 time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's Royal Opportunity. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, good morning. This question is for the Premier. The Conservatives have had to roll back major policy after major policy because they got caught rigging the system for their friends and while they promised to be more transparent around land use planning after the Green Belt scandal, here we are again a few weeks later and the Conservatives are muddying it even further when it comes to Ontario Place. They're doing everything they can to ram their private luxury spa through, even skirting their own rules. They've proposed exempting the project from environmental assessment laws and the Heritage Act Speaker. So to the Premier, is he overriding his own rules to avoid accountability under the law? And to reply, the Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, I don't know if you know this, but in fact legislators in this House have been talking about what to do with Ontario Place since the late 80s. Since the late 80s, legislators have been talking about what to do with declining attendance and what to do with the increasing subsidies at Ontario Place. Mr. Speaker, we are at a point where we've submitted our development application to the city. We have done everything that is required by us, by law, and now we have to make a decision and move forward. This is a government that gets the job done and we will bring Ontario Place back to life finally. The supplementary question. Speaker, they got caught breaking the rules, so now they're changing the rules. That's what's happening. This is all about this government giving themselves a free pass to do whatever they want for whoever they want with public dollars. They are already in hot water over using MZOs to help their rich friends get richer, and what do they do now? They give the Minister of Infrastructure the power to do her own MZOs. The same minister who is keeping this 95-year-long lease a secret from the public. So, to the Premier, is he just making it easier to give preferential treatment to his friends? Mr. Speaker, we were given a mandate in 2022, and Ontario Place was part of our mandate. Mr. Speaker, we have presented legislation in this House before when it comes to building infrastructure to help us expedite it and do it efficiently. We did that with subways, with the Building Transit Fast Rack. Subways would not be under construction today if it wasn't through Minister Mulroney's leadership and presenting that legislation in the House. In high-speed internet access, Mr. Speaker, I presented that legislation myself. And because we did it, Mr. Speaker, we have fibre, and we are connecting communities right across this province. Mr. Speaker, I will never be afraid to present legislation in order to build infrastructure in the province of Ontario. And finally, after 30 years of debate in this House, get it done and bring Ontario Place back to life, a place that families can enjoy 365 days of the year. Mr. Speaker, what is this obsession with a spa? I mean, really, I talk to people every single day. They're worried about how they're going to pay their rent, how they're going to make their mortgage payments, how they're going to buy groceries, where they're going to find a family doctor. None of them have told me they think a private luxury spa in downtown Toronto is the answer. So back to the Premier. Why is this elite luxury spa his number one priority? Minister of Infrastructure, order. The leader of the official opposition, the very same question. What is your obsession against a water park facility and a wellness facility that will be operational 365 days of the year at Ontario Place will be contributing to annual maintenance of this site so that we have an Ontario Place that can be enjoyed for future years by our children and our grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, we legislators have been debating this issue since the late 80s time to get the job done and this legislation will help us do it. Thank you. The next question, once again, the leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, I'll tell you what my obsession is. It's stopping this government from ripping off Ontarians. Speaker, this government, as well as we do, that this was never about Toronto. The fight has always been right here at Queen's Park to protect public interests and expose their dirty deals. The government is spending over a half a billion dollars on a luxury mega spa to hand public funds directly over into the profits of private companies. If this isn't about giving preferential treatment and avoiding public accountability, surely this government has a plan to invest in other municipalities. So, to the Premier, which other municipalities will get a deal from this province? Still, I need to caution the leader of the opposition again on her choice of words to reply the Minister of Infrastructure. Speaker, I'm more than happy to discuss the historic deal that was created by the Premier and the Mayor of the City of Toronto. An extraordinary deal that will make sure that we are protecting our highways in the City of Toronto, that we're supporting the TTC and keeping riders safe, that we're providing more operational funding for new transit lines that we are building, Mr. Speaker, and also contingent on federal government funding, additional funding for homelessness. Mr. Speaker, the deal that was struck yesterday is an extraordinary deal for the people of the City and for the province. Speaker, I'm reminded of a member of Waterloo that has been one year and one week since this government promised to make municipalities whole. But here we are. Toronto is not the only municipality that needs support. Municipalities all across Ontario are doing everything they can to issue permits to encourage affordable housing developments, but they don't have the power to force developers to start building after they get their permits. And this province is doing nothing to help. They still haven't brought in use it or lose it legislation, as we suggested. So to the Premier I'll ask again, when will this province give other municipalities a new deal too? The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. A member of our opposite knows that we are bringing forward legislation around use it or lose it. Now the reason we can bring in such legislation is because this government is putting billions of dollars of infrastructure in the ground and we want to make sure that the infrastructure both below and above the ground is used for building homes for the people of the province of Ontario. Now I remind the Leader of the Opposition that her party has voted against every single investment that we've made in terms of helping unleash home building. She