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June 3, 2025

44th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2025-Jun-03 vol. A (PDF)

L021A - Tue 3 Jun 2025 / Mar 3 jun 2025

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 3 June 2025 Mardi 3 juin 2025

Orders of the Day

Safer Municipalities Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour des municipalités plus sûres

Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour protéger l’Ontario en construisant plus rapidement et plus efficacement

Wearing of pins

Members’ Statements

Long-term care

Health care funding

ALS Awareness Month

African Caribbean Council of Halton

Children’s mental health services

Événements divers à Glengarry–Prescott–Russell

Government’s record

Baycrest Bike for Brain Health

Victim Services Awards of Distinction

Nathan Skoufis

Introduction of Visitors

Question Period

Government accountability

Government accountability

First Nations consultation

Government accountability

Government accountability

Affaires francophones

Highway tolls

Endangered species

Protection of privacy

Government accountability

Indigenous economic development

Government accountability

Government accountability

Rural Ontario

Notice of dissatisfaction

Deferred Votes

Time allocation

Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur le plan pour protéger l’Ontario (mesures budgétaires)

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

Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour protéger l’Ontario en favorisant le libre-échange au Canada

Safer Municipalities Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour des municipalités plus sûres

Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour protéger l’Ontario en construisant plus rapidement et plus efficacement

Members’ birthdays

House sittings

Introduction of Visitors

Introduction of Government Bills

Protect Ontario by Securing Affordable Energy for Generations Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour protéger l’Ontario en garantissant l’accès à l’énergie abordable pour les générations futures

Introduction of Bills

9-1-1 Everywhere in Ontario Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur le 9-1-1 partout en Ontario

Justice for Soli Act (Stop Criminalizing Mental Health), 2025 / Loi de 2025 exigeant la justice pour Soli (arrêter la criminalisation des problèmes de santé mentale)

Consent Awareness Week Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la Semaine de sensibilisation au consentement

Healthcare Staffing Agencies Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur les agences de recrutement de personnel de soins de santé

Petitions

Services for the hearing-impaired

Public transit

Endangered species

Social assistance

Education funding

Environmental protection

School facilities

Environmental protection

Installations scolaires

Environmental protection

School facilities

Consumer protection

Endangered species

International trade

Social assistance

Endangered species

Orders of the Day

Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour protéger l’Ontario en rendant les rues plus sûres et les collectivités plus fortes

Notice of dissatisfaction

Resource Management and Safety Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la gestion des ressources et la sécurité

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Good morning.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Safer Municipalities Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour des municipalités plus sûres

Mr. Flack moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 6,

An Act to enact the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, 2025 and to amend the Trespass to Property Act respecting sentencing / Projet de loi 6, Loi édictant la Loi de 2025 visant à restreindre la consommation en public de substances illégales et modifiant la

Loi sur l’entrée sans autorisation en ce qui concerne le prononcé des peines.

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

Hon. Rob Flack: Good morning.

Speaker, our government has been clear from day one: Enough is enough. We’ve heard the frustration, we’ve seen the headlines and we’ve listened closely to our municipal partners right across this great province. They’re all asking for help. They’re asking for tools and most importantly, Speaker, they’re asking for action.

Families don’t feel safe walking through their own neighbourhoods. Local businesses are losing customers and front-line officers say their hands are tied. Frustration abounds, Speaker. This is unacceptable to this government. Parks are for fun, not for fear. Business needs peace in order to thrive. Encampments in public spaces are and continue to be a public safety concern. This is not right. This is not acceptable, and under this government and under our Premier, it is not going to continue.

This is why we are taking action here today. We ran on a clear promise to return public spaces to the public because public parks should be just that: for the public. They should be places for seniors to stroll, for parents to push strollers, for children to play safely, without fear, without barriers and without threats.

Encampments are not a solution to homelessness. Again, I repeat: Encampments are not a solution to homelessness, they are a public safety concern. There is no compassion in letting people remain in these encampments. It merely accepts the unacceptable. And every day we fail to act is another day we fail the people we serve.

Speaker, this issue is not about political correctness. This is about principle. This is about safety. This is all about the rule of law. This is about doing the right thing for the people we serve.

We are acting now because we must, because for far too long, governments have tiptoed around this very issue. For far too long, public officials have allowed public parks to become makeshift camps, unsafe for everyone, especially those living in them.

Let me be clear: It is neither compassionate nor responsible for anyone to live in unsafe, unsanitary and insecure conditions. A tent in a park is not a home. Again: A tent in a park is not a home. It’s not shelter and it’s not dignity.

That’s why our government is bringing forward the Safer Municipalities Act. We are giving law enforcement the tools they’ve asked for. We’re making it clear that public safety matters. And we’re putting municipalities back in the driver’s seat.

This legislation strengthens the Trespass to Property Act. It empowers local police and municipal law enforcement to take appropriate action. And it ensures that everyone—residents, workers, families—can feel safe in their communities once again. When a mom has to cross a street to avoid a park or when a senior is too scared to sit on a bench or when front-line workers are overwhelmed and under-equipped, something is broken. We’re here to fix it.

Let me also be clear: Compassion and enforcement are not mutually exclusive. We’re not just clearing encampments. We’re creating real pathways from homelessness. This action builds on more than $75 million in targeted investments—investments in programs that help people transition out of encampments and into stable housing, investments that provide safe, temporary accommodations and long-term solutions. We’re connecting vulnerable Ontarians to supports—mental health care, addiction treatment and job programs. Cleaning up a park does not solve homelessness, but ignoring encampments doesn’t help anyone either.

It is a false choice to suggest that we have to pick between safety and compassion—this government chooses both.

We’re also delivering nearly $550 million to create 28 homelessness and addiction recovery treatment centres, or HART hubs, nine of which were in place by April 1 of this year. These are not band-aid solutions. They are life-changing, wraparound service centres designed to meet people where they’re at—housing, detox, rehab, skills training, peer support—all under one roof, all in one place, all in real time. These hubs will help break the cycle. They will reduce the need for encampments. And they will get people the help they need when and where they need it. That’s what Ontarians deserve. That is what the people of this province voted for in February—dignity, stability and safety.

Speaker, every Ontarian deserves to feel safe in their community. That is a basic principle of the communities we all live in, and we’re here to uphold it. And we’re here to continue to invest in those who need it most. But we also must be fair to those who follow the rules—to those who pay taxes, follow bylaws, raise families and run businesses. Their voices matter. Their safety matters. Their right to enjoy a clean, safe and welcoming community matters.

While we will never stop investing in critical social services, we will also never shy away from enforcing the law. Without order, there is no opportunity. Without safety, there is no dignity. And without action, there is no progress.

This bill is part of a broader vision—a vision for safer streets, safer cities and safer futures.

We are also delivering on our plan to build more homes faster because we know that one of the best tools to prevent homelessness is a front door and a set of keys.

Bill 17, the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, will help unlock new builds. Bill 17 complements Bill 6 by creating the conditions to build all types of housing, including supportive housing in Ontario. We’re cutting red tape. We’re supporting municipalities that get shovels in the ground faster and smarter—because housing is part of the solution; so is treatment; so is enforcement. We are moving on all fronts, without apology and without delay.

To the people of Ontario: You have asked for action. You voted for action, we’re delivering it. You have asked for safety, we’re restoring it. You have asked for hope, we’re building it one law, one investment and one life at a time.

Encampments are not compassionate. They are not solutions. And they are not the future of this province. We will not look away and pretend they do not exist. We will protect our parks, protect our neighbourhoods and protect the people who enjoy them day in and day out. Every child deserves a safe place to play. Every parent deserves peace of mind.

I might just pause here, Speaker, to talk about one of the towns in my riding, St. Thomas, who have done an outstanding job of exactly what we’re talking about in this bill: removing encampments but providing people dignified, safe, wraparound support in that town.

Let me tell you about Indwell with supportive housing. Let’s talk about the INN, where people can come out of acute conditions and be served and be treated fairly with compassionate support, moving on to Indwell—it’s worked, Speaker. We’ve seen it in full glory in St. Thomas, and we continue to thank the St. Thomas Police Service for the job they play in it. The city invested in this—invested in it heavily—and it’s paying the dividends.

I would encourage all communities throughout this province, large and small, to follow the example of St. Thomas, because every child deserves a safe place to play, every parent deserves peace of mind and every community deserves a future they can be proud of.

Let me just conclude again by saying I think this bill is timely. It’s needed. The people of this province asked for it. We’re delivering it. Most importantly, we’re going to see results because of it, not only to keep safer spaces for the people that want to enjoy those parks, but the wraparound services those that need it most can get for sure, day in and day out.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

MPP Robin Lennox: It’s a very difficult day when we have a bill like this about to be passed into law. The minister across has said that parks are not housing, and on that, we would fully agree. Parks are not housing, but jails are also not housing. The only form of housing that we should all be seeking is permanent, dignified housing for every single person across this province. Only housing will end the crisis of homelessness that we see in our communities. That is not an impossible goal.

Across the world, across this country and in our communities, we see people fighting every single day to try to help their unhoused neighbours. We see movements forming to try to end homelessness—not just visible homelessness—and it is possible. We can look to our next-door neighbours in Manitoba, where the New Democratic government is actively housing people and ending encampments, not by punishing people, not by criminalizing people, but by offering them a path into supportive housing, which we know works.

We need a government who will lead with vision, with daring, with courage. But all we are hearing from this government and from the minister today is that we are legislating out of fear. You are so scared. You are so scared of people in this province who are living in poverty. You are scared of people in this province who are living outdoors. But you have nothing to fear in them—you should only be fearing for them. They are the people in this province who are most at risk of dying every day, who are most at risk of being the victims of violence themselves. There is nothing to be afraid of.

The only thing we should all be terrified of is continued inaction on the part of our leaders on this crisis.

All we are hearing from our minister is that our public spaces are for some, not for all. We agree, again, that parks and encampments are not the solution to the homelessness crisis, but this bill does not contain any solutions. Offering someone a $10,000 fine or threatening them with six months in jail will not move anyone forward, will not keep anyone safer, will not house one single person and will not offer treatment to a single person struggling with a substance use disorder. All we are hearing is dangerous rhetoric from this government over and over that attempts to turn neighbours against neighbours and make us afraid of each other. The people of Ontario will not fall for it.

The members of the Conservative government may have an empathy deficiency, but the people of Ontario do not. The people of Ontario see a way forward that is hopeful, that is solution-oriented, that is effective, that actually saves our system money while putting people in a position in order to thrive. That is what our province, our people, would like to see in their government, and we are not seeing it. Because being unhoused is not a crime, living in poverty is not a crime, and we should not be treating people in those circumstances as if they are criminals.

It is not their failures that we should be hearing about; it is the failures of the people in power who are meant to be caretakers over all of us, who are meant to spearhead solutions in our housing sector, who are meant to invest in community health so that everyone can get the mental health supports that they need when they need it. We are the ones that people are turning to for answers and all they are seeing is a government too afraid of the people in its own communities to actually push forward real change.

