speaker, our work doesn’t stop there. We’re widening Highways 11 and 17 in northern Ontario, including more than 100 kilometres between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.

We’re continuing our work on Highway 69 between Parry Sound and Sudbury, where 84 kilometres have already been expanded to four lanes.

We’re adding passing lanes, truck climbing lanes and safety improvements on key northern routes.

And we’re moving forward with our 2+1 highway pilot in the northeast to improve passing opportunities and to help reduce the risk of serious collisions.

Speaker, one of the things I’m very excited about: We’re also restoring the Northlander, giving northern communities another way to connect to jobs, health care, education, and, ultimately, to opportunity.

Whether it’s by road, by rail or by air, our government is giving people across Ontario more options to get where they need to go safely and reliably.

Billy Bishop airport has an important role to play in connecting communities all across Ontario to downtown Toronto and beyond.

Our government has also invested close to $15 billion in GO Transit to make it easier for people to get to where they’re going all across the GTA region—larger region, even. Thanks to these investments, it’s easier than ever for people travelling through downtown Toronto to get to Niagara, to Hamilton, to Kitchener-Waterloo, to Durham, and even beyond that.

This summer, we’re launching GO train service from Toronto to Stratford—

Interjections.

Mr. Ric Bresee: —I knew some would love that—improving access to the Stratford Festival, supporting tourism, local businesses and, once again, creating jobs.

We’re expanding service to new communities and making it easier to travel across the GO network.

Our GO Expansion Program will deliver two-way, all-day service on GO Transit’s busiest rail routes, while our GO extensions will expand service in Hamilton and Niagara, Durham region, and Kitchener-Waterloo.

Our government has completed upgrades to the West Harbour GO station that are now saving commuters in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines 15 minutes per round trip—again, significant savings, getting people home, getting people to work faster.

We’ve finished construction at Confederation GO station in Hamilton, opening up a new transit hub connecting riders to bus and rail services.

And we introduced the first-ever weekend service between Kitchener and Toronto. I know I want to take advantage of that.

We recently broke ground on the Bowmanville extension, another major project that will extend GO rail service deeper into Durham region, continuing that expansion program.

Each of these milestones is part of our plan to give people more ways to move across Ontario, better ways to move across Ontario.

We’re investing $70 billion in the largest transit expansion in North America, the largest subway expansion in Canadian history. We’ve got shovels in the ground across the entire Ontario Line subway, which will give Toronto 15 new subway stations and reduce crowding on the busiest stretch of the TTC’s Line 1 subway. Wait times for the next set of trains will be as short as 90 seconds.

We’ve talked before about this being a world-class city. Having a world-class subway system is an integral part of that.

We’ve awarded a contract to design and build the twin tunnels for the Yonge North subway extension, which will extend the TTC’s Line 1 subway into Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill for the first time, transforming travel across the GTA.

We’ve broken ground on the first of three stations for the Scarborough subway extension, which will extend the TTC’s Line 2 subway for almost eight kilometres.

Construction is under way at Toronto’s East Harbour transit hub, which will connect commuters to the Ontario Line subway and the Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO lines.

Speaker, we’re continuing to build.

We’ve done all of this while making transit more affordable as well. We extended Ontario’s One Fare program, which is saving transit drivers in Toronto and beyond up to $1,600 per year—money back in people’s pockets. Again, that improves productivity and improves the commuter service by allowing commuters to transfer between the TTC, GO Transit and participating transit agencies with a single fare.

Additionally, we’ve recently tabled legislation that would lay the groundwork for One Fare 2.0, which would unlock even more savings for transit riders, even better service.

We’re investing close to $1 billion to maximize the Canadian content in new TTC subway trains being manufactured by Alstom in Thunder Bay—it’s got a personal connection to my own riding, because Alstom also has the test tracks in Loyalist township, which continue to be part of Alstom’s great work here in Ontario.

Through each of these investments, we are building a robust, reliable transit network. We are building a world-class transit network.

And by tabling the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, we’re setting the stage to build a world-class airport right on Toronto’s waterfront.

Speaker, I know where I stand on this, and I’m sure I speak for my colleagues in government when I say we are willing to do whatever it takes to make Ontario the most competitive jurisdiction in the entire G7. We have a great economy. We have strong people. We have smart people here in Ontario. Our economy is going to continue to grow. So by attracting investment, encouraging economic growth and supporting job creation, we will keep moving that bar.

As Ontarians across the province continue to stare down the barrel of the economic uncertainty that is brought to us by everything that’s going on south of the border, by everything that’s going on around the world—these challenges make our lives a little bit uncertain. But building Ontario, creating a sustainable, strong economy—the way we do that is by investing in our own future prosperity. This government will continue to do that. That need has never been greater. We will not let down the people of this province. We will stop at nothing to build, to protect Ontario.

And expanding the Billy Bishop airport will drive economic growth across Toronto and beyond for generations to come.

I want to come back to a point about the integration of our transportation systems, overall—our roads, our bridges, our subways, our trains, our rail and our airport systems. We need all of these to interconnect.

Being from eastern Ontario, I would be remiss if I didn’t brag a little bit about the eastern Ontario transportation master plan, which calls for the expansion of the 401 going east of Toronto all the way to the Quebec border. That highway, that major artery, part of the lifeblood of this province, is going to be expanded first to three lanes on each side and eventually to four lanes on each side—or six and eight, depending on how you look at it. That expansion is vital for eastern Ontario for that connectivity.

Speaker, we have a plan to make sure that we have that intermodal transportation system built, connecting our ports, our roads, our rail, and, yes, our airways, to make sure that all of the available transportation tools that the people of Ontario need are available and connected to each other. This is a vital part of our long-term plan.

That’s why we’re spending these historic amounts of money, investing in our systems all across the province.

Billy Bishop is in downtown Toronto, yes, but it will serve airports and serve the people all across Ontario. This is a vital piece, a vital step to continue to move us forward, to have the transportation networks that we require here in this province.

I know that I’ll be supporting this bill, and I hope all of my colleagues here in the House will support this bill.

With that, I’ll turn it over to my colleague the MPP from the Bay of Quinte.

Thank you very much, Speaker. I appreciate your time today.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): I recognize the member from Bay of Quinte.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: It’s a pleasure to rise in the House today to talk about the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026.

I want to start by thanking the Minister of Transportation as well as the incredible parliamentary assistant to the MTO, who is from my neighbouring riding of Hastings–Lennox and Addington and who actually had a wonderful event just on the weekend at FNTI—speaking of airports—where we invested almost $4.5 million to help support an Indigenous flight program about 20 kilometres away from my community. It is going to help dozens and dozens of students every year learn how to fly and learn how to become pilots, and to take what they learn across Ontario.

This is something that was really, deeply felt by that community because, as we know, so many of our First Nations communities across Ontario are fly-in only. So these Indigenous pilots trained at FNTI on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory will now be able to use their skills to access communities across Ontario. I just want to say, it was a pleasure to be there with you, sir, as well as with the Minister of Colleges and Universities.

As we look at Billy Bishop airport, I want to first tell a little bit of a personal story, because I think that the minister and the parliamentary assistant have already done an exceptional job of going over a lot of the details that are embodied in the bill and the economic benefits, and we’ll touch on some of those later.

This weekend, it was my daughters’ fifth birthday—both Everly and Riley. I have three daughters. The twins turned five, which was incredible. We had a big party at the AIM Gymnastics centre in Belleville. We had McDonald’s for lunch. It was just wonderful.

As a lot of parents know, when you see the world through the eyes of your children, it makes you reflect on your own life. I thought back to a birthday that really had a big impact on me, and it was the first time I actually saw Billy Bishop airport. I was 16 years old, October 13, 2008—sorry for how that makes some of the people in the audience feel. I was 16 years old, and my father picked me up from school and said we were going to a special lunch in Toronto.

Toronto always held a very special place in our hearts. My family is from Mississauga—I was born there—and at two years old, we moved out to the Bay of Quinte because my family wanted a little bit of a quieter life, and they felt that in a smaller, tighter-knit community we might have better opportunities to progress and to build those interpersonal relationships. But we always enjoyed our trips into Toronto.

You see, my mother was a dressmaker and designer, so we would often go into the textiles district, into the fashion district, to pick up all the fabrics that she needed for her customers—the different laces, the different materials, the patterns that weren’t available in our local market. So we would go into Toronto, and I was always sort of struck by this sense of wonder and awe. It always seemed like a place of possibility. And we knew, even in our community, that things that happened in Toronto had a big impact on us.

I remember, as a kid, watching Vince Carter in the slam dunk competition, and they were calling him “Air Canada.” And I thought, it’s Toronto’s team, but it’s all of our team—in the same way that this is a Toronto airport, but it’s all of our airport, and the impact that will be felt will be felt all across Ontario.

