role="main" class="main-container container js-quickedit-main-content" id="main-content">

December 10, 2024

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

< Previous sitting day

Next sitting day >

Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2024-Dec-10 vol. A (PDF)

L194A - Tue 10 Dec 2024 / Mar 10 déc 2024

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 10 December 2024 Mardi 10 décembre 2024

Orders of the Day

Support for Seniors and Caregivers Act, 2024 / Loi de 2024 sur le soutien aux personnes âgées et aux fournisseurs de soins

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

Members’ Statements

Message du temps des Fêtes

Health care

Algoma University

Allissya and Suhava Gill

Arts and culture

Michael G. Solcz

Member for Ottawa Centre

Bob Rainboth / Denis Gratton

Holiday events in Flamborough–Glanbrook

Gender-based violence

House sittings

Introduction of Visitors

Question Period

Housing

Government’s record

Government accountability

International trade

Health care

Taxation

Residential schools

Health care

Taxation

Government accountability

Winter highway safety

Taxation

Government advertising

Taxation

Deferred Votes

Time allocation

Introduction of Bills

Rafiga Law Professional Corporation Act, 2024

1976998 Ontario Inc. Act, 2024

Petitions

Highway maintenance

Social assistance

Economic development

Winter highway maintenance

Child care

Manufacturing sector

Tuition

Addiction services

Transportation infrastructure

Child care

Seniors

Public safety

Cancer treatment

Orders of the Day

Working for Workers Six Act, 2024 / Loi de 2024 visant à œuvrer pour les travailleurs, six

Support for Seniors and Caregivers Act, 2024 / Loi de 2024 sur le soutien aux personnes âgées et aux fournisseurs de soins

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

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

Orders of the Day

Support for Seniors and Caregivers Act, 2024 / Loi de 2024 sur le soutien aux personnes âgées et aux fournisseurs de soins

Resuming the debate adjourned on December 9, 2024, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 235,

An Act to amend the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 and the Retirement Homes Act, 2010 / Projet de loi 235, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2021 sur le redressement des soins de longue durée et la Loi de 2010 sur les maisons de retraite.

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

MPP Lise Vaugeois: It’s an honour to rise and speak to this bill, Bill 235, Support for Seniors and Caregivers Act, 2024. The bill is largely supportable. We do notice that there are things in the bill that were proposed by the NDP during the committee stage of the Fixing Long-Term Care Act. We’re glad to see these things finally coming to place—that is, funding for dementia and also harsher penalties for individuals within homes who are causing problems, creating abuse for residents in those homes. It is a pity that those things weren’t brought in a couple of years ago when they were first suggested, but we are happy to see that they are finally here now.

We don’t know yet whether time allocation is going to be called on this particular bill, and I would like to argue against using time allocation. I think it’s an important bill and an important issue.

In the last couple of days, I have heard from the Ontario Medical Association, unhappy that they haven’t been consulted on this bill. I’ve also heard from the OLTCC, which is an organization of long-term care organizations, and this is what they say: “OLTCC’s board is now analyzing the bill ... and will be preparing feedback and comment on the bill to contribute to the legislative process. While the bill has been introduced, it is normal for bills to go through committee hearings and clause by clause approval at committee. OLTCC’s board will work in the spirit of our vision of all Ontario’s living in long-term care receiving excellent care.”

What we have been seeing in the last couple of weeks in the House is the consistent, persistent use of time allocation to shut down debate and close the options for the public to have their opportunity to speak to these bills. They’re really being rushed through, and the fact that, just in a couple of days, I have heard from people saying, “We really think it’s important to have an opportunity to speak to this bill”—I’m quite concerned that that opportunity will not be there.

I went through the bill myself very carefully last night. I’m looking at this, “cultural, linguistic, religious and spiritual needs of residents.” Every single long-term care will be required to provide these services, which is great, but I’m wondering how they will be paid for, you know, the administrative side of this, because it’s one thing to impose that, to say, “Okay, this is the rule for your long-term care home,” but perhaps there will be 20 different cultures represented in that home. What is the process? How are they actually going to fulfill these obligations? What is the money available to fulfill those obligations?

I was looking at: “Every licensee shall ensure that residents are given reasonable opportunity to practise their religious and spiritual beliefs....” Again, the first question that comes to me is: What is reasonable? What’s the definition of reasonable?

And then, later: “Persons are guilty of an offence if they abuse or neglect a resident of a long-term-care home....” Again, and perhaps this exists in the previous version of this legislation, I want to know: What’s the definition of abuse and neglect? What’s the threshold? What’s the penalty and so on? I think that’s very, very important also for the people who work in the homes, because they need to know what their obligations are, what does it look like and so on.

I think that the concepts that are here are good, but we really need that opportunity to have those public conversations so that we can go through clause-by-clause, clear up anything that’s not, perhaps, clear—clear up what’s not clear, yes.

Again, it was interesting in speaking with a doctor from Thunder Bay who is the medical director for two long-term-care homes. One of the questions he was asking was not so much in opposition to having nurse practitioners in the role of medical directors, but wondering how it’s going to work, how is that going to be paid. Because right now, medical directors are paid, I believe, by the Ministry of Health, and they’re paid 39 cents per resident per day, which amounts to a few thousand dollars. That’s not enough to pay for a full-time nurse practitioner in long-term care.

To be a medical director, a nurse practitioner presumably is going to be employed on a full-time basis, and it’s not going to be a side job, because we know also that we’ve got these brilliant nurse practitioners who are underemployed right now.

We want to make sure they are able to meet these responsibilities in the best way possible, but we don’t know, actually, how it’s going to be funded, who’s going to be paying for it. These are important questions, and I think they deserve to have answers and they deserve to have an airing in committee, with stakeholders having their opportunity to say where their concerns are.

We’re also dealing with a bed shortage in long-term care. On the one hand, only 2,246 units have been built; 30,000 have been promised to be built by 2028, but only just over 2,000 have been built. There are lots of units that are being lost and that is a big part of the problem. Because what we know and what we learned through the Heritage Glen nightmare in Mississauga was that these companies are land trusts: They don’t actually exist to provide service; they exist in order to wait until the value of the real estate that they are built on has gone up enough that they can cash in on it.

So we are seeing long-term-care homes closing because the real estate is too valuable for seniors. That’s not the priority; the priority is to make as much money as possible off the real estate. This is what happened at Heritage Glen. The residence was sold to Minto, and those residents were put in a very, very bad position. And the same thing is happening in long-term care.

Mr. Chris Glover: The taxpayers funded this, right?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Yes, absolutely. Taxpayers have subsidized—have paid, actually—for the care in long-term care. They have also paid for upgrades and all kinds of things to those homes. So the profits that they were able to have after they get rid of the homes—after they get rid of the people in the homes—have actually been facilitated through the public purse, and that is certainly not right.

Mr. Chris Glover: Insane.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Yes.

The other thing that we’re dealing with is, we know that we’re not yet at four hours of care. I will give the government credit for moving closer to that, but the bottom line is that increasing direct hours of care for long-term care is not going to be solved until staffing shortages are addressed. This is coming from Ricardo McKenzie, director of long-term care for SEIU Healthcare —that’s a union representing long-term-care workers, including PSWs and registered practical nurses:

“The issue of staffing shortages won’t be solved until workers have stable, well-paying jobs....

“‘The solution, we believe, I believe, is to provide workers with full-time jobs, middle-class wages, strong benefits and retirement security....

“‘Until the government and employers do that, the situation regarding the turnover of staff is going to get worse.’” That’s in the words of Ricardo McKenzie.

“Government figures suggest that attrition amongst” PSWs “is as high as 25%”—that’s quite high. A quarter of the profession is leaving annually, and according to McKenzie, union data shows that, within long-term-care homes, the turnover is as high as 38%.

You can’t meet four hours of care, you can’t meet even whatever—you can’t meet care without personnel, and you can’t have those personnel unless you’re offering stable, well-paying, middle-class jobs.

Certainly, our seniors—everybody who needs care and our seniors in particular deserve to have that care. These are things that in fact should be paid for publicly, but not the profit margins. So we also have this tension between for-profit long-term care and community-based or municipally based long-term care. With the private care, you have to generate enough money, you’ve got to be able to pull money off for shareholder profits; in public care, that is not where money is going. We want to see that money going into care.

We want to see a reduction of these for-profit long-term-care spaces, replaced with public long-term care, so that the money that we are paying is going into care and not going into private profits, which is where a lot of the money is going right now.

Again, on the topic of lack of staff, problems with staffing—now this is Lisa Levin, who is the CEO of AdvantAge Ontario:

“One solution that” she “and other community health organizations have been urging for is to equalize wages within the health system as a whole.

“‘If you’re doing a similar job in the community versus in the hospital or in ... education’”—or in long-term care or in somebody’s home—“‘you should be getting similar wages, and that’s not happening.” As a result, we’ve got constant turnover.

I must say, when we’re looking at home care, it’s a disaster, because nobody wants to stay working in home care because the wages are abysmal. You’re not even paid for your travel time, you’re not paid for your parking, so by the time you’ve covered your expenses, your wage is nothing. It’s no surprise that the moment there’s an opportunity to go somewhere else, people leave for a better-paying job.

We also know, of course, that one of the major reasons that there is such a shortage of health care workers is Bill 124, which artificially repressed wages and pushed people out of health care, certainly pushed people out of nursing, and we are seeing the effects of that, with hospitals going into deficit because they are spending so much money on agency nurses.

I’ve got a few other things I would like to talk about while I have the opportunity. I want to come back to the Trespass to Property Act, which is being abused in care homes across the province; I’m aware of 100 cases. We have motion 129, we’ve got the Residents’ Bill of Rights and yet, this is still happening. Why does it happen? Because there are no consequences to the homes. It’s like a get-out-of-jail-free card. You’re unhappy with somebody who’s coming and visiting—I’ll just create an example. I’m going to visit my mother; she’s in a home. I’m not happy with the care in the home.

I make a fuss about it, and then the home decides that I’m a nuisance and they don’t want me there, so they use this Trespass to Property Act—which is actually incorrect; it’s not legal to use it in this way, but they use it. They may get a young police officer at the door who has not been trained in the correct use of that act, and they will say, “Okay, you can’t be here.” So we have a case right now with someone—445 days; even though he has substitute decision-maker rights, he has not been able to see his mother for 445 days.

Mr. Chris Glover: Insane.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Yes. And his father can’t go and visit there because his father is disabled and he requires his son to get into the building. So this home has forcibly isolated the mother living in this home for 440 days. It’s illegal. The Trespass to Property Act cannot be used by the manager of a home; only the occupant of the unit, so that is the mother, has the right to say yes or no. If somebody is actually a threat or poses a threat to an institution, there are other legal remedies, but those remedies require due process and they require evidence.

What’s happening right now is, with this abuse of the Trespass to Property Act, the family member has no choice but to hire a lawyer and go to court. When they go to court, all the court rulings, all the case law says—the judge will say, “You have the right to go back. This Trespass to Property Act is a ticket. I’m throwing it away. It’s meaningless. Please, go back and see your mother.” But it should not have to be that way. According to the previous previous long-term-care minister, that was all fixed with the Residents’ Bill of Rights, but it’s not fixed because this is being abused everywhere.