So while I acknowledge that this bill will likely pass and the government has the votes, I hope that there are some members on the other side who would demand more of themselves and who would strive to actually enact change beyond this legislation that will actually accomplish our shared goals.

Thank you and I would like to share my time with the member.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Mr. Ted Hsu: In Kingston, where Rideau and Railway streets meet Montreal Street, you’ll find the Wise Stop and Quattrocchi’s grocery store across from what has come to be known as the Integrated Care Hub, the site of low-barrier services for those struggling with addictions, mental health and homelessness.

It’s not easy living and working in the area. I’ve spoken with neighbours who’ve had to endure property damage, theft and even violence. They bear a great portion of the burden of the community. I agree that people should feel safe and cities should be clean and livable, but Bill 6 is about punishment and penalties and appearing tough on crime. Think about it. Look at the people in the encampments. What kind of a threat is the $10,000 fine in Bill 6?

Bill 6 won’t work. It won’t make us safer. The government is ignoring the housing crisis—the lack of modest-priced housing—and the health crisis—the lack of primary care—which has left much of our population in very poor physical and mental health. These are the root causes, and these are not a priority for this government. If you break up an encampment, there has to be a place for people to go to live, but deeply affordable housing is what we lack the most across the housing spectrum.

If the police are going to pick up people for petty crimes, there has to be a place in provincial detention centres and programs there to point people in a better direction. With none of these in place, this government is failing and we will continue to fail. Bill 6 is not a solution. Thank you.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Ms. Jessica Bell: We’ve been watching this bill. It was introduced before the election and now it’s being introduced and it’s very close to being passed in the next few days, maybe today, and it’s very concerning. The Conservatives’ move to issue $10,000 fines and up to six months of jail time to clean up and to clamp down on illegal public drug use and encampments is inhumane, it is expensive and it is futile.

Now, I hear the minister talk a lot about hope and action and how parks are not a place for people to live and encampments are not a solution to homelessness. We agree. We agree: No one wants to live in a park. Parks are dangerous. It is miserable. You’re exposed to extreme weather and frequent harassment. We all know that that is not a solution. But when we’re talking about hope and action, we also need to talk about what is the most effective way to deal with the issues of homelessness and addiction and mental health challenges that we’re facing in Ontario. Bill 6 is no solution to any of these issues.

This lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key approach might be good political theatre to some of your voters, but it is not going to solve the issues that we’re facing in our parks, in our towns, in our cities all across Ontario—it’s not. We cannot arrest our way out of a homelessness and an addiction crisis, and a fine is not very effective if the person cannot afford to pay it, and moving people out of one park is just going to have people move to another park. It’s not a solution.

I was also struck by how expensive these measures are that the government is proposing. It costs approximately $100,000 a year to house an adult in a prison. It is much cheaper to provide supportive housing to that same individual. So why not choose the cheaper option? It’s also more humane. It’s also extraordinarily expensive for governments to have an individual who is homeless. It is actually cheaper to provide supportive housing than it is to have someone who is homeless and living on the streets.

I also think it’s a bit rich listening to this government talk about how they have solutions to the homelessness crisis when so many things you’ve done over the last seven years have created the homelessness issues that we are facing right now. We have 80,000 people homeless. It’s on track to go up to 300,000 if we enter an economic recession. Time and time again, this government continues to pass policies or look the other way when it comes to addressing real issues.

We could be investing in supportive housing. We should be investing in supportive housing. We should be investing in affordable housing. We should be bringing in vacancy control and strong rent control so that people are not priced out of their home into homelessness. We should be doing a whole lot more to provide people with access to mental health and addiction services when they need it, instead of people being forced to pay or go without, which is the reality for a majority of people today.

I looked at this latest budget, and I looked at it from a lens of how is this budget going to be addressing poverty in Ontario? My conclusion is that it’s not. I would have liked to have seen—I think many of us would have liked to have seen—a doubling of social assistance rates so that people can afford to live in Ontario. That will also address the homelessness issues that we are facing. I don’t see any of that in this bill. I see nothing of that in the budget that was introduced. In fact, what I see in the budget when we’re looking at housing is cuts to municipal affairs and housing.

I am urging you to put forward solutions in this Legislature that address the biggest issues that we face instead of introducing cheap, angry little bills like this one that are not going to solve anything; it’s just going to make the crisis worse.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Ms. Lee Fairclough: There are two bills that I’ve heard the most about through thousands of emails or through people just literally stopping me on the street in my community to say that they oppose them—that’s Bill 6 and Bill 5. They are writing to say stop Bill 6 because the solution to homelessness is not incarceration, it is housing and support.

Today, the government has put this motion to time-allocate debate, which means to shut down debate on Bill 6 without the opportunity to go to committee, to hear from experts and stakeholders or to receive suggested amendments. This bill won’t make anyone safer. It won’t make any community safer. Housing is the solution to homelessness.

Last week, the member for Kitchener Centre from the Green Party and I co-sponsored a private member’s bill, the Homelessness Ends with Housing Act, because we need to work across party lines and across all levels of government to bring solutions like housing-first policies to solve this challenge and to measure and manage the situation.

AMO predicts that we will go from 80,000 homeless to 300,000 in 10 years without a real vision and plan to end homelessness. This is solvable, doable and affordable. Beyond effectively helping people, economically it makes sense too. The government knows this. Their own procured study shows an annual return on investment of a minimum of $1.60 for every dollar that is invested in supportive housing for those who need mental health or health care supports. Those investments save costs in our health and social services.

But this government has chosen a different path—a path that the courts have already said does not work because people have a right to shelter. The government is out of step with the people of Ontario, too. They get it, actually. A public opinion poll cited 80% of respondents see the solution to homelessness governments need to “prioritize providing housing, mental health and addiction services to help individuals transition out of homelessness and find long-term stability.”

Given our economic precarity and high unemployment, homelessness is something that a majority of Ontarians are concerned about and want meaningful action on. If we can’t stop this motion, perhaps they will consider supporting Bill 28 as the necessary addition to really address homelessness.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I do believe, like my colleague from Etobicoke–Lakeshore, that housing is the solution to homelessness. Right now, there just isn’t housing. There’s nowhere to go.

In my region, there’s a 0% vacancy rate—0%—of affordable housing. I have seniors, newcomers—25% of the people homeless are children. We’re creating generations of folks who are faced with trauma. And 95% of our affordable housing was built before 1993, so we’re on the face of a precipice of the buildings we do have falling into a state of disrepair, and we’re losing them.

In the member for Cambridge’s and my region—and the member for Kitchener South–Hespeler’s and my region—for every affordable unit we build, we lose 39 units of affordable housing. That’s not a great ratio, and we’re not keeping up.

We need a plan that is fiscally responsible. We know that a year in jail costs over $130,000, and we know it doesn’t work. Last time I checked, Maplehurst down the street was overcrowded and dubbed to have inhumane conditions. So, people, if we’re tough on crime—people’s sentences are getting shortened because of these inhumane conditions. We do not have enough space. So while it’s a bed, it’s not a humane bed. It’s not a cost-effective bed.

And actually, I don’t know if we even have those beds right now, so we need to do some math: $40,000 for supportive housing; to double ODSP shelter allowance is $6,000 to $7,000. Keeping people housed is humane, it’s cost-effective, and we can do it right now. We don’t need to go running around and waiting for years as we build. We do need to build to fill this gap, but we need to start doubling the shelter allowance for the people on Ontario Works and ODSP. Lots of the people who use food banks are on ODSP. This is legislated poverty, and we need to give that a look.

We need a plan that works. Look at Manitoba; Premier Kinew is doing it properly. He’s creating a system to move people from an encampment to supportive housing with wraparound supports. They don’t end up back onto the streets.

The problem with jails is, if you go in in the summer, you come out in the winter, you end up popped out in January with a T-shirt and no bus ticket to get back home. So let’s do something that works.

AMO has done a lot of studies. I know the ministers looked at that study and I know that there’s a plan in there. I give the minister credit for having an open mind. Thank you for receiving the plan—between the MPP from Etobicoke–Lakeshore having a look at it—because I think that’s how we’re going to do this. We’re going to measure. We’re going to create a plan that’s informed from the people with lived experience and experts, and we’re going to invest in the right ways to address the root causes.

I do believe in housing benefits. I believe in supportive housing as the answer because I know that housing is the answer to homelessness. We can do this right.

I’m a little worried right now, to be honest, if this bill passes. There was an encampment removed in my riding. It was a moral injury—a moral injury to front-line workers and to our community when that encampment was bulldozed.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: This bill will fail, just like everything else this government touches: licence plates, housing, health care, stickers on a gas pump. It will fail because of their ideological lens: Instead of using data, evidence and learned experience to create good policy—the needed steps have been identified; they just refuse to do it.

Time and time again, we see that municipalities and jurisdictions that pursue housing-first strategies with integrated support can actually solve the problem. When you move people from encampment to encampment, to jail, back to an encampment, you’re not solving the problem. You are not even trying to solve the problem. Other options are more humane, more effective and less expensive. I can’t think of one smart reason to take this route.

Stupidity and cruelty often go hand in hand, and this bill is cruel—a cruel and contemptuous bill, a bill of epic incompetence that shows no intention to actually address the problem.

This bill will cost Ontarians a lot of money and will only serve to make the situation worse, but this government will have been able to pretend that they actually took the situation seriously, for appearance’s sake. It’s shameful and beneath us.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Mr. Adil Shamji: There’s no denying the fact that here in Ontario, we face a crisis of epic proportions as it relates to homelessness. On any given night here in Toronto, 10,000 people sleep on our streets; across the province, at least 14,000.

I know that everyone in this House is agreed on the fact that something desperately needs to be done about that. The question before the House, however, is: What is that urgent action? And I use the word “action” very deliberately, because that is a major point of difference. The members on the other side of the House have introduced Bill 6, a piece of legislation that, if passed, commits this government to talking more about the problem, and those of us who are on this side of the House are committed to actually acting upon it.

We heard from members on the opposite side of this chamber that they think this bill walks a balance between addressing criminality and delivering compassion. The truth is that it does neither. It seeks to criminalize and penalize people who show signs of mental health and addictions challenges. What those people need is our compassion, and that bill offers nothing for them.

For those individuals who are struggling, living on the street or in an encampment, struggling with an addiction, this bill purports to send them to jail—mind you, there are no spaces in jail. It purports to fine them for $10,000, but they’re obviously homeless because they don’t have that kind of money.

And it does offer an alternative, an alternative that supposedly gives this government a get-out card and allows them to save face by making it look like they’re offering compassion. It says that those individuals can be taken to a hospital or some sort of mental health support or services centre, but those don’t exist. If one of those patients comes to me in the emergency department, there is very little that I have to offer them, because our ERs are not set up that way.

And if the solution from this government is to give them access to a HART hub, the reality is that we know that HART hubs, as they exist right now and will continue to exist, are underfunded, underdeveloped, immature and already failing in their mandate. We know that the rates of overdoses and deaths in the areas around currently existing HART hubs have gone up, revealing that they have failed in their mandate.