So we were driving into Toronto, and I still didn’t know where we were going for lunch. I was looking at restaurants that were passing us by, and my dad said, “Today, we’re going somewhere special. We’re going to the CN Tower.” So for my 16th birthday, we went up to the top and had lunch in the 360-degree revolving restaurant in the CN Tower. If you haven’t been before, it’s an incredible experience because you really do feel like you’re sitting on top of the world. And every hour, that restaurant revolves 360 degrees, giving you an unparalleled view of the entire city of Toronto.

Skyscrapers look like Lego buildings, and cars look like ants. It was really something that was very impactful to me.

And as we were rotating to face Lake Ontario, I saw something that I hadn’t seen before. I saw a little island, not far offshore, and I watched as planes were coming in from the horizon and landing at that airport. So I asked my dad, “What is that?” I had heard about the Toronto airport and Pearson, and I thought, “Surely that can’t be Pearson.

What is that?” He said to me, “Well, that’s Billy Bishop airport.” And that prompted a whole discussion about who Billy Bishop was and the fact that he was the greatest flying ace in Canadian history as well as in the British colonies throughout the British empire—72 victories, a complete hero. He talked about how there was a smaller airport and that they had about 240 flights land a day. It served about two million people. And as I was sitting up there and watching these planes come in—I’ve always been a person who tends to wonder. So I was sitting there and wondering, “What kind of people are on that plane?

I wonder why they’ve come to Ontario. Are these business people? Are they travellers ? Are they returning home from abroad? Maybe they’re doctors who want to work in our world-class hospitals or professors who want to come learn and teach at our world-class universities.”

So I was watching these people come in, and I was wondering, “Maybe they’re looking up at the CN Tower and they don’t even know that they’re watching me watching them”—wondering what it is that they’re doing, why did they come to Ontario? And as I was reflecting on that, it really filled me with a sense of what is possible, what could be. This tiny little airport on this tiny island at the foot of the greatest city in all of Canada, an economic driver for the entire country—these people were landing, and they were maybe going to stay in Toronto. Maybe they were returning home, but maybe they would travel a little bit further abroad in our province.

They say that on a really clear day, when you’re sitting at the top of that restaurant, you can see 160 kilometres in any direction. So as I looked to the north—

Interjection.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: The MPP from Perth–Wellington might be able to see his house from there—more on that later.

As I looked to the north, I saw the Muskokas and the beautiful, expansive green landscape. And as I looked to the west, I could see Niagara Falls. I’m not actually sure if I could see Niagara Falls—but for the story, I’m pretty sure I could see it. The member from Niagara West agrees that it’s a beautiful sight, even from that high up.

I looked out across the water, at beautiful Lake Ontario. Then, as the restaurant revolved over the course of that hour, I found myself looking back east, in the direction that we had just come from, looking back at the Bay of Quinte, only 160 kilometres away, and thinking about the importance of that connectivity, of that proximity, of the closeness that we share with such an economic powerhouse, and the ability to get goods and services, to attract investment, to attract talent, to draw for not only the GTA, but for the entire region, for all of Ontario and for all of Canada.

So I think about

an act like this and what it might mean for our province, looking towards the future.

We’ve already heard today that an investment that we could make in Billy Bishop airport over the next 25 years could bring over $120 billion in GDP into Ontario, and that by 2051, $8.5 billion worth of GDP could be generated just by Billy Bishop airport alone—and what that might mean for all of us.

Mr. Chris Glover: Let’s see the business case for that.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Is it Spadina–Fort York? I just want to make sure that everything you say is captured on the Hansard, as well, so we can have a bit more of a dialogue.

I have always enjoyed these conversations that we get to have, because that’s really what this place is—a place to share ideas, to have conversations, and to let the best ideas rise to the top.

Interjection.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that, sir.

So why is it important that we expand this airport? Why not some other airport? Why not somewhere else? What does it matter? Well, think about those passengers who are landing that day, right in front of the greatest city in all of Canada, one of the greatest cities in all of the world, and where they might go from there. If we can increase that capacity, the economic output that it will generate is significant.

We know, ladies and gentlemen, that we are the number one export destination to 15 states. We’re the number two export destination to 12 other states. Our two-way auto trade in 2024 was over $127 billion. It is critically important that we’re able to connect with our partners stateside so that we can make sure that even though their federal government is putting unjustified tariffs on us—just like the

section 232 tariffs that applied to steel, aluminum, forestry products, automotives—we can make sure that those businesses stateside, those states that want to work with us have the ability to continue to do that.

Most people probably don’t realize that in the Great Lakes region alone, we have an economy of about $7.5 trillion, which, if it was its own country, would be the third largest on Earth. So when we talk about regional connectivity, that’s what we’re trying to tap into. We’re trying to tap into that investment. We’re trying to tap into that growth. We want to make sure that good-paying jobs are created right here in Ontario, and we do that through investment.

Recently, there was a story about the Premier having gone down to Texas and having multiple meetings in the same day in, I believe, three different cities. He was able to secure $6 billion of investment and bring that back into Ontario. Think about what that means for our economy. In economic development, we get to see a lot of numbers go by all day long. You look at the investments and you look at the job creation—and often, it costs nearly a million dollars to create a single job.

A $6-billion investment could create upwards of 6,000 jobs in our province at a time when we need them most, at a time when we are most challenged by global uncertainty, at a time when we are facing threats from our nearest trading partner, the likes of which we have never seen before.

Not only does it facilitate our investment attraction from the United States, but we must also remember that we are the largest internal trader in Canada. We represent 30% of internal trade in Canada. It’s important that we’re able to connect with our partners across Canada, in BC, in Manitoba, in Saskatchewan, in Alberta, in Quebec, in Nova Scotia, in Newfoundland, all the way up into the north as well. We’re talking about unlocking the Ring of Fire. We need to make sure that that connectivity is there.

We know that Pearson is already strained. Yes, there are plans to expand it, but we need to do more, and we need to dream bigger. We need to think further down the line and about what this will mean for generations to come.

As we look out to that 2050 horizon, we know that the population of Ontario is projected to expand to over 20 million people. The servicing capacity that’s needed to make sure that they can get to where they’re going, to make sure that they can bring in investment or travel for work, or whatever their needs may be, is so important. Because that connectivity—it’s not just for our commerce, but for our communities. It’s for connecting care across our province. And this expansion at the Billy Bishop airport gives us the opportunity to do that in a very meaningful way.

Madam Speaker, when we take a look at some of the investments that we’ve brought in internationally, I think it’s important to highlight that we have landed almost $222 billion since this government took office, creating about 350,000 jobs in Ontario just through foreign direct investment alone. That includes $35 billion of investment in 2025 from 750 international companies, creating 64,000 good-paying jobs for the people of Ontario. That builds on another banner year that we had in 2024, when 409 international companies invested $40 billion to create 24,711 jobs.

This is what we’re talking about when we say how important it is to make sure that we have that connectivity, that we build that capacity, that we’re ready for our economy to grow to meet those demands of the future.

We see this in every other area of our government. We’re increasing transit capacity—the largest expansion of public transit anywhere in North America. We’re putting forward over $200 billion to build infrastructure across our province, to keep goods, services and people flowing throughout the province of Ontario—and further afield as well, throughout all of Canada, making sure that our goods can access those other markets as well.

Some of the recent wins that we can talk about—some of the members who are here today: Massilly, $85 million, 50 new jobs in Brantford, fantastic; 60 jobs in Sudbury from Sandvik, an $85-million investment; Adamsville—$138 million to create 70 jobs in Hamilton. It is so important that we’re able to continue this momentum, that we’re able to connect with companies.

As we talked about two weeks ago in question period, I found myself answering a question also about planes—a little different. But the focus was that it’s so important to be able to meet face to face. I don’t know about everyone else here, but I found that in this world, where, yes, we’re more connected than ever by the Internet—but it tends to mean a lot less. How many Zoom meetings do you have—which is just a meeting about meetings, “And we’re going to talk about talking, and we’re going to do this four more times over the next three months, and nothing is going to happen?”

Interjection.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Well, my friend from Essex says that that’s a typical NDP move. I would tend to not disagree.

It seems productive, but then you look at the end result, and there’s just nothing there.

When decision-makers can sit in the room together, that is when business gets done, that is when dollars move, and that is when investment is secured that bolsters our province, strengthens our job market, and ensures that people can go to work, make a great living, and be able to support their kids and put food on the table—and to pursue those things that they are passionate about as well in their spare time. I think that that truly is the dream of Ontario, one of the most beautiful places anywhere in the world.

We know that when you come to Ontario, no matter where you came from or who you are, you can be anything that you want to be in Ontario. This is a government that absolutely believes in that dream.