I see that there is a change in the Retirement Homes Act: “Namely the right to ongoing support from caregivers, and to enable specified senior officials in the ministry ... to provide binding direction as well as recommendations to licensees respecting the prevention and management of specified types of infectious diseases.” When I first looked at that, the right to ongoing support from caregivers, I thought that might be a strengthening, but it’s not specific enough. Again, this is something that really needs to be addressed at the committee level—it can be addressed.

I’ve been harping on this now since I was elected, so that’s two and a half years—nothing has happened. I have written to every single minister; I’ve written to the Solicitor General. In fact, one of the problems is that even somebody from the Ministry of Long-Term Care has said, “The Trespass to Property Act can be used in exceptional circumstances.” That is not true; that is not correct. The case law does not support that.

The Ministry of Long-Term Care needs to figure this out and make a statement to all care homes clarifying that the act cannot be used in that way; that it’s creating its own form of abuse—it is a form of abuse. There are other solutions if they have a really serious problem. There are other solutions.

I think that it’s probably been forgotten here, but I want to remind people that there are class action lawsuits still in process. So I looked this up. I thought: Oh, maybe it’s all done and dusted. But no. March 13, 2024: I see that class action lawsuits are ongoing against 200 long-term-care homes owned and managed by Chartwell Retirement Residences, Extendicare, Responsive Group, Revera, Schlegel Villages, Sienna Senior Living and their affiliates. Many of these companies, corporations—land trusts, I’m going to call them—have been rewarded with 30-year contracts.

Mr. Chris Glover: Insane.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Yes. Even though many of those places—and I’m thinking of Orchard Villa; it was given a 30-year extension on their lease after being responsible for so many deaths and having had to have the military come in and help out. We know it was appalling. So why the same bad actors have been given extended contracts is—well, why? I don’t know why. It’s not acceptable and it should never have happened. There’s also a class action lawsuit against the previous previous long-term-care minister.

I do want to point out that, in terms of Voula’s Law—that’s dealing with the misuse of the Trespass to Property Act—I have been in conversation with the current Minister of Long-Term Care and hope that we can actually figure out a path through.

But in my last couple of minutes, I just want to point out that we are still dealing with the effects of Bill 7. I heard recently from a family in the Kenora area, and the father has been sent 75 kilometres away to another town. We know there are no bus services between these towns, and the only family member is his son, who has a disability. So they have said to his son, “Well, why don’t you just take a taxi?”

Mr. Chris Glover: Seventy-five kilometres.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Seventy-five kilometres to visit his father. Well, that’s not okay. That is not appropriate care for the senior, for the family. That senior has been forcibly isolated because of Bill 7. There has to be better solutions than this.

Mr. Chris Glover: It’s okay; they’re listening.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Yes.

Catherine Fife’s bill, Till Death Do Us Part—it seems like such a simple fix—could be in this bill so that couples are not separated into different homes. It should be an easy fix.

In my last couple of moments, because this is my last chance to speak this term, I just want to go in a slightly different direction to the Working for Workers bill while I have the chance. There is $2.5 billion of money that should be going to support injured workers. It’s money, really, taken, stolen, from injured workers that is being given back as a kind of pre-election perk to employers. Injured workers were promised that their rates would be returned to where they were in 1999—that goes back a long way.

Instead, twice, this government has given enormous sums of money that belongs to injured workers back to employers. That is—can I call it criminal? Am I allowed to say that word here? It’s certainly shameful. Workers are in poverty because they’re not receiving the support they should be receiving from the WSIB.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): We’re going to go to questions for the member.

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: We’ve seen a lot of bills come and go. I’m wondering if the member from Thunder Bay–Superior North can talk about how it would look to work together to make the bill the best it could be so we don’t have to wait a few years for these amendments to come to life. You put forward these amendments; you’re seeing them much later. What would it look like if we could all work together right now to do it right the first time?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Certainly, in the opposition side of the House with the independents, with the NDP opposition—wouldn’t we love it if, when we went to committee, when we actually had committee, amendments were taken seriously? I think we just had an experience with the bill about dementia care and not a single amendment—I mean, it was clear the decision had been made before we even sat down that nothing was going to be accepted. As far as I know, not a single amendment has been accepted to any legislation.

We should all be working together to get the best possible legislation for the people of Ontario. These should be non-partisan issues.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Next question?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: The bill before us today proposes a number of things. One of the things that it proposes is the emotion-based care model. These models are proven to be very effective for the well-being of various residents. This is training that’s going to be provided and it’s going to be paid for. I happen to believe this is very important training and the minister believes it as well. That why it’s in the bill.

I think it’s going to make an important advancement in the care of residents in long-term care, this emotion-based training. I would like to ask the member from Thunder Bay–Superior North whether she endorses the idea of emotion-based training and funding for this training and whether she can support that and vote for it.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Yes, emotion-based training, I think, has been advocated for for a long time—really, person-centred training. As far as I know, the only money that’s been allotted for this bill is specifically for dementia care. Dementia care can be emotion-based, but so can care for all—people in any health care setting—to be acknowledging where they’re coming from. I hope that that training willing apply across the board to all people working within long-term care, and yes, I support that.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Next question?

Ms. Jessica Bell: Thank you to the member for Thunder Bay–Superior North for her speech and how this bill affects the individuals in her riding who live in long-term-care homes and support people who live in long-term-care homes.

In my riding, we have the O’Neill Centre, Kensington Gardens and a bunch of other long-term-care homes. When I met with them a few months ago, they brought up some issues. One was, they don’t have the infrastructure funding to upgrade their facilities, and the other one was that they still don’t have the staffing they need to provide the kind of quality care that people expect.

Do you see anything in this bill that would address some of those issues around infrastructure and staffing?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: The short answer is no. I think, as I said in my presentation, there are some very significant issues that are interfering with the ability to staff places properly. One of them is pay equity and proper benefits. As far as infrastructure funding goes, I don’t believe there’s anything at all in the bill that addresses that.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Next question?

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: Thank you to the member from Thunder Bay–Superior North for your presentation and thank you for your advocacy for the seniors in this province.

In my riding is a tsunami wave of seniors moving into Markham and many, many cities. Because of the demographics, there are so many seniors and seniors’ clubs in my riding. The Seniors Active Living Centres Program plays a vital role in enhancing the well-being of seniors not only in my riding but across the province.

I ask the member opposite to explain how this expansion will directly benefit seniors and what the opportunities or initiatives will be in 30 years as part of that growth and a part of this legislation.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I’ll just say I’m a little confused because I don’t remember seeing that in the bill, but I know it’s been talked about. So extending some of the active living things that are happening, for example, in community centres and making it possible for people living in long-term care to access that—I believe that’s what has been proposed. Obviously, I think any opportunity for people, wherever they are living, to engage and have social interaction with each other and meaningful interaction is positive.

But I do have to point out again that there is forcible isolation taking place in these homes that shouldn’t be happening. It’s not even legal, but it’s happening because there are no consequences to the homes when they misuse the Trespass to Property Act.

Yes, every opportunity to bring people together is wonderful, but let’s also make sure that people aren’t being forcibly isolated.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Next question?

Mr. Chris Glover: For three decades, Conservative and Liberal governments have been sacrificing seniors to these for-profit long-term-care homes. The former Conservative government privatized the homes and then started shovelling our tax dollars to these private homes. Those private homes are real estate investment trusts that did not take care of seniors. We saw from the Armed Forces report during the pandemic that seniors were abused and actually died because of the mistreatment they received.

Then this government passed legislation to protect those long-term-care homes from negligence lawsuits, and then they sell the properties, these long-term-care homes—for-profit corporations sell the long-term-care homes and evict the seniors.

You mentioned also in your remarks that these long-term-care homes are trespassing any family member who complains about the mistreatment of their senior who’s in the long-term-care home, and this is forcing isolation. Is there anything in this bill that will protect seniors, that will reverse this practice of sacrificing seniors for corporate profit?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Thank you very much for that question. Unfortunately, no. The practice of selling off the homes is still going to take place. There are still going to be compromises in care because of squeezing out profits wherever possible.

The other thing about the use of the Trespass to Property Act—the improper use of that—is that it creates fear amongst all the residents and all the family members. It’s kind of like the kings of old: You only have to chop off one person’s head to create fear and get everybody else to fall in line and no longer complain. And that is what’s happening in our long-term-care homes right now, that that Trespass to Property Act is used incorrectly—in fact, illegally, because all the case law says so. That creates fear for everybody else, and they won’t speak up on behalf of their relatives in care because of it.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Next question?

Mr. Ross Romano: I’ve listened to the member’s comments. I think what we heard—at least myself and several other people who were in the room when the minister spoke with the passion, the conviction about this bill. I think it is something that—clearly there has been a great deal of time, there’s a great deal of compassion, there’s a great deal of energy that’s been put into trying to help our seniors. I hope that the members opposite can appreciate that that is the goal, to help, and that is our intent.

I ask the member opposite, in terms of the challenges she finds with it—which she certainly enumerated, those challenges. But will you not support this bill because of all the good that it is doing? That’s my question to the member opposite.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I don’t think we have a problem with supporting the bill. My concern is time allocation, because it’s not enough that the government side has had opportunities. There needs to be a public opportunity for people to raise their concerns and for the opposition to bring amendments so that we have the best possible bill at this time that really supports seniors.

I trust that the Minister of Long-Term Care has the best interest of seniors at heart. I believe that and so I hope we all have the opportunity—and that time allocation is not used—so that we can all be contributing to the best possible bill.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): We’re going to move to further debate.

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I do appreciate when legislation comes our way that doesn’t have any toxic ingredients. So this is a bill—I appreciate the Minister of Long-Term Care’s intentions. We’ve had a chance to talk about long-term care, and I know that she is doing her best to tour the province, meet with individuals in this sector, listen to what they need and the vision for what long-term care can look like.

As a social worker, our motto is “first do no harm,” and I do believe that this bill does no harm. It is a good vision of trying to meet seniors where they’re at when it comes to their spirituality, their language needs and their culture. I do appreciate that the RNAO likes the expanded scope for nurse practitioners, giving more medical oversight in long-term-care homes. So I do appreciate this and I do support the bill.

That said, I’m discouraged as a newb by the expedited pace of the way legislation is coming forward. I’m a keener, I like to do my homework, I like to get in there. But the pace at which these bills are coming forward is so fast, it doesn’t give us enough time, I think, to do fulsome research—and then without committee. As the social policy committee, we were there on the dementia care bill. It was beautiful to hear from experts. I got to meet industry leaders—geriatricians talking about the gaps even for geriatricians. They can’t even fill the medical seats.

Dr. Ingram in Peterborough, a geriatrician expert, said they have 30 empty seats because they’re underpaid. So the underpay, the pay equity, is in geriatrics. A friend of mine, Jason Deneault, works in a senior’s care home as a recreation coordinator. He hasn’t had a raise in 15 years. So not only do PSWs need pay equity, but we need to see this across the sector, especially when it comes to agency nurses.