And so, in the absence of addressing real criminality like the predatory behaviours of drug dealers who force my mental health and addictions patients to purchase drugs; in the absence of offering real compassion in the forum of mental health and addictions challenges, Bill 6 is not the solution to the housing—

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Pursuant to the order of the House dated June 2, 2025, I am now required to put the question.

Mr. Flack has moved third reading of Bill 6,

An Act to enact the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, 2025 and to amend the Trespass to Property Act respecting sentencing.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed to the motion will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

A recorded vote being required, it will be deferred until the next instance of deferred votes.

Third reading vote deferred.

Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour protéger l’Ontario en construisant plus rapidement et plus efficacement

Mr. Flack moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 17,

An Act to amend various Acts with respect to infrastructure, housing and transit and to revoke a regulation / Projet de loi 17, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne l’infrastructure, le logement et le transport en commun et abrogeant un règlement.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member to start the debate.

Hon. Rob Flack: This bill, Speaker, says enough is enough. One of the most significant reforms in this legislation is a simple one: ensuring that the Ontario building code is the standard for building in Ontario.

Speaker, let me just point out—before I get started, I would like to thank Minister Calandra for the hard work he provided on our legislation prior to me being in the ministry. He did a great job. I want to thank Deputy Greenberg and the team at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for the great work they did as well, as well as Robert Dodd, my chief of staff, and our entire ministry office team. It has been a labour of love and of focus, and we’re really feeling this bill is going to hit the mark to get more homes built smarter and faster.

I rise today in support of a bill that cuts red tape, streamlines approvals and clears the runway for more homes to be built right across this province. The Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025, is more than a legislative initiative, it is a clear, coordinated and credible response to the challenges facing our housing sector. It is about one thing, Madam Speaker: getting homes built faster and smarter.

Our government has always believed that we don’t need more barriers, we need more bulldozers. We don’t need more paperwork and red tape, we need more projects. We don’t need more studies, we need more shovels. Speaker, we need to cut red tape, and we need action—and action today. This bill tackles the very systems, delays and inconsistencies that have been slowing down housing starts for far too long.

Let me be clear: The status quo is no longer acceptable. I think we all know this in this Legislature. We are building on a legacy of successful reforms, but more work needs to be done, and we’re doing that work now.

Right now, builders are stalled by redundant studies and procedural hurdles. That is a process that has failed. We’ve all heard about these processes. They’ve stacked up on top of one another over the years. It has caused serious delays, and time is money. And when homes cost more because of municipal inefficiencies, that’s a cost Ontarians should no longer have to bear.

This bill says enough is enough—again, as I said at the beginning. Ensuring that the Ontario building code is the standard for building in Ontario needs to finally be resurrected and put in place—not hundreds of local preferences, not hundreds of iterations by our municipal partners, just one clear, consistent standard for building safely and effectively in this province.

With this legislation, we are clarifying that municipalities do not have jurisdiction to impose construction requirements that go beyond Ontario’s building code, period. It has always been the case: The code is king. The code has to stay king. This change will deliver uniformity, reduce costs and help get homes built faster in every part of this great province.

Another key component of this bill is aimed at reducing the study burden on development applications. We’ve heard the stories: builders submitting plans, only to be told they need to commission study after study after study, often with no basis in official policy or consistent guidelines. That’s not planning, Speaker, that’s paralysis. This has to end.

So we’re taking action. This bill proposes that municipalities will no longer be able to require new reports or studies that are not already listed in their official plans. That means fewer unnecessary hurdles. That means greater consistency across Ontario. And most importantly, it means faster approvals and lower costs for the homes we need now.

We also know that the development charge system has become one of the biggest contributors to the cost of housing, so we’re reforming it. While they’re needed, we need to reform it.

First, we’re allowing DC deferrals for all residential developments, not just rentals and institutional builds. Builders will be able to pay their development charges at occupancy, not at the permitting stage—again, at occupancy, not at the permitting stage. That gives builders more flexibility and frees up cash flow that helps get projects off the ground faster and smarter. This is a practical, targeted reform that will deliver real impact.

We’re also eliminating development charges on long-term care—gone, Speaker. They’re gone in long-term care. We know we need 36,000 to 40,000 new beds in this province, and this will help deliver that goal in a meaningful way.

Seniors built this country. They built this province; they built our communities. This change will allow them to stay there as more long-term care across Ontario gets built where seniors want to live, and that’s in their home communities. They took care of us. We’re now taking care of them.

Finally, we’re increasing transparency and accountability around how development charges are spent. We’re expanding the requirement for municipalities to spend or allocate 60% of their DC reserve funds right across the services on roads, water and waste water. There is at least $10 billion in reserves across this province. We have to make sure it’s allocated. We have to make sure it’s deployed because without the meaningful infrastructure, we cannot get shovels in the ground. That means, for those funds allocated—more libraries, more recreation centres, child care and more.

That’s why the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act includes measures specifically designed to address infrastructure and service gaps that often stall housing growth in underserviced communities. Take water and sewage servicing, for example. In many rural and low-density areas, access to traditional municipal water systems simply does not exist. That’s a major barrier to building. These changes and the many more in this bill will bring clarity, consistency and forward-looking alignment right across Ontario’s planning system.

In addition to fixing what’s broken, we are modernizing what is outdated. Let’s be honest: Planning approvals in Ontario still rely heavily on paper-based manual systems. That slows down everything.

This government is committed to bringing land use planning, development approvals and building code administration into the digital age. AI is part of our future. That’s why we’re launching a comprehensive exploration of provincial IT and data solutions to create a standardized, province-wide digital platform that tracks planning data, automates workflows and improves transparency.

We will also digitize the Ontario building code itself so that planners, builders and inspectors can access up-to-date information instantly. This is modernization with purpose, to reduce delays, improve efficiency and support better housing outcomes.

Another important piece of this legislation is how municipalities calculate development charges. Right now, when a municipality builds infrastructure, part of the cost must be attributed to the benefit it provides to existing residents. That share, called the “benefit to existing,” is deducted before calculating the development charge on new growth.

This is a government that does what it says it will do. We’re delivering. We said we’d create conditions to build more homes, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. We said we’d speed up long-term care. We are. We said we’d cut red tape. We are. We said we’d protect Ontario, and that is exactly what we are doing.

This bill is just the latest proof of why we are not backing down and we’re tackling the tough challenges that face us. We’re embracing them because Ontario is not defined by the problems it faces; we are defined by the way we solve them.

This is our time to lead—not to postpone, not to wait, but to build Ontario. The Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act is a clear signal to every Ontarian: We’re not just watching what happens in the world, we’re making things happen here at home. We’re doing this for families, for workers, for seniors, for the next generation. Ontario is ready, Ontario is moving and, most importantly, Ontario is building. Thank you.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

MPP Catherine McKenney: Thank you for the opportunity to rise to speak to Bill 17 and to raise a number of questions. These are questions that many municipalities and Ontarians have been asking as this legislation moves rapidly toward royal assent.

Let me begin by saying that I think we all agree that Ontario is in the midst of a serious housing crisis. The need for more homes—affordable, climate-resilient and connected to infrastructure—is urgent, but how we meet that need matters. We must do it in a way that protects our environment, supports affordability over the long term and respects the role of local governments.

In that spirit, I want to offer not just a critique but a request for clarity and for consistency, because as it stands, Bill 17 does raise a number of questions that remain unanswered. If we were sitting down together—government, opposition and municipal leaders—these are the questions that might be asked.

First, will municipalities retain the ability to enforce green development standards, particularly non-prescriptive, incentive-based ones like the Toronto Green Standard, which, as we all know, is one of the leading examples in Canada of a municipal climate solution that works? It’s flexible, it’s tiered and only the base tier is mandatory.

Yet Bill 17 introduces legal ambiguity, and that language in the bill would actually prohibit municipalities from using general powers to pass bylaws “respecting construction and demolition of buildings.” This raises real concerns about whether site plan tools could be constrained—even though they operate outside of the building code. This is particularly pressing for the city of Toronto, which, under their City of Toronto Act, has broad, constitutionally protected powers to act on climate change and environmental well-being. These powers deserve clarity and not legal uncertainty.

Second, what is the status of the long-promised regulation that would enable municipalities to use green standards through a standardized framework? In 2023, the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing publicly committed to passing a regulation under the City of Toronto Act and the Municipal Act to allow municipalities to use green development standards through a provincial lens. This was supposed to be the compromise: local flexibility, provincial consistency. But that regulation has not materialized.

And now, with Bill 17 moving forward before the close of public consultation, municipalities are left in limbo. They are left wondering if that commitment still stands or if it has been quietly set aside.

Third, what is the government’s position on rental replacement bylaws under this bill? These bylaws are a vital tool for ensuring that as our communities grow we don’t displace people who are already living there, particularly renters. In cities with rapid redevelopment, rental replacement policies ensure that when older buildings are demolished tenants are not pushed out. But it is unclear whether Bill 17 affects the ability of municipalities to require rental replacement through demolition permits.

Fourth, what powers are being granted to the Minister of Infrastructure under Bill 17? The government’s background materials hint at a potential new authority, perhaps similar to an MZO, a minister’s zoning order. If the Minister of Infrastructure is receiving new zoning powers or expanded authority to enter into transit-oriented communities agreements without cabinet approval that needs to be communicated transparently. Municipalities and residents deserve to know what level of oversight exists over land use decisions tied to infrastructure planning.

Finally, will Bill 17 limit municipalities from using their site plan powers or climate authority to promote sustainability in new developments? Because if that is the intent, or even the unintended consequence, it stands in stark contrast to the government’s own Housing Affordability Task Force.

Madam Speaker, I do want to be clear: We all want to reduce red tape but red tape isn’t the same as local policy. Red tape is arbitrary and inconsistent. Local green development standards are targeted and they’re tested. This isn’t about playing politics with housing, it’s about making sure we’re building the right housing in the right way with the tools that cities need to lead on climate, affordability and infrastructure planning.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: It’s beautiful to be in the chamber with you, but not so great discussing Bill 17 and what you’re trying to do to the green development standards.

I notice that the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs says the building code is king. Well, I would argue it could be queen if you left the green development standards in there, and I’m going to encourage you to do the right thing because it’s smart, it’s logical, it’s innovative, it’s cost-effective and it’s resilient—building resilient infrastructure.

We’ll start first off with the fact that out of your 74 actions to accelerate housing in your affordable housing task force report, none of those recommendations recommended removing municipal green standards—point number 1.

Point number 2, the green development standards, especially the Toronto Green Standard, have not slowed down housing starts, okay? The fact that you think they have is arguable. Toronto has exceeded its housing starts by 51%, including 96% of those housing starts being subject to the Toronto Green Standard. That’s number 2.

Number 3, you have developers who support it. EllisDon, Tridel, Minto, Tribute—even ResCon supports removing the parking minimums, so who are you listening to to remove this?