That’s why it’s so important that we continue to facilitate expansion across government services, whether it’s Billy Bishop airport; whether it’s the transit expansion, the infrastructure plan; whether it’s the $60 billion we’re putting towards hospitals—over 50 projects across Ontario.

Look at the expansion that we’re doing in long-term care to make sure that people have the compassionate care that they need when they need it most. That really has been the ethos of our government. I’m very proud to stand behind it.

We talked about investment attraction. One of these sectors that we’re really focused on is life sciences, because we know it’s a huge driver. We’ve brought in over $6 billion in the life sciences sector since we took office. It’s the largest life sciences sector in Canada. About 60% of all Canadian life sciences revenue comes from Ontario, and 53% of all the life sciences workers are right here in Ontario. We now employ more than 74,000 people across 6,700 firms. We’re looking to increase that by 2030—to bring over 85,000 people employed in our life sciences sector. Why is it an important sector for us?

Well, it generates about $80 billion a year in GDP and $12 billion a year in exports. But we need to be able to connect with those companies, with those partners. Whether they’re in the United States—in Boston, in San Diego, in San Francisco—whether they’re further afield, in Germany, in France, in Asia, we need to make sure that we can get around the table and we can sell the vision of Ontario: the fact that we have one of the best health care systems anywhere in the world, one of the best education systems anywhere in the world, one of the most skilled workforces anywhere in the world.

Interjections.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: I know the NDP doesn’t like to focus on any of those things, because they’re pretty positive. It’s a pretty negative crowd over there.

Interjection.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: I can’t tell what the member from Spadina–Fort York is saying, but I’ll mention his name so I can read it in the Hansard later.

It’s so easy to take a negative perspective. It doesn’t require anything. It doesn’t require any thought. It doesn’t require any planning. All it takes is one word, and that word is “no.”

But what about dreaming bigger? What about taking a positive action for a positive future, to facilitate growth in our province? Well, that’s a little harder, ladies and gentlemen, but that is the tack that we have taken on this side of the House.

So as they continue to say no, we continue to say, “Let’s go. Let’s build Ontario. Let’s grow our businesses. Let’s bring in investment. And let’s not be put off by the naysayers who would be happy to see nothing happen.” We know that nothing happening is not a path to the future; it’s a path to stagnation, and stagnation is decay.

We need to keep this province moving forward, and by facilitating that air connectivity, by bringing people in from the United States, bringing people in internationally, and allowing our business to access foreign markets, it can have tremendous impact.

I want to highlight some of the growth in trade that we’ve experienced. We know that we now need to turn away from the United States because of the unjustified actions that they’ve undertaken.

Let’s take a look at some of the expansions that we’ve had. Two-way trade investment since 2018: Vietnam, up 288%; Brazil, 241%; Switzerland, 132%—who doesn’t love their chocolates? United Kingdom, 194%—nearly doubling our trade with a partner that we’ve had since the inception of our nation; we have doubled it in the last eight years.

Those things matter, because one in five jobs in Ontario depends on trade. Ontario has established free market access to over 50 countries around the world, and those partnerships—you have to facilitate that. It’s like any relationship: You have to get there; you have to meet with them; you have to spend the time. You have to build those relationships, and you can’t do that without getting in the room together. It’s so important. You think about the fact that Ontario operates a network of 15 trade and investment offices in the UK, France, India, Singapore, Japan, and many other countries around the world.

At a time when we are facing pressures like we’ve never faced before, it is absolutely critical that we are able to strengthen those relationships, that we are able to work with our partners abroad and make sure that we are building a stronger economy, a more diversified economy—an economy that is less dependent on governments that no longer seem to be dependable. It is absolutely critical.

We started off with a bit of a story, and I’d like to tell another short one. A few months ago, when we were doing our SCOFEA meetings across the province to talk about the budget, we spoke to a few folks who were from the airport industry. They talked about the need for investment, and they talked about what it can mean when you invest in airports, you invest in that capacity, the economic growth. We were up in Pembroke—and I see the member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke is here today; a fantastic member, a great champion for that region. They call him “The Kid.” He’s their gunslinger in Queen’s Park.

There was a gentleman there who worked in the airport sector, and he said, “A mile of tarmac and a mile of aggregate isn’t the same everywhere.” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “If I build you a mile of highway, how far can you go?” I said, “Well, you can go a mile.” And he said, “If I build you a mile of runway, you can go anywhere in the world.”

That really is the message that we’re sending here today. By expanding that runway, by expanding that airport, by facilitating that growth—it currently employs over 9,000 people, generates about $900 million in GDP. We’re talking about 2050, creating $8.5 billion of GDP every single year. It is an incredible transformation that we are looking at. I think it’s a great investment in Ontario. It is something that will bring about incredible returns, not only in productivity, but in capacity, in building community, in facilitating care and connecting with First Nations communities across Ontario. Ladies and gentlemen, the business case could not be stronger.

I am so excited to be speaking to this act today. I look forward to supporting it, and I hope members of the opposition will support it as well.

Just remember: It’s easy to say no, but that doesn’t make it the right thing to do. We can do better. We can do more. We can say yes, and we can continue to build Ontario.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): Questions?

Mr. Chris Glover: My question will be for the Minister of Transportation.

I want to thank you for your remarks this morning.

The government is expanding Pearson airport, to go from 47 million to 70 million passengers a year. And yet, the government wants to expand Billy Bishop, which is Canada’s smallest airport—210 acres in the most congested part of the busiest city in Canada—that is already in violation of Transport Canada’s safety standards, because it’s too close to the high-rises on the waterfront and it’s too close to the birds that are on the Toronto Islands, that put us at risk of bird strikes.

So my question is, why not just invest in Pearson? Why would you destroy the downtown waterfront and put the people on the waterfront, the 28 million visitors to the waterfront, and all of the passengers in those planes at risk by expanding Billy Bishop?

Mr. Ric Bresee: I thank the member opposite for the question.

As we look to the Billy Bishop airport, we know that, as has been spoken of today, world-class cities have major airports and have the smaller airports located very close to the downtown. This is an important economic driver for the entire province, for all of the economic activity that happens here in the GTHA. We need to continue to expand all of the transportation network options, including the ability to fly out of Billy Bishop.

We recognize that there are challenges. We recognize that there are things to consider. So we will work with the Toronto airport authority and we will work with the federal government to ensure that all of these considerations are taken into account and are managed as well as possible, as we move to improve the airport for all of this province.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): Questions?

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: I want to talk about the Minister of Transportation’s comments about the great record of the Liberal government.

We built the Humber River regional hospital. We built the Niagara tunnel project. We expanded Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. We built the Toronto-York subway expansion. And of course, we actually built the UP Express that goes from Pearson to downtown Toronto.

Speaker, there are so many things wrong with this bill. Why does this government want to wreck the beautiful Toronto waterfront? I’ve had constituents email me about it. They don’t want to ruin Little Norway Park, where people like me played baseball when they were young and continue to play baseball.

And the minister didn’t talk about the Premier’s jet. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that this government wants to expand Billy Bishop airport, and then we find out that the Premier wants to land a jet there. So my question to the Minister of Transportation: Which came first, the jet or the airport?

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: I appreciate the member’s comments. She referenced the fact that there had been so much commentary about the Liberal record, and I was really impressed that she could name five things that they did over 15 years—an incredible amount of productivity. Can you imagine doing five things in 15 years?

We’re building 50 hospital projects right now. We’re building roads and highways and bridges right now. We’re bringing jobs into Ontario right now—bringing over $222 billion in investment since we first took office. I’m pretty sure they threw out $220 billion-plus of investment when they were in office. That’s the difference, when you focus on attracting things, when you focus on building Ontario, when you focus on strengthening our systems—as opposed to a Liberal government that is very proud of all five of the things that they did with their 15 years in power.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): Question?

Hon. Graham McGregor: While we’re talking about the Liberal record, we could also talk about the Peel Memorial Hospital, which they closed in 2007. I know it’s something the members opposite are very proud of.

My question is for the member for Bay of Quinte.

We’re in an important moment in Ontario. We realize that we’ve got to diversify our trade. You listed off some of the statistics about UK, Switzerland, trading partners around the world, global allies that we are furthering our economic connection with. We know this is important. It’s an important moment for Ontario, when hard-working folks need to know their job is going to be there, that they’re going to be able to put food on the table and take care of their family.

How does tying in a world-class airport in downtown Toronto, the economic hub of the province, fit into that vision of diversifying our trade and building a future economy for not only today, but looking ahead 10, 20, 30, 50 years in the future, to make sure that our province continues to be economically strong?

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Thank you to the minister for the question. It’s an incredibly important one, because we know that during this uncertain time, it is critical that we branch out, that we diversify, that we bring in new partners, that we bring in new investment, and that we set up new manufacturing facilities and new services throughout our province.