My neighbour, who is a practical nurse, said she had an agency nurse come up to her and she’s getting paid more than twice as much. She goes to her and says, “Can you tell me what I’m supposed to do? I don’t know where I’m supposed to go. I’ve never been here before.” And she’s kind of aghast at the lack of value for our permanent full-time staff. I think what we can at least expect is a living wage for PSWs and for all the others in the sector.

Another thing that’s missing that I’d love to see is acknowledgement of the experience of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors. They’ve had a really hard time, and when they go to seniors’ care homes, they feel like they have to go back into the closet. That’s where I think these small homes are really essential. I had a graduate from LiftOff—it’s a Black-led, business entrepreneurship think tank—and she said for her racialized folks, she’d like to have a smaller LTC where we have Afrocentric care, where seniors can get their hair done and age in dignity.

We can do the same thing for the 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, who want to be surrounded by those who understand their relationships and their families, and their needs, and their sexuality and gender identity.

Finally, though, I think what we need is all hands on deck. I appreciate this government’s willingness to take a step, but we really need to go faster. We’re taking baby steps where we need to start running. We see a silver tsunami—we hear the stats about double the folks facing dementia by 2030—and I think we need to address that in all sectors.

For example, what I heard in committee was that we need to build the capacity of primary care to start working on prevention early on. The best way to treat dementia, from what we hear, isn’t necessarily just the dementia-care sections. Yes, it helps when you have complex needs, but what we should really be doing is supporting those with an early diagnosis and getting recommendations on living a healthy active lifestyle, for example; by active transpiration; by also reducing the use of alcohol.

We need to start prioritizing, as MPPs here, the idea of prevention. Prevention is cheaper. It’s more humane. It’s more compassionate. So if we can build the capacity of primary care practitioners, people in community centres that deal with seniors and other professional groups, we would go a long way to ebbing this tsunami that we see coming our way.

I do appreciate that—I hope it will come to committee, so that we can have some of these—sometimes it’s just one word that can mean all the different to a whole demographic of people living in Ontario: using words like “racialized”; using words like “2SLGBTQIA+”; using words like “folks who with disabilities.”

Finally, I think we need beds. Thank you.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Questions for the member for Kitchener Centre?

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: Thank you to the member from Kitchener Centre for the presentation and for your passion.

You talked about dementia. Dementia is on the rise. You know that, Madam Speaker. My mother had dementia for three years before she died two years ago, and it is a brutal disease. This bill really addresses dementia as one of the key components to do something. Dementia patient rate is increasing. There is no medication. There is no cure. It’s going to cost billions and billions of dollars every 10 years to the Ontario health care system and Canadian health care system.

I ask the member: Could you agree with all these changes in this bill? Do you support this bill because there are a lot of changes coming through for dementia?

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: Yes, I do support the bill. My only concern is, in mental health care, we did a disservice by only treating kind of the front line. We’ve moved into an eight-session brief therapy for mental health and we’ve taken away some of the complex treatment.

Here, I see us investing in the complex care of those in long-term-care beds—when they can get them; we know so many of those in our riding either want to stay at home and are lacking the home care or are on wait-list for long-term care. But if we only treat the most acute and we’re not looking at prevention, we’re never going to get ahead of this tidal wave.

So my hope is that taking the advice of experts and building up a fulsome framework of primary care practitioners who are trained in dementia—instead of waiting until the last three years of someone’s life, we should be addressing how we know that symptoms can start 20 years ahead of time, and so much can be done to turn that ship around before it gets to complexity.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Next question?

Miss Monique Taylor: Thank you to the member from Kitchener Centre for her comments this morning. I sat with the member during social policy for the clause-by-clause on the dementia care act, which we just did not too long ago. It’s good to see some of that rolled in today, but these are amendments that New Democrats had put forward years ago that we’re just seeing the government start to implement now.

Can the member please maybe explain and remind the government of the amendment process that we had shared while doing the dementia care act? Because, as New Democrats, every single one of our amendments was ignored once again. How much further could we be, and what was your experience of the amendments that you brought forward to have the government listen to ideas outside of their own?

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: So, on one hand I’m grateful that the idea wasn’t lost. There’s no monopoly on a good idea. So if we put forward amendments, it’s great that they’re turning into legislation, and so thank you for putting those amendments forward.

I want to be collaborative. We come with amendments that are not just pulled out of our back pocket; often they come from the Integrity Commissioner, the Auditor General, the Ontario Medical Association. Some of these things are small tweaks. We’re not undermining the bill. We’re not here to play games or push back on—yes, there are some times when we want to take away things that could cause harm or that we completely fundamentally disagree with.

But my experience with the dementia care bill, my experience with this, is that we’re all on the same page, we all want to do what’s best for Ontarians and we’re bringing forward good-faith amendments that I think ought to be given consideration. If we only took a couple of more days to sit down with it, it would happen and it would make it better for all Ontarians.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): We don’t have time for another back-and-forth question and answer, so we’re going to move to further debate.

Mr. Lorne Coe: I’m pleased to be able to speak this morning to Bill 235. Some of my colleagues in the Legislative Assembly will know that I worked as a civil servant here at Queen’s Park, both with the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-Term Care, so I bring that background to our debate today.

What’s abundantly clear with this legislation is that it’s going to continue to build on our government’s support for seniors. As we plan for care and support needs of our seniors, we know that we can’t deploy a one-size-fits-all approach. Not everyone requires the same level of support. Some need social supports to stay engaged and promote mental health and well-being.

Others need caregivers to help manage their medications and help with activities of daily living, like dressing, bathing and grooming, while others require increasingly complex around-the-clock medical and nursing care such as is provided in our long-term-care homes. These are our parents, our grandparents, our aunts, uncles, our families. These are the same people who built Ontario, who raised us, who contributed to our economy and our growth, and these are the same people who now rely on us for care, love and support. We owe them nothing less than the love and care they gave to us.

Supporting our seniors wherever they choose to age is a core principle of this comprehensive plan before us.

Now, with Ontario’s senior population growing so rapidly, we must act now; we must act today to ensure they lead healthy, independent and engaged lives for as long as possible while providing them with the care that they deserve, which is exactly what this proposed legislation and suite of initiatives and investments endeavour to do.

Now, Speaker, these proposed changes are part of a broader plan being implemented by the government to better support seniors and those who care for them by improving and expanding supports for seniors living in long-term care, retirement homes and the community. This is why this act makes targeted investments of $114 million to various programs to address the needs of seniors and caregivers.

This comprehensive legislation will amend acts and regulations, contains new investments and policy initiatives, all in an evidence-based approach that is built on the needs and priorities of Ontario seniors.

This legislation is comprised of three pillars: improving dementia care and supports; supporting seniors, their families and caregivers; and protecting seniors and enhancing social connections. The Support for Seniors and Caregivers Act, 2024, proposes legislative amendments to the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, and the Retirement Homes Act, 2010, that I did have a hand in developing many years ago when I was at the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat. I would like to now review these amendments, along with our related initiatives in each of the pillars.

The first pillar is improving dementia care and supports. Every single person in this Legislature and every single person watching today or listening either has a loved one suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s or knows someone who has a loved one. As many people know, a dementia diagnosis does not impact just one individual; it impacts the entire community, circle of friends and the family. For now, we must do everything we can to support people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia and their families.

From awareness, prevention and diagnosis to treatment and care, our proposed legislation and related initiatives aim to improve the care and supports that people living with dementia receive. This legislation, if passed, would amend the Fixing Long-Term Care Act and require all long-term-care homes to have an organized program for dementia care and services. This requirement would be similar in nature to other programs in long-term-care homes, such as palliative care.

This proposed amendment would build upon previous investments in dementia supports, such as Behavioural Supports Ontario services, as is currently in place in Fairview Lodge in Whitby, which provide person-centred, evidence-informed supports and services for older adults who have or are at risk for responsive behaviours associated with dementia, complex mental health, substance use and other neurological conditions. In fact, we just grew the base funding for this program by $11 million this year to bring the annual funding total to $95 million. This proposed amendment would help improve the quality of care for 60% of long-term-care residents living with dementia at Fairview Lodge.

To support this, our government plans to make targeted investments to develop a new program to train long-term-care staff in emotion-based models of care, which are designed to improve outcomes for residents living with dementia.

One model that comes to mind and that is in place at a couple of long-term-care homes in Whitby, particularly Fairview Lodge, is designing every door to a resident’s room with a reminder of what they did before they came to the long-term-care home. If someone was a police officer, as an example, in their past life, we would actually paint the room to make it look like a police station, because seniors living with dementia, if they live in a room that does not respond to these needs, might wander. They might get lost. They might not know which room is actually theirs.

By having these personalized experiences that trigger these positive memories, we’re truly centring the care around the person. It humanizes the care residents receive at a time when empathy and compassion are needed the most.

That’s not all that we’re proposing. The Ministry of Long-Term Care will also work with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to incorporate additional dementia elements into personal support worker education standards. This is something I heard about a lot in my work as a civil servant here at Queen’s Park, but I also hear about it as the MPP for Whitby. PSWs, when they graduate and start working in long-term care, might not necessarily be prepared for the realities of working with someone with dementia.

By strengthening the standard, we’re going to empower personal support workers, who work not only in long-term care but also in home care and in the community, to provide better supports for those living with dementia.

Other steps that we’re taking: We’re continuing to support the Alzheimer Society of Ontario’s First Link program and the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County dementia coaches—crucially important programs for dementia care. First Link and dementia coaches assist those newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their families with where to turn to for help in their need for help. First Link is a navigation program, where families who are newly diagnosed with dementia, or have loved ones newly diagnosed, can access supports and be linked to services. That is why it is extremely important that we’re continuing in supporting that vital work.

The second pillar of our plan focuses on supporting seniors, their families and caregivers across the health care system. A number of initiatives fall under this pillar. This bill, if passed, would amend the Retirement Homes Act—specifically, the retirement home Residents’ Bill of Rights—to reinforce residents’ rights to ongoing support from caregivers, such as family members and friends who provide physical, mental, social and emotional support. It also aligns with amendments to the Fixing Long-Term Care Act to acknowledge the importance of caregivers in the health care sector.

We know that caregivers do so much of the additional support and additional work that our loved ones and our residents require. By having this embedded in our legislation, we’re celebrating the hundreds of thousands of hours of work that our caregivers provide.

For long-term-care homes, this proposed legislation includes measures to enhance recognition and respect for the diversity of residents. The expanded program would ensure residents are given reasonable opportunities to practise their religious and spiritual beliefs and to observe the requirements of those beliefs; and develop and implement initiatives that recognize the cultural diversity of residents and communities. These changes would result in improved recognition and respect for the experiences, histories, beliefs and needs of residents. We know that diversity is our strength, and we are celebrating that strength through these acts.

On top of the regulatory and legislative changes and amendments, several initiatives proposed under this pillar would complement the legislation. We’re investing $20 million in adult day programs, like the one that I announced at Community Care Durham with the Ministers of Health and Long-Term Care in Whitby last Monday, which offer social programming and peer connections, helping reduce social isolation and serve a range of seniors, including those with dementia.