Number 4, your own former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing—

Interjection.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: There he is. Good morning, good sir. How smart were you back in 2023 when you wrote the letter everyone has a record of?

“Ontario municipalities have been developing green standards that have introduced leading practices in North America for promoting energy efficiency, environmentally friendly landscaping, bird-friendly design and other important sustainable design measures.

“We have heard from municipalities, building owners and occupants, design professionals and the general public about the importance of these green standards”—wow. So proud of that Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing right there. I need an autograph on this letter, I think. “The innovative approaches being implemented through the site plan control process will help move Ontario sooner to the goal of net-zero emission communities.

“It was not the intention of the government through Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, to prevent municipalities from using the site plan control to promote green standards. One of the objectives was to focus site plan reviews on health and safety issues rather than architectural or decorative landscape details....”

All of that to say, your municipal affairs and housing minister at the time supported it, so why don’t you now?

The last thing I will say is that the Premier of Ontario voted yes to the Toronto Green Standard when he was a Toronto city councillor with me in the good old days.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I appreciate this bill in one sense because it aims for consistency. Consistency is what all the developers, small or large, have been asking for across the province. But I push back and say let’s lift the bar up, not push the bar down.

One of the ways we can lift the bar up: zoning—70% of the province is zoned for single-family dwelling. This is not going to get housing online faster. We need to build within the city limits where we already have the pipes and the schools and the parks and the benches and all that stuff. Let’s open up zoning so it’s not illegal to build housing in the province of Ontario.

It is very much illegal. The process, if you want to build a fourplex across the province, is a nightmare. Missing middle housing, midrise housing developers have come to me and said, “You can’t believe what I went through to get this beautiful fourplex midrise to be built.” The fastest way to bring housing online is to start to cut that red tape on exclusionary zoning—again, 70% of the province is zoned for single-family dwellings.

Let’s also lift the bar up when it comes to our housing. We’re losing affordable housing. I’m not sure what the rate is in the minister’s riding, but in my riding, in this area, for every affordable housing unit built, we lose 39. All of these older homes are getting demolished, and in Kitchener we did pass a bylaw to say, when it is five units of so many, you replace those units. Let’s be sure that when we tear someone’s home down, when we build it back, there’s a place for them there. So let’s lift the bar up—also when it comes to green development standards.

I know that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing might want to be a grandpa one day. I think we all have kids or we want to be grandparents. Every bit of gas we burn right now is a debt we leave to our kids. We are locking all of us, right now, and future generations into American dependency. Our “natural”—a.k.a. not-so-natural—gas comes from the United States. So why are we building homes that are gas guzzlers? We’re getting Crown Victorias. We get these big, old, inefficient boats. We’re saddling homeowners with massive bills by having gas-guzzling homes being put on the market.

It is this government that stayed out of the national building code in the energy sector. I know you guys love Enbridge, but it’s time to start dating again and find other ways to power our homes, instead of growing the dependence on American not-so-natural gas that only jeopardizes all of our clean air and future generations.

So I urge you: Let’s lift the bar up, not put the bar down. Make sure we replace affordable housing—

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Here we are again, using time allocation to eliminate public hearings on a government bill because, what, we are running out of time?

I think the public would be shocked to know that the Conservatives limited legislative time to seven weeks between last summer and the election in February, then called for another six-and-a-half-week break, and limited this current session to a mere six weeks, with bill after bill pushed through, with public feedback completely eliminated, supposedly because there’s no time left for fulsome public debate.

So let me be clear: This bill threatens the constitutional rights of Ontarians with disabilities. Nobody should be surprised. This is coming from a government that has ignored the recommendations of its own hand-picked adviser commissioned to review the disabilities act; a government that failed to meet the Legislature’s 2025 deadline to make Ontario fully accessible to people with disabilities; a government that has stolen billions of dollars from workers who became disabled as a result of being injured or made ill on the job.

People with disabilities are not red tape. They matter. We matter. I believe that had public consultations been available, members of all parties might well have supported the amendment asked for by the AODA Alliance. We are foolish indeed if we think that it won’t ever be one of us who is faced with the daunting task of finding an affordable, accessible place to live. Every one of us is only one step away from being disabled. This matters. The government needs to do better.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

MPP Stephanie Smyth: Well, the minister today rose and said enough is enough. I’ll say.

Bill 17 is yet another example of the government centralizing power under the guise of cutting red tape. While this bill claims to speed up housing infrastructure development, what it really does is it strips municipalities of their ability to plan for their communities and hands even more authority to provincial ministers behind closed doors.

Speaker, local councils know their communities best, but under this bill, their hands are tied. The Building Code Act amendments prevent municipalities from setting higher construction standards and standards that might address environmental sustainability or local safety needs.

Let me take you back to last July, which is fast approaching. Remember the deluge of rain several times? Remember the widespread flooding? Do you remember the billions of dollars in damage? Do you also remember that only about a billion dollars was covered by insurance? The minister said the bill clears the runway for the building of housing. Do you remember that—speaking of runways—Pearson airport had to be closed because of the flooding?

Do you know what? Does Mother Nature know about going beyond Ontario’s building code that the minister just talked about? Planning versus paralysis—just wait. We have to plan environmentally. Freak floods are not going away. There will be more. And this is not fear-mongering; we’ve been watching it. The green roof initiatives are not a waste of time, yet they might go the way of the dodo bird with this bill.

Yes, improved infrastructure is needed as well, absolutely, but environmental advocates insist this bill will deeply undercut green standards in Toronto, and if the developers aren’t forced to do it, they will not do it. This is not smart planning. It’s one-size-fits-all policy that ignores local realities.

And talking about transparency or the lack thereof, Bill 17 gives ministers sweeping new powers over zoning, development charges, infrastructure data, with little to no oversight. The government can now rewrite the rules by regulation, without meaningful debate in this chamber.

I urge this government to respect local democracy and work with the municipalities, not against them.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Further debate?

Mr. Adil Shamji: Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to speak in this House regarding the housing crisis that we face in Ontario—one that threatens the well-being of so many people. It has led to a growing epidemic of homelessness and encampments, which this government and, frankly, all members in this House share a commitment to address.

And so, on the one hand, we do welcome this most recent piece of legislation that has the potential to address the policy chaos that we are currently seeing in the housing and home building sector. Indeed, home builders, who we need to tap into to address many of the shortages that we face, are struggling. They don’t have confidence that they can start projects that will pencil at the end.

We have people who are being renovicted and demovicted, people who are struggling to pay their rent but have no access to a fair rent control scheme nor any ability to seek justice in the Landlord and Tenant Board, which is now so dramatically backlogged that both landlords and tenants feel as though they have nowhere to turn.

There are elements of this legislation that are a good thing. It is good to streamline the building code and reduce duplicative and redundant processes. I welcome the deferral of development charges and adjustments in the way that they’re calculated. And suggestions like looking at a modular housing strategy are a good thing as well.

But at a time of dramatic housing unaffordability, why is this all that we get? Where is the implementation of the HATF recommendations? Where is the elimination of land transfer taxes for not-for-profits, for first-time homebuyers, for seniors? Why aren’t we eliminating development charges? Why aren’t we taking more concrete action? Why, at a time when so many people are struggling, are we leaving so many important cards on the table?

And so, while there are elements of Bill 17 that are welcome, that have an opportunity to address the housing crisis that we face, at a time when the situation is so dire, why does it fall so short in treating this crisis with the seriousness that it deserves?

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Pursuant to the order of the House dated June 2, 2025, I am now required to put the question.

Mr. Flack has moved third reading of Bill 17,

An Act to amend various Acts with respect to infrastructure, housing and transit and to revoke a regulation.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I hear a no.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed to the motion will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

A recorded vote being required, it will be deferred until the next instance of deferred votes.

Third reading vote deferred.

Wearing of pins

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to wear a pin in recognition of the month of June being ALS Awareness Month.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Agreed? Agreed.

Orders of the day? I recognize the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Rob Flack: No further business.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): This House stands in recess until 10:15.

The House recessed from 1006 to 1015.

Members’ Statements

Long-term care

Mr. Anthony Leardi: I have more great news about great things happening in Essex county. The first project is a project in the town of Belle River, which is a lovely town located on the shores of Lake St. Clair. This is a 160-unit long-term-care facility. It is going to be state of the art and it’s going to allow people to stay in their town and stay close to their loved ones and their families.

The second project is in Amherstburg, a historic town located on the Detroit River. This project is another 160 units, a long-term-care home which will allow people to stay in Amherstburg and stay close to their friends and their family. This project is going to be very welcomed and it’s currently under construction as well.

These long-term-care projects are very important to the people in Essex county. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Long-Term Care and also the Ford government for putting funding behind these projects and having a

part in helping construct these very, very important facilities for the people of Belle River, Amherstburg and Essex county.

Health care funding

Mr. Jeff Burch: Health care underfunding is having devastating consequences across the province, and I want to take a moment to tell Celia Krampien’s story. Celia is a resident of Welland and just turned 37. She’s been healthy and active all her life and was diagnosed with a rare idiopathic condition which causes scar tissue to build up in her airway. There’s a simple treatment for this, a surgery that can remove the extra tissue and open the airway. However, she cannot get this surgery because while diagnosing this breathing issue, doctors also discovered a large aneurysm in her brain.

The aneurysm was discovered in January. Brain aneurysm ruptures result in immediate death 50% of the time. Of those who survive a rupture, 25% will suffer severe life-altering complications.

Celia says, “It’s now June and I have yet to receive any treatment or even a proper assessment for this brain aneurysm. I cannot receive treatment for my breathing issue because of risk of rupture. I pay out of pocket for a therapist to help cope with the grief. I’m alarmed by what seem to be cynical moves by this government and other Conservative parties to defund our health care system and move toward privatization and a predatory American-style system.”

Ontario must urgently strengthen the public health care system by recruiting more health care workers and doctors, expanding resources and improving infrastructure, so people like Celia don’t have to endure months of waiting for critical treatment.

Thank you for sharing your story, Celia. We can do better.

ALS Awareness Month

MPP Tyler Watt: This is a very special and rather emotional moment for me. June is ALS Awareness Month, a time to honour the strength and resilience of those living with ALS, their families and the tireless advocates working towards a cure. Today, members of ALS Canada are here at Queen’s Park to remind us that this fight is urgent.

Imagine losing your ability to drive, to walk, to bathe yourself or even breathe. That is what living with ALS looks like. It is relentless, and it robs people of their independence and their dignity, piece by piece.

For me, this is personal. My father, Randy Watt, was diagnosed with ALS in December 2022, and unfortunately, just two years later, we lost him. Watching him face this disease with courage while his body failed him was the most heartbreaking experience of my life. But he never lost his spirit, and neither will we.

Dad, if you’re watching right now, know that I miss you every single day, and I hope that I’m making you proud.

Let this month be a call to action to invest in research to support families and to never stop working towards a future without ALS.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’m sure your father is very, very proud of you.