In my riding of Bay of Quinte, I had the pleasure of being with the Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce the other day, and I got to talk to the small business owners about what it means to have more opportunities to send their products to different markets, what it means to have more access to the inputs that they need from different sources so they have more price competitiveness, so that they can get lower prices so that they can make more money, which ultimately is great for our communities. In Bay of Quinte, over 50% of our economic output comes from manufacturing and logistics management.

The more that we can bring in these new companies, bring in more opportunities, keep goods and services moving, and employ people in our region, it’s only going to benefit all of us back in Bay of Quinte.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): Question?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: We all know that there’s nothing so short-sighted as paving over Little Norway Park paradise to put up a parking lot for the expansion of Billy Bishop airport. This government knows that it makes no sense to have thunderous jets land and take off every two minutes, with carcinogenic fumes falling on 28 million tourists and 100,000 waterfront residents. It makes no sense to funnel 10 million passengers down a dead-end street in Toronto when Pearson is set to expand.

My question to the Minister of Transportation is this: Did this government take away the city of Toronto’s negotiating role and island lands in order to sell out Torontonians and make the airport owners, J.P. Morgan, rich?

Mr. Ric Bresee: I really appreciate the question.

I will note, quite specifically, the proposed legislation does not authorize the immediate taking or use of city lands, including the parkland that you’re referring to. Its intent is to enable the province to consider potential future ownership, informed by due diligence that will take place over the next nine to 12 months. At this stage, no decisions have been made regarding the use of city parkland. As part of this work, the Toronto Port Authority is exploring ways to protect or enhance public access to waterfront spaces, just like we’ve done along the waterfront in Toronto all along—also improving connectivity through that multi-modal terminal. It’s incredibly important.

The member for the Bay of Quinte was talking about—we have a long list of projects that outstrips anything that the Liberals did in the previous government.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): There’s time for one more quick question and response.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: My question is to the Minister of Transportation.

Does your government actually believe in preserving and respecting our history? If so, why would the government propose paving over an important war memorial commemorating the Norwegians’ efforts in World War II, in Little Norway Park?

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Thank you to the member from beautiful Beaches–East York for the question.

This is all about history. We talked, at the beginning of my presentation, about learning about the Billy Bishop airport and about having that history lesson about who Billy Bishop was: one of our greatest Canadians, and the top fighting ace not only for Canada, but throughout the entire British Empire, throughout the entire Commonwealth.

This airport that bears his name is set to expand, which is a fantastic thing, which will facilitate more storytelling about the great person that Billy Bishop was, what he meant to Canadian history, how he fought for our country, and the 72 victories that allowed us to not only win the First World War but also set up the training for all of those pilots in the Second World War, for which he was instrumental.

So if we want to do a history lesson, I would be happy to do that. We can all learn more about Billy Bishop together.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Correction of record

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): I recognize the member for Sudbury on a point of order.

MPP Jamie West: I just want to correct my record. This morning, when I asked for a ruling on standing order number 55, I misspoke and said Bill 105—I actually misread; I meant to say Bill 104.

I’ll provide a written copy for the table and for Hansard as well, to make sure I’m correct.

Members’ Statements

Brandon Malcolm / Tyler Harrison

Hon. Steve Clark: I rise to recognize the heroic efforts of a Brockville Police Service officer.

But today, I also extend my deepest condolences to the family of Northumberland OPP sergeant Brandon Malcolm, who lost his life in the line of duty just one week ago. Sergeant Malcolm’s death reminds all of us of the risks the brave men and women of Ontario’s police forces—and all first responders—take every day they put on a uniform.

On April 23, Brockville police constable Tyler Harrison was on patrol when a member of the public alerted him to a structure fire involving two houses. Without hesitation, he bravely entered both burning residences to check if there was anyone inside. Upon entering the second residence, he found an occupant who had been sleeping and immediately got them out to safety. Both Constable Harrison and the resident were treated for smoke inhalation. Our outstanding Brockville Fire Department contained the blaze and, thankfully, there were no other injuries.

But if not for Constable Harrison’s heroic action, the blaze could have resulted in a tragedy. His bravery is a very powerful example of what our first responders do every single day: They run toward danger to keep us safe.

On behalf of our community and the riding of Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, I thank Constable Harrison for his courage and for his service.

Worth Fighting For campaign

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Today, I rise in solidarity with community support workers across Ontario and in support of the Worth Fighting For campaign. These workers are the backbone of vital services in developmental services, child welfare, mental health, addictions, community health care, and more. They support our children, families and the most vulnerable in our communities. Yet, for decades, these essential services have been chronically underfunded.

In 2024, the Financial Accountability Office estimated a $3.7-billion shortfall in funding for programs under the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. Since 2018, funding has been cut by $200 million, pushing many programs to the brink. We are now seeing layoffs, service reductions and growing wait-lists.

At the same time, these workers are amongst the lowest-paid in the public service and have been asked to do more with less. Many are working multiple jobs just to make ends meet. After the repeal of Bill 124, others in the public sector received retroactive compensation; these workers did not.

More than 70 workplaces are now bargaining, but the reality is clear: The province is the funder, and the province must act.

Workers are calling for a fair, retroactive wage increase of at least 6.5% and urgent funding to stabilize services.

Without immediate action, we risk program closures and reduced quality of care.

These workers, these services and the people of Ontario are worth fighting for, and we must act now.

Eric Roher

MPP Stephanie Smyth: I rise today to honour the life of Eric Roher, president of Holy Blossom Temple, a dedicated community leader and a dear friend.

Eric was a person who led with kindness, generosity and genuine care for others. He believed deeply in community and in the importance of showing up for people.

Through his leadership at Holy Blossom Temple, his involvement with our provincial Liberal association, and in the way he lived his life every day, Eric brought people together. He made people feel welcome, valued and supported.

Eric, along with his beautiful wife, Beth, opened his home and his heart to so many. He had a way of making everyone around him feel like they belonged. He believed in the good in people and carried that belief with him in absolutely everything that he did.

To me, Eric was not only a leader but a true friend. He was someone I could count on, someone who offered steady support and thoughtful advice, and someone who made a lasting impact on my life. I will miss him deeply.

Eric leaves behind a family who loved him so much, and he was so devoted to his children and grandchildren. Our thoughts are with them as they navigate this loss and carry forward his warmth, his values and his spirit.

He will be missed by me, by his loved ones, and by an entire community that is stronger because of him.

May his memory be a blessing.

Hospital funding

Mr. Steve Pinsonneault: I rise today to highlight an important investment in the health and future of our communities here in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex. Recently, alongside the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation, we announced a $2.5-million capital planning grant for the Wallaceburg hospital redevelopment project. This investment represents an important step forward. It will support detailed planning and design work needed to bring this project closer to construction. Once complete, the redevelopment will deliver better, faster and more accessible health care right here at home.

I would like to thank the hospital team, the foundation, the SOS group, and all the local donors for their continued advocacy and dedication. Their commitment has been instrumental in reaching this milestone.

This is a meaningful step forward for Wallaceburg and the surrounding communities, and I am proud to support it.

Freedom of the press

Ms. Jessica Bell: On Friday, I attended an event hosted by the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada to recognize journalists and their reporting around the world.

Rigorous, independent reporting by journalists dedicated to the truth is a cornerstone of a free and independent media, and a free and independent media is a cornerstone of good democracy.

I got insight into the state of reporting and journalism that night, and that snapshot was alarming. Last year, a record number of reporters and media workers were killed. Most of them were reporting in conflict zones: Gaza, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Sudan, Yemen.

The UN releases a world press freedom index every year. This index evaluates the freedom of 180 countries based on media independence, legislative protections, transparency, and the safety of journalists. You would expect Canada to rank very highly on this list, but in fact, Canada ranks as number 20. Quite frankly, I’m not surprised.

What we are seeing right now with this government’s move to weaken freedom-of-information rules, what we’re seeing with this government’s move to consolidate power in the Premier’s office, and what we’re seeing with a government that’s embroiled in scandal and under criminal investigation with the RCMP tells me that the need for a free and independent media has never been more important.

Health care

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: I rise today to share positive news for families in Prince Edward county, Hastings county, and across the entire Bay of Quinte area.

When I speak with local leaders, mayors, council members and community partners, continued and expanded access to primary care providers is one of the issues raised most often. That is why our government is taking action.

Through a $2.6-billion investment, nearly 6,000 more people in the Bay of Quinte region will be connected to a family doctor or primary care team. This builds on the outstanding work of the Prince Edward Family Health Team and the Hastings Prince Edward Ontario Health Team, who continue to provide exceptional community-based care.

