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[ { "speaker": "Ms. Peggy Sattler", "text": [ "My question is to the Premier. Speaker, today marks three years since the hate-motivated terror attack that took the lives of four members of London’s Afzaal family—Salman, Madiha, Talat and 15-year-old Yumnah, who would have been graduating this week from Oakridge Secondary School—leaving a child orphaned, a community grieving and deep wounds that will never fully heal. In this House, we have a duty to honour the Afzaal family with legislation that addresses the alarming rise in racism, hate and Islamophobia.", "My question is, what immediate steps will this government take to make sure that we never see another family and another community devastated by Islamophobic hate?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The parliamentary assistant, the member for Markham–Thornhill." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Logan Kanapathi", "text": [ "Thank you to the member for that important question.", "Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: Islamophobia or any form of racism and hate are completely unacceptable—no place in Ontario; Mr. Speaker, only place in Ontario for love and harmony.", "Our government has taken strong action and made considerable investments to build safer communities and protect the rights of all Ontarians to practise their faith safely and without any fear or fear of persecution. In August, the minister released the Building a Stronger and More Inclusive Ontario action plan. This comprehensive plan outlines over 49 initiatives from 40 partners and ministries and millions in investments from our government to combat racism and hate, dismantle barriers and empower communities.", "Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with the community partners and municipalities across the government to build a stronger, safer, more inclusive Ontario, where differences of faith, background and belief are—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Stop the clock. Members will please take their seats.", "Start the clock. Supplementary? The member for London–Fanshawe." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong", "text": [ "Speaker, this week, the National Council of Canadian Muslims members attended Queen’s Park, and they met with all party members. Even the Premier met with Esa, a cousin of 15-year-old Yumnah who was killed on this day three years ago, alongside with her parents and grandmother.", "The Afzaal family was a target of hate just because they were Muslim. Racism and hate against the Muslim community has been getting worse. The Muslim community has gone through so much, and the terrorist attack on the Afzaal family has left the Muslim community asking, when will the members of this Legislature put words into action and address rising hate and Islamophobia?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Logan Kanapathi", "text": [ "Thank you to the member for that question. The minister has made it a priority during his time in the role to make many trips to the London Muslim Mosque, where he has personally met with the imam, community leaders and Mayor Morgan.", "Mr. Speaker, last spring the ministry announced a $500,000 investment to support the city of London in launching a new public education campaign along with a digital library of anti-hate resources. In August, the minister and Premier Ford were joined by Muslim community leaders and the London Muslim Mosque for a round-table discussion on how we can work together to fight Islamophobia and make Ontario a safer place to live for all.", "We know our work doesn’t end here. Our government will continue to take action and make the critical investments needed to defend the right of every Ontarian to practise their faith peacefully, with dignity and respect. Mr. Speaker, together we will continue to ensure the Afzaal family legacy inspires for a better, brighter and more inclusive Ontario for all." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Sam Oosterhoff", "text": [ "Constituents in my riding of Niagara West have come to me now for several years sharing their concerns about the pinch of the federal carbon tax. Each and every April, we’ve seen this job-killing, expensive carbon tax increase, putting more and more pressures and costs on the people of Ontario.", "1100", "My question to the Minister of Energy: As our government looks at the increase in the carbon tax that is impacting families, and as we head into a summer season where we know families are hoping to get out on a road trip, visit places like Niagara region and experience some of the best that this province has to offer, what is our government doing to ensure that we are fighting this job-killing, expensive carbon tax and putting more money back into the pockets of the hard-working people in Niagara West?", "From corner to corner of my riding, from lake to lake, people are telling me that it’s too expensive to pay the carbon tax and they want to see a government here in Ontario that is standing up for them. So my question to the Minister of Energy: How is this government defending the hard-working people of this province and fighting the job-killing carbon—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you very much.", "The parliamentary assistant, the member for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Yakabuski", "text": [ "Thank you to the great member from Niagara. It’s just wonderful to hear his concern for the people in that area, and everybody across this province, with regard to the carbon tax.", "The carbon tax increases the cost of everything, from the farmer’s field to the fork, everything between and everything that goes into it. And this summer, whether it’s the cost of a hotel or a campsite or the propane to cook on that barbecue, it’s going to cost more, and the fuel to get there is going to cost more.", "We’re reducing the cost of living for people in Ontario by reducing the gas tax by over 10 cents a litre, removing the cost of licence plate stickers, removing the tolls on Highways 412 and 418, and, of course, the One Fare, which is going to save people $1,600 per year.", "While the carbon tax caucus over there and their leader, the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, wants to raise the cost of living, we’re lowering it, making it better for families. We’re doing it without that punishing carbon tax." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Sam Oosterhoff", "text": [ "My thanks to the member for his response. I can tell that this is a government that is focused on cutting costs for the people of Ontario and cutting costs for the people of Niagara West.", "But when I’m in my constituency and I speak with local farmers, entrepreneurs and also tourism operators, they are flabbergasted that queen Crombie is committed to bringing forward yet another carbon tax. We saw the Liberals and the NDP work together in a coalition to bring in the cap-and-trade carbon tax, and it had a hugely detrimental impact to the people of this province. When our government came in and cut that tax, we put real money back into the hard-working pockets of the people of this province. The local farmers, the local entrepreneurs, the local drivers in my riding who are counting on this government to stand up to the job-killing carbon tax that the federal Liberals are pushing down the throats of the people of Ontario want to know that we’re on their side.", "My question to the member and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Energy is, how can we continue to take a strong step to make sure that the federal government realizes it’s time to kill the job-killing carbon tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Yakabuski", "text": [ "One of the things that we’re doing is, we’ve got our Powering Ontario’s Growth plan. We brought 700,000 jobs back to this province; we’ve got to have the energy to support those jobs and those families.", "We’ve got shovels in the ground on projects across the province: nuclear refurbishment going on at Darlington, at the Bruce, and soon to be at Pickering, to make sure on that energy; new build nuclear is going to be happening at Bruce; refurbishments at the Niagara Falls and in Cornwall for our great hydroelectric power—the basis, where it started; and, just recently, the largest procurement of battery storage in history, almost 1,800 megawatts. That’s enough to power 1.8 million homes.", "Speaker, we’re making sure that the Ontario of the future has the power it needs to generate, to support those families, and we can do that without a job-killing carbon tax. The Crombie caucus over there has to stand with us, stand against the federal Liberals. This is the last day we’re going to be here. Call them. Tell them to—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you very much. The member will take his seat.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "My question is for the Premier. Spending an unnecessary $225 million to get out of the Beer Store agreement early, ending the waste water surveillance program: These are just some of the recent careless and irresponsible decisions of this Conservative government. Tell me how the party that prides itself on fiscal responsibility is running a $9.8-billion deficit. Let’s also not forget about the $6.9 million that it costs to staff the Premier’s office.", "Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Why does the government insist on making reckless decisions and using taxpayers’ money to do so?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order. The members will please take their seats.", "The Minister of Finance can respond." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "It’s an honour to rise in this House every single day, and it’s a privilege to have this role and to serve the people of Ontario.", "I stand today because for the first time since 2006, the credit rating agency DBRS upgraded Ontario’s rating to AA. Ladies and gentlemen, that is what fiscal responsibility looks like.", "We are proving that we can reverse the trends of the previous 15 years, where we saw jobs leaving the red tape capital of North America, no fiscal plan whatsoever, credit downgrades. But we’ve been able to reverse that trend in six short years. Now, jobs are flocking back to Ontario. The conditions for economic prosperity—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "The supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "Speaker, let’s continue with the reckless decisions. How about the 2.4 million Ontarians who do not have access to primary health care, and the 70,000 kids on a wait-list for autism programs? On education funding: $1,500 less per student and $426 million in cuts to colleges and universities. For this government, it is always private profits over people.", "Speaker, my question to the Premier: When will this government take responsibility for their actions and reprioritize the needs of Ontarians, the very people that we’re elected to serve? Never in the history of this province has a government spent so much so irresponsibly and got so little for the people that we serve.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "The Minister of Finance." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "I thank the member opposite for that question—the finance critic in this House. Of course, she’s able to read the budget—which unfortunately she did not vote for, along with her party—which increased health care investments by $10 billion over the last two years, which increased education funding by $4 billion over the last two years, which increased social services by over $2 billion. That’s what real investment in the people of Ontario looks like.", "But do you know what this credit upgrade will allow us to do? It will help lower the province’s borrowing costs—what a concept. It will also protect taxpayers and support more investment in Ontario, creating more jobs and financing the province’s historic infrastructure plan. That’s what real government looks like. That’s what a plan in the bill for the people of Ontario—all 16 million people—looks like, and it’s this party that’s doing it for the people of Ontario." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Patrice Barnes", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. We disagree with the Liberals about a lot of things, but one fundamental difference is when it comes to taxes. Liberals believe they know how to spend money better than the hard-working people who earn it. They think a dollar in their pocket is better than in the pocket of the worker who earned it.", "We have seen that every time we act to lower costs, the federal government steps in place with a new tax hike and tries to offset it. That is why we’re so firm in our opposition to the carbon tax. We will never support an inflationary tax that makes it harder for people to fill up their tanks at the pump and put food on their table.", "Can the minister please explain how our government’s approach is different from the Liberals’ approach?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Victor Fedeli", "text": [ "The difference between our government’s approach and the Liberal approach could not be more clear. We cut the gas tax to save families at the pump; they raise the carbon tax to add 23 cents a litre at the pump, to make it more expensive.", "We allow businesses to accelerate in-year equipment write-offs, saving them a billion dollars; the Liberals’ plan to get rid of their in-year equipment write-off allowance is costing businesses more money.", "Now, I spoke with an Ontario manufacturer who said to me—last night, as a matter of fact—“Every dollar I spend on the carbon tax is a dollar I can’t invest to reduce my carbon footprint.” The Liberal carbon tax does not work. We need them to follow our lead: Scrap the carbon tax today.", "1110" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Patrice Barnes", "text": [ "The minister is right: The difference between our approach and the Liberals’ approach could not be clearer. We’re the party of lower taxes while the Liberals will always be the party of higher taxes. Just look at their leader, Bonnie Crombie, who has supported every single Liberal tax hike over the last 20 years. She watched as her friends in the previous Liberal government sought to crush our manufacturing sector with their higher taxes, and now she won’t even stand up to the Prime Minister, to tell him to scrap that terrible tax.", "Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how the Liberals need to follow our lead and scrap the tax today?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Victor Fedeli", "text": [ "In the first four months of this year, more than 80,000 good-paying jobs have been created in Ontario. Last month alone, we added 25,000 jobs, including 5,800 in manufacturing. By lowering costs across the board, our government has created the conditions for job growth across the province. We have cut 500 pieces of red tape that the Liberals imposed to stifle economic growth, and we’ve reduced the cost of doing business by $8 billion in the province every single year.", "Now, we cannot let the Liberal carbon tax lose Ontario’s momentum. We have shown the Liberals the way: Lower taxes create jobs; lower taxes create wealth in Ontario. We ask the Liberals to scrap the carbon tax today." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jamie West", "text": [ "Hope Air provides free flights and services for patients living in underserved and remote communities in northern Ontario, and without it, a lot of northerners wouldn’t be able to access essential medical care. Darlene Sargent from my riding said, “When I needed help getting to medical appointments, Hope Air arranged everything, free of charge. What would I have done without them?", "Speaker, tomorrow is Hope Air Day in Sudbury. My question is, instead of funding for-profit clinics, will the Premier provide sustainable funding to Hope Air?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Deputy Premier and Minister of Health." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "I am very familiar with Hope Air and completely appreciate and understand the very valuable service they provide, offering free-of-charge flights for families and young people who need to have access. But we as a government have made a commitment to enhance the northern Ontario travel grant, and those enhancements are going to greatly assist when individuals need to travel further than 100 kilometres. They are going to get additional service through a number of pathways and the mileage, of course, starting at kilometre 1 instead of 100 and expansion of the program, including simplifying some of the forms that have to be filled out as part of the program.", "We’re going to invest, but we’re also going to invest in community services so that people don’t have to travel as far." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary?" ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Jamie West", "text": [ "Back to the Premier: When he needs to bring his kids to SickKids in Toronto, my constituent Chas struggles to cover the costs. Chas has to pay upfront for hotel, gas and food, and then he applies for the Northern Health Travel Grant, and then he has to hope he’ll get some of that money back. I say “some” because the medical rate for hotel rooms has increased to $250 a night. That means that it’s more expensive, and Chas won’t get all of his money back. The Northern Health Travel Grant, even with the changes, won’t pay him back the money out of his pocket. This is unfair to northerners.", "When will the Conservative government finally fix the Northern Health Travel Grant?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "When I made the announcement of the enhancements to the northern travel grant in Thunder Bay, I have to say that there was a lot of excitement and appreciation for the enhancements that we’ve made, and I want to thank my colleagues who came forward with suggestions and ideas on how to improve the process. Clearly, we need to ensure that people who qualify can quickly get their money from the provincial government, which is why we have allowed online submissions, allowed direct-to-bank deposits.", "We will continue to make enhancements, but the fact that this NDP party continues to speak against enhancements for local community diagnostic and surgical centres speaks to their interest in keeping the status quo while we do the improvements that are necessary and needed." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MmeLucille Collard", "text": [ "Many Ontarians have lost trust in the ability of the Licence Appeal Tribunal to fairly adjudicate homeowner warranty disputes with Tarion. Homeowners’ success rate at the LAT is very low, with Canadians for Properly Built Homes reporting that homeowners have lost around 84% of appeals since 2006. In recent years, the number of appeals made by homeowners has dropped dramatically, with 208 issues appealed in 2006 and only four in 2023.", "Mr. Speaker, these numbers suggest that homeowners no longer trust the LAT to fairly adjudicate their appeals of Tarion warranty decisions, and I need to ask the Attorney General, will he commit to reviewing the effectiveness of the LAT in handling homeowner appeals of Tarion warranty decisions?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Downey", "text": [ "I’m pleased to have the chance to talk about the LAT, because it was one of the first tribunals that we brought back into the balance, hitting all of their marks in terms of filing the hearing dates. The LAT was a tremendous success—and under the leadership of Sara Mintz, who did a phenomenal job getting the LAT back on track so that it was so effective that sometimes the lawyers were saying, “You’re moving too fast.” But, in fact, we have moved fast. We have come back to balance, and I’m quite proud of the work that the LAT is doing." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "MmeLucille Collard", "text": [ "There’s clear evidence that the LAT lacks the ability to be an impartial arbiter of disputes between homeowners and Tarion. CPBH has identified that the adjudicators who are hearing appeals to the LAT often do not have the expertise in new home construction required to effectively adjudicate these cases and that the criteria they are using to evaluate the cases are often Tarion’s own construction performance guidelines. Additionally, the LAT has not had Tarion’s guidelines independently reviewed by a third party to assess their appropriateness.", "With only four appeals by homeowners to the LAT in 2023, homeowners are clearly choosing not to go to the tribunal anymore, and something is obviously wrong.", "Will the Attorney General commit to implementing a third-party review of Tarion’s construction performance guidelines and to ensuring that the adjudicators hearing these appeals have the training and expertise required to make informed decisions?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Downey", "text": [ "We’ll start with the Licence Appeal Tribunal and the fact that it’s an independent tribunal. It’s part of Tribunals Ontario, and the excellent work they’re doing under the leadership of Sean Weir.", "There’s continuous training. There’s training when the adjudicators are onboarded. There’s rigorous review of those that are appointed to the tribunal. So I can commit to continued training and excellence and that there is continuous review, but they are an independent unit. So I don’t plan to meddle in the independence of the tribunals, but I do look forward to their continued improvement." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Ernie Hardeman", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery. People in the riding of Oxford have repeatedly expressed concerns over the rising cost of living and how the Liberal carbon tax is making their lives more difficult. But instead of helping Ontario families, the federal government increased the disastrous carbon tax by 23%, and they will continue to hike it every year until it’s tripled. That’s just not right. No one in this province deserves to be punished by a useless tax that does nothing for the environment and takes away people’s hard-earned paycheques.", "Our government will not stop calling on the federal Liberals to finally do the right thing and scrap this tax.", "Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is mitigating the negative effects of the Liberal carbon tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "Through you, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the excellent member for Oxford for that timely question. Indeed it is true that the Liberal carbon tax increases the cost of goods and services that have the most direct impact on the day-to-day lives of Ontarians. Whether at the gas pump, the grocery store or shopping for everyday essentials, the Liberal carbon tax affects each and every one of us negatively.", "1120", "Under the leadership of Premier Ford, this government will never stop looking for ways to save money for the hard-working people of Ontario.", "Our government understands that Ontarians should not face financial burden when interacting with government. That is why we have delivered ways for Ontarians to save time and money when engaging with ServiceOntario in person or online—more options, more service, more convenience, and of course, we include with that the removal of licence plate sticker fees and renewals.", "So while the Liberals work to make life less affordable, we have the backs of Ontarians, making life more—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "The supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Ernie Hardeman", "text": [ "I thank the minister for the response.", "The Parliamentary Budget Officer has been very clear that the majority of us will pay more in carbon taxes than we will get back in rebates. Ontarians will not be fooled. They know the carbon tax is just another Liberal tax grab.", "Speaker, families across the province are looking to our government for support. We must continue to find ways to reduce costs across the board and ensure that people are not facing any additional burdens.", "Can the minister please tell the House how our government is delivering real affordability to Ontarians by keeping costs down for essential services?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "Through you, Mr. Speaker, I again thank the member for Oxford for that question. Our government believes that reducing the time and money it takes to interact with government is essential. At ServiceOntario, we’ve simplified online renewals for drivers’ licences and health cards, we’ve permanently waived fees for delayed death registration for Indigenous peoples, and we’ve made registering newborns faster and more affordable.", "I must add that just yesterday, we saw a tremendous act of bipartisanship as this House came together to unanimously pass Bill 200, the protecting homeowners act. It passed unanimously at third reading so that, upon royal assent, all those who have been victims of the insidious NOSI scams can breathe a sigh of relief. Help, indeed, has arrived. I would like to thank all of the honourable members of this House who supported that bill and who chose to send a clear message. They support legislation that reduces burdens for Ontarian, especially as the federal Liberals continue to fail this—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Sandy Shaw", "text": [ "Speaker, my question is for the Premier. We cannot take clean air for granted, especially as the climate emergency fuels more and more wildfires in our province. We just need to look back to last summer’s unprecedented wildfire season. In our communities, we all saw the smoky skies, felt it burn our lungs. We even smelled it right in this chamber.", "Wildfire smoke is toxic. It contains ultra-fine particulate that penetrates deep into our body. Ontario has an Air Quality Health Index, but this ministry does not track that ultra-fine particulate, which is completely negligent; almost all other provinces do so, but Ontario hasn’t acted.", "My question: When will you update the Air Quality Health Index so people have the information that they need to keep themselves and their families safe?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "To respond, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Andrea Khanjin", "text": [ "This government, under the leadership of this Premier, is taking swift action when it comes to climate change resiliency and adaptation. Just look at the results, Speaker. If you just look at what we’ve done to build resiliency, whether it’s Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy, our community wildfire protection plans, our climate risk and resilience assessments—92%, we’ve increased wildfire funding.", "Wetland conservation partnerships—we’ve dedicated $30 million in funding. We’ve protected thousands of hectares of wetlands.", "Speaker, every step of the way, when this government tries to build up Ontario, create great jobs, create green jobs, invest in our manufacturing sector, while creating EVs, fighting climate change every step of the way, unfortunately, we have no support from the opposition, because their only plan is a carbon tax and a tax plan.", "On this side of the House, we know that a carbon tax is a tax plan, not an environment plan." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Sandy Shaw", "text": [ "Speaker, this is a government that doesn’t even have a climate plan and that has an abysmal reputation when it comes to the environment.", "This government is also failing the people of Aamjiwnaang First Nation. Aamjiwnaang First Nation declared a state of emergency last month because of its high level of benzene pollution in the air. This government continues to ignore Aamjiwnaang’s air quality recommendations and failed to consult—", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Member for Brampton North, come to order." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Sandy Shaw", "text": [ "I’ll repeat it again: failed to consult the First Nation on this government’s new regulations for the INEOS plant in Sarnia.", "To the Premier or to the environment minister: Please explain why, in a First Nations community, you are allowing benzene to be emitted at concentrations that, hourly, would trigger a shutdown in California and are 10 times the annual amount that is allowed by any other emitter in the province? Please try and explain that." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Andrea Khanjin", "text": [ "Since our government learned of the issue around benzene at INEOS, we’ve taken swift action. After multiple orders, in addition to that, we’ve been working with everyone, whether it’s the First Nations community, the municipality of Sarnia, the first responders and other involved stakeholders to find the source of the leak and hold the plant accountable—a plant which, may I add, Speaker, is currently closed.", "In addition to this, we have introduced penalties per violation: $100,000 per violation will now apply to this company. This regulation is part of a larger coordinated response that is under way to include regular site visits, multiple provincial orders, suspension of the company’s environmental compliance approvals and enhanced, 24/7 benzene monitoring. These are actions that will ensure the facility, currently shut down for maintenance, will fully address the causes and sources of the emissions before resuming operations.", "We take the health and safety of the residents of Sarnia and the entire community very seriously and we’ll continue to use every tool necessary to get to the bottom of this." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Kaleed Rasheed", "text": [ "My question is to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery. Ontarians have observed a growing number of media reports about cyber security breaches occurring worldwide. As our information technology systems progress, cyber criminals are also becoming increasingly sophisticated. Governments must be prepared to combat cyber crime in all its forms. It is our responsibility to find ways to protect the integrity and security of our digital infrastructure while safeguarding citizens’ privacy and rights.", "This objective extends beyond the Ontario government. Collaboration with our partners across the broader public sector is crucial to ensuring everyone’s safety. Could the minister please explain how Bill 194, if passed, will enhance cyber security and promote collaboration with the Ontario government’s partners?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "I thank the excellent member for Mississauga East–Cooksville, through you, Mr. Speaker.", "As that member well knows—and I hope all members know—in today’s digital landscape, it’s essential for our government to address cyber crimes and protect our digital infrastructure. We have implemented a comprehensive, Ontario public-service-wide cyber security program to safeguard public data. This strategy was refreshed in 2023 to enhance cyber protection across the Ontario public sector and strengthen broader public sector resilience. We’ve worked closely with our BPS partners to bolster the province’s cyber resilience and the security of public services. Our focus includes enhancing cyber threat prevention, monitoring and intelligence capabilities.", "Our government is committed to implementing secure protocols to protect against large-scale cyber attacks and personal information theft, especially in our hospitals and our schools. This is why our government is leading unprecedented—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "And the supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Kaleed Rasheed", "text": [ "Thank you to the minister for the response. The minister highlighted the crucial work being done in collaboration with the broader public sector. Partnering with these entities is vital as their impact touches all Ontarians across the province.", "Speaker, in recent months, hospitals, schools and municipalities have fallen victim to cyber crimes by bad actors. The personal information of citizens has been compromised and could be exploited for further criminal activities. Protecting private information is paramount, especially when it concerns children and society’s most vulnerable.", "Could the minister please elaborate on the specific efforts undertaken to protect hospitals, schools and municipalities from these criminal activities and the steps that will be implemented under Bill 194, if passed?", "1130" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "I thank the member again for a very timely question. Our government takes immense pride in safeguarding our broader public sector partners. We continually work with them, incorporating their feedback to implement appropriate safeguards and adjustments in the realm of cyber security.", "Let me be clear: These costs to public sector institutions due to cyber attacks from bad actors are utterly unacceptable. We must protect all of our hospitals, our schools and our municipalities from cyber attacks at all costs. The financial burden of cyber attacks on these institutions is staggering—as much as $7 million just to recover from one.", "If Bill 194 is passed, we will advance our government’s mandate to protect all Ontarians from cyber crime in a safe manner, and we will particularly protect our children.", "We are modernizing for the future to embrace the digital era, and it’s this Premier and this government that are doing everything possible—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Brian Saunderson", "text": [ "My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. My riding of Simcoe–Grey is home to thousands of small businesses that provide goods and services to the residents of Ontario and good-paying jobs. The Liberal carbon tax is hurting those businesses dramatically. Not only is it driving up inflation, it is increasing the cost of essential goods and services that small business owners and their customers rely on, from groceries to gas and utilities.", "Ontarians have had enough of this costly tax. They know that it is nothing more than another tax grab by the Liberal government. Unlike the opposition NDP and independent Liberals, our government remains steadfast in standing up for the people of this province. We will continue to call on the federal government to put an end to this regressive measure.", "Mr. Speaker, can the associate minister please explain to this House why the federal carbon tax must be terminated and why it is killing jobs?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Nina Tangri", "text": [ "Thank you to the great member from Simcoe–Grey for raising a very important issue. I have had the opportunity to hold numerous industry-specific round tables with entrepreneurs across the province, and do you know what, Mr. Speaker? The message has been loud and clear: This carbon tax is crippling small businesses and hurting the people of Ontario. They shared how it’s driving up the costs of everyday necessities, from the cost of supplies from convenience stores and farmers’ markets, to the gas needed to fuel delivery services and heavy machinery, to the high energy costs of cooling and warehousing, and logistics.", "Speaker, this is putting immense pressure on their businesses and making it increasingly difficult for them to keep their doors open and serve their customers. That’s why this Premier and this government have strongly opposed the carbon tax while the opposition NDP and independent Liberals have been siding with their Liberal allies.", "Today, in the strongest possible—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Supplementary." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Brian Saunderson", "text": [ "Thank you to the associate minister for her response. These are tough economic times, and the Liberal carbon tax is further stretching the already tight budgets of Ontarians. The opposition are out of touch when they expect our economy to keep growing while people’s savings and disposable income get eaten away by more taxes.", "We know that the NDP and Liberals have no intention of standing up for the people of this great province. In fact, they support the federal government’s plan to triple the carbon tax to $170 per tonne by 2030. This is completely at odds with the priorities of this government as we stay committed to protecting Ontarians, workers, families from these rising costs.", "Speaker, can the associate minister please tell the House what measures our government is taking to keep costs down for small businesses and households in the face of this disastrous tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Nina Tangri", "text": [ "Thank you again to the member for his question. Unlike the tax-a-lot Bonnie Crombie and her loyal federal Liberal counterparts, our government understands the very real concerns that Ontario families and small businesses have about the impacts of the federal carbon tax. We have such a diverse caucus filled with former entrepreneurs who can speak from experience when we stand in this House and say that this tax represents a serious hurdle that stands in the way of Ontario being the entrepreneurial powerhouse we’ve worked so hard make it.", "From day one, our Premier has been laser-focused on making life more affordable for the people of Ontario. Whether it’s measures providing tax relief for families, lowering gas taxes, reducing beer and wine taxes, cancelling cap-and-trade and ensuring industrial electricity rates remain nationally competitive, our government is squarely on the side of Ontario workers, families and job creators.", "We will continue fighting the federal carbon tax every step of the way. Enough is enough. Scrap the tax." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Jeff Burch", "text": [ "Speaker, through you to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing: Yesterday, it was announced that Ontario is terminating the waste water surveillance program designed to monitor infectious diseases. Dr. Thomas Piggott, the medical officer of health and CEO of Peterborough Public Health, responded on X, stating, “Deeply disappointed to learn that funding has been cancelled for the waste water surveillance program in Ontario.", "“This has been critical information not only for COVID-19, but other infectious disease threats (influenza, RSV, Mpox, polio & now H5N1) in Ontario.”", "Speaker, with a serious gap in the federal government’s current ability to test waste water in Ontario, why would this government abruptly cut this extremely low-cost but highly valuable program?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Andrea Khanjin", "text": [ "Speaker, let me be clear, the program will continue as Canada does water surveillance, and Canada will continue to do that. Ontario is simply getting rid of a duplication. The federal government conducts waste water surveillance across Canada and is actually moving to expand the sampling processes with additional sites here in Ontario. So moving forward, what we’re doing is, the Ministry of Health will be working with the Public Health Agency of Canada on data-sharing agreements to ensure that the province can continue to analyze Ontario’s specific waste water data.", "Speaker, we’ll also work with the federal government to propose sampling sites that provide quality data for public health across the province. The program will continue to collect and analyze samples and will collaborate with Public Health Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Jeff Burch", "text": [ "Speaker, that’s against the advice of government’s own advisory committee. In September 2023, the Ontario Public Health Emergencies Science Advisory Committee released a report that stated, “We recommend that the government of Ontario continue waste water-based surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, and evaluate its role for influenza and RSV, for early virus detection and identification of variants of concern, to reduce existing inequities in clinical surveillance.”", "Speaker, if this government is potentially wasting a billion dollars to put beer in corner stores a year earlier than it would have otherwise happened, surely they can spare less than 1% of that to continue this vital public health program. With this program’s usefulness extending beyond COVID, why would the government ignore medical expert advice and scrap this advanced program?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Andrea Khanjin", "text": [ "Speaker, the program is continuing through an expanded option with the federal government. Let me quote you a doctor who’s actually on the Ontario COVID-9 Science Advisory Table who did an interview as early as this morning:", "“I don’t see any reason why it should be provincially managed, as opposed to federally managed,” said Dr. Razak. He goes on to say, “It is not unreasonable for the federal government to take over a centralized approach to testing. I would say from a public health and a scientific perspective—and I think what the public should want—is the availability of the information still remains timely and comprehensive.”", "Speaker, this information will still be timely and comprehensive. The only difference is we’re removing a duplication because the federal government is expanding the surveillance program to continue expansion here in Ontario." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Trevor Jones", "text": [ "Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This week, we’re celebrating Local Food Week in Ontario. It’s an opportunity to promote farmers while also recognizing the important role of food processors, restaurants, retail and others across the local food supply chain.", "Ontario has a robust food industry that contributes over $48 billion to our province’s GDP and economy, representing more than 860,000 jobs. This vital sector must continue to grow and produce more food for Ontario’s growing population and our export market. Unfortunately, the carbon tax not only places a heavy economic burden on our farmers, it also impacts the global standing of the whole agricultural sector.", "Speaker, can the minister please explain to the House why the Liberals must roll back this punitive tax?", "1140" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Jordan", "text": [ "I thank the member from Chatham-Kent–Leamington for the question. The members of this House have heard many times from the minister and from the constituents at home: The Liberal carbon tax takes a serious toll on farmers, both financially and emotionally. It’s a competitive business.", "The carbon tax is a direct and indirect cost to all sectors and consumer goods. In a time when affordability is a major concern for all Ontarians, the carbon tax is nothing more than a tax grab, adding no additional support or services to the people in this province.", "Think about it: Ontario’s greenhouse growers would charge $16 million in carbon tax in 2023. The Grain Farmers of Ontario estimate that, by 2030, grain and oil seed farmers will have paid $2.7 billion in carbon tax.", "We have heard the Minister of Transportation inform this House that the long-haul truckers are paying an average of $15,000 to $20,000 a year in carbon tax. That’s a direct cost—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you very much.", "And the supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Trevor Jones", "text": [ "Thank you to the parliamentary assistant for that response. Ontario food-processing businesses like Weil’s in Wheatley and Highbury Canco Corp. in Leamington and others across Chatham-Kent–Leamington are global leaders in safe, fresh, healthy food production and distribution. In fact, 56% of products produced in Ontario farms end up at one of our province’s 4,900 food processors. But this carbon tax hinders the competitive edge our food processors need: their ability to sell products to markets locally and around the world. We need the federal Liberals to finally listen. Terminate the carbon tax today.", "Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant please explain to the House how the carbon tax is impacting food processing businesses across our province?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Jordan", "text": [ "Last week, I had the privilege to attend the Food and Beverage Ontario conference, which brings together processors from across the province to discuss priorities to the sector. One of the top priorities, when I spoke to them, was the business-busting carbon tax.", "Mr. Speaker, it’s simple economics: The higher the cost of agricultural production and transportation, the higher the cost of our processed foods. Processed foods, like many other goods, compete with imports like in any other market economy. When we have imported products coming in from jurisdictions that aren’t subject to the carbon tax, they have a competitive advantage.", "The Premier, the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, the Minister of Red Tape Reduction—they’ve all worked. This government has all worked to create the right conditions for businesses to succeed—700,00 jobs coming into this province. The carbon tax works against this, and therefore, it works against all Ontarians—in fact, all Canadians.", "Like the member from Pembroke-Nipissing has just said passionately, we need to axe the tax." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "That concludes our question period for this morning." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "A number of members have informed me they wish to raise points of order. I’ll start with the member for Ottawa South." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Fraser", "text": [ "As is tradition in here—we’re heading into the summer break. On behalf of the Ontario Liberal caucus, to all of our colleagues here in the assembly, I hope for you a safe summer, some time with your families and—", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Fraser", "text": [ "Well, we’re like a big family here—a bit of a dysfunctional family, but we’re a family.", "On that note, I’ve always thought of the Premier as the little brother that I never really wanted. What I’m going to miss is our daily back-and-forths. So when you come to Ottawa, Premier, you don’t have to stay in the mayor’s basement; you can come stay upstairs at our house." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.", "The member for Guelph on a point of order." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Mike Schreiner", "text": [ "I just want to take a moment—as rumour has it, we’ll be rising for the summer—to thank all the staff who work here at Queen’s Park, who help keep us doing the people’s business. Thank you all, no matter what you do, especially those who help clean my office.", "On behalf of the Ontario Green caucus, I want to wish all MPPs a safe summer, safe travels home. I know you’ll all be working hard over the summer, meeting with constituents, attending events, and I want to wish you well." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Goldie Ghamari", "text": [ "I just want to welcome my lovely mother to the Ontario Legislature, Sara Hooshiyarfard. I love you, Mom. Welcome." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Next, the Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Charmaine A. Williams", "text": [ "Because we won’t be here on Monday, I would like to wish my first-born, my son Malik, a happy 20th birthday." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Kevin Holland", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, I think if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for a moment of silence in recognition of the anniversary of D-Day." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Thunder Bay–Atikokan is seeking the unanimous consent of the House for a moment’s silence in recognition of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Agreed? Agreed.", "Members will please rise.", "The House observed a moment of silence." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members may take their seats." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I believe the Premier might have a point of order. Premier?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Ford", "text": [ "Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. As my colleagues mentioned—and I’m glad you said your younger brother, not your older brother. Anyways, you’re right. You’re 100% right: We go back and forth, but we always want the best health and the very best for your constituents in your ridings. I just want to wish everyone a very safe summer.", "The misnomer out there—and I think all parties will agree—is that everyone is sitting on the beach for the next few months. That’s the furthest from the truth. We’re still going—at least, I’m going—from 6 in the morning to midnight every single day. I know each and every one of you will be out in your ridings and your constituencies, and visiting events within your ridings, answering the calls, answering the questions. When we’re in here, yes, we’re going back and forth, but it doesn’t mean we stop working. Actually, it allows us to work even harder within our constituencies.", "I just want to thank each and every one of you for the incredible work you do in your ridings. It’s greatly appreciated. I always make sure, if I come into your ridings—I know that we always invite you; we really do. I know, Wayne, you’re always there.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Doug Ford", "text": [ "Sorry; I shouldn’t call him by his first name. But you do. Everyone shows up and everyone’s welcome to every single announcement we have.", "Thank you so much. I wish everyone a safe holiday." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The Leader of the Opposition." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "Before the session apparently ends, I really did want to take a moment to thank all the people that keep us going here. First of all, I want to thank my caucus, my incredible team here; our House team in particular; and all of the staff in the NDP caucus, the official opposition, who are so essential to helping us hold the government to account, to do the work that we do here and serve the people who we represent.", "I really want to thank the hard-working assembly staff, the Clerks and broadcast and recording services and counsel. Let’s give them all a big round of applause. They do extraordinary work every day.", "Applause." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "And the journalists, who hold us all to account—sucking up as good as I can there—and the stakeholders who met with us this session to discuss the issues of interest in the economy, in health care, in education, in housing and transportation and on and on.", "I do want to wish everybody in this room a very happy and a very safe and a very productive summer. The work does not stop; that is true. We are going to continue to work hard over the summer to offer real solutions to real people in the province of Ontario—to the real problems that people are facing. I hope everybody, again, has a safe, productive and wonderful summer." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "That concludes our points of order, I think." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Next, we have a deferred vote on private member’s notice of motion number 109.", "Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.", "The division bells rang from 1150 to 1155." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "MPP French has moved private member’s notice of motion number 109.", "All those in favour will please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "All those opposed will please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day)", "text": [ "The ayes are 32; the nays are 66." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I declare the motion lost.", "Motion negatived." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Next, I must ask our pages to assemble.", "It’s never too early to say a word of thanks to our legislative pages. Our pages are smart, trustworthy and hard-working, and they’re indispensable to the effective functioning of the chamber. We are indeed fortunate to have had them here.", "To our pages: You depart having made many new friends, with a greater understanding of parliamentary democracy and memories that will last a lifetime. Each of you will go home now and continue your studies, and no doubt will contribute to your communities, your province and your country in important ways. We expect great things from all of you. Who knows? Maybe some of you someday will take your seats in this House as members or work here as staff. No matter where your path leads you, we wish you well.", "Please join me in thanking this fine group of legislative pages.", "1200", "Applause." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I recognize the government House leader." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "Thank you, Speaker. Her Honour awaits.", "Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario entered the chamber of the Legislative Assembly and took her seat upon the throne." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Hon. Edith Dumont (Lieutenant Governor)", "text": [ "Pray be seated. Veuillez vous asseoir." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "May it please Your Honour, the Legislative Assembly of the province has, at its present meetings thereof, passed certain bills to which, in the name of and on behalf of the said Legislative Assembly, I respectfully request Your Honour’s assent." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Clerk (Ms. Valerie Quioc Lim)", "text": [ "The following are the titles of the bills to which Your Honour’s assent is prayed:", "An Act to provide for safety measures respecting movable soccer goals / Loi prévoyant des mesures de sécurité pour les buts de soccer mobiles.", "An Act to amend the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 / Loi modifiant la Loi de 2019 sur les services provinciaux visant le bien-être des animaux.", "An Act to enact the Veterinary Professionals Act, 2024 and amend or repeal various acts / Loi visant à édicter la Loi de 2024 sur les professionnels vétérinaires et à modifier ou à abroger diverses lois.", "An Act to amend various Acts / Loi modifiant diverses lois.", "An Act to amend the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and various other Acts / Loi modifiant la Loi de 2017 sur les services à l’enfance, à la jeunesse et à la famille et diverses autres lois.", "An Act to amend various Acts with respect to homebuyers and homeowners, properties of cultural heritage value or interest and certain planning matters / Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne les acquéreurs de logements et les propriétaires de logements, les biens ayant une valeur ou un caractère sur le plan du patrimoine culturel et d’autres questions liées à l’aménagement du territoire.", "An Act to revive 1828469 Ontario Inc." ] }, { "speaker": "The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day)", "text": [ "In His Majesty’s name, Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor assents to these bills.", "Au nom de Sa Majesté, Son Honneur la lieutenante-gouverneure sanctionne ces projets de loi." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Edith Dumont (Lieutenant Governor)", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, would you allow me to say a few words?" ] }, { "speaker": "Le Président (L’hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Absolument." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Edith Dumont (Lieutenant Governor)", "text": [ "Okay. I will sit.", "Since my installation last fall, I have begun travelling our amazing province, and I have witnessed first-hand your dedication and your hard work. Alors, au nom des citoyens et des citoyennes de l’Ontario, je tenais à vous dire merci du fond du coeur.", "Also, as the representative of the crown, I wanted to share with you how proud I am, and I am filled with gratitude. Also, I am deeply moved by the warmth and the hospitality that has been extended to me. Alors, merci. Meegwetch. Thank you.", "Je sais que vous serez très occupés, que vous aurez de nombreuses activités, beaucoup de rencontres. Au-delà de toutes vos activités, je tenais à vous souhaiter de nombreux moments de repos avec la famille, les amis et les gens que vous aimez.", "Thank you. Meegwetch. Merci beaucoup.", "Her Honour was then pleased to retire." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "There being no further business at this time, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.", "The House recessed from 1209 to 1300." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I beg to inform the House that today the Clerk received the report on intended appointments dated June 6, 2024, of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies. Pursuant to standing order 110(f)(9), the report is deemed to be adopted by the House.", "Report deemed adopted." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I invite the member for Toronto–Danforth to briefly introduce his bill if he wishes to do so." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Peter Tabuns", "text": [ "This is a reintroduction of an act to follow the example of Mexico, which has investigated gun manufacturers in the United States and alleges that they are facilitating the flow of illegal handguns into Mexico. I think the evidence is such that one can make such allegations for handguns coming into Canada. This bill would direct the government to make those investigations, substantiate them, and should they be substantiated, initiate legal action to protect Canadians." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Would the member from Beaches–East York like to briefly explain her bill?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "I would love to do that, Mr. Speaker. The bill proclaims October 18 in each year as Persons Day." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Trevor Jones", "text": [ "Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I move that, when the House adjourns today it shall stand adjourned until 10:15 a.m. on Monday, October 21, 2024; and", "That in addition to any other committee meetings authorized by the House, the standing committees be authorized to meet for the purpose of the consideration of the estimates during the 2024 summer adjournment of the House." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Mr. Jones, Chatham-Kent–Leamington, has moved that, when the House adjourns today it shall stand adjourned until 10:15 a.m. on Monday, October 21, 2024; and", "That in addition to any other committee meetings authorized by the House, the standing committees be authorized to meet for the purpose of the consideration of the estimates during the 2024 summer adjournment of the House.", "I recognize the member for University–Rosedale." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "It’s very concerning to hear about this eleventh-hour motion to extend the amount of time that we will be in summer session to October 21. People in Ontario expect us to be legislators in this building at the assigned times, which means, after Labour Day, we are here debating legislation to improve the lives of people in Ontario. It’s very concerning that there is this sudden announcement that instead we are going to be coming back on October 21—wow. School has started, people are back from their vacation, and what’s this government going to be doing? You want an extra month off; is that it? Is that what’s motivating you? You want an extra month off? That’s very concerning.", "The reason why I think it’s concerning is because things are not okay in Ontario today. We just debated a housing bill where, it’s safe to say, it was at best mediocre. It’s not going to be doing anything to fix the housing crisis that we’re experiencing, where rent has never been more expensive and owning a home has never been more expensive. We should be here in the Legislature debating solutions to the housing crisis. What we shouldn’t be doing is extending the amount of time that the government is on summer break—summer break in the fall, when people expect us to be doing our jobs here at that time. I don’t understand it.", "I think about the issues that I’ve been raising or that we’ve been raising over the last few weeks. The issue of auto theft: I spoke to the minister just briefly beforehand. People want us to take action on auto theft. We agree there is a federal piece to this, where we need to properly regulate the outflow of products from ports, but there’s also a provincial element to this too: It boggles my mind that an individual can take a stolen car to ServiceOntario and get it re-licensed and back on the roads. That’s a provincial issue. Why aren’t we dealing with that? Why don’t we deal with that in September? Nope. Instead, this government wants to extend their summer vacation into fall—into fall—for another four weeks. I think that’s a shame.", "The last few weeks, we’ve also brought up the issue of the court backlogs. And we’re hearing that in our riding, too: People want their cases to be heard in court and tribunals, from landlords to tenants, to small claims court, to people who have filed assault charges or have had assault charges filed against their perpetrator. They want our court system to be functioning as you would expect a court system to be functioning in a province as wealthy as ours, in a democracy in the western world. But it’s not.", "1310", "Court cases are being thrown out every week, court cases with evidence, because the courts are not able to meet the Jordan principle and they’re not able to ensure that someone is tried within 18 months or two years. That’s what we should be trying or working to solve in September instead of this government choosing to extend their summer vacation into the fall. It doesn’t make sense.", "I think about the growing issue of poverty in our riding. On the way here, I walk down College Street. College Street has changed a lot in the last six years where I’ve been the MPP. As I walk down College Street, I pass an encampment outside St. Stephen’s church. People are desperate. They have got nowhere to go. No one wants to sleep in a tent in the heat of summer on concrete. No one wants to do that, but people do it because they have no where to go.", "In September, I would much prefer to be debating legislation. We could be debating the fall economic statement, where we present solutions to the homelessness crisis that isn’t just in downtown Toronto anymore; it’s in towns and cities all across Ontario, as well as the mental health crisis, the drug addiction issues that we’re seeing, the opioid crisis. No, instead, this government is choosing to extend summer vacation by four weeks. I think that is a shame.", "And then as I walk College Street, you’ve got the encampment on one side, and on the other side you’ve got the excellent Fort York Food Bank. They do an amazing job. Our riding association has organized fundraisers for them. We attend their events. We organize food drives for them, as well. And when I speak to the organizers of the Fort York Food Bank, they tell me that need has never been higher. It has never been higher. People who are coming are not just people on social assistance; they are people who are working full-time, who have children that they are looking after. There are seniors in the line because it is too expensive to live in our city. It is just too expensive. And when I walked by there today, the line was so long. It’s so long: 80 or 90 people were waiting there this morning, sometimes for hours, just to get basic food supplies. We’re talking cans, milk, cereal, vegetables and basic stuff because they cannot afford to pay their rent and go to the supermarket and pay their bills.", "I would prefer if this government spent their time in September debating legislation with us, debating the fall economic statement, to address the growing inequality in our city and the fact that hundreds of thousands of people do not have enough to survive. We could be talking about increasing social assistance. It’s horribly low. It puts people in legislated poverty.", "We could be talking about what we should be doing to ensure seniors aren’t evicted into homelessness, which is happening in my riding more and more frequently. It’s very concerning.", "We could be debating increasing the minimum wage, so when someone works full-time, they have enough money to afford to live an okay life in Ontario. And it is very difficult to do that on the current minimum wage right now. It’s very concerning.", "That’s what we should be debating, but instead, this government wants to go on a summer vacation in the fall. I think that is an absolute shame.", "I think about some other issues that have come up this week, where we had a tragedy in a school, where an individual was left alone in a room when he never should have been left alone—a child—and he died. That is a tragedy that should never happen. The member for Hamilton Mountain talked about the mother and when she received a text and then a phone call that her child had died at school—that is a parent’s worst nightmare. I can’t even fathom how horrible what would be. That is a life-altering event. We should and could be debating legislation to talk about how we can assure that that never, ever, ever happens again in any school in Ontario.", "The other kinds of issues that Ontarians want us to be debating and solving in here, they don’t—that’s what they want us to be doing in September. That’s what they expect. People come back from vacation in August, they go to work in September, and so should we. It’s very concerning to hear about that—" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Nina Tangri", "text": [ "We work in our ridings." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "I hear the Associate Minister of Small Business—Mississauga–Streetsville. The member for Mississauga–Streetsville has a very serious issue in her riding. If the member from Mississauga–Streetsville introduced legislation to tackle the growing issue of seniors being summarily evicted from retirement homes, we would be very excited to debate that legislation in September, because those seniors—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’m going to ask the Associate Minister of Small Business to come to order, the member for Niagara Falls to come to order, and the member for Spadina–Fort York to come to order. Yes, yes.", "The member for University–Rosedale has the floor." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "I would be interested in debating legislation like that.", "We had a similar issue in our riding, at 877 Yonge, Davenhill. That building was very well-maintained. It was a very nice retirement home. People loved it. It was sold. The owner of the property is doing something very similar to what I believe Chartwell is doing in the riding of Mississauga–Streetsville. They announced to all the residents, “You have to leave.” The residents were not informed of their rights—which is that only the Landlord and Tenant Board can evict you, but that your ability to go to the Landlord and Tenant Board and contest an eviction is taken away if you accept any offer of help from Chartwell, or the retirement home provider, and these providers know that full well. When they come in to a 75-year-old or 80-year-old individual’s room and say, “Get on this bus, and we’ll give you a tour of other retirement homes, but just sign this document here that we’re able to assist you,” then it’s very difficult for you to contest an eviction, and it is very difficult for you to receive the compensation that you, as a renter, should be entitled to. It is a shame, and the retirement home operators know that full well.", "That is the kind of legislation that we should be debating in September.", "We will be voting against this motion. It is not what we should be doing in September. We should be here doing our job." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Any further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Mike Schreiner", "text": [ "I sadly am up to debate this particular motion.", "I certainly understood why the government might want to leave a week early. We all do go back to our ridings in the summer and we work hard—each and every one of us do, across all party lines. It’s important to spend time with our constituents to hear their concerns and bring those concerns back to Queen’s Park. I was hoping to bring those concerns back to Queen’s Park in September, but now I’m finding out that we’re not going to be able to bring those concerns back to Queen’s Park until October 21, at a time when we are facing an unprecedented housing affordability crisis that is leading to an unprecedented affordability crisis for people.", "We could be passing legislation to actually legalize housing so we can quickly build homes that people can afford in the communities they love. We could be passing legislation that would allow us to legalize six-to-11-storey buildings. That is not going to happen, because we won’t be sitting in September to debate that legislation.", "We’re facing an unprecedented health care crisis. Last summer, there were more emergency department closures in health care than we’ve ever seen in Ontario’s history. We could be actually debating legislation to fix the health care system so we don’t have such an unprecedented level of closures in our emergency departments—2.3 million Ontarians don’t have access to a doctor, Speaker. Maybe we should be passing legislation to provide them access to a doctor, because we know that access to primary health care helps keep people healthy, which would take pressure off of our health care system.", "1320", "Speaker, we are likely going to face the hottest summer we’ve ever had in Ontario. We’ve already been experiencing unprecedented heat. We could be debating a heat preparedness plan to ensure that we actually set maximum temperatures for congregate settings so people in long-term care don’t experience extreme heat this summer, so that people living unhoused on our streets have cooling centres to go to, in the same way we have heating centres in the winter. Over 600 people died in British Columbia during their major, extreme heatwave in 2021. Ontario has no preparedness plan in place to deal with that. We could be debating that and passing legislation on it.", "Likewise with forest fires: We could be actually debating legislation and passing legislation to ensure that we’re ready for the forest fire season this summer, when we already have 94 fires burning in the province of Ontario, and we’re not prepared or ready.", "Speaker, we could be debating legislation to address what the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation brought to Queen’s Park today on the heels of what the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario brought a couple of weeks ago: the alarming increase of violence in our schools and the fact that we need legislation to protect educators, to ensure that we have enough educational assistants and adults in our schools and our classrooms to help prevent violence in schools, to ensure the safety of educators and students, to ensure a good learning environment. But no, we won’t be around to deal with that.", "We could be debating legislation about the greedy gouging that’s happening in our grocery stores, driving up food prices. We could pass legislation on that. Actually, it would be great to pass legislation on that before Thanksgiving, but we won’t be meeting until after Thanksgiving, so that’s not going to happen either, Speaker.", "We could be addressing the fact that people living in legislated poverty simply cannot survive—$1,300 a month when the average rent is over $2,000 a month. The math doesn’t add up. We know poverty costs the province $33 billion a year. We could actually put forward legislation to help lower the cost that poverty places on society and improve the well-being of people in our communities. That’s not going to happen.", "Some 16,000 people will be unhoused tonight in Ontario. We could pass legislation to start building more non-profit co-op and permanent supportive housing. That’s not going to happen—or at least not until after Thanksgiving.", "So, Speaker, the members opposite oftentimes talk about how government needs to be run more like a business, and I can tell you, as a long-time small business owner, I don’t know of any business that shuts down—literally shuts down for months—and says, “Hey, we’re just going to shut down for a few months.” I don’t know of any business that can’t tell its employees what’s happening day to day and the schedule keeps changing all the time. How does a business function in that kind of environment? If the government wants to run government more like a business, maybe we could actually have a schedule that the people trying to run this place could adhere to and have some predictability and some stability and some consistency so we can actually do the people’s business. But that’s not happening today, and we won’t have enough time to talk about it until after Thanksgiving this fall.", "I don’t know what’s driving this, if it’s politics that’s driving this, but all I want to say to the people of Ontario is, let’s put people before politics. Let’s put what’s good for the people of Ontario—and let’s do the people’s business. So I will be spending the summer, like everyone else, I’m sure, of all parties, working hard, listening to people. And I wish I could come back in September and bring their voice into this chamber to address the issues they’re concerned about—the affordability crisis they are facing. That’s why I’m opposed to this motion, Speaker." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "M. Guy Bourgouin", "text": [ "Toute une annonce qu’ils nous annoncent aujourd’hui avec la motion. On pensait qu’on revenait au mois de septembre; mais non, on va revenir le 21 octobre. Ça, ça veut dire qu’on est parti, de 13 semaines à 19 semaines, sans revenir en Chambre, sans revenir débattre. Les « issues » que nos comtés ont—tout l’été, on va passer avec nos concitoyens pour se préparer pour ramener leurs « issues » en septembre, pour représenter nos comtés. Là, ils viennent de nous annoncer—comme un cheveu sur la soupe, comme on dit en français—qu’on revient le 21 octobre.", "Après ça, on se demande pourquoi la population est sarcastique avec les politiciens. Ce sont des motions comme ça qui rendent que le monde, les concitoyens, disent : « Cela a-t-il du bon sens? »", "Moi, je le sais; j’ai négocié toute ma vie. J’ai négocié des conventions collectives. J’ai négocié des vacances. Je sais que mes collègues vont parler, probablement, de ça aussi. Mais on a négocié des vacances.", "Quand tu commences à travailler, tu as deux semaines de vacances, et avec les années, tu accumules une autre semaine puis une autre semaine. Si tu es chanceux, tu peux te rendre jusqu’à huit semaines, mais c’est assez rare, on s’entend assez bien, dans une convention collective, mais tu vas voir, normalement, deux, quatre, peut-être six semaines pour ceux que ça fait plus longtemps. Nous autres, on parle de 19 semaines. Ce gouvernement-là, ils ont quoi? C’est quoi le problème, là?", "On a été élu pour venir représenter nos concitoyens en Chambre, pour amener les « concernes » de nos concitoyens, pour essayer d’améliorer la vie en Ontario. Puis, tout d’un coup, on est parti 19 semaines. Le 21 octobre—on s’entend-tu? C’est du temps loin de la Chambre pour essayer de faire des changements pour nos comtés et nos concitoyens.", "C’est quoi que le gouvernement a à cacher? C’est quoi la transparence? On ne comprend pas. On part une semaine avant. On était supposé de finir le 15; là, on part une semaine avant et on va revenir le 21 octobre—le 21 octobre. Ce ne sont pas des farces, là.", "On est supposé travailler comme tout le monde. On est ici pour représenter nos concitoyens. C’est une vraie honte. Mon collègue de Niagara l’a dit : « It’s shameful. » On devrait avoir honte.", "Je ne sais pas pourquoi l’idée de faire ça—c’est-tu pour faire encore plus de cabales? Vous avez battu les babines pendant quelques mois. Ce sont les rumeurs : va-t-il y avoir des élections prématurées? Est-ce que c’est juste pour ramasser encore plus d’argent et encore faire la cabale plus longtemps?", "On dit comment la province va mal. C’est drôle, mais sur votre bord, tout va bien en province. Il n’y a pas de problèmes en Ontario. Tout va bien. On sait que vos campagnes à la télé, à la radio, disent que tout va bien, mais en réalité, tout ne va pas bien.", "Moi, je peux vous dire, dans mon comté, quand j’ai une ville comme Hearst où 65 % à 70 % du monde n’ont pas de médecin de famille, ça ne va pas bien. Quand je vais sur la baie James, il y a du monde qui n’a pas de maison. Ils n’ont pas d’eau potable. Tu es obligé de prendre une douche de quelques minutes parce qu’il y a trop de chimiques dans ton eau. Tu viens avec des rougeurs sur le corps. Il y a des maisons qui sont pleines de moisissures, et on demande une extension à la réserve pour être capable de répondre aux besoins de la communauté. Les chefs et les conseils de bande sont arrivés en quêteux devant le gouvernement, et pourtant ils sont sur leurs terres ancestrales et c’est leur droit. Mais non, nous autres, on prend 19 semaines à ne pas s’asseoir pour débattre de ces projets de loi-là ou de ces demandes qui viennent de nos concitoyens.", "Je pense, avec l’éducation—on a des problèmes en éducation. Je ne sais pas. Moi, j’ai ma femme et j’ai ma fille qui travaillent comme aides-enseignantes. Ma fille est qualifiée pour restreindre les enfants en crise. Elle arrive à la maison pleine de bleus parce qu’elle est obligée de s’occuper de plusieurs enfants à la fois.", "1330", "Je vais vous dire une expérience qu’elle a vécue. Elle s’est tournée une seconde parce qu’un autre de ses enfants avait besoin d’elle—une seconde. Elle s’est virée de bord puis l’enfant lui a donné un bon coup de poing dans le ventre. Elle a perdu une journée d’ouvrage. Imagine-toi si elle avait été enceinte.", "L’enfant est en crise. Ce n’est pas la faute de l’enfant. Mais c’est la faute d’un gouvernement qui ne donne pas assez d’argent aux conseils qu’ils sont obligés de donner plus d’enfants de qui s’occuper. On a appris qu’il y un jeune enfant de 16 ans qui est décédé. Puis ils disent qu’on politise ça? On ne politise pas ça; c’est la situation. C’est qu’on sous-finance l’éducation. On sous-finance la santé. On sous-finance plein de choses en Ontario, puis ils disent que ça va bien?", "Moi, je peux vous dire, dans mon comté, je parle aux directeurs des hôpitaux. Ils nous disent que l’élastique est au bout. Il est à la veille de péter, à 4 %—puisqu’ils ont dit que c’est 4 % qu’ils ont donné aux hôpitaux. Pourtant, l’inflation est bien plus haute que ça. Fait que, ils sont sous-financés, puis qui paye pour ça? Ce sont encore les patients.", "Mais non : « Tout va bien. On revient dans 19 semaines. »", "On pourrait débattre des projets de loi à faire avancer pour améliorer notre système de santé. Parce que dans le Nord, là, je peux vous dire, ça ne va pas bien. C’est facile quand tu viens du Sud; tu as accès à des services. Qu’est-ce que tu fais des familles autistes qui n’ont pas les services? Qu’est-ce que tu fais—on a besoin de maisons pour les personnes qui ont des troubles de santé mentale. On n’a pas de place à rester. C’est deux, trois, cinq ans d’attente. Ça, ce n’est pas mentionné, les soins de longue durée.", "Mais tout va bien en Ontario, assez pour qu’on puisse se permettre de rentrer le 21 octobre. On est élu pour travailler. On travaille tout l’été, on rencontre nos concitoyens, on parle, puis quand arrive septembre, on amène les « concernes » qu’ils nous demandent. C’est ça, notre travail.", "Mais non, il y a un bord du gouvernement—le gouvernement, dans sa grande sagesse, vient de dire le 21 octobre. Pourtant, tous les travailleurs de cette province-ci, la plupart ont deux semaines de vacances, quatre semaines de vacances. Puis nous autres on va en avoir—on va as être obligés de ne pas revenir ici pour adresser les « concernes » de ce monde-là qui vient nous voir puis qui vous [inaudible].", "Je suis convaincu que vos concitoyens vous disent la même chose qu’ils nous disent à nous autres : « Vous êtes là pour nous représenter. » On devrait être là, en temps et lieu, pour représenter nos concitoyens. On devrait être ici, comme d’habitude, au mois de septembre. Mais le gouvernement encore—19 semaines. Moi, je n’en reviens pas.", "C’est une atteinte à la démocratie. On dirait que vous vous foutez de la démocratie. C’est parce que vous avez juste une grosse majorité, vous êtes blindés, et tout ce qu’on amène ou qu’on veut discuter ou qu’on amène pour amender des projets de loi, ce n’est jamais assez bon. Pourtant, ça vient des mêmes concitoyens, ça vient des mêmes agences, ça vient de toutes les personnes qu’on consulte, qui sont les mêmes que les vôtres. Vous êtes dans les comités. Vous les entendez comme nous autres.", "Pourtant, ces recommandations viennent de ce monde-là. Mais non : « On s’en fout de la démocratie. On est majoritaire. » Ça, c’est une honte. Ça, c’est un affront à la démocratie.", "Encore pire, quand je vois le premier ministre rentrer à moitié, dans le milieu d’une période de questions, c’est un manque de respect envers notre chef, mais c’est aussi un manque de respect de la démocratie. Il devrait être assis là puis prendre les questions puis y répondre aussi.", "En tout cas, comme vous pouvez le voir, moi, je ne suis pas un gars qui a l’habitude de manger mes mots. Mais on est ici pour faire un travail. Moi, je pense encore comme un travailleur. J’ai été mécanicien industriel. J’ai représenté les travailleurs pendant 21 ans de ma vie. J’ai négocié des bonnes conventions. Il y a des conventions que, quand ça commence, on travaille fort pour améliorer constamment les conditions de travail—" ] }, { "speaker": "Interjection", "text": [ "Say you’re sharing your time—" ] }, { "speaker": "M. Guy Bourgouin", "text": [ "Ah, je partage mon temps avec ma collègue—" ] }, { "speaker": "Interjection", "text": [ "Windsor." ] }, { "speaker": "M. Guy Bourgouin", "text": [ "—de Windsor.", "Mais c’est juste pour vous dire que c’est décevant de voir un gouvernement qui nous annonce cet après-midi qu’on va revenir le 21 octobre. Moi, je peux dire à mes concitoyens : « Moi, je suis prêt à travailler. Je suis prêt à amener vos “issues”. Je ne suis pas sûr si le gouvernement est prêt à faire la même chose. À cause qu’ils sont majoritaires, ils sont capables de se permettre de bafouer la démocratie, comme on le fait là.", "Je vous remercie, monsieur le Président." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Lisa Gretzky", "text": [ "I came in here this afternoon. I had petitions that I was going to read from constituents that are calling on this government, as we are seeing, from May 26 to June 1 of this year, actually, 15 opioid overdoses reported among emergency department visits in my community alone. We’ve heard a similar story from my colleagues in Toronto, from those in the north. It’s happening in every single community. It’s happening in every single Conservative riding too.", "Instead of being able to come in and read those petitions calling on this government to reopen the SafePoint consumption and treatment site in Windsor, or reopen The Spot, in Sudbury, and provide ongoing funding for these treatment centres where people go in and lives are saved and they’re getting connected with the supports and services they need, they’re getting connected with hospital care and they go through withdrawal management and rehab—these are our loved ones. These are our community members. Instead of being able to talk about that and read that petition, this government has brought forward a motion to shut down this House from today, June 6, until October 21. While people are dying—just walk out the doors from Queen’s Park and look around you; open your damn eyes. People are dying on the streets, and you want to shut the Legislature down until October 21 because you don’t want to be held accountable. You don’t want to bring legislation forward or entertain legislation that would actually save lives, to reopen these important health care services. It’s absolutely shameful.", "I have petitions from people in my community and all over the province—and I hope my colleague from Windsor–Tecumseh is listening because it’s his community too—people who are living in legislated poverty. I was going to read a petition from people in my community and around Ontario, saying that you need to double ODSP and OW rates. The government pulled this stunt, so we don’t get to read those petitions now. They’re shutting down the voices of people in my community and their own communities and communities all over the province.", "Speaker, I had tabled a bill, the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act. Right now there is a pretrial under way into the murder of Sahra Bulle in my community, who was murdered by her ex-partner. This government played games with it and they’re continuing to play games with it, because now we don’t have a chance to actually bring that back into the House for third reading and get it passed until at least October 21.", "Just two weeks ago, I believe, there was a young nurse, Shannan Hickey, 26 years old, brutally murdered by her ex-partner. I raised that in this House, and you know what the government’s response is to it? “We’re going to shut this place down until October 21 because we don’t want to talk about it. We don’t want to do anything about it. We don’t want to be held accountable while women are dying in this province”—absolutely shameful.", "How many women have to die? That’s my question. How many women have to die before you take action? How many women have to die before you act on the 75 recommendations from the Renfrew county coroner’s inquest that were directed to your government, that you could implement? But instead of sitting next week, like we’re supposed to, you’re shutting the House down and not bringing us back until October 21. How many women have to die? How many is enough for you?", "My colleague from Waterloo tabled Lydia’s Law. You didn’t even give it the consideration of allowing it to be debated. You shut it down when you knew there were hundreds of people coming from around this province to try and be heard—survivors, victims’ families—and you shut it down and sent it to committee before that debate could happen, without even consulting or giving a heads-up to the woman that tabled that bill. Then the government House leader had the nerve to stand out there and say to the media that it was theatrics—theatrics that my colleague was upset that that happened, theatrics that those families and those survivors were upset that you did that. Now we’re not going to get to debate that until October 21. Because—why? Why would we want to talk about women, about sexual assault survivors who are being failed by the justice system that you refuse to do anything about?", "1340", "We had women here today—Speaker, I want to be clear; sorry. I’m going to share my time with the member from Kiiwetinoong.", "We had women here today, elected officials, who have asked this government to bring in legislation to hold elected officials accountable for harassing and abusing other elected officials, their staff members, those who work in municipalities, municipal staff. This government promised over a year ago they were going to act on that. You’ve done nothing. You’ve done nothing, but you’re going to shut this Legislature down a week early and not come back until October 21, with no action—absolutely no action.", "We see an increase in homelessness encampments. We have an over 40% increase in people accessing food banks between 2022 and 2023. That number is 101% more than it was pre-pandemic. That’s all under your watch, and you can’t get out of here fast enough, because you don’t want to be held accountable—absolutely shameful.", "These are the people you’re supposed to represent. These are the people who you’re supposed to bring in policies for and make decisions for to make life better for them, not these wealthy developers that you’re putting ahead of everybody else, not your donors that you’re putting ahead of everyone else—people in this province who are struggling. And you’re shutting the Legislature down a week early and not bringing us back until October 21—absolutely shameful.", "The wait times for people for hospital care continue to climb. We have emergency departments and urgent care centres that are literally closing in communities all over this province, including in yours. We heard a heartbreaking story from one of my colleagues around the Minden ER, where a man was in cardiac arrest, and because they couldn’t take him to the hospital that was in his community because you have underfunded it and the emergency department—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’m sorry to interrupt the member, but I’m going to remind her to make her comments through the Chair.", "Member for Windsor West." ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Lisa Gretzky", "text": [ "Thank you, Speaker.", "Because this government is underfunding the health care system, this man could not go to the emergency department in his own community because it’s now closed, and by the time they got him to the neighbouring emergency department, he died. He died. This is what you don’t want to talk about and what you don’t want to be held accountable for.", "Speaker, the education system: We just had the story of Landyn. My colleague raised it here in the House, but it has been all over the news. Landyn was a student with a disability who died at school because they were under-resourced, because there was nobody there to provide care for him—nothing. What we get from the education minister are thoughts and prayers, and we trust that things will be better. How many more Landyns do there need to be?", "There’s 70,000 kids on the wait-list for autism services, and the minister responsible stood in this House this morning and said that things were fantastic, that they’re doing great. That’s the longest wait-list there has been under any government.", "Again, I will state how incredibly shameful and irresponsible it is for this government to not only shut us down a week early but not bring us back until October 21.", "I will ask the final question: How many people need to go hungry in this province to be enough for you? How many people in this province have to be homeless to be enough for you? How many women in this province have to die to be enough for you? How many of our loved ones do we have to lose to addiction for it to be enough for you? Thank you, Speaker." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Next, I’ll recognize the member for Kiiwetinoong." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Sol Mamakwa", "text": [ "Meegwetch, Speaker. October 21, 2024, 10:15, is what I heard, when we will be coming back. I know when I come to this place, any leadership that we have—I know, at the community level, at the council level, there’s always opportunity for leadership to meet to talk about the issues that we face, to address, to try to help the people that are living in that community, and it’s important to have that dialogue. It’s important to bring up the issues to the place where leadership is. There’s a time to respond to the crises that are happening. Even though I’m talking about at the community level, but I think, it’s at the same—when I think about the Legislature. This place, this Legislature, is a place where we debate, where we bring the issues. It’s a place of democracy, where we bring the issues of the people that are living in Ontario.", "I know that when we talk about democracy, when we talk about democratic law-making, it needs debate. We cannot be part-time legislators; we need to be here. Democratic law-making needs hearings. We need to be able to have the voices of the people all over Ontario on any specific issues that are happening. Democratic law-making also needs committee meetings to be able to move the agenda forward, to bring the issues to light so people do not continue to suffer across Ontario.", "I’m just thinking about—if we aren’t here, how does the debate happen? How are we going to be able to debate the issues that matter to the people not just in Kiiwetinoong but also across Ontario?", "I’m a believer that our role here at the Legislature, at Queen’s Park, is to bring the voice of our constituents forward, and that’s what I do. I mean, when we talk about Kiiwetinoong, there’s so many issues, so many matters in Kiiwetinoong that require the attention of this government, the attention of this assembly. I can go down the list of some of the issues that we face. When we talk about health care in northern Ontario, in the riding of Kiiwetinoong—unnecessary suffering, needless deaths become a norm, and then status quo sometimes is construed as normal and acceptable in Kiiwetinoong, especially on First Nation reserves. That would not be acceptable anywhere else in Ontario—in fact, not anywhere else in Canada.", "I know that the facilities that we have—there’s our example—Ornge is a medevac service that we have in the north. In Kiiwetinoong, I can probably say eight to 10 flights per day—that’s the health care system that we have, and we have one hospital where everybody goes, in Sioux Lookout. These are the issues, these are the realities that we face.", "1350", "A couple of weeks ago, I was in the member from Mushkegowuk–James Bay’s riding. I went to one of his First Nations that was there, and they’re struggling. When you actually land in the community, the community is right by the airport. The gravel runway is right by the community, and they’re so full. They’re at full capacity of their reserve status that they have. There is a whole reserve that they have, and they’re trying to get more land. They’re trying to get more reserve land, but the process is that the federal government has to talk to the provincial government to access that land. The federal government will have to buy that land from the province and then give it to the community as a First Nation. How messed up is that? They’re actually begging for land, on their own land. It’s kind of messed up in that way.", "But I talk about that because they cannot build. They cannot build homes. They’re over capacity. They have a lot of suicide attempts, suicides in the community. At that time when I visited, they had a boil-water advisory. There were people actually carrying their jugs to where they get the water and then taking it to their home. That is Ontario. That is the Ontario that I know. That is the Canada that I know.", "I know when we talk about access to housing, there’s certainly a lot of people who are couch-surfing, even in First Nations. When there’s overcrowding in First Nations reserves in the north, they come down south and they become homeless in communities such as Thunder Bay, such as Dryden, such as Kenora, such as Sioux Lookout. They become a provincial issue.", "Again, that’s how oppression works. That’s how colonialism works. I think it’s not right to be able to continue on that road.", "I know another thing that’s happening up north quite a bit is resource development, lots of mining. I see these announcements down here that there are these investments in EV factories. But one thing I know is they haven’t done the work of free, prior and informed consent. In order to do any work on the traditional territories, the treaty lands up where you’re going to try to get the minerals, there has to be a process of free, prior and informed consent.", "I feel that this government is moving too fast, which means if you’re trying to mine over there on our traditional lands, on treaty territories, that development will not happen if you move too fast. I think those are the things that we need to be able to talk about. But right now, the approach that this government is doing with regard to resource development and mining, it is very colonial.", "I would want to talk some more—but for this reason, I cannot support this motion. Meegwetch." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Stephen Blais", "text": [ "I’m going to be sharing my time with the members from Ottawa South and Kingston and the Islands.", "C’est un peu ridicule que le gouvernement a décidé d’annuler la session d’été une semaine avant le « schedule ». Puis, maintenant, on ne retourne pas à la législature qu’après la journée de l’Action de grâce en octobre. Cela veut dire qu’on a une vacance d’été plus longue que nos étudiants, que nos enseignants; que la législature est fermée plus longtemps que nos écoles ici en Ontario, et qu’on n’a pas la possibilité d’avoir un débat ou une discussion pour améliorer la qualité de notre système d’éducation pour nos enfants qui retournent en septembre à des écoles qui agrandissent, à des écoles sans le système de chauffage nécessaire pour une bonne qualité d’éducation.", "It’s a little ridiculous that this government has chosen to not only end the spring session a week early, but now, not return the Legislature into session until after Thanksgiving. This, of course, means that the Legislature will be closed for almost 50% longer than our schools. We’ll have a summer vacation that is significantly longer than our kids and teachers—teachers this government far too often decries for not having the same kind of work ethic that they do. And yet, they’re extending their own summer vacation by months—not just weeks, but by months. Of course, this is time that Ontario’s elected officials, the members of this place who are chosen by the people, could have used to debate important issues that are before us.", "I’m reminded that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, who is also the House leader, promised us legislation this session on improving integrity issues across our 400-plus municipalities across the province. As we know and we’ve heard far too often, staff members in our cities and our towns, elected officials in our cities and our towns are going to work at city halls and town halls across Ontario and facing really egregious levels of harassment and abuse. We’ve had serious cases in Ottawa, in Brampton, in Barrie, in Mississauga, and undoubtedly in communities right across the province. This is a government that said they were going to address this issue. They’ve had legislation drafted for almost two and a half years. We have a minister who promised to bring this legislation forward before the end of this session. Of course, this session is ending a week early, and no such legislation has been tabled. I fear it hasn’t been tabled because a week after the minister said he would bring legislation forward this summer, the Premier was in Ottawa saying that he would never support that kind of legislation at all. So I have to question who is actually in charge. Is it the Premier or is it the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing?", "Of course, we could have been using this next week and the six weeks in the fall that we’re going to miss to talk about the doctor shortage across the province. We have over two million Ontarians, two million of our neighbours and our friends, who don’t have a family doctor or a front-line health professional. This is a number that is getting worse and worse, and it has gotten particularly worse in the last six years under this government.", "Just yesterday, I was speaking to a constituent of mine, Christie, who, like many parents this spring, received the thrilling news that their child has been accepted to university and their child is going to be going away to university. It is a thrill for many families to get to that stage in their life. As a result of being accepted to university, as a result of going away to school in the fall, her daughter was dropped by her family doctor. Her family doctor dropped her from her list of patients because she thought that she would be too far away to provide adequate continuing care. That’s ridiculous. If we allow our kids to be dropped by their family physician simply for being accepted and deciding to go away for college or university, we are going to have a tsunami of students who are going to be losing out on primary health care. That is an issue that is worth discussing and debating in this place, and it’s an issue we won’t be able to talk about again now until after the Thanksgiving break.", "1400", "Small businesses in Ontario are suffering. They’ve been suffering for years as a result of the pandemic, and they continue to suffer. So this would have been a perfect opportunity to debate my colleague from Don Valley West’s proposal to cut small business taxes in half, saving small business owners up to $18,000 a year. That’s real money—real money that they could reinvest into their business, real money that they could use to pay off some of the lingering debts from COVID, real money that they could use maybe even just to keep the lights on and doors open and ensure that small business continues in their communities to serve their neighbours, friends and residents, and that’s a debate that we won’t be able to have now until after Thanksgiving.", "Of course, as the largest city in the province, as the largest city in the country, which is in the midst of a potential devastating and crippling transit strike, we could have spent six or seven weeks we’re not going to be sitting here talking about adequately funding transit operations in Ontario. It’s possible that while the Premier and his cabinet are taking a summer vacation that transit in the largest city in the country might actually shut down the city. That is something that we could be debating, that we could be discussing. We could be sharing stories of those who are going to go through that pain and suffering as a result of a potential transit strike, but unfortunately, we won’t be here to do that, because, I presume, the Premier is going to be at his multi-million-dollar cottage in the Muskokas.", "So, there is absolutely no need to extend the summer vacation well past Thanksgiving. It’s going to simply take away the opportunity to share stories from our constituents. It’s going to take away the opportunity to debate important legislation. It’s frankly going to take away the opportunity from the government to introduce important legislation. We know that they haven’t used the opportunity so far this year to introduce a heck of a lot of important legislation. I presume that’s why they don’t think they need these five or six weeks, is because they’re just bereft of ideas and don’t have anything else to bring forward.", "So, with that, I can’t support this motion. We need to be here in the fall to debate these important issues.", "And now, I’m glad to pass it on to my friend from Ottawa South." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "I recognize the member from Ottawa South." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Fraser", "text": [ "I didn’t think that we’d be debating the non-prorogation prorogation today, because essentially there’s so little on the order paper, you could fit about half a dozen prorogations in what this non-prorogation is.", "So, you have to ask yourself, why are we closing this place down for an extra six weeks? Is there not important people’s business? Does anybody have an answer? Maybe you can get up over there and say something, tell us why it’s right. I haven’t heard anything yet.", "So, two reasons that I can think of: to avoid the scrutiny of this House, to avoid the scrutiny of what happens here every day during question period and during debate, to avoid the scrums that are in the hall, to try and take the steam out of politics in Ontario.", "I also have to say, there’s so little on the order paper, and I think, “What are we doing this session? What’s the government’s great accomplishment?” Well, I’ll be fair, and I’ll say something good: We got Bill 200 done, but, you know, we did that on a Wednesday afternoon. It was like lightning speed. It was incredible. It’s important to get done. That’s good.", "What’s this government’s signature piece in this session? It didn’t happen in here; it happened outside of here. What’s their signature piece? It’s a billion dollars to get beer and wine in the corner store a little more than a year earlier. What I don’t understand is, what is this obsession with booze? Ever since this Premier has come here, that’s all he likes to talk about. Remember that show, “Men, men, men, men”? It’s like “Beer, beer, beer, beer.” That’s what it is.", "There are so many other things that are so much more important, like the 2.3 million Ontarians who don’t have a family doctor, and that number’s growing. What about our kids at school, those kids who have exceptional needs? They’re not getting what they need. How about their schools? Their schools are crumbling, some of them. How come that’s not that important? Why is there no sense of urgency around that?", "We have ERs closing. We’re going to have more this summer. We have rural hospitals closing. This government’s promised legislation around private nursing agencies for two years; it’s done nothing, zip. They promised harassment legislation for municipalities. What have they done? Zip. They can’t get it done. I don’t understand why the government thinks this is okay.", "Private members’ legislation: It’s going to back it all up by six weeks. That includes all of you, right? Your bills are going to be delayed. I’ve got a bill that I just put it on the order paper; it’s called Sacred Spaces, Safe Places Act. It’s bubble-zone legislation, and it’s modelled after what we do at abortion clinics, to make sure that people can go their places of worship without being harassed. It’s creating a safe zone. It’s going to sit on the order paper, and we won’t even be able to talk about it around here. We won’t be in a place where we can gather where we can talk about it—because I think all of us should do this. All of us should figure out a way to send the message that, those places where people worship, we have to consider them differently because people are very vulnerable. So we’re not going to be able to talk about that.", "I’m going to say one last thing in the session, and I hope it doesn’t come across the wrong way. I did mention that the Premier’s office had tripled its six-figure salaries in five years—tripled the number of people making six figures. That’s pretty incredible. When you take the average of those salaries, an average of those salaries, well, they make more than any of you on the other side, including ministers.", "I asked somebody the other day—I won’t say who it was, but somebody who knows the Premier pretty well, and the Premier said to that person, “If you want good people, you gotta pay them.” My question is: too bad for all of you." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "I recognize the member from Kingston and the Islands." ] }, { "speaker": "M. Ted Hsu", "text": [ "Cette motion vise à échapper—échapper pendant six semaines—le devoir de ce gouvernement conservateur de répondre aux demandes de comptes dans l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario, dans cette Chambre. Pourquoi?", "Why is the government trying to evade the ability of the opposition to hold it to account in this chamber?", "Speaker, I want to give you an example of the kind of question that we should be asking. This government is fast-tracking beer and wine in the corner store and paying a billion dollars for it. A billion dollars would go a long way in my riding and, no surprise, the people of Kingston and the Islands have other priorities. They want family doctors. They want to fight addictions and fight violence in schools. They want affordable housing. They want ferries that work. No beer on that list.", "A billion dollars would go a long way elsewhere, too. In Prince Edward county, one of the worst roads in Ontario—County Road 49 has been one of the worst roads in Ontario as ranked by the CAA year after year. The province could re-upload County Road 49, making it provincial highway 49 again. My question would be: Does the energy minister care about his riding where this road—if you’ve ever driven on it, has just got slabs that kind of go up and down. It’s used by a lot of industry, by a lot of tourists and really should be taken care of.", "Last week, the finance minister on AM640 conceded that for this move to put beer and wine in convenience stores just a year earlier, there was no cost-benefit analysis for this $1 billion.", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Ted Hsu", "text": [ "No. So the finance minister in fact made fun of “pointy-headed economists” on the radio.", "1410", "So how do we know we’re getting a fair shake? How do we know that this is a good plan? Why the hurry? Why can’t we just wait a year and save a billion dollars to tackle real crises?", "Speaker, people in my riding want funding for Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College. They want smaller class sizes and more EAs so classrooms aren’t disrupted by violence. They want support for affordable, licensed child care. They want relief for those struggling on ODSP and OW. They want rural economic development for local farmers who have farms near urban boundaries. They want our local public health lab to stay open.", "These are the real priorities—no beer on this list either. It seems like a lot to ask this government to do what’s sensible: wait one year and invest the billion dollars where it’s needed most. So, Speaker, I would want to ask this government, what is the real reason they are fast-tracking beer and wine in the corner store at the expense of Ontarians’ priorities?", "By delaying the return of this Legislature by six weeks, they are avoiding scrutiny by the opposition, the attention that question period brings, the attention that debate brings, the attention that the scrums bring to the actions that unveil things like moving ServiceOntario from small business, private contractors to big-box, corporate contracts without any proper scrutiny, at least by this Legislature. Fortunately, my colleague from Don Valley West has gotten the FAO to investigate that.", "It’s these sorts of things. It’s the fact that in the Premier’s office, the cost of funding the Premier’s office has gone up by so much. That theme and this picture of a gravy train and the ability of us to add cars to this gravy train, it seems every couple of weeks, whenever something else is revealed about the government—these are things that happen when the Legislature is in session. We help communicate and find out what this government is doing. We help communicate it to our constituents, and we help bring the concerns of our constituents into this riding.", "For example, I have a constituent who is on ODSP who did a calculation. She told me, “You know what? It would be cheaper for me to drive next door to Napanee to get dentures rather than have ODSP pay for dentures from students at Georgian College but then also have to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for the transportation costs instead of my just going to Napanee and paying more for the local procedure.” These kinds of things we are able to bring to the Legislature and bring to the attention of the government, the attention of the press and the attention of fellow MPPs across the province, because maybe they’ve heard the same problem, and then a consensus builds.", "This is what happens when the Legislature sits, and the government should not be avoiding—you know, we pay probably about a million dollars a day to run this Legislature. The Legislature should not be avoiding the scrutiny that the presence of members here and the proceedings bring to the government.", "So I oppose this motion, and I urge all of my colleagues to oppose this motion." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "I recognize the member from Niagara Falls." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Wayne Gates", "text": [ "I’m going to share my time with the members from Timiskaming–Cochrane and Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas.", "I came here this afternoon, quite frankly, because I was upset that you were going to not meet next week. Then, I get here, and I hear a motion come forward that we’re not going to sit now until October 21. That’s absolutely disgraceful.", "Every one of you that are sitting here today and the two over here that are sitting should be ashamed of yourselves. How do you go back to your constituents and say, “Everything is wonderful in the province of Ontario; we don’t need to sit, we don’t need to hear from the opposition and we don’t need to hear from the Liberals or the Green Party”?", "You know what? In the province of Ontario, everything isn’t wonderful. Today, right here in the province of Ontario—and you guys have been in power for six years, six years too long. But you know what? Just outside these doors, not far from here, there are homeless encampments that have families right there under your watch. When I got here 10 years ago, do you know how many encampments there were? None. In six years, they are everywhere. They’re in Niagara Falls—" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Guy Bourgouin", "text": [ "Northern Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Wayne Gates", "text": [ "—northern Ontario, Windsor, Toronto, Hamilton. And what are we doing? When we have an opportunity to debate and try to come up with solutions for people who are living in homelessness—maybe rent controls that aren’t on new builds. What do you guys do?", "I went to the St. Catharines Collegiate. I was in a four-year course and I stayed six years just because I liked the place. But you know what? We had a saying: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And what is this government doing? When the going gets tough, what are you guys doing? You’re running out of this Legislature, not only a week early, but you’re now filing out until October 21.", "I’m going to look right into that camera right there: How many people today are suffering to pay their groceries, suffering to raise their families, suffering to pay for their rent and for their housing—that don’t have a house? I’m looking right at you and I’m going to say that it’s happening all over the province of Ontario. And the reason why we sit here—because we have a little media up here—they get, at least, a message out. And you guys, what do you do? We’re not going to sit until October 21.", "I came today for one reason. I was mad about—I’ll tell you, I was pissed off about losing a week to challenge you guys—sorry, I’ll retract; I apologize." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "Thank you." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Wayne Gates", "text": [ "I wanted to come here and say, “What are you guys doing?”", "In my own riding of Niagara Falls, the tourist capital of the world, we have high homelessness. We have homeless encampments just down from the tourist sector in Fort Erie. My urgent care centre, which used to go 24/7, is now only operating 12 hours a day—or 10 hours a day, because in the last two hours, they don’t take new patients. That’s happening not only in Fort Erie, it’s happening in the north, it’s happening in London—it’s happening everywhere. We’re shutting down rural hospitals. Everything is not wonderful, so how couldn’t you guys support it?", "Because you’re all sitting here—not all of them, by the way; some aren’t here, but I won’t mention who’s not here because I can’t do that. But the ones that are sitting here: You’ve got to go back to your ridings and you say, “Oh, we don’t need to sit. We don’t need to have question period. We don’t need to have debate on bills that are important.” I brought a motion forward just the other day. You talk to the Minister for Seniors—he’s here—and I talked about a caregiver bill, that we should have a direct payment for caregivers to take care of our loved ones—most of them are seniors; some are kids. We should be having those debates. Instead, what do you guys do? We’re going to shut the Legislature down. It’s absolutely terrible.", "And what’s going on in the province of Ontario, as you guys stand up and you blame everything on the carbon tax? Let’s talk about groceries. Put your hands up on that side—even on this side—if you guys are listening over here, put your hands up: Who is having trouble paying for your groceries? I am. How many of your kids and your grandkids are having trouble buying groceries because they’re being gouged by the Weston family? How many are having trouble paying their rent?", "In Niagara Falls, the average rent is $2,200 a month. What young person, having their first job, can afford to pay $2,200 for rent and then pay for groceries? Who can do that? And in Toronto, where a lot of you guys are from—not all of you, but a lot of you are from Toronto—do you know what the average rent is? It’s $3,400. Yet, you know what? Let’s just shut down for almost six months because there are no issues out here in the province of Ontario.", "And then you go and take a look at gas prices. People can’t afford to pay their gas. They can’t afford their rent. Why don’t we have rent control? I’m telling you guys, come and tell me what you hear over the next six months, by the way—it’s close to six months that we’re shutting down: six months. When I ran here, and it’s been four terms, at no time did I say, “Do you know what? Is there any way you could shut the Legislature down from June until October? Is there any way you could do that?” How many people out there are working every day? I came out of the General Motors plant, where I worked for over 30 years. And do you know what I got? Three or four weeks of vacation as seniority grew. The company didn’t say we were going to shut down for six months because we don’t want to listen to the customers.", "What are you guys doing? What are you thinking? Who came up with this idea? Was it all you guys? Put your hand up who had a vote on it. You’ll have a vote pretty soon and you’re going to have to defend it in your ridings. You can’t defend it. It’s undefendable. It’s absolutely disgusting, what you’re trying to do here to democracy in the province of Ontario.", "1420", "I mentioned health care. I was at the hospital just two days ago, and the doctor told me he was dealing with patients who had been sitting in that emergency for over eight, nine and 10 hours as he came on shift at 6 in the morning. He told me that they’re short-staffed. They don’t have enough nurses, they don’t have enough people to take care of us. But what is this government doing? “We’re going to shut down health care. We’re going to shut down the Legislature. Everything is wonderful in the province of Ontario.” I can tell you it’s not.", "I want to talk about our food banks. We have more people using food banks today than at any time in our history—in our history. And what are we going to do? “Oh, we don’t need to meet until October 21, from today, June 6.” It’s absolutely terrible.", "Do you know what the hard part about the food banks is? Listen to this—25% of that is kids going to food banks right here in the province of Ontario. What people don’t talk about is that we are the richest province in the country and we’ve got kids going to bed hungry, going to food banks.", "We have homeless encampments just outside these halls here—I got a note. My time is up.", "Anyway, I’m going to close by saying—and I’ll try to keep this—yes, even the Clerk is giving me that eye. I’m going to tell you, you guys have to go back to your ridings—it’s undefendable, what you’re trying to do here this afternoon. Every one of you should be ashamed of yourselves for what you’re doing this afternoon—not just for the week that we’re going to close here early, but to stay there until October 21 and not come back here and be held accountable, when we know we’ve got all these crises, in health care, education—everything. It’s absolutely terrible. You should all be ashamed of yourselves." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "I recognize the member from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Sandy Shaw", "text": [ "I share my colleague’s complete disgust that we will not be sitting for 19 weeks.", "There are so many things that have been described that people are facing: housing issues; homelessness; no family doctors; long, long emergency waits.", "I particularly want to say that people also won’t have their voices heard in this House because we are ending this so early—petitions like the ones that I have here, that were signed by almost 1,000 people in six days, who are very upset with the suspension of programs at Fleming College, including programs that address environmental studies. That’s something this government could use—some lessons on environmental studies. We currently have a climate emergency, and this is a government with absolutely no climate plan. So that would have been a good petition for the government to have been able to hear.", "I also would have been able to talk about the folks in Dresden who have a petition. They are concerned about the potential damaging impacts to Sydenham River by the Dresden landfill. You should have heard about that.", "Finally, I have to say I’m absolutely horrified that in my riding there’s a for-profit blood plasma clinic setting up shop. They will pay for blood plasma, and they’re allowed to sell it internationally. The concern is that this is a company that’s going to prey on people who are already vulnerable, who already need income and would be prepared to sell their blood products for profit. That is a shame, and that’s something that this government should stay and hear about.", "What I want to focus on is a very shocking report that has just been published, and it comes from the University of Toronto’s Investigative Journalism Bureau. This concerns our children in schools. We’ve already been hearing about how underfunded our schools are and the conditions that our kids are going to school in. We have the absolute tragedy of Landyn dying in an isolation room in a school because there were no resources, no staff there to support. That’s on this government.", "This report from the University of Toronto’s Investigative Journalism Bureau is showing that toxic lead in Ontario schools is a significant and serious health risk. In fact, in the past four years, nearly half of the province’s schools have had at least one test for toxic lead fail. That lead-laced water has impacted more than 800,000 students and roughly 2,300 elementary and high schools all across the province. Our children are going to school and if they drink the water, they are drinking lead, and I am sure that the government is aware of this, because we know that the schools have an infrastructure backlog of billions. But the very fact that this government knows that our children could be exposed to lead and they continue to underfund infrastructure and upgrades is completely shameful. We should be here over the course of the summer and into the fall to talk about the findings of this report and to come up with plans to address these shocking findings, to come up with plans that will put the minds of parents ease who know that their kids are going to school in classrooms where the water is toxic because of lead.", "And finally, it’s shocking to see that this study will impact not only just schools, but it also impacts daycares. In a really shocking example, the Assikinack childcare centre in Barrie—the Minister of the Environment’s own riding—had among the highest rates of troubling tests among daycares. So daycares are failing these tests: 12 out of 16 tests in these daycares in Barrie failed. Another shocking example is Fort Frances, a high school in northwestern Ontario. The number of tests they failed there is a shocking example of how this government continues to underfund. We already know that First Nations across Canada have an infrastructure deficit in the billions. This is an example of how it impacts them and where we see it.", "The minister was emailed a statement or was asked to respond to this—that’s the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. She didn’t respond to questions about the province’s decision not to adopt the federal safety guidelines for lead. Why are they allowing the lower lead limits? And what did the minister say? Rather than responding—" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "Shame on the NDP." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Sandy Shaw", "text": [ "You know, I am really shocked that the member from Brampton North would think that talking about toxic lead water in our schools is a shameful example. You are a shameful example—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order, order. The member for Brampton North will come to order.", "The member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas, are you finished?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Sandy Shaw", "text": [ "You know what, Speaker, I’m going to end there, because I am so appalled by the government’s behaviour that I will end and pass my time—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Sharing your time with the member for Timiskaming–Cochrane." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Vanthof", "text": [ "In the couple of minutes I have left, I’ve got to be honest, I am shocked that the government is doing this. They claim to be the people to represent the people who are in Tim Hortons. I’m sure that the people in Tim Hortons are going to be quite disappointed when you say, “Yeah, yeah, we decided that we would just take a few more weeks off, or a month and a half off.” And “it’s not really off,” they’ll say, “but we’re working hard.”", "It’s actually—I’ve heard the words “travesty to democracy.” Why is it a travesty? This government is afraid of questions to transparency. They’re just trying to avoid question period. But if you really think it through, it has a bit of a silver lining, because this government, some of their legislation is so terrible they’ve had to rescind six major pieces of legislation. This government is so terrible, perhaps six weeks less of them is a good thing. The fact is, all they’re trying to do is avoid questions and avoid scrutiny.", "One of the questions that hasn’t been asked, and somebody could maybe give me the timeline: What is coming back first, beer to corner stores or the Ford government? Because they really seem to be concerned about that.", "We’ve got emergency rooms closing across the province, yet the government says, “Oh, health care is great.” But when people go to emergency rooms, they’re closed. People looking for doctors—less and less people have doctors. It’s not getting better, it’s getting worse, and the government’s solution is, let’s stop—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you very much.", "Pursuant to standing order 32(b), the time allotted for the afternoon routine has expired. I am now required to put the question.", "Mr. Jones, Chatham-Kent–Leamington, has moved that when the House adjourns today, it shall stand adjourned until 10:15 a.m. on Monday, October 21, 2024; and", "That, in addition to any other committee meetings authorized by the House, the standing committees be authorized to meet for the purpose of the consideration of the estimates during the 2024 summer adjournment of the House.", "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard some noes.", "All those in favour of the motion will say “aye.”", "All those opposed will say “nay.”", "In my opinion, the ayes have it.", "Call in the members. This will be a 30-minute bell.", "The division bells rang from 1430 to 1500." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Mr. Jones, Chatham-Kent–Leamington, has moved that, when the House adjourns today it shall stand adjourned until 10:15 a.m. on Monday, October 21, 2024; and", "That, in addition to any other committee meetings authorized by the House, the standing committees be authorized to meet for the purpose of the consideration of the estimates during the 2024 summer adjournment of the House.", "All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "All those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day)", "text": [ "The ayes are 60; the nays are 25." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I declare the motion carried.", "Motion agreed to." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’m going to ask for the attention of the House for one moment. As some members have done earlier today, I would also like to take a moment to thank our legislative interns. The Ontario Legislature Internship Program, or OLIP, has a rich history at the Legislative Assembly, and its alumni can be found around Queen’s Park, across the province and, indeed, filling important positions in varied sectors across the country.", "Thank you, Razan, Milena, Steffi, Evan, Bridget, Olivia, Kaitlin, Astrid, Taylor and Rhea, for your contributions to our Legislature this year. All the best as you wrap up your OLIP year, and we look forward to seeing the important contributions you will go on to make in the future.", "Applause." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Orders of the day? Government House leader." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "Speaker, if you seek it, I think you will find unanimous consent to see the clock at 6." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The government House leader is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to see the clock at 6. Agreed? Agreed.", "It is therefore 6 o’clock." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Pursuant to standing order 100, the member has 12 minutes for their presentation." ] }, { "speaker": "MmeLucille Collard", "text": [ "It is an honour to rise today on this last day of our spring session for second reading of Bill 133, An Act to proclaim the month of September as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month. If passed, the act would help raise awareness and provide opportunities to discuss the dangers that children face online, including cyberbullying, online grooming, sexual exploitation and, yes, human trafficking.", "Between 2018 and 2022, online sexual luring of children escalated by 815%. That’s just in a five-year period. Imagine that. Statistics Canada also reported that the rate of child pornography increased by 290% between 2014 and 2022, with underage girls being overrepresented.", "The addictive qualities of the Internet and digital technology also pose a risk to kids’ mental health. It is our responsibility as parents, educators, legislators and members of the wider community to protect children in a growing online environment. By declaring September as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month, we can use that opportunity to equip children with the tools to protect themselves from the dangers of the Internet, and we can highlight the importance of digital supervision, education and responsibility.", "While I’ve always been interested in the matter, at least since having kids, I want to recognize that this bill was inspired by Dr. Charlene Doak-Gebauer, founder of the charity called Internet Sense First and producer of the documentary Vulnerable Innocence. I encourage everybody here and everybody abroad to view this documentary for your own education. When I viewed the documentary myself, I was right away convinced that it was very much worth my time and effort to bring this issue to the Legislature.", "1510", "Vulnerable Innocence features valuable information from experts and provides solutions to online safety for parents, professionals and caregivers. Dr. Doak-Gebauer’s advocacy emphasizes the need for digital supervision because leaving our children unmonitored as they use the Internet only increases their risk of exploitation.", "But I have to admit that when I finally gave in to each of my four kids to have a cellphone, as a parent myself, I was nervous about what they would access, and also, I didn’t know how to properly monitor them. After watching the documentary, I was encouraged to see that there was hope for parents to be more confident as to how to guide their kids.", "The best place to start to educate children and youth and raise awareness on the warning signs is in our schools. That’s why September is the best time to declare Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month, because it coincides with the beginning of the school year. Through proper education initiatives, kids can themselves take preventative measures to limit their risk of harmful exposure on the Internet. Establishing support networks and resources during this month can lead to sustainable practices on Internet safety that extend beyond September, providing tools for children and youth for life that they can, in turn, use to teach their own kids.", "Protecting children online also requires a collective effort from parents, educators, legislators and the community. It is our responsibility as a community to ensure that kids can navigate the Internet safely and confidently.", "We need to be proactive in how we deal with the safety of our children online. We must educate ourselves and supervise our children’s use of digital technology. Parents need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities in supervising their children’s online activities. With this bill, the month of September would focus on encouraging parents, guardians, educators, legislators and the community to take steps to keep children safe.", "The government is taking some steps to better protect the privacy of children online through their Bill 194 on cyber security, and I believe that Bill 133 is actually an excellent complement to the government’s work.", "Bill 194 recognizes the need to monitor children and youth’s use of digital technology. During his debate on the bill, the Minister of Education said himself that parents “want government to strengthen the regime that protects kids online and in class from the harms—the constant, rising harms online—that can manifest in bullying, in trafficking and in self-harm.” What better way to achieve this than to dedicate one month a year to ensuring parents and children are aware of the dangers of online activity and know how to avoid them?", "Bill 194 would also set the groundwork for a strong regulatory framework regarding artificial intelligence, and I want to thank the government for taking those steps. AI has brought about a whole host of new challenges and dangers online, and we need to be proactive in shielding our kids. For example, there have been many cases in recent years of AI being used to generate nude photos of children and those photos being circulated among their peers, and that’s a reality. Such a situation is absolutely devastating for a child and can have serious repercussions on their mental health. Many kids and parents also do not understand the legal and liability issues associated with producing such content. That’s why these conversations need to happen. Educating our kids on the dangers that AI presents and the ways to decipher what is real and what is not is an essential component of protecting your kids, and Bill 133 would help to do that.", "A lot of human trafficking also begins online. Traffickers often use social media to recruit their victims, making children and youth particularly vulnerable. Sadly, the average age of recruitment into sex trafficking in Canada is only 13 years old.", "Last year, the Legislature joined together to unanimously pass Bill 41, Protection from Coerced Debts Incurred in relation to Human Trafficking Act, which will help provide survivors of human trafficking with the financial freedom they need to rebuild their lives. While that was an important step to better supporting survivors, we must do more to prevent human trafficking from occurring in the first place. Bill 133 will help to do that by providing opportunities to educate parents and children about the common tactics that traffickers use online to recruit their victims and how to recognize them so children can avoid falling into those traps.", "I hope all members in this House will support this legislation because I firmly believe that awareness and education are essential to addressing the issue of online safety for kids. But I also know that without action this bill will simply remain words on a page. As a result, I strongly encourage each of you to think of ways on how to improve digital supervision in your own communities.", "I also urge the Minister of Education to use this legislation as a first step toward implementing real programs in our schools to educate kids about their online world, the dangers that exist and how to avoid them. It is these actions that will make this legislation come to life and have a real impact on improving the online safety of our kids.", "It is the responsibility of parents, educators and the government to protect vulnerable populations, including children, from the unique risks posed by the digital age.", "By proclaiming September as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month, we can together help to reduce instances of online harm through education and awareness and help kids in Ontario stay safe." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "I recognize the member from Burlington." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Natalie Pierre", "text": [ "It’s a pleasure for me to stand in this chamber and voice my support for Bill 133, An Act to proclaim the month of September as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month.", "This legislation, of course, was introduced by my colleague the member for Ottawa–Vanier. While she and I may have our differences of opinion on many of the issues that come up for debate, I applaud her for taking action to keep kids safe from cyberbullying, online grooming and other dangers that they might encounter on the Internet.", "There is nothing more important for our party and our government than the safety of Ontario’s children. I am proud to support Bill 133 because I believe it complements the many actions we’ve taken to protect Ontario’s children and youth.", "In April, we announced that Ontario is explicitly banning vaping devices from schools and school-related settings along with nicotine and tobacco products. We took this action because the rate of vaping among students in grades 7 to 9 has increased in recent years, and the incidence of vaping among Canadian youth ranks among some of the highest in the world. Under our new policy, students found possessing vape products, as well as tobacco and nicotine will be asked to surrender them, and schools will notify their parents.", "During that same announcement, we also announced that our government is taking action to heavily restrict the use of mobile devices, including cellphones, smart watches, tablets and laptops by students. Through changes that will come into effect this fall, students in grades 7 and up will be required to turn off their mobile devices or set them to silent mode and keep them out of view when they’re in the classroom.", "For students in kindergarten to grade 6, we’re banning cellphones for the full instructional day. Devices must be turned off or set to silent and stored out of view for the duration of the school day. If a student doesn’t put away their phone, the teacher will ask them to place it in a storage area in the classroom for the duration of the lesson.", "Additionally, the province is requiring all publicly funded school boards to restrict access to social media on school networks and school devices. Our decision to tighten the rules around students caught using cellphones during class time was primarily about removing distractions from learning, but it was also about protecting the mental health and physical health of Ontario’s students. Experts tell us that excessive cellphone and mobile device use have a negative impact on student mental health and well-being. Excessive cellphone and social media use can lead to depression and anxiety, and it puts children at risk of online abuse, cyberbullying and invasion of privacy.", "As a mother and as an advocate for mental health, I believe the actions we have taken thus far will make a positive difference, but we’re not stopping there. Our government will continue to consult with law enforcement officials as well as social media and tech experts on ways to further crack down on cybercrimes and cyberbullying, and develop age-appropriate Web materials and workarounds on software exploits in schools.", "1520", "Just recently, this chamber did a second reading debate for Bill 194. Should it pass, that legislation will provide new tools to prevent and respond to cyber security threats and safeguard critical public services, including the public education system.", "Our government is serious about cyber security, and we believe that students deserve a school environment that is supportive and safe from distractions and peer pressures, where they can focus on learning.", "Bill 133 can play a key role in helping our government to keep Ontario’s children safe, so once again, I’m proud to offer my full support for its passage." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Chris Glover", "text": [ "It’s an honour to rise today, on the day that the Legislature is going to be recessing, to debate declaring September as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month, and I want to thank the member from Ottawa–Vanier for bringing this bill forward. In the NDP, we’re very supportive of this. I think it will start a conversation, and it’s an opportunity to educate parents, children, educators, government officials and concerned citizens about the potential harms that are happening when children are online.", "Before becoming an MPP, at one point I was a researcher. Some of my research was on gambling. One of the things that I learned about gambling is that slot machines have an algorithm, and the algorithm is designed to pay out a certain amount. It’s usually set at 80%, for example. So if you go in and you gamble $100 and your luck is totally even—it never would be—you would win $80. And then if you gamble that $80, you would win 80% of that, which is $64. And if you gamble the $64, you would win 80%, which is $48. So by the time you’ve gambled $500, you’ve won $400 and you’ve lost $100, and the $100 that you lost is the $100 that you walked in with, so you’ve come out broke, but you’ve gambled so many times. The lemons and the cherries and everything that keep coming up on the slot machines have nothing to do with the algorithm. The algorithm is just a very simple mathematical function. You could say, “I’m going to play this for an hour. I’m going to punch it 150 times an hour. What is the outcome going to be? Where will I be?” Your calculator or your phone or whatever device you’re using would be able to calculate that in a fraction of a second.", "What those cherries and lemons and anchors and all those things are designed to do is—they design them, they show them in a way that makes you think that it’s going to pay out soon. It creates addictive—and it’s called engagement loops. So the idea of the slot machine—it’s designed to make players lose track of time so that they keep playing.", "In social media, the scrolling is an engagement loop. The scrolling of apps is actually addictive for young people—for all of us, but for young people, in particular.", "New York Times reporter Max Fisher wrote in a book called The Chaos Machine—and this is what it does. They say that slot machines are the heroin of gambling. It’s highly addictive because it gives you a dopamine response. Max Fisher wrote, “Dopamine creates a positive association with whatever behaviours prompted its release, training you to repeat them.... When that dopamine reward system gets hijacked, it can compel you to repeat self-destructive behaviours. To place one more bet, binge on alcohol—or spend hours on apps even when they make you unhappy.” And it’s not just those notifications that make them addictive; in apps, it’s the positive affirmation—it’s the likes; it’s the followers; it’s the updates from friends; it’s the photos of family and friends. That’s what makes social media apps, in particular, addictive.", "The designer of some of these apps, Aza Raskin, who designed, actually, the infinite scroll in 2006—he was also an employee with Mozilla and Jawbone—said, “It’s as if they’re taking behavioural cocaine and just sprinkling it all over your interface and that’s the thing that keeps you ... coming back and back and back.” He said that many designers were driven to create addictive app features by the business models of the big companies that employed them.", "“‘In order to get the next round of funding, in order to get your stock price up, the amount of time that people spend on your app has to go up’....", "“‘So, when you put that much pressure ... you’re going to start trying to invent new ways of getting people ... hooked.’”", "And that’s what’s happening to our children online. Social media is rewiring their brains. There was a study of university students who used social media for more than three hours each day, and those who did suffered from poor sleep, poor academic performance, much higher rates of depression, substance abuse, stress and suicide.", "And the effect is even greater on younger people. Among those ages 10 to 19, that’s when your brain is in a fast development stage. You’re developing your sense of self-worth, and social media, the more you’re on social media, the more negative impact it has on your learning, on your behaviour, on your impulse control, on your emotional regulation.", "More often, people who are on social media, young people who are on social media more have a negative body image, and 61% of Canadians aged 12 to 17 engage in social media several times a day, so we’ve got to be careful about what’s happening.", "And the MRI scans—like when I said they’re rewiring their brains—MRI scans on teenagers showed that the reward centres in their brains lit up with increased blood flow when they were on social media.", "And this is having a real impact on our schools. I spoke with some directors of education, with educators, and they said that kids are acting out. They’re getting up in the middle of class. There’s increased violence in schools. The elementary teachers have reported that violent incidents have increased by 72%, and the vast majority, 80% of teachers and staff members in schools, report that violence incidents have increased since they started working in public education.", "So, the school boards in Ontario, several of them, have launched a lawsuit, and they’re against the social media companies, because they’re looking for money to pay for the supports that students need in order to overcome this. So it’s seven different school boards as well as two private schools that have joined this lawsuit.", "And these school boards, their first concern, their primary concern is children’s mental health. When this lawsuit was announced, the Premier was asked, “Well, what do you think of this?” And his response, immediately—without investigating this, without even looking into it, without even looking into it, his immediate response was “Nonsense.” He criticized the school boards for standing up and taking the social media apps to court for the negative mental health impacts that they’re having on our children.", "The government did come back, and as the government member just mentioned, they decided to ban cellphones in schools, or to make students shut off their cellphones while they’re in schools. And I was thinking about this. I’m thinking, yes, that’s probably a good thing, because it will reduce the amount of time that children are online, especially because it can be very distracting to have them in schools, but it really doesn’t get at the root of the problem.", "And the root of the problem is that we need to find ways for children to be safe online, including using social media apps, and we need to look at the design of those social media apps and how they can be redesigned so that they’re not having a negative mental health impact on children.", "When I’m talking about mental health impacts, that’s just one aspect, and as my colleagues have mentioned in here, there are also privacy issues. What happens to children’s data when these companies have it? Who owns it? How is it being sold? What algorithms are being developed to target them for advertising? This is something that we need to look at as legislators. I know the House is rising today, but this is what we should be looking at. We should be developing legislation to protect children from online harms. It goes to sexual exploitation, to deepfakes, artificial intelligence deepfakes.", "I was a trustee before this, and there was a girl who had sent her boyfriend a picture of herself, and that went all through the school. It was intended just for him, and it went all through the school. She was just devastated by this. Her family was devastated by this. And this is just one incident. I say this—I know this has happened thousands of times across this province.", "The member is bringing up this bill today to create online safety awareness month in September. It’s a good step. We need to do much more, because the other thing that happens online is sexual grooming.", "1530", "The police have reported that there’s an increase in child sexual exploitation in Canada. In 2014, there were 50 incidents for 100,000 children; by 2022, it was 160 incidents for 100,000 children. For seven in 10 victims identified in online sexual offences against children, the victims were aged, for girls, 12 to 17, and 13% were girls under 12; and among boys, those aged 12 to 17 were 11% of the victims and 3% of those were under 12. We need to protect our children from this when they’re online.", "The other thing that happens online, the other really damaging thing, is self-harm. There are violent online groups who are pressuring youth into harming themselves. This is from a CBC article this year: A 15-year-old girl carved the numbers “764” into her chest and then tried to kill herself. The RCMP said it is aware that there is an online group referred to as 764. As well as targeting minor victims internationally, it is connected to violent extremist groups. The father of that girl said in The Fifth Estate he discovered images of self-harm and disturbing messages between his daughter and a self-proclaimed member of 764 on a site called Discord.", "We need to look at this. We need to make sure that this is not repeating itself. We need to cast light on the harms that are coming to our children online.", "I’ve got a minute left, so I’ll talk about some of the policy recommendations that have come up and the research. They say you need to strengthen standards for age verification within social media apps, so that there aren’t children 12 who are pretending to be older on social media and becoming vulnerable.", "The government needs to fund research on the impacts of social media on children and youth and well-being, and the results have to be transparent. They have to be made public.", "They need to develop regulations for tech data collected on children and on the algorithms that are used to target them for advertising. We need to restrict harmful advertising from being directed at children and youth. This includes gambling, vaping, alcohol and unhealthy food.", "The Canadian Paediatric Society also recommends that we need media and digital literacy training for students as part of the curriculum.", "I welcome this legislation. I want to thank the member from Ottawa–Vanier for bringing it forward, and I look forward to using September as an opportunity for all of us to work toward educating parents, students, educators, government members and the general public about the potential harms and how to protect our children online." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Aislinn Clancy", "text": [ "Thank you to the member from Ottawa–Vanier for bringing this forward. As a school social worker for 11 years, this is such an important topic that I’ve been pushing forward with throughout my career. I’ve seen the billions and billions of dollars that companies profit every year and the negative, harmful impact it has on kids.", "Today we honour the memory of the Afzaal family. We know that that young man was radicalized online through these very algorithms that we talk about. In the fall of last year, on the campus of the University of Waterloo, a young man was radicalized and acted out a hate crime against people studying gender and sexuality.", "The violence that we see in schools—kids are playing more and more graphic violent games online. We’ve seen attention spans shrink from about 15 minutes to less than seven, so teachers are trying to tap-dance to get people’s attention. It’s undermining the very education system that we are investing in.", "It’s affecting kids’ eyes. They have “old kid eyes,” where they’re getting glasses at an earlier age because they’re watching hours and hours of screens online.", "In my school board, we did a survey and found that 30% of students were getting a good night’s sleep. So not only do we have to worry about safety and privacy; it’s affecting the very development and health and well-being of young people, because they are not having a good night’s sleep. Every family that I would visit, the first thing I would ask is, “Where is your cellphone? Let’s talk about how you use it.” Because I know it’s under their pillow every night. It beeps, it blops, it bloops and they’re waking up throughout the night and not able to study and focus and get up for school in the morning. We haven’t even discussed attendance issues. If you talk to anybody in the education system right now, the wheels are falling off. Kids are not showing up. So, yes, we could have the bells and whistles when they get there, but if they’re not there to begin with because they didn’t have a good night’s sleep, we’re no further ahead.", "I am going to spend my time focusing on pornography. This is something that is happening in our midst and we do not know the realities that are faced, and I’m alarmed at what’s happening in our society. When COVID-19 came into action, our school board had a monitoring system so we could catch if kids had made a threat to someone else, a threat to their own life, or were watching eight times or more of pornography. Guess what the number one referral I had from then on? I didn’t have these referrals before. They started when we started paying attention to what kids were logging on to in elementary schools on school board things. And we could block the heck out of these, but those are the referrals that we were getting and I was having to call principals, parents and teachers to talk to students about excessive pornography use by very young kids.", "We know now that kids are watching pornography before they have even had their first kiss, before they’ve had their first sexual encounter. Some 48% of 13-year-olds have seen porn; 35% of the scenes in popular pornography contain non-consensual behaviour. So more than a third of the porn that these young under-13 kids are watching involve non-consensual behaviour.", "Did you know that choking is a norm? This is not the pornography any of us have ever considered in our lifetime. Choking is a norm. At my local hospital, our sexual assault support people are getting specialized training to understand the negative impacts of choking. Kids, instead of getting accused of attempted rape, are now getting accused of attempted murder. These are young boys.", "Did you know the most dangerous category are boys under 12? Why? Because we have not armed them with the understanding and information they need to have about consensual sexual activity. So we need to go much further, and I know this education is not happening in schools.", "I worked my tail off to get digital citizenship content, which is widely available—it’s practically free—into every school at every developmental stage. Adults, if they do know—which is rare—have no idea how to respond, whether it be staff in schools or caregivers themselves. We have not armed them.", "When I look, as a social worker, to refer a student who has consumed violent, misogynistic hate, here we are, working so hard to eradicate interpersonal violence, but we have so much indoctrination happening in our midst and we are unaware and we have not done enough to curb it.", "And if you look in society for those not-for-profit, widely accessible, free services, I tell you, they do not exist. In Burlington, as the member from Burlington should know, this month, the very sexual offending clinical support with the experts that train all of us was shut down. In Hamilton, Kitchener and London, the program that supports young offenders to stop reoffending was shut down.", "So we are unprepared and we need to do better to help our kids have healthy relationships." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Billy Pang", "text": [ "As a strong believer in parliamentary democracy, it’s an honour for me to stand before you and my colleagues to express my support for Bill 133, An Act to proclaim the month of September as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month. I also wish to sincerely thank the member for Ottawa–Vanier for putting forth this legislation.", "I agree that we need to raise awareness about online safety and privacy for children, and that kids need to be aware of the risks online and how to protect themselves. It’s always encouraging when we, as parliamentarians, can put aside the party labels and work together for a worthwhile common goal: in this case, the safety of children.", "Speaker, my colleagues and I in the PC caucus are pleased to support Bill 133 because we believe it will complement the many actions we have taken to ensure Ontario’s schools are safe and supportive learning centres for children and youth. Most recently, our government announced that we are strengthening the rules around cellphone use during class time, and students who are caught with vaping, cannabis or nicotine products in school. We are also ordering school boards to remove social media websites from all school networks and devices. We made this announcement to remove unnecessary distractions from the classroom and, of course, to safeguard the mental and physical health of our students. Excessive cellphone and social media usage can have a negative impact on students’ mental health, and there’s no question that children are at much greater risk of harms posed by digital platforms than ever.", "1540", "Our government understands that positive mental health is critically important to students’ achievements and overall well-being. For that reason, we are investing $117.65 million in student mental health supports for the coming school year. Just to put things into perspective, that’s an increase of 577% since the 2017-18 school year, when the previous Liberal government was still in charge. And since 2020, our government has opened 22 youth wellness hubs that provide mental health supports to over 31 communities, and we have plans to open another five hubs.", "We made the vaping and cellphones announcement in April, but I want to remind this House that our government has made many, many other announcements in recent years that have helped to keep kids safe. For example, our government brought greater safety to our classrooms by introducing a no-tolerance policy that means that teachers who have serious criminal convictions and charges against them are not allowed in front of the classroom. We are now publicly posting the names of educators who are convicted of serious criminal offences. We took these actions, Speaker, because we believe in putting families, and the rights of parents, first.", "Many parents would say that bullying is a serious problem in our schools and it poses a threat to the mental and physical health and well-being of children. I’m proud to say that our government has taken action. Nearly three years ago, we issued Policy/Program Memorandum 144, which provides direction to school boards regarding bullying prevention and intervention in schools. Every school board must establish a comprehensive and achievable plan to deal with bullying and all schools within that board must implement the plan.", "There’s no question, Speaker, that based upon the actions that we have taken, our government is very serious about keeping children safe, so I call upon my colleagues to vote in favour of Bill 133. Let’s make September our province’s Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "Further debate." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jess Dixon", "text": [ "I enjoy it when we have a bill that comes before the House that has unanimous support, because it really shows just how much concern that the members of this House have. I was happy to hear the member from Kitchener Centre speak when she spoke on my motion about cellphones and vaping and referenced the prevalence of pornography in schools. I can tell by the passion of her language that when you have really seen this happen, you feel particularly motivated to fix it. I was motivated myself with my own motion.", "But one of the things that has really stuck in my mind about my previous job was reading through cellphone and computer dumps in drug trafficking and human trafficking cases. One of the most common ways that human traffickers—particularly for sex trafficking—recruit their victims is through what they call the “Romeo” or the “boyfriend” tactic, which is when an individual uses a younger girl, usually somebody who is lacking in self-confidence, doesn’t have a lot of support, is vulnerable, and basically makes her believe that he loves her, and all of a sudden starts asking her to do favours for him.", "I will tell you that, having read through countless numbers of those conversations and seeing the text messages back and forth and the photos back and forth, there is very little that is as heartbreaking as that, as watching someone be targeted, particularly when you would see—I remember an occasion where I was reading through, and it was a trafficker who had multiple girls and was actively trying to recruit more. I think it was Facebook Messenger he was using; I can’t remember. But basically, he would just be going through friends and contact lists and sending out the same message to different girls over and over and over again, until someone would respond to him. He had a script that he would follow, and you would see these girls who, frankly, because of all the other things that we throw particularly at young girls, from pornography to body image issues to bullying—whose self-confidence is already at a low. And when some seemingly wonderful boy came along and told her that she was pretty and he told her that he wanted to spend time with her and that she was special—frankly, it is absolutely terrifying to see just how little it takes to recruit a girl. After a few exchanges, he would have her meeting with him, force her to take pictures in lingerie, put her on Backpage—multiple men in an evening.", "I really appreciate this, because making sure that parents are aware of this is huge. It’s not just about giving kids the tools to spot this, but also parents. From what I saw, it was a pattern of behaviour that was the same over and over again. I would have been able to go in and tell a classroom, “This is literally the type of messages you will get.” Kids need to know that. Parents need to know that, so they can ask their kids. So I’m delighted to support this, and I certainly look forward to consulting more on how we can make this real and practical in schools." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "Further debate? Further debate?", "The member has two minutes to reply." ] }, { "speaker": "MmeLucille Collard", "text": [ "I want to thank the members for Burlington, Spadina–Fort York, Markham–Unionville, Kitchener South–Hespeler and Kitchener Centre for your words of support and for your passion on this issue. I’m really grateful, and, frankly, it lifts my spirits to see that we are all willing to work together to help protect our kids.", "I also want to thank Dr. Charlene Doak-Gebauer—she’s here in the Legislature—for reaching out to me, but especially for all the work that she has done and that she continues to do on this important issue.", "If the bill passes today, as I hope it will, it will be the beginning of some meaningful changes to help protect our kids, and it would be a beautiful and positive way to end our session.", "I want to end by also thanking my staff, including my staff watching from Ottawa and my OLIP intern, for all the help to get to this point today.", "Lastly, I want to thank my caucus colleagues for always being so supportive—and really, to all MPPs supporting this bill." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "The time provided for private members’ public business has expired.", "Madame Collard has moved second reading of Bill 133, An Act to proclaim the month of September as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month.", "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I declare the motion carried.", "Second reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "Pursuant to standing order 100(h), the bill is referred to the Committee of the Whole." ] }, { "speaker": "MmeLucille Collard", "text": [ "I would like the bill to be referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy, please." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Ms. Patrice Barnes)", "text": [ "Is the majority in favour of this bill being referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy? Agreed. The bill is referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy. Congratulations.", "All matters relating to private members’ public business having been completed, this House stands adjourned until 10:15 on Monday, October 21, 2024.", "The House adjourned at 1549.", "", "", "", "" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens", "text": [ "Good morning, Speaker, and good morning, everyone. It is always an honour to speak on behalf of the residents of Niagara and St. Catharines and, in this case, to be able to debate some of the issues with Bill 159.", "Preparing for a committee to deliberate and determine the amendments, I was struck by two parallel revelations. The first is that when speaking with stakeholders for animal justice, front-line service providers, societies and shelters, the theme of government consultation for this bill—from their perspective—was consultation and submissions by force, as they were not asked by the ministry for their expertise. On their own, without prompting, they came together to submit their own reports to the ministry. The second revelation is that this is a recurring, disappointing theme of this Conservative government—the severe and considerable lack of consultations leading to decisions in a silo. This is why I know we can improve on this bill already.", "Now, putting aside my latter, more high-level observation about the degree of collegiality of this government, with the legislation for Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, 2023, we find ourselves at a crossroads. This legislation, now at its third reading, represents a precipice, and it’s our collective duty to ensure that when we are addressing the welfare of animals in our province, it is done right. It is a moment that demands that we listen, then act—doing those two things exactly in that order.", "Bill 159 seeks to amend the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act by imposing further penalties and measures to eliminate puppy mills, to eliminate unethical breeding, particularly those associated with unregulated and often cruel, cruel practices. These facilities exist because of a lack of enforcement, driven by large amounts of profit while at the expense of animal welfare, and epitomize the darker aspects of our relationships with domestic animals. We can all agree that puppy mills are really bad. I am a dog and cat owner myself. My dog’s name is Lucy; we call her lovely lady Lucy. She really is part of our family. We love her. She welcomes us with unconditional love. I know that many of the members in this Legislature have similar connections with their pets. It is why legislation to further reduce and ultimately attempt to remove puppy mills is just. Yet, our intentions must not be morally inconsistent with our actions.", "Strengthening regulations and penalties without the proper funding for enforcement and staffing we are only accomplishing what my grandmother would have called out as, “Doing something as useful as putting a screen door on a submarine.” This is because producing puppies in a wholesale environment, which tends to mean you’re focusing on quantity first and using the least amount of resources possible, is menacingly profitable. It means if creating a disincentive is not done right, then it wouldn’t get done at all. The incentive for profit will still overweigh its disincentive to getting caught. For all of our success, it will just be like playing whack-a-mole: You knock it down in one area, and they spring up all over province.", "This legislation is a reminder of the delicate interplay between the rule-making and the rule-enforcing, and if we do not address the issue of puppy mills meaningfully, there will remain pockets where suffering and neglect persist unchecked and unaddressed, which could be quite shameful.", "In the role of the official opposition and as the critic for the Solicitor General, it is incumbent upon us to examine this legislation with a watchful and critical eye. The goal in principle is to enhance, to ensure that this bill not only addresses the symptoms of the problem but also tackles the grassroots causes. This is because we all must recognize that intent alone is insufficient without robust and enforceable mechanisms.", "Speaker, when this legislation was coming up for third reading, I reached out to the executive director of the Humane Society of Greater Niagara, Tanya Firmage—who, by the way, I would like to formally welcome from Niagara in this chamber. Welcome, Tanya.", "Tanya moved to Niagara from Kawartha Lakes, and after spending 30 years in animal welfare sheltering and investigations, holding positions from inspector to chief of humane services for the province, is now the lead in Niagara. I am glad we have that experience at the helm in Niagara.", "Over Tanya’s career, she has seen some of the worst puppy mills in all of Ontario. She would describe one of the largest she was involved in, with over 300 dogs. She would go on to describe to me the deplorable conditions: dogs covered their own feces, injured, missing eyes and starving to death. They were without veterinary care—and so, so many puppies. As she told it, the triage took them over 24 hours.", "The next one that came to her mind was a case when she was an inspector herself for the province, where he removed 80 dogs. Many of them were pregnant. In her words, “I will never forget how long they had to stay in our care before we could adopt them out. This person was also a repeat offender and would simply look for any and all loopholes to keep doing what they were doing.”", "Speaker, with so many investigations, Tanya told me she had often had to revert to calling the CRA to report people for unclaimed income because there was nothing we could do under the legislation to stop the unethical breeding.", "Tanya said it was never only about the rules but the ability to have the time and the resources to act. And like so many of her fellow investigators, it broke her heart. What that means is that we must do better than what we have been doing in Ontario. The Legislature and the Ontario government not only create the rules that regulate sectors like animal welfare; we also hold the purse strings. We have the ability to fund this sector to improve it drastically.", "There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but that by no means will happen without real substantial funding support.", "Ontario has over 400 known puppy mills. Ontario humane societies’ intake of puppies surged from 788 in 2022 to nearly 1,200 last year. Humane Canada reports 10,000 puppies die in puppy mills every year. This is horrific.", "The message from advocates and experts and so many compassionate dog-loving residents across Ontario about going to a shelter to adopt a dog has penetrated the public’s consciousness, but we all know that this is not enough. So let’s make sure we get it right.", "When this bill inevitably passes, it doesn’t mean policy-making for animal welfare is going to stop—far from it. As Ontario’s upper chamber provides new rules and regulations, we are also beholden to resist the consequential actions of this legislation to be pushed down to the service and municipal levels without also providing the proper resources. A significant portion of the debate should focus on feedback from stakeholders, particularly the Ontario Animal Welfare Network, from experts with lived experience like Tanya and others that have their insights, drawn from front-line experience in animal rescue and rehabilitation.", "0910", "We also need to revisit the amendments proposed during the committee stage. These amendments, as described earlier as forced consultation, are essential and directly aimed at closing loopholes and ensuring comprehensive protection for animals. Among these are proposals to mandate pet stores to source animals from shelters and rescue groups and to establish minimum standards of care for breeders—standards inspired by leading jurisdictions such as Quebec.", "Finally, but I would say most importantly, the importance of enforcement cannot be overstated. Effective legislation is predicated on the ability to enforce it. This means adequately resourcing the provincial animal welfare services, ensuring that inspectors are not only well-trained but also sufficiently numerous to cover the vast expanse of our province. The current shortfall in enforcement capabilities is a glaring gap that must be addressed if we are to see real, lasting change.", "Speaker, to fully grasp the imperative of Bill 159, it is essential to understand the historical context of the landscape in Ontario. Animal welfare organizations, including Ontario Animal Welfare Network, OAWN, have long been crystal clear about the situation for puppy mills in our province of Ontario—we have many dogs that are bred and sold. These organizations have consistently reported on the prevalence of puppy mills, and their stories are very heartbreaking to anyone that hears them.", "The COVID-19 pandemic supercharged these issues. As demand for pets skyrocketed during lockdowns, breeders found themselves in an even more favourable, fruitful market, taking advantage of the situation, leading to an increase in the number of dogs entering the market under deplorable—deplorable—conditions.", "Post-pandemic, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in the intake of puppies at humane societies across this province, with numbers surging from 788 in 2022 to 1,192 in 2023. This sharp increase indicates a troubling trend and underscores the urgent need for regulatory intervention.", "The call for stronger legislation was hitting a fever pitch. Donna Powers, president and co-founder of Stop the Mills, emphasized that, “Dogs are simply a commodity and they’re only looking at profit. They don’t do any testing, there’s no health concerns, there’s no standards of care, there’s no quality of life.”", "In a recent article by the CBC, the founder of ARF Ontario describes the bill as “required” but emphasizes that it is “long overdue.”", "The Wellington Advertiser chronicled concerns from animal advocates who believe that the proposed law still falls short in some areas, particularly in enforcement and clarity of definitions. Camille Labchuk of Animal Justice echoed this sentiment, stating that the bill, “will do little to nothing to stop the abuse of puppy mills in Ontario,” cautioning against a false sense of security for the prospective pet owners.", "Speaker, multiple times during second reading my colleagues raised these very concerns and pointed out that the CBC investigation found that inspections were significantly down since the law was changed. Now, under the OSPCA, inspectors issued between 16,148 orders and laid 1,946 provincial criminal charges. That was between 2015 and 2018. However, since the PAWS law has been passed, PAWS inspectors only laid 6,970 orders and laid 667 provincial and criminal charges between 2020 and 2023. That’s a significant reduction in holding people, organizations and bad players to account for how they’re treating animals. In other words, the concern about impact and effectiveness is considerable and real. In the cases these questions were raised in the House, it is unfortunate that the members opposite chose to ignore them.", "The legislation is imperative. Given this backdrop, Bill 159 is public policy with a moral obligation. It aims to address these long-standing issues by introducing stringent measures that prohibit the unethical breeding of dogs, mandate comprehensive record-keeping, and impose severe penalties for non-compliance. The bill’s provisions include specific definitions of puppy mills, breeding limitations and care requirements, which are critical for its effective enforcement.", "It is clear that the background and necessity of Bill 159 are very clear. It is a response to a pervasive problem that has persisted for way too long, and it represents a crucial step toward ensuring the humane treatment of animals in Ontario. Our debate today must focus on strengthening this bill, making suggestions to ensure it fully addresses the issues that happened and sets new standards for animal welfare in our province.", "As we debate and will debate Bill 159, the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, 2023, to its close, I will now present and fully review some of the provisions in this bill, while pointing out what experts have time and time again said is missing. I will highlight for the record what is not included in this bill, as identified by stakeholders and experts and, at multiple times throughout this debate, aspects that have been raised by my colleagues in this House.", "One of the foundational elements of Bill 159 is its attempt to define and prohibit certain practices associated with puppy mills. The bill introduces specific breeding limitations:", "Age and frequency restrictions: It prohibits breeding female dogs under the age of one year and limits the breeding of female dogs to no more than three times within two years or more than two litters from consecutive heat cycles.", "Health and isolation requirements: The bill mandates that dogs with illnesses and environments have a specific standard in Ontario. These provisions aim to address the heartbreaking situations when dogs are overbred, kept in deep, deep unsafe conditions, and not provided with adequate medical care.", "Record-keeping and traceability: Another significant provision in Bill 159 is the requirement for comprehensive record-keeping by dog breeders. This includes maintaining detailed records of each dog’s breeding history, health status and transactions related to their sale or their transfer.", "Penalties for non-compliance: The bill sets forth stronger penalties for those found operating puppy mills or violating its provisions.", "Financial penalties: A minimum fine of $10,000 for operating a puppy mill, with penalties increasing to $25,000 if the operation results in the death or euthanasia of a dog.", "Enforcement measures: The bill grants animal welfare inspectors enhanced powers to conduct investigations and enforce the law, including authority to impose liens for costs associated with investigations.", "Speaker, it is critical that these penalties are only as good as the ability to enforce them. I will repeat that: It is critical that these penalties are only as good as our ability to enforce them. We have learned lessons about long-term care and tenants’ rights, as it is simple economics. If you want to change behaviour, we need a clear disincentive for those actors by making them know they are at a big risk of being caught. This part requires substantial resources.", "0920", "Bill 159 also expands the regulatory authority of the Lieutenant Governor in Council to develop further regulations related to the sale and transfer of dogs.", "What’s missing, Speaker? Despite these provisions, stakeholders have raised several concerns about what’s missing from Bill 159.", "Lack of clear definition of a puppy mill: Advocates argue that the bill does not provide a sufficiently detailed definition of what constitutes a puppy mill, which could complicate enforcement efforts. A more explicit definition that includes conditions of care, socialization and medical treatment is much needed to ensure effective prosecution of bad actors and offenders.", "Enforcement and resource allocation: Time and time again, this point has been raised. There is significant concern about whether the provincial animal welfare services, PAWS, have the necessary resources and staffing to enforce the new regulations effectively. Historical data indicates a decline in inspections and charges under PAWS compared to the predecessor, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, OSPCA. Speaker, we can all agree that this is not a desirable outcome. Small or big policy tweaks will not be enough if we are not allocating the resources to get the job done.", "The bill does not establish a provincial registry or licensing system for breeders, which many advocates believe is essential for tracking and regulating breeding operations. Such a system would help ensure that breeders adhere to ethical standards and make it easier to identify and shut down illegal operations.", "Bill 159 does include several measures aimed at curbing unethical breeding practices and improving the welfare of dogs in Ontario. And yet, as pointed out already, to fully achieve its goals, the bill must address the gaps identified by most stakeholders. By incorporating a clear definition of a puppy mill, ensuring adequate resources for enforcement and establishing a comprehensive registry and licensing system, we can strengthen this legislation and make a significant impact on the fight against unethical breeding.", "As the official opposition, we have a responsibility to be a watchful eye on legislation that is presented and passed through this chamber. In terms of Bill 159, we must not only ensure it fulfills its intended purpose, but also advocate for the necessary enhancements that will make this legislation as effective as possible. While we support the overall intent of Bill 159, we have several significant concerns that need to be addressed to ensure the bill fully achieves its goals.", "One of our primary concerns is the lack of active consultation to begin with, and then later to strengthen this bill. My colleague from Toronto–Danforth, during the debate on the second reading, stood up with a clear question: “Could you tell us the genesis of this bill? Was there a particular event or a particular organization that inspired you to bring this forward?” This is a good question. The question was to the point: Who did you consult? The ministry was unable to really provide an answer. This is really, deeply problematic.", "The lack of consultation is a thread that runs through the decision-making of this government far too often on too many important bills like this one. It is very disappointing when no consultation is done.", "My colleague in the north, a member of this committee who participated in providing clauses for this bill—many good ones that strengthened the legislation that were turned down by this government, might I add—made good points during the debate: “Ontario’s animal welfare models and services take almost no consideration, if any, for on-reserve communities in the province of Ontario....", "“We need First Nations voices to be heard at the transition council when regulations are being crafted to ensure that there are not barriers for First Nations Indigenous communities and that systemic racism does not occur.”", "Speaker, that’s why I heard this time and time again: “consultation by force,” a term I heard often when speaking the experts. This is how they felt their expertise was being treated—consultation by force.", "It has led to some shortfalls, like concerns about a clear, comprehensive definition of what constitutes a puppy mill. The current bill outlines certain breeding practices that are prohibited, but it does not provide a clear definition that is so, so important for effective enforcement and prosecution. As noted by the Ontario Animal Welfare Network, without explicit criteria, it will be challenging to hold violators accountable.", "Additionally the bill’s reliance on future regulations to set conditions for the sale and transfer of dogs leaves a significant gap in immediate enforcement capabilities. It has been years already on revisions on how the province handles puppy mills and animal welfare. Why wait any longer?", "The need for detailed regulation cannot be overstated. Human Initiative co-founder Donna Power has criticized the bill for being “pretty weak” and has pointed out that the current provisions would not significantly change the situation for the animals involved.", "It is essential that the government commits to significantly increasing funding and resources for PAWS. This includes hiring more inspectors, providing them with comprehensive training and ensuring they have the necessary tools to conduct thorough investigations. Without these resources, the enhanced enforcement provisions in the bill will remain largely theoretical and ineffective.", "It is also essential that we recognize that a registry would not only help in identifying and shutting down illegal operations but also in supporting ethical breeders to gain trust in our within our communities and our province.", "Advocates, including Camille Labchuk of Animal Justice, have emphasized the importance of a licensing regime coupled with enforceable care standards. This approach would provide a framework for ongoing oversight and accountability, which is currently lacking. As Labchuk noted, “This bill will do little to nothing to stop the abuse of puppy mills in Ontario” without these critical elements.", "The Ontario Humane Society has called for the inclusion of specific standards of care based on best practices from other jurisdictions, such as Quebec’s Animal Welfare and Safety Act. These standards should include requirements for adequate food, clean shelter, veterinary care and socialization for dogs.", "Additionally, the implementation of mandatory micro-chipping for all puppies sold would add a layer of traceability, making it easier to track the origin of puppies and ensure they are coming from ethical sources.", "Speaker, in Niagara, locally, if you will, the heart-wrenching experience of Mrs. Jane Thompson from St. Catharines: Mrs. Thompson recalls the day she found a frail, shivering puppy abandoned in a cardboard box outside of her local grocery store. The puppy later was named Lucky. Lucky was of a victim of a nearby puppy mill that was eventually uncovered in the south end part of Ontario.", "These stories not only come from individuals, but also, organizations like the Ottawa Humane Society have been on the front lines, rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming these vulnerable animals. Sharon Miko, president and CEO of Ottawa Humane Society, has often highlighted the increased number of puppies being surrenders to their care, many of whom are too young and sick to survive. In 2023 alone, their intake of puppies surged to 1,192, a clear indication of the rampant issue of puppy mills in our province.", "0930", "The voices of animal welfare advocates have been clear and consistent. Camille Labchuk—as I’ve quoted before—executive director of Animal Justice, has articulated that while Bill 159 is a step in the right direction, it must go further to be truly, truly effective.", "The Animal Justice blog on the PUPS Act also brings forward the need for a provincial registry and licensing system for breeders, which would create a framework for ongoing oversight and accountability. Such a system would not only help in identifying and shutting down illegal operations but also support ethical breeders who adhere to high standards of care.", "Speaker, statistics from 2023 are telling. Humane societies across Ontario have seen a significant increase in the number of puppies admitted into their care. This year alone, intake numbers have surged to 1,192 puppies, highlighting the scale of the problem and the need for action that goes beyond policy. It also comes along with the province opening the purse strings to provide adequate resources.", "Speaker, our task today is quite clear. It is time to stop puppy mills—it’s hard to say “puppy mills” when you haven’t had a coffee. It is time to stop puppy mills, but the need to get this right is paramount.", "Let us remember the stories and the statistics, the dedicated advocates and the suffering of all animals. So many of us in this chamber own pets of our own. As I mentioned, we have lovely lady Lucy, a Boston terrier. My husband and I actually won her in a custody battle with my daughter after my daughter left home. She’s been the best part of our life, may I say.", "So many of us in this chamber own our own pets, but in order to be just and ethical, we need to breathe consciousness into the fact of what that means and where our pets may have come from. Those can be difficult conversations, but the debate in this chamber in order to get this right should not be one of them.", "Speaker, thank you for listening this morning. I look forward to continuing opportunity to help strengthen this legislation for the benefit of all Ontarians, especially our fur babies and the animals we strive to protect." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions? Questions?", "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Mike Schreiner", "text": [ "It’s an honour to rise to speak to Bill 159, an important piece of legislation. I want to begin by just saying that I’ll be voting in favour of this bill, because—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Mike Schreiner", "text": [ "Quit while I’m ahead, eh? Well, I’ve got to do my job. I’ve got to do my job over here.", "I think it’s important to bring in penalties to address puppy mills; there’s no doubt about it. But, Speaker, if we’re going to do this, we have to make sure we have a proper enforcement regime.", "I’m the proud dog parent of a rescue dog named Helix. Helix was an abused pup that my family rescued and we’ve taken care of for many years, and I can tell you, Helix is still dealing with the trauma. Even though he’s been with our family and loved for about five or six years, you can still see the trauma Helix experienced. It highlights for me why so many pet lovers and dog lovers want puppy mills shut down.", "But if we’re going to do that, we have to listen to the experts who want put on the record—and when say I’ve got to do my job, I’ve got to put a few things on the record—that if we don’t have a proper licensing and enforcement regime in place, this legislation won’t accomplish what we all want it to accomplish, and that’s shutting down puppy mills.", "Penalties without enforcement will not provide the protections that puppies deserve and that Ontarians want. I think that is highlighted by the experience we’ve had with the PAWS Act, an act I supported but want to point out that, in an analysis comparing enforcement under PAWS verses previous enforcement under OSPCA, there were 64,000 inspections done under OSPCA, 69,000 done under PAWS. But issues ordered were 16,148 under OSPCA, only 6,970 under PAWS. Charges laid: 1,946 under OSPCA; 667 under PAWS, even though the budget under PAWS is $21 million and under OSPCA was only $5.57 million. We’re paying more for less enforcement.", "If this bill is going to have the teeth it needs, we need to ensure that enforcement is in place, and a key part of ensuring that enforcement is in place is having a licencing regime with transparent data for the people of Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions? Questions?", "Further debate? Further debate? Further debate?", "Mr. Kerzner has moved third reading of Bill 159, An Act to amend the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.", "Third reading agreed to." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "I beg to inform the House that the following document was tabled: a report entitled Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: Spending Plan Review from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario.", "Orders of the day? I recognize the deputy government House leader." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Nolan Quinn", "text": [ "Good morning, Madam Speaker. No further business at this time." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Seeing there is no further business at this time, we will stay recessed until 10:15.", "The House recessed from 0937 to 1015." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Nolan Quinn", "text": [ "Last week, the Mental Health Commission of Canada hosted their first Father’s Day at the Park reception here at Queen’s Park. Not only did this reception focus on men’s mental health and the unique challenges they face; it also offered a safe environment for guests to gather and have conversations about mental health.", "We were honoured to have Steve Jones as a guest speaker sharing invaluable insights into his personal journey contributing to destigmatizing mental health.", "As Father’s Day approaches, let’s make a concerted effort to check in with our fathers, sons and brothers. The stigma surrounding mental health often deters men from seeking help, contributing to higher rates of suicide among men.", "It is critical to recognize that while women attempt suicide twice as often as men, men die by suicide three times as often. Societal expectations of toughness and just dealing with it can discourage men from seeking help, leading them to resort to destructive coping mechanisms.", "Our government has improved and expanded the supports in our Roadmap to Wellness. Since 2019, we’ve invested $525 million in new annualized funding for mental health and addictions services.", "I’d like to thank Minister Tibollo, MPP Gretzky, MPP Bowman and MPP Schreiner for their attendance and contributions to this event. This important topic is not a partisan one and extends across all party platforms.", "Thank you to all members, staff, guest speakers and stakeholders who were able to attend, even if it was just for a brief moment. Your support truly matters." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Jessica Bell", "text": [ "This week I met with the National Council of Canadian Muslims to discuss the rise of Islamophobia in Ontario; of the multiple incidents of violence targeting Muslim communities and mosques; of the hundreds of cases of mistreatment of Muslim and Palestinian staff and students in schools across Ontario, often directly connected to the conflict in Gaza.", "Their experience mirrors the calls and emails we are receiving in our office from residents who are devastated by the loss of life and security in Gaza and fear the worrying rise in discrimination here in Ontario, which is far bigger than official statistics, because most hate crimes and hate incidents in Ontario go unreported.", "Public dialogue about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has been so divisive, and it has harmed relationships between neighbours, colleagues, friends and Ontarians.", "The National Council of Canadian Muslims has been clear in what they want Ontario legislators to do: Take proactive steps to halt the harassment and discrimination of Muslim, Arab and Palestinian Ontarians by reviving and passing the Our London Family Act, which includes an anti-hate strategy for the province and changes to education. It is a request that I support. It is a move that many of us in the Legislature support. It is a concrete step we can take to advance peace and diversity here in Ontario." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Amarjot Sandhu", "text": [ "I rise in the House today to share two significant milestones for the residents of Brampton. The first milestone I want to celebrate is our government bringing a second hospital to Brampton. Our request for qualifications has been issued to select a qualified team to design and build the project, which will include a multi-storey patient tower, expanded clinics and Brampton’s second emergency department. Once complete, the community will be well served by a world-class hospital which will deliver the comprehensive health care that the residents of Brampton deserve.", "The second milestone I’m pleased to the share is the progress being made on bringing the first school of medicine in the province in 15 years, and in over 150 years in the GTA. It will find its home at Toronto Metropolitan University. Our government is ensuring the next generation of medical professionals will be trained in Brampton, in Ontario, for Ontarians.", "1020", "Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the partners involved in these projects. Thank you to Dr. Frank Martino from William Osler Health System and Mohamed Lachemi from Toronto Metropolitan University. Your visions and collaboration have made these advancements possible, and the people of Ontario will be better supported because of our work together." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MmeFrance Gélinas", "text": [ "Mine mill Unifor Local 598 members from Sudbury, including the member from Sudbury’s dad, travelled to the headquarters of Jarlette Health Services on Monday to hold an information picket in support of the workers at the Elizabeth Centre in Val Caron. Why did union members from Sudbury get on a bus early in the morning and travel three hours to Midland, Speaker? Because the workers at the Elizabeth Centre have been without a collective agreement since 2022—two long years. This is happening under this government’s watch.", "With so little resources at the Ministry of Labour, once an employer asks for arbitration, it doesn’t take days, weeks or months; it takes years.", "That’s right, Speaker: Retirees and workers on their day off travelled down to the headquarters to remind management that these workers are without a contract.", "The Elizabeth Centre is a long-term-care home in my riding. They house 128 residents. The Unifor members working there look after frail, elderly residents. They are dealing with the same cost-of-living challenges that every other Ontarian faces. Many of them can barely afford rent, never mind a car payment. They need a new collective agreement now. But here we are, two years after their last contract ended. These workers are left to wait, wait and wait some more.", "I hope this government agrees that this must stop. These workers need a new collective agreement, and they need a collective agreement right now." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. David Smith", "text": [ "I commend our government’s efforts to integrate youth into skilled trades amid high unemployment and labour shortages. This is a big game-changer to Scarborough Centre youth.", "Significant enhancements to the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, supported by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and the Ministry of Education—we’ve launched 68 new pre-apprenticeship programs for 2024-25, now engaging over 1,700 participants, with women comprising 30% of the skilled trades labour force.", "We have also expanded the apprenticeship program to include recruiters across 800 schools and introduced a mandatory technological education credit for high school graduates, beginning in September 2024.", "Our Premier; the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development; the Minister of Education; various unions; community partners have been instrumental in achieving this. Now, 1.3 million people work in skilled trades, with over $1.5 billion invested since 2020." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong", "text": [ "I rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend, Colleen Wake. As the youngest of six siblings, she was lovingly referred to by her family as the baby sister. Her sons, Alex and Collin, along with her family, are deeply saddened by the loss of their beloved mother and sister.", "Colleen joined Kinsmen London club in 1996. She immediately took on roles of leadership in public speaking, was elected to an executive level and then as a governor. Under her leadership, the district 1 team launched Portraits of Honour. As well, the Kin team received the Decew-Phee district award for outstanding leadership and administration.", "In 2022, she received the Kin lifetime membership.", "Beyond her volunteer work, Colleen was an NDP supporter. Colleen worked at CAMI automotive. At work, she learned sign language to support a colleague with hearing challenges to demonstrate her dedication to her co-workers. Her many accomplishments reflected her heart, her hard work, intelligence and fun-loving spirit.", "Despite her leadership qualities, Colleen always said she wouldn’t run for politics. She would tell me, “I can’t put up with that stuff.” Our thing was going to movie nights, and that was filled with laughter. I always bought a noisy bag of licorice candy to open during the movie because she would shush me, and that was a joke between us.", "If she knew I was making this statement about her, she’d say, “Don’t make a big deal about me.” And I would say to her, “You meant so much to everyone you connected with, and you changed lives without even knowing. Your kindness and willingness to help others and your relentless honesty, whether we wanted to hear it or not, made a difference.”", "Colleen never gave up on people and never gave up on love. Rest in peace, my dear friend." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Laura Smith", "text": [ "Last week, the Thornhill Presbyterian Church celebrated their 175th anniversary, marking 175 years as a vibrant, multicultural and intergenerational congregation. From its humble beginnings on Yonge Street to its current location just down the road from my office, the church is a testament to a solid and historic area with almost two centuries of community stewardship.", "Historically, picnics were literally gala events and one of the social highlights at the TPC. Football matches, bicycle races, strawberry socials—it all happened on the grounds.", "This congregation played a pivotal role in the foundations leading to modern day Thornhill. In 1885, Toronto’s first commuter railway, the Metropolitan radial railway York-Simcoe, was opened just steps away from the church. If we look back as early as the 19th century, the location served as a critical junction for transportation. It was the natural pit stop for travellers moving north. A member of the congregation who also worked at the Ontario Department of Highways ensured that local pictures of the radial car included a photo of the church.", "E.J. Sand elementary school was named after Eilert Sand, also a member and school superintendent back in the 1950s. His son Richard, who I’ve met, later when on to be a minister at the church.", "There is so much history in Thornhill. As my father used to say, sometimes you have to look behind you before you know where you’re going.", "Thank you, Reverend Heather and the congregation, for your hospitality as we celebrated 175 years at Thornhill Presbyterian. May there be 175 more." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MmeLucille Collard", "text": [ "Last week, I joined the residents of Ottawa–Vanier as they kicked off the summer with festivities across the riding. I attended the popular summer fest in Beacon Hill alongside Mayor Sutcliffe, MP Fortier, city councillor Tim Tierney and community association presidents Heather Scott and Jeff Kaluski. Everyone enjoyed the weather, the activities, the free hot dogs and, of course, the traditional cake, which I had fun serving.", "At the Beechwood Market summer opening, I connected with neighbours and bought local goods, witnessing vibrant community spirit.", "The VeloFest in Vanier, hosted by Club Optimiste, was again a hit this year with several families winning brand-new bicycles. A special thanks to Club Optimiste for their constant contributions to our community.", "The wonderful lobster dinner organized by the Club Richelieu was also very successful. Several volunteers and students from l’école élémentaire publique Le Prélude tended to all the guests, and the band performance by the school was simply a delight.", "June will continue to be busy with AGMs, graduation ceremonies, fundraising events, tea parties and so much more. As we are nearing the end of our parliamentary session, I want to wish to all my colleagues here in the House a great summer in your respective communities." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. John Yakabuski", "text": [ "After the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew that victory over Germany would only be achieved with a future invasion of continental Europe. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declaration of war by the United States against the Axis powers, that invasion and the planning of it became a reality.", "The attack, code-named Operation Overlord, began on June 6, 1944. Approximately 150,000 Allied troops landed or parachuted into the invasion area on D-Day, including 14,000 Canadians on Juno Beach. It was the largest seaborne invasion ever attempted in history.", "After securing the beaches at a great cost, the Normandy campaign began. As the Americans battled on the western end of the front and struggled to take the prized port city of Cherbourg, the British and Canadians waged war around the Norman capital city of Caen. My father was one of those soldiers.", "1030", "The Normandy campaign finally ended on the 21st of August 1944, with Canadians playing an important role in the closing of the Falaise gap. After D-Day, more than two million soldiers landed in France, ensuring an Allied victory and the defeat of Nazi Germany.", "Tomorrow, we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Let us all take time to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and also those who came home to build the great country we know today, securing the freedoms that we sometimes take for granted, but are ever grateful for.", "Lest we forget." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Steve Clark", "text": [ "Today, I rise to recognize a very special anniversary in my riding of Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. This past Saturday, Toniata Public School celebrated their 60th anniversary and I was pleased to attend the celebration with the current students, staff, faculty and alumni. There were 13 special speakers that shared remarks and memories, including Hugh Bates, who was the very first principal at that school in 1964. He also opened the school’s time capsule.", "Speaker, I was even more thrilled to attend the celebration with two of my grandchildren, Mila and Georgy, who are proud Toniata Tigers. My wife, Deanna, and I were very proud that, in addition to Mila and Georgy, all five of our children attended this amazing school.", "Speaker, the celebration was emotional, knowing that it’s Toniata’s final anniversary. At the end of the school year, Toniata will merge with Commonwealth Public School to form the brand new Swift Waters Elementary in Brockville, a state-of-the-art facility that will open its doors in September.", "I want to congratulate Toniata’s principal Tania Stover and all the staff there for this amazing milestone in your history. I want to thank you for all the great things you do for our kids and our communities. I felt really privileged to be able to represent it.", "Happy anniversary, Toniata Public School." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "That concludes our members’ statements for this morning." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I beg to inform the House that the following document was tabled: the 2023 annual report and 2023 statistical report, entitled Beyond Imagination: Planning for Ontarians’ Digital Future, from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Stephen Crawford", "text": [ "Good morning. I have the pleasure of welcoming former pages Monica and Michelle Crawford, who are here to see their sister Farah Crawford." ] }, { "speaker": "MmeFrance Gélinas", "text": [ "They are making their way in. They are paramedics and dispatchers from all over Ontario, from Thunder Bay to Kingston to all over, making their way into the Legislative Assembly. Welcome to your House. Paramedics are very important to all of us." ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Andrea Hazell", "text": [ "Welcome to the House, Carlos Cabaneros from the Filipinos in the 6ix organization, who is hosting today’s Filipino Heritage Month event in room 228 at 5 p.m. You’re all welcome to attend.", "Please welcome Carlos Cabaneros to your House." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Sam Oosterhoff", "text": [ "I have the privilege of welcoming to the Legislature today five members from the member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek’s constituency office, people who are working tirelessly on behalf of those constituents in Hamilton East–Stoney Creek. We have Julian Pecchia, Jane Neal, Tony Lemma, Kenya Maughn and John Gillis. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Tom Rakocevic", "text": [ "I’m really proud to welcome my family again to Queen’s Park: my wife Aleksandra, my son Aleksandar and my son Ilija. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "Good morning, everyone. I’d like to introduce my new intern for the summer. Her name is magnificent Mikaela Taylor, and she’s actually from Scarborough–Guildwood, so I’m borrowing her. Welcome to your House." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "Speaker, I beg your indulgence for two groups to introduce this morning. First off, we have Brampton North’s own Guransh Ghai, who is operating as page captain today, and we’re joined by his family: his mother, Shaminder; father, Manpreet; and sister, Hasrat Ghai. Welcome to Queen’s Park.", "Also, I’d like to welcome Aggarwal Sabha Canada to Queen’s Park—I had all the names, and I just clicked “X.” I’m very happy to have a whole whack of people, and thanks to my friend Ashwani Aggarwal for organizing. We have Satpal Gupta, Parmod Goyal, Vinod Bansal, Mrs. Gazal Bansal, Yash Rani Goenka, Ashwani Aggarwal, Suresh Aggarwal, Ajay Gupta, Sanjeev Gupta, Shiv Par Kash Bansal, Pardeep Goel, Ashok Aggarwal, Sandeep Aggarwal, Deewan Chand Goyal, Bajrang Gupta and Salil Aggarwal from Aggarwal Sabha Canada. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "I want to welcome Filipinos in the 6ix to Queen’s Park, to your House. I also want to say congratulations on a wonderful Filipino Heritage Hoop Fest. Congratulations." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam", "text": [ "I would like to welcome my summer intern, Tamileni Vijay, from Scarborough–Rouge Park.", "Also, I would also like to welcome Supothanam Jeyakumar, my operations adviser, and also would like to welcome Filipinos in the 6ix and Carlos to the chamber. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Daisy Wai", "text": [ "I would like to thank my husband, Albert Wai, for 45 years of happy marriage. Happy anniversary, Albert." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Deepak Anand", "text": [ "It’s always a pleasure to introduce our parents, the people who took care of us. It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome Puneet Sharma, Sheelu Sharma and Sheelu Sharma’s parents, Satya Naryan Sharma and Lad Sharma, for their first time to Queen’s Park. Welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "With the indulgence of the House, I’d like to continue with the introduction of visitors." ] }, { "speaker": "MmeFrance Gélinas", "text": [ "Rob Moquin and Kyle Stamler, paramedics from Thunder Bay, made it to the House. Mike Merriman, Steve Rocks, Joel Usher and Keri Irving made it to the House. Welcome to your House, paramedics coming to visit us." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Stephen Lecce", "text": [ "I want to introduce Warren and Ramona Ehlert, who are with us today: the parents of our page Tristan Ehlert, who is from King–Vaughan. Welcome to the Legislature.", "I also would like to welcome two distinct individuals from the Youth Association for Academics, Athletics and Character Education, Devon Jones and Marina Nguyen, who are with us. This amazing organization, founded at Jane and Finch, supports young education in inspiring them to pursue their dreams. Thank you, and welcome to Queen’s Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Chris Glover", "text": [ "I just want to wish our colleague Jeff Burch a very happy 39th birthday." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. David Piccini", "text": [ "I want to welcome some friends from Helmets to Hardhats here to Queen’s Park today: James Hogarth, who is also a great advocate for the construction sector. And also, I think—my eyes, Speaker; I’m getting up there. But Darryl Cathcart, I think, is here as well. Thank you for being here and thank you for being such a strong voice for military veterans and their families.", "1040" ] }, { "speaker": "Miss Monique Taylor", "text": [ "Point of order." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Point of order, the member for Hamilton Mountain." ] }, { "speaker": "Miss Monique Taylor", "text": [ "I would like to wish another one of our colleagues a very happy birthday, Ms. Jennifer French. It’s her birthday today too. Happy birthday." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Point of order, the government House leader." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "I’m seeking unanimous consent to allow members to wear poppies today, Wednesday, June 5, and tomorrow, Thursday, June 6, in remembrance of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Mr. Calandra is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to allow members to wear poppies today, Wednesday, June 5, and tomorrow, Thursday, June 6, in remembrance of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Agreed? Agreed." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "A second point of order by the government House leader." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "First, let me just thank all colleagues for this. As you know, the end of a session can be very fluid, so all members wanted to make sure that we had an opportunity to recognize D-Day, even if it is a day in advance.", "Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Mr. Calandra is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government. Agreed? Agreed.", "I recognize the member for St. Catharines." ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens", "text": [ "I rise again to recognize the great privilege to stand to participate in representing my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in this Legislature as we collectively lead an important moment of reflection for Canada’s military history. It is the veterans who sacrificed it all for our communities. They have made it so we all can enjoy and respect the freedom we enjoy today.", "Today, I stand to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Normandy landing. When those who served our country first enlisted, they did so as ordinary citizens, some lying about their age. They felt pain and joy. They made memories with their friends and loved ones back home in hockey rinks and schoolyards, in living rooms and community centres. They lived a life here as we all do today. Eighty years ago, they left as ordinary people; when they marched onto the beaches of Normandy, they were forever changed. They became our heroes.", "On June 6, 1944, Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen were sent into the bloodiest battle of World War II—1,074 Canadians were injured and 359 did not make it through the battle that day. To put that number into perspective for those of you sitting in this room, the lives lost on that day is more than double the number of elected individuals we have sitting in this chamber.", "By the end of the Battle of Normandy, we lost more than 18,700 Canadians. What sets them apart is their unwavering service, their willingness to risk and, for some, give the ultimate sacrifice to each and every one of us. In donning a uniform, they represented us; they fought for us; they gave their lives for us. We are honour-bound to remember them. In each of our own ways, we honour those who have defended our freedoms and made the ultimate sacrifice.", "My colleague from Ottawa Centre visited those beaches recently, honouring his grandfather, and the feeling and the emotions that would overcome him with grief, pride and honour.", "My community in Niagara, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in Canada and across Ontario have deep roots that will be expressed in events and memorialization. I encourage all of the members of this House and this chamber to attend their own local events.", "I am proud to live in a province where our government, the official opposition and the independent members of this Legislature will always stand by our service members, be it past, present or future. We honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for Canada 80 years ago on the beaches in Normandy. We honour those sacrificing every day in some way in active duty right now, defending our freedoms on the front lines. For that, we owe them a debt that we can never repay. We owe them the honour of remembering them today, tomorrow and in the future. We will remember them." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’ll recognize next the member for Kanata–Carleton." ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Karen McCrimmon", "text": [ "D-Day, the 6th of June, 1944, was the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. The Allies used over 5,000 ships and landing craft to land more than 150,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy.", "The Allies banded together more than 80 years ago to put an end to the tyrannical rule of a dictator—a dictator who convinced his countrymen to abolish the rights of minorities, to turn a blind eye to crime, stoking the fires of hate and division while fighting to eliminate democracies across Europe. Through populist propaganda and simplistic slogans, attacks on education, experts and the media and a constant effort to hide the truth and to hide their true intention, fascism prevailed.", "There are lessons to be learned as history is always perilously close to repeating itself. Notwithstanding a century of civic progress, some current-day leaders have launched attacks on individual freedoms and rights. We must challenge this at every opportunity.", "Speaker, we owe our freedoms to those who landed on the beaches at Normandy. One such hero is a long-time Kanata–Carleton resident, Dr. Roly Armitage, who is 99 years old. He landed at Normandy and fought bravely for his country. He returned home and became a long-time community leader and veterinarian in West Carleton and the Ottawa Valley. When asked what he remembers about landing in Normandy on D-Day, he humbly says, “I got my feet wet, and I wasn’t welcome.”", "Like so many, Roly doesn’t see his selfless service as anything extraordinary. His service is a constant inspiration, and I am privileged to call him a friend.", "To my colleagues, to my friends, to all Ontarians, I ask you—I implore you—to honour Roly’s service to our country, to honour the sacrifice made by thousands of Canadians who never returned from war. Our democracy is a priceless legacy paid for in blood and sacrifice. It is our constant duty, our responsibility, to raise our voices in protest wherever and whenever we encounter the tools of tyranny. Lest we forget." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Guelph." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Mike Schreiner", "text": [ "It’s an honour to rise today to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a pivotal moment in Canadian and world history.", "On June 6, 1944, British, American and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in the largest seaborne military invasion in history, which played a central role in ending the Second World War and the march of tyranny across Europe.", "1050", "Canadian soldiers, sailors and aviators were instrumental in D-Day’s operation. Some 14,000 Canadians bravely landed on Juno Beach and pushed further inland than any of the Allied forces. Their bravery and sacrifice played a critical role in the Allied invasion, which ultimately led to victory in Europe and the end of the Second World War, the horrors of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust.", "There were 1,096 Canadian casualties, of whom 381 lost their lives. Many of those heroes still remain laid buried in France, while others suffered injuries to body and mind that they would carry for the rest of their lives. Eighty years later, it is imperative that we remember the ultimate sacrifice they made.", "Speaker, all of us in this House have a duty and a responsibility to honour their sacrifice by defending the freedom and democracy they fought for and died for, so today we honour the men and women who risk their lives on the beaches of Normandy, and we take time to reflect on the many privileges we have today as a as a result of their sacrifice. Lest we forget." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Victor Fedeli", "text": [ "Sadly, what most of us feel we know about D-Day is, quite frankly, what we see in the movies today, Saving Private Ryan the most notable example. It’s hard to get through those opening scenes. The horror of war is on full bloody display, but so is the bravery, the courage and the humanity of those who were fighting to make and keep the world safer for us at home.", "These movies that we watch in the comfort of our homes, surrounded by family and friends, are about real people, in real places, doing real things. They weren’t safe, they certainly weren’t comfortable, but they all wanted to come home to be with their family and friends. For 4,414 of them, that didn’t happen. For more than 350 Canadians, that didn’t happen. For them, it was real.", "Months of top-secret planning took place—new tactics, misdirection, decoys, raids—all to distract and mislead the Nazis about the timing and location of this eventual attack. Even then, with all the planning, the success of the operation was far from guaranteed, with some giving it a 50-50 chance of success. But as we’ve heard, on June 6, 1944, the Allies launched Operation Overlord, the long-anticipated invasion of Normandy in France.", "Soldiers from across the US, the UK, and, of course, Canada and other Allied nations faced Hitler’s formidable Atlantic wall. As they landed on the beaches of Normandy, 50,000 troops spread across five beaches. The operation was made increasingly difficult due to landings that were marred by challenging weather and very difficult terrain, with many of the Allied landing craft affected by enemy mines, the Allied soldiers having to establish positions on exposed beachheads—I can’t even imagine this—all under very heavy enemy fire.", "By the end of the day, over 14,000 Canadian solders had landed or parachuted into France. Those in that first wave suffered the heaviest with nearly every other soldier being a casualty. In the end, Canada suffered over 1,000 of those casualties, and on June 6, more than 350 were fatalities.", "The price paid by the Allies on that day cannot be overstated. Across all the five beaches, the Allies suffered over 10,000 casualties; 4,414 did not answer the roll call the next morning. As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we remember them, Speaker, and we honour them.", "While it was not clear at the time, with the foothold on the continent now secure, the Allies would begin their march towards Berlin. Less than a year after D-Day, the war in Europe would be over.", "Every year, Canadians pause to reflect and remember our veterans and the sacrifices they made for those freedoms that we talk about, those freedoms that we enjoy. These gatherings remind us of the human cost of war and provide the chance to see and interact with the veterans who bravely and courageously served. Some are here today. Today, 80 years removed from D-Day, we are blessed to still have some of those who stormed the beaches of Normandy with us. Thank you for highlighting one of them.", "We have a moral responsibility, a human responsibility, to ensure that those stories live on through us. The average age of these vets closes in on 100 now. We are faced with the reality that, for many, this 80th anniversary, this milestone, may be the last anniversary they experience. Let’s embrace the time we have with these heroes. Let’s use it and learn from them, to offer our unending thanks for their sacrifice, and to assure them that we will carry the torch. We will carry that torch forward to be remembered for generations to come.", "To the veterans here today—namely, Commander Paul Smith and Lieutenant Commander Stefan Pohl from HMCS York—and representatives from the Juno Beach foundation, Historica Canada, Helmets to Hardhats, True Patriot Love, Coding for Veterans and Together We Stand who travelled here to Queen’s Park this morning to commemorate this important day with us, we thank you and we do salute you.", "To all of our vets who served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Afghanistan and as peacekeepers around the world in conflicts, their bravery and courage represents the best—the best—of who we are as Canadians. They have made our country and the world a better place, and we’re all forever grateful. Lest we forget. Lest we forget." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I wish to inform the House that we have some special guests with us today, former members of the Legislature: The member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek in the 39th, 40th, 41st and 42nd Parliaments, Paul Miller—welcome back; and the member for Windsor–Tecumseh in the 40th, 41st and 42nd Parliaments, Percy Hatfield.", "I’m pleased to say that we also have with us the Poet Laureate of Ontario, Randell Adjei, and his mother, Esther Ablorh; his father, Fawkins Ablorh; and his friend Mark Stoddart. Randell has done a superb job as Poet Laureate, and we thank him for his service to the Legislature and the people of Ontario.", "1100" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "Good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier.", "This government knows how to spend big on vanity ads and projects that favour their friends. In fact, their fiscal plans are going to see Ontario’s deficit triple this year. Across Ontario, meanwhile, people are wondering what they’re getting for that money. Rural emergency rooms are closing, northern highways are shutting down, and schools are running out of buckets to catch the leaks.", "How can the government justify spending nearly a billion dollars to break a Beer Store contract that is already set to expire?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "To reply, the Minister of Finance." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "Thank you for the question, to the member opposite.", "Through you, Mr. Speaker: The number that she’s putting forward, of course, is a hypothetical number that you can only get to—get this—if you raise taxes and raise fees. Which side of the House wants to raise taxes and fees? I would submit that it’s that side of the House and that side of the House, except for the middle here. This side of the House wants to cut fees and cut taxes for the people of Ontario and the businesses of Ontario.", "As we saw last week, we had a number of businesses say that this was a good thing. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said, “Speeding up the process to allow more Ontario small retailers to sell beer and wine is a very positive move for entrepreneurs and consumers.”", "What does the member opposite have against—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "The supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "Speaker, the government themselves have said it’s going to cost at least $225 million to break that contract, but for me, and I think for all of us over here, it’s about where that money is being spent. The Premier is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize a private luxury spa in downtown Toronto, while 2.4 million Ontarians can’t get a family doctor. He won’t pay nurses what they deserve, but he’ll pay three times as much to private, for-profit nursing temp agencies. And while rural emergency rooms are shutting their doors, he’s spending $25 million on partisan ads to gaslight people about how good they have it—and let me tell you, people know it ain’t good." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’m going to ask the member to withdraw the unparliamentary comment—" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "Withdraw." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "—and to conclude her question." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "My question to the Premier is, can the Premier let the people know what they have to do to become his priority?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "I’m sure the member opposite has read the budget. Of course, we all know she and her party voted against the budget, but if she had looked at the budget, she would have noticed that health care spending over the last few years has gone from $75 billion to $85 billion, an increase of $10 billion. If you do the math, $10 billion over two years, over $75 billion—that’s a significant increase.", "And where is this money going? Through this Minister of Health and the whole team on this side, this money is going to build more hospitals and acute-care beds across the province. Fundamentally, also, this Minister of Health led the charge to increase the funding for primary care—$600 million—so that there are more patients being taken care of.", "But she didn’t stop there. Do you know what she did? She put in a request, and we’re funding $2 billion more for home and community care so we can take good care of people at home.", "That’s what we’re doing for the people." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The final supplementary." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "Well, if people have it so great, why are there emergency rooms closing?", "It’s the Premier’s priorities that are completely out of whack with where Ontarians are at. If he spent some time talking to them instead of for them, he might learn something.", "I want to take that Beer Store contract again, for example—even people who are looking forward to having beer in convenience stores are asking why we would ever fork over as much as a billion dollars to make it happen when the contract is going to expire anyway. They want to know why there’s no money to fix the air conditioners in their kids’ schools, but they have hundreds of millions of dollars for that.", "Does the Premier think that this billion dollars is money well spent?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "Minister of Finance." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "As I said yesterday and I’ll repeat here in the House, those numbers are part of Boondoggle Bonnie’s math over there. You can only get there, supported by the math over here, through increasing taxes and fees, which we’re not doing on the people of Ontario. We’re not going to put the costs through to consumers. We’re going to let the businesses thrive here.", "Let’s continue to look at some of the support here from the Ontario Craft Brewers: “These changes are critical to the success of the new system so craft beer operators have a chance to compete and thrive in Ontario.”", "The Grape Growers of Ontario: They want to expand their grape growing in Ontario.", "The Convenience Industry Council of Canada: They want to increase the ability to sell beer and wine across the province.", "One concept that I think the member opposite can’t seem to handle is that we can be fiscally responsible and grow the economy at the same time. This party is getting it done." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "The Ontario deficit is triple again this year, Speaker, I remind the minister.", "Anyway, back to the Premier: In February, we saw the loss of 300 school board positions that support children with special needs in Mississauga, in Brampton and in Caledon. A new report from People for Education found that nearly half of our schools are experiencing a shortage of educational assistants every single day.", "Students with disabilities have a right to education in safe and supportive classrooms. So my question to the Premier is, why are children in Ontario being shortchanged by this government?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "To respond, the Minister of Education." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Stephen Lecce", "text": [ "We are firmly committed to the safety and security of those very children, which is why, in the most recent budget, we increased the staffing and increased the funding for special education. Speaker, to the member opposite, we’ve now increased spec ed funding to the highest levels in provincial history. It is up over $110 million this year compared to last year.", "There are 3,500 additional EAs within our schools as a consequence of our Premier and government’s investment. This year, we launched a new investment to train our staff specifically dealing with a plan of care co-created by the school and the parent for children that have prevalent medical conditions—a new investment we announced some months ago and put in place.", "We are committed to the success and safety of children. The funding is there. We’ll continue to increase it and the staffing and the training to keep our kids safe in our schools." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "People across the province are mourning. They’re calling for action in the wake of the very tragic death of Landyn Ferris. He was a vulnerable child who died after being left alone at school. That is an unimaginable nightmare for anyone and, I will say, any parent in this place, I’m sure. We’ve been asking about this all week, and nobody out there is satisfied, least of all us, with this government’s answers.", "You don’t need to wait for a coroner’s inquest to start right now to make sure that kids don’t die at school. So my question back to the Premier is, what changes will this government be making today to ensure that no other parent has to go through what Landyn’s mom, Brenda, is going through right now?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "Minister of Education." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Stephen Lecce", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, we’re dealing with the loss of a child, a tragedy, and I would urge the member opposite to allow an independent, fulsome investigation to get under way and to resist the inclination of trying to exploit this opportunity. Because there is an investigation under way, and in order to ensure the integrity of that investigation, we should all stand by with the assurance that we will work together to protect children within our schools.", "The school board in question, as required by the province, has a plan of care. They actually have a plan for any child with medical conditions. They are required to implement it. This year, to the member’s question of what’s new, we added an investment specifically to deal with consistent training of our staff when we’re talking about children that have these issues. We’ve developed training modules and new investments put out this year to help those very children in our schools." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The final supplementary." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Marit Stiles", "text": [ "This was a preventable tragedy. This is not about political games; this is about political choices. This is about political choices.", "The minister hasn’t even said Landyn’s name. He is not a data point; he was a child and he was Brenda’s child.", "1110", "There is a theme here of a government that is cutting funding and programs that support children. We used to have a children’s advocate in this province until this government got rid of him. Families have been coming here to this place for the last six years warning about the risks and the consequences of this government’s choices.", "I want to ask the Premier: Will he contradict his minister and agree that you do not need to wait for a coroner’s inquest to do right by Landyn and other kids like him?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Stephen Lecce", "text": [ "When dealing with a tragedy of a child, the responsibility of government and Parliament is to make sure that there is an independent, fulsome investigation, which the coroner of Ontario is leading, supported by the OPP. That young man, Landyn, has every right and deserves this investigation for his family and for his mother.", "That’s why, to the member’s question of what is new, this government stepped up with an investment that took effect this year, specifically to deal with the consistent training of our staff with respect to children that require a plan of care. Every school board is required to have that.", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Hamilton Mountain, please come to order." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Stephen Lecce", "text": [ "And this year, we added an investment in addition to the 3,500 EAs and the new funding and the increase in spec ed. This specific year, there is a $250,000 investment to develop training modules, develop the Ontario physical health and education association to ensure consistent application of these policies and the safety of our children.", "I would hope the members opposite would allow that investigation to take place without the inclination of trying to exploit it for their own political—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order. Order." ] }, { "speaker": "Miss Monique Taylor", "text": [ "Shame on you." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Sol Mamakwa", "text": [ "Speaker, this year’s Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario survey reveals high levels of violence in our schools: 77% of their members have experienced violence in the classroom.", "It’s worse in the north. The wait-lists are up to 24 months to access mental health supports. Some students must travel four to eight hours to access service.", "Will the Premier commit today to addressing the student support deficiency in the north?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will take their seats.", "The Minister of Education." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Stephen Lecce", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, we appreciate the question from the member opposite. We know how important it is to access mental health services, particularly in remote parts of Ontario, for First Nation, Indigenous and Métis people.", "We have expanded the Rapid Response Northern School Teams, with an $800,000 expansion this specific year, to assist with respect to connecting access to mental health supports for families and communities, particularly for our children in the most remote parts of Ontario.", "We have stepped up with an overall investment in mental health. Because of the parliamentary assistant and the member from Burlington, we have expanded a mental health module developed by SickKids in school mental health. We also have ensured there is culturally responsive mental health services for Indigenous peoples.", "We will continue to work with the member opposite and all members to ensure the safety of those in the most remote parts of Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Sol Mamakwa", "text": [ "The fact of the matter is, we are still waiting four to eight hours to access those services. The education in the north is in deep trouble.", "Teachers working in Kiiwetinoong school boards recently told me that the classrooms get evacuated so often because of violence that the students are desensitized. Class sizes and wait-lists for support have only increased under this Premier.", "Will the minister commit to increasing the per-student funding for students in the north?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "And to reply, the Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Greg Rickford", "text": [ "I appreciate the advocacy of the member from Kiiwetinoong and the Minister of Education and, frankly, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, who collectively have worked with us to build a very effective partnership with Nishnawbe Aski Nation. We recently committed $2.6 million in funding to support a number of activities to ensure that children in school, especially from the Far North, get the mental health supports that they need.", "Part of that funding went to Keewaytinook Okimakanak to lead the NAN Hope program that provides community-driven, culturally appropriate services for young people in crisis. Other supports included students who have come from the isolated communities to places like Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay and ensuring, whether it’s crisis teams or just partnering with a mentor, they have the resources in those schools for mental health supports.", "Of course, to the member’s question about the immediacy of support, especially for youth in crisis, part of those resources was dedicated to make sure that Nishnawbe Aski Nation as an organization had the vehicles necessary to get to locations to meet students coming from the north or in cities—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Brampton North." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, gosh, Mr. Speaker, you look great today.", "My question is for the Minister of Energy. I don’t need any political spin; I want a straight answer. My question is: At a time when inflation and the cost of living continue to rise, the federal government has decided to further burden Ontarians and hike the carbon tax by 23%. Time and again, the federal Liberals and their buddies in the Ontario Liberal Party, led by the carbon tax queen herself, Bonnie Crombie, have continued to put failed policies that show a lack of empathy for Ontarians who are struggling with the cost of gas, groceries and heating their homes.", "When the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Crombie, was mayor of Mississauga, she hiked taxes, just like her federal buddies are doing now. Ontarians cannot afford this Liberal tax grab. The carbon tax must come to an end.", "With summer quickly approaching, could the Minister of Energy please explain how the carbon tax continues to affect—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Minister of Energy." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd Smith", "text": [ "The spin stops here. We are now in full force in our farming season in Ontario. The farmers are out there, and that includes, in my riding, the grape growers, those great wineries like Huff Estates and Rosehall Run and Sandbanks that we all enjoy. They’re out there producing great Prince Edward county wines.", "Since day one, our government has been focused on bringing costs down. Even in our recent budget, the Minister of Finance cut the wine tax by 6.1%, a great step. We’ve also focused on cutting energy costs, and that’s a break of 10.7 cents a litre at the pumps.", "Not only are our farmers out there in the field every day, but they need to get their products to market. The Grape Growers of Ontario, with a group of farm organizations not too long ago, with the Premier and agriculture minister, said that they just can’t survive the federal carbon tax supported by our provincial Liberals, NDP and the Green Party." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "I want to thank the minister for his response. The hard-working men and women in my riding of Brampton North and across the province want an immediate end to the carbon tax.", "The queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, knew well when she was mayor of Mississauga the cost of the carbon tax, particularly on public safety. The carbon tax costs a police car $6,500 per year; for a fire truck, $15,000 per year. We haven’t done the numbers, but I imagine the carbon tax is pretty pricey for private jets as well.", "All parties in this Legislature, including the Ontario Liberals, including the NDP, should be calling on the federal government to abolish this punitive tax. Instead, the opposition NDP and the independent Liberals, led by the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Crombie, are choosing to do nothing. Ontarians deserve better. That’s why our government will continue to fight this disastrous tax until it is scrapped for good.", "Can the minister explain what our government is doing to stand up against the carbon tax and put money back into Ontarians’ pockets?", "1120" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd Smith", "text": [ "We’ve cut the gas tax, as I mentioned, by 10.7 cents a litre. We’re reducing fees: One Fare for transit riders right across the GTHA. We’ve cut licence plate sticker fees. We’ve cut the Drive Clean program that was just a grab—oh, my goodness; it was driving up the price for everyone. We brought in all of these accomplishments, and more, for the people of Ontario. But the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, and Gang Green here and the NDP, they’re in full support of Prime Minister Trudeau’s federal carbon tax, which is driving up the cost of everything, from the pumps to home heating to groceries that we buy every day.", "We’ve taken a different approach. We’re continuing to build on our clean energy system that we have in Ontario. As a result, we’re seeing multi-billion-dollar investments in our province. The 300,000 jobs that left under their watch? Seven-hundred thousand of them have come back to Ontario.", "Our economy is thriving. We can do this without a costly carbon tax, Mr. Speaker." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "This week, Canadians are celebrating the introduction of universal pharmacare. A big part of this commitment includes access to contraception. This will make a huge difference to realizing reproductive health and equity for women, queer, trans and non-binary people. We can make it easier for people to plan their pregnancies and improve maternal and child health care outcomes. We could eliminate the cost burden for these communities at a time when cost of living is becoming unbearable. But this government is refusing to make this happen.", "My question is to the Premier: How long will Ontarians have to wait for this Ontario government to commit to universal pharmacare?", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "Deputy Premier and Minister of Health." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "Frankly, we’re still trying to figure out when the federal government is going to share their plans.", "We have been in the pharmacare space in Ontario for many, many decades; the member opposite would know this. We have OHIP+—25-and-under individuals who have access to free pharmaceuticals. We have a seniors-plus program. We have a Trillium drug plan program. We have ensured that we fill those gaps where we see the need in our community, and we’ll continue to do that.", "I think if the member opposite would like to be of assistance, she could actually talk to the federal NDP and say, “Why are you supporting a program that has no details and no benefits?”" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "This government has no plan. They keep passing the buck.", "But anyway, back to the Premier: This government is playing political games with people’s health. They don’t care about the health and safety of women, queer, trans and non-binary people. Just ask them. If they did, they would understand the urgency of bringing no-cost contraception to Ontarians. They’re ignoring the problem, just like you’ve done with $10-a-day childcare.", "This government has shown community members and their families their well-being is not their priority. Ontarians deserve better. So I’m going back to the Premier: When will this government start prioritizing the things that actually matter to Ontarians, stop playing political games and stop prioritizing beer and wine? Prioritize the people.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "Minister of Health." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "Respectfully, Speaker, that’s bunk. Where were the NDP when we announced in Peel region a Peel Black Health and Social Services Hub? Nowhere; nothing. They don’t care. They don’t talk about it because they see that we are making the investments. We will continue to.", "Speaker, earlier this morning, I had an opportunity to talk to over 600 providers who are working in community health centres doing the work that this member is, frankly, dismissing. We will continue to make those investments, because we see that when we work with people, when we work with communities, when we make those investments, that’s when you see a difference—not when the NDP members spew facts that, frankly, have no reality." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Andrew Dowie", "text": [ "It’s always a great day when Percy Hatfield is in our presence, so welcome.", "Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, or as I dub him, the minister for green automotive production, Windsor-Essex.", "The carbon tax is hurting businesses and families back home and right across the province. As the Premier has repeatedly said, it is truly the worst tax. It is an inflationary tax that penalizes the hard-working men and women who are the backbone of our economy.", "Ontario is home to a wealth of skilled workers in key sectors that will be vital to the province’s economic success and prosperity in the years to come. The last thing a government should be doing is hiking taxes on workers and chasing them away.", "Speaker, can the minister please explain what he is hearing from companies and workers about the carbon tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Victor Fedeli", "text": [ "Speaker, we just returned from the BIO International Convention to promote Ontario’s thriving life sciences ecosystem. We talked about companies around the globe, and they’re intrigued by how rapidly Ontario life science is continuing to grow.", "Ontario has the best talent pool with over 70,000 STEM grads annually coming out of our renowned post-secondary institutions. We want those workers to stay here in Ontario and succeed, which is why we’ve taken action to lower taxes, so they can keep more of what they earn.", "But with the Liberal carbon tax, the federal government is moving in the opposite direction. They’re making life less affordable and risking the progress that we have made, Speaker. We need them to come around. Follow our lead. Scrap the carbon tax today." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Andrew Dowie", "text": [ "Truly, the people of Ontario want a government who will stand up for them and work to make their life more affordable, not more expensive.", "They had a clear choice in the by-elections in Milton and Lambton–Kent–Middlesex. Certainly, knocking on those doors, I received that message loud and clear. They could vote for our government, who will always have their backs and fight to keep costs down, or they could vote for the Liberals and NDP, who endorse the carbon tax and will never stand up to their federal cousins in Ottawa. It’s no shock that they chose to elect two excellent, new PC MPPs, who are already important members of our government, as we fight against unnecessary Liberal tax hikes.", "Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on why Liberals need to scrap their carbon tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Victor Fedeli", "text": [ "Speaker, when businesses are choosing where to invest and expand, they look for jurisdictions with lower costs. That’s why, under the previous Liberal government, we saw businesses looking outside of Ontario.", "The Liberals put up mountains of red tape. They hiked tax after tax after tax and they scared businesses away: 300,000 manufacturing jobs fled the province and key industries were on the brink of collapse. And now, the federal Liberals are trying to do this all over again with their carbon tax.", "We need the Liberals to reverse course. Speaker, we ask them: Listen to the hard-working people and businesses in Ontario. Scrap the carbon tax today." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Terence Kernaghan", "text": [ "Speaker, when people have the courage to reach out for mental health help, there must be someone there to listen and guide them to proper services.", "When Amanda called a 24/7 hotline, and despite the receptionist exclaiming, “Wow, that’s a lot,” there was no one Amanda could talk to in that moment.", "Children’s mental health wait-lists are years long. Students aren’t getting any mental health supports in schools. There are just so many other areas where this government can’t get their act together.", "Why is this government underfunding CMHA and disregarding their wise funding requests in budget 2024?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael A. Tibollo", "text": [ "I’m not aware of there being issues with respect to funding CMHA. As a matter of fact, we spend a great deal of money working with CMHA to provide the great services they do throughout the province of Ontario.", "In fact, we partner up with them in many of the services that are being provided. Whether it’s the mobile crisis response teams, whether it’s providing the supports and services in our children and youth sector, whether it’s in the youth wellness hubs, whether it’s their centres where they’re dealing with crisis, whether it’s in the crisis centres that they’re operating for us around the centre, we are investing. And this government continues to invest in building a continuum of care that’s based in all the communities, so that the supports and services are provided close to home to individuals.", "1130", "The government has made incredible investments—over $500 million a year—to build this system, and it’s continuing to build the system, notwithstanding the neglect of the past government, supported by the NDP. The government is making investments and creating that continuum of care, and it is making a real difference, thanks to the partnerships—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you very much.", "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Terence Kernaghan", "text": [ "Speaker, the minister says this government is building, and we are here to say that this government needs to build faster.", "It seems to me that there’s more interest from this government in billion-dollar buck-a-beer—while London’s mobile crisis response COAST program is not funded at all by this government.", "Mental health funding isn’t making it to people when and where they need it. People like Amanda deserve to get supports in times of need.", "When will this government admit they’re failing when it comes to addressing the mental health needs of Ontarians?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael A. Tibollo", "text": [ "Again, I’m surprised that that would be a comment coming—that we’re failing. If you look at what we inherited from the past government and the investments that we’re making, building a system that did not exist in the past, one of the things you should be saying is the accolades that we should be getting for the work that we’re doing. To build a system, you don’t do it overnight. The investments we’re making are sizable, given the fact that we are making significant changes throughout the system, not just in providing the supports and services that are desperately needed throughout the province, but also trying to reduce the demand and the needs for those services by investing in innovation, like youth wellness hubs—27 of them, to be exact—throughout the province of Ontario. Making upstream investments will ensure that in the future the services that are being developed today are going to be sized to the needs of the province.", "That’s what this government is doing. It’s focused and will continue to build a system of care for everyone in the province." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Stephen Blais", "text": [ "My question is for the Premier.", "Mr. Speaker, over the years, I’ve received numerous emails, phone calls and letters about the state of our education system. Recently, Catholic teachers reached out to articulate concerns about the teacher shortage, the billions in repair backlog, and the lack of per pupil funding. But what I’ve rarely been asked about is greater access to the sale of beer and wine.", "I don’t mind selling beer and wine at the corner store, but as a fiscal conservative, I do mind the billion-dollar price tag that comes along with it. I wonder how this government is going to make up the billion-dollar shortfall, already having ballooned the provincial debt by nearly $100 billion. Taking on more debt is not a fiscally responsible approach.", "My question: To avoid taking on massive amounts of new debt, why won’t this government auction licences to sell alcohol and beer, like Conservative governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and use that money to better fund our education system?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The Minister of Finance." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite is really saying is that what their party would do is they would increase the taxes and the fees on the consumers and the small businesses of Ontario. Is that the right thing to do? I don’t think so.", "We heard from people, we heard from businesses, and they want to stimulate the economic activity of Ontario. The convenience store association said this will create thousands of jobs. The grape growers, the wine growers, the craft brewers, the cideries across Ontario—this is good for Ontario.", "I don’t know what the member opposite has against Ontario businesses. I don’t know why the member opposite would want to increase fees and taxes.", "This is a government that cuts fees and taxes.", "We’ll update the numbers this fall, for sure.", "I’ll remind the member opposite, this member’s party also increased the debt to the highest subnational debt in the world. Their government got downgraded—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order.", "The supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Stephen Blais", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, with $100 billion added to the debt, it is still the highest subnational debt in the world, under this Conservative government, so much so I actually think he’s applying to run for Justin Trudeau in the next election, not Mr. Poilievre. This government is so fixated on beer and wine and booze that health care is an afterthought.", "How can they justify two million Ontarians going without a family doctor? Imagine, Mr. Speaker, every resident of the combined cities of Ottawa, Windsor, London, Kingston and Guelph—no family doctor.", "Is the price tag of a billion dollars really worth the opportunity to go buy a six-pack at the corner store? Is that really what’s going to solve our problems? How about a billion dollars to reduce the surgical backlog that a quarter-million Ontarians are facing?", "Auctioning the licences like true conservative governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan have done would raise hundreds of millions of dollars, money that could be invested—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Minister of Finance." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, did that member opposite vote for or against cutting the gas tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Interjections", "text": [ "Against." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, did that member opposite and their party vote for or against the budget?" ] }, { "speaker": "Interjections", "text": [ "Against." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "But one thing they did do: When they were in power, they got downgraded by the credit rating agency DBRS. And guess which government has a positive credit watch, not just from DBRS, not just from Moody’s, but also S&P? It’s this government that’s lowering the borrowing costs for the people of Ontario.", "In fact, that’s reversing the trend. It took 15 years to bury this province. It’s taken us six short years to turn the economy around.", "As my colleague here says, 300,000 tail lights leaving Ontario, 700,000 headlights bringing jobs back in Ontario.", "This just never occurred to the member opposite, that you can be fiscally responsible—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you very much.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Sheref Sabawy", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. The Liberal carbon tax is driving up the cost of everyday essentials and making life unaffordable for Ontarians. With summer fast approaching, many families are looking forward to taking some time off and exploring our province with their loved ones, but the carbon tax continues to wreak havoc on our economy, including our cherished and world-class tourism sector.", "Just last week, Bonnie Crombie’s federal cousins suggested that the cost of a family road trip is akin to letting the planet burn. It is shocking to hear how out of touch the Liberals are with Ontario families.", "Speaker, could the minister please tell the House how the federal Liberal carbon tax is impacting summer plans for Ontarians?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The parliamentary assistant, member for Niagara West." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Sam Oosterhoff", "text": [ "I want to thank the member for Mississauga–Erin Mills for his leadership on ensuring that we have a strong tourism sector here in the province of Ontario.", "But I have to tell you, Speaker, when I heard that the Liberal members of Parliament were saying that people shouldn’t be going on road trips this summer, my jaw hit the floor. And I’ll tell you right now, when we talk to the people of Ontario, we know that they want to get out there, and they want to hit the road, but I’m thinking that right now the federal Liberals should be hitting the road, too, because when you look at the fact that we have a long tradition here in Ontario of people being able to get out and enjoy small towns and big cities across this province, whether you’re going up to Kenora, whether you’re stopping by Lanark county, whether you’re visiting Kingsville, we know that the people of Ontario have the right to be able to enjoy those opportunities.", "We, unlike the federal Liberals, believe in the rights of the people of Ontario to go out, enjoy a road trip and ensure that they’re spending a little bit of money on the road as well to support our local businesses. So we’re going to continue to cut costs for those families and encourage them to be able to get out, make a road trip.", "Come down to Niagara. We’d love to have you." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Sheref Sabawy", "text": [ "Thank you to the parliamentary secretary for the response. The Liberal carbon tax is hurting people in my riding of Mississauga–Erin Mills and across Ontario. It is driving up inflation and increasing the cost of everything.", "Speaker, it’s perplexing how the Liberals and NDP can ignore the heavy burden the carbon tax puts on families. Every day, we hear more about how people are struggling with the increasing cost of basic necessities. Parents taking their kids to hockey practice or on a road trip are now paying more at the gas pump. That’s not right. Ontarians deserve to enjoy the summer season with their loved ones and explore our province without worrying about extra costs.", "1140", "Speaker, could the parliamentary assistant please explain to the House what our government is doing to get people on the road and support summer tourism?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Sam Oosterhoff", "text": [ "I think that the member opposite really spoke very eloquently about the benefits of the people of Ontario getting out and enjoying some of the incredible sights and attractions that this province has to offer.", "We know that unlike the federal government, our government is not penalizing those who want to have a summer vacation or who want to spend a few days on the road. We’re actually encouraging that. We’re encouraging those people who have the opportunity to get out and visit small towns, spend a few bucks on a nice meal, take their family out for a visit to the beach, and maybe visit one of the sights, sounds and small businesses that make up this beautiful province.", "So what we’ve done is taken a different approach. We’ve actually cut the gas tax. We’ve cut licence plate sticker fees, because we know that the majority of the people of this province are drivers and we want to encourage them to be able to enjoy every single corner of this province. And it’s not only that; it’s the millions of dollars that we’ve devoted to the Experience Ontario program, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, our Sport Hosting Program. In so many ways, we are ensuring that the people of this province have the opportunity to enjoy every square inch of this beautiful province, and we’ll—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you very much." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MmeFrance Gélinas", "text": [ "Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé. Today, paramedics and dispatchers from Thunder Bay to Kingston and all across our province have come to Queen’s Park to share with us legislators the challenges they are facing on the front line of emergency care here in Ontario.", "All political parties are sending representatives, but a month after the invitations were sent, only one representative from Mr. Ford’s government is confirmed to attend. Will the minister accept the paramedics’ invitation and join them any time between 1 and 3 this afternoon right here at Queen’s Park?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "You know, I hope as you do the round table with the paramedics, you are able to highlight some of the incredible investments that we’ve been able to do, working with our community paramedicine.", "When we do 911 models of care where we ensure that patients voluntarily can be diverted to other places to get service in community, it is actually working directly with paramedics and paramedic organizations. When we do the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program, embedding individuals paid 100% by the province of Ontario to ensure that paramedics could get back out into community faster, it’s as a result of conversations that we have had with paramedics and their organizations.", "We’ll continue to listen and respond to their input. We have done that since 2018. And I have to say that paramedics have stepped up every step of the way to ensure—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "MmeFrance Gélinas", "text": [ "The paramedics have set quite the straightforward agenda. These front-line workers want to talk to us about the mental health challenges that they face and the education barriers with the preceptorship. They want to talk about practice standards and, of course, staffing.", "The paramedics are not just bringing concerns from the front line; they have solutions to offer. They need the ears of decision-makers like yourself, the minister; like your parliamentary assistant; like your ADM for emergency services, who were all invited to attend.", "Minister, paramedics want to know: Will you come today and listen to the concerns of the people who answer the call and help us often on the worst day of our life?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "Perhaps the member opposite has not been paying attention as we invest and increase paramedic opportunities for training in northern Ontario, expanding them and including them into the Learn and Stay program, where their tuition and books are covered as they agree to practise and continue their service in parts of the province that are underserviced.", "We have done a lot of work with community paramedicine. I have seen first-hand how it impacts our communities, particularly our seniors, who are staying at home and have more confidence because they have that community paramedicine program.", "We’ll continue to do this work; we’ll continue to invest. Of course, we are a 50-50 per cent partner with our municipal partners and paramedic services, and we will continue to do that." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "If I had a billion dollars", "If I had a billion dollars", "Well, I’d buy you a house", "I would buy you a fourplex in this housing crisis", "And if I had a billion dollars", "If I had a billion dollars", "I’d buy equipment for your house", "Maybe a nice heat pump with a rebate!", "", "But, seriously, Mr. Speaker, how can this government possibly think getting booze in convenience stores one year early would be a priority for Ontarians in an affordability crisis, in a housing crisis, in a health care crisis, in a climate emergency?", "My question to the Premier: Are you that nervous about the next election that you have to resort to games and gimmicks?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The Minister of Finance." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, through you, thank you for the question from the member opposite. Colleagues, do you know why we’re here? It’s her party that signed one of the worst contracts in the history of the province: a 10-year monopoly, a 10-year bad contract.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "I see the member is agreeing with that.", "Let’s take a look at what this is going to do for our economy, because clearly the economy is paramount on this side of the House—economic prosperity, good jobs for people. The study from the Convenience Industry Council of Canada projects 7,000 to 7,500 new jobs in Ontario and $165 million to invest in convenience stores. The study also estimates up to $213 million in new annual tax revenues, 69% of which will go to the province." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon", "text": [ "If this government is looking for areas to spend money, I have a good list for things in Beaches East–York:", "—a new Secord public school, which I talked to you about last week—they’ve been waiting forever;", "—funding for Michael Garron’s redevelopment—hospitals aren’t that important these days, are they;", "—cooling systems for our schools with extreme heat upon us;", "—operational costs for TTC;", "—family doctors for everyone;", "—more affordable housing, especially assisted living.", "If I had a billion dollars, I would invest in Ontario.", "My question, through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Premier: Why are you spending a billion dollars on booze? Why are your priorities so skewed?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy", "text": [ "I’m going to correct the member opposite, Mr. Speaker: We’re not spending $1 billion; we’re spending $200 billion on health care, on education and on social services. I’m going to correct the member opposite: We’re investing $190 billion on capital over the next 10 years to build hospitals, to build schools, to build long-term care, to build highways and to build transit. No government has ever spent that kind of money to invest. You know why? Because we are investing in the future. We’re making up for the time that the previous Liberal government didn’t get it done.", "This government has the priorities of the people of Ontario. We’re building the economy, we’re building the infrastructure and we’re supporting the workers in this great province to get it done." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Stephen Crawford", "text": [ "My question is for the Associate Minister of Housing. All Ontarians deserve to find a home that best meets their needs and budget. The previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, failed to plan ahead for the future needs of Ontarians, and now the provincial Liberals are supporting a tax that is only pushing Ontario families further away from their dream of home ownership. This is simply unacceptable. Our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, remains laser-focused on getting more homes built faster and helping more Ontarians find affordable housing, and we are doing it as we continue to fight against the costly carbon tax.", "1150", "Can the associate minister tell the House how our government is working to build the homes that Ontario families need, despite the federal carbon tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Rob Flack", "text": [ "Thanks very much, Speaker, to the member from Oakville. Always good to hear from him.", "Our housing crisis is only made worse because of the federal carbon tax—and this government has delivered to offset it. We delivered $1 billion in the last provincial budget to enable housing. We delivered $1.2 billion in the Building Faster Fund and are seeing tangible results. We delivered the elimination of the HST on purpose-built rentals. And we delivered unprecedented reductions in red tape to make shovels in the ground happen faster.", "Speaker, we are supporting community home builders—unlike the carbon tax coalition opposite, led by Bonnie Crombie. They are not supporting community home builders and frankly, Speaker, they are taxing the dream of home ownership out of the reach of all Canadians." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The supplementary question." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Stephen Crawford", "text": [ "Thank you to the associate minister for that response. Young families should not have to struggle to pay for a down payment. Seniors on fixed incomes should not have to worry about being displaced. Everyone in Ontario deserves to have a place to live that meets their needs and their budget, and the Liberals are making it more and more unaffordable by supporting that carbon tax. It is essential for all governments to provide real solutions in addressing the housing and affordability crisis. Unfortunately, our government is fighting this battle alone.", "Can the associate minister please explain why the Liberals and NDP must join us in calling for an end to the carbon tax and making housing more affordable again?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Rob Flack", "text": [ "As we all know, the federal carbon tax has always been a burden for Canadian home builders. It’s inflationary and it’s punitive. In fact, the Bank of Canada governor last year stated that, of total inflation, the carbon tax contributed 16%. That means higher interest rates for families and higher mortgage rates, and it also means higher capital costs for community home builders. It means all costs related to building a house go up. It’s wrong, and what makes it worse is the compounding nature of this carbon tax.", "The cost of living is hurting all Ontarians and hurting Canadians. If the federal government really wants to help Ontarians, I think the carbon tax coalition next door should understand that the carbon tax in this province is wrong, and most importantly, Bonnie Crombie and the coalition is wrong on housing, wrong on the carbon tax and, frankly, wrong for all Ontarians." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Miss Monique Taylor", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.", "The Financial Accountability Office released a report this morning which projects the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services has allocated $3.7 billion less than what was needed in program spending from 2024 to 2026-27. The ministry is responsible for everything from funding developmental services, child protection, Ontario Works, ODSP payments, the autism funding and much more—all of the programs which are required to serve and support vulnerable Ontarians.", "Can the minister explain why there is a $3.7-billion shortfall?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael Parsa", "text": [ "I thank my colleague for the question.", "As I’ve said it many times here in this House, the FAO opinions are not representative of actual government spending, as the FAO uses different methodology. I’d be more than happy to share some facts and some numbers with my colleagues across. The funding for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services increased by $600 million this year. Last year, the funding for this ministry increased by $900 million. The year before that, the funding for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services increased by $1.2 billion. So, I’d be more than happy to share some facts.", "My honourable colleagues talk about developmental services. Mr. Speaker, it’s this government that is providing more than $1 billion for developmental services across the system, something the previous government didn’t do, that the NDP supported along the way.", "When we say we’re not going to leave anyone behind—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "Supplementary question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Miss Monique Taylor", "text": [ "I will take the Financial Accountability Officer’s word over this minister any day.", "Speaker, $3.7 billion is a huge shortfall for programs that literally keep some of Ontario’s most vulnerable populations alive. The FAO projects that $120 million announced this year in autism funding is one-time funding and that that budget will continue to be $600 million year over year. That would only be enough to enrol 10,000 kids in core clinical services, not even close to the 20,000 that the minister’s binder suggests.", "With 60,000 and growing waiting for autism services, does the minister think that this is going to be enough?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael Parsa", "text": [ "Again, I thank my honourable colleague for the question. When it comes to the Ontario Autism Program, I’ll tell you one thing, Mr. Speaker: After the previous government, supported by the NDP, failed the people of this province, it was this government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, that said we’re not going to stand with the status quo. This program that we have in place now is built by the community for the community.", "Mr. Speaker, when it comes to funding, the member struggles and the opposition struggles with often—", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Order. The member for Hamilton Mountain, come to order." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael Parsa", "text": [ "We’ve seen that before.", "We doubled the funding of the Ontario Autism Program. We added another $60 million to the program. This year, Mr. Speaker, we added $120 million to the $600 million, bringing our total to $720 million. What does that mean, Mr. Speaker? Instead of the 8,500 families who were receiving services and supports before, now more than 40,000 families are receiving supports and services—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Thank you.", "The next question." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Dave Smith", "text": [ "My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development. The Liberal carbon tax is harmful to every single person in this province. It does nothing for the environment, and it only punishes the people of Ontario with higher costs for daily necessities. Families in the north are especially affected by this regressive tax as they already pay more for groceries and for fuel.", "Speaker, the opposition NDP and the independent Liberals have an opportunity to advocate on behalf of the residents of northern Ontario. But rather than joining with our government and calling on the federal Liberals to terminate the carbon tax, they prefer to sit in their seats and watch this tax increase time and time again. That is not what the people of Ontario want or deserve.", "Speaker, can the minister please tell the House why northern communities cannot afford the federal carbon tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Greg Rickford", "text": [ "Here’s the thing, Mr. Speaker: It’s summertime. I know I can’t wait to get back to Lake of the Woods. But with over 500 seasonal lodges, outfitting camps and campgrounds, of which I know there are quite a few in the member’s—as he likes to say—God’s country, Peterborough–Kawartha, families are going to make some tough choices. I was talking to one of my neighbours the other day, and I said, “Now, where are you going to take that big trailer this year?” Every summer, he just kind of spins the campground wheel and takes his family somewhere in another part of northern Ontario.", "He said this year—do you know where he’s going, colleagues, through you, Mr. Speaker? Camp Backyard. Yes, it’s a campground in his backyard. He’s just going to open the trailer there because he can’t afford to hitch that thing up to his pickup truck and go and spend some money in another part of northern Ontario.", "Clearly, outfitters, lodge owners, campground owners and families in the thousands who just want to explore our vast and beautiful region are saying one thing: Scrap the tax." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Supplementary?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Dave Smith", "text": [ "Thank you to the minister for that response. While the Liberal members in this Legislature believe that Ontario stands to benefit from more taxes, the reality couldn’t be more different. Residents in the north who already struggle to pay their bills are now being forced to pay more for food and for fuel. With the weather warming up, it’s just not fair that families have to cancel their summer plans because they’re stretched at the pocketbook.", "Speaker, Ontarians need more relief, not a 23% tax hike on the carbon tax. The federal Liberals and their provincial counterparts need to do the right thing and get rid of the carbon tax immediately.", "Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on why the Liberals need to scrap their carbon tax?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Greg Rickford", "text": [ "Well, let’s start here, Mr. Speaker: When seven out of 10 Canadians oppose the carbon tax—from myriad polls, Mr. Speaker; when the Parliamentary Budget Officer says, “Not so fast, king of the carbon tax,” and he says that this is going to cost families up to $1,000 more—and this message, through you, to Mr. Green, because it’s time to come clean, after the rebate which he loves so much—we’ve got a problem here.", "All I can tell you is that the carbon tax royalty is beginning to abdicate their throne, except for one exception: The queen of the carbon tax chooses to be a buttinsky. Not only is she interested in keeping the carbon tax alive, she has a history of raising other taxes.", "Listen to the voice of seven out of 10 Canadians and the Parliamentary Budget Officer, if no one else, and scrap this tax." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "That concludes our question period for this morning.", "I’m going to ask the Minister of Health to withdraw an unparliamentary comment that was made earlier during question period." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "I withdraw." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.", "The division bells rang from 1201 to 1206." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Members will please take their seats.", "On June 3, 2024, Mr. Calandra moved third reading of Bill 185, An Act to amend various Acts.", "On June 4, 2024, Ms. Khanjin moved that the question be now put.", "All those in favour of Ms. Khanjin’s motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "All those opposed to Ms. Khanjin’s motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day)", "text": [ "The ayes are 68; the nays are 39." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I declare the motion carried.", "Mr. Calandra has moved third reading of Bill 185, An Act to amend various Acts. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard some noes.", "All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”", "All those opposed will please say “nay.”", "In my opinion, the ayes have it.", "Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.", "The division bells rang from 1210 to 1211." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "On June 3, 2024, Mr. Calandra moved third reading of Bill 185, An Act to amend various Acts. All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "All those opposed to the motion, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day)", "text": [ "The ayes are 68; the nays are 39." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I declare the motion carried.", "Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.", "Third reading agreed to." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.", "The division bells rang from 1215 to 1216." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "On June 4, 2024, la députée Gélinas moved second reading of Bill 192, An Act to amend the Health Protection and Promotion Act with respect to maximum patient-to-nurse ratios.", "All those in favour will please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "All those opposed will please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk." ] }, { "speaker": "The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day)", "text": [ "The ayes are 39; the nays are 68." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I declare the motion lost.", "Second reading negatived." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Two members have informed me they have points of order they wish to raise.", "The member for Parkdale–High Park." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Bhutila Karpoche", "text": [ "On behalf of the Tibetan Women’s Association of Ontario, I’d like to invite all members to a lunch reception in rooms 228 and 230 starting now." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The member for Ottawa South has a point of order." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Fraser", "text": [ "Yes, Speaker, a point of order: I’d like to correct my record. In my question on Monday, I inadvertently said that the government had increased the provincial debt by $100 million. I meant to say $100 billion, which is historic, but not in a good way." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "It is in order to correct your record." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "The next point of order, the member for Toronto–St. Paul’s." ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "I just wanted to express congratulations for Mark Stoddart, who is not only a friend of our Ontario Poet Laureate, but was also a recipient, if I’m not mistaken, this year of the Scarborough Walk of Fame award." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Point of order, the member for Nickel Belt." ] }, { "speaker": "MmeFrance Gélinas", "text": [ "I’m just inviting everybody who would like to listen or talk to paramedics, they are in room 351 from 1 till 3 this afternoon. Everyone is welcome." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "There being no further business at this time, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.", "The House recessed from 1220 to 1300." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Would the member briefly like to explain his bill?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Jeff Burch", "text": [ "The Municipal Accountability and Integrity Act, 2024, if passed, will ensure that municipally elected officials who perpetrate violence, harassment and predatory behaviour are finally held accountable and are no longer able to evade justice through long-standing loopholes.", "Among other things, it will establish a common framework for codes of conduct across Ontario; it will require the minister to establish a board of integrity commissioners under the commissioner of Ontario and establish standards for selection and training; and it will allow the commissioner to make an application for judicial review to vacate a member’s seat in the case of egregious contraventions of the code of conduct." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Would the member for Ottawa South like to briefly explain his bill?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. John Fraser", "text": [ "The Sacred Spaces, Safe Places Act is modelled after the bubble zone legislation that we have for abortion clinics. What it really does is prevent harassment and intimidation of people when they’re simply going to practise their faith, where they’re vulnerable. It’s something I’d like to work with everyone in this assembly on. I think there’s more to do.", "I appreciate the time to say a few words." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "First reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Would the member like to briefly explain her bill?" ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Andrea Hazell", "text": [ "The bill proclaims the month of April in each year as Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice Month.", "Mr. Speaker, Black mothers face worse maternal health outcomes than mothers in other groups. Black women are approximately three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than a white woman. This is not only a policy failure but a moral failure.", "Proclaiming April as Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice Month raises awareness of the challenges faced by Black women in accessing adequate maternal health care. These challenges include lack of data collection on health risks, instances of medical racism and the absence of tailored support for Black women. By acknowledging these unique challenges, the well-being of Black mothers becomes a focus of our health care system, taking the first step in ensuring we move towards better protecting Black mothers in Ontario." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Trevor Jones", "text": [ "I move that the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be authorized to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures in Louisville, Kentucky, from August 4 to August 7, 2024." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "Motion agreed to." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Trevor Jones", "text": [ "Mr. Speaker, I move that the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be authorized to travel outside of Ontario during the 2024 summer adjournment." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "Motion agreed to." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Trevor Jones", "text": [ "I move that the Standing Committee on Justice Policy be authorized to meet at the call of the Chair during the summer 2024 adjournment of the House in relation to its study on intimate partner violence." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "Motion agreed to.", "1310" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "This petition was delivered to me by Sally Palmer, who is the chair of the Hamilton Social Work Action Committee. It calls out the failure of the ODSP and OW rates and calls for these rates to be doubled in the province of Ontario so that we do not have legislated poverty in this province." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "This petition is entitled “Endometriosis Awareness Action.” It’s got hundreds of signatures, and it’s calling for this government to recognize endometriosis as a disease that impacts women, especially BIPOC women. It is currently under-researched and underfunded.", "Some 2.4 million Ontarians do not have access to family doctors, and because of this, many women struggling with endometriosis are not able to access health care here in Ontario. Some have to travel to different countries and go broke paying out of pocket for care.", "This petition is demanding a response from the government to help survivors—endowarriors, people with endometriosis—to get the health care they deserve and be able to see specialists in Ontario now.", "I absolutely support this petition. I’m affixing my signature and handing it over to Ishan." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Bhutila Karpoche", "text": [ "There is a drug-poisoning crisis in Ontario, and that is resulting in the deaths of, on average, 10 people a day. In 2023, 3,753 people died needlessly—because these deaths are preventable.", "The government of Ontario has a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of all Ontarians. Part of that is to ensure that there are supervised consumption services available. These sites save lives, and they also are a gateway to supportive services, including addiction treatments, that we know this government is pushing hard on. But for folks to be able to get there, first they need to be alive. That can happen when supervised consumption services are provided.", "This petition is calling on the government to provide funding so that SCSs can reopen in Windsor and Sudbury, so that they can keep the site in Timmins open, to expedite the approval process for outstanding applications, and to ensure that every community that needs an SCS is able to have one.", "I fully support this petition." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "Farmland in the province of Ontario is under attack; we lose 319 acres a day.", "The agricultural sector contributes $48 billion in economic development to the province of Ontario.", "In Waterloo region, 770 acres of prime farmland are being designated for a large industrial site. The people of Wilmot have delivered hundreds, if not thousands, of signatures—and I want to thank them for that—calling on the provincial government to slow down the demise of our farmland in Ontario, and also calling on the regional government to not move forward with the forced expropriation of this prime agricultural land.", "I fully support the people of Wilmot and Waterloo region and, in doing so, will affix my signature and give it to page Hosanna." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Mike Schreiner", "text": [ "This petition was handed to me personally by Doris Grinspun of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario at a rally here at Queen’s Park.", "The petition notes that, due to the drug-poisoning crisis, about 10 people a day are tragically dying in the province of Ontario—3,753 needless deaths in 2023.", "Safe consumption sites save lives and open a gateway to treatment for people.", "The petition is calling on the Legislature to reopen safe consumption sites in Windsor and Sudbury, to provide funding to keep the site in Timmins open, and to provide funding for safe consumption sites in communities across Ontario. We have one of these sites in my riding of Guelph.", "I personally support the petition. I will sign it and ask page Sophia to bring it to the table." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Mr. Lorne Coe)", "text": [ "Before we continue with the petitions, I just would like to remind members that “a member may present a petition in the House during the afternoon,” as we are. “The member may make a brief statement summarizing the contents of the petition and indicating the number of signatures attached thereto but shall not read the text of the petition.”", "I have given some discretion earlier, but I would just like to remind the members of what we’ve agreed to do.", "Petitions?" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "We cannot police ourselves out of violence, and that also includes in our school spaces, so I’m honoured to stand here and present this petition. It’s a petition calling for the removal of police-in-school programs across Ontario. The petition has been signed by approximately 15 ridings in this Legislature. It’s calling for us to address the root causes of violence and to address the mental health crisis in our schools and the teacher and education worker shortage in our schools, as opposed to militarizing our schools, which, as we know, disproportionately impacts BIPOC students in our Ontario schools—" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Trevor Jones", "text": [ "Point of order, Speaker." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Mr. Lorne Coe)", "text": [ "Excuse me. We have a point of order.", "Deputy House leader?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Trevor Jones", "text": [ "Respectfully, the Speaker has just reminded this House and instructed our colleagues from both sides of the floor to please adhere to standing order 42(b), which does not include editorializing a petition or anything else. A quick summary, a brief summary, just as is done in Parliaments everywhere, the number of signatures—then be seated." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (Mr. Lorne Coe)", "text": [ "The member for Toronto–St. Paul’s, if you could just sum up, please, the petition—because you are straddling what I just said." ] }, { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "Thank you very much, Speaker.", "As I was saying, we cannot police ourselves out of violence, and that includes our schools. So I’m going to affix my signature on this petition that’s calling for us to make more investments in teachers, education workers and mental health supports for our kids instead of militarizing our schools. They are calling for a removal of police-in-school programs across Ontario.", "I absolutely support this petition. I am affixing my signature, and I will hand it over to Farhan for tabling." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Bhutila Karpoche", "text": [ "This petition is titled “Raise Social Assistance Rates.”", "The rates for Ontario Works have been frozen, and the small increases for ODSP, the Ontario Disability Support Program, leave recipients still struggling and well below the poverty line. So the petition here is calling on the Legislature to call on the government to double both Ontario Works and Ontario disability rates." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "This petition calls for greater mental health services in the province of Ontario. It has been inspired by Kaitlyn Roth, who died by suicide after seeking assistance from the system.", "Some 4,500 people die from suicide in Canada each day. These are preventable deaths, if the resources are there. So this petition is calling on the government to recognize the state of crisis in mental health in Ontario.", "It is my pleasure to honour Kaitlyn’s memory, support her family, affix my signature and continue to call on the government for greater mental health resources." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Sandy Shaw", "text": [ "I have a petition to adequately fund the Ontario public school system. This is a particularly important petition considering the recent tragedy that we saw with Landyn passing in the school system.", "This petition highlights the fact that we have a mental health crisis in Ontario’s schools and that we also need to make sure that there are supportive, caring adults in classrooms so that we don’t continue to see the kind of tragedies that we have seen here in this province. We want to make sure that the Minister of Education meets their obligation when it comes to funding public education and does not continue to rob children of their right to access safe education in our public school system.", "This is a very important petition, again, given the recent tragedy.", "1320", "I’m going to add my name to this petition and give it to Hosanna to take to the table." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "The petition is entitled “Petition: To Raise Social Assistance Rates.”", "Yesterday, I had a chance to meet with the Disability Without Poverty coalition, and I’m here to say that people with disabilities in Ontario are struggling. They are starving, and they are feeling left behind.", "So I am proud to sign this petition that was given to me by Dr. Sally Palmer. It is calling for raises of the social assistance rates. We need to at least double ODSPoverty and OW so that Ontarians with disabilities have a chance at survival in this climate. I’ve affixed my signature, and I’m handing it over to Farhan." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Bhutila Karpoche", "text": [ "In Ontario, about 200,000 to 300,000 people are injured on the job every year.", "Over a century ago, workers gave up their right to sue their employer in exchange for a system that would provide them with a just compensation. However, that is not the reality in Ontario, leading to injured workers living in poverty and also without timely access to medical care and quality medical care.", "This petition is calling on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to change the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act to eliminate the practice of deeming, or determining, which bases compensation on phantom jobs that injured workers actually do not have.", "I support this petition. I will affix my signature to it." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "This petition calls on Lydia’s Law to be called to justice committee.", "It’s good to hear that the justice committee will be dealing with the IPV issue over the summer.", "We all can never accept that 1,326 sexual assault offenders walked out of court and did not have their day in justice.", "Lydia’s Law honours the voices of survivors and calls on the government to move forward with the 2019 Auditor General recommendations—that would be greater accountability to the Attorney General, and report back to this House what’s actually happening in our court system. This is a good bill. It’s the first step in moving the justice system forward.", "I’m affixing my signature and giving this to Farhan." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "This petition is calling to stop the Conservative government’s education cuts. I absolutely support this petition. It has been signed by hundreds of community members, including my own, and folks from across the city and in other ridings as well. It’s demanding that the government halt the cuts to classrooms, to our teachers, to our education workers, and that they properly fund our schools, as opposed to beer and wine.", "I’ve affixed my signature, and I will hand it over to Farhan for tabling." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Bhutila Karpoche", "text": [ "This petition is titled “Fund the TTC.”", "Under Conservative Premier Mike Harris, the 50% operating cost that was shared between the province and municipalities was downloaded to the city of Toronto. Since then, the TTC has become the least subsidized public transit system in North America, leading to systemic underfunding issues and problems in our transit system.", "This petition is calling on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately restore the provincial funding of 50% of the TTC’s net operating costs.", "As a transit rider and a Toronto resident, I fully support this petition, and I will affix my signature to it." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Jill Andrew", "text": [ "This petition is calling for this government to give Ontarians real rent control in all buildings to help address the housing crisis and keep them from being homeless. It is signed by thousands of residents in St. Paul’s. I’m proud to stand here and affix my signature. We cannot allow our residents of St. Paul’s to be kicked out of their homes. We need real rent control, and we need it now.", "I’ve affixed my signature, and I’m handing it back it to Farhan for tabling." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Back to the minister to lead off debate." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "Good afternoon to all honourable members of this House. On behalf of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, it gives me immense pride to rise this afternoon in the Legislative Assembly to lead second reading debate of what is, I submit, a critical and urgently required piece of legislation, the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024. This landmark legislation, if passed, will significantly strengthen protections for homeowners as well as current and future homebuyers. It represents a comprehensive approach to protecting consumers from unethical practices, improving transparency, supporting strong condominium communities, and safeguarding buyers of new homes.", "I am, indeed, grateful for the opportunity to speak about this urgent new legislative proposal, and I look forward to an informed debate about what it will mean for Ontario’s homeowners and homebuyers, if this House sees fit to pass it.", "I will be sharing my time today with my great colleagues. They include, of course, the member of provincial Parliament for Kitchener South–Hespeler; the member of provincial Parliament for Cambridge, my parliamentary assistant; and the member of provincial Parliament for Kitchener–Conestoga.", "Speaker, at the core of this proposed legislation is the fulfillment of our government’s promise to protect Ontarians, especially our seniors, newcomers and the most vulnerable. We must protect them all from the harm caused by the misuse of notices of security interest, NOSIs.", "Consumer NOSIs can be registered on the land registry system by a business when it rents, finances or leases certain goods that become fixtures in homes, such as water heaters or furnaces. Initially, NOSIs were intended to register interests in financed appliances. However, over the past few years, they have become tools for organized and deliberate deception used to scam hard-working Ontarians.", "Since the early 2000s, the number of NOSIs registered on Ontario’s land registry has skyrocketed, from around 400 each year 20 years ago to more than 58,000 in 2023 alone. These registrations often occur without the homeowner’s knowledge and for amounts far exceeding the fixture’s actual value. Homeowners usually discover NOSIs are registered against their homes when they want to sell or refinance their homes, and bad actors exploit this by demanding exorbitant fees to discharge the NOSIs. In some instances, multiple NOSIs are registered on a single property, which are then converted into sham mortgages that rob hard-working and law-abiding Ontarians of their live savings and their home equity.", "1330", "The escalation of NOSIs and related scams and fraud appears to disproportionately affect seniors, new Canadians and other vulnerable consumers. Many of these cases have been reported in the media—cases where homeowners have made a large cash payment because NOSIs were leveraged by unethical operators, or they were trapped in high-interest mortgages for which they could not make the required payments and then they default, putting their property in peril.", "You may have read of a Bowmanville senior in my riding of Durham who suffered from short-term memory loss. He had 11 NOSIs totalling over $100,000 registered against his home of over 50 years. These were for door-to-door rental contracts for home equipment, including plumbing valves, a digital thermostat, water softeners and outdoor cameras. The perpetrators targeted him and took advantage of his condition, leading him from one scam to the next until eventually they managed to leverage the NOSIs on title to convince him to sign a mortgage. Four days after a NOSI for plumbing valve and surge protector equipment was placed on his home, a financing company registered a one-year mortgage on the property for $130,000 with 25% interest. Then, in late 2022, he received a foreclosure letter from this mortgage company stating that he had two weeks to leave his home. According to his family, their father had signed mortgage paperwork, he had not understood it, and they had to get legal help. Sadly, this vulnerable gentleman passed away earlier this year.", "This may seem like an extreme case, but I am sorry to say that situations like this occur far too often. The bad actors use NOSIs as leverage to obtain exorbitant contract payouts from consumers, sometimes inappropriately using them to discourage consumers from even changing suppliers or, in the case of the Bowmanville senior I spoke about, to convince that homeowner to sign a mortgage to pay off NOSIs.", "I receive letters and emails from people across Ontario, many sent to my ministry by my fellow members of provincial Parliament. Ontario residents are openly expressing their frustration, their anguish and their outrage at being victimized by elaborate schemes to defraud them.", "For example, an individual wrote about a contract he entered into with a company for a high-efficiency furnace, only to realize that the company was misrepresenting itself as a provincially endorsed company working for the province to make homes more energy-efficient. The company advised they would perform an energy audit to determine which provincial energy rebates the individual might be eligible to receive. It will likely come as no surprise to learn that that company was not provincially endorsed and the consumer had no assurances of receiving potential provincial energy rebates. According to the writer, the sales rep advised that he could opt for an earlier buyout after the first several years, at a quoted cost of $800 to $1,000. Almost two years later, when he decided to arrange that buyout, he was then told that the cost would be an exorbitant amount of approximately $15,000. Then, the individual became aware that a NOSI valued at more than $15,000 had been placed on the title to his property immediately after the furnace had been installed.", "As I’ve said before, these elaborate schemes are being used against innocent, honest, trusting consumers. This is a despicable practice that particularly harms our senior citizens, newcomers and other vulnerable residents, and it must stop.", "To that end, if passed, this comprehensive legislation will curb these unethical, immoral and shameful practices. Upon passage, this proposed legislation would ban the registration of consumer NOSIs on the land registry system and deem all currently registered consumer NOSIs expired.", "To get to today—this legislation has been developed following extensive consultations across Ontario in the fall of 2023. My ministry, the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, held these consultations on specific approaches to address the misuse of NOSIs. The ministry received feedback from businesses of all types, legal organizations, law enforcement, other regulators and consumer advocates, as well as many consumers negatively affected by NOSIs. Based on all the information received through that extensive consultation process, it has become apparent that the harms caused by the misuse of consumer NOSIs on the land registry far outweigh the benefits provided by their legitimate use.", "I want to take this opportunity to thank my parliamentary assistant, the member of provincial Parliament for Cambridge, as well as the member of provincial Parliament for Kitchener–Conestoga and the member of provincial Parliament for Kitchener South–Hespeler. All have played a particularly crucial role in highlighting this issue and driving our government’s efforts to address it. They have been working tirelessly and closely with the Waterloo Regional Police Service and impacted Ontarians to shed light on this significant area of consumer harm. You will hear more from each of them today as part of our government’s leadoff on second reading of this bill, but I just want to take a moment to thank them for being such strong advocates for the elderly, for all of their constituents, and indeed for all Ontarians.", "Also on behalf of the government, I wish to thank Chief Mark Crowell and the entire Waterloo Regional Police Service, particularly Detective Adam Stover, for their invaluable work on this issue. Detective Stover’s efforts have been instrumental in investigating and documenting the harms caused by NOSIs. It is because of his and the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s tireless efforts that we are here today to take a stand against those who seek to victimize our fellow citizens and residents.", "In response to the tabling of Bill 200, stakeholders have applauded our government’s steadfast determination, under the leadership of Premier Ford, to bring forth change for our province’s consumers and homeowners. It brings me great pleasure indeed to highlight the widespread positive responses we have received from stakeholders who support this much-needed ban of consumer NOSIs.", "As I just mentioned, this legislation has been strengthened through the dedicated work of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, who have committed extensive hours to investigating complaints of NOSI misuse, investigating the issue, sharing updates with our ministry. This occurred prior to and during and subsequent to the fall 2023 consultation process.", "Upon tabling Bill 200 on May 27 of this year, the Waterloo Regional Police Service has extended “appreciation to ... the Ontario government for working to eliminate the registration of consumer” NOSIs “in the province.” The chief of police services in Waterloo region, Mark Crowell, has shared his optimistic outlook on this proposed legislation, as well as his hope that, as he put it, “the proactive policy approach announced today will put an end to this devastating fraud.” It is my hope that today, we can all make Chief Crowell’s hope a new reality.", "Laura Tamblyn Watts, the president and CEO of CanAge, Canada’s national seniors’ advocacy organization, made it clear that the actions of our government will make a positive, meaningful impact on the lives of seniors in Ontario. CanAge recognizes that the tabling of Bill 200 is an opportunity, as she put it, for “historic action in protecting the financial well-being of Ontario’s seniors.” CanAge has commended our government for taking decisive action to address this problem and to make Ontario a safer marketplace for senior homeowners, while at the same time preventing predatory behaviours on the part of bad actors.", "In addition to this report we have received from CanAge, we have welcomed responses from the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, who supports the immediate passage of Bill 200. The Advocacy Centre for the Elderly has shared the extent to which senior homeowners are victimized by the unlawful and unscrupulous use of NOSIs, and underscored the urgency to which both future and retroactive abolitions of NOSIs are needed to protect the rights of vulnerable elderly citizens.", "They have described the countless ways in which unethical lenders and home service companies are aggressively pursuing homeowners with lawsuits leveraged by the registration of grossly inflated NOSIs against title to their homes—homes that were paid off long ago and in which they have full equity.", "Our government will not allow our elderly to be harassed by these exaggerated and unlawful claims by organized criminals. We cannot idly stand by while seniors pay out large claims to fraudsters, all the while led to believe that they have no other alternative, or having to retain legal counsel or paralegals and pay thousands of dollars to pursue relief in court.", "1340", "So, Speaker, I stand before you now to make a promise to the seniors and the vulnerable members of our province that this government will put an end to the fear and the harassment perpetuated through the misuse of NOSIs and make Ontario a safer place for seniors and all Ontario homeowners.", "I wish to send a clear message to our seniors and all Ontarians: Your government has your backs, and with help and support from His Majesty’s loyal opposition, help is on the way.", "Beyond the ban of consumer NOSIs proposed in Bill 200, I wish to discuss the other proposed measures contained in the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, which I submit will further strengthen protections for Ontarians making the biggest purchase of their lives, and that is their homes. These changes align with our government’s ongoing work to help ensure that purchasers are well informed and better protected when they make their plans to buy a new freehold home. With our proposed legislation, we are enhancing protections to make sure Ontarians who buy a new freehold home have the time to make informed decisions confidently and comfortably.", "Home purchase agreements are complex, and buyers are sometimes faced with making a decision to sign a purchase agreement for a new home on the spot. If passed, our government would develop and consult on regulations needed to implement a 10-day cooling-off period for purchases of new freehold homes. A cooling-off period would help buyers make a more informed and confident purchasing decision and allow them to better understand the associated risks with their agreement. During that 10-day period, the buyer would be permitted to cancel the agreement for any reason with no fear of financial penalty. Providing buyers with this cooling-off period would, I submit, better align protections for buyers of new freehold homes with existing ones for those buying new condominium units.", "In addition, the government plans to require in the future that builders who terminate freehold home purchases or freehold home purchase agreements must report those terminations to Tarion for public reporting on the Ontario Builder Directory on the Home Construction Regulatory Authority’s—HCRA—website. This will improve transparency for new home buyers so that they can better education themselves and make sound choices with peace of mind. And this brings new freehold home purchase requirements more in line with the existing requirements that we’ve had for some time with condominium projects and condominium purchase agreement terminations, which are already available on HCRA’s website.", "Our government is also proceeding with initiatives aimed at promoting fairness in the new home market and bolstering consumer confidence. My ministry intends to publicly consult at a future date on potential ways to address the illegal building and illegal selling of new homes in Ontario.", "Illegally built or sold homes are a real and growing threat to consumers, to developers, and indeed to all levels of government. Illegal building and illegal selling puts consumers at risk from unqualified builders and developers. Those risks include inferior quality and unsafe construction, unethical conduct, and greater costs for homeowners due to defects.", "You may have heard of one recent case where Ontario’s building industry regulator, HCRA, had to freeze all the assets linked to one developer. This measure followed an investigation that revealed that the company had been building homes without the required approvals from Tarion, the administrator of Ontario’s new home warranty and protection program, and that builder had been accepting substantial payments on the sale of those homes.", "Another Toronto-area developer was ordered to pay more than $180,000 after pleading guilty to selling a new home without a licence.", "Illegal builders like these create an uneven playing field, offering consumers lower prices but without fulfilling their legal options; for example, by building or selling homes without a licence or without the required approval from Tarion—processes that are designed to protect consumers. Builders like these compete unfairly with licensed builders who play by the rules by fulfilling their licensing and warranty-related obligations through Tarion. That is not fair to those legitimate, fair and reasonable builders.", "When builders illegally build or sell new homes without a licence or without Tarion’s approval, consumers are more likely to be exposed to risks to their deposits and to major structural defects in their homes. Buyers of these homes may only become aware of these risks when faced with serious and significant problems that put their peace of mind in jeopardy.", "Tarion, one of the 12 administrative authorities within my ministry, is also exposed to financial risks associated with deposit protection and backstopping the builder’s warranty. Illegal builders often do not respect warranty obligations, so Tarion is left to pay for warranty coverage without being able to collect from the illegal builder. Over the years, this has resulted in payouts of millions of dollars, and the payment of these claims comes from a fund supported by the licensed legal builders and new home buyers.", "Illegal builders, then, put additional strain on all levels, contributing to tax evasion and lost revenues, and they make it more difficult for the majority of builders who abide by the rules to build the many, many new homes we need—safe, properly constructed homes on the path to that 1.5 million new homes and builders in Ontario by 2031.", "Speaker, as we know, homes come in many forms, and I would like to mention additional measures that our government is taking and is proposing to proceed with aimed at supporting Ontario’s condominium communities. More than a million Ontarians call condominiums home, and we know that condo communities often experience unique challenges and disputes. Our goal is to develop policies that are responsive to those needs.", "Ontario currently has many rules in place to help condo buyers make informed decisions and protect themselves in the marketplace. Condo developers are required to provide buyers with an outline of the possible risks of buying a pre-construction unit, early termination conditions, important timelines and project status.", "In 2021, my ministry launched a residential condominium buyers’ guide to help condo buyers make informed purchasing decisions. Developers also must provide condo purchasers with a copy of the guide to better inform them about the buying process and condominium living, along with a copy of the current disclosure statement.", "Recent changes to the Condominium Act, 1998, also would increase the amount of interest payable under certain circumstances to purchasers on their deposits or payments for the purchase of a new or pre-construction condominium unit from a developer, including in the event of a cancellation.", "I would like to point out that in the 2020 value-for-money report, the Auditor General called attention to condo-related issues. The audit on condominium oversight highlighted a need for more consumer information on how condominium fees are set and managed. The report also called for an enhanced mandate for the Condominium Authority of Ontario and Condominium Authority Tribunal to protect condo owners against many of the common issues that they may encounter in their daily living in condominium communities.", "In 2021, the condominium authority itself conducted consultations on topics such as expansion of the tribunal’s jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes. Condominium residents and condominium board directors signalled their strong support for the expansion of the tribunal’s jurisdiction, and these findings were supported by a recent targeted consultation undertaken by my ministry. We are now taking steps to make sure that condominium communities do have a strong and responsive dispute-resolution mechanism available when issues arise, and we will continue to consult on ways to improve how condominiums are operated.", "As part of that process, we are taking measured steps to expand the Condominium Authority Tribunal’s jurisdiction in a phased and thoughtful way, beginning with consultations on a proposal for the tribunal to resolve certain additional types of disputes.", "1350", "Our province plans to also consult on other initiatives aimed at strengthening protections for condo owners and buyers. These include improvements to status certificates, disclosure statements, remedies for inadequate disclosure of material changes during construction, and how access to records may increase safety in condominium communities. Transparency is the goal. We want to help increase operational and financial clarity while limiting burden to the condominium corporations and managers that are entrusted with running a condominium on behalf of a community.", "These are just some measures that are all part of our government’s broader plan to provide people with the very best in consumer protection, to ensure they have the necessary tools to both purchase and enjoy their home. Our government will do everything that we can to reassure hard-working Ontarians that we are protecting them when they make that major purchase.", "Bill 200 also proposes a minor amendment to the Ontario Heritage Act. The proposed Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, if passed, would amend the Ontario Heritage Act, 1990, to improve heritage conservation outcomes. Our government is ensuring we continue to protect Ontario’s heritage for generations to come. The amendments my colleague the Honourable Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism is proposing to the Ontario Heritage Act will help ease administrative pressures related to the conservation of legacy-listed heritage properties by extending the timeline for municipalities to review such listed properties by an additional two years, to January 1, 2027. These proposed changes would encourage municipalities to prioritize and proactively review and designate heritage properties that are truly important to their communities. If passed, the changes would mitigate impacts on cultural heritage resources by providing additional time for review of the province’s legacy-listed properties, to ensure that those most important to communities and their histories are designated and protected for generations to come.", "Our government will continue to work with municipalities, the building industry and other key stakeholders to ensure we conserve true heritage, while using all the tools at our disposal to support Ontario’s future growth.", "Bill 200 also addresses transit-oriented communities. The proposed legislation, Bill 200, if passed, would also support our government’s efforts to provide zoning certainty for our building partners on transit-oriented communities. If the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, passes, our government would exempt designated transit-oriented community lands from the immunity provisions in the Planning Act related to the making, amending or revoking of minister’s zoning orders. The changes my colleague the Honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is proposing would support the government’s plan to build vibrant mixed-use communities near transit, while reducing the cost to taxpayers to build transit station infrastructure. We know transit-oriented communities will create more homes, including affordable housing, parkland and retail and office space near stations, and that will make it faster and easier for everyone to access reliable transit right in their own neighbourhoods.", "Let me conclude by reiterating our government’s pledge to ensure that our fellow citizens and residents have the protections they need as they navigate the marketplace. Let me say that Ontarians can and must be well informed and empowered when they purchase a new home. Communities need clarity and flexibility to be able to protect their heritage assets, and all Ontario consumers, especially our elderly and our most vulnerable members, must be protected from financial abuse at the hands of organized criminals operating in the marketplace. When consumers can have trust in the marketplace as they spend their hard-earned dollars; when homeowners can be sure that they are not being taken advantage of; when businesses understand and comply with their responsibilities, then we all benefit.", "The Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, if passed, would reinforce our government’s strong record of protecting Ontario consumers and supporting a level playing field for businesses to promote fairness in the marketplace.", "The changes we are proposing would help eliminate unfair business practices and help ensure Ontario homeowners can make informed choices with peace of mind when purchasing a freehold home, just as when they are purchasing a new condominium unit. Our fellow citizens and residents then can be confident that, when it comes to their home and their rights, the government of Ontario has their backs.", "It has been a great honour to address all members of this House today; I thank all for their kind attention. My colleagues and I look forward to the upcoming debate. We know that you all have informed and thought-provoking input to share. The track record with bills so far introduced by my ministry of late is that His Majesty’s loyal opposition has supported our goal in favour of consumer protection and safety for all. I look forward to members not only on this side of the aisle but the opposite side of the aisle in terms of their contribution to debate. I look forward to hearing from them. I will listen intently.", "I encourage support for this urgently needed Homeowner Protection Act, 2024. It is the right thing to do in moving our province forward. It is a bill that is a true testament to our government’s unwavering commitment to building a safer, fairer and stronger economy, now and for future generations. Protecting Ontarians—especially our elderly and the most vulnerable—is our sacred duty. It is our sacred duty as legislators, and it is a duty that rises above partisanship; it is one that I know that each and every one of the members in this House holds near and dear to their hearts. A duty is one that unites us beyond any differences that we might otherwise have.", "I look forward to the debate. Furthermore, I thank all for their kind attention." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "I recognize the member for Kitchener South–Hespeler." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jess Dixon", "text": [ "I really appreciate the opportunity to speak today about something that I know has been very long-awaited and looked forward to, and something I’m incredibly proud to be able to speak to and play this tiny role in, which is Bill 200, the Homeowner Protection Act. If passed, this bill will essentially hammer the final nails into the coffin of NOSIs and bury them forever.", "In my decade of service as a crown prosecutor, I often saw the incredibly ugly impacts of fraud—the way the perpetrators identify and prey on the vulnerable in our society. Fraud can be incredibly hard to prosecute. Often, the perpetrators may be out of province or even out of country, cloaked and covered and easily able to find their victims but challenging to locate. Justice for fraud victims is also elusive at times. Even with a conviction, ensuring that victims are in fact made whole when the reparations are made is incredibly challenging. This, of course, is particularly painful to witness when the victim is a senior, someone who has worked hard throughout their life to provide for themselves in their later years. Recovering from the type of financial loss that is exacted by fraud can take years and even more dedication of resources. Unfortunately, that time and those resources are things that many of our victimized seniors do not have.", "You’ve all read this bill and heard hours of debate on its contents, so I would like to take my limited time here to talk a little bit more about the people behind the legislation, the victims, the people who had their lives turned upside down by those who are really only worshipping at an altar of greed, but also about the heroes in this legislation, the people who went up against this Goliath, went up against the harlequin hydra that were these offenders, and with the hopeful passing of this bill, will have finally won their fight.", "Let me tell you about John. John is 71, and he lives with his sister in the home that they inherited from their parents. They’ve never had a mortgage, but now John is stuck actually paying rent on his own home that he no longer owns to the very person who forced the sale of John’s home through a series of predatory mortgages. Once the home was sold, the equity was seized. John can’t even access the equity from the sale of his own home, because, according to those who took advantage of him, it will take all of that equity and more to pay off all of the NOSIs that were registered on the title.", "1400", "Prior to October 2021, another victim I’ll call Jim fully owned his house. He ended up owing $30,000 via a predatory NOSI and was doing his best to make the monthly payments. Another predator approached Jim and told him that they could help him pay off that lien and help him qualify for renovations to increase his home’s value. They did some renovations in his home that were worth at most $15,000 and of incredibly poor quality. On completion, that lien was converted into a mortgage, and Jim now owes $312,000 on his house and is being pressured to foreclose, and he had to hire a lawyer and is fighting.", "Then there was Karl. Karl was in his eighties, and he was suffering from short-term memory loss after a brain aneurysm. Predators came knocking at his door, promising that they would be able to help him, almost save him. He thought they were there to help, and he ended up with $150,000 registered against his home. Sadly, Karl passed away, his last years marked by—victimized by fraud.", "All across Ontario, vulnerable people were being preyed upon and victimized, misled and mistreated and led down this path to their ultimate financial destruction. As this happened, the alleged perpetrators were flaunting their newly acquired wealth on social media, with fast cars and expensive vacations, sometimes even recording their communications with their victims by way of training modules to share with others.", "I want to tell you about one of the heroes in this: Detective Adam Stover of the Waterloo Regional Police Service. In early 2022, Detective Stover identified a complex fraud scheme that was targeting vulnerable and elderly victims in Waterloo region involving placing NOSIs on their homes without their knowledge. Victims were losing their homes. They were losing their life savings. Detective Stover undertook an in-depth criminal investigation into the perpetrators and became a part of uncovering a large-scale predatory criminal enterprise that had spread all across Ontario. As his investigation spread and unfolded, he became the provincial expert regarding NOSIs and was able to give guidance to numerous police services across the province as well as work with the OPP to dismantle the organizations. Other people may have stopped there, but Detective Stover, as he had essentially more than fulfilled his duty as an officer of the law—he’d investigated, he’d put together a case, he had protected the public to the best of his ability. But that ultimately wasn’t enough for him, and in becoming the expert, he realized that legislative change was the only way to put an end to this forever.", "So, Detective Stover, you are a big part of the reason that I am standing here today, talking about NOSIs. You had a mission, which was to save thousands of vulnerable Ontarians, and here we are today, on the precipice of the completion of your mission. I know that you spent hours meeting with elected officials, with MPPs, with ministry officials and with lawyers, with journalists and reporters, and I know just how difficult it can be to effect change when everyone you meet seems to agree with you and support you but the magnitude of the machine itself can seem too big to budge and too large to listen. But, Detective Stover, you did it. You got the attention of the machine. We heard your call, and we answered, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of the government that took action, and to call our Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery a friend. You could not have had a better advocate in him or his ministry.", "I also want to recognize the hard work that was done by the Ontario real estate bar. All of us lawyers have heard people we can kind of sneer at use the quote from Shakespeare’s Henry VI: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” The same people who like lawyer jokes like to trot that one out as evidence of the horribleness of lawyers, but those of us who are more familiar with the play itself know that the person who said, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,” was a violent anarchist who wanted to overthrow society. Really, what that statement means is, by killing all the lawyers, we would end society as we know it, because lawyers, ultimately, are the fundamental defence against the grossest manifestations of power-hungry antics and greed that are, frankly, wrought by the scum of humanity.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jess Dixon", "text": [ "Some of my fellow lawyers are applauding.", "I know that there were some members of the Ontario real estate bar who really took their law licences, took their degrees and their experience and, frankly, went to battle on behalf of so many people who were victimized and have lost so much as part of the criminal enterprise that so many NOSIs became. As a lawyer, as a legislator, as an MPP, thank you so much for everything that you did. I admit I never really pursued real estate law as a law student; I was more interested in the criminal side of things—but I have to say, incredibly, incredibly well done. You have wonderfully represented your trade and our association. I am proud to be part of the same society as you, and I commend you all so much on the work that you have done.", "Ultimately, with this bill, it’s a story of small and vulnerable people who became victimized by the greedy and the power-hungry, and it’s also a story of people who went far beyond the call of their individual duty to protect those people. As I said, I am hoping we will be able to put politics aside and stand up for what is right, stand up for the vulnerable in society and recognize the hard work done by these heroes, and pass Bill 200 and put an end to these predatory practices once and for all.", "Again, I’m so proud to have been part of this, and I am so grateful for the work of the people who were so passionate in this.", "I will hand it over to the MPP from Cambridge." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Brian Riddell", "text": [ "It’s a pleasure to join the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery today to speak about the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024. As the minister illustrated previously, this important new consumer protection legislation demonstrates once again our government’s dedication to advance the interests of Ontario consumers. I’m extremely excited to see this piece of legislation come to fruition, as well as the steps we are taking with this proposed bill to promote fairness and transparency for Ontarians and safeguard their interests, including seniors, new Canadians and other vulnerable consumers. We are protecting Ontarians’ interests as buyers of new homes and as homeowners, and we are strengthening their confidence in their abilities in our marketplace. And we’re making Ontario a better place to live, work and grow.", "Let me provide a brief recap for the House of the measures included in the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024. First, if passed, this bill will ban the registration of consumer notices of security interest—or NOSIs, as they are called—on the land registry. All consumer NOSIs currently registered on title will be deemed expired, which means that they can be removed from the record of title at any time the consumer chooses.", "Speaker, the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, will help Ontarians feel confident that this government has their backs when it comes to their home and housing. It also supports our government’s ambitious plan to build the infrastructure that Ontario communities and municipalities need to grow and prosper.", "To that end, Bill 200 includes changes to the Planning Act from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Infrastructure to provide zoning for our partners in advancing transit-oriented communities.", "The Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, is a far-reaching legislative package that advances rights and protections for homeowners and buyers of new freehold homes, and supports strong growth in Ontario.", "If this bill has one headline, it would be the banning of consumer notices of security interest—and there is good reason for that. If these notices of security interests, or NOSIs, have been in the media a lot recently, which they have been, that is because of the dramatic effect their misuse has on so many people who live in Ontario.", "1410", "To reiterate, we are proposing an outright ban on the registration of consumer NOSIs, and we would deem any consumer NOSIs already on title to be expired. This legislation means Ontarians would also not have to take on the fight themselves against the misuse of these NOSIs.", "This issue is very important to me, personally. I have heard of many people in my riding and many people in Ontario speak of this—including my riding of Cambridge, like I spoke earlier about—who have been victimized by the misuse of NOSIs. I’ve spoken about this problem in the House previously, and at the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, and have stressed the need to tackle these scams that target vulnerable homeowners.", "Today, I’m going to take a good portion of my time to talk about how vital it is that we deal with NOSIs and their damaging effects. We know that banning consumer NOSIs on title altogether is a bold move. It is one that our government is considering very carefully before taking action, but we must.", "As the minister stated, NOSIs do serve a real purpose. There are a number of reasons for a homeowner to enter into a rental or service contract with a business when they’re considering a large piece of equipment like a furnace or a water heater, and that business should outline the payment plan clearly in the contract. In certain cases, these businesses may have the right to register a NOSI on the land registry system based on that contract.", "Registering a NOSI on the title of that property serves as a notice to third parties of the company’s security interest and may protect that interest, for example, if the customer sells the property to a third party. This allows a business to protect itself and its interests, and to be able to repossess its equipment in certain circumstances. It’s not an uncommon practice, especially not here in Ontario, where there has been a long history of renting home equipment like furnaces and water heaters.", "So there is a reason for NOSIs and the system to exist in the first place, but over the decades, the use of NOSIs by bad actors who have taken advantage of consumers by leveraging exorbitant payouts for them has become more and more common. As the minister mentioned, the number of NOSIs registered on the Ontario land registry per year has skyrocketed from approximately 400 registrations annually in the early 2000s to more than 58,000 in 2023 alone. And right along with the increasing use of NOSIs has come a proliferation of abuses of this legal tool, often with homeowners unaware that the consumer NOSI has been registered on title, nor the value registered.", "As the minister and others in this House have pointed out, NOSIs have been used too often over the years to exploit too many unsuspecting vulnerable seniors, new Canadians and overall Ontario residents, with some unscrupulous actors misusing NOSIs to demand high payments from consumers to discharge them.", "Last year, it was my privilege to join the minister and my colleagues for the House debates on our new Consumer Protection Act legislation, the Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act, 2023. The great achievements in consumer protections in our province have jumped over something that we haven’t done for 20 years in this province, so I’m really glad to be a part of it. It’s a real landmark piece of legislation, designed to strengthen consumer rights and confidence, to make it easier for businesses to comply with consumer protection rules, and to promote a fair and competitive economy.", "The new Consumer Protection Act, 2023, includes stronger, clearer protections against unfair business practices; provides a fairer exit option for consumers and their families entering into certain long-term leases; and limits when businesses can make unilateral contract amendments, renewals and extensions without express consumer consent. We took up the issue of NOSIs as part of that bill. During debates, I talked about my experience with NOSIs in my riding.", "There is a lot of good in this bill, and I think what made me very passionate about it was working with a Waterloo regional police detective, Adam Stover, and David Mullock, who is the liaison officer for the force, and just watching the transcripts of the phone messages that these bad actors had portrayed to these vulnerable sector people. It’s the elderly who are being abused—people with dementia—people with a lack of understanding of what they’re really signing. This really sickened me, watching the same perpetrators come back to the same people they had first basically ripped off and trying to rip them off again.", "I want to take time for a moment to mention the good work of Detective Adam Stover and David Mullock and the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s organized financial crime team. Detective Stover, David Mullock and the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s representative joined us when we first announced our intention to introduce this important piece of legislation.", "The measures in this new consumer protection act, once in force, are intended to be the first step to address and reduce the harmful and inappropriate use of NOSIs. The measures include provisions to clarify a business’ obligation to discharge a NOSI under specific circumstances and to allow some consumers to receive assistance from the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery in enforcing a business’ obligation to discharge a NOSI if a contract was cancelled or rescinded. However, since then, the government has heard loud and clear that further and quicker action has to be done to help to protect consumers from bad actors and NOSIs related to them.", "I want to take a moment to thank all individuals and organizations who have drawn attention to this issue over the years, and all those who participated in consultations last year specifically addressing the issue of NOSIs. I want to thank members on both sides of the House who have contributed to debates on this issue in the House and in committee.", "The measures we are tabling with this proposed legislation are informed by the concerns expressed by the people of Ontario. This is how we came up with this bill—by talking to these people. This is a complex issue that requires urgent attention, and our approach is pragmatic, but it is a direct response.", "In summary, the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, if passed, will advance protections for Ontario homeowners. It would protect homeowners from abusive practices by banning the registration of consumer notices of security interest and deeming current registered consumer NOSIs expired. These changes would come into force upon royal assent.", "The Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, is an ambitious plan with strong protections for Ontario homeowners, especially for seniors and vulnerable residents. The legislation, if passed, will enhance consumer protections for buyers of new freehold homes and provide local communities with the certainty they need to protect significant heritage properties and to build for the future.", "I urge all members in this House to support this proposed comprehensive legislation and help create a better province for all of us." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Mike Harris", "text": [ "It is great to be here and take part in what is truly a historic bill and debate on that today.", "First, I want to thank the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and his team. Many of them are here listening right now and certainly watching on TV. Thank you for taking this very seriously and moving forward expeditiously, and putting together a bill that really is going to be transformative for many people in Ontario—not just, obviously, the seniors and typically elderly people who are affected by these scams, but also their families. I’m going to touch a little bit on some of that in my time here; I don’t have a lot, only seven minutes, but I did just want to touch on a few points.", "Obviously, we’ve heard about what this bill is looking to accomplish: the 10-day cooling-off period for buyers of new freehold homes and, obviously, enhancing protections for condo owners, but I want to talk primarily about notices of security interest today. I think that’s made up the bulk of the speech and it certainly makes up the bulk of the bill.", "1420", "It’s something that was brought to my attention a little over a year ago—about a year and a half—by David Mullock from Waterloo Regional Police Service. We’ve heard about him being the liaison officer who works with government on a regular basis. I know he’s actually watching right now. He was texting a few of our colleagues. So, thank you, David, for giving me a call last May and inviting me down to police headquarters to hear about the challenges that not only people in Waterloo region were having, but people across the province of Ontario.", "It was a very sobering conversation. We had an opportunity to sit down with Detective Adam Stover, whom you’ve also heard talked about here this afternoon, and we walked through this notices-of-security-interest scam that had been going on in the region. We talked a little bit about what it meant, what it has done. You’ve heard that here today so I won’t dive too deep on it, but it was very interesting when you looked at the numbers. I want to provide a few of the numbers today.", "When you look at the early 2000s, there were roughly 2,000 registrations per year of NOSIs on properties here in Ontario. That number has ballooned last year to 58,000 notices of security interest. You can really see how the scam has taken hold, how people have seen that it is profitable and that there were enough loopholes in legislation that you were able to go out and perpetrate these on individuals. Like we’ve heard, it’s typically on folks that have maybe some cognitive impairment; folks who are a little bit challenged from a health standpoint; elderly people who, quite frankly, are taken advantage of and always want to believe that people are there to do the right thing, are there to help them, but at the end of the day it’s not always the case.", "Right now—and this is sort of the telling piece—there are roughly 350,000 consumer and commercial NOSIs registered against property, against title, in Ontario—350,000. When you total that all up, it translates to roughly $1 billion, which is staggering. You can understand how often organized crime, unscrupulous realtors, lawyers, folks who want to take advantage of Ontarians are out there doing that, because there is so much money in this.", "When you look at what this bill accomplishes, obviously banning notices of security interest, or NOSIs, going forward is fantastic, but the real key piece—and I want to thank the minister again and his team for the fulsome consultation that they did with stakeholders through the fall of 2023. It is really the retroactive banning of these practices which is going to make the key difference. It’s great that you stop it going forward, but it’s to be able to go back and say, “No, we are not going to allow these lucrative, unscrupulous contracts to stand, and we are not going to allow you to fleece people out of their homes.”", "I did just want to read a couple of articles that I think are quite important. This one in particular comes from—I will just paraphrase from a CTV article. This is about a gentleman—I believe actually he was from Bowmanville; he’s since passed away. The minister had talked a little bit about him earlier. I’m going to quote, and this is Melissa Irons. Her father-in-law was, as I said, Karl Hoffman. I’m just going to read through this:", "“Melissa Irons says her elderly father-in-law, Karl Hoffman, would have loved to live long enough to see the government eliminate notices of security interest (NOSIs) after they were used 11 times against him and his Bowmanville, Ont., home.”", "Thank you, Melissa, for telling your story. I think it’s very important that we’re able to hear those stories first-hand. I know that Detective Stover has been travelling around the province, working with other municipal police forces and hearing those stories first-hand, investigating and seeing what the impact is to not only the homeowners, the people on title, but also their families. Often, these folks who have been taken advantage of don’t want to tell their family members because they’re embarrassed or they’re afraid of what might happen. It can cause real challenges—real challenges—divide families and, ultimately, see some people lose their homes, their nest eggs, their livelihood, their retirement.", "I also did want to talk a little bit about Kitchener resident Ian Craig. He has seven notices of security interest on his property totalling more than $150,000, which, if this bill is passed—I’m hopeful, and I know that all of our colleagues here in the House believe that this is a good bill and that it should be passed—this will eliminate $150,000 of potential payments that he has to make.", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Mike Harris", "text": [ "That is real money. You’re right; that is real money, absolutely.", "And this is somebody that doesn’t have that $150,000 to go ahead and pay that back. He would be forced to sell his home that he’s lived in for years to be able to make these payments.", "Time is running down here, Madam Speaker. Again, I did want to thank all members of the House here today. I’m looking forward to hearing some comments from members of the opposition. I think we share the same sentiment that NOSIs need to stop and that, going forward, we can’t have these types of loopholes in Ontario law where you’re, quite frankly, able to scam people out of very, very hard-earned money.", "So, thank you to the minister, thank you to his team, thank you to my colleagues. And with that, I will cede my time." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "It’s now time for questions. Questions? Questions? Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Tom Rakocevic", "text": [ "I’ll be sharing my time with the members from Waterloo and Parkdale–High Park.", "Speaker, I stand before you today with vigorous and urgent support of the legislation that stands before us. In fact, it is so urgent, what you will see today demonstrates what is possible when all of us stand united on an issue, and the issue today is one that is definitely warranted. It is us standing united against fraud, against those who take advantage of the most vulnerable amongst us.", "I commend the government, because many times I’ve risen in this House, criticizing them on who they get their advice from—not today. Today, they have listened to the many people out there affected: consumers, lawyers fighting for those consumers, the police, countless Ontarians. You heard the facts: over 300,000 liens placed against properties, over a billion dollars tied up, creating nightmares—nightmares for families, nightmares for individuals. That is why we in the opposition will do everything we can to move this through as fast as possible, because people don’t have a single day more.", "What we are looking at as we face this summer, day after day, with these bad actors going to people’s homes, taking advantage of our elderly, taking advantage of our parents, of our grandparents—in fact, it has been so heinous that when they find people that they can take advantage of, some of these bad actors will call their friends and other friends and other friends.", "I have seen videos shown to me where individuals were mocking—were in the homes of people facing cognitive decline and mocking them in their living rooms as they took advantage of them. Unbelievable. What we are doing today is taking the money out of their hands, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do with this legislation.", "Speaker, I’m going to share with you some excerpts from consumers, law enforcement, lawyers, legal aid clinics and many of those who have been in the trenches, either suffering fighting this or fighting on behalf of those affected. I again applaud the government because this is something that the New Democrats have been fighting for for years: consumer protection, fighting against scams, fighting against abuse.", "I will be speaking to the consumer protection aspects of the bill, and before I get into NOSIs—these types of liens which, by the sound of the word, seem innocuous, and I tell you, it is nothing but damaging to families.", "1430", "The other part of the bill does deal with the cooling-off period with regard to freehold homes. Again, I agree with the government in moving forward, because this was an amendment to the CPA we brought forth last fall. They did say at the time that the amendments we put forward were worth consideration, and today, they are taking our advice on this and I appreciate that.", "Furthermore, with regard to the NOSIs themselves, I want to commend the member from London North Centre, the member from Waterloo, the member from Parkdale–High Park. I was proud to be co-sponsor in a bill that was tabled in March of this year calling just for this, the ban of notices of security interest in Ontario, both for the future and retroactively. That’s what we are doing, all of us together today, with great urgency.", "I will now read to you a number of excerpts from those affected. I would like to begin with London Police Service:", "“A London man is facing charges in relation to a lengthy investigation that was reported in the summer of 2023.", "“In August of 2023, members of the London Police Service Financial Crime Unit were made aware of an alleged fraud that had taken place between July and December of 2021.", "“Investigators learned an elderly victim was approached by a door-to-door salesperson and signed contracts to have various products installed inside the victim’s residence in the west end of the city. The items, including attic insulation, a water filter and water softener were sold through a signed contract to which the victim agreed to pay monthly bills for a lengthy period.", "“After the products were installed, liens or ‘notice of security interest’ (NOSIs) were secured against the victim’s property without the victim’s knowledge.", "“In March of 2022, the suspect male attended the victim’s address and advised the victim that he could assist with dealing with the aforementioned contracts and debts that were owed. The suspect provided advice in relation to how the victim could acquire a private mortgage to pay for the previous home renovations. The suspect filled out a mortgage application, which was signed by the victim, resulting in the issuance of a high-interest private mortgage in the name of the victim.”", "And this is what the minister, in fact, and others here have alluded to. This is what law enforcement have been warning us, that these NOSIs were a gateway into schemes that would rob people of their homes.", "“After the mortgage was obtained, the suspect convinced the victim that he could assist with additional renovations to the home at significant cost to the victim. It is further believed that the total amounts paid exceeded the cost of the work completed.", "“Shortly after the payment was made relating to the renovations, the suspect male convinced the victim to apply for a reverse mortgage to pay back the private loan originally obtained. The reverse mortgage salesperson became concerned and contacted the London Police Service to investigate.”", "Thank you, London police. Thank you for your advocacy and for standing up for people in the province of Ontario.", "The name Adam Stover was mentioned, and he deserves a lot of praise. He was one of many officers in this province fighting, bringing this issue here to this House, talking to the politicians. In fact, he sat in my very office months ago himself. Here’s what he said, in excerpt:", "“NOSIs have evolved into a tool used by organized crime in conjunction with predatory private lending to steal victims’ life savings and even homes....", "“The removal of NOSIs eliminates the predators and saves likely over a billion dollars that is currently sitting on victims’ home titles waiting to be cashed in by predators by way of liquidation through the sale of the home and/or refinancing”—again, remortgaging-the-home schemes.", "“The introduction of this legislation is a significant step. I look forward to all-party support”—and he has that—“to have this bill moved swiftly through the process. The expediting of this bill is imperative as, until that time comes, Ontarians will continue to be vulnerable to the current power of NOSIs and their predatory use.", "“On behalf of the victims and those who speak on their behalf, we are hopeful that the removal of commercial NOSIs will put an end to this devastating fraud.”", "Thank you to Detective Adam Stover and the Waterloo Regional Police Service.", "Now I’m going to talk to you about a couple of consumers, many of the thousands affected across this province. Linda Palmieri, who stood with us here in the press galleries to talk about what has happened to her very own family: “In 2015,” she said, “my in-laws were manipulated into a small appliance sale; that they assumed was with a reputable company and told, under ‘government recommendation.’", "“The sale from that initial contract in which a NOSI clause was included in the very fine print of the contract, put them onto a fraud list in which their names and identities were trafficked, swapped and sold to other fraudulent companies who over the span of six years repeatedly came back to their home and manipulated them into more fraudulent contract sales.” Seniors—seniors.", "“They’ve had no recourse to fight it or have anyone protect them. Until now. While my in-laws do appreciate that the official opposition is finally addressing this urgent issue ... these are innocent”—this was at the time when we had tabled our bill; we are all united today—“proud people and there are thousands and thousands of them in Ontario and they need the government’s immediate help.", "“End NOSIs now, retrofit the contracts and quickly, so that these companies do not rush the liens of the homes they have access to whilst the government spends precious time on passing this law. Please, we are counting on you.”", "That’s what we are doing here today: moving it through.", "“Please protect my in-laws and other victims of this crime and pass the legislation to ban NOSIs in Ontario for good and amend the legislation to wipe them from the books completely—and please pass it fast. Time is of the essence.”", "Celia Bowker—she bought a home from a builder who originally signed a contract with a company and left her with no idea of the terms of the rental agreement. When it came to resell her home, monies were held back at the time of the closing, and to date, these monies—totalling $32,000—again are being held back due to vexatious NOSIs.", "She says, “Thank you so much for your work on behalf of those of us who have been held hostage by this crooked company. I must add that the land registry’s office ... failed to check that supporting paperwork for liens was present or valid and that they failed to notify people when a lien was placed on their home. I see the LRO’s role in this problem has allowed the company to exploit people.”", "One of the problems is that when these liens are passed, they’re not passed—anyway, they are fraudulent as they stand before us, but they’re not even happening with the knowledge of the victims. Victims don’t know.", "I had a town hall that I did a couple of months ago. We talked about auto theft and we talked about NOSIs, and when I told people about NOSIs, the vast majority of the over 100 people that were there did not even know what they were. When they found out what they were, they wanted it dealt with immediately, and that’s what we’re doing today.", "Now I want to talk to you about some of the legal aid clinics and legal aid services. We already heard about ACE, the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly. What they are is a specialty legal clinic established to provide a range of legal services to low-income seniors in Ontario, and they have been dealing for years with this issue. They came out, stood with us at our presser here, calling for the ban on NOSIs. They came out to our town hall to talk to people about how they could have them discharged and how to fight them.", "They said, “On average, ACE receives more than 4,000 client intake inquiries a year. Many of these calls are reports of complaints due to unfair practices contrary to the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 ... many including door-to-door salespeople taking advantage of particularly vulnerable homeowners who have issues with vision, hearing, cognition and/or literacy, and/or for whom English is not their primary language.", "“The Advocacy Centre for the Elderly ... welcomes and supports the introduction of” the bill, “An Act to provide for the development and implementation of a plan to establish a consumer watchdog organization,” which is something that we had tabled as well, and they are calling for the immediate passage of Bill 200, the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024—what we are debating today.", "“Older adult homeowners continue to be victimized by the unlawful and unscrupulous use of NOSIs. Unethical lenders and home service companies are aggressively pursuing older adult homeowners with lawsuits leveraged by the registration of grossly inflated NOSIs against titles to their homes. Day after day, ACE continues to hear from older adults harassed and threatened by these actions. In many cases, vulnerable older adult homeowners are not able to withstand the stress of harassment for these exaggerated and unlawful claims. Sometimes, they pay out the claims believing they have no other alternative. In other cases, they cannot pay out the claims and live in fear of the loss of their homes. The Homeowner Protection Act is urgently needed to protect the rights of vulnerable older adult homeowners. Vulnerable older adult homeowners immediately need the retroactive abolition of NOSIs that the Homeowner Protection Act would provide,” which is what we are doing today.", "Jamie Hildebrand, executive director and staff lawyer at the Huron Perth Community Legal Clinic:", "“The notice of security interest has been a tool deployed by predatory ‘lenders’ to wrongly exploit the vulnerable consumer.", "“Our clients typically do not have the financial resources to fight these notices, as a lawsuit and a qualified lawyer are the only way to do so.", "“These notices need to be abolished immediately, and in the interim anyone affected by such a notice should be informed by the province immediately at no cost.", "1440", "“The cascade of unfortunate financial consequences of such a notice to a person of modest means is fast and furious, potentially rendering them homeless.”", "We heard from the minister how, when this tool came into effect decades ago, there were 400 registered a year and now 58,000.", "More, from other forms of legal aid, Pro Bono Ontario: “NOSIs are most often used as a method to extract unconscionable payments from vulnerable consumers in exchange for a discharge.", "“Discovering a NOSI on title can generate significant stress.", "“Consumers are left with either paying significant sums to obtain clear title or having to initiate court proceedings to enforce their rights under the Consumer Protection Act.”", "We thank all of the legal aid clinics that have been fighting in the trenches to help those affected by these scams.", "Here’s a name that people of this House know well, Tim Hudak—in fact, former Conservative leader, CEO of OREA at the time and, in fact, who was the minister that moved the old Consumer Protection Act. He came out swinging in saying we need a ban on NOSIs.", "This is what OREA said and what he said: “Too many Ontarians, when selling their home, have been surprised by one or more NOSIs—fine print in contracts that include exorbitant buyout charges that must be paid out before the home can be sold. This only adds undue financial burden and stress to the largest transaction many Ontarians make in their lives”—and that is the purchase of a home.", "“Banning NOSIs is just one more step in the right direction to protect consumers and deliver fairness in Ontario’s real estate landscape.”", "As we said, most people don’t know they have these liens registered against their properties. When do they find out? When they’re remortgaging their home, when they’re selling their home, when they’re buying a home. That’s when it’s discovered, and that’s why OREA took a position on behalf of all realtors in Ontario who are fighting on behalf of their clients to ban NOSIs.", "Now, I’m going to talk to you about a number of lawyers who have been fighting this, fighting for their clients.", "Dave Deonarain, lawyer, had this to say when we tabled our bill at the time, Bill 169, which would do the very same, banning NOSIs retroactively and for the future: “Upon my review of Bill 169—I think the ban of NOSIs is essential to protect Ontarians and” this is the “only proper solution to address this total mess created by these HVAC companies. Nothing else will work to address the problem.", "“I compliment the MPPs that have come up with such a strong strategy to finally deal with a situation that has caused so much financial damage to many Ontarians for far too long.", "“Ultimately, to address the problem, an outright ban of future NOSIs and full removal of any NOSI from the title of any and all titles across Ontario will be exactly what is needed. There is no middle ground.”", "Lawyer Mohsen Seddigh, a lawyer who has represented numerous consumers affected by NOSIs—and so he’s in fact advancing a class action in this respect and stated, “I applaud the political consensus that has emerged with respect to the scourge of NOSIs and their traumatic impact on the most vulnerable in our society, especially the elderly.”", "Emma Michael, partner at Aion Law: “Between the exorbitant cost of buying the rental equipment out to remove a NOSI, which is almost always well above the value of the equipment, and the additional legal fees incurred on every real estate transaction involving a NOSI, property owners are taking the hit in favour of these companies.", "“To address these issues for homeowners would be a step forward in protecting Canadians and their most treasured, largest and most treasured asset—their home.”", "Matthew Langer, another lawyer, who has written blog articles on the subject of NOSIs, said: “More problematically than not knowing what HVAC stands for, thousands of Ontario consumers don’t know that they are renting HVAC equipment on lengthy agreements that have been found by Ontario courts in some instances to be unenforceable. These HVAC agreements can seem like small monthly payments, but there can be clauses ... that include a term ... of 10 years and allow for the HVAC companies and other affiliated financial companies to place liens on the” consumers’ homes.", "“The amount of the lien can be variable as there is no clear formula in the HVAC rental agreement but it usually is equivalent to the full amount owing for the entire duration of HVAC agreement. If the Ontario consumer has more than one piece of HVAC equipment, they will have multiple liens on their property.”", "And finally, I’m going to read from Greg Weedon. Here is a lawyer, here is a voice for a long time who has been fighting to end and ban NOSIs. I recognize him, and I thank him. He has sent multiple letters to both myself and to the members of provincial Parliament here at Queen’s Park. He has amassed 750 signatures from real estate lawyers and realtor registrants.", "Here is an excerpt from their open letter submitted last month: “We are Ontario real estate agents, brokers and registrants writing on behalf of thousands of Ontario homeowners who are dealing with the very real threat of losing their homes....", "“The registration of notices of security interest ... or lodgements against title ownership of vulnerable homeowners in Ontario, often in respect of unwanted and overpriced home services and equipment, has escalated to the point where it is openly and brazenly being abused.", "“The victims of these predatory practices are elderly homeowners who are socially isolated with limited financial means, deliberately targeted due to their social and demographic profile. There is an enormous burden on homeowners since mortgage lenders and purchasers require NOSIs and lodgements to be removed from title before completing a transaction.", "“The properties are effectively held hostage and the victims are forced or extorted to pay the amount the registrant claims to be owing, regardless of whether that sum is legitimate or not. This system is broken. There is no other adequate solution other than a complete prohibition of NOSIs for all residential ownership”—again, what we are doing here today together.", "“We demand that this government not only prohibit NOSIs and lodgements going forward, but move to immediately delete, vacate and abolish NOSIs and lodgements from residential properties retroactively.”", "Just yesterday, Mr. Weedon submitted another letter in support of taking swift action. He wrote:", "“I write this letter to urge multi-party co-operation in passing Bill 200 prior to adjourning the Ontario Legislature in June. The consequences of announcing this bill and then waiting nearly five (5) months to enact same will be devastating. Lawyers are already witnessing these consequences at this given time. We understand that the parties are unified in efforts to protect homeowners and the elderly; we simply ask that these Ontarians are prioritized now.", "“I write on behalf of fellow members of the Ontario real estate bar as experts in our field, and on behalf of hundreds of clients who continue to deal with a threat to their most important asset that they never saw coming. On behalf of these victims and the countless Ontarians set to benefit from this charge, a heartfelt thank you is in order.", "“I have personally advocated for nearly 100 families impacted by these predatory schemes over the past 24 months. While we applaud the steps taken to resolve these issues, we cannot stress the urgency and importance of moving this bill through the legislative system without further delay. We have collectively witnessed thousands of distressed homeowners who have less than a week to clear thousands of dollars in NOSIs, failing which, these homeowners risk a failed refinancing or a lawsuit stemming from an aborted closing.", "“The proposed legislation has caused uncertainty as to whether NOSIs need to be discharged and the degree of leverage these bad actors continue to maintain. These concerns are shared across the entire real estate legal bar. We personally have between 20 and 30 clients who are embroiled in expensive litigation proceedings pertaining to NOSIs; these homeowners have no practical means to refinance, sell or utilize the equity in their homes at this time.", "“These homeowners remain a small sample size of those affected by the predatory scheme. These homeowners need urgent representation and demand timely action. We plead for the parties to work collaboratively and in unison to pass this bill and right the wrong that has plagued Ontarians for far too long.", "“Thank you very much,", "“Greg Weedon.”", "So there you have it: the case put before us all by consumers, by the police, law enforcement agencies, lawyers, legal aid clinics. This matter is costing Ontarians over $1 billion of vexatious liens placed against properties, and they end today. They end today because we are working as one. I am proud to stand here as an MPP in this House today. I congratulate the minister. We have talked about this for some time now, and I know these liens bother him as much as they bother me, as much as they bother the official opposition, as much as they bother every member in this House.", "Because of this, I am sharing my time and our lead with two members, and we will be putting forth no more speakers on this, in the urgency. But every member in the official opposition is standing united, standing with strength and is calling to an end and a ban on NOSIs today and forever." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Bhutila Karpoche", "text": [ "Before I begin, I just want to acknowledge that we have so many students joining watching debate. Welcome to Queen’s Park.", "It is always an honour to rise and speak on behalf of the residents of Parkdale–High Park, and today to speak to Bill 200, the Homeowner Protection Act. This bill puts an end to predatory scams through the use of notices of security interest, NOSIs, after installing and financing consumer goods like water heaters, furnaces, AC units and even home automation devices.", "These scams have become all too common in our province and they have persisted for many, many years. These unethical companies have used NOSIs because the government of the day turned a blind eye.", "1450", "What is particularly vile is that these scammers target and victimize some of the most vulnerable members of our community, such as seniors and newcomers. A constituent, an attorney from my riding, wrote to me saying that most people are “never aware of the regulations until the time comes to sell or finance the home, when they are suddenly on the hook for thousands of dollars. Some are seniors who have been ... criminally scammed.”", "That’s the other aspect of this scam that is so vile: that it is done without the homeowner’s knowledge, and it becomes a lien against somebody’s property title. Then, the companies, these scammers, get to pocket a chunk of somebody’s property value for years and years. In fact, people become aware of these scams, these liens, only when it’s time for them to move or sell or refinance their home.", "At a press conference that I was part of, we heard a story of a senior couple who were scammed into purchasing a furnace and air conditioner unit in 2015 and a NOSI clause was included in the fine print. They had 12 liens on their home, a home that they spent their lives paying for. Now, these scammers were trying to steal this couple’s home for themselves.", "That was the press conference when we in the official opposition announced our bill, Bill 169, Removing Red Tape for Homeowners, to end the disgraceful practice by banning NOSIs and making it easier for existing ones to be removed.", "The government responded quickly, announcing the very next day that they agreed with us, and they would move to ban NOSIs. Their swift action shows that this is necessary and urgent legislation, and there is agreement across party lines that it needs to be implemented immediately.", "Governments promise action all the time, but often never follow through or drag their feet. But this time—to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery’s credit—he did follow through on his commitment to bring in legislation before spring, and here we are. It’s an example of how we can work together. When we do, it’s Ontarians who benefit.", "Speaker, I am pleased to support this legislation to ban predatory NOSIs and protect Ontarian homeowners." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "I would like to say in the House, and this is probably the first time in almost six years, I am very happy that this government bill has been called to the House. I’m very grateful that the government has moved so quickly on addressing NOSIs. And I particularly would like to thank the government and Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery for taking action on this extremely important issue.", "I’d also like to thank, of course, the member from London North Centre and the member from Parkdale–High Park and, of course, the very passionate member on this issue from Humber River–Black Creek. I was pleased to join them as co-sponsors on Bill 169 to address these predatory practices in Ontario.", "Some background on this bill—because my parents just tuned in—we have been hearing a lot about notices of security interest, or NOSIs, that are placed on properties, resulting in many senior victims. It’s a relatively common interaction: Typically, an illegitimate company shows up at a homeowner’s door offering to sell or rent HVAC appliances, and there is a debt or a lien placed on the home that must be repaid upon the sale or refinancing. Some of these videos that have been published about this issue are truly, absolutely heartbreaking. Many seniors find themselves victims on this.", "A simple unit which costs hundreds of dollars becomes tens of thousands of dollars in many of these cases. Worse yet, homeowners don’t even find out about the NOSIs until they refinance or sell. Homeowners, especially senior homeowners, deserve to be protected.", "There has been a considerable uptick in NOSIs registered in Ontario over the past two years, with hundreds of thousands of dollars registered on title. Particularly vulnerable are low-income citizens and those who are socially isolated.", "I must tell you that some of the saddest videos that were part of this investigation show seniors who are lonely and they are isolated. In one video that I watched, the lady wanted to get the door-to-door salesmen some coffee, to have him sit down and have some cake, because they were lonely. Essentially what was happening, though, is that these lonely and isolated seniors were literally inviting the wolf into their own home. The connection to organized crime as these NOSI scams evolved is truly frightening. It was certainly a learning experience for me as the finance critic.", "I want to just tell you very quickly about one local resident—his name is Ian Craig—in Waterloo region. He has had seven notices of security interest on his property, totalling more than $150,000. All the NOSIs on Craig’s home were put there by scammers without his knowledge. “This is not right, for people who have invested in their homes, that somebody comes along and puts [NOSIs] on it for half of” the house. “The way they can take advantage of people is just disgusting,” he said. “This is why we need protection.” This is why we need Bill 200.", "The ties to organized crime became very evident when we reached out to the Waterloo region police, who I definitely want to say thank you very much to for your leadership and your advocacy and for your education on these predatory practices.", "Detective Stover of the Waterloo Regional Police Service has been investigating NOSIs since 2010 but the investigation intensified in 2020 when police identified that they were being used criminally. Sometimes this is data that is the personal and financial data of the individual in the home. That data is captured and then sold to various other organizations. It was astounding that this has been going on and accelerating in Ontario for the time being.", "“It became a tool used by organized crime to target and revictimize people who had notices of security on title from the years previous,” said Stover. “They really identified an aging population in Ontario that have a lot of equity in their home.”", "Last year in Ontario alone 38,000 NOSIs were registered. Imagine that this practice has been allowed to continue for so many years. When this came up under the former Liberal government, it was astounding. They were supposed to outlaw door-to-door sales, but there was no enforcement whatsoever. The lack of oversight—basically just going through the motions—is really a disservice to so many Ontarians, particularly the vulnerable and seniors. It is vital that we protect vulnerable citizens and especially seniors from such scams so that they are not being taken advantage of.", "Thank you very much for introducing this important legislation. I hazard to say it, but let’s get it done today—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "I know. Let’s get it done. Let’s protect seniors. Let’s pass this bill. Let’s do it quickly." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions?" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "I beg to inform the House the following document was tabled: the annual report of the review of expense claims covering the period April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, pursuant to the Cabinet Ministers’ and Opposition Leaders’ Expenses Review and Accountability Act, 2002, from the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Aislinn Clancy", "text": [ "I do appreciate these moments when we can share, all working together, with one goal in mind—and that goal is protecting the vulnerable in our community from fraud and bad actors who are there to steal, basically.", "I want to thank my neighbour the MPP from Cambridge, who put forward a PMB a while back. I know my friend from Cambridge has moved the needle very much today, and I appreciate his trail-blazing work on this file. I want to thank the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, as well, for making sure that we can get this work done as soon as possible so that people can start seeing relief now. I have stories from my riding where people’s lives are put on hold or the harm is happening day to day, moment to moment, and so I’m glad we could expedite this work.", "1500", "I’d be remiss if I didn’t also thank Detective Adam Stover. He’s a member of our Waterloo Regional Police Service. I had the good fortune of talking with him when our police service came to Toronto and came to Queen’s Park to describe what was happening in our community. He took an amazing lead. He has been an expert in the field. I’ve had the privilege of being able to refer constituents in my riding who have been facing this to him to get expert advice and help with their issues, and he has been at the forefront of making sure that this gets resolved as soon as possible. So I want to give a deep bow to our police service, and especially Detective Adam Stover for his great work and advocacy.", "Notice of security interests—the fact that we are all learning what this means right now shows how vulnerable our population is. So many folks across our province have no idea what’s happening when they’re being scammed day to day through these complicated contracts—people coming to fix a bathroom or sell them a heater or an air conditioner—and getting charged triple, quadruple and amounts they’re not even aware of. There is a total lack of informed consent, and the way this has opened the floodgates to organized crime is astounding. So I really appreciate that this silent crisis is getting addressed quickly, especially given the circumstances of us facing an aging population.", "Just last week, I spoke to a resident in my riding whose mother has had NOSIs put on her property. She’s living with Alzheimer’s. It was her dying wish to age in place, but because she lives with dementia, she is vulnerable to folks coming to her door. Her data was sold. So not only was the NOSI put on her property, but her data was sold, and the PSW told the constituent in my riding that a cab had been sent to her home four times to take her mother to the bank. The only reason she wasn’t swindled out of any money in her bank account was because she didn’t remember to bring her social insurance number. So I don’t think that we’re just saving folks from the harm caused by NOSIs; we’re saving this data from organized crime, being used in other malicious ways. I know that our constituent will breathe a sigh of relief. Her mother is in long-term care now, and she really wants to do the work of selling the house, but she needs this resolved in order to move on with the sale of her mother’s home and so that her mother can keep the money she has worked for her whole life.", "I also appreciate the work done to delay—the heritage buildings being recognized. I know our heritage community and the architectural conservancy was very loud in their advocacy for asking about that. I want to acknowledge my constituent Kae Elgie for her work in this matter—and a lot of the other protections for people buying their homes that are afforded to those who have condos. I’m so grateful that we can include some of these items to make sure people have peace of mind when they buy their first home.", "I’m grateful today that we can all come together and we can create protections for people, especially our most vulnerable, in terms of home ownership. I hope we can go that extra mile in the coming years to protect seniors from renoviction. I know in my riding and in many of our ridings, seniors are being renovicted at double the rate and they’re losing their rental homes. So I hope we can protect people’s home ownership and we’ll keep working towards protecting tenants from being illegally evicted by bad actors in that space, as well.", "I am looking forward to voting in unanimity together for this wonderful bill." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions? Questions?", "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Adil Shamji", "text": [ "It’s a pleasure to rise in this chamber to discuss Bill 200 with everyone.", "Let’s start by facing the facts: The Premier is in damage control. After the disastrous reception of Bill 185, the Premier realizes he needs to give a little something for everyone. Instead of passing landmark housing policy, he’s trying to pump out a little goodie bag to keep stakeholders quiet over the summer.", "Who is really driving housing policy? Is it the Premier, who’s got the minister on a leash, or is it the other way around? I guess we’ll never know. Or we could wait for another minister to write a book about their time trying to keep a struggling ministry afloat, which is a book that I would preorder.", "This bill gets too much credit—because let’s talk about flip-flops. And I’m not talking about the kind of flip-flops the Premier might have been wearing at last night’s backyard barbecue. I’m talking about the kind of flip-flops they’re trying to camouflage in this bill. Schedule 2, the Ontario Heritage Act—that’s a flip-flop. Schedule 5, the Planning Act—again, that is a flip-flop.", "When this government flip-flops, you never know whether it’s going to land in the clear, and on this occasion, they’re doing the right thing. But how much uncertainty, how much spooking of the housing sector had to take place in order for them to get here? The answer is: too much.", "By forcing municipalities to determine whether their listed heritage sites would be designated according to an unrealistic timeline, they have forced them to reroute valuable administrative resources that municipalities needed to get homes built, that they couldn’t use to get homes built. But this government isn’t concerned about that. After all, Bill 185 entirely abandons the “1.5 million homes by 2031” housing target.", "At least this bill realizes the error of the government’s ways and flip-flops to give municipalities more time to give notice of intention to designate homes as heritage sites. It’s good that this government can realize when it’s wrong, but I think the people of Ontario would appreciate if they weren’t wrong every day, because these flip-flops are costly, not just for the taxpayer, but to everyone waiting for a place to call home.", "Madam Speaker, I wish that was the end of it; I genuinely do. But when you make your way down to schedule 5 of this bill, you realize there is yet another flip-flop staring you in the face—and again, not the Premier’s flip-flops from last night. I’m talking about the legal protection this government legislated for itself with regard to ministerial zoning orders. Do you remember that—when the government covered its own hide for reversing on all those MZOs? Yes, so that was with changes to the Planning Act. All those developers that the government dragged down into the mess of their own making—well, the government railroaded them too. They were left out to dry without any recourse for legal action. That didn’t sit well with Ontario’s development industry, even those that weren’t involved with the Premier’s greenbelt-giveaway fiasco.", "The government wants to hand out MZOs to build transit-oriented communities. Well, no one trusts the government anymore on those MZOs. They don’t believe those MZOs mean anything. And if those developers have those MZOs cancelled, they wouldn’t have any insurance that they could then avail themselves of legal action. Never in the history of Ontario has there been a government that has created so much uncertainty in Ontario’s housing sector.", "Let me be clear: I am in support of transit-oriented communities. We need to increase density, and we need to do it in major transit areas. I want to make that clear to the minister and his entire office, because it seems they have their wires crossed on this issue. But I want to make sure that the whole House and all the people of Ontario realize—", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "I apologize to the member who is speaking. I apologize to the member for Don Valley East.", "Please lower the voices, the conversations. We cannot hear the speaker.", "I apologize. You can continue.", "Back to the member for Don Valley East." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Adil Shamji", "text": [ "Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.", "I want to make sure that the whole House and all the people of Ontario realize the absurdity that is this government having to walk back legislation to reassure home builders that they will still be able to sue them if they flip-flop on their MZOs. That’s where we are, folks. That’s how low this government has taken us.", "We will support this legislation, but it’s embarrassing that we have to. I can understand why this government is rushing this bill through in one day, because it is frankly so embarrassing that so much of this bill even had to be written. It makes sense why they don’t want to take it to committee, because the stakeholders would flame them there. Well, perhaps that would happen more behind the scenes, as it already has. Regardless, it would be pretty awkward.", "The housing sector has had enough of this government jerking it around. When it comes to health care, I have come to the conclusion that this government’s neglect is intentional and deliberate. But I do believe that the government’s mismanagement of the housing file boils down to another one of Ford’s finest signature blends: NIMBYism and incompetence.", "1510", "But it turns out that a broken clock can be right twice a day, and that is the case for this government in some sections of the bill. This bill does get some things right, against all odds and in spite of this government’s signature blend of incompetence. For example, it offers a 10-day cooling-off period, after the purchase of new freehold homes, to cancel their contract without reason or penalty. This is to ensure that new homeowners can make sure their purchase was the right choice for themselves, and so they’re fully equipped with all of the information that they need. Surprisingly, this government is actually taking the advice of the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board and the Ontario Real Estate Association, although it is still flouting many of the Housing Affordability Task Force’s major recommendations.", "Do you know what, Madam Speaker? A chance for homebuyers to make sure their purchase was the right choice? Some time for them to make sure they’ve got all the information correct?", "Frankly, I think this government should legislate a 10-day cooling-off period for itself when it passes legislation, just so that we can all make sure.", "This bill also bans consumer notices of security interest. There are far too many examples of people who have been caught unaware of NOSIs registered on their property and who have subsequently been subjected to exorbitant fees that feel extortionary. Something has to be done about that. While retroactively banning consumer NOSI registrations will be a good thing for homebuyers and we support that, this government must ensure that it puts the protections in place so that this change only affects bad-faith actors, not good-faith actors. Some of the people who have been impacted most are people who are elderly, who are new to our province, or who don’t speak English. Banning consumer notices of security interest is indeed an important step to introducing more fairness and equality to people who own homes. Ultimately, we need to do what is best for the 350,000 homeowners who will be protected by this policy, but this government needs to do it responsibly.", "On to legal protections: It is understandable, especially for this government, that they would want to put legal protections in place for themselves regarding NOSIs. But in the same breath, they are also legislating legal protections for any action taken by Teranet. What’s up about that? Does it have anything to do with NOSIs? Is this about cancelling a contract and changing vendors? This bill offers no transparency, and this process, frankly, offers no time to even figure it out.", "Does the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery have any of these answers? Does the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing? Does anyone? Does the Premier know—or is this coming from somewhere else entirely? Those of us on this side of the House would like to know.", "While we’re on the topic of transparency, let’s talk about builders’ cancellation disclosures. This bill would require the public disclosure of builders’ histories of cancellation disclosures, providing consumers with greater confidence and peace of mind. This is a good thing for homebuyers. It keeps everyone honest, and we support it.", "But I find it odd that we are talking about homeowner protection and we are living in a time when the government can’t even ensure that a home is physically protected from crime, break-ins and armed robberies. This bill has some worthwhile elements to it, but it’s disgraceful that this government hasn’t included anything to do with helping Ontarians protect their homes and their families from crime. In my community, break-ins have been on the rise ever since this government took office, and far too little has been done to make them feel safe in their homes. For this government’s next bill, I do hope that they will take this into consideration.", "Just one last thing, on MZOs: With all the talk about MZOs, how about this government actually using them to build homes instead of as political favours? If you want any proof that this government treats MZOs as political tools, look no further than 175 Cummer in the Minister of Long-Term Care’s riding. That inaction is forcing the city of Toronto to pay millions in storage for modular homes.", "We’ll pass this bill, but will the government get its act together?", "I want to end by concluding with just how regrettable this accelerated and expedited process is for denying a fulsome review of everything in this Legislature. I will say now what I said before, which is that this bill is an embarrassment and didn’t need to happen—an embarrassment so great that a bill that is being touted as a housing bill wasn’t even put out under the housing minister’s name; it was put out under the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery.", "In conclusion, I thank all members of the House for participating in this debate and for putting this bill forward. I regret that it has been done in such an expedited manner, but I look forward to the ensuing stages of reviewing this later this afternoon." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions? Questions?", "Further debate? Further debate?", "Mr. McCarthy has moved second reading of Bill 200, An Act to amend various Acts with respect to homebuyers and homeowners, properties of cultural heritage value or interest and certain planning matters.", "Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "Second reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? I recognize the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "I respectfully ask that the bill be referred to Committee of the Whole House." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "It’s referred to the Committee of the Whole House.", "Orders of the day? I recognize the government House leader." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "Committee of the Whole House.", "House in Committee of the Whole." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "With the indulgence of the committee, may I request that a table be brought onto the floor of the chamber for staff while Minister McCarthy moves to the front row?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Chair (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Pursuant to standing order 109, this is permitted. I will ask chamber staff to assist with bringing a table and three chairs onto the floor while the minister moves to the front row.", "We are now considering Bill 200, An Act to amend various Acts with respect to homebuyers and homeowners, properties of cultural heritage value or interest and certain planning matters. Are there any comments, questions or amendments? And if so, to which sections of the bill?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "Chair, I have no amendments to the bill, but I have comments to—pardon me; I must rise." ] }, { "speaker": "The Chair (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "I recognize the minister." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "Chair, thank you. My apologies.", "I have no amendments to the bill, but I do have comments to schedule 4 as a whole." ] }, { "speaker": "The Chair (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Thank you, Minister.", "Are there any other comments, questions or amendments to other sections of the bill?", "1520" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Tom Rakocevic", "text": [ "I just wanted to make comments to everyone in the House today. I want to congratulate the minister on this bill before us. I want to thank the government for listening to the official opposition. The parts of the bill pertaining to the freehold home extension with regard to the cooling-off period is, in fact, an amendment that we introduced to the CPA, and we thank you for listening to us and for it appearing in the bill.", "We also thank the government and the minister because the banning of NOSIs for the future, as well as the past, in fact, is the substance of Bill 169, tabled by members of the official opposition. Again, the government and the minister have heard us, and this is part of the substance of this bill with regard to consumer protection.", "I’m proud, as we are all proud, to stand together united on this bill." ] }, { "speaker": "The Chair (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Are there any other members who wish to be recognized?", "I will now bundle consecutive sections that have no amendments and to which there are no comments or questions.", "The bill is comprised of three sections and five schedules. I suggest that we postpone the first three sections of the bill in order to dispose of the schedules first. This allows the committee to consider the contents of the schedules before dealing with the sections relating to the commencement and short title of the bill. We would return to the three sections after completing the consideration of the schedules.", "Is there unanimous consent to postpone consideration of these three sections of the bill and deal with the schedules first? Agreed.", "Schedule 1, sections 1 to 5: Carry? Schedule 1, sections 1 to 5, carried.", "Schedule 1, sections 6 to 8: Shall they carry? Sections 6 to 8, carried.", "Shall schedule 1 carry, as a whole? Carried.", "Shall sections 1 to 3 of schedule 2 carry? Carried.", "Shall schedule 2, as a whole, carry? Carried.", "Shall sections 1 and 2 of schedule 3 carry? Sections 1 and 2 of schedule 3 are carried.", "Shall schedule 3, as a whole, carry? Schedule 3, carried.", "Shall sections 1 to 12 of schedule 4 carry? Sections 1 to 12 of schedule 4, carried.", "I recognize the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "Thank you, Chair. This is a landmark piece of legislation, the first of its kind in Canada. If passed, it would protect consumers from fraud and bad actors. By banning, or proposing to ban, the registration of consumer notices of security of interest on land titles, we are putting an end to the exploitation that has targeted our elderly and the most vulnerable residents of our communities.", "Moreover, we’re giving Ontarians the crucial information and the time they need to confidently make one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. This would occur through our enhanced protections for new homebuyers, putting those new freehold homebuyers on the same plane as new condo purchasers.", "The proposed legislation would further strengthen consumer protections for homeowners and buyers by establishing a 10-day cooling-off period for purchases or purchasers of new freehold homes. The Condominium Authority Tribunal’s jurisdiction to cover a broader range of disputes would be put into place. There would be a more accessible and efficient resolution of disputes and the burden taken away from the courts.", "This proposed legislation has widespread support from advocacy groups for seniors, consumer advocates, law enforcement, legal professionals and businesses of all sizes." ] }, { "speaker": "The Chair (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Is there any further comment on schedule 4?", "Shall schedule 4, as a whole, carry? Carried.", "Shall schedule 5, sections 1 and 2, carry? Schedule 5, sections 1 and 2, are carried.", "Shall schedule 5, as a whole, carry? Carried.", "We will return to sections 1 through 3. Shall sections 1 through 3 carry? Carried.", "Shall the preamble of the bill carry? Carried.", "Shall the title of the bill carry? Carried.", "Shall Bill 200 carry? Carried.", "Shall I report the bill to the House? Carried.", "Orders of the day? I recognize the government House leader." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "I move that the Committee of the Whole rise and report and ask leave to sit again." ] }, { "speaker": "The Chair (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Shall the motion carry? Carried.", "The Committee of the Whole House begs to report one bill without amendment and asks for leave to sit again." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Shall the report be received and adopted? Agreed? Agreed.", "Committee of the Whole report adopted." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "The bill is therefore ordered for third reading.", "Orders of the day?", "1530" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "I recognize the minister." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Todd J. McCarthy", "text": [ "Speaker, this is a momentous day. Great work has been done by all members of this assembly to get us to this point. We consulted in the fall of 2023 across the spectrum: individual families and elderly citizens who have been victimized by this terrible fraud of misuse of NOSIs. The deception and organized criminal activity associated with it was unacceptable.", "We heard the stories, as I said, of families and seniors. We consulted with law enforcement, legal professionals, businesses of all types, advocates for consumer groups and advocates for the elderly. We then put forward the proposal and we tabled the bill.", "There are times when matters that require our urgent attention must be dealt with swiftly. This is one such time. I congratulate all members of this House for listening to the residents and citizens of their communities across 124 ridings in the province of Ontario. We are working together today swiftly to move this matter to the point where we can debate and ultimately vote on third reading of Bill 200. It is properly called the Homeowner Protection Act, but it’s also about protecting homebuyers. The Homeowner Protection Act, 2024, is the right thing to do and it is urgently needed.", "When members of this House come together and put partisanship aside, we can serve the citizens we all serve together, rightly and fairly and properly, doing our duty as parliamentarians. I believe that we have done that today. With the support of all members of this House, we can move it forward so that immediate relief will be available to the seniors who are affected by this. It is not just a proposal to abolish the registration of notices of security interest in regard to consumer goods and services against people’s homes going forward. It is not just that; it is about retroactively abolishing—making ineffective—the 350,000 some-odd NOSIs that are currently registered on title against homes.", "Before we vote, I ask you to consider this: To delay the passage of this legislation would be to enable further fraud, enable further victimization of our elderly and our vulnerable. That would be wrong. That would be a failure of our duty as parliamentarians. I urge you all to continue what you have started. Let us come together, vote together and pass this bill on third reading. Thank you very much." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions?", "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Terence Kernaghan", "text": [ "It’s an honour for me to rise here today to add some remarks on Bill 200. To my mind, this marks some of the best collaboration I have had the opportunity to witness within this chamber in my six years as a legislator.", "We’ve all seen the horrific stories of seniors, people living with disabilities and new Canadians who have been targeted by these insidious HVAC scams. It’s been absolutely unconscionable to see that these companies will end up using ridiculously long contracts that actually are longer than the lifespan of the unit, and that the contracts will also have these appliances accrue interest year over year. What appliance gets more expensive the more you use it? It makes no sense. The fact that they will take a bite out of the value of a homeowner’s home is absolutely unacceptable.", "The reason we are here is because the dithering Liberal government did not respond to this crisis properly. They banned door-to-door sales, but yet there was no enforcement to that. It was like they took care of a side issue. They looked at the method of this scam, but not actually the beating heart of this scam itself. The beating heart of this scam is the NOSI or the lien.", "Despite the fact that door-to-door sales are banned, these companies have found other ways in, they have pivoted. They will contact people through email, they will set up phone calls, they will tell people that they have won prizes, thereby gaining entry.", "I want to thank all of the investigative reporters, whether it’s W5 or CBC Marketplace, who have had hidden-camera investigations, which have really shone a light on what this scam actually is.", "It’s been really unfortunate that Liberal inaction has allowed these companies to continue to get away with this for so many years. So here we are today, dealing with this issue in a collaborative, proactive way.", "I’ve got to say, I was initially not all that impressed when the government first mentioned the study of NOSIs. I was a little bit worried. I thought it would be imbalanced, unfair and that people wouldn’t receive justice. I’ve been following this for a number of years. It’s something that I’ve cared very passionately about, and I’ve got to say that there’s been so much work done in this space, and as legislators, we cannot ignore what has happened in people’s lives.", "After thinking about this for some time, I’ve tried different ways to develop legislation to combat it. There’s been many different approaches, but we have to cut the head off of the snake with this scam. We have to get rid of the beating hart of this scam which is the NOSI or the lien.", "I want to thank Dennis Crawford, who has been incredible to work with. He’s done excellent work fighting for and informing people about this scam. And I also want to thank people who came forward and shared their stories with us.", "There was Linda Palmieri, a constituent of the MPP from Humber River–Black Creek. We had staff litigation lawyers from the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, Sarah Tella and Bethanie Pascutto.", "This fall, when discussing the consumer protection bill, Bill 168, I was asking this government time and again if retroactivity was going to included within any discussion of NOSIs and we weren’t really given much cause to support any upcoming legislation, because there was really no indication that retroactivity was going to be provided. I was really quite worried that this government wasn’t going to go far enough, so as a result, I tabled my bill, Bill 169, and I want to thank the member for Humber River–Black Creek, our consumer protection critic, I want to thank the member from Waterloo and I want to thank the member from Parkdale–High Park for also being my co-sponsors on this legislation.", "I’ve got to say, I did prefer my title, but I decided not to go and change that during Committee of the Whole House. It was the Removing Red Tape for Homeowners (No More Pushy, High-Pressure HVAC Scams) Act, but with that legislation, it did both things: It looked forward and it also looked backward. It included that retroactivity which is central and is key and is something that we must do.", "It’s not fair to go and say, “Now is year zero, and we’re going to start looking after people and make sure that they aren’t being scammed.” We need and we have a moral and ethical duty to make sure that people who have been victimized and exploited by this scam are also protected, and so I want to thank the government for including that within Bill 200.", "I’ve got to say, on the day when I tabled this legislation along with my co-sponsors, I had the opportunity to ask, in question period—and there aren’t many times where I’m, quite frankly, speechless, but when I asked the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery about this, and the minister indicated that they would be following Bill 169 and including retroactivity, I was so glad. I’m so glad to see that we, together as legislators, are going to take care of an awful mess that has been left for years—to take care of this predatory, horrible industry which exploits people and takes money out of their pocket.", "I want to thank also police services, advocacy organizations—all the people who have been trying to get change within this space for a number of years.", "1540", "I also want to share some feedback that I have received, and it was written to me:", "“Without the opposition pushing this issue forward, the government may not have acted until later, and their action may have been less comprehensive than what has been proposed in the announcement.", "“Thank you, Terence, for your leadership on this important public issue!”", "I want to also send a message from this Legislature to those predatory scam companies. I want to ask them a question: How on earth is it possible that you can live with yourself when every dollar in your pocket is based on human suffering? I want to ask: How could you look yourself in the mirror and pretend that you’re a decent person? This Legislature today has shown that we are on to your scams. You can try to pivot. You can try and slither away, but we will continue to respond with legislation to make sure that this does not happen to seniors, people living with disabilities and new Canadians. Stop scamming people and put your efforts into a real, decent job.", "Thank you very much for the time, Speaker. Again, I commend the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery. I want to thank all members here for providing me with this opportunity to speak today." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Questions? Questions? Further debate? Further debate?", "Mr. McCarthy has moved third reading of Bill 200, An Act to amend various Acts with respect to homebuyers and homeowners, properties of cultural heritage value or interest and certain planning matters. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.", "Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion. Congratulations.", "Third reading agreed to." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Orders of the day." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "On a point of order, Madam Speaker: Pursuant to standing order 7(e), I wish to inform the House that tonight’s evening meeting is cancelled.", "And if you seek it, I’m sure you’ll find unanimous consent to see the clock at 6." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to move the clock to 6 o’clock. Agreed? Agreed." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Jennifer K. French", "text": [ "I move that, in the opinion of this House, the Ontario building code should be amended to restore the requirements for electric vehicle supply equipment that applied to houses served by a garage, carport or driveway, as per subsection 9.34.4 of division B of O. Reg. 332/12, as it read on January 1, 2018." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Pursuant to standing order 100, the member has 12 minutes for her presentation.", "I recognize the member from Oshawa." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jennifer K. French", "text": [ "The future is electric and the future is coming and we have to be ready for it. We may be excited—we may even be electrified—but we aren’t prepared.", "As a girl from Oshawa, I support the automotive sector and always want to grow manufacturing. My community was immeasurably shaped by automotive innovation and auto workers. I want to do my part to ensure the road ahead is bright and sure.", "We will all be proud to build electric vehicles right here in our province and proud of the good jobs and the auto workers who will build them. But Ontario needs a real EV plan so we can charge them and drive them. We are not EV-ready, and we are falling behind. We need a serious EV strategy to grow development, manufacturing and the charging infrastructure. We need EV-ready homes.", "This initiative aims to make it easier and more affordable for drivers to transition to electric vehicles by requiring home builders to include rough-ins for charging infrastructure in newly built homes. As the official opposition critic for infrastructure, transportation and highways, I have the opportunity to talk to folks who are driving the future and building the province. Months ago, I met with the Electricity Distributors Association and our local utility, Oshawa Power. Daniel Arbour, the president and CEO of Oshawa Power, made a reference to Quebec’s buildings code’s at-home-charging rough-in provisions for new homes. I was interested, because it makes sense to start at home when creating a solution that will make a difference to the most Ontarians. New homes should be built with the future in mind.", "The building code had been amended in 2017 to include a requirement for EV charger rough-ins, which was to take effect for new builds after 2020, but it never did. In 2018, the newly elected PC government undid this section in the Ontario building code around the same time that they also removed chargers from GO stations and cancelled the rebate for EV buyers. I want this government to reverse course and undo their undo.", "We have seen this government rethink positions before and repeal or reverse or reconsider, and I am asking them to listen to industry, environmental and energy folks, and make it easier for more Ontarians to charge their electric vehicles at home. The future is on its way, and it will be here by 2035.", "The federal government’s plan for Canada to move away from fully gas-powered cars and toward electric vehicles is that by 2035, 100% of new light-duty vehicles sold would have to be electric vehicles. These gas-powered vehicles account for about half of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.", "In a government news release announcing that this province was investigating options for a new ultra-low overnight electricity rate, this PC government’s former Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said, “Electric vehicles are a powerful tool in the fight against climate change and a critical way to reduce emissions.”", "Further, this Minister of Energy said, “Introduction of a new ultra-low overnight price plan that would benefit shift workers and support EV adoption is our next step as we focus on helping electricity customers save money....”", "The former Minister of Transportation said, “This new initiative will help electric vehicle owners save on costs, while also supporting the use of these environmentally friendly vehicles across the province.”", "Speaker, I don’t often read PC government news releases, but today I believe we share common ground, and I’m trying to remind them that we want to support mass adoption of the electric vehicles that we are all excited to be building here.", "Honda will be investing $15 billion to build four new EV plants in Ontario, and that is a big deal. The deal includes the construction of the Honda’s first electric vehicle assembly plant and a new stand-alone EV battery plant in Alliston. This Premier called the investment “a game-changer for the industry” and a “tremendous win for Ontario.” He said his government is supporting the investment with direct and indirect incentives worth $2.5 billion.", "Honda Canada’s president, Jean Marc Leclerc, was recently in Oshawa, and I ran into him at the Canadian Automotive Museum. I appreciated talking with him about Ontario’s EV future, and I just heard him on CBC Radio, where he spoke about mass adoption of EVs and the need to find solutions to eliminate people’s anxieties about owning an electric vehicle. In that interview, Monsieur Leclerc said, “In the end, what we’re seeing right now is a matter of the conditions not being optimal for mass adoption for Canadians. We as an auto industry don’t control all these aspects for success. We can bring vehicles to market, we have to sell them, people have to be comfortable buying them.”", "He went on to say, “We’re trying to address environmental concerns, climate change. Governments are taking certain actions to accelerate these developments and those investments in a very short period of time. With that needs to come all the other components of that ecosystem to come together and assure that ultimate objective gets realized.”", "Charging infrastructure, specifically at-home infrastructure, is part of that EV ecosystem. People won’t buy them if they can’t charge them, and there is more that we can do. The provincial government has made significant investments to bring EV manufacturing to Ontario, but without a reliable consumer market, we’ve already seen Ford Motor Co. delay their EV production by two years. Unifor members have been left in the lurch. Stakeholders in the automotive industry have shared their concerns that the government is not doing enough to encourage EV adoption.", "1550", "I appreciate being a part of this important work, and I want to thank industry and community partners for their input into my bill. I have been glad to get frank and clear advice from many who see the value in planning ahead to support the future of EVs. Here is part of a letter from the Electricity Distributors Association:", "“Dear Ms. French,", "“The Electricity Distributors Association ... welcomes your recent tabling of Bill 199, the EV-Ready Homes Act ... 2024. As you know, the EDA represents Ontario’s local hydro utilities, the part of our electricity system closest to customers.", "“The EDA is pleased to see that the EV-Ready Homes Act would respond to our mutual goal of an electrified Ontario. Whether it’s the federal government’s net-zero target, the province’s investments in EV manufacturing or changes in customer expectations—mass adoption of EVs is coming, and it is time to get ready. Building new homes with the expected changes in future electricity use in mind—particularly EVs—makes sense, and it will ensure Ontario is ready for its electric future.”", "I want to thank the president and chief executive officer, Teresa Sarkesian, for her letter.", "Speaker, it was Daniel Arbour, the president and CEO of Oshawa Power, who first sparked my interest in EV-ready homes. I am pleased to share his letter today:", "“Dear Ms. French,", "“Oshawa Power is pleased to provide this letter of support for Bill 199, EV-Ready Homes Act ... and your motion 109 that would amend the Building Code Act ... to make homes ‘EV ready.’", "“With more than 130 years of experience in delivering services and bringing Oshawa forward through innovation and technology, we know and understand the need to provide residents with the services they want and need, and be prepared for emerging technologies, such as the future of electric vehicles.", "“The electricity grid is undergoing a period of transformative change due to the growth of electric vehicles, and other emerging technologies, our focus is to modernize the electric grid to ensure stability and this bill will enable homeowners to make a seamless transition to electric mobility. Many customers are reluctant to make the move to electric mobility because their home electrical panels need to be upgraded in addition to installing an EV charger, resulting in additional delays and unplanned costs.", "“Oshawa Power also believes the future in Ontario is electric and this amendment to the building code requiring the addition of a 200 amp panel and the roughed in electrical box for EV chargers in the home will make the transition to electric a smooth and seamless experience for Ontario residents.”", "That’s from Daniel Arbour, the president and CEO of Oshawa Power.", "We have a responsibility to support the market. We can’t only support the auto manufacturers in building the vehicles. We want them to be able to sell them so that they will keep making them here.", "I know a thing or two about good auto jobs. I live in a city that built General Motors. Those good union jobs ensured workers could buy homes, vehicles; that they could participate in and invest in our community. We have to be thoughtful in how to support a strong future for auto workers across our communities.", "Some basic EV economics: We are going to have the supply side covered, but we are not being smart about the demand side. People are EV-curious and are wanting their next vehicle to be electrified, but they don’t yet see the infrastructure so they can charge them. They want to be able to charge them at home.", "Building new homes is a priority for everyone, and we are building new homes, so let’s build them right and EV-ready. Supporting EV-ready homes today will ensure every new home we build is ready for the future. To date, the Premier has said no to this, but let’s talk this through.", "We need to weigh the minimal cost to plan ahead, amortized over decades, against the hefty cost to retrofit, paid all at once. The costs of upgrading a home to allow convenient charging are significant, with estimates as high as $3,000 to $5,000. This is a deterrent for anyone looking to get off of fossil fuels and into an electric vehicle. It is far more cost-effective for home builders to include the rough-in for chargers at construction.", "We also all agree that great automotive jobs are important to keep in the province, and that investment in manufacturing and the future of electric vehicles is part of our economic and electrified future as a province.", "Speaker, I am ever the optimist. Originally, this government removed chargers from GO stations and removed this forward-thinking section of the Ontario building code. However, we have seen this PC government investing in charging infrastructure, and clearly, they recognize there’s a need. I’m hopeful that their recognition of the problem of access to charging will motivate them to adopt this initiative today and ensure all new homes are built EV-ready.", "We will be building cars and making batteries and hopefully strengthening the energy grid to support our electric future, but we want to make sure people can charge their vehicles. The future is electric, and we have an opportunity to do something useful today. I urge this House to pass this today so that we can have EV-ready homes tomorrow." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Joel Harden", "text": [ "It’s an honour to rise to participate in this debate. I want to thank the member for Oshawa, one of the places in Canada that knows a lot—I agree with her—about the automobile industry.", "I also want to just note for the record that I am the proud owner of an EV. My partner and I got a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV. We specifically chose that car because it is the one—of which I’m aware at the moment—union-assembled car that one can buy in the market. But we know there is more product coming. There’s more product coming because Ford has product that it wants to introduce into the market, and we see other product coming.", "But there is a delay in the market right now, and it has nothing to do, as my friends might attest, with controversies over nuclear energy or environmental programs. It has to do with making sure that we have the charging infrastructure for the next generation of electric vehicles right here in Ontario.", "I was at committee where I serve—heritage and culture and infrastructure—and I recall a senior staffer saying to the committee at the time that Ontario Parks was going to be participating in a massive rollout of fast-charging stations, which would be a fantastic idea, because that is land the province is directly responsible for. That is across the province of Ontario—particularly when I’m thinking about the north. But have we had an update on that, friends?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens", "text": [ "No." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Joel Harden", "text": [ "We’ve not. In the meantime, in the United States, under President Biden, there has been a $7.5-billion commitment to hit a goal of 500,000 new chargers by 2030. Wow, that’s progress.", "Unfortunately, right now in Canada, the ratio of electric vehicles to charging stations is 20 to one. If you look at the global average, it’s 10 to one. So we have to ask the question: We’ve heard a lot in this House—and I’ll acknowledge that it’s progress—from this government wanting to attract the assembly of electric vehicles in our province, wanting to attract the assembly of batteries for electric vehicles in this province. But we haven’t heard a lot—as the member for Oshawa just said—about what we are going to do to make sure that we can charge the cars once they’re out there in the economy. It’s a critically missing piece, Speaker.", "We can fix this missing piece, I want to believe, rather like our debate we had earlier this afternoon on NOSIs and consumer protection. This is another kind of consumer protection. If we make sure that a family or an individual takes the leap to be part of the electric vehicle future, we have to make sure that the infrastructure is there to support those folks.", "Because the EV market is growing. We know that it’s going to be 4.6 million by 2030, 12.3 million by 2035. But will you be able to fill up the car? Let’s hope we can vote for the member’s motion and make sure that happens." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Aislinn Clancy", "text": [ "I am very grateful to talk about this motion today, and I appreciate the member for putting it forward. I too own a Bolt and am a grateful owner of that Bolt. I spend $12 a month on operating my Bolt through electricity rates—thank you to the energy minister for the low overnight rate, which I charge my car with—and I save 80% a year on maintenance fees.", "I know in this House there is great concern about affordability, and I think the more we can do to help people not only afford an EV but also operate one with ease will go a long way to ensure that it’s not just me, with privilege, who can foot that bill at the beginning, but this affordability relief can be appreciated by all Ontarians, which is why we support the member’s bill. We know that it’s so much easier—I know from lived experience—to patch in the electrical capacity when you’re building your home. It saves thousands of dollars. It costs so much more to retrofit a home when you have to do it later on.", "1600", "Look at the retrofitting we’re trying to do right now when it comes to climate. We look at all our older homes. They’re very leaky. We have to retrofit those homes, and it costs people thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. We know better, and so we should do better. So I hope that we can do this work of retrofitting the homes from the very beginning. We could save people money on their monthly expenses, and we could save money on their servicing.", "We also know that this creates affordability over the lifespan of the car. As a person who graduated from business school, I think we need a revamp on our accounting classes. We need to take operating costs and we need to allow those costs to be used for capital. We know with these cars, yes, they cost more up front, but you will save thousands of dollars over the lifespan of the vehicle, and I have seen this with a lot of the electrification of our fleets. We see this in the city of Kitchener, where we’ve electrified our fleet. When we build new buildings now in the city of Kitchener, we mandate that that charging happens during the development process. So I urge us to do that not just for municipalities and put this on them to figure out on their own.", "This is a consistent thing we can do across the province with ease. What I’ve heard from the development sector is that they hate going from city to city to city and trying to figure out everybody else’s way of doing things. The city of Kitchener is moving forward with green development standards. This will be the reality in the city of Kitchener, but we would like it so that developers can find it easy to manoeuvre and build across the province with the same set of standards, so they don’t have to reinvent the rules and understand different rules depending on where they’re building. It adds time. It adds energy. It adds staffing costs. It adds complexity. When we create this norm across the province, we create simplicity for home builders, which saves people money as well. We know these retrofits will have to come if we don’t do that.", "I also believe in what the member beside me has shared about the future of the EV sector. What I’ve heard is that you build it where we buy it. We know that, yes, we need to operate EVs cheaply and we need to make it easier for people to use them. This encourages people to buy the very EVs that we are manufacturing in Ontario. So when we make it easier for people to buy EVs in the province of Ontario, we are supporting the very jobs that we’re creating at this moment. These things go hand in hand. Any effort to undermine EV market sales by not having it patched into someone’s home, by not having consistent charging infrastructure across the province, by not making it affordable by using rebates and these price incentives—we will see a dip. This is what I heard from Toyota. Toyota Canada came to me last week. They are near my riding. Most of the auto workers live in my riding—because it’s awesome—but Toyota Canada is in Kitchener. They told us that these are the things they want, as an auto manufacturer. I know that they will be coming to Canada, but they want to make sure that the jobs that they create are sustainable. They don’t want to build a workforce and tell people to go home. They need to see the will of this government for the uptick, for the sales of the EVs, so that they also will come here and invest in the Ontario EV market." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Catherine Fife", "text": [ "It’s a pleasure to join the debate today—almost a historic day, really. I’m really pleased that the member from Oshawa has brought forward this motion to the House. It feels very much like a “help us help you” kind of moment here.", "It is important, actually, just to understand how we got here. I do think that it’s worth noting that when the Ford government first came into power back in 2018—then they zapped the compulsory garage plugs from all new houses and condos, effective 2019. This felt at the time like an absurd move, I have to tell you, because most of us would agree that people do want to transition away from your traditional automotive fossil fuel car.", "EV has a little shininess to it, but there are some structural issues that stand in the way of consumers purchasing those cars.", "I also want to make it very clear that there have been some major investments in this province towards the EV sector—$2.5 billion in taxpayer dollars going to Honda in a recent announcement. However, according to a recent CBC article, “The surge in investment comes as the underlying EV industry remains at a crossroads.” So this motion from the member of Oshawa can actually be a motivator, if you will, and an enabler, if the government is serious about the EV sector. “Growth forecasts have plateaued, charging infrastructure has not kept pace and electric vehicle prices have pushed the cars out of reach of many consumers.”", "So this is where we are in the province of Ontario—major investments towards the automotive and the factories, but the missing piece to successfully rolling out and becoming a true global leader in the EV sector is the infrastructure piece.", "According to the Pembina Institute, “Currently, Ontario’s EV market share is low and charging infrastructure is insufficient—in Ontario, there is approximately one public charger per 25 EVs on the road. Globally there is about one charger per eight EVs on the road.” We have a lot of work to make up for.", "“However, EV sales are sagging, in part due to inadequate charging infrastructure”—and this is just from April 2024—“there are about 2,900 charging stations with 8,000 charging ports in Ontario.” This is insufficient.", "This is why there is a lot of market interest in building these chargers into the building code. Build it right the first time. Create the market share. Address some of the stigma and the concerns and fears around range anxiety or access to charging, build that market share and demonstrate to companies like Toyota that Ontario really is serious about the EV market.", "Other stakeholders—this is Daniel Breton, the head of the industry association Electric Mobility Canada: “The problem ... is people have limited knowledge and understanding of electric vehicle chargers.", "“An Electric Mobility Canada survey found 88% of respondents said they would like their next vehicle to be electric but only 13% claimed to have an in-depth understanding of EVs, including the number of public charging stations, government rebates and battery life, among other aspects.”", "“The entire industry agrees we are going to get to a place where we are at zero emissions. The only debate is how long it’s going to take.” This quote is from Flavio Volpe, who is head of Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association.", "“That timeline depends on several key factors. But price and charging infrastructure are among the most important.”", "Everybody gets a second chance to correct a mistake, I think, in this House. We just saw a really important moment in this House where we worked together to try to address the predatory practices around NOSIs.", "There are three major, key issues at play with the motion today. We want to make sure that going green shouldn’t be prohibitively expensive. When you install a charger in your home at the time of build, it’s approximately $500; later, after the house is built, it’s about $3,000 to $5,000. This is cost-prohibitive for so many Ontarians.", "My son is an electrician. I’m very proud of him. He could work 24/7 in this province. We need more electricians to do this work. We will get more electricians moving into the trades if the building code is changed, if we build in this green infrastructure around the EV sector.", "The other thing is that good union jobs are on the line. The provincial government has made these investments, but without a reliable consumer market, we have actually already seen the Ford Motor Co. delay their EV production by two years. So this would be a confidence builder, I would say, for the market, and then finally an easy fix to prepare for an electrified future.", "1610", "This is the direction we should be moving. As the official opposition, with the leadership of the member from Oshawa—the time is now. Join us. Help us help you make the EV sector truly successful in the province of Ontario." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "MmeFrance Gélinas", "text": [ "It is a pleasure for me to talk in support of the motion from my seatmate, the MPP from Oshawa. Her motion is quite simple: “That, in the opinion of this House, the Ontario building code should be amended to restore the requirements for electric vehicle supply equipment that applied to houses served by a garage, carport or driveway, as per subsection 9.34.4 ... as it read on January 1, 2018.”", "I live in northern Ontario. I can tell you that within about 300 kilometres of where I live, there are zero charging stations for electrical vehicles. That doesn’t mean that the people of northern Ontario don’t want electrical vehicles; we do.", "My neighbour Shelley bought an all-electric vehicle last summer. She had to pay a good friend of ours, Len Holmberg, close to $3,000 to install a charging station at her house. She works in the city. She’s able to go to work. They have two kids; she’s able to pick up her kids and do all of this because she charges her electric vehicle at home.", "In northern Ontario, where I live—if you find that the cost of gas is high in southern Ontario, come and have a look at the watershed. Come and have a look at Gogama or Foleyet. If it’s under $2 a litre, we find that this is a deal and it’s a good time to fill up. So do we want electric vehicles? Yes, we do.", "There is home construction going on in northern Ontario. To mandate it in the building code that every new home with a garage, a carport or a driveway—which most of them in northern Ontario have; we need cars because there’s no public transit—is a given. Make it part of the building code so that when you have your plans, when they come and build, you don’t have to say, “Oh, by the way, make sure you wire in for”—it will be done.", "Same thing—my husband is an electrician. My daughter is an electrician. They will tell you that putting it in while you’re building the home is very easy to do—connecting it to your electrical panel and all this. They have good conversations between those two that I don’t always understand, but I do understand the cost. It is hundreds of dollars to do it while you’re building the house—it is thousands of dollars.", "Pass the motion. It makes sense." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Matthew Rae", "text": [ "It’s my pleasure to rise this afternoon to speak on my colleague from Oshawa’s motion before this House. I also obviously want to wish my colleague a happy birthday. I know we work well together on the procedure and house affairs committee and the important work we’re doing there.", "I was listening to the debate intently this afternoon, colleagues, and hearing about the important investments our government is making in Ontario—increasing the power capacity, historic amounts of auto investments that Minister Fedeli and Premier Ford are attracting to this province. Our provincial government understands the opportunities this presents, and we’re going to unleash the next stage of the electrical vehicle revolution.", "That’s why our government is implementing, as this House knows, our Powering Ontario’s Growth plan, with shovels in the ground today on new energy generation and storage that will power the switch of Ontario-made electric vehicles as well as new economic investment and new homes. That includes Canada’s first small modular nuclear reactor; the largest procurement of clean energy storage in the country’s history; and new transmissions that are going to connect every region of our province.", "At the same time, we’re ensuring that our grid is ready for families and businesses to decide to make the switch. We also know this revolution brings with it unparalleled opportunities for our province’s economy.", "Over the last four years, Ontario has attracted over $43 billion in transformative auto investments by global automakers and suppliers of EV batteries and battery materials.", "Interjections." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Matthew Rae", "text": [ "I appreciate the member from Guelph for clapping for that fact.", "Interjection." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Matthew Rae", "text": [ "And Kitchener Centre. My apologies. I can only see Mr. Green.", "My apologies, Speaker.", "Ontario’s auto supply chain is comprised of over 70 parts firms, over 50 tool-and-die and mould makers and over 40 companies working on connected, autonomous, electric and mobile technologies. It employs approximately 120,000 people in the province of Ontario—as well as hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs, many in my own riding of Perth–Wellington. These are historic investments for our province.", "It’s disappointing though, colleagues, that the members opposite, most recently in the investments we’re making in our budget around auto investment, giving our municipalities the tools to attract this investment—they voted against that, colleagues. And they voted against my motion, in particular, around our clean, green nuclear fleet. They voted against those good union jobs at Bruce Power, Darlington, and those historic investments we’re making to refurbish those facilities to continue to produce the electricity we will need to power those made-in-Ontario electric vehicles. It is disappointing that they voted against those investments.", "But it’s thanks to our government’s actions that we are now a global leader when it comes to the manufacturing of electric vehicles. We know that in order to take full advantage of this coming change, we need to be ready. That’s why we’re increasing the number of public EV chargers, especially in underserved areas, including exploring reduced electricity rates for those chargers. As we heard, the member from Kitchener Centre appreciates our government’s action on lowering the overnight rate to charge her electric vehicle.", "We’re building thousands of new EV chargers through the EV charge Ontario program, a $91-million investment to support public EV charger installations outside of Ontario’s large urban centres, including at community hubs, Ontario’s highway rest areas, the ONroutes, carpool lots, parking lots, Ontario parks, an arena down the road from my house in my riding. We are installing new EV fast chargers across all of Ontario’s ONroute stations along the 400- and 401-series highways with local utilities. They’re some of the biggest supporters of these programs—like Hydro One and OPG’s Ivy Charging Network.", "When it comes to ensuring our homes are ready, last year the Ontario Energy Board issued new guidance to all local utility providers that makes clear that utilities should be providing all new residential customers with the capacity to accommodate 208-amp service, enough to power an EV vehicle that is currently available on the market.", "Let’s talk about new homes. It’s no secret, colleagues, that Ontario is in a housing supply crisis. Recently, as members of the standing committee on infrastructure, cultural policy and heritage, we heard from a former Liberal cabinet minister, Steven Del Duca, now the mayor of Vaughan—we know the leading cause of this crisis was the inaction of the previous Liberal government, who for years failed to act to take any steps to address the lack of affordable housing in Ontario. While our government has taken historic steps to undo this damage—today we voted on Bill 185, another important step forward in that goal of building more homes across Ontario—one of the main obstacles facing home builders across the province of Ontario is the cost of housing. As we heard recently at committee from stakeholders, high interest rates—it was great to see the Bank of Canada finally begin to cut interest rates, as our Premier has been calling them, and many Premiers in Canada have been calling on that. High interest rates, high inflationary rates, high tax policies of the federal government—yes, including the federal Liberal carbon tax—are driving the costs up for our home builders across Ontario. These are the higher costs that are ultimately passed on to those potential homebuyers. Those new Ontarians, those new Canadians, those young people, and those seniors looking to downsize are the ones footing that bill.", "Unfortunately, the proposal from my colleague, as presented today, would be another additional cost that would make it more unaffordable for families to purchase a new home. The NDP wants every homeowner to have to pay up front, whether they would use the service or not. Those of us on this side of the House believe in a free market approach. And they laugh, colleagues, but I will fight every election in my entire life on the free market, because I’m a believer in the free market and I will stand for that.", "Any homeowner can make this choice, and I have friends who have made the choice to purchase an EV and install that, as well. I have friends who have purchased a home that may have it, as well. It’s their choice. We’ll continue to stand with the people of Ontario to allow them to make those choices, as well.", "That is why our government is recommending that we do not support the opposition motion." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "Further debate? Further debate?", "I recognize the member for Oshawa. You have two minutes." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Jennifer K. French", "text": [ "Speaker, today we have an opportunity to prepare for tomorrow. We need EV-ready homes. I’ve been proud to bring this achievable solution to this Legislature, and it is buoyed with support from industry and those interested in that bright future. I do hope that the government will make this happen.", "From a letter of support from Unifor national president Lana Payne:", "“On behalf of nearly 40,000 Unifor members working in the auto and component parts manufacturing sector, I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed EV-Ready Homes Act ... and its companion motion 109, intending to amend the Building Code Act to accommodate for electric vehicle (EV) adoption. These proposed amendments will facilitate the future installation of EV supply equipment in new homes, which is a forward-thinking and necessary step to ensure Canada’s automotive sector infrastructure meets the needs of its net-zero transportation future.", "“Ontario is positioning itself as a leader in North American EV production. Tens of thousands of jobs in this province will depend on a well-functioning EV supply chain. However, it is crucial that our infrastructure evolves in a way that both supports this shift towards zero-emission vehicle options and, in turn, good jobs here at home.", "“Advancing our infrastructure today can save homeowners significant future costs, making the inevitable transition to EVs more accessible and affordable. This will have a positive effect on EV demand, property values and home safety. This sort of holistic approach to policy development is precisely the type of government approach our union envisioned within our 2022 auto industrial policy road map, Navigating the Road Ahead.", "“I commend you on this initiative to modernize Ontario’s housing infrastructure and promoting sustainable living. Unifor urges all parties to support this legislation, and to ensure its swift passage at Queen’s Park.”", "I want to thank Lana Payne and all the autoworkers across the province.", "Making sure we have EV-ready homes is one small but mighty, and achievable, piece of the puzzle.", "I hope the Premier will switch gears and commit to ensuring we’re EV-ready at home and on the road." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "The time provided for private members’ public business has now expired.", "MPP French has moved private member’s notice of motion 109. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no.", "All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”", "All those opposed to the motion will please say “nay.”", "In my opinion, the nays have it.", "A recorded vote being required, it will be deferred until the next instance of deferred votes.", "Vote deferred." ] }, { "speaker": "The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly)", "text": [ "All matters relating to private members’ public business having been completed, this House stands adjourned until 9 a.m. tomorrow, June 6, 2024.", "The House adjourned at 1624.", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "Point of order." ] }, { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "Government House leader, on a point of order." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Paul Calandra", "text": [ "Pursuant to standing order 7(e), I wish to inform the House that tonight’s evening meeting is cancelled." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott)", "text": [ "I’ll recognize the minister to lead off the debate." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael S. Kerzner", "text": [ "I’m honoured to rise today to speak on Bill 159. I will be sharing my time with the parliamentary assistant to the Solicitor General, the member from Brampton North, and the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore.", "Today’s third reading of Bill 159 is part of our government’s commitment to public safety. It is a road map that our government is very proud to talk about. It is a road map, as I’ve spoken many times, that confirms our government’s commitment to public safety in all of its forms and to say that we’ve never had a government or a Premier—our Premier, Premier Doug Ford—who has led by example and has prioritized public safety every single day.", "I’m delighted to talk about the bill today and to give a perspective of why public safety matters. I use every opportunity that I can to thank our police officers and our firefighters. I want to thank the special constables and the auxiliary officers, civilian and sworn; our correctional officers; our probation and parole officers; the amazing 911 call operators; and the animal welfare inspectors as well.", "Today, Bill 159, the third reading which we will talk about, is important because it goes to the incremental steps that our government has taken in public safety, and it’s very important. I believe the reason that we are here today is to make a difference in the lives of the province. Every day, we can do something important. Every day, we can make a difference in a person’s life.", "This is what our province represents, a diversity of peoples that have come here, regardless of how they got here. They all have an equal right to live safely and to succeed and to flourish. The government’s responsibility is to do absolutely everything we can to make the lives of Ontarians something that they can go about in a safe environment.", "Monsieur le Président, les raisons de leur service : ils peuvent faire une différence dans la vie des gens lorsqu’ils ne s’y attendent pas—et parce que nous croyons en notre province et en notre avenir.", "Mr. Speaker, this is important. When we look at the communities that we have, there are many components that we take for granted because we go about our lives each and every day, never really understanding how important it is that the network of people who keep us safe, the people that I just gave a shout-out to, are there to ensure we can live our lives, and it’s very, very important.", "Today, as we take a further step, another incremental step in animal welfare, we do so understanding where we have come from: the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, or as we like to call it, the PAWS Act. I want to specifically thank the Deputy Premier, the Minister of Health and member from Dufferin–Caledon for having the foresight to bring this bill, the PAWS Act, into force in 2020. It was passed in 2019. It modernized, it educated, and it set a standard for animal welfare. The Deputy Premier deserves a lot of credit for having the ambition to move in that direction. It has actually been transformational when we look at animal welfare today.", "The PAWS Act came into force, and as a result of the PAWS Act, the assembly of animal welfare inspectors, the training of animal welfare inspectors, the setting up of the division came into being. I have seen these animal welfare inspectors in training myself. In fact, I was there with the member from Brantford–Brant in his own riding, and we went and we saw them in action. The member from Brantford–Brant and myself spoke to them about their commitment and their passion for wanting to make sure that the job that they will do throughout Ontario will be a fulfilling job for them, something that they will be able to look backwards in their lives to say, “We made a difference in animal welfare.”", "The PUPS Act, which is Bill 159—the nickname of the bill is the PUPS Act—deals with filling the gaps that were as a result of learning from the PAWS Act. Now we’re filling the gaps of the prohibitions of buying, selling and breeding dogs in an unethical way, and I think it’s very important that we, again, look retrospectively as to where we have been so we understand where we are today.", "I also want to mention that this is not the next incremental step since the PAWS Act came into force in 2020; it was actually Bill 102, which I was proud to speak on and help see move forward. Bill 102, as an example, did further strengthen animal welfare, including debt collection of fines, which is important.", "So here we are today, and I want to speak about Bill 159, the PUPS Act, that will help crack down on puppy mills and the negative impact they have in the province. Premier Ford has made it clear that all over Ontario people need to feel safe. That’s exactly what I said in my preamble and that’s why we’re here today. The government’s oath and duty is to protect our communities so we can live safely, but it also means the care and welfare of animals is so important to the cornerstone of our society.", "As I’ve travelled the province and listened to stories in this Legislature, we hear the stories of our own pets that are part of our family. They are in every way so essential to our families, to our raising of our children and our grandchildren, and to having these pets be part of our lives. It’s very important that Ontario’s consumers understand that they should feel comfortable in purchasing or in adopting an animal.", "0910", "Our government is stepping up, and our government has stepped up. As I said, this is now the third iteration that I am so happy to support. The Deputy Premier brought the PAWS Act in. I helped shepherd Bill 102, and we’re here today for Bill 159. These foundations that we’ve laid are very, very important. It is our government, under Premier Ford, that built the division of good and bad actors around the legislation from the ground up. This was our initiative to ensure that any animal has the right to be treated fairly in Ontario.", "Madam Speaker, this is not only about animal rights. Of course, most of this proposed legislation expresses compassion for our current and future pets. It also sets a precedent for how our societies operate and the tone we take to all forms of life in Ontario.", "I want to talk about what owning a puppy should mean. It means bringing home a puppy that will be joyful for the members of our own families, the opening of our arms when we hold our puppies and our dogs, and to see these adopted animals as part of our own family. From the moment this happens, there is this overwhelming sense of excitement and happiness and tenderness. Watching the puppy exploring its new surroundings with curiosity brings excitement to everyone.", "I have to say, Madam Speaker, especially during the pandemic, we’ve heard story after story as to how having our pets—our puppies, our dogs, our rabbits—in our lives made such a vital difference in a time that we had no precedent for.", "Amidst the joy of having and being fortunate to have puppies, there is also a sense of responsibility. This is also very important. If the puppies were raised under perfect conditions by good actors, then that’s great and we’re happy about it. But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. We’re here to identify why we needed to come forward with this legislation now: because we need to create legislation that denounces the operation of unethical puppy breeding, because it happens, unfortunately, much too often.", "I want to preface my remarks about unethical breeding, because it’s very, very important. Right here in Ontario, puppies who are being bred cruelly and taken from their mothers too soon, and undernourished and displaying biological behavioural issues or diseases and lack of care, is a problem. This act of criminal behaviour—trying to finesse the province with cruelty—is something we will not stand for. We will not stand for bad breeders and bad actors, and as long as we are here in government, we will do something about it. Because when you’re dealing with a puppy mill operator, the transaction of faith must be acknowledged as something that is sacrosanct, which means that the transaction of the adoption must be something that will lead to a wonderful outcome for the family and the loving animal as well.", "We have a problem when we look at the bad actors that are the problem. That’s why. We care about this province, we care about the people in the province, and we care about the pets that share our own homes. That’s why the PUPS bill is essential: because these puppy mills are a scourge on the rights of animals themselves and the peace of mind for those who have every expectation that the adoption process will be something that they can take a lot of pride in. When we’re dealing with bad actors, that’s not always the case.", "The bad actors: Let me give you some examples of how they are and who they are. They deploy cruel breeding practices of poor nutrition and overcrowding; that’s absolutely true. They reduce the public’s trust in the dog-breeding industry; true. And they are the largest distributors of sick and diseased puppies in the province; true again. It’s time to put an end to all of this. Each day that goes by without this legislation is allowing these places to keep going, and we don’t want that to be the case.", "The PUPS Act, if passed, will help deter the operation of puppy mills completely; ultimately, by extension, improving the health and welfare of dogs bred in Ontario. For the first time, this province would have an act that clearly denounces puppy mill operations and the horrific distress that results from them.", "I can’t stress enough how important it is to understand the incremental approach, the thoughtful approach that our government, led by Premier Ford, has taken with public safety. This intersects absolutely with animal welfare. That’s why we’re moving forward with the legislation.", "I would like to take a minute to tell the House now why we have to go through the modus operandi of puppy mills—and this can also be referred to as the measures—through which the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act proposes to end. This includes but is not limited to the deplorable practices. My parliamentary assistant, my friend from Brampton North, will fill in more of the details, but I’d like to give the House some broad spectrum of this.", "I want to say thank you to the responsible dog breeders in Ontario who do provide families with happy, healthy and well-cared-for dogs and puppies.", "And to the puppy mills that are an abrupt departure from such responsible practices: We will come after you. I’m putting you on notice. We are coming after you.", "Madam Speaker, the most important question that people ask—the members from the other side have asked it; people in Ontario have asked it; we’ve asked it: What actually is a puppy mill? This is where we start to get into more details. Operators of puppy mills devour and take for granted Ontarians’ love of animals. They prey on the desire to welcome new puppies into a household. The term “puppy mill” is generally used to describe a place where dogs endure horrendous treatment. They are subjected to poor breeding practices, inadequate care and immense suffering, but you don’t always know it when you legitimately want to adopt your furry friend, your dog; you don’t know the behind-the-scenes story. That’s exactly the point: Where there is this lack of basic needs for the puppies, an unforeseen person wouldn’t see that; they wouldn’t know that. Potential buyers often don’t get to see the conditions of the operations because puppy mill operators won’t let them nearby. It’s obvious. Why would a bad actor want to show a wholesome family, an honest family, a caring family who wants to adopt a dog, a puppy, what’s really going on behind the scenes? They don’t. Owners of the puppy mills do not think that we have a right to see how the puppy was raised, because it would completely ruin their income. It’s part of an unethical breeder’s business model, and this model is unacceptable.", "Unethical puppy breeding is an unethical transaction that usually occurs in a staged area away from a boarding kennel. What’s worse is the illusion of the staged area isn’t even the worst part. Some breeders are making excuses to meet in an abandoned parking lot, straight out of a car or a van, or deliver the animal directly to your home—anywhere but where the dog was bred and where the dog was born. This legislation is to send out a red flag to a potential buyer that they’re not dealing with an ethical seller.", "0920", "I’m sure many of us in this House have heard similar stories from constituents about these awful circumstances. If the customer was to be given a look behind the veil, they would be repulsed and sickened by what they saw. We hear stories, Madam Speaker, of dogs which are crammed and locked in cages, and treated badly and undernourished. Many mill kennels have no heating in the bitterly cold winters and no air conditioning in the hot summers. Mother dogs are often covered in their own waste, emaciated and suffering. It would be apparent to a person who would see it, because it would be so horrific, but we don’t get to see it. Nobody wants to take us behind the curtain.", "And there are cases of inbreeding between sibling dogs and inbreeding between a parent dog and a dog of one of their litters. These breeders are breeding female dogs prematurely while they’re not physically able to breed or care for the litter. These are common practices that can lead to significant health issues for puppies. It’s absolutely sickening. It’s sickening to everyone here.", "But, Madam Speaker, there are many more things that we need to talk about, and that is because we need to make change. It’s because puppy mills are churning out dogs with little or no regard to their health and their well-being.", "I want to talk for a minute, Madam Speaker, about puppy mills versus responsible breeders. Breeding puppies isn’t a game. It’s not a game that you can cheat on either. So I want to compare the practices with valid, honest and responsible dog breeders, and to those, we say thank you.", "Proper dog breeding comes with a significant cost. There’s a conscientious dog breeder that prioritizes the long-term care of the animal over the quick buck. And it’s not how fast they can take someone’s money; it’s more about raising a good-quality dog. So when it comes to leaving with their family on the day that somebody picks up their furry friend, they want to make sure that that dog is healthy, and that dogs that are given homes were raised in well-built, comfortable kennels with amenities like heat, air conditioning and electricity. Things that we take for granted should be no different for the people raising dogs. These dogs have had a nutritious diet. They receive regular exercise and they undergo health evaluations and visits. I want to give a shout-out to the veterinarians who help keep all of our pets safe in Ontario.", "Responsible breeders dedicate ample time to caring for the new mother. This ensures they receive proper nourishment and attention. What’s so amazing, Madam Speaker, is that a good actor, a good dog breeder, a legitimate dog breeder will proudly open their kennels to a prospective buyer, and they will make sure that there is a good match between the buyer—the family—and the dog that will soon be adopted. The difference is that they will be able to showcase their operation and be proud of it.", "I want to talk about the toughness of identification, because that’s also very important. Madam Speaker, it’s not always easy to pin down the exact number of puppy mills lurking in our province. We know this because many are hidden in plain sight. This can be on a property, such as a backyard, or even in a basement. Most of the tips my ministry receives on the location of puppy mills come from members of the public. That’s very important to know. Because we have the animal welfare hotline, the value of the public’s concern is very important.", "Online advertising on platforms such as Craigslist, Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace have made it easy to expand the business of unethical puppy mills. By providing an easy avenue for dog breeders to unload puppies, unsuspecting families are that much more susceptible to come into contact with them. Again, that’s why we need to act now.", "This act, the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act would, if passed, help stop harmful dog breeding practices, impose new minimum penalties and make sure that dogs across Ontario receive the care and attention they deserve. Consequences are important because they impose accountability, helping these unethical people understand the impact of their actions. They reinforce learning and growth by providing clear feedback on behaviour and choices. Consequences that this legislation will contain are set to help maintain social order and fairness by ensuring the rules and the norms are respected when breeding. And they will also encourage responsible decision-making, promoting a sense of responsibility across Ontario.", "So let’s talk for a minute about the consequences of minimum penalties. I want to reiterate: Owners or custodians of dogs are already subject to all measures in the PAWS Act—that’s the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act. This includes prohibitions against causing distress and general standards of care that apply to all animals covered by the PAWS Act. But there are no prohibitions in the act related to the key facets of what constitutes a puppy mill—until now.", "Puppy mills can leave no footprints when dog sales are conducted solely through online platforms. We’re sticking a red flag and putting a notice on these types of operations. Through this proposed legislation, Ontario would become the first jurisdiction in Canada to explicitly include the term “puppy mill” into law, because it is the puppy mills that are giving dog breeders a bad name.", "The proposed legislation, if passed, will target individuals who benefit from assisting puppy mill operators. This includes actors that may not directly operate the puppy mill themselves. Puppy mill operations can be complex, and they cover multiple properties and vigorous sales channels. Those who enable the suffering caused in puppy mills will be held accountable, regardless of their role. Guilt by association in this case will catch the divisions of good and bad actors in communities and perpetuate justice. Because not only does our government, on this issue, care so deeply about what we’re doing, we are also proud to implement measures to prevent it from happening in the first place. I think that’s very important.", "The minimum penalties are important. The $10,000 penalty for anyone operating a puppy mill is important. The minimum penalty for anyone assisting or benefiting from a puppy mill is important. A proposed minimum penalty of $25,000 for anyone who has the audacity to cause or permit a dog to be in distress in relation to the breeding or selling of dogs is important.", "Again, Madam Speaker, I want to be completely clear that the proposed legislation does not target responsible dog breeders. It’s aimed solely to go after the bad actors who breed dogs too early or breed them in a substandard condition. It is aimed at the bad actors who sell puppies in an unethical manner.", "0930", "Madam Speaker, we know how important pets are in our lives and we want our Ontario, in every forum of public safety, to be recognized as a jurisdiction that is the pre-eminent, that is the mark of excellence, that is the gold standard for us to live our lives. To see our kids off to school in the morning, to check in on our parents and our loved ones, to go to work, to come home at the end of the day, to play in the park and to shop and to pray: We must do this safely, because this is our inherent right. Having our pets, our adopted furry friends in our lives, plays an important role. The standard, the expectation, of how we care for our animals is important.", "I started my remarks, Madam Speaker, as a retrospective journey of why this is so important, why it’s important to me. Pour moi, c’est personnel. Rien pour moi, en tant que solliciteur général, n’est plus important que la sécurité de notre province. And I’m proud of this. I’m proud of taking this personally.", "I’m proud of standing with Premier Ford every single day and having the opportunity to do my part as the minister responsible for seeing this legislation go to third reading and seeing it hopefully be approved by this Legislature, to send a message of how important public safety is in Ontario, that it is not a singular dimension. It’s not just this and it’s not just that. It encompasses so many components.", "Speaking today on Bill 159 is important to me. It reaffirms our government’s commitment, a commitment that is absolute and constant, that is day and night, that we will take the public safety of all Ontarians and our animals very seriously.", "Thank you, Madam Speaker. It has been an honour to rise on this bill." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Next, I recognize the member for Brampton North." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "I think all colleagues of the House should just give a round of applause to the Solicitor General. I know he’s been a dog on a bone on this issue—" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Lisa MacLeod", "text": [ "Quite dogged." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "Well, you know what, some of the opposition members might have thought our government was barking up the wrong tree, but I really hope that the opposition House leader decides not to muzzle their members and allows them to vote yes for the PUPS bill. I suspect, in the summer, if they go back to their ridings and they don’t vote for this bill, Speaker, they’re going to have a “ruff” time.", "Okay, thank you for the long leash this morning, Madam Speaker. I’ll get back to my prepared remarks." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Lisa MacLeod", "text": [ "He’s going to the kennel now." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "I’m going to the kennel now.", "It’s an honour to be here, as always, on behalf of my constituents in Brampton North and today in my capacity also as a parliamentary assistant to the Solicitor General. It’s a responsibility, a privilege and an honour to serve the people in this way and a job that we all have to take seriously every day. This PUPS Act, if passed, will support our government’s public safety priorities by targeting puppy mills in Ontario.", "I, like many members of the House, am an animal lover, and I am saddened and disgusted, as we all are and all must be, when we see images of severely emaciated, crated dogs on television or online every time a puppy mill gets busted. Dogs are often found in filthy conditions sitting in their own feces—sitting in their own feces, Madam Speaker—which is absolutely heartbreaking.", "No true animal lover would operate a puppy mill. No dog lover would knowingly buy from one unless they were seeking to stop the suffering. People are buying these sick and mistreated dogs unknowingly, while operators are cashing in on such abusive practices. Experts have told us that online advertising and sale platforms—the minister mentioned Kijiji, Craigslist, others—and the greater demand for puppies during the pandemic has contributed to an increase in puppy mills and high-volume breeding. Whatever is driving the growth in puppy mills, it must end, which is why we are here today debating the PUPS Act.", "If passed, the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act will make amendments to the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, the PAWS Act, to help stop harmful dog-breeding practices associated with puppy mills.", "Failing to keep a dog with a contagious disease away from other dogs or animals and failing to keep the dog’s environment sanitary would also be prohibited.", "Finally, if passed, the proposed legislation will create new regulation-making powers so the province can set conditions that must be met to sell a dog and require the keeping of records through future regulations.", "Speaker, I would now like to do a deeper dive into the prohibitions of the proposed PUPS Act. If passed, some of the prohibitions proposed in this legislation will come into force upon royal assent, while others will come into force at later dates.", "The prohibitions that will come into force if the bill is passed upon royal assent are those that seek to immediately prevent the spread of disease and ensure that dogs are kept clean and living in sanitary conditions. They will also prohibit people from supporting or benefiting from the operation of a puppy mill.", "I should stress that while the legislation is aimed at combatting puppy mills, the provisions being proposed within the PUPS Act will apply to the dog-breeding sector writ large.", "Good breeders and others involved in responsible operations should be able to comply with these prohibitions immediately. They shouldn’t affect their day-to-day operations.", "Other provisions that will come into force at a later date will be supported by record-keeping regulations.", "As has been previously mentioned, owners or custodians of dogs are subject to all measures in the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, the PAWS Act. This includes prohibitions against causing distress—and general standards of care that apply to all animals covered by this legislation. But there are no prohibitions in this act related to key facets of what constitutes a puppy mill.", "That is where the proposed legislation comes in—and the problem we are looking to solve.", "If passed, the PUPS Act will prohibit harmful dog-breeding practices common in puppy mills. These include prohibiting inbreeding between sibling dogs or between a parent dog and a dog in one of their litters. This practice can be common in puppy mills, especially where breeding is largely unsupervised. This can result in puppies that can suffer their entire life due to inherited health problems.", "Another prohibition coming that will come into effect, if passed, is breeding a female dog at too early of an age. Dogs need to be physiologically capable of breeding and raising a litter. Some pre-breeding health tests such as hip dysplasia screening can only be done once a dog is 12 months old. Giving dogs a little extra time allows a breeder to get to know the temperament and behavioural traits of the animal and will help in making better breeding decisions.", "Another prohibition that’s coming in is breeding a female dog too early in its reproductive cycle. Many dogs’ first estrus or heat cycle is unlikely to allow for successful breeding. It is industry best practice to wait until the second or even third heat cycle before breeding. It’s also just the right thing to do for the dogs in your care.", "The proposed act will also prohibit allowing a dog with a contagious disease to interact with other dogs or animals or to use the same objects, such as food or water containers. Isolation of dogs with a suspected or confirmed contagious disease is obviously critical to preventing the spread of illnesses that can be fatal, such as parvovirus, which is a virus that attacks white blood cells and the gastrointestinal tract of dogs and can damage the heart muscle.", "Another prohibition: Breeding dogs in an environment that is unsanitary, such as failing to prevent an accumulation of waste that would pose a risk to a dog’s health. I talked earlier about finding some of these animals sitting in their own feces. These kinds of conditions around sanitation can be disastrous—the spread of disease. They can cause infections, parasites. And it’s just plain gosh darn gross.", "Another prohibition we’re bringing in will be the failure to address severely matted fur, visible parasites or emaciation. This is to ensure that in addition to the spread of contagious diseases and cleanliness of a dog’s environment, which is already addressed in the proposed act, the breeder can be charged with the offence of operating a puppy mill if conditions such as severely matted fur or visible parasites and emaciation are not addressed.", "0940", "As noted, the proposed act would create new penalties on bad actors, including a minimum $10,000 fine for operating or facilitating the operation of a puppy mill, and a minimum penalty of $25,000 for anyone who causes or permits a dog to be in distress or exposes a dog to risk of distress in relation to the breeding or selling of a dog. These new measures would make Ontario the first province to introduce minimum fines for the operation of a puppy mill. Depending on the number of charges laid, the fine amount could become substantial and exceed the minimum amount in more severe cases.", "I want to talk about some personal points to this. In my debate during second reading, I talked about Georgia, who I got to spend time with on Friday last week—a wonderful dog that was rescued from the most deplorable conditions. I know dog animal rescue services across Ontario are working morning, noon and night, 24/7, to rescue as many dogs from vile conditions as they can. Previously in my life I was able to caretake a rescue dog from Texas.", "I note that in committee we had many witnesses come, including Brampton Animal Services, and they do fantastic work in the city of Brampton to keep dogs safe. If you haven’t seen their recent reel of their potential adoptees, Madam Speaker, I suggest you check it out. I thought Bodhi and Butter Ball were particularly cute on the Brampton Animal Services’ Instagram page.", "I want to note something the minister mentioned in his remarks that this isn’t a bill intended to go after just bad breeders. All of the prohibitions that I outlined earlier in my speech are things that are common sense for good, decent, honest, ethical people. There are dog breeders that either do it for the love or for the money—many times more love than the money—but they’re in it because they love dogs, they love what they do and they breed in an ethical capacity. But when we have situations like puppy mills where they’re not taking care of their dogs, they’re not providing sanitary conditions, they’re not establishing strong minimum ages for breeding and preventing sibling dogs or parent-child dogs from breeding—when they’re not caring for these animals, that’s when it is our moral obligation as a government, as a society, to crack down on these people and hit them with fines of $10,000 or $25,000 in more severe cases.", "Another change that’s being proposed in the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act includes a clarifying change relating to enhanced debt collection tools. The Strengthening Safety and Modernizing Justice Act included amendments to build on the PAWS Act to make it stronger, and one of those amendments improves the recovery of costs incurred by animal welfare services through greater specificity on the types of recoverable costs when providing care to animals that are in distress or have been removed by animal welfare services. These costs are itemized in a statement of account.", "A statement of account is an invoice served to an animal owner or custodian for costs incurred by animal welfare services while providing necessary care for an animal that had to be removed from a distress situation or due to concerns for care. Under the current law, the Ministry of the Solicitor General can only enforce the collection of the debt through standard collection tools such as call-outs and follow-up letters. But in order to build a more robust system and activate the enhanced collection tools under the Ministry of Revenue Act, the PAWS Act must be amended, and, if the PUPS Act is passed, an amendment is included therein to the PAWS Act which would authorize the use of these mentioned enhanced debt collection tools which would support the collection of debts owed, resulting in higher levels of reimbursements of government funds and improving the cost-recovery rates for animal welfare services.", "The proposed PUPS Act introduces measures that will enable the province to zero in on puppy mills, their operators and their facilitators, including making Ontario the first jurisdiction in Canada to explicitly include the term “puppy mill” in law. To assist with the enforceability of the new prohibitions and future regulation-making authorities and offences, the legislation also proposes new definitions for the term “dog” and “transfer.” A “dog” would be defined as “canis lupus familiaris” or any domesticated descendant of the wolf. It would include an animal which is a cross between a dog and another member of the canis family, including a wolf or a coyote. The definition of “transfer” would be specific to future conditions related to the sale or transfer of a dog and includes such practices as trading or bartering a dog. It would not include gifting.", "Substandard conditions and unethical sales practices are the currency of these dog breeders. It is what keeps puppy mills in business and puppy mill operators turning enormous profits. No Canadian province has specific prohibitions on operating a puppy mill. Ontario is leading the way by proposing tougher rules to hold those who abuse dogs to account. If passed by the Legislature, this act will make the necessary changes to the PAWS Act to help stop harmful dog-breeding practices associated with puppy mills with proposed legislated minimum penalties that will give real teeth to this act—the $10,000, $25,000 fines I talked about previously.", "Colleagues, think about what this means. This means that dog breeders will have to clean up their act. Unsanitary kennels will be prohibited. That means cracking down on kennels rotting with feces and other waste.", "Changes in this act will allow the province to establish record-keeping regulations to help animal welfare services inspectors investigate potential puppy mills, and establish conditions that must be met to sell or transfer a dog in Ontario, to help stop unethical sales practices. This also means less pressure on municipal animal shelters and veterinary clinics. I gave a shout-out to Brampton Animal Services earlier. This will be very, very good for the day-to-day workers who do such a great job at Brampton Animal Services. This act will also mean greater trust in reputable dog breeders whose industry has often been tainted by bad actors.", "We’re coming for those people who think these breeding practices are acceptable. Enough is enough.", "This is part of our government’s broader package around public safety. This is a government that, under the leadership of the Solicitor General, the past Solicitor General, the Premier, the PC caucus—who vote in favour of every single bill. This is a bill that has done away with the tuition for the Ontario Police College—not reduced it; done away with it altogether, because we understand we need more boots on the ground, more police in our neighbourhoods to keep our neighbourhoods safe, to keep people safe in our communities. This is a government that invested half a billion dollars in correctional facilities to make sure that they’re held to the right standards so that when people do a bad thing, when they’re put in jail—and make no mistake: They’re put there for a reason. But we need to make sure that we have the right conditions in place—a half-billion-dollar investment, 2,000 more correctional service officers hired in the last few years, under this Solicitor General’s leadership. This is a government that just launched the fire prevention grant, a $30-million investment for fire services all across Ontario, to make sure that no matter what corner of the province you’re in in Ontario, you’re kept safe.", "This record of public safety is something that we need—and with this act, we are doing, bringing—to help and protect our furry friends as much as we are protecting humans and people in our neighbourhoods.", "I’d like to give a little shout-out to some of the witnesses we had at committee. This is a bill that has gone through some fine-tuning in committee, and we couldn’t have done that without help from the community. We saw the city of Brampton, Brampton Animal Services—I’m partial to them. We also saw Animal Justice Canada: Camille Labchuk, the executive director, came and gave excellent testimony on where we need to go with the bill. The Animal Shelter Professionals of Ontario: We saw Lindsey Narraway come and testify. We saw Humane Society International, with Ewa Demianowicz. We had Donna Power from the Humane Initiative. We had John Atkinson and Pamela Bruce from the Canadian Kennel Club.", "I’ll give you an example of something where the committee did some really good work, Madam Speaker. You see, on this side of the House, in the PC government, we believe in parliamentary democracy, and we believe that Parliament can be a force for good and should be a force for good. One of the gaps that we put forward in the bill—initially, we had $10,000 fines for the puppy mill owners; we had $25,000 fines for the egregious cases, but we didn’t include a fine for people who facilitate a puppy mill. Like, if I owned a basement and somebody else runs a puppy mill, but it’s in my basement, and I’m facilitating and aiding in that crime—those people are just as guilty. They are guilty by association, and they are doing wrong, harmful things to animals in Ontario. Those people should pay a big fine.", "0950", "I give credit to my other colleagues on the Standing Committee on Justice Policy. That’s something that, through clause-by-clause, we actually amended and we actually fixed and has been included in third reading of this bill.", "This is a chance for Ontario, for the Legislature, for colleagues on both sides of the aisles to stand up and say that animal welfare matters and matters in a real way. It’s a first-of-its-kind legislation in Canada to actually codify puppy mills and the definition of a “puppy mill” in law in Canada. It’s something that’s never been done before. And full credit to the Solicitor General and the team at the Ministry of the Solicitor General: Thank you, sir, for bringing this bill forward. This is an important bill and a historic opportunity for all members of this House to stand up and say that the safety and well-being of dogs matter.", "Now, we know there is more to do. We know there is more that can be done. In the same way, Madam Speaker, that this PC caucus will never stop fighting to do more to get more boots on the ground, to get more police into our neighbourhoods, we’ll do more to get more correctional services officers to make sure that we have more capacity, proper capacity; to make sure that our first responders have the mental health supports that they need—a $45-million investment in first responder supports; $3 million for the families of fallen first responders who died either on the job or because of the job. This is part of a track record of this government of putting public safety first and saying that public safety matters, which is a message out there in Ontario, certainly in my riding, certainly in places that I visit, that people really need to hear right now.", "This is an important bill. This is an important step forward. I commend the minister for bringing it forward. I certainly will be voting in favour of this bill. I encourage my PC colleagues to do the same, and I encourage all members of this House to please vote in favour and pass third reading of the PUPS Act." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "I recognize the member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore to continue debate." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Christine Hogarth", "text": [ "What a great day in Ontario. I think I speak for all of us in this House when I say we all care about what happens to animals. None of us—it doesn’t matter what political stripe we are—want to see any animal harmed, mistreated, unfed, unwatered, uncared for. This is something that hits us all in our heart, and I want to thank the Solicitor General for making sure this bill came forward. I want to thank the House leader for ensuring that we are having third reading and debate on it. I want to thank the new parliamentary assistant for his work on this bill.", "This goes back to when I first was elected in 2018. This was one of my passions, to bring forward an end to animal cruelty in the province of Ontario and of course our amazing country we live in. I did bring forward a private member’s bill, which was passed unanimously by the House at the time, to end puppy mills, to stop them. We all have reasons for running and this was one of the reasons that I wanted to run: to do better.", "Growing up in a house with rescued pets—my mom volunteered at the humane society, as did my sister, when I was in school. We’ve always had rescue dogs in our house—oh, my goodness, we could name them all, but there’s numerous of them right now. We have all heard about my pets, Bruce and Edward. Edward is a cat that was found in a backyard, so a feral cat. She hasn’t destroyed too many things, just one stair, but we still love her. And my dog, who has many, many issues—he was given up just because he just had so many medical issues, like allergies. He is at home today, desperately needing a haircut, so when we rise, guess who gets the haircut first? That would be Bruce. He won’t be happy about that. I can’t actually give him a bath myself; he likes to bite my hands, because I’m his mom, not the master. I have to learn how to be the master, but I’m the mom of the house. We certainly love our pets, and I think that goes, as I said, for everybody here.", "I’m certainly, certainly proud to be part of this government and part of this Parliament that is going to, hopefully, vote in favour of this bill, the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act. I know there’s many advocates out there who we’ve talked with over the years who have been—and I’m sure they came to committee. I don’t sit on the justice committee, but I’m sure many of them came to the justice committee to share their stories. I want to say thank you to all those people who rescue animals. They spend their money. They spend their time trying to house animals, not just in our own province, our own communities, but across the world. People rescue animals and try to find them their forever home.", "And that’s just a reminder, if you’re ever looking for a pet: Make sure it is their forever home, that it’s not just a, “I think, this summer, the kids need a dog.” Well, that’s not the right reason to get a pet. You have to make sure you want to have that. It’s a lifelong commitment and we want to make sure those pets, when you get them, are safe. We want to make sure they were treated well. We want to make sure that they are disease-free, and that’s why it’s important to end puppy mills.", "Many of these dogs in puppy mills, as we’ve heard, they’re matted. They do not have a life of their own. They are caged. They’re very matted. Sometimes they don’t get proper food and water—nutrition. They don’t get the love, and that’s what makes a really good pet, that love and that companionship—sociability. And you certainly don’t want to pick up a pet that may not last, because it’s terrible for the pet, but it’s also terrible for the families to have to go through something like that. So ending puppy mills will stop some of these horrible situations from happening.", "One thing we’re really proud of is our hotline that we put forward when I was working with Minister Jones as Solicitor General through our PUPS Act. It’s the animal cruelty line. High fines—the highest in Canada. I was very proud of that: the highest in Canada for animal cruelty in our province. And if you ever see an animal in distress, please call the line. It’s 1-833-9-ANIMAL, which is 1-833-9-ANIMAL. We have an icon that we put on our social media, and maybe my staff, if they’re listening, can add that to my social feeds today.", "Also, this summer, make sure that we don’t leave our pets in the car. Sometimes, you say, “I’m just running in to get groceries,” “I’m just running in to pick up the kids,” or there’s a baseball tournament or a soccer tournament. Don’t leave your pets in the car when you’re grocery shopping; it’s really hard on them. Just like you wouldn’t leave your kids in the car—but sometimes people need to be reminded of that, which is fairly sad. But don’t leave animals or children in hot vehicles, because it’s against the law. It’s against the law and it’s actually a really terrible act.", "Once this legislation is passed, Ontario would become the first jurisdiction in Canada to explicitly include the term “puppy mill” into law. When I first looked at my private member’s bill, you couldn’t see the term “puppy mill” anywhere. It meant different things in different places. I checked in the States, what they had. We have backyard breeders, but the puppy mill was never a defined term, so this legislation is actually going to define it and make it a law. That’s a huge step forward. Because we talk about it, but just because we talk about it, it doesn’t mean it’s actually a law. So this is great.", "As I mentioned, I was passionate about animals and the work that we’re doing in the Solicitor General’s office. We have heard horror stories. I know the parliamentary assistant mentioned some stories. I was in committee this morning, so I didn’t hear the minister’s full speech; I just saw him on TV while we were debating in committee. But there are some horror stories—we all know them and we’ve all heard about them—about the treatment of animals in precarious positions.", "I think I’ve told the story about my sister’s dog Billie. When my sister—it was a rescue for bulldogs. My sister has a bunch of bulldogs. One is crazy; the other two are pretty good. When she first got Billie, she couldn’t walk on her back legs, because all she had done her whole life was give birth—small cage. She couldn’t walk on her back legs. She recently passed away, just a couple of months ago. She had a good life after, but her start to life was pretty sad. All she did was give birth. As soon as she gave birth, she gave birth again. That dog didn’t get to walk around, didn’t get to feel the grass, had a dirty cage. I’m not sure if she was fed or watered, certainly not loved—but got a lot of love after. But we don’t want to see these types of things happening in society because we can do better in how we think of animals. They’re part of our family now. We need to do better, and I’m very happy that today, we are going to do better with the support of, I’m sure, everybody in this House. I shouldn’t be presumptuous, but I know everybody here has been supportive in the past of helping out animals and telling the stories of their own pets and the work that they do to make sure that their pets are looked after.", "1000", "We talked about the cruelty inside some of these barns. We heard about malnutrition and starvation. We talked about puppy profiteering. That’s another thing when you’re looking at purchasing a pet: Make sure that the breeder interviews you. Usually, very good breeders ask you to come in and have an interview. Sometimes, they check references.", "When I took over ownership of Bruce, I applied. It was actually a friend who found him at a rescue, and we had to apply, even though she knew me very well—talk to my vet, talk to my friends, talk to a couple of people just to see if we would be good puppy parents—he wasn’t really a puppy; he was four—because they want to make sure these animals get forever homes.", "For anybody out there who’s looking for a pet, if you’re meeting in a parking lot and you found it online, just be careful, just be cautious. Think of where that pet came from. There are excellent breeders out there, and they do a very good job of making sure that the animals are healthy, they’re vaccinated, they’re cared for.", "Once you take ownership of an animal, it is your responsibility to look after that pet, just like you would a kid. You have to make sure that they’re fed, they’re watered, they’re looked after, and they’re loved because I’ll tell you, they’ll love you back even more. The best thing I ever did was get my dog—and I inherited a cat, but that’s because my sister moved into a house and there was a family of cats. I was allergic to cats, and she said, “Take a cat,” and I said, “Oh, I can’t take a cat.” Anyway, I ended up with this cat. I thought it was a boy and got everything ready for this allergy. I knew my allergies were going to go crazy. Then, I get this cat, and it’s a girl. Well, the name stuck, so Edward is a cat, and it’s a girl, and she doesn’t care what her name is. She doesn’t know, but she runs the house right now.", "They are great family assets, so let’s pass this bill today. Let’s protect our pets and give them their forever home." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "We’re going to go to questions." ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Peter Tabuns", "text": [ "My question to the Solicitor General: I appreciated the comments that he made in his lead-off. Could he tell us how this law will be enforced and what sort of funds will be allocated to ensure that the desired outcomes actually take place?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "I want to thank the member for the question. This will be enforced by the animal welfare inspectors, the same way as always. Some of the important provisions that we’re putting in are allowing them to do their jobs.", "I want to caution: The members opposite have a tendency to try to poke holes in our bills to find excuses to vote against them. This isn’t a very good bill to vote against. This is the kind of bill that I think the members should be supporting. We’re bringing in minimum fines: $10,000 if you’re operating a puppy mill or facilitating a puppy mill, $25,000 if that results in the death of a puppy. These are tangible tools that we’re giving our animal welfare inspectors and our front-line workers, resources they need to hold these bad actor puppy mills accountable.", "So I’d caution the members: Don’t do what you normally do and vote against this just because you’re opposition. This is a good bill. You should vote in favour of it." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Next question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Lisa MacLeod", "text": [ "My question is actually to the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore. Her and I have obviously shared the commitment to adopting and raising as our own fur babies those that have come from shelters. I can tell you, we adopted in the 2011 election a five-month-old baby dog that was born without any eyes and was taken back to the Ottawa Humane Society, because nobody wanted to raise her because it was too difficult.", "Fast-forward to when I was heritage minister and I went to visit with Todd Smith in Belleville, he took me to their humane society, which was in dire need of an upgrade. He said one thing to me: “Lisa, I don’t want to deal with Joe when you take home a cat or a dog.” Of course, I took home a massive cat that had been abandoned.", "The reason I’m asking you this question—it may not necessarily be in the bill, but I think, from one animal lover to another, it seems to me our biggest challenges can often be at the humane societies or at the shelters, who do not have enough support. I’m wondering, in your experience as former PA to this area but also as a pet lover, what your thoughts are in order for us to be better able to serve those shelters." ] }, { "speaker": "Ms. Christine Hogarth", "text": [ "It’s a great question, and congratulations on being a pet owner. I know you would make a great pet mom. I don’t know about who is the master in your house when it comes to the pets, as I’m learning.", "We have the Etobicoke Humane Society. I visited the London humane society, which does a really good job. The humane societies do really great work. They have vets coming in. They can actually help with some of the vaccinations in advance to make sure that these pets are in good shape before someone will adopt. They do some homework. They do research. They will also interview people. Just because you’re walking in doesn’t mean you’re going to get a pet, which is great, because we shouldn’t just be giving them away.", "I have to give a shout-out to the member from London. Your humane society does an amazing job, so congratulations to that. They’re growing, so donations to the humane society, if anybody is interested.", "They do a really great job of incorporating vet and vet tech training into the humane society. So this is a way that vet techs—and I think, with our new legislation about vets, we can use more of the vet tech help to make sure—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Thank you for the answer.", "We’ll move to the next question." ] }, { "speaker": "M. Guy Bourgouin", "text": [ "J’ai une question pour le solliciteur général.", "Vous savez, moi aussi, dans ma famille, on a une petite chienne, Eevee—l’animal à ma fille—qu’on adore et qui fait partie de la famille, comme tout le monde qui a des animaux qu’on aime tellement.", "Ma question est surtout sur le renforcement, qui m’inquiète parce que, vous savez, ma région est très grande, très vaste, sans mentionner les communautés qui sont au Grand Nord. Vous l’avez même mentionné dans vos allocutions que quand les « puppy mills » sont là, ce n’est pas là que les familles vont chercher l’animal. Ils vont aller le chercher à une place qui est beaucoup plus propre et où ça ne paraît pas d’où ils viennent, les animaux. Et avec une région comme la mienne qui est tellement grande, tellement vaste, très souvent, ils vont se cacher—éloignés. C’est sur le renforcement que ma question est, pour comprendre comment on va pouvoir reconnaître mais aussi prendre ce monde-là qui prend avantage des animaux, qui fait souffrir des animaux.", "J’aimerais vous entendre là-dessus. Comment peut-on renforcer ça pour protéger ces animaux-là?" ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "To reply, the Solicitor General." ] }, { "speaker": "L’hon. Michael S. Kerzner", "text": [ "Je voudrais remercier mon collègue pour cette question pertinente.", "And he’s right: Ontario is large. It’s very large. But the purpose of why we’re here today for third reading is to show our government’s absolute commitment in moving forward with animal welfare protection legislation that sets a tone and a standard of animal welfare, and this is exactly the next iteration.", "To my colleague, I respect very much the fact that northern Ontario is very large. The answer to his question is that we will continue to move forward incrementally and to build out animal welfare services, just as it started with the Deputy Premier when she was Solicitor General. We are going to continue to build it out." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Next question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Lorne Coe", "text": [ "Thank you, Speaker, and, through you to the parliamentary assistant to the Solicitor General: In committee, we had a lot of discussion about enforcement, and there were new amendments that were brought forward at the last meeting. Can the member from Brampton North talk about how the PUPS Act gives more enforcement mechanisms to the animal welfare inspectors, please?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Graham McGregor", "text": [ "Thanks to my colleague for the question. The member is right: This bill, if passed, will give animal welfare officers more tools that they need to actually enforce the provisions within.", "One of the important ones is around record-keeping. Bad actor puppy mills won’t have the ability to say, “Oh, I don’t know how old the dog is. I didn’t keep a record of it.” We’ll have record-keeping provisions maintained within, that they have to maintain or else face a fine—the $10,000 fine for having a puppy mill, $25,000 if resulting in a death.", "1010", "But I want to say that my colleague believes in parliamentary democracy just like I do, just like every member of the PC caucus does. This is a case where we have amendments in the bill through the committee process that are really, really quite strong. That $10,000 for assisting and facilitating a puppy mill was something we didn’t bring forward in second reading, a gap that we knew that we had. We brought the amendment forward, the committee did the right thing, and we hope all members do the right thing by passing the amended bill." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Next question?" ] }, { "speaker": "Mr. Chris Glover", "text": [ "This government is quite famous for talking tough on crime—they’re going to get tough on crime; they don’t want criminals walking the streets—yet this government has so underfunded our court system that at least 124 cases were thrown out in 2022, some of them involving sexual assaults.", "This bill is something similar. This is about animal abuse. It’s about puppy mills. The response from the government is to increase the fines, but if there’s nobody to inspect and enforce those fines, then the fines never get laid and the animals continue to be abused.", "The report in the media is that the PAWS needs more than the hundred inspectors who are available right now to cover our province. Our province is a million square kilometres, so we need more inspectors. How will this government enforce these increased fines? How will you actually make the animals safe?" ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Michael S. Kerzner", "text": [ "You know, here she is: The Deputy Premier is here. She’s the one who had the foresight to bring in the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, to see it passed in the Legislature in 2019 and move it forward.", "We started at ground zero. We are making incremental progress every day. We have built out a team of very responsible, trained and educated animal welfare inspectors. And the most important thing is that we’ve set a standard, an expectation and a tone that started with the Deputy Premier when she was the Solicitor General, which I continue to do today. We’re going to continue to do just this. Everything that our government has done in public safety sends a message: Public safety matters." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Thank you. That’s time for this portion of the debate.", "Third reading debate deemed adjourned." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Before we move to members’ statements, I recognize the Deputy Premier on a point of order." ] }, { "speaker": "Hon. Sylvia Jones", "text": [ "Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to wear pins in recognition of June being ALS Awareness Month." ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Deputy Premier Jones is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to wear pins in recognition of June being ALS Awareness Month. Agreed? Agreed." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Brian Saunderson", "text": [ "I want to use my time this morning to pay tribute to the people in my riding of Simcoe–Grey and across this great province who enrich our communities through their dedication, commitment and generosity. They are our volunteers, Speaker, and the work they do every day in our communities to improve and enrich the lives of so many residents, young and old, goes beyond words.", "Next month, the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards will be handed out. Started in 1986, this great program is an opportunity for us to thank and recognize the many, many volunteers who give their time and expertise selflessly, groups such as:", "—the Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute, founded in 1947;", "—the Beaver Valley community outreach, founded in 1982;", "—the Lions Club of Wasaga Beach, which recently celebrated 60 years;", "—the Collingwood Salvation Army, which recently celebrated 140 years;", "—Wasaga Beach Royal Canadian Legion Branch 645, which was just constituted last month;", "—the South Georgian Bay Community Health Centre;", "—the Clearview Public Library Board; and", "—the Stevenson Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.", "To all those who will receive an Ontario Volunteer Service Award next month, I want to congratulate you on behalf of the residents of Simcoe–Grey. And to all the many organizations in Simcoe–Grey and the incredibly dedicated volunteers who serve, I want to thank you for your service and for your willingness to help your neighbours and make our communities so much stronger, more resilient and compassionate." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam", "text": [ "Six years after the Conservatives formed government, Ontario still doesn’t have a strategy to address hate and racism. This is an embarrassment and another failure on this government’s tarnished record.", "Not only does Ontario lack a comprehensive anti-hate strategy, but we also have a Premier who evokes racist tropes from behind a government podium. Just last week, without any evidence, the Premier speculated that “immigrants” are behind the shooting at a Jewish girls’ school. It is a shockingly racist comment to scapegoat immigrants for this senseless act. The police who are actually investigating the crime had to distance themselves from the Premier’s comments.", "This is the same Premier who blamed COVID-19 on immigrants. He blames Ontario’s housing crisis on international students—the same Premier who vilified Umar Zameer and called for the jailing of this brown, Muslim man who has now been found innocent by the courts.", "The Premier has denied the existence of systemic racism and cancelled Ontario’s Anti-Racism Directorate, including its committees on anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism. It seems like the Premier could use the directorate’s advice now more than ever before.", "Ontario cannot combat racism if this Premier does not recognize that it exists. Naming it is the first step to dismantling its hateful power.", "I feel like I have to say this every day in this House. All forms of hate are interconnected and have the same goal: to divide us as people, to make us afraid, to have us not trust each other and to distract us from building stronger communities that actually care for each other. Ontario needs a comprehensive—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Thank you. Next member’s statement." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Mr. Stephen Blais", "text": [ "Residents in Orléans and across Ontario are asking if the convenience of buying a beer at the corner store is really worth $1 billion. The answer, of course, is no. So why the rush?", "We have a teacher shortage, Ontario schools need billions in repairs, and this government has cut $1,500 in per-student funding since they were elected in 2018. But there is $1 billion to accelerate corner store beer sales by a year.", "Two million Ontarians don’t have a family doctor. Imagine: Not a single person in these combined cities of Ottawa, Windsor, London, Kingston and Guelph have a family doctor, but there is $1 billion to accelerate corner store beer sales by a year.", "Instead of cutting education and health care further, perhaps this government will do what they always do, which is just take on more and more debt. Madam Speaker, it’s not what we need.", "If this government were to auction off the new liquor licences, it could net nearly $300 million in additional value to taxpayers. This is what the Conservative governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan did, netting a small fortune to fund education and health care.", "And since this government is refusing to follow the lead of fiscally conservative governments, I have to ask: Which friend, supporter or crony is going to benefit at the expense of students, teachers, nurses, doctors—at the expense of all of us?", "In the end, this government cares little about fiscal responsibility, having increased the debt by over $100 billion under their watch, the largest debt of any subnational jurisdiction in the world. This—" ] }, { "speaker": "The Acting Speaker (MmeLucille Collard)", "text": [ "Thank you. Next member’s statement." ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "Ms. Laurie Scott", "text": [ "It’s my pleasure to rise today to highlight the incredible inductees into the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame for 2024. Created five years ago, the hall of fame has been a source of local pride and honour. At the induction ceremony, we celebrated the incredible achievements and dedication of our local athletes, coaches and builders, who have made significant contributions to the community.", "A total of 10 individuals and two teams received awards across multiple sports, including the Haliburton county Red Wolves becoming the first recipients of the outstanding achievement award. Part of Special Olympics Ontario, the Red Wolves help athletes and supporters connect through sports like bowling, curling and golf.", "The Red Wolves bowling team has competed locally, provincially and nationally since it was founded in 1997. I’d like to recognize one of the Red Wolves and a hometown hero of mine, the late Carrie Crego, who was selected to compete at the 2006 national games in Brandon, Manitoba, and brought home a bronze medal in bowling. Thank you, Carrie, for your passion and dedication to our community and for making your hometown of Kinmount proud.", "I encourage all of you to stop by the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame and visit their website for tributes of each inductee—you can see first-hand how Haliburton county works hard and plays harder.", "1020" ] } ]

[ { "speaker": "M. Guy Bourgouin", "text": [ "La Maison Verte est un producteur essentiel pour le reboisement dans le Nord. Elle fournit des millions de semis à nos forêts chaque année.", "Malheureusement, elle est gravement menacée par la hausse marquée des prix de production. La Maison Verte fait face à des problèmes de revenus à cause, entre autres, des dépenses liées aux projets pendant la pandémie et à l’augmentation des coûts opérationnels. Les difficultés sont à leur sommet avec la domination de grands fournisseurs comme PRT en Colombie-Britannique, rendant presque impossible pour les petits fournisseurs de faire compétition à ces multinationales.", "Monsieur le Président, il est profondément préoccupant que les petites entreprises comme la Maison Verte se fassent avaler par des multinationales d’autres provinces sans protection adéquate de la part de notre gouvernement. Les petits producteurs ne peuvent tout simplement pas survivre.", "Depuis l’ouverture de la Maison Verte, le nombre de petits producteurs similaires est passé de 39 à seulement huit dans la province, une diminution alarmante qui nécessite notre attention immédiatement. L’absence des règlements pour protéger les petits fournisseurs est un problème. Par exemple, la Maison Verte fournit de cinq à sept millions de semis à la forêt de Hearst, tandis que les entreprises comme GreenFirst ne fournissent que 800 000 à un prix compétitif.", "Monsieur le Président, en réponse à ces défis, nous devons envisager des règlements pour assurer un marché plus équitable. Il est crucial que nous soutenions les petits producteurs comme la Maison Verte pour assurer leur survie et la santé continue de nos forêts et des entreprises d’ici.", "J’appelle tous mes collègues à se joindre à moi pour relever ces défis et soutenir nos fournisseurs locaux avec l’urgence qu’ils méritent." ] } ]