African Caribbean Council of Halton

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: I rise today to recognize the fifth anniversary of the African Caribbean and Black Excellence Scholarship Awards presented by the African Caribbean Council of Halton. These awards celebrate exceptional students of African Caribbean and Black descent who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and a commitment to community service. From organizing Black History Month events to mentoring and volunteering, these young leaders uplift all of those around them. Their achievements inspire all of us.

In recognition of their success, each award-winning student received a certificate from me on behalf of the government of Ontario, and each year I’ve been honoured to support this initiative by offering a summer job in my community office to one student, helping to build their experience in government and public service.

Ontario shares the goals of the ACCH through the Youth Mentorship Program, which offers culturally relevant mentorship opportunities for Black children and youth aged six to 25, and through the Black youth action plan, where over 10,800 Black children, youth and their families are supported annually in elementary and secondary school, post-secondary education and employment.

To the African Caribbean Council of Halton, thank you for your vision and leadership and investing in the next generation of young leaders.

Children’s mental health services

Événements divers à Glengarry–Prescott–Russell

M. Stéphane Sarrazin: Alors que nous entamons notre dernière semaine parlementaire avant la pause estivale, j’aimerais prendre un moment pour souligner l’importance de la saison estivale dans nos communautés. L’été dans Glengarry–Prescott–Russell est une période d’enthousiasme et de rassemblement. Partout dans la circonscription, des festivals, des foires agricoles, des célébrations culturelles et des événements communautaires auront lieu.

Ces événements ne sont pas seulement des occasions pour les familles et les voisins de se retrouver. Ils offrent également un soutien précieux à notre économie locale. Les petites entreprises, les artisans, les agriculteurs et les acteurs du secteur touristique bénéficient tous de l’énergie et de l’engagement que l’été apporte à notre région. C’est un rappel de la vitalité et de la résilience de nos communautés.

Je tiens à remercier sincèrement tous les organisateurs, comités, bénévoles, ainsi que les partenaires municipaux et communautaires qui rendent ces événements possibles, année après année. Leur travail se déroule souvent dans l’ombre, mais leur contribution est essentielle à la vitalité de nos communautés.

Cet été, je serai présent sur le terrain, rencontrant des résidents, des entreprises locales, des élus municipaux et divers intervenants. Ces échanges sont inestimables, car ils me permettent de mieux comprendre les réalités locales et de porter leur voix ici à Queen’s Park.

Je souhaite à tous mes collègues une saison estivale remplie de moments significatifs partagés avec leurs concitoyens.

Government’s record

Mr. John Vanthof: In the last few days in the House, in the last few weeks, we’ve been talking a lot about Bill 5, how it was going to be such a massive government overreach. But what does that actually mean? Let’s talk about a couple of examples.

When the Ford government was elected the first time, they were going to balance the budget by holding public servants at 1%. When that bill was rescinded, or beaten in court, that actually ended up costing the people of Ontario billions of extra dollars.

The housing crisis: The first thing the Ford government did was open up the greenbelt—or try to—with Bill 23. That was going to fix the housing crisis. What happened? No houses were built. They had to rescind that bill. But even more importantly, developers who were trying to do the right thing, their reputations were ruined. It actually slowed the housing industry down.

Now the government is doing the same thing with their special economic zones, which they say are for mining companies. Be careful, mining companies, because what’s going to happen is your reputation—we all know the great job mining companies do dealing with First Nations, dealing with the environment—is going to be tarnished by this massive government overreach.

Please, please, to the Premier and his government: Pull Bill 5. Keep the part about the concierge for mining, but pull the rest.

Baycrest Bike for Brain Health

Mrs. Michelle Cooper: This past Sunday I had the privilege of joining 10,000 riders in the Baycrest Bike for Brain Health event right here in Toronto, where I rode 50 kilometres alongside my son Ryan. It was an inspiring experience, not just for the rare chance to ride along the Gardiner and the DVP car-free, but for the cause we were riding for: promoting brain health and raising funds for Baycrest’s world-renowned research and care in aging and cognitive health.

Baycrest is a global leader in brain health, and I’m proud to say it’s located in my riding of Eglinton–Lawrence. It’s not only a source of groundbreaking innovation, but also a place of compassion and care for families facing the challenges of aging and dementia.

Let’s keep working together to make Ontario a place where healthy aging is possible for all.

Victim Services Awards of Distinction

Mr. Lorne Coe: Recently the 2024-25 Attorney General’s Victim Services Awards of Distinction were announced. This award recognizes the dedication and achievements of individuals and organizations working to support people who have experienced victimization due to crime, and to raise awareness of victims’ issues in Ontario.

Speaker, I am pleased to highlight two recipients from the region of Durham. They include Krista MacNeil, from Whitby, who has spent over two decades advocating for victims of human trafficking and sexual violence, pushing for systemic and legislative change; and Karly Church, from Oshawa, who is a human trafficking coordinator and community engagement manager at Victim Services of Durham Region. She’s been a driving force behind the Monday Night Project, a drop-in program to support women experiencing exploitation or human trafficking.

Karly also helped develop the helping alliances with law enforcement to end trafficking model, which provides immediate coordinated support for trafficking survivors.

Congratulations to Krista and Karly on your well-deserved awards and the difference you make in the region of Durham.

Nathan Skoufis

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It’s my honour to welcome to the gallery up here and recognize an inspirational athlete and leader from my riding. Nathan Skoufis is a lifelong Guelph resident, world champion martial artist and mentor. Sensei Nathan was recently crowned Canadian open martial arts champion for a record-breaking 12th consecutive year. The 23-time world champion once again qualified for Team Canada and will represent Canada at the world championships this fall.

I’ve known Nathan for many years and have witnessed first-hand the impact of his leadership in Guelph. Ten years ago, Nathan, along with his family, founded the Guelph martial arts school with the goal of empowering youth and adults through martial arts. Last year, Nathan was awarded the difference maker of the year award by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce.

Recently, Guelph Family Martial Arts hosted a free self-defence workshop for hundreds of women in Guelph. Nathan had the idea for the workshop after a string of assaults in our city. He stepped up, offered this free workshop to give women not only self-defence skills but a space to talk about what they were experiencing.

I ask all members in the House to please join me in thanking Nathan for his work and wishing him good luck at the world championships.

Introduction of Visitors

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy: I’d like to welcome to the House today the Honourable Erin O’Toole and his wife Rebecca O’Toole. The Honourable Erin O’Toole is a former member for Durham in the federal Parliament, the former Leader of the Opposition and a former cabinet minister federally. They are here to visit their niece, page Emilie Trainor.

Ms. Chandra Pasma: I’d like to welcome the team from the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada to Queen’s Park today, and in particular, Scott Papp, Carlo Mangliochetti, John Fata, Steve Gilbert and Maz Jamil. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Graydon Smith: I just want to welcome two summer interns from my office that are joining us at Queen’s Park today, Michayla Weber and Torin Peters-Millar. Welcome to Queen’s Park and thank you for all the great work you do.

Hon. Stan Cho: I have two constituents visiting me here today. I have Eva Teng and Lialing Zhao, who are the proud parents of Leo “the Lion,” who works at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. Welcome to the Legislature.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Good morning. The Ontario Road Builders’ Association and the Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association are here today—I’m looking forward to meeting with them—James McVeety from Colas Canada, Afra Shokraei from Black and McDonald, Jim Petrella from Dufferin Aggregates, Chris Galway from Lafarge Canada Inc. and Regan Cox from Cox Construction.

Also, I want to welcome my constituency assistant Shel Secrett, from Waterloo. Welcome to your House today. Let’s have some fun.

MPP Tyler Watt: It’s my honour to welcome members of ALS Canada to Queen’s Park today. ALS Canada was essential in helping provide the necessary care and resources for my father during his adventure. To Tammy Moore, the CEO; Ilayda Ulgenalp, senior manager, advocacy and stakeholder relations; and Steffi Burgi, the coordinator, advocacy and stakeholder relations, welcome to Queen’s Park and thank you.

Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady: I’d like to welcome Emma Rogers to Queen’s Park this morning. Emma is the talented CEO of the Norfolk General Hospital Foundation. Although she’s from Guelph, Emma fits in so well in Norfolk county and is a shining star when it comes to raising the funds at our local hospital.

Hon. Jill Dunlop: I am pleased to welcome Sabrina Farrace and Dr. Oliver Shaw, who are here to join me for lunch and a tour. Welcome to Queen’s Park and thank you for making the trip.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It gives me great pleasure to welcome the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada. I want to let all members know that they’ll be hosting a reception for MPPs in rooms 228 and 230 at 5 o’clock. I’m also looking forward to meeting with Sandy MacLeod, Rahim Shamji, Andrea Gondova, George Lloyd and Jim McAughey. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

M. Guy Bourgouin: Je veux souhaiter la bienvenue à Mario Villeneuve. Mario, bienvenue à Queen’s Park. J’espère qu’on va avoir la chance de se croiser, se dire bonjour puis aussi de parler de certains sujets.

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: I’d like to welcome Haaris Kafeel. He’s a valued student volunteer in my constituency office at Queen’s Park. Welcome.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As we begin ALS Awareness Month, I would also like to welcome members from the ALS Society of Canada to Queen’s Park today. Welcome.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: From Neskantaga, we have Ben Sakanee, Dorothy Sakanee, Marilyn Waswa, Liz Moonias, Coleen Moonias, and also, from Kingfisher Lake, Janna Kakegamic, Emily King and my sister, Esther Sakakeep. I think my mom sent her down. Meegwetch.

Mr. Stephen Blais: I’d like to extend a warm welcome to representatives from the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada, in particular Scott Papp, Carlo Mangliochetti, John Fata, Steve Gilbert, Maz Jamil, Perry Chao, Bill Eade, Chris Hann, Peter Messenger and John Hurley. I’m looking forward to our meeting later this afternoon.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: I would like to welcome Walid Abou-Hamde, Malcolm Croskery, Dwayne MacKenzie, Rick Tamburro and Graziela Girardi, all with the road builders’ association of Ontario. Welcome.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’m going to add a little extra time to the clock because we were a little slow on the uptick.

The Minister of the Environment.

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy: I want to welcome to the House today my cousin Dan McCarthy, who is more like brother than cousin.

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: I’d like to welcome, from my constituency office, Daniel Goutovets and Elias Tzanis, who is our summer intern. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam: Speaker, I would like to welcome two interns from my constituency office, Rahavie Gnanachandran and Daniel Valtchanov.

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: I rise today and am so happy to welcome Mrs. Sarathambal Paranirupasingam, a celebrated Tamil poet and the author of the collection [ remarks in Tamil ], a heartfelt tribute to motherhood and Tamil heritage.

Joining her is her daughter, Ms. Shiyamali Paranirupasingam, an emerging Ontarian Canadian woman entrepreneur and founder of L’Amour Pearls, known for promoting elegance and craftmanship in the jewellery industry. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Question Period

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is for the Premier. Yesterday, the lawn of the Legislature was full of people. First Nations leadership from all across the country, rights holders, supporters, folks from Dresden to Ottawa and all across Canada actually showed up yesterday to register their opposition to Bill 5. The government has so far refused to listen to those voices. They are cutting public hearings. They’ve stalled debate.