By expanding team-based care—bringing together physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals—we are making it easier for patients and families to connect to care closer to home. This is part of our broader primary care action plan, which is already exceeding targets and is on track to connect every Ontarian to primary care by 2029.

Speaker, expanding access to primary care is one more way we are building a stronger, more connected health system for generations to come.

Vision Health Month

Mr. Deepak Anand: About 80% of classroom learning is visual, making eye health essential to a child’s development and academic success. Yet, in Ontario, early detection of vision problems remains low, with 7% of four- and five-year-olds receiving a comprehensive eye examination. When vision issues go undetected, children are more likely to struggle in school, affecting their learning, confidence and overall development.

In Ontario, eye exams, under the age of 19, are publicly funded through OHIP, meaning families do not have to pay out-of-pocket.

Organizations like the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, CNIB, along with Dr. Asha Seth, are supporting Ontarians by delivering technology training, advocacy, and programs that help people of all ages with vision loss live well and participate in their communities.

May is Vision Health Month. A reception will be held tomorrow morning, May 5, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., bringing partners together to improve awareness and access to eye care.

To all parents and caregivers: Let’s take advantage of publicly funded eye exams and ensure every child receives regular check-ups.

Let’s continue working together to ensure every child in Ontario has the support they need.

Municipal elections

Mr. Ric Bresee: I’m proud to rise today, representing the people of Hastings–Lennox and Addington.

Speaker, as we know, on May 1, nominations opened for this fall’s municipal elections. This milestone gives us a chance to reflect on the people who have stepped forward to serve their communities.

In my riding, I have the privilege of working with 18 lower-tier municipalities and one separated city. Across all of them, I have seen first-hand the dedication of local councillors. For most of them, this is not a full-time role; it’s a commitment they take on because they care about their communities. They give their time and their energy to public service, and they work together to get things done. I want to sincerely thank each and every one of them, whether they choose to run again or not.

I also want to encourage more people to step forward to run for municipal office. When I first ran for council in the year 2000, I wanted to bring a different perspective—to represent young families like mine at the time. Over the years, I’ve seen how much stronger councils are when they include people from diverse backgrounds, experiences and walks of life. Better decisions are made when there are diverse voices at the table.

I especially want to encourage women to consider running. Women are at the heart of our communities yet too often feel that politics isn’t for them; it is. Your leadership, your insight, and your perspectives are essential.

So to those who may not see themselves in local government, I say, your voice matters. This is your opportunity to step forward, to serve, and to help shape your community.

Pediatric palliative care

Ms. Sandy Shaw: My sister Nancy Rose was born on May 4, a beautiful spring day just like today. She was a beautiful ray of sunshine, happy with everyone she met. But, sadly, we lost her at a very young age, from leukemia.

I introduced the Nancy Rose Act in this House—a bill with a simple but powerful goal: Every child, no matter where they live, should be able to access high-quality care close to home, and every family should be supported during such an emotionally difficult time. This House supported that unanimously at second reading, and my family was very, very grateful. Since that time, we have lost both our parents. They have left us, but the Shaw family continues to support and fight—that every family in Ontario should have access to this kind of support when they’re going through the unthinkable.

I’m happy to say that in Hamilton we announced the building of Keaton’s House, the Paul Paletta hospice, and that is in partnership with McMaster Children’s Hospital. The goal is to make sure that in our community of Hamilton, any family that is going through this will be supported. As part of Keaton’s House, we are planning to build and dedicate the Nancy Rose garden in memory of Nancy Rose. The idea is that this will be a peaceful place where families can share and build memories together and provide them the kind of respite and the kind of support that every family facing life-limiting and life-ending disease needs from our community.

Introduction of Visitors

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: I want to welcome a very special constituent today, born and raised in Don Valley West. He is here today on his 30th wedding anniversary. He’s married to me.

My wonderful husband, Dave, welcome to Queen’s Park. Happy anniversary, and here’s to 30 more wonderful years together.

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: I would like to welcome, soon to be in the west gallery, Egyptian star actors Ehab Sobhy, Mina Samir, Farid Elnokrashy. They are here participating in a St. Mary’s play next Saturday at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. Welcome to Canada.

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: I’d like to welcome Young Politicians of Canada, Newmarket division: Tima Karimi, Bavly Labib, Alex Kuchyna, Xavier Davis, and Samil Karaduman. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Natalie Pierre: I’d like to introduce two people joining us from my riding of Burlington this morning: Bonnie Johnstone and Mary Chadder.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I’m pleased to welcome the 2026 cohort of the Ontario Parliamentary Friends of Tibet summer youth program. We have Kunsang Jampa, who is placed with the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore, and we have Tenzin Kunsang Michele, placed in my office.

I want to also thank the members who are participating in this meaningful opportunity.

Welcome.

Mr. Andrew Dowie: I want to wish a warm welcome to Ciara Holmes from Family Services Windsor-Essex as well as Windsor–Tecumseh residents Nora Rehner and Tom Boltik. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Michael Parsa: On behalf of my amazing colleague from Richmond Hill, I’d like to introduce Farnaz Goortani, Lillia Kamran, Audrey Shum, Jeslyn Tan, Kathlyn Tan, Natania Hui, Steven Tan, and Janice Woo.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: I’d like to welcome innovative Iain McMullan, who used to be at Waterfront Toronto and is now innovating Science North. Welcome to your House.

Hon. Trevor Jones: I’d like to welcome the mayor of Leamington and warden of Essex county, Hilda MacDonald.

Hon. Jill Dunlop: I would like to welcome 10 of our 13 Ontario Corps NGO partners who are visiting Queen’s Park today, including Lori Gill from ATTCH Niagara.

Thank you for answering the call to protect Ontario, and welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): This morning, in the members’ gallery, we are joined by Alexandra Delle Donne. She is a soprano vocalist and performer from the riding of Don Valley West, who will perform O Canada and God Save the King. Please stand and join her in the singing of our national and royal anthems.

Singing of the national anthem / Chant de l’hymne national.

Singing of the royal anthem / Chant de l’hymne royal.

Brandon Malcolm

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Labour on a point of order.

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to observe a moment of silence for OPP Sergeant Brandon Malcolm, who tragically lost his life last week. He was a member of the Northumberland OPP detachment in my community, well-respected across our community and policing, and lived a life of public service. It was core to his very being.

A friend sent me a picture of Sergeant Malcolm and their son sitting on a motorcycle beside him. He was in the background speaking with families. That’s the type of officer he was—dedicated to his community, a role model for so many young people across my community.

I think I speak on behalf of the Legislature in offering our profound condolences to Detachment Commander Mike Cavanagh and the entire OPP detachment team in Northumberland, along with Sergeant Brandon Malcolm’s family. He will be so deeply missed.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Labour is seeking unanimous consent for a moment of silence. Agreed? Agreed.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): It is now time for question period.

Question Period

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is for the Premier.

Last week, the Premier didn’t face the public or the media. But here’s one of the things he did have time for: a pay-to-play event at a private, exclusive, members-only club.

Speaker, the future of our province should not be decided in the smoky backrooms of exclusive clubs. But that is the only thing that this government seems to know how to do.

Do the people of Ontario have to buy an Albany Club membership to hear from their Premier?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Madam Speaker: We spend every single day, around the clock, promoting Ontario, promoting the economy that saw over $222 billion of investment since we have been in office—over a million new jobs.

I always say the foundation of our health care sector, education, the infrastructure that we’re spending $236 billion on—building transit and roads and highways and schools and hospitals—is one thing: It’s our economy.

As we continue to lower taxes by over $12 billion each and every single year, the opposition continuously votes against giving the people of this province a tax break, giving people and business tax breaks—which we did by 30% in our last piece of legislation.

I look forward to the opposition voting with us when it comes to reducing taxes and the burden off the backs of—

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, I want to tell you what I’m hearing from people out there. They are paying more every single day for everything. Life is just so much more expensive under this government.

While thousands of people are stuck getting health care in hallways and broom closets, while youth employment hit an all-time low this week and families have continued to struggle every single day, what did this Premier do? He jetted off again to another vanity project—this time, one that is all about him only.

I want to know from the Premier, do the people of Ontario and the media need to give the Premier an honorary degree for him to actually face them?

Hon. Doug Ford: I just want to inform the Leader of the Opposition that that’s our number one trading partner jurisdiction anywhere in the world, with over $51 billion of two-way trade, US dollars, with our greatest trading partner, and that’s Michigan.

Madam Speaker, what they may not know, because they’ve never been in business in their lives—you have to build relationships. You have to build relationships with your largest trading partner, as well as diversifying around the world. Myself and the Minister of Economic Development sat down with 15 countries that had a total of $38 trillion of their GDP, compared to the US’s $32 trillion. Our message was, when we diversify our trade, every single country around that table is better off. And we’ve seen these trade numbers jump up, over and over, to the point of over 200% in some countries, 150% in others—

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, the people of Ontario cannot afford their groceries, let alone gas, and yet this Premier is jetting off to private clubs to pick up honorary degrees.