has voted against every she and that party have voted against every single investment that we have made in terms of building transit and transportation across the province of Ontario. We are bringing forward legislation, use it or lose it, because we expect those people who have permits, who are holding up sewer and water allocation, to get shovels in the ground. We'll bring it forward, we'll do it in a fair way that brings our municipalities on board, as well as those who are building homes. And I fully expect that the Leader of the Opposition will get in her place and support that legislation. For the first time, she'll support building homes for the people of the province of Ontario. While municipalities are struggling, this government keeps ignoring their requests for help. And while the housing crisis gets worse and worse and worse, and this government has wasted years chasing the green belt for their speculator friends, issuing MZOs for their donors, bulldozing public parks for private luxury mega spas nobody wants. They're distracted, they're up against the wall under criminal investigation by the RCA's MP. So speaker back to the Premier, what will it take for this government to finally put the people of Ontario first and before their insider friends? Members, would you please take those seats? To respond, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Speaker, I see why the Leader of the Opposition is frustrated, right? She has a caucus that doesn't support her, a provincial councillor that wants her out of her job. She has members who refuse to even sit in the chamber when she's here. And we're seeing growth across the province of Ontario. Despite the fact that we have a federal government supported by the NDP that have put us in a crisis, that have seen interest rates increase faster than at any other time in history, the socialist NDP are in frenzy. You know why? Because we're creating jobs because our municipal partners want to work with us to get shovels in the ground. You know who's come on board? Mayor Olivia Chau, an NDP stalwart. An NDP stalwart. A former councillor, a former Member of Parliament for the NDP has come on board because she and the Toronto Council understand that the best way to create jobs and economic growth is to cut taxes, work together, get shovels in the ground. It is only they who don't understand that. The Member for Tomiskaming Cochrane. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Ontario already has responsibility for the TransCanada Highway 11. Last week, north and north bay, on November 22nd it was closed for 13 and a half hours. On November 24th, it was closed for 12 and a half hours. Our sympathies go out to the families involved. And this isn't something new. If your car is registered in the District of Tomiskaming, your four times is likely to die on a provincial highway than if it's registered in Toronto. My question to the Minister of Transportation is, can northerners also expect a new deal to actually put Highway 11 up to standards so people don't die? Please take those seats and to respond, the Minister of Transportation. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. As the member knows, it is our utmost priority to ensure we have safe and efficient highways across this province, and that includes Highway 11, Mr Speaker. We have some of the safest roads in all of North America. We have the TransOntario standard that is met by this province and this province only across the province, I mean across the country, across North America. And we will continue to work, you know, we had the Good Roads Association that was in Queen's Park just this past week listening about further measures that can be taken. And we commit to always ensuring that we have the safest roads and working towards safety across this province, especially on the roads. We do have some of the safest roads, but we'll continue to make sure that we do whatever we can, making the necessary adjustments on Highway 11 and 17 in the North to do and ensure that our roads remain safe. It's a supplementary question. Highway 11 and 17 are certainly not the safest roads in North America. But there are many other roads in North Ontario and many of them were downloaded by the Harris government to municipalities. So the town of Iroquo Falls, the town of Kirkland Lake, the city of Timmons, many of these places are also suffering. They can't afford to provide vital services because they're actually looking after highways that should be provincial. So can those municipalities across the province, can they also expect that this government actually uploads the highways that a previous conservative downloaded, can they expect a new deal on roads as well? Now the NDP want a new deal, right? And the first question from the leader, you can see the divisions within the party, right? In the first question from the leader, the first question from the leader, they say that the new deal is something that we shouldn't be working on. Now they want a new deal. And when we bring you roads to different parts of the province of Ontario, what do they do? They vote against it anyway. When we brought back the Northlander, they voted against it, right? So they don't care about Northern Ontario. When the Liberals called Northern Ontario wasteland that nobody should invest in, did they who held the balance of power bring them down? No, Mr. Speaker. Not even once. This is a party that does not care about roads. It does not care about municipalities. You know why we were able to strike a deal with Olivia Chow and the NDP council in Toronto? Because we work with them, Mr. Speaker. And we work with our municipal partners. And that is why we are seeing growth across the province of Ontario, the likes of which we've never seen, despite policies of the federal government to hold back our economy. Thank you. The next question, the member for Thorn Hill. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job, Creation and Trade. The federal carbon tax is hurting businesses across this province. It's significantly harmful to small and medium sized businesses, which are crucial sources of employment for our regional communities. When the federal government hikes energy costs with their carbon tax, it hurts these small businesses, their bottom lines. Unfortunately, this has meant that many small businesses and businesses have been left with the difficult choice of scaling back, production and laying off employees or closing their doors altogether. Sadly, the federal government, along with the independent liberals and opposition NDP, do not care. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how, unlike the NDP and liberals who want to penalize businesses, our government is providing support for them? The Minister of Economic Development, Job, Creation and Trade. Thank you, Speaker. Look, there is a very clear and concise differentiation between the liberal NDP coalition and the PC party. They hurt business, we help business. We've reduced the cost of doing business by $8 billion annually. We've created the climate for businesses to succeed. Speaker, we have regional development programs. We've invested $110 million in regional development programs for 100 companies. Those 100 companies, in turn, invested $1.18 billion in the province of Ontario and hired 2,300 people. That's what you get when you have a favourable business environment that is created. That is exactly what our party is doing. Speaker, we could only imagine the heights we could achieve if we did not have a carbon tax. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the minister for his response and his solid work on a world scale basis for the people and the province of Ontario. It's great to hear about the success that our government's regional development program. Before we took office, Ontario's manufacturing capacity had diminished. The NDP liberal agenda of high taxes and unnecessary red tape pushed manufacturers out of our province and into foreign jurisdictions. As a result, our economy stagnated and we were beholden to other countries to manufacture the goods and supplies that Ontarians needed. Now, they want to try their failed experiment all over again with the ever-increased federal carbon tax. Unlike the opposition, our government must support and protect our manufacturing sector, which is vital to our province's economic prosperity. Speaker, can the minister please describe how our government's actions continue to strengthen Ontario's manufacturing sector? Speaker, the Liberal NDP agenda of high taxes has crushed our manufacturing sector. They lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs under that coalition, but we created the conditions for Ontario to become a manufacturing powerhouse that it used to be. Now we are home to 20,000 manufacturers employing more than 800,000 workers this year alone. Since January, we have seen 23,500 manufacturing jobs created. In fact, Speaker, in one month this summer, we saw more manufacturing jobs created in Ontario than all 50 U.S. states combined. There's $99 billion of manufacturing that goes on in Ontario. Every single year, lower taxes, red tape production equals jobs. Thank you. The next question, the member for Nickelbelt. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Why is Ontario paying 330% more for surgeries in for-profit clinics than in public hospital? The member from Anglinton, Lawrence stated, and I quote, these centres have higher costs because they're purchasing equipment. Don Mills Surgical Unit, a for-profit hospital, expended from three to six operating rooms and to seven Recovery Bay, while our public hospital ORs sit dark and empty against the Private Hospital Act that forbids expending for-profit hospital. Why is this government expending private hospitals where we pay more for less? It's pretty clear that the member opposite and the NDP party have no interest in doing anything creative and anything different, innovative in the province of Ontario. We have partners like the Don Mills Surgical Centre that move their facility 20-bed facility to a different location. It does, in fact, not contravene the Private Hospital inside, but what we have been able to do with the member opposite did not want to talk about is actually expand the access that is available. When we expanded the cataract surgeries in January, when Premier Ford made that announcement, we now have 14,000 people who have had access to minor surgery and cataract surgery that are now back in community, back volunteering, back working, back reading stories to their children. That's why we're doing this innovation. That's why we're doing this expansion. While we have ORs in our public hospitals that sits empty, that could do those 14,000 cataract surgeries. The previous Minister of Health is now a lobbyist for Clean Clear Point, the corporation that owns Don Mills Surgical Unit. The members integrity act prohibit former cabinet minister from ever making representations to the provincial government. Don Mills received a 278% increase when Christine Elliott was Minister of Health. Does the Premier support the fact that his previous former Minister of Health is lobbying for preferential treatment for Don Mills? Order. Minister of Health is very careful not to talk about the billion-dollar investment that we are working with hospitals, including our surgical and diagnostic centers, to expand access. You know, we knew that because of the condition that our healthcare system was left under the Liberal and the NDPs, because of the conditions as we paused during the pandemic that we needed to aggressively work with our hospital partners to ensure that we were dealing with surgical backlog and surgical recovery. And that billion-dollar investment has led to some incredible innovation where we have partners, as the member opposite mentioned, where we now have ORs that are operating in over later hours into the weekend. Why? Because those hospitals that submitted proposals, innovative ideas to the ministry, we funded them and we are dealing with that surgical backlog. Thank you. Question, the Member for Whitby. Well, thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. Last week, the federal government released their fall economic statement, which many would describe as disappointing. It was disappointing because it failed to end the damaging carbon tax that is hurting so many people in my riding and across the province. My constituents are rightfully asking why the federal government punishes them with this regressive tax, why other provinces are exempt. The people in my riding are looking to all levels of government to step up and provide assistance during these challenging economic times. The people of Ontario want support and relief, not additional taxation that makes life more expensive. Speaker, can the minister please explain how this unnecessary tax creates economic hardship for all Interians? Great question. And to respond, the Minister of Finance. Well, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the great member from Whitby for that question. He's a champion. Your member opposite there also agrees with me. It's a Durham day. We've got the Mayor Pickering here. We've got members from Council in Ajax. That's what they have to do. There's no subway in Pickering. Many people have to drive their car to work, take their kids to school, move around the great riding of Pickering. And that's why I was disappointed by the lack of action on the carbon tax by the federal government's fall economic statement. Like they remember from Whitby, I