But there is clear consensus: The government has gone too far. The legislation is unlike anything we have ever seen. It is a massive overreach. So to the Premier: Will he do the right thing and scrap Bill 5?

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

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Yesterday, the member didn’t even make it out of the chamber before the NDP blasted a fundraising email out to their supporters. It goes to show you exactly where their priorities lie. They don’t care about protecting and growing Ontario’s economy. They continue to fearmonger about this legislation so they can sell a few more memberships and raise a little more money.

While they can do that, Speaker, serious leaders of all political stripes are in agreement that we need to move faster. We need to get projects approved faster, get shovels in the ground faster and get good-paying jobs created faster. Speaker, that’s why we’re moving forward with Bill 5.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, I’d like us to zoom out for a little while and look at what this legislation actually would allow the government to do. It goes beyond legislation that has been proposed pretty much anywhere else in the world. It is really an extraordinary overreach, suspending any laws—and that could include property rights, treaty rights, safe drinking water, protection for farmland and, yes, even child labour laws. With the stroke of a pen, every law wiped away. That is not fearmongering. That is a fact.

So I want to know why the Premier wants to have the power to suspend all laws.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Well, Speaker, let’s zoom in instead. This isn’t about the NDP’s opposition to legislation. If it was, they would have criticized their NDP friends in BC who just passed very similar legislation to fast-track approvals.

For the NDP, it’s all about political reaction. They staged one of their own members getting kicked out of the House yesterday so they could fundraise on it seconds later. The NDP and the Liberals can keep playing their political games.

While they do that, Premier Ford and our government will remain laser-focused on what we were elected to do, and that is to ensure that Ontario’s economy comes out of—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Facts will never get in the way of this government trying to distract from this terrible law. Good, responsible governments are able to make things happen without breaking the law, within the letter of the law.

Instead of being afraid to debate the people, you could listen to the people and you could make this bill stronger. Instead of overriding treaty rights, you could work with First Nations leaders and rights holders and get development moving the first time, without getting us caught up in the courts.

Why will the government not do the right thing and scrap Bill 5?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: There are two sets of priorities very clearly on display here.

The NDP are focused on political stunts, rallying their activist base and boosting their fundraising efforts. Yesterday, their member was removed from the Legislature by his own choice. Within minutes, the NDP’s fundraising email had already gone out to supporters—the door was barely closed—highlighting how he was kicked out of the Legislature.

While they focus on shenanigans, our government will continue to focus on ensuring that Ontario comes out of this situation stronger than ever before. We need to do things faster. It cannot take, under any circumstances, 15 years to get a shovel in the ground for a project. We know this. Canadians know it too, and that’s why we’re moving forward with Bill 5.

Government accountability

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Yesterday, hundreds of rights holders—not activists—travelled across Ontario to stand together and oppose Bill 5. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and former National Chief Phil Fontaine were here yesterday. They joined our leaders, elders and youth to speak out against Bill 5. Our rights are not for sale, and our lands are not for sale.

To the Premier: You respect First Nations and rights holders. Will you scrap Bill 5?

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

Hon. Greg Rickford: Yesterday was a great day for the Premier, the other First Ministers across the country and the Prime Minister, where they explicitly signed a statement to fulfill the duty to consult to increase Indigenous partnerships in major legacy infrastructure projects and resource projects.

In those discussions, one Premier in particular, my friend Premier Wab Kinew, said it best yesterday with respect to major projects being proposed across Canada. He said they represent “a generational opportunity for some of the poorest communities in our country.”

I agree with Premier Kinew. I applaud the Prime Minister of Canada and the First Ministers yesterday in recognizing explicitly a commitment to fulfill the duty to consult and to commit to ensure that First Nations are full partners in community and economic opportunities across this country.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member from Kiiwetinoong for the supplementary.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Bill 5 is more than just legislation, it is history repeating itself. One of the people who spoke was the sister of Dudley George. Dudley George was a land defender who was killed by the Ontario Provincial Police for participating in the occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park. If this government does not rescind Bill 5, First Nations are united and ready to defend their rights on the land.

I ask the Premier: Is your government ready to face the disruption that Bill 5 will cause?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Madam Speaker, I don’t think that we can advance meaningful debate in this province or across the country when, if what the member is saying suggests that there will be that kind of confrontation. Nobody is interested in that. It doesn’t serve any purpose, not to mention the fact that it loses public support.

People don’t mind peaceful protest, and the rally yesterday reminded us of the importance to various First Nations leaders to make sure that the duty to consult is protected and enshrined in that bill, but that after the duty to consult, we ensure that full, meaningful economic partnerships and community partnership agreements offer the kind of prosperity for First Nations communities they rightly deserve.

Nothing is advanced through the threat of physical confrontation, Madam Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Kiiwetinoong.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Speaker, when you throw me out of the chamber, you are throwing out all First Nations people.

I speak as a messenger to share what I’ve heard from First Nations rights holders across Ontario but also many of the thousands of people who have spoken against Bill 5.

Speaker, to the Premier: It’s not too late. So I ask again: Will the Premier scrap Bill 5 and start over?

Hon. Greg Rickford: What we will start and what we hope to start, Madam Speaker, is the duty to consult and ensure that First Nations become full partners in economic and community-based opportunities—and there’s a very good reason for that. Because it is simply unfair that isolated and remote First Nations communities live in the kind of poverty that they do currently, that young people wake up limited to a job at an education authority, a band authority, the North West Co. or the health authority—that represents somewhere around 20% of the employment opportunities in those communities.

Young people are leaving in droves and they’re going to Thunder Bay, and things are happening to them that this member persistently rises in this House to highlight, and they are tragic. They are unacceptable and they have to stop, Madam Speaker.

Economic prosperity is the next big

chapter of economic reconciliation for First Nations. I ask this member to be reasonable about it and move forward with us together in that partnership.

First Nations consultation

Mr. John Fraser: Yesterday the Premier was out in Saskatoon and he was singing Love Is in the Air. Isn’t that special? Well, I know for the First Nations leaders and the elders and the many people who travelled thousands of kilometres—some of them—to be here at Queen’s Park to send the Premier a message, they didn’t feel the love. They haven’t been feeling the love since Bill 5 came out.

Their simple message is: Listen to us. Consult with us. Respect truth and reconciliation. It’s a simple, clear message. It’s not getting through.

So will the Premier kill Bill 5, go back to the drawing board and get it right?

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

Hon. Victor Fedeli: The Liberals had four weeks to prepare and file amendments if they thought the legislation needed to be strengthened. Here’s what they put forward instead: A motion to assure that no exemptions are made to the requirements of the Milk Act. Their next motion was to ensure no exemptions are made to the requirements of the 2015 Ontario Bike Month Act. Then they put a motion to ensure no exemptions are made to the requirements of the Nikola Tesla Day Act.

So they keep showing the people of the province how unserious they are about making real amendments to this.

We’ll continue to focus on the people that we’re elected to protect. We’ll grow our economy and we will fight this greatest threat that we have, Speaker.

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

Mr. John Fraser: The thing that we’re serious about is Bill 5. It’s unjust, it’s undemocratic and it’s an insult to First Nations. That’s what we’re serious about. So I hope you got the point with all the amendments, Minister.

It’s evident that this Premier is not listening to First Nations. In fact, his response to them was, don’t be left behind—translated: “We know what’s good for you.” For centuries, First Nations have heard that, often with very tragic consequences. My colleague mentioned one today: families ripped apart.

So if you want to understand why First Nations are upset—you keep saying the same thing: “We know what’s good for you.” No wonder they’re angry.

Will the Premier kill Bill 5, go back to the drawing board and get it right?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, 2,000 frivolous amendments—they have had four weeks to prepare and forward real amendments if they believe the legislation needed to be strengthened.

Let’s look at a couple more of their amendments: a motion to ensure that no exemptions apply to the requirements of the Motorized Snow Vehicles Act. This is what they want to do in this. They have a motion not to exempt the requirements of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. That’s what they put in this. A motion to ensure that no exemptions apply to the Nutrition Management Act—Speaker, the Liberals keep reaffirming to the people of the province of Ontario that they aren’t serious, they cannot be taken seriously about this.

We’re going to remain focused on this critical issue at hand: the generations of threat we face from south of the border.

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

Mr. John Fraser: The question that I delivered was about generations of hearing the same thing: “We know what’s good for you.” It’s clear that in the drafting of this bill First Nations weren’t included. So maybe with the number of amendments—and trust me, there’s more coming, Minister; there’s a lot more coming—you’ll get the message and kill Bill 5.

The Premier should be listening to First Nations; he’s not, and his message is—and it’s actually to all of us in Ontario—“I’m going to do whatever I want, wherever I want, with whoever I want, and you know what? You don’t get a say. I make all the rules.”

This bill is undemocratic, and it’s unjust. The Premier needs to kill Bill 5, go back to the drawing board and get it right. Will he do it?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: This week, Prime Minister Carney was focused on getting big projects approved faster. The federal Liberal government is promising two-year approvals for projects that could include critical mineral production, ports and pipelines—sounds familiar. This is a Prime Minister who Bonnie Crombie went out of her way to endorse in the federal election, even though he refused to return the favour with the endorsement for the Liberals in the Ontario election.

So let’s be honest with the people of Ontario: The Liberals do not care about growing Ontario’s economy. Just like the NDP, the Liberals want more bureaucracy, more red tape and more taxes. Our government wants more investment, more jobs, and that’s why we are moving forward with Bill 5.

Government accountability

Mr. John Fraser: Let’s look at when this government went really fast: the greenbelt, MZOs, the “notwithstanding” clause, Bill 124—that’s a great record of success. As I said yesterday, when this government gets in a hurry, it leaves a steaming pile behind it, and Bill 5 is going to be in that list.

My colleague from Kingston and the Islands put forward hundreds of amendments—more to come, Minister, I promise—and he did that for a reason: to give the other side a chance to think about what it is they’re doing. We’ll get through the whole thing—

Interjection.

Mr. John Fraser: Yes, filibuster—I heard that. Nothing wrong with that. It’s a tool. It gives you guys time to make the right decision.

He put them forward so the government will do the right thing on Bill 5. That’s simply just to kill the bill, go back to the drawing board and get it right. Will the Premier do that?

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

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, our government is focused on moving our province towards prosperity, while the opposition would rather let the Americans outbuild us and bully us into retreat.

At this week’s First Ministers’ conference, the big theme is nation-building projects. The Liberal Prime Minister and Premiers of all political stripes have emphasized a single, clear message: We need to get construction under way and accelerate the projects that will drive our economy forward. Everyone knows that we need to do things faster. It cannot take 15 years to get shovels in the ground for a manufacturing plant, a mine or any project, for that matter.

The federal Liberals agree. The NDP Premiers from Manitoba and BC agree. When will the Liberals and NDP in Ontario agree?