Speaker, you would have thought that this Premier would have learned his lesson when he got caught with his hand so deep in the taxpayers’ pockets, buying himself a private luxury jet, but instead, he went into hiding. He went into hiding, and then he showed up in the backrooms of a private, exclusive, members-only club.

What is it going to take for the Premier to stop with the distractions and start doing his job?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Minister of Economic Development.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Last year, 750 companies invested $35 billion here into Ontario. Those companies alone hired 64,000 people. That includes:

—$1 billion in the agri-food sector—from Lee Li, $548 million in Mississauga, 275 new jobs;

—$6 billion in the tech sector;

—at Siemens in Oakville, 90 new jobs;

—$2 billion in manufacturing;

—Empack Spraytech, an aerosol manufacturer, $50 million, 150 new jobs.

Speaker, this is what’s happening. This is our Premier’s response to President Trump and the disruption that he has caused all around the world. We’re standing tall for the province of Ontario, standing up for the people of Ontario, creating jobs, bringing revenue in. That’s what’s happening—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, the last time we were in this chamber, the government passed legislation to gut Ontario’s transparency laws. They overhauled FOI laws to protect the Premier’s texts, but it turns out it was about way more than that. They have also cut off access to hundreds of existing FOI applications, and they have closed the vault on decades of government records.

So my question to the Premier is: Is he committed today to honouring all outstanding FOI applications?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: It’s great to be back here after a constituency week.

Speaker, we were very clear. In fact, we’ve been very open.

On March 13, almost two months ago, we had a very public press release that I actually did right here in Queen’s Park, highlighting what we were going to be doing in the upcoming budget, which was focusing legislation on privacy, on the freedom of information, aligning it with almost every other province in Canada—including your NDP friends in Manitoba, your NDP friends in British Columbia, and other political parties, including the federal government, the cousins of the third party over here—aligning the legislation, very, very similar legislation, to ensure that candid discussions are still held in private but all government decisions are fully transparent.

Nothing changes.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, that is not what the freedom-of-information commissioner said. She said that they are undermining our fundamental rights, actually.

Last week, the Trillium was set to receive over 200 records from FOI. It was an FOI request. It included records of meetings that were surrounding the government’s handling of the greenbelt scandals. They cleared all the barriers, they paid their fees, and the records were approved to be released. But guess what happened? This government rushed to pass that FOI law in the middle of the night, and voila, those records are never going to see the light of day.

Did this government pass those FOI changes to stop certain records, certain pieces of evidence, from seeing the light of day?

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Again, the legislation that we were actually modifying was almost 40 years old. It was written in 1988. At that time, as I’m sure everybody knows here, there was no cloud computing. There was no AI. There were no cellphones, like we have today.

The world has changed and evolved. And with that, we needed to update our privacy legislation here in the province of Ontario, which we did. We did it with a full public press conference on March 13. It was in the budget. It was debated for hours here in the House. Everybody had the opportunity to discuss it. It was voted on, and we supported it.

And, Speaker, what I might also add to that: With this budget that they voted against, they voted against capping ticket resale values for consumers in the province of Ontario. They voted against small business taxes. That’s what the opposition voted against in this budget.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: One thing about that was true, and that is that, for many, many years, every government of every political stripe was quite happy to be transparent, to share government records, but not this government. And I will say, I think it all began with the Premier wanting to keep his records away from the court—and that was bad enough. Two court cases were under way about this government’s activities: one about the greenbelt, concerning Ryan Amato, and one about the Premier’s phone records. Now that this bill has passed, both of those court cases have collapsed. Coincidence?

Speaker, no government should be passing laws to facilitate cover-ups, and yet here we are.

To the Premier: Did the Premier direct his government to make these FOI changes to collapse the court cases and cover his behind?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Economic Development.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, what we can say is that Donald Trump’s tariffs have put a real chill on our business. In reaction, we are seeing companies that are pivoting and reshoring.

In our Ontario Together Trade Fund, we’ve seen $150 million put out for these companies; 73 Ontario companies have invested $500 million and created over 7,500 jobs, just in reaction to President Trump’s tariffs. When you think about the investments that these companies are making through the Ontario Together Trade Fund—it’s a program that the NDP voted against. They are absolutely no part of the solution. They are part of the problem.

Government accountability

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier.

It’s good to be back, so let’s pick up where we left off. The Premier bought himself a luxury private jet, even though he already had access to a jet. In the same week, the Premier gutted freedom-of-information laws in this province just because he doesn’t want anyone to have access to his cellphone records, especially for that week when he cracked open the greenbelt.

So, after eight long years, what is so bad in the Premier’s cellphone that he has to break, gut freedom-of-information laws?

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

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: If I may, Madam Speaker, referring back to a question from the Leader of the Opposition, who mentioned that the Premier is in hiding—I don’t know, Premier, maybe you are not very good at hide-and-seek, because you are right here, answering questions in front of everybody.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I remind the minister that we do not mention whether members are in the chamber or not.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Do you know what this Premier is doing? This Premier continues to criss-cross Ontario and parts beyond to boost the economy here in Ontario. That’s what this Premier is doing.

This Premier is fighting for every single job in all of Ontario. And that’s what everyone in this House should be doing—not spending time talking about this, that or the other thing—putting their shoulder back to getting good jobs in this province.

Madam Speaker, do you know what they could do? The defence bank has been awarded to Canada. Will they join us in supporting Toronto as the host of the—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Leader of the third party.

Mr. John Fraser: The finance minister and I agree; it’s a real treat to see the Premier.

Speaker, now that freedom-of-information laws have been gutted, we may never know the details of the Premier’s luxury jet purchase, like how it was procured, how it was modified to the Premier’s specifications or preferences, where the idea even came from. Actually, we know why that happened. Senior Tories told us that all of it came straight from the Premier—the luxury private jet and the gutting of freedom-of-information laws.

Premier, the people of Ontario deserve to know why you bought a luxury private jet when you already had access to one.

This afternoon, Premier, you will have the opportunity to reverse the gutting of freedom-of-information laws. Will you take it?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): A reminder to address your questions through the Speaker.

I call upon the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: The member opposite knows full well that the legislation that we brought here and happily passed a little under two weeks ago—the budget—brings our policy of freedom-of-information and privacy legislation in line with his federal cousins, the Liberal Party. So I urge him to go and try to get FOI requests from Prime Minister Carney or other federal ministers, your federal Liberal cousins in Ottawa.

Having said that, what I can tell the House is that when we took office in 2018, the first thing we saw were that the books were cooked.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’ll ask you to withdraw.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Withdraw.

The books had a much larger deficit than was originally anticipated, shall I say.

Having said that, we brought in, under the Minister of Finance, the fiscal transparency law, which ensures that our ministers deliver budgets on time or are penalized. So we have full transparency, full support of the FAO and the Auditor General, and a clean showing of the books every single year.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Leader of the third party.

Mr. John Fraser: After eight long years, this Premier and this Conservative government are tired, out of touch and losing it, so they’re gutting our freedom-of-information laws to hide the $8.3-billion greenbelt scandal—they’re hiding the Skills Development Fund and money for strip club owners, dentists and wealthy, well-connected insiders.

The Premier is running this province like he’s Nucky Thompson from Boardwalk Empire. Should we call it “Ford-walk Empire”?

Speaker, one more time: The Premier will have the opportunity to reverse the freedom-of-information changes that he made. Will he take it this afternoon?

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

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Madam Speaker, let me set the context. This Premier, this government are fighting for every single job at a time when our economy is being challenged with tariffs and the global conflict in the world.

Just last week, this Minister of Economic Development, this Premier and the team landed a General Motors announcement—$690 million for the hard-working people in St. Catharines.

That is what leadership is about. That is what the people of Ontario care about. They care about putting food on the table. They care about paying the rent or the mortgage. They care about having a good job. And that is what this government is focused on.

We’re going to continue to work to support companies like GM and great jobs—like St. Catharines.

Government accountability

Mr. John Fraser: This is the same government that bought a luxury private jet while 700,000 people are out of work and people can’t afford groceries and gas. I’m not going to forget that.

I do want to congratulate the Premier for getting an honorary degree from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan.

It’s ironic that the Premier is the one who gutted student assistance and OSAP in this province. It’s ironic that he drove families further and students further into debt and at the same time bought himself a luxury private jet on the taxpayer dime. It’s ironic that this Premier gets a degree for free.