We are also preparing to launch a pilot project: community access to long-term care. This pilot project would give seniors still living in their own homes access to certain services that are currently only available to those living in long-term care, such as recreational and social programming, dementia cafes, clinical services and all kinds of personal care. Instead of having long-term-care homes being closed and isolated away from the community, through this pilot project, we want to open up long-term-care homes, invite the community in and see the magic that can happen.

This legislation will also support the caregivers and families of people living with dementia through expanded access to respite services. Most caregivers are loved ones with personal connections to those that they’re looking after. As we know, respite services give those caregivers a well-deserved break, so that they can also take care of their health. So I am pleased that we are investing into respite services as part of this pillar.

This brings us to our last and final pillar, which focuses on protections and social connections for our seniors that will help reduce all forms of senior abuse and decrease social isolation, address staffing challenges to ensure consistent quality of care in long-term-care homes and support the prevention and management of infectious diseases in retirement homes.

Speaker, I often

schedule information fairs in my riding, and I hear from the seniors that what I’ve just shared with the Legislative Assembly is critical to their overall well-being. Seniors are often considered the most vulnerable population and so, in addition to physical aging and cognitive decline, they may be isolated and lonely. They may be depressed. All of these factors can not only exacerbate medical conditions but, combined together, these factors put seniors at greater risk of becoming victims of crime or abuse, which is what our third pillar aims to address.

It seeks to protect seniors and enhance their social connections to improve their everyday lives, to ensure they are both physically and mentally healthy. One of the key programs in that is the Seniors Active Living Centres Program. We have two in Whitby. One is situated in the Brooklin Community Centre and Library, another in the seniors’ centre in the middle of town, on Green Street.

We know that social isolation is enemy number one for our seniors. When our seniors are isolated, their mental health suffers. They’ve told me that; they have told me that. Studies show that when our seniors are socially connected, they are less likely to need acute care help. The quality of their life is vastly improved. They are able to live their lives with the dignity and respect that they so deserve.

Our seniors’ activity centres play a critical role as hubs for our seniors to stay healthy, active and connected in our community. They are places where seniors can have fun and strengthen existing and make new friendships. Now, under the previous government, for 15 years, they managed to build and supply fewer than 700 new spots. Let me repeat that: 700 new spots for care in the province of Ontario—none, absolutely none in the region of Durham, the fastest-growing region in the province of Ontario.

I’m going to close by quoting a couple of leaders in our community related to seniors and long-term care. Donna Duncan, the executive director of the Ontario Long Term Care Association—she, along with Ruth McFarlane, who is the executive director of Durham Christian Homes Society in my riding and the past executive director, have done tremendous work in collaborating with the Ontario government but also residents in long-term-care homes across the province.

“We thank the government for recognizing the important role long-term-care homes play in the continuum of care, allowing seniors to age in place in their communities when they can no longer stay in their family home. The changes announced will complement the government’s historic investments in the sector and support the transformation that is under way in long-term-care homes across Ontario.”

Finally, Dr. Doris Grinspun, the leader of the registered nurses’ association here in the province: “The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario welcomes a cross-government approach to enriching the quality of life and care for older persons whether they reside in long-term care homes, retirement homes, or their own homes. We applaud the investments to support seniors, their families and caregivers; enhance social connections; and improve dementia care. These, alongside a continuous focus on much-needed staff increases, will begin addressing a population that has been under-resourced for decades.

We are delighted with the inclusion of nurse practitioners as clinical directors in long-term care homes—a role they successfully performed during the pandemic. Nurse practitioners bring advanced clinical education, the legal authority to diagnose and treat illnesses, and a deep understanding of policy and regulatory frameworks. This change will make a meaningful difference for residents of long-term care, their families and staff.”

A pleasure to speak to Bill 235, and I’m pleased to see all parties’ support for the bill.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): We’re going to go to questions for the member.

Miss Monique Taylor: Thank you to the member opposite for his comments. One of the things I picked up on was the $95 million in funding that he was talking about that was going with this. We don’t see those actual dollars—it was an increase, but we don’t see those in the bill. That $95 million—I’m not really sure what that is going to tackle or what those dollars are supposed to be allocated for.

I can tell you, in my community, home care is a major issue. We have so many elderly seniors who are home, taking care of their loved ones without the proper help and supports that they need. I’m sure that’s happening right across the province. People come to me begging for help, to be able to help their wife or their husband or help them care for them. What we see in this bill is not going to address that issue, so could the member please indicate further if he knows more of what’s happening in dementia care than the government has shared—

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Thank you.

The member for Whitby to respond.

Mr. Lorne Coe: There were a number of questions that I heard in that, but I’m going to respond on dementia care.

The government is fully committed to improving dementia care in Ontario’s long-term-care homes. The proposal that I just spoke to is a critical step in ensuring that every long-term-care home provides a thoughtful, proactive approach to dementia care. It’s also just one of many steps our government is taking when it comes to enhancing supports for those living with dementia.

It’s important to note that over 60% of long-term-care residents already live with dementia, and homes are already required to meet their needs, like the two long-term-care homes in the town of Whitby, whether it be Fairview Lodge or others there as well. The changes that are proposed will ensure that dementia care is standardized across the province by establishing minimum requirements, such as having written dementia programs using appropriate equipment and conducting annual evaluations based on evidence.

Importantly, Speaker, these changes do not simply add another layer of bureaucracy. They will improve care quality through clear, consistent standards—

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Thank you. We’re out of time for the response.

Next question.

Mr. Billy Pang: As we all know, dementia continues to be a growing concern for families and communities across Ontario. This progressive condition profoundly impacts not only the individuals who are living with it, but also families, caregivers and loved ones who support them. People living with dementia and their caregivers face distinct and significant challenges, whether they are navigating resources within the broader community or ensuring appropriate care and support in long-term-care homes.

Our government recognized these challenges and has made a strong commitment to improving the lives of people affected by dementia through comprehensive support measures and innovative solutions. This includes ensuring access to tailored services and programs that enhance quality of life, preserve dignity and provide meaningful assistance to the families.

Can the member please provide further details on how the proposals outlined in this bill are designed to support seniors living with dementia and the broader community of—

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Thank you. That’s a very long question.

I’m going to go to the member for Whitby for the response.

Mr. Lorne Coe: Thank you, Speaker. Through you, thank you to the member for this important question.

I think what’s clear, when I step back—and I’ve read the bill, and, yes, I spoke to it for 20 minutes—is that dementia care requires a coordinated and multi-faceted approach to ensure that people living with dementia and their caregivers receive the support they need. The proposed initiatives under the Support for Seniors and Caregivers Act’s pillars are designed to work together to address these challenges holistically. We’re focusing on supporting primary care providers with tools and resources to better diagnose and manage dementia, ensuring timely and effective care for individuals.

We’re also providing funding for community-based programs that offer meaningful activities and respite services for caregivers, recognizing in the process the vital role these services play in maintaining quality of life and reducing caregiver burnout.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Next question?

Ms. Jessica Bell: Thank you to the member for Whitby for your speech.

In my riding, we have numerous long-term-care homes that are closing or are at risk of closure. We just kept open Rose of Sharon. We lost Vermont Square. We lost Cedarvale, which is just north of our riding, and I’m very worried about St. George community care and the viability of that long-term-care home as well.

What is the government’s plan to ensure that long-term-care homes can continue to operate in downtown Toronto, because we need to stop this rise of closures?

Mr. Lorne Coe: Thank you to the member for the question.

What’s clear—and I referred to some of the investments that we have already made in long-term care. I want to talk about those investments again because I think it’s worthwhile focusing on those. The government has made thoughtful, strategic investments to address the real needs in long-term care, focusing on sustainability and meaningful improvements today. Whether it’s the city of Toronto, whether it’s the region of Durham, whether it’s the city of Ottawa, that’s the process that we consistently have taken.

It builds on the historic investments our government is making into long-term care, such as $4.9 billion to hire and retain more staff and $6.4 billion to continue to build Ontario’s long-term-care capacity. We are building capacity across the province of Ontario, as I stand here today. And importantly, our approach is evidence-based—

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Thank you. That’s time for the response.

Interjection.

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): The member for Whitby, that’s time for the response. Thank you.

Next question?

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: Thank you to the member from Whitby for his comments.

Madam Speaker, the government has made a clear and unwavering commitment to Ontario’s elder population, and we will always stand by them and ensure their needs, rights and dignity are upheld. Retirement homes are more than just residences; they are communities and, for many, a place to build and maintain vital connections with family and friends.

With these proposed changes, can the member elaborate on how revisions to the retirement home Residents’ Bill of Rights will reinforce residents’ ability to access their loved ones? How will these changes ensure that residents’ rights to meaningful social connections are protected while also balancing the operational considerations of retirement homes?

Mr. Lorne Coe: When I was at the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat, I had a hand with a great group of civil servants led by Geoff Quirt, who was the assistant deputy minister at that time, and other policy leaders in developing the framework for the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority. Our proposal before the House today is to amend the regulatory authority’s Residents’ Bill of Rights to explicitly reinforce residents’ rights to access family members and friends. What’s really key here: This will directly address the loneliness epidemic that is impacting Ontario’s seniors population today.

As I visit the retirement homes, and I’ve got seven in my riding, on a very regular basis, this is one of aspects I hear. Through initial consultations, stakeholders validated this approach, agreeing that such amendments would enhance resident health and well-being and build on existing practices without imposing significant additional costs on the retirement home operators. The bottom line—

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Thank you.

The last question?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: In Thunder Bay, we actually don’t have a problem with the abuse of the Trespass to Property Act because we have a police officer who’s been trained in elder abuse, and when a care home has come to him and said, “Can we use the Trespass to Property Act?” he has said, “No.”

So two things need to happen, and I would like to ask the member if he is willing to support these and educate the rest of his members of his party on this. One is that police officers need to be trained in the correct and incorrect uses of the TPA. And the second is that care homes—

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Thank you. We’re out of time.

I’m going to go the member for Whitby, and I’ll ask for a quick response.

Mr. Lorne Coe: Well, it’s going to be a quick response because we’re debating Bill 235 today and improving the lives and quality of life of hard-working seniors that built our communities here in the province of Ontario, and we’re getting it done.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

The Acting Speaker (M me Lucille Collard): Before we move to next business, I beg to inform the House that the following document was tabled: a report entitled Expenditure Monitor 2024-25: Q2, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario.

Members’ Statements

Message du temps des Fêtes

M. Stéphane Sarrazin: La période des Fêtes bat son plein, et je suis ravi de vous parler de plusieurs activités et défilés du père Noël qui ont rassemblé les gens des communautés de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell dans un véritable esprit des fêtes. Plusieurs défilés du père Noël ont eu lieu dans plusieurs villages : Alexandria, Casselman, Hawkesbury, Rockland, Russell, Lefaivre, St. Isidore, St-Albert, Vankleek Hill, et j’en passe sûrement. C’étaient tous des défilés incroyables, qui ont rempli les rues de personnes joyeuses, qui ont rassemblé des familles enthousiastes.

C’était tout aussi magique, avec de la musique, des lumières et bien sûr le père Noël lui-même qui répandait la joie auprès de tous les jeunes et les moins jeunes.