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

Mr. John Fraser: He wants to talk about bullying. Well, Bill 5—who’s bullying First Nations? Who’s bullying the people of Dresden? Thanks for mentioning it, Minister.

My colleague from Kingston and the Islands put forward these amendments, which we’ll have the pleasure of reading later on today—or some people will—because he wanted to put them forward for the people of Dresden and for the people who don’t want the Premier to put a dump willy-nilly in their backyard, because some of his friends want it. He put them forward for First Nations, because the government is not respecting truth and reconciliation, and he put them forward for all those Ontarians who are going to end up paying $400 each at some point so a foreign company can build a luxury spa in downtown Toronto.

The minister may make fun of those amendments, but the point is, you need to take the time and listen. Will the Premier kill Bill 5, go back to the drawing board and get it right? Yes or no?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Energy and Mines.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Madam Speaker, the true agenda of the Liberal Party is on display. In a futile attempt to mainstream yourself and not be the activist left of the former Premier, you’re attempting to moderate, and yet here you are, opposing resource projects that build an economy that even the federal Prime Minister would agree with. You are so offside the political mainstream.

And so, Madam Speaker, when they had the chance—there was a project, a chromite mine, and Cliffs Natural Resources froze a $3-billion investment because the former Liberals, when they were in power—“uncertain timeline and risks associated with the development of necessary infrastructure.” They literally killed the project.

We launched a critical minerals strategy; since then, a 41% increase year over year in production here at home. We announced a plan, by my predecessor, that has seen a 55% increase in mineral production continue to grow. That’s the difference. We’re enabling economic growth, we’re ensuring we do it in partnership, but we’re not going to stand up for President Trump or our adversaries abroad by keeping our resources landlocked here at home.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member from Kingston and the Islands.

Mr. Ted Hsu: I submitted a large number of amendments not to delay for delay’s sake, but to defend our democracy. This government does not get unlimited power.

Will the government kill Bill 5, take the summer to think and consult properly, especially with First Nations, and come back with a better bill for Ontario?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Madam Speaker, we need to look at the record of the former Liberals and their moral indignation today, as they say we need to—

Interjections.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: The former Liberal Party, when they were in government—look at their record. Let that be informative of our future.

When you had the ability to approve mines and a project in the province, you literally sat on permits to the point that you deterred billions of dollars of economic investment that would have supported Indigenous communities and the entire prosperity of Canada. You sat on the sidelines, because it was politically easy to go along to get along, instead of standing up for what’s right.

And the Liberals should know better, because the federal Liberals—to the credit of the Prime Minister, for which we don’t share political parties, even he can get to yes on nation-building projects that build an economy and create jobs here at home. The question, fundamentally, for the Liberals is: Why are they against all resource development in this province?

Government accountability

Ms. Jennifer K. French: My question is to the Premier. The terribly heavy-handed Bill 5, rammed through this Legislature, will allow the province to designate special economic zones that will not be subject to provincial laws or protections.

This Premier usually favours bulldozing the province, but in the case of his 401 tunnel, it seems the Premier will be digging himself into a very deep hole. The 401 is one of the busiest highways in the world, and ostensibly while still in operation, this Premier wants to bore a tunnel underneath it. This 401 tunnel plan is apparently going to be one of these special economic law-free zones.

Why does the Premier think digging under the 401 should be exempt from labour, safety, planning, environmental and any other provincial laws?

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

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Madam Speaker, every step of the way, the opposition—whether it’s the NDP or Liberals—have doubted our plan to build. Whether it be the Scarborough subway extension, the Ontario Line, the Eglinton West extension, the Finch or the Hazel McCallion lines—every single time, the members opposite have stood up and said we couldn’t get it done, we couldn’t get shovels in the ground. Guess what? Shovels are in the ground and we’re building for the future. The NDP and Liberals have no vision for this province. They don’t want anything to get built.

But I’ll guarantee you this, Madam Speaker: We’re going to get shovels in the ground. We’re going to build that tunnel because that is what the people of this province have elected us to do. Whether it’s the 413, whether it’s the Bradford Bypass or removing tolls across the province, that is what we’re committed to doing, that is what we’re going to do and we’re going to get those shovels in the ground.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Oshawa.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Back to the Premier: The Premier’s team wants us to imagine that an underground tunnel from Brampton to Markham is nation-building. For what will surely be a trillion dollars by the time the digging starts, we could have built the homes we need, built practical transit, ensured people have access to medical care and fixed our education system.

The Prime Minister asked for a list of nation-building projects, and this Premier has offered a list of Ford Nation-building projects. Why is the Premier’s 401 pipe dream the number one priority for this government?

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: This is the plan we took to the people of this province, who returned Premier Ford and this government to a historic and landmark third majority government. That is why we will continue to push forward and move forward these amazing and incredible projects: whether it be the 413 that is going to employ thousands of people across the province; the Bradford Bypass, which is going to save over 30 minutes each way; or whether it’s our historic investments in transit—the Ontario Line, moving 400,000 people every single day.

Guess what, Madam Speaker? Whether it’s the NDP or the Liberals—the Liberals, who did nothing for 15 years; built upside-down bridges and couldn’t get a transit project off the ground—we’ll take no lessons from them. We’re going to build for the future. We’re going to get those subways running. We’re going to ensure the future generations of this province can ride on subways, LRTs and—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Ottawa–Vanier.

Affaires francophones

M me Lucille Collard: Madame la Présidente, le budget du gouvernement coupe de façon importante le financement des affaires francophones, qui passe de 14 millions de dollars à 11,3 millions de dollars, alors que les dépenses augmentent dans d’autres ministères.

La ministre peut-elle expliquer comment cette réduction est compatible avec l’engagement du gouvernement à soutenir la communauté francophone de l’Ontario?

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

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: Je remercie la députée d’Ottawa–Vanier pour sa question, parce que ça me donne la chance de parler directement aux Ontariens et aux Ontariennes de la communauté francophone concernant l’ampleur et la portée des investissements que nous faisons pour la communauté francophone, non seulement au sein du ministère des Affaires francophones, mais aussi avec les autres ministères.

Madame la Présidente, ça continue à travers le gouvernement. Le soutien de notre gouvernement pour la communauté francophone est fort et va continuer à être fort.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Ottawa–Vanier.

M me Lucille Collard: Madame la Présidente, au-delà des chiffres, la réduction réelle du budget cette année a des conséquences qui sont très concrètes et, en fait, la communauté francophone les ressent déjà.

Je vais parler du Festival franco-ontarien, qui est un exemple concret qui souffre vraiment d’une coupure importante. Comment expliquer que leur budget a passé de 235 000 $ à 55 000 $ en quelques années? Cette année, le Festival franco-ontarien célèbre 50 ans et aucun financement provincial n’a encore été confirmé. Le festival est la semaine prochaine.

La ministre peut-elle nous dire, en toute transparence, si son gouvernement entend réellement appuyer cette célébration emblématique de la communauté franco-ontarienne?

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

Hon. Stan Cho: I’m glad that the member opposite brings up this very important festival, Festival franco-ontarien. It’s something that has been around for 50 years and is an important festival, for sure in her riding but also to Franco-Ontarians.

That’s why this government, since 2018, has supported that very festival with over $1 million in funding. That includes $155,000 from Ontario Creates for live music, over $170,000 in Ontario Trillium funding and nearly $65,000 in Ontario Arts Council funding.

There’s no doubt about it: The Experience Ontario program is a highly popular program. We’ve dedicated $20 million to fund 356 festivals throughout the province. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

When it comes to Franco-Ontarians, we’ve dedicated $135,000 this year alone in five festivals—throughout that very festival; $4.3 million for projects benefiting Francophone communities. Like I said, it’s a highly competitive program, but we are supporting Franco-Ontarians throughout this province. We encourage all Ontarians to get out there to their communities and celebrate everything Ontarian and Franco-Ontarian.

Highway tolls

Mr. Lorne Coe: My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Ontario families and businesses are feeling the impacts of global inflation and higher costs. They need help and financial relief.

But the NDP and the Liberals love tolls and taxes. In fact, it was the Liberals who brought tolls to Highways 412, 418 and the provincially owned

section of the 407 east. These tolls made life harder for drivers.

People in my riding are happy to see the tolls are gone. They want to know that our government will keep fighting for them.

Speaker, can the minister please tell us how our government is making life easier for drivers by removing tolls and putting money back in the pockets of hard-working families?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Hastings–Lennox and Addington.

Mr. Ric Bresee: I thank the member for Whitby for that question.

The Liberal tolls of the provincially owned

section of the 407 are officially gone. Ontario’s publicly owned highways are now 100% toll-free. This will save regular commuters up to $7,200 per year. That’s amazing, Speaker.

Since day one, we’ve been focused on keeping costs down for families and for businesses. We removed the tolls that the Liberals put on both Highways 412 and 418. We froze fees on driver’s licence renewals and photo ID cards that just kept escalating under the previous Liberal government. On top of that, we’ve scrapped the licence plate sticker, we scrapped Drive Clean fees and we permanently cut the gas tax.

For years, Liberals have raised taxes and tolls on hard-working families, but under this Premier, we will put money back in their pockets.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Whitby.

Mr. Lorne Coe: I want to thank the parliamentary assistant for his response. Families in my riding are proud that our government is standing up for drivers.

The Liberals made life harder for everyone by bringing in tolls on the 407 east, Highway 412 and Highway 418. When asked about removing tolls on the 407 east, Bonnie Crombie said she “can’t make that commitment.” We all know tolls cost drivers more money every day, and some Liberal members even support putting more tolls on roads. For example, the member from Orléans openly supported a $5-a-day toll on Highway 174. That would cost local drivers hundreds of dollars a month.

Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant please tell this House how our government is fighting the Liberal push for more tolls and putting money back in drivers’ pockets?

Mr. Ric Bresee: Thank you again to the amazing member from Whitby. We know that tolls only make life more expensive. We have the history—we know that the Liberals and the NDP love their tolls.

So I find it ironic that the Liberal member for Ajax had fought to remove tolls on the 407 east. The Liberals are the ones who introduced tolls on the 407 east, and it was the Liberals who introduced tolls on the 412 and the 418. The member from Ajax ran for the party that put tolls on highways in Durham. In fact, his Liberal colleague the member from Beaches–East York described herself as a big believer in road tolls.

There’s only one party that continues to cut tolls and taxes. Under the leadership of this Premier, the Liberals’ tolls on the provincial roads are officially gone.

Endangered species

Ms. Sandy Shaw: This government is once again eradicating any protections for species at risk and their habitats. Ontario’s Auditor General has reported that under consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments, the number of approvals for projects that harm protected species has increased by over 6,000%. Bill 5 will further this harm by politicizing the process to water down species-at-risk classifications. Environmental Defence says this bill will “declare open season in Ontario on species that are listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern.”

So my question: Why does the Premier think that politicians—and not experts—should decide which species are considered at risk?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy: Madam Speaker, through you: I’m glad the member opposite asked about species at risk, because we are transforming the protection and recovery of species at risk with a new Species Conservation Act. We are quadrupling the funding to protect, preserve and recover species—$4.5 million annually, increasing now to $20 million annually.

In addition, we have the strongest investigative powers available to our environmental compliance officers now, to detect and investigate, recover evidence and prosecute those few bad actors who would harm species at risk. We’re getting it done in a balanced and transformative way. I’m proud of our government’s initiative in this regard.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Was it transforming species or eradicating species, because that’s what we know you’re doing.

First Nations have been very clear: Bill 5 is a violation of their inherent treaty rights and is also a direct threat to First Nations’ lands and waters. Bill 5 will exclude First Nations from the species-at-risk process and will certainly deepen environmental harm.

Attawapiskat First Nation says they are deeply concerned that Ontario is seeking to purely politicize the protection of these species and the habitats that they and, ultimately, we rely on to survive.

Again, why is the Premier allowing politicians to decide which species and habitats are considered at risk, instead of listening to experts like First Nations communities?

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

Hon. Greg Rickford: As stewards of the pristine lands in the Far North, as somebody who has lived there for quite a long time, I have a deep appreciation for what it means to First Nations people and their communities, living on the water and off the land. I think that this bill does nothing to infringe on those rights whatsoever. In fact, I think our commitment to consult on this bill in schedules that pertain and give rise to a duty to consult will be in there.

If we can move away from some of the silly amendments that the Liberal Party has put forward, get to the substance of matters, ensure the duty to consult is protected in every way—forget the Milk Act—let’s make sure we’re full partners with First Nations and protect species at risk in those beautiful lands.

Protection of privacy

Ms. Lee Fairclough: There’s a troubling theme running across legislation from this government. They consolidate power in the hands of few, they reduce individual rights and they erode oversight—all of this while ramming through legislation without the opportunity for public comments, scrutiny or amendments. So it is with Bill 11,

schedule 6.

My question is for the Minister of Health. Why is she determined to push through this legislation that, according to the Information and Privacy Commissioner, would diminish patient access rights to their own records and grant the minister new powers, including overriding individual consent?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Let’s be clear: What Bill 11 will do is actually empower patients to ensure that the individuals who see their records—the clinicians who have access to their records—are chosen by the patient. It’s empowering the individual so that if they decide that their primary care provider wants to—they want to give access to their records, they can do that. Perhaps they don’t want another clinician that is also assisting them to be part of that access. That is patient empowerment. That is what we are doing.

We’ll continue to work with the Information and Privacy Commissioner. They are a valuable input. But at the end of the day, we have to be ready to react and ensure that patients have access to their medical records. That’s what people expect, and that’s what we’re going to give them.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: That’s interesting, because last time I asked that question on this bill, you said you were working with the IPC. But her publicly posted letters say otherwise, and she’s been ignored three times now.

So many bills of this government bundle disparate pieces of legislation most members can get behind with a

schedule that is a power grab—Bill 5 is the most egregious example—and so it is with Bill 11. It contains schedules on French-language rights for home care, reporting on the cost of nursing agencies, scope of practice changes for nurse practitioners. All these things, I support.

Since 2007, I’ve been a strong advocate for patient access to their electronic health records, but this bill can and must be fixed to protect people’s health privacy.

People deserve access and control over their records. Will the minister do the right thing and just fix it?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: We’re absolutely fixing it. We’re ensuring through Bill 11 that we have patients who can actually access their medical records. Why do we do that? Because people deserve to be part of their medical procedures and know exactly what’s happening in their treatment pathway. You can’t do that if you cannot access your records.

Bill 11 will allow us to do that. The Information and Privacy Commissioner and the ministry have a different view on how individuals can access—

Interjections.

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

Hon. Sylvia Jones: We want individuals to be able to use their health card to access their health records. Shocking, I know, but that is how we are going to ensure that people have the access that they deserve and have been asking for.

Government accountability

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Premier. Tens of thousands of people have signed petitions against Bill 5. Over 100 organizations wrote a letter to the government asking them to kill Bill 5, the spokesperson calling it the worst bill in a generation. Farm organizations like the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the National Farmers Union have expressed concerns about Bill 5. Yesterday, many First Nations chiefs and thousands of allies stood on the front lawn calling on this government to kill Bill 5.

So, Speaker, instead of dividing people and attacking Indigenous rights and environmental protections and environmental oversight, will the Premier actually listen to the people of Ontario and kill Bill 5?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Indigenous Affairs.

Hon. Greg Rickford: The member opposite can talk about doom and gloom and griseous skies, Madam Speaker. We’re focused on prosperity. We’re focused on partnerships with First Nations so that we can help lift those communities out of poverty.

Madam Speaker, we have an extraordinary opportunity here: Get this right by proceeding to the duty to consult once the bill is passed and create the kind of prosperity for young First Nations people that they’ve never seen before but they have deserved for a very long time. That’s our focus, and that’s how we intended to proceed.

Let’s get to the duty to consult. Let’s get to building Ontario. Let’s get to building shared prosperity.

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

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Speaker, the only thing extraordinary about this bill is the unprecedented power grab that the government is implementing.

Creating special economic zones inspired by countries like Russia and China is not how you build prosperity in Ontario. Attacking First Nations rights, democratic oversight, environmental protections and labour laws is not how you create prosperity.

Even mining companies who have expressed support for the bill, like Glencore, have come out and said they are concerned about how this bill overrides the rule of law because rule of law is vital to creating prosperity in a democratic society like Ontario.

Speaker, through you to the minister: Will the government actually listen to First Nations and the people of Ontario—bring us together, unify us by killing Bill 5 and starting over again so we can get it right?

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

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, we heard from the Ontario Association of Architects. They have a new report showing that delays in site plan applications are costing Ontario’s economy $3.5 billion every single year. In the coming years, the competition to land these job-creating investments is going to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the past. We cannot have site applications that are supposed to be processed in 60 days take 23 months. That’s what their report told us.

If we continue down this path, we are going to see jobs and investment leave our province. We won’t even make the short list for companies to look at Ontario for their investments and expansions. Speaker, we need to move faster. That’s why our government is preparing Bill 5.

Indigenous economic development

MPP Paul Vickers: My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. We know that working with Indigenous communities is key to building a stronger Ontario. Indigenous communities bring leadership, knowledge and a vision for a better economic future for their communities.

Our government knows that building roads, energy lines and training programs is more than just projects. It’s about unlocking opportunity for everyone. Speaker, we have seen progress with the Northern Road Link. We have seen the Greenstone-area letters of confirmation. We have seen the shared prosperity agreement with Aroland First Nation. These partnerships bring jobs for Indigenous youth and workers. They bring investment. They bring training too.

Speaker, can the minister share how our government is working with Indigenous communities to lead economic growth?

Hon. Greg Rickford: I want to thank the member for Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound.

A couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity with some of my colleagues to announce $3 billion. Now, check this out—through you to my colleagues: $3 billion so that First Nations businesses, First Nations communities would have the access to the kind of capital that’s required to build roads, to build transmission corridors, to participate in resource development, to give business the reality that the new way business is done here in Ontario is in full partnership with First Nations.

It was very well-received, not just by the Indigenous business leaders but by the business communities writ large, including over in London, England, where myself and Indigenous business leaders gathered at the London Stock Exchange, not just to celebrate the prospect of increased access to capital—but attracting new investments around the world to help build Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound.

MPP Paul Vickers: We know that economic reconciliation is more than just words. It’s about building partnerships that make a real difference for Indigenous communities.

Our government is working with First Nations to build roads, energy lines and training programs. These projects unlock economic opportunities. They also support community goals. We’ve seen that with the shared prosperity agreement with Aroland First Nation. We’ve also seen it with an investment in the Greenstone energy transmission line. These projects mean more jobs, they mean more skills training, they also mean ownership opportunities for Indigenous youth and workers.

Speaker, can the minister explain how our government’s economic development commitments are helping Indigenous communities lead the way?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Speaker, we have some experience with success when it comes to building legacy infrastructure, particularly in northern Ontario, or, frankly, transmission infrastructure, battery storage power—name your project.

Battery storage in southern Ontario, Greenstone gold, Côté gold, the Berens River bridge, the northern link—all of these major projects have one central feature to them: partnerships with First Nations and First Nations businesses. It is the reason why, in the first four years of this government, we were able to move resource projects like mines in record time, in stark contrast to the previous government—because First Nations businesses and First Nations communities were full partners—not impact benefit agreements of the past, but real involvement in the activities, whether it’s the environmental assessment process or the business of building the future with partnerships with First Nations.

Government accountability

Mr. Chris Glover: The Conservatives say that Bill 5 is supposed to protect Ontario from Trump’s tariffs by making, in part, Ontario Place a special economic zone.

So my question to the Premier is, how is a mega spa with a $2.2-billion taxpayer subsidy to an Austrian spa protecting Ontario from Trump’s tariffs?

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

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, again, this is a once-in-a-generation crisis. President Trump wants our jobs. He wants our industries. We could not be more clear about that.

If the NDP and the Liberals think we should just sit back while our jobs and investments go elsewhere—just say no.

We’ve seen what happens when these good projects are paralyzed by bureaucracy: communities suffer, workers pay the price.

It cannot, under any circumstances, take 15 years to get a shovel in the ground. Every delay is a lost opportunity. We owe it to the people of the province to get things done.

That’s why we’re moving forward with Bill 5. It will ensure that Ontario’s economy, our powerhouse of Ontario, will be that powerhouse for decades to come.

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

Mr. Chris Glover: I love that the minister’s response to a once-in-a-lifetime crisis is to build a taxpayer-subsidized mega spa at Ontario Place.

Bill 5 is an attack on our democratic rights. It allows ministers to break any municipal, provincial or treaty law anywhere, anytime in Ontario. Bill 5 isn’t protecting us from Trump’s tariffs, it’s importing Trump-style politics to Ontario.

We know that the Premier celebrated when Trump was re-elected in the United States.

So, my question, again, to the Premier: Does the Premier realize that to fight Donald Trump he doesn’t have to become Donald Trump?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Energy and Mines.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Madam Speaker, let me tell you about legislation that creates provincially significant zones; legislation that gives cabinet the authority to exempt permitting; legislation that streamlines approvals and cuts it by half; legislation that reaffirms the duty to consult—this is the legislation of the NDP of BC. But I can appreciate why you’d be slightly confused—so many parallels to what we’re doing here.

I know it frustrates New Democrats and Liberals to recognize you are offside from the truth. You know how to lead a protest; you don’t have a clue how to lead a modern economy.

The Premier of this province is working around the clock—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’m going to ask the minister to withdraw.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Next question.

Government accountability

MPP Stephanie Smyth: Speaker, through you to the Premier: We heard the ministers say earlier about the focus being on prosperity, but at what expense? This government is rushing Bill 5 through committee under the cover of night and refusing to consult properly with Indigenous communities, municipalities or the people directly affected. Why? Because consultation brings scrutiny and scrutiny brings