Speaker, my question is simple: Did the Premier use the OPP jet to pick up his degree?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: The other party, the third party, ignored the Auditor General when they changed the grant-to-loan ratio. The Auditor General made it very clear that it was unsustainable, but a desperate Liberal government trying to cling to power changed it without regard to what the Auditor General recommended.

Speaker, we have now aligned our grant-to-loan ratio in line with the rest of the jurisdictions across Canada—including the NDP in Manitoba, the NDP in BC, as well as the federal Liberal government. We’re continually in line with the rest of the jurisdictions.

We’re ensuring that there’s sustainability for OSAP, not just for today’s students, but for the next generation of students behind them, as well.

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

Mr. John Fraser: It must have been difficult for the Premier to be roughing it on the OPP jet.

Here’s the thing: The Premier didn’t need to buy another luxury jet. He has a jet at his disposal in the province—he used it on the weekend—but despite this, he bought himself a luxury private jet. Now he wants his own airport: Billy Bishop. Wow, big spender.

After eight long years, this Premier is out of touch, and he’s losing it.

Why did the Premier buy a second luxury private jet when he already had one and families are struggling?

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

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: We’re at a point where political leaders, irrespective of stripes, across this nation are talking about nation-building projects. They’re talking about making Canada—led by Premier Ford in Ontario—more self-reliant, more resilient against the threat of tariffs south of the border, to make our economy more competitive.

It is no surprise that the opposition is pushing back against a generational investment into Billy Bishop—one that will contribute over $100 billion of an economic output for the city of Toronto. This project is too important for not only Toronto, but for Ontario and for Canada.

We need to build these infrastructure projects to remain competitive globally. We need to continue attracting business leaders. We need to continue attracting even more tourism. And we do that by building world-class infrastructure, like we have been doing since 2018.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Just to recap this morning: We have luxury private jets; we actually have private events at exclusive clubs; seizing an airport; carving up the waterfront; luxury spas; money to strip club owners; booze and cannabis in every corner of this province; and gambling out of control.

The Premier is building himself quite the legacy in this province. Like I said earlier, it’s Ford-walk Empire.

Did the Premier lose his way before or after he bought the luxury private jet?

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

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Madam Speaker, do you know who lost their way? Fifteen years of mismanagement of the economy—that’s when they lost their way.

And let me tell you, since we came into power—over a million jobs created in this province, an economy closing in on $1.3 trillion.

I was just down in New York talking to investors in two-way trade. And do you know what one investor told me in midtown? That their building was powered with Ontario electricity.

We are becoming an energy superpower. Why don’t you join us, the member from the independent party?

Some 150,000 new construction jobs, $800 billion of GDP—that’s what this government is bringing to the table for the people of Ontario.

Hospital services

MPP Robin Lennox: “Fire people, close beds.” That’s all this Conservative government has to say to our struggling hospitals. And yet, at last week’s Ontario Hospital Association conference, the Minister of Health had the audacity to say that she was frustrated with hospital leaders for their lack of gratitude.

The Ontario NDP has a plan to work with health workers to fix our hospitals and to ensure that every patient gets care when and where they need it.

My question is for the Premier. Will you commit to working with us and hospital workers to fix our hospitals without firing people or closing beds?

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

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’ve seen a 50% increase in hospital base budget operating dollars.

What I was talking about with the OHA leadership was that when we make investments in primary care, when we make investments in home and community care, when we make investments in home care, in hospice care, in community paramedicine, in mobile crisis intervention teams—all money that is invested outside of our hospital system—we are absolutely seeing the pressure taken off that hospital system.

My point continues to be: We are looking at health care holistically, whether it is training new nurses and physicians, whether it is investing in capital and, yes, whether it is investing in outside-of-hospital care, as well as, of course, a 50% increase to their hospital operating budgets.

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

MPP Robin Lennox: Speaker, that answer just shows how out of touch this government is with the reality of Ontario health care.

Just today, it was announced that emergency departments in Thessalon and Richards Landing will again be closing. God forbid any of the residents in those communities have a heart attack in the next day or two, because they’re going to be told to keep on driving. Yet the Minister of Health feels that this government isn’t getting enough thanks?

The Ontario NDP has a strategy for our northern hospitals, including a northern command centre to ensure that our rural emergency departments stay open.

My question is for the Premier. Will you work with us and hospital workers on a real strategy to keep our hospitals running and our rural emergency departments open?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Speaker, I noticed that the member opposite conveniently forgets that there are some important data points that we shared last week and will continue to talk about—a lowest in 10 years of alternative-level-of-care beds in the province of Ontario. Why does that matter to hospitals and hospital CEOs? Because when they are able to free up alternative-level-of-care beds, it means that people who are waiting for that acute service are getting it in our hospitals. So I thank the hospital CEOs who are part of the solution of bringing us our lowest ALCs in 10 years.

Across Ontario, 2.4 million people have now used primary care and our pharmacies for our scope-of-practice increase. Again, why does that matter to hospitals? Because instead of having to go into an emergency department, there are 19 minor ailments that 2.4 million people—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Toronto–St. Paul’s.

Freedom of information

MPP Stephanie Smyth: Ontarians are seeing a clear pattern from this government: When scandals surface, the response isn’t transparency; it is to change the rules. We saw it in the greenbelt scandal, where freedom of information helped expose what was really going on behind closed doors. Now, instead of fixing a broken system or improving access, this government has weakened freedom-of-information laws. That is the very tool that holds them accountable. Nobody asked for this, except for the Premier and his cabinet.

Speaker, to the Premier: Is this about making sure scandals—future, present and past—never come to light?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: The member, I believe, was a member of the media before, if I’m not mistaken. She should know full well that right across Canada the FOI and privacy laws are in line with what Ontario is now doing. It is not different. That includes Liberal New Brunswick and the Liberal federal government. There are no changes. There is very little differentiation. We are now in line with those jurisdictions.

What I do want to highlight is that the member opposite voted against the budget. I want that on the record. It needs to be said. In this budget that we just passed, we are supporting families being able to go to cultural events and sporting events for the first time in Ontario’s history with no increases above face value; we are supporting small businesses with a 30% tax reduction—and more to say in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Toronto–St. Paul’s.

MPP Stephanie Smyth: He should understand that burying FOI legislation or regulation within the budget was something that was absolutely unacceptable. That’s why we have a motion today to vote on that again and see how you vote on FOI.

I’m going to say this plainly: This legislation, the FOI legislation, was written in response to political damage, not in the public interest.

The Premier’s approach is becoming clear: When the facts become inconvenient, you make them harder to find.

If the Premier has nothing to hide, why is he making it easier for his government to say no to the public? And will he commit, this afternoon, to pulling back these changes and strengthening, not weakening, Ontarians’ right to know?

Hon. Stephen Crawford: What I can say with absolute confidence is that we have a Premier who is the most accessible Premier of any province—in fact, any political leader in Canada. I encourage the members opposite to learn from him and maybe communicate and talk to people, because what people want in this province right now—they want jobs.

They want health care. We have a $100-billion investment, the largest ever in health care in our history.

We’re investing in colleges and universities. That is a major part of the budget.

We’re supporting small businesses.

And we know we have a housing issue in this province. A 13% HST cut on new builds for new houses is going to spur new homes for the longest time in the province’s history.

That’s what the people of Ontario care about.

Government investments

Mr. Deepak Anand: My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Across our province, communities are facing the impacts of President Trump’s tariffs. From disruptions to supply chains to uncertainty around production, job creators and workers are doing everything they can to adapt.

From day one, our Premier has led the charge to ensure Ontario workers and job creators have the support they need. Thankfully, our government has a plan. Whether it is working to reshore supply chains or advancing our Buy Ontario Act, we are taking action to strengthen resilience to protect Ontario.

Can the minister tell us more about our government’s plan to protect Ontario workers and job creators amid these challenging times?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Our government is helping communities all across Ontario find new opportunities and ways to diversify their own communities’ trade.

Just last week, we were in Sault Ste. Marie, where we announced $500,000 through the Trade-Impacted Communities Program to support Sault Ste. Marie in developing a foreign direct investment strategy. This investment will help the community diversify away from the US and position them to compete and to win in global markets.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re also working with companies like Algoma as they look to make structural beams for bridges and plate steel for the defence sector.

This is all new for Ontario.

Through investments like these, we’re making sure that this community of Sault Ste. Marie and communities all around the province have the tools they need to attract investment and create good-paying jobs.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Mississauga–Malton.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you to the minister for that response.

When President Trump decided to impose tariffs, it disrupted decades of economic co-operation and shared prosperity for communities on both sides of the border.

Whether it is auto workers in Windsor, steelworkers in the Soo, or other trade-impacted workers in communities across Ontario, our government is taking transformative action to protect Ontario jobs and support communities. With our historic third mandate, the people of Ontario trusted us to deliver a plan, and that is exactly what we’re doing.