Ces défilés sont des célébrations qui démontrent la force et la fraternité de nos communautés et nous rappellent pourquoi nous faisons ce que nous faisons. L’énergie, la chaleur et le sentiment d’unité nous montre ce que signifie d’être Ontarien. Bien sûr, ce ne sera pas possible sans le travail acharné des organisateurs communautaires, des bénévoles et des participants qui consacrent leur temps et leur énergie à créer des expériences aussi mémorables.

Alors que nous célébrons la période des Fêtes, je souhait à tous les Ontariens, spécialement les citoyens de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell, un joyeux moment festif en famille, entre amis et, bien sûr, un peu de magie de Noël.

Joyeux Noël et joyeuses Fêtes à tous.

Health care

Ms. Doly Begum: We live in one of the best, richest countries and provinces in the world, yet Ontario’s health care system is falling apart under this government—under consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments. In Scarborough Southwest alone, over 23,000 people—that’s one in five residents—are without a family doctor. And across the province 2.5 million—just an estimate—lack primary care.

Access to primary care is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. I have heard from constituents who were forced to go without life-saving mental health medications just because they can’t get a doctor to renew a prescription. People are waiting in pain before they resort to the ER, only to be turned away because of resource shortages. Think of the hours and hours when you have to take a loved one to the emergency and spend seven or eight hours. Think of the stress and frustration waiting more than a year for a surgery or not knowing where to turn to.

To meet the current needs just in Scarborough Southwest, we need at least 18 more family doctors. Yet in Ontario, we have the lowest per capita spending on health care in all of Canada, falling way behind all other provinces.

This is simply unacceptable. We cannot continue to stress our health care system beyond its limit—and that’s exactly what’s happening under this government—hoping it will hold together. People in Scarborough Southwest and across this province deserve a government that is going to prioritize investing in our health care system. That will ensure that everyone has access to the care they need and deserve.

Algoma University

Mr. Ross Romano: Today I rise with immense pride to celebrate the latest achievements of Algoma University in my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie. Recently, the university inaugurated two transformative facilities: the newly renovated animal care facility and the state-of-the-art containment level 2 laboratory. These groundbreaking spaces mark a new

chapter for Algoma University, demonstrating its steadfast commitment to research excellence and student success.

The containment level 2 laboratory, designed to meet global biosafety standards, will empower researchers and students to explore advanced studies in health sciences, biology and environmental science—areas of critical importance for our future.

Complementing this is the animal care facility, which supports responsible research using small animals and aquatic models. This renovated space ensures that our students and researchers gain hands-on experience while adhering to the highest standards of ethical animal care.

This is what can be achieved when investment meets innovation. These facilities strengthen Sault Ste. Marie’s position as a hub for research, academic excellence and economic growth. In fact, Algoma University’s impact on our local economy is profound, contributing over $145 million yearly in added income and supporting more than 1,600 jobs alone last year.

I’m very proud of the role our government has played in making these facilities a reality. To the researchers, students and faculty of Algoma University, congratulations on this remarkable milestone. You inspire us all with your passion and your commitment to shape a better tomorrow. Thank you again for making Sault Ste. Marie proud.

Allissya and Suhava Gill

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: Today I’m honoured to recognize an extraordinary initiative led by two compassionate sisters from Brampton, Suhava Gill, aged 10, and Allissya Gill, aged 12, students at Newton’s Grove School. They are also joined by their principal, Cheri Grogan; teacher Crystel Figaro; father, Pardeep Singh Gill; and grandfather Mr. Gurdev Singh Gill. This holiday season, they’re launching Bites of Kindness, a heartfelt campaign to support the homeless in our community by preparing and distributing over 500 care packages filled with food and other essential items to those in need.

Wanting to have as large an impact as possible, they were able to get their entire school on board to make sandwiches for the less privileged. Their efforts are truly heartwarming and inspiring and aim to bring warmth and hope to some of the most vulnerable members of society during this special time of year.

Their determination to make a difference reflects the values instilled in them by their family. Their grandfather Mr. Gurdev Singh Gill, a dedicated advocate for charitable work, has been a lifelong inspiration in giving back to those in need. Their father, as chair of the William Osler Health System board, has also been a driving force in ensuring the well-being of others.

Together, these young girls embody the power of youth leadership and the importance of family values in creating positive change. On behalf of this Legislature, I commend them for their efforts and wish them success in this incredible initiative.

Arts and culture

MPP Jill Andrew: I am proud to read a poem written by one of my community members, an award-winning singer-songwriter, voice teacher, poet and advocate for seniors and the arts. Her name is Honey Novick, and she’s a lover of all things Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, amongst other things.

An Ode to the Cultural Worker

For you who value the Cultural Worker, this is for you.

Cultural workers devote, and most often donate,

Their skills, products, talent, service, time,

Labour and space.

They document history and the continuity of society.

They ponder, ruminate, question, provoke, create, and build,

Then offer these gifts, so that all humanity

Can benefit by their philosophy of possibility.

Are colours important, an image succinct?

What people see and how societies behave,

Very often are linked.

Do you care if a schoolchild learns rhythm or team play?

Can you count to 10 and then count backwards again?

Hickory, dickory, dock.

Do you relate to life by punching a clock?

A job well done is a person fulfilled,

So who cares if cultural enrichment is instilled?

Culture is born of ideas: hit or miss.

Culture is born by people’s sweat,

We can’t fake it or take it for granted.

We must take it in stride.

We must take it with pride.

The Cultural Worker, visible or not, is always somewhere by your side.

Honey is here today. Can we give her a round of applause and a standing ovation?

Applause.

Michael G. Solcz

Mr. Andrew Dowie: This week, our Windsor-Essex community mourns the passing of Michael G. Solcz. Michael was born in 1931 in Hunta, and his family relocated to Windsor in 1942. In 1959, Mike founded the Valiant Corp. He grew it to 800 employees in Windsor with 27 facilities in 15 countries and more than 1,500 workers worldwide.

Mike was known for his harmony and his loyalty to others, his warm smile and his kindness. You’d be remiss to find someone who would not associate Mike with philanthropy. The Solcz Family Foundation has awarded $7.8 million to over 50 charities in our community, $1 million to the youth wellness hub and $15 million towards new pediatric facilities at the future Windsor-Essex regional acute care hospital.

Mike accomplished so, so much along the way. He was the first named executive in residence at St. Clair College centre of excellence in manufacturing; the Yves Landry Award of Excellence; the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award at age 84; the key to the city of Windsor; and a doctor of laws from the University of Windsor where he noted to students, “Continue to be curious about the world around you. Be confident in who you are. Believe that you can make a difference in the world and make the choice to do so.”

Mike Solcz’s legacy will stand the test of time, and Windsor-Essex is truly better for him being part of our community. We will remember you, Mike. Thank you.

Member for Ottawa Centre

Mr. Joel Harden: For six and a half years, Speaker, it’s been an honour to serve the people of Ottawa Centre in this House. It’s been the privilege of my life to work for them, to advocate with them and to occupy their seat in this chamber.

As members of this House may know, I have decided not to run again in the next provincial election. I’m seeking the NDP nomination for the next federal election, and I hope to serve our community and our country there, but we shall see.

So, this morning it is farewell—not goodbye; not goodbye because I’m sure we’re going to meet again. Those devoted to public service, we have a habit of finding each other, so let’s keep in touch. This isn’t a sad moment.

In fact, Speaker, as befitting the season, this morning, I bring you tidings of comfort and joy. Catherine McKenney, who served Ottawa’s Somerset ward as a city councillor with distinction for nine years, is going to be running for this seat in Ottawa Centre. That is good news. That is good news for Ottawa Centre and good news for Ontario. I look forward, if Ottawa Centre agrees, to Catherine having the opportunity to work with this caucus and work with the members of this House.

As I rise here this morning, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for those who have supported me in this role for six and a half years, beginning, of course, with my family. Clare, Adele and Emery, I love you all a lot. My staff colleagues over the years in Ottawa Centre: Samiha, Peyton, Bruce, William, Kieran, Ty, Erica, Ethan, Sharon, Sashika and all the community volunteers we’ve interacted with—you’re all brilliant.

The organizing community at home—it’s too big of a list to name for a five-minute speech, Speaker, but the organizing community at home, in my party and beyond, you inspire me every single day to stand up at this place and demand more from our political system. I feel the same way about all the people in public service who are maintaining our institutions with dignity and pride.

Colleagues in the NDP caucus, what can I say except thank you. Thank you for your support and your tolerance and your patience with me.

Thank you to all the staff in this House, Speaker. All the people who the viewers at home don’t see, who keep the lights on and cook the food, who make sure we’re safe, who clean our offices—mine being perhaps the worst offender sometimes—thank you. Thank you for all the work you’ve done.

Speaker, in the remaining time I have left—a couple of minutes—I do want to reflect on something I think is important, that’s on my mind as my service here ends. It’s an insight that’s been brought to me from the current councillor for Somerset ward back home in Ottawa, Ariel Troster. Ariel once said, in a very pitched community debate back home, that we have to resist the urge to give up on each other. I’ve not been able to forget that ever since Ariel offered those words.

And why do I think that? I think that because I believe we are living in a time when it is easy to dehumanize each other. At the click of a button, we can consign someone to a category or opinion that we deem to be worthless and, I think, do serious damage to our democracy. The way in which many of us in this chamber and many of our neighbours at home get their information, the way that information is conveyed is mediated—mediated through algorithms that I do not believe build our country, build our province or build our communities. They are built to divide us against each other, to pit us against each other, and I think we have to resist that in this House. We can’t give up on each other.

I have been blessed to work with people at home who, every single day, in a school or in a hospital or in our streets, are coming to Ottawa from places all around the world. They’ve survived unimaginable conditions of violence and war and conflict, and what they tell me is very simple: Hate is easy; love is hard. Love takes work. Compassion takes work. And that’s the message I take from Councillor Troster today.

I will segue to this insight, Speaker, as I end. I see Pastor Charlie in the gallery. Hello and thank you for your service to this House too. I’m reminded of Reverend Lewis Smedes, a Christian theologian who means a lot to me. When I think about how we champion love and compassion and kindness, I think about what Reverand Smedes said when he said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”

When I think about Reverand Smedes’s words, I think about the member for Hamilton Centre. I think about the fact that that member has been coming into this House during one of the most difficult times for our world, for the last 13 months. Families torn apart by violence—we’re grieving and suffering every single day, and the member has not been allowed to speak because we have a motion of censure for her. What I want to encourage the member of this House to consider: At this time of year, remember to hold forth in this place and to speak the truth she knows to be true.

I hope the members of this government will find time before this session ends to lift that motion and to enter in dialogue with the member of Hamilton Centre and to come to an understanding where we see each other through that prism of forgiveness that I’ve tried to convey this morning.

Speaker, to you all so personally, thank you for your support. Thank you, all the members of this House. I salute your public service. Let’s do everything we can to make this place the wonderful place that it is.

Applause.

Bob Rainboth / Denis Gratton

Mr. Stephen Blais: As all of us, I’m sure, have been occupied the last number of weeks with Christmas and holiday events in our ridings—the pancake breakfasts, the church bazaars, the Santa Claus parades—I wanted to take a moment to thank someone in Orléans who has been instrumental in organizing the Orléans Santa Claus parade, otherwise known as the Orléans Parade of Lights.

This is one of the largest Santa Claus and Christmas parades in the province. Tens of thousands of people line Saint Joseph Boulevard. They brave what is often in Ottawa a very cold Saturday evening to see Santa Claus come by and to see all of the organizations decorate their floats with lights and singers and volunteers hand out candy.

To Bob Rainboth, who is a firefighter in the city of Ottawa—he also serves as a school trustee on the French Catholic school board. Bob has helped to organize and led the way on the Parade of Lights in Orléans for 27 years. This was his last Parade of Lights, and Bob, I just want to say, thank you very much for everything you’ve done for our community.

Samedi dernier, nous avons perdu une légende. Notre cher Denis est décédé à son domicile d’un cancer. Il est mort trop tôt, n’ayant seulement 64 ans. Je voudrais offrir mes sincères condoléances à la famille de Denis et à chaque personne qui ressent cette grande perte.

Holiday events in Flamborough–Glanbrook

Ms. Donna Skelly: As we know, the holiday season is upon us and today I’m rising to discuss some of the wonderful events across my riding of Flamborough–Glanbrook which are getting us all into the holiday spirit.

Just last month, the community of Waterdown held a number of holiday events including the annual Breakfast with Santa Claus that took place at the Waterdown Legion, where proceeds go to the many food-insecure children in our community. Of course, this is supported by the Rotary clubs of Flamborough AM and Food4Kids Waterdown.

Also in Waterdown was the annual Santa Claus parade which took place in the downtown core. It was great to see so many residents—in fact, about thousands of people—enjoying the festivities. A big thank you to the army of volunteers who worked tirelessly to make it such an incredible event.

This coming weekend, December 14, at 2 o’clock, I’ll be in Binbrook for the annual Santa Claus parade, and I encourage everyone to come out and join us in celebrating this wonderful season. These events are what make the holiday season so special in our community.

This is our last week in the Legislature before we break for the holidays, so I would like to wish everyone at Queen’s Park and across Ontario a merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season.

Gender-based violence

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: Last week, we recognized the 35th anniversary since that fateful day on December 6, 1989, when an armed man entered l’École Polytechnique in Montreal and murdered 14 innocent women and wounded several others before turning the gun on himself. As my colleague the Honourable Charmaine Williams has said in our Legislature, “His savagery changed Canada. On that day, he stole lives, dreams, aspirations, and our shared innocence as a nation. The aftershock still reverberates across our country; every woman remembers. Indeed, how could we forget?”

Since then, December 6 serves as the national day of remembrance on violence against women. In my community of Oakville North–Burlington, I joined a solemn event hosted by Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services, SAVIS of Halton. SAVIS, which has served the Halton community for over 25 years, offers free and confidential, 24/7, one-on-one crisis counselling services. And with one woman or girl killed every 48 hours, their services are sorely needed.

Our government has zero tolerance for gender-based violence in all its forms. Everyone has the right to live in safety and with dignity, free from the threat of violence. As we reflect on that dark day and remember the victims and their families, we do so in the spirit of hope and with the shared conviction that we must continue the important work and put an end, once and for all, to intimate partner violence and gender-based violence.

House sittings

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to recognize next the government House leader on a point of order.

Mr. Steve Clark: I’d just like to advise the House that the night sitting for this evening has been cancelled.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): We’ll do the best we can. Thank you.

Introduction of Visitors

Le Président (L’hon. Ted Arnott): Dans la tribune du Président ce matin sont les stagiaires de la Fondation Jean-Charles-Bonenfant : Éliée Plourde, Arnaud Dufour, Clovis Brochu, Juliette Beaulieu-Lavoie et Vincent Roy. They are joined by their OLIP counterparts, Megan Ryan-Lloyd and Nika Lennox. Bienvenue à Queen’s Park.

Also, in the gallery today, we have a special guest: Lila Bharda, who is the wife of LPS Constable Bharda. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to express a message of gratitude to King township’s fire chief, Jim Wall, who’s with us today, as well as his wonderful wife, Krista. Chief Wall has served the people of King township for nearly 40 years as a dedicated firefighter, as a chief, as a leader, as a man who left a legacy in our province.

Chief, I am eternally grateful to you. We are all grateful to you for your duty and sacrifice, and we honour you ahead of your retirement. We may be a bit jealous of your timing, but we wish you our very best. On behalf of the member from York–Simcoe and on behalf of all of Ontarians, thank you so very much for your service to the people of Canada.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It’s my honour to introduce Graham Henderson, CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce. Graham is also the former president of Music Canada and also spent time at Universal Music Canada. In his spare time, Graham taught at U of T’s faculty of law and Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.

Graham is here today to support my employee ownership motion. I want to welcome you to Queen’s Park, my friend.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: I have the privilege of welcoming to the Legislature today a fellow parliamentarian from the great province of Alberta, Dan Williams, the MLA for Peace River and the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction for the province of Alberta. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I want to welcome the following members of our tourism sector and the TIAO to Queen’s Park today. Thank you for such a fruitful meeting this morning about the needs of our tourism sector across Ontario. I want to welcome Andrew Siegwart, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario; Damian Goulbourne, Centennial College; Rebecca Mackenzie, Culinary Tourism Alliance; Stephen Tooshkenig, Indigenous Tourism Ontario; Michael Crockatt, Ottawa Tourism; and Andrew Weir, Destination Toronto. Welcome to Queen’s Park and thank you for coming today.

Mr. Stephen Blais: I’d like to welcome Michael Crockatt and the team at Ottawa Tourism to the Legislature today. Whether it’s the historic Rideau Canal or the World Junior Hockey Championship, there are lots of reasons to visit the nation’s capital this winter. You’re all welcome. Visit ottawatourism.ca.

Hon. Rob Flack: I would like to welcome the Grain Farmers of Ontario today. I think everybody is going to enjoy the reception tonight at the legislative dining room at 4:30. In particular, I believe Jeff Harrison is on his way, and Crosby Devitt, the CEO. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: I just want to again recognize my dear friend Charlie the chaplain, Charlie Lyons, who’s here in the chamber. He’s moving on to greener pastures. He’s a dear friend to many here and I know he’s going to be making many more friendships and helping so many in the future ahead for him. Thank you, Charlie.

Mr. Rick Byers: Colleagues, it’s my pleasure to welcome this morning students from North Toronto Collegiate Institute—the grade 10 history class, who will be here shortly. I saw them in the building. I’d like to welcome all students, but in particular, for one student, a special welcome: Welcome to my niece Libby Byers. Welcome, Libby, and all the students from North Toronto Collegiate Institute.

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: It’s with great honour that I would like to introduce and welcome the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. I had a wonderful meeting with some of their members, talking about the importance that small business plays in the economy. I would like to welcome Dionne Bishop, who is the owner-operator of Events by Dionne; Rebecca Cabral, who operates and supports Camping in Ontario; Gavin Sibley, City Sightseeing Toronto—you’ve all seen his double-decker buses around the city—and Aaron Binder, CEO and operator of Go Tours Canada. Thank you very much, and welcome to your House.

Hon. Stan Cho: TIAO is in the House. A few names were missed, so I want to mention them now: Gregory Elmhirst, Madison Simmons, Neil Pakey, Rebecca Mackenzie, Krista LeClair, Colin Morrison, the rocket Michael Crockatt and, of course, Andrew Siegwart. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

MPP Jill Andrew: I want to welcome once again Honey Novick to the House, a wonderful community member and friend in Toronto–St. Paul’s. Thank you for your artistry and your advocacy.

I’d also like to thank Charlie the chaplain for years of service and support and, frankly, for your heart. We really appreciate it, and I will certainly miss you.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): With the indulgence of the House, I’d like to continue with the introduction of visitors. Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I’m so pleased to welcome to the House partners from the Student Nutrition Ontario program: Peter Kendall, Laura Arrell, Judith Barry, Catherine Parsonage, Shaun McKenna and Debbie Field. Mr. Speaker, these individuals played a critical role in helping raise over $7 million through the Healthy Students Brighter Ontario campaign, in addition to the province’s $5 million contribution. Thank you so much for everything you do for the students in the province, and I look forward to meeting you after question period.

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: I’m happy to introduce Vimalan Balasubramaniam, a networking engineer, and Vijeyaletchumy Charde Singgaran, a professor at Seneca College. They are the grandchildren of the late K.M. Chellappah, a Sri Lankan philanthropist and pioneer of the free library movement who founded the renowned Jaffna library. They carry forward their family legacy right here in Ontario and Canada.

Thank you for your service. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: I want to take an opportunity to introduce the board chair of William Osler, Pardeep Gill, who’s here with us today with his two beautiful daughters, who have been supporting those in need and who were honoured with a members’ statement earlier today; and also Gurdev Gill, a long-time community advocate in the city of Brampton and across the province.

Welcome to the Legislature.

Ms. Patrice Barnes: I’d like to welcome Eleanor McIntosh, a friend, a mentor and a trailblazer in the advocacy for Black student success—such a pleasure. Thank you for being here.

Mr. John Jordan: I’d like to introduce my great assistant, Joseph Ward, his brother Gregory Ward, who is also the assistant for the member for Ajax, and most importantly, I want to introduce their mother, Catherine Ward.

Mr. Dave Smith: They are in security right now, on their way up, but I’d like to welcome air cadet squadron 700 from Etobicoke today.

Mrs. Robin Martin: It’s my great pleasure to introduce my executive assistant from my constituency office, Demetri Makrigiorgos.

Mr. Robert Bailey: It’s my pleasure today to introduce to the Legislature some good friends of ours here at Queen’s Park from Ontario One Call: Jim Keech, the president and CEO; Jean Lépine; and the chairman of Ontario One Call, Mitch Panciuk.

Hon. Kinga Surma: It’s a very special day today for one of our sitting members. It’s the MPP for Huron–Bruce’s birthday today. She’s also the Minister of Rural Affairs. Happy birthday!

Mr. Matthew Rae: I want to introduce Nika Lennox, who is my OLIP intern, and Meredith Forget, director of economic development and tourism from the great county of Perth.

Hon. Nina Tangri: I’m sure, each day, he diligently watches question period. I would like to wish my grandson Raj a very happy first birthday.

Mr. Andrew Dowie: I’d like to wish a very warm welcome to the students from St. Joseph’s high school in East Riverside, from my riding. Welcome to Queen’s Park today. I’m looking forward to joining you after question period.

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the principal of Newton’s Grove School, Cheri Grogan, and her associate Crystel Figaro. We’re also joined by Allissya Gill and Suhava Gill, who have launched the campaign Bites of Kindness to support the homeless in our community. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I want to introduce a member of the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation, Phil Sidhwa. They’re in the process of building a one-of-a-kind Zoroastrian temple in North America.

Phil, thank you to you and the team for everything that you do. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: I apologize, but I forgot to introduce Paul Di Ianni from the town of Lincoln, and Britnie—whose last name I will butcher, but welcome back to Queen’s Park.

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: I would like to introduce a friend and constituent, a former member of Parliament for Newmarket–Aurora, Lois Brown—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Introduction of visitors? No, sorry; the member for Newmarket–Aurora has more.

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: Sorry; I wasn’t finished, Speaker. She’s actually here today in her capacity as the CEO of Health Partners International Canada. They are having a reception today at lunchtime, and you’re all invited, in room 228. Thank you.

Mrs. Daisy Wai: I would like to congratulate Laura Yahlou as the page captain today. I look forward to taking a photo with her at the grand staircase and having her for lunch tomorrow. Most of all, I welcome her to our office in Richmond Hill after the holidays.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ve been asked by the member for Nepean to introduce her friend Heather Tessier, who is here with us today as well. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

That concludes our introduction of visitors for this morning.

Question Period

Housing

Ms. Marit Stiles: Good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier.

Housing starts are down, housing targets are out of reach and housing prices—boy, it gets worse every single day. The Premier talks about housing, but is pandering to wealthy developers, insiders and speculators while people are about to lose their homes. It’s been the same story for over six years now.

As I go out there and I meet with folks in the construction industry—carpenters, tradespeople, home builders, electricians—they’re training people, they’re ready to build the housing that we need, but workers are actually getting laid off right now and projects are getting stalled.

So something’s got to give. My question to the Premier is: Why won’t the Premier support home builders and workers who are ready to build and act on this housing crisis?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Of course, we are and we have been since 2018 now—as you know, we have been unravelling the mess that was left behind by the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP. They put regulations in place that made it almost impossible to get shovels in the ground in the province of Ontario. As we’ve unravelled and reduced the costs of building, we have seen in certain segments—purpose-built rentals, for instance, are at their highest levels in almost recorded history in the province of Ontario. We’re happy about that.

But indeed, on the single-detached-home front, there has been a slowdown on that, predominantly because of the higher interest rates which were caused, of course, by the inflationary policies of the federal Liberal and NDP coalition in Ottawa, which saw interest rates increase at the fastest rate in the history of this country. Despite that, we’re going to continue to double down and eliminate the red tape that is getting in the way of getting more homes built, and we will get 1.5 million homes built—

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

Supplementary question?

Ms. Marit Stiles: The truth is that Ontario is in last place in the country when it comes to building housing. It is the single biggest cost that’s facing families in Ontario today. Housing starts are collapsing to the lowest levels that they’ve been since 1955. More people are losing their homes every single day.

The Premier, meanwhile, is running scared, saying no to legalizing fourplexes or building housing near transit. When is this Premier going to find the courage to take on the housing crisis and say yes to building more homes?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Look, I hear the opposition talk about this all the time: legalizing fourplexes. Well, 80% of the province of Ontario has legalized fourplexes. The city of Toronto has legalized fourplexes; the city of Guelph has legalized fourplexes. You know who aren’t building fourplexes? The city of Toronto, in that 80% of the province where it is actually legal. Because they believe—classic NDP, supported by the Liberals—that as long as you talk about something, poof, magically it’s going to appear.

But you know what will actually get homes built? Infrastructure in the ground that helps you build homes and brings the cost down. That’s why we’re building over $3 billion worth of infrastructure, so that we can get more homes built.

You know what else? By removing taxes and reducing the cost—they voted against the reduction of taxes. You know what happened when we cut taxes? More purpose-built rentals were built in the province of Ontario than at any other time in the history of this province.

We’re going to double down, do more and get more homes built for the people of—

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

Final supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Again, Ontario is in the last place in Canada. BC, Manitoba, every other province is building more homes faster than this government is doing it.

If this Premier won’t build homes, he should get out of the way and let New Democrats build them. That’s who’s building homes in Ontario and Canada.

We have a plan; it’s called Homes Ontario. It is the largest home building program that this province has ever seen. It’s going to double the supply of permanently affordable homes in Ontario. When we forced a vote on that, the government and this Premier said—guess what? They said no.

Speaker, what is it going to take for this Premier to drop his vanity projects and get to work actually building the homes that Ontarians need?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Paul Calandra: For our colleagues, just for a moment, imagine, if you would: You want to have a new home built, and there shows the NDP caucus with their tool belts on. They show up and they’re going to build you homes. Can you imagine the types of homes that the NDP caucus would build for the people of the province of Ontario? I can, because they tried this once before under Bob Rae, and he almost bankrupted the province of Ontario.

They talk about what we voted against. They brought forward a policy that would cost over $200 billion to build next to nothing, because what they really like to build are bureaucracies. They love to build bureaucracies because like the Liberals, it’s not about actually accomplishing anything. It’s about pretending. They’re about pretending; we’re about delivering.

Government’s record

Ms. Marit Stiles: It’s about priorities, and this government has all the wrong ones. We’ve got a Premier who is focused on ripping up bike lanes, and one million Ontarians are lined up at food banks. We have got a Premier who’s mired in an RCMP criminal investigation while unemployment is at its worst in over a decade. He is wasting $2.2 billion on a luxury spa in downtown Toronto while two and a half million Ontarians don’t have a family doctor.

Life is getting harder for Ontarians. When is this Premier going to cancel his vanity projects and start focusing on them?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply for the government, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Again, I don’t know where the Leader of the Opposition has been. I’ll tell you what’s happening right now. The Leader of the Opposition has finally come to the realization that 800,000 people came to the province of Ontario. Why? For the hope and opportunity that exists because of the policies of this government.

The Leader of the Opposition, supported by the Liberals, had voted against building more transit and transportation networks in the province of Ontario. They voted against every single policy that we have brought forward to get more shovels built quicker. They voted against hospitals in their own communities. They voted against long-term-care homes that were being built in their communities. They voted against schools that are being built, investments in colleges, in universities.

They have voted against incredible investments of over $70 billion, which has led to over 800,000 jobs and 800,000 people with the dignity of a job that didn’t before. And they’re in a panic because we’re getting the job done.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, you’ve got to wonder when this Premier is going to get up and have the guts to take responsibility for his own failures.

Yesterday, I was amazed to hear the Premier complaining that congestion is now costing Ontario $56 billion a year. You know what? That’s on him. That is his government’s legacy: a Premier so distracted by schemes and scandals and making money for his insider friends—a luxury spa, rerouting a highway for his friends, selling off our health care system—while folks are stuck on the 401 and showing up at closed emergency rooms.

The Premier has been on the job for six years. When is he going to have the guts to stand up and answer for his failures?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

I’m going to caution the Leader of the Opposition: Personal insults add nothing to the debate.

The Premier may reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: Well, Mr. Speaker, just to respond to the Leader of the Opposition, when they were in power with the Liberals, they propped them up for 15 years while they destroyed our province. They didn’t have to worry about traffic because no one was going to their jobs. There were over 300,000 people—do you know where the traffic was? It was all heading to the southern border, with 300,000. All we saw was their tail lights. Now there’s over 850,000 people working today that weren’t working when they were in power.

We’re building transit, the largest transit project in North America. We’re setting records when we’re building hospitals—$50 billion of hospitals that they voted against. When we pass bills to accelerate building homes, guess what? They voted against it. They voted against the $3 billion of infrastructure. God forbid, they all had their own little province; it would be bankrupt. There would be no jobs—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Premier will take a seat.

The final supplementary.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, 8.8% unemployment—the highest unemployment in a decade under this Premier and this government. After six long years of this Premier, Ontarians are asking: “Is my life any better?” They’re stuck waiting for homes, for doctors, for better schools, for an easier and more affordable life.

And what has this government delivered instead? A greenbelt scandal; a Premier under RCMP criminal investigation; $400 from every household in this province for his vanity luxury spa in downtown Toronto; cash-for-access scandals; one million Ontarians lined up at food banks; encampments in every corner in every community in this province.

This is this Premier’s legacy. Don’t Ontarians deserve better than that?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats. The government side will come to order. The official opposition will come to order.

Premier?

Hon. Doug Ford: Well, let’s just remind the Leader of the Opposition that there’s 800,000 people that came to our province for a better life, for a better job, a bigger paycheque, and we fulfilled that; over 200,000 new jobs alone this year. We had 136 companies from around the world come here and invest over $11 billion and create 12,200 jobs—in total, over $70 billion of investment from around the world coming to Ontario.

We are the envy of North America. We’re the envy of the world. You just have to ask the great governors that I speak to on a weekly basis, the senators, and congressmen and women. They see the growth here, and we’re their number one competition. You wonder why President-elect Trump wants to put tariffs? Because we’re a threat to the US, because we’re a manufacturing powerhouse. We created more manufacturing jobs last year than all 50—

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

Next question?

Government accountability

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is to the Premier. Yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure was keen on quoting the Auditor General, and so I pulled some quotes of my own about the Ontario Place deal. She says, “Over the duration of the 95-year lease ... the present value ... of the rent payments is only about $163 million.”

The Auditor General said, “We found that the social and environmental benefits and costs of redevelopment were not factored into the assessment framework or considered in the redevelopment.” When discussing Therme’s proof of concept, the Auditor General said, “We found that IO did not conduct due diligence to ensure that spas cited by Therme in its submission were in fact owned and operated by Therme.... We reviewed the six spas and found five instances where the spa cited ... was not owned or operated by Therme.” It’s quite something that this infrastructure minister signed this deal.

To the minister: Will she cancel the Therme deal now, or will Ontario Place join Highway 407 as one of the worst deals in the history of this province?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

To reply, the Minister of Infrastructure.

Hon. Kinga Surma: I will not, Mr. Speaker. Again, as I mentioned yesterday, Therme met the financial test that was set by Infrastructure Ontario, and that information was released on October 3. The lease was released, Mr. Speaker.

As per any questions involving environmental assessment or mitigation, I’ll reference page 79: For “the Ontario Place redevelopment, two environmental assessments were completed. A category B environmental assessment related to site servicing was conducted in July 2022 and a category C ... was completed in November 2023 related to the public realm,” the science centre “and its associated parking options....

“Similar to the category B environmental assessment, the category C environmental assessment also noted mitigation measures.... The TRCA also reviewed and provided input.... The province will continue to work with the TRCA throughout the design and development stages related to the site servicing and the public realm.”

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: Speaker, the Auditor General’s report suggested this is one of the worst deals in Ontario’s history, and the people of the province are paying the price. When discussing the financial viability of the Therme project, she says, “We found that financial concerns about Therme Group ... identified by a senior adviser at” Infrastructure Ontario “were not addressed prior to executing the lease.”

“Therme Group’s equity value prior to December 31, 2019, appeared low, at less than one million euros.” I don’t know how this deal ever happened, Speaker.

She said the bid assessment process was “irregular, subjective and not always followed.” She said, “Some participants had access to the” Infrastructure Ontario vice-president “while others did not; this is in contravention of the” call for development’s “stated process that said ‘No communication with government staff ... is permitted during the ... process.’”

Speaker, to the minister: Will you take accountability for this dirty deal and resign?

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

The Minister of Infrastructure.

Hon. Kinga Surma: I will not, and I will not be going anywhere. The AG was very clear in her report that this was a real estate solicitation. Michael Lindsay, the CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, was very clear in his statements after the AG report that this was an exercise to gather ideas from the globe.

Mr. Speaker, the NDP were very clear yesterday: Under their leadership, nothing would happen at the waterfront and nothing would be built. Yesterday, they admitted that they wouldn’t even invest in public park space and public realm space at Ontario Place. Thank goodness it’s this government that is in leadership. Thank goodness, thanks to this Premier, we will have an attractive, exciting Ontario Place that families can enjoy, and thank goodness that under this Premier, we will be building infrastructure in the province of Ontario that the NDP—

Interjections.

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

The member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas, come to order. The member for Sudbury, come to order. The member for Hamilton Mountain, come to order. The member for Ottawa Centre will come to order. The member for Waterloo will come to order.

The next question.

International trade

Mr. Andrew Dowie: Speaker, actually, this morning reminds me why my riding traded an NDP member for a PC member.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Okay, the member will take his seat. That’s not helping.

I recognize the member for Windsor–Tecumseh.

Mr. Andrew Dowie: Speaker, constituents in my riding of Windsor–Tecumseh have repeated concerns to me about the protectionist rhetoric coming out of the U.S. They’re worried about what tariffs might mean for their jobs and for businesses in our communities. They want to know that above all they have a government that will stand up for them and for the interests of Ontario workers and businesses. Unfortunately, when they look to the federal Liberal government, they see in them a government where anti-business ideology is reflected in all of their policy decisions.

So, unlike the Liberals, workers and business can be certain that under the leadership of our Premier, our government will never turn our backs on them.

Speaker, can the minister please share with this House what our government is doing to maintain and strengthen Ontario-U.S. relations?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, we just returned from Washington where we continued to drive home the message that when Ontario and U.S. work together, both of our economies succeed. Ontario does a half a trillion dollars in two-way trade with the U.S. every year, but unlike Mexico and China, our trade is balanced: $250 billion in, $250 billion out. And, Speaker, we are the top export destination for 17 U.S. states and the number two destination for 11 more.

Ontario has everything the U.S. needs to succeed, including a wealth of critical minerals that are used in batteries, semi-conductors: all the things they want to manufacture at home.

Our message to the U.S. is clear: We don’t make products for the U.S.; we make products with the United States.

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

Mr. Andrew Dowie: Thank you, Minister. Businesses and workers in Windsor–Tecumseh remember all too well the previous Liberal government turning their back on Ontario’s manufacturing sector.

When foreign countries were looking to build up their industrial capacity and take manufacturing jobs from Ontario, the Liberals didn’t even put up a fight to keep them, and we saw 300,000 manufacturing jobs chased away under their watch. Their plan crushed Ontario’s goods-producing industries that have served as important regional employers for generations. Workers know that, unlike the Liberals, our government will always put Ontario businesses and Ontario workers first.

Speaker, can the minister please highlight how we are making the case to the U.S. that our historic trading relationship is good for both sides?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Last week, China announced that they have banned the export of the critical minerals gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States. Now, these minerals are crucial to the production of semi-conductors and other key military technologies, and all three of those minerals exist right here in Ontario.

If the U.S. wants to continue to strengthen their military and reshore their chip manufacturing and their supply chains, Ontario is here to help. Let’s build on the long-standing trade relationship that has created good-paying jobs on both sides of the border. We’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. for more than 150 years, and we will continue to be here for them in the decades ahead. Speaker, that is the message we delivered in Washington yesterday, and we will continue to deliver the message as we stand up for Ontario businesses and Ontario workers.

Health care

Ms. Chandra Pasma: Two years ago, my constituent Josephine Crone was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 21. The cancer could have been caught earlier if Josephine had just had a family doctor. Instead, it wasn’t until she was fainting on campus at Trent University that Josephine was able to get a diagnosis from the university medical clinic. Early diagnosis would have saved Josephine and her family from a very aggressive treatment journey, with all the worry that goes along with it, while also saving money for our health care system.

Why isn’t the Premier doing everything in his power to make sure young people like Josephine have a primary care provider?

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

Hon. Sylvia Jones: It is examples like Josephine and her family why we have focused so much of our efforts to expand access to primary care in the province of Ontario, whether it is 78 new expansions that were announced in February, and actually we’ve already seen those clinics ramping up, hiring and taking on new patients. In fact, as recently as last week, I was in Minto-Mapleton to announce another physician who is working in that community as a result of these investments.

We have seen that when we make our investments; when we expand access to medical school; when we make sure that anyone in the province of Ontario who wants to come and work in Ontario has the ability to do that quickly, removing some of those paperwork red tape barriers, we see that we are getting those numbers up. In the last two years, we have seen historic numbers of physicians licensing in the province of Ontario. We are going to keep doing that work to make sure everyone has access.

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

Ms. Chandra Pasma: More than 165,000 Ottawa residents with no doctor, and yet the Premier is focused on making them pay $400 a household for his luxury spa instead of getting them a doctor.

I am happy to say that Josephine is now in remission and able to focus on her studies. But she still doesn’t have a family doctor, so who is going to monitor for relapses when she graduates and loses access to the university medical centre? Cancer survivors like Josephine deserve peace of mind that they will receive health care, so why can’t the Premier take as much interest in providing Ottawa residents with a primary care provider as he does in building a luxury spa that most of us will never use?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Perhaps the member opposite has not seen the most recent data that came in from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. CIHI shows that the Canadian average for attachments for primary care is 85.6%; in Ontario, it’s over 90%.

When we compare ourselves to other Canadian jurisdictions, we are absolutely on the right path as we make those expansions, as we make those investments in our medical schools, working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to quickly assess, review and ultimately license, when appropriate, internationally educated physicians.

We are seeing people want to live, work and practice in the province of Ontario, and we’re going to keep getting it done.

Taxation

Mr. Will Bouma: My question is for the Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries.

Speaker, we have seen how the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax is hurting families, hurting workers and hurting businesses. This tax drives up the cost of living and makes everything more expensive, and now, with the new clean electricity regulations, it threatens to undermine Ontario’s energy system.

This federal policy is putting our economy and our future at risk. Ontario’s industries, whether mining, steel or manufacturing, are global leaders providing good jobs that support families and communities. These industries need support, not higher taxes. The Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax does little to reduce emissions, but it does hurt a lot of competitiveness and investment.

Speaker, can the associate minister please explain how our government is standing up for our industry, protecting jobs and ensuring that our province has an energy system built for the future?

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: The member for Brantford–Brant is absolutely right: Whether they are manufacturers in Brantford, whether they are steel producers in Hamilton or whether they are auto manufacturers across this province—and in the north, as well, with our mining sector—we have seen the impact of the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax, to the tune of a $2.5-billion hit to our GDP. The clean energy regulations that are being proposed are damaging to the tune of $35 billion. These are dollars that could be going into providing good jobs, more jobs for the people of this province.

Speaker, our government has taken a very different approach than the federal Liberals. We have seen them with a punitive approach to businesses that simply echoes the response of Kathleen Wynne, who said that she believed we didn’t need to have manufacturing in the province of Ontario; that we were going to become a service-based-only economy.

The reality is, our government is taking an approach that encourages innovation and technology. Last week, this House passed the carbon capture sequestration legislation that is ensuring our energy-intensive industries are able to grow and thrive by cutting costs, reducing—

Interjections.

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

The member for Orléans will come to order. The government House leader will come to order.

Supplementary question?

Mr. Will Bouma: Thank you to the minister for his response.

Speaker, the Trudeau-Crombie carbon tax is not just a tax on families; it’s a tax on jobs, and it’s a tax on opportunity. It makes it harder for Ontario’s industries to compete on the global stage. These are same industries that drive innovation, that create good-paying jobs and that keep our economy strong.

Ontario has taken a different path. Instead of driving costs up, our government is driving investment in. With the focus on clean energy solutions like nuclear power, Ontario is showing the world how to grow an economy while cutting emissions. Investments from companies like Honda, like Volkswagen and like Stellantis show that Ontario is a province where businesses want to be. Our province is leading the way with practical solutions, not higher taxes.

Can the associate minister please share more about how our clean energy advantage is creating jobs and securing investments for Ontario’s future? Thank you.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: I want to thank you the member for Brantford–Brant for his advocacy for his community and for the job creators in his community, because he knows that that job-killing carbon tax is not the answer. In fact, here in the government of Ontario we’ve taken a different approach. With our green grid, we’ve been able to attract over $70 billion of investments into the sectors that are continuing to bring thousands of good jobs here to Ontario.

Last week, we passed the Affordable Energy Act. It’s a testament to a commitment to putting more money back into the pockets of job creators so that they can continue to reinvest in our communities like in Brantford–Brant, bring on more workers and ensure that we’re able to pay bigger paycheques to those workers.

We’re coordinating all energy resources here in the province of Ontario, including electricity, hydrogen and natural gas, as well as non-emitting nuclear energy to make sure that we’re reducing the cost of energy in the province of Ontario, continuing to attract more business here to this province and provide good, stable jobs for every person in the province of Ontario.

Residential schools

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Ontario has obligations to honour the final report of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites Associated with Indian Residential Schools. The report states that Ontario must support and respect First Nations’ right to self-determination and the right to apply our legal systems when it comes to searching for the missing children. What steps is the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism taking to fulfill this obligation?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The member for Brantford–Brant and parliamentary assistant.

Mr. Will Bouma: I appreciate that question from my friend and colleague across the way from Kiiwetinoong. Our government acknowledges the work of the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites Associated with Indian Residential Schools and findings documented in her interim and her final report.

Throughout this process, Ontario has provided important insights towards the report. We will take the time to review the report, and we look forward to our continued work with Indigenous partners as we move forward in reconciliation.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And the supplementary question.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Speaker, I want to say that Ontario is delaying the process by not collaborating with the Wiikwogaming Tiinahtiisiiwin team from Grassy Narrows. Will the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism take immediate action to support Grassy Narrows’s right to lead their search for unmarked burials and missing ancestors on their traditional territory?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The member for Brantford–Brant.

Mr. Will Bouma: Again, I appreciate the question very much. Thank you.

Speaker, the painful legacy of the Indian residential school system continues to impact survivors, families and communities through intergenerational trauma. It is crucial for all Ontarians to deepen their understanding of the long-lasting legacies of the Indian residential school system, and that’s why our government has led the country and committed $92.4 million, including $32.1 million announced just in the 2024 budget, for the identification, investigation, protection and commemoration of burials at former residential schools.

Speaker, we are moving forward on this. We are supporting Indigenous communities as they come through this in a spirit of reconciliation. Again, I appreciate the question, and we will get this done.

Health care

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: ’Tis the season, everyone, and this government is on the naughty list once again.

Sung to the tune of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.

You’re a mean one, Mr. Premier

You really are a heel

You’re as cuddly as a cactus

You’re as charming as an eel

Your province is full of ER closures

You need to focus on issues that are real.

The year 2024 was the worst year for ER closures in Ontario—Clinton, Chesley, Durham. Durham ER had two closures in 2022 and 280 closures in 2024. If I were the MPP for that riding, I wouldn’t sleep at night.

Mr. Speaker, my question to the Premier: When is your heart going to grow three sizes so you can finally prioritize health c