Tough times are a test time.

So can the minister tell the House about more actions this government is taking to protect Ontario workers, job creators and communities from the impact of these tariffs?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Our $150-million Ontario Together Trade Fund is helping businesses reshore and move their supply chains home and diversify their markets. Through the OTTF, 73 companies have committed $500 million in investment, and they themselves have created 7,500 jobs in just the last few months.

That includes a $7.8-million investment from Central Stampings to increase auto parts production, creating 118 jobs.

Stratus Plastics in Windsor is investing $8.3 million to build a new facility that reshores production from the US, China and Europe—47 jobs.

Dimachem: an $11.6-million investment to build a new blending and packaging facility, and expanding their exports to Europe—70 jobs.

This is how you protect Ontario—through our Ontario Together Trade Fund program.

Justice system

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is for the Attorney General.

In 2019, former Kitchener neurologist Jeffrey Sloka was stripped of his medical licence after facing 76 sexual assault allegations. Forty-eight charges went to court. All victims were former patients, ages 17 to 51.

Last Friday, he was acquitted on all charges. Justice Parry claimed all 48 female complainants were “unreliable.” Some testimony he called “deliberately dishonest.”

This marks yet another sexual assault case where survivors were vilified, humiliated and discredited. This case took five years to get through the court system, and no justice was found.

Minister, as Sexual Violence Prevention Month begins, can you tell survivors why they should have any confidence in Ontario’s justice system?

Hon. Doug Downey: Let me be clear: Our government and the people of Ontario have zero tolerance for sexual violence. No one should endure the lasting effects of these horrific crimes.

We are standing with victims. We are standing with victims by providing services. We are ensuring they have access to independent legal advice, so they understand their rights, they can make informed decisions and they can navigate the system. At the same time, we’re offering trauma-informed programs to make sure that individuals who need access to justice and need supports will have them. Victims and their families and their communities are not expected to navigate the system alone. Any suggestion that the legal support and health services are unavailable is simply not true—and telling them they are is dangerous.

We will always work to ensure that survivors are heard and supported, and that cases are taken seriously and prosecuted vigorously.

While the opposition is trolling victims, we are taking action. I will speak to that in the supplementary.

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: I cannot believe that the Attorney General just said that.

A survivor disclosed, “The way he was looking at me—it wasn’t right. But I pushed that down as much as I could ... I’m 18 years old. What do I know? There’s this big, important doctor who’s telling me that this is necessary.” She was called “unreliable.”

Survivors who have the courage to come forward are met with a so-called criminal justice system that is painfully slow, hostile, retraumatizing and dehumanizing.

To the survivors who are watching—I want them to know that we believe you.

On behalf of them, I ask the Attorney General for the province of Ontario: Do you acknowledge that this case highlights broader systemic barriers, and will you pass Lydia’s Law to ensure that Ontario’s justice system actually delivers justice?

Hon. Doug Downey: While we are standing up and supporting victims in several ways, the opposition has supported none of them. When we added 52 new judges to a system of 300, they voted against it. When we added 700 full-time staff—prosecutors, victim service workers, and otherwise—they voted against it. When we invested $2.3 million in independent legal advice, they voted against it. Madam Speaker, $5.6 million for children victim witness programs—they voted against it. They are resisting at every single turn—including $98 million to deliver 85 new gender-based violence prevention courses.

Not only that, when it comes to even just talking, which is what they are doing—they rejected the tabled report from the great member from Kitchener South–Hespeler. There were 1,000 pages on intimate partner violence. They turned their backs on that.

We will get the job done.

Land use planning

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Bill 110 announced that the province will confiscate city land—no consultation with municipal leaders or residents, no rational reason for this draconian decision, and no real understanding of the complexities of this proposal. A parcel of this land the Premier wants to seize is Little Norway Park. The park commemorates the Norwegian Air Force training base which trained thousands of pilots to fight with Allied forces against Nazi Germany, as well as the tens of thousands of heroic people who lost their lives fighting for our freedom.

It boasts a memorial stone as a permanent monument to the sacrifice. And the site has hosted both Crown Prince Harald and King Olav V of Norway. Yet, this government flippantly proposes to bulldoze over this important piece of World War II history.

My question to the Premier: Will you explain to Ontarians why you want to desecrate a significant war memorial?

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

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Speaker, Little Norway Park will continue to remain a park, as I have said since last week.

What we know is that the status quo just won’t work. The opposition doesn’t want to build anything in this province. When we look at this country and the leaders in this country and what Premier Ford has brought to Ontario—it is building generational assets that, from a transportation perspective, those living in this province can rely on for generations to come.

That is exactly what we are doing with Billy Bishop. This airport currently supports over 4,900 people—4,900 people go home with a paycheque, relying on this airport. We want to continue to expand on that because Toronto is a world-class city.

If you look at other jurisdictions, like New York, they’ve got multiple airports, from LaGuardia to JFK; if you look at Chicago—Midway or O’Hare.

We need to continue to position Ontario and Toronto as a global leader for businesses and attracting jobs. That’s exactly what we’re doing with this investment.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Beaches–East York.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: This government usually respects memorials. In fact, the Premier issued a stern warning against vandalizing statues at Queen’s Park, cautioning, “Whatever you want to do ... do not vandalize those statues. They’re historic ... you’re going to get charged.”

So you can imagine the shock to everyone, especially the Norwegian community in Ontario, when this government had the utter audacity of introducing Bill 110, with its land grab of Little Norway Park.

Maybe my colleagues on the other side of the chamber need to brush up on their history, to comprehend that Little Norway Park is an important tribute to the courageous men and women who put their lives at risk in World War II—most especially the Norwegian pilots who trained there.

My question to the Premier: Will you be eating your own words about vandalizing historical monuments, with your outrageous plan to destroy Little Norway Park?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Premier of Ontario.

Hon. Doug Ford: Oh, Madam Speaker. If it was up to that member, she would close the airport. That’s the rationale down at city hall. They wanted to close the airport and turn it into a park.

We aren’t touching that other park anyway—just to go on record.

What we are doing is creating an economic driver for not just our city, our province, but anyone who wants to fly here to Toronto—maybe for a convention or maybe even investment. Investing in our province is going to create 27,000 jobs. It’s going to be more convenient for everyone downtown, including the member’s riding. I guarantee you that people from her riding will go there to hop on a flight to go somewhere, maybe on vacation or maybe on business. It’s an economic driver. That’s what our focus is.

As they want to kill everything and turn everything into a cow pasture and build absolutely nothing—I’m used to the member from down at city hall. Build nothing, build nowhere—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Algoma–Manitoulin.

Northern Ontario development

MPP Bill Rosenberg: My question is to the Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth.

At a time when our economy faces real threats from US tariffs, it has never been more important for Ontario to take decisive action to protect jobs, communities and our economic future.

Northern Ontario is not only home to some of the most remarkable landscapes in our province, but it’s also rich in the natural resources that are essential to securing Ontario’s long-term success.

We know that developing and investing in our resource sectors is vital to the prosperity of the north and a key driver of Ontario’s economic strength and resilience.

Can the minister tell the House what our government is doing to support northern communities and ensure they benefit from responsible resource development?

Hon. George Pirie: Thank you for the question from our member from Algoma–Manitoulin.

Northern Ontario’s economy is booming, and it’s booming because of our policies—whether it be tile drainage, critical minerals or, in fact, the junior exploration program. But for our communities to thrive and to participate in this boom, they need infrastructure.

That’s why I was very proud, at the recent NOMA conference, to announce that the NORDS Fund had been renewed and, more than that, had been made an ongoing program for the government. The $15-million annual fund is available to 144 municipalities.

Since its establishment in 2021, the NORDS Fund has invested $75 million in local infrastructure. And the president of NOMA has said NORDS is “helping to unlock local economic opportunities, strengthen infrastructure, and support sustainable growth across the north.”

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

MPP Bill Rosenberg: Thank you to the minister for that response.

It’s encouraging to see meaningful investments that recognize the unique challenges facing northern communities and support their long-term prosperity.

For far too long, under the previous Liberal government, northern communities were left without the tools they needed to fully participate in economic opportunity.

Our government is taking a different approach. We are continuing to invest and strengthen the resource sectors that drive the north and help protect our province against global economic uncertainty.

At the same time, we know that municipalities must have the infrastructure capacity to support development responsibly and sustainably.

Through you, Speaker: Can the minister further explain how the NORDS Fund is helping municipalities address local infrastructure challenges and manage economic growth responsibly now and in the future?

Hon. George Pirie: Speaker, the member is right that unlike previous governments, our government understands the unique needs of northern Ontario communities.

As the mayor of Iroquois Falls has noted, programs like NORDS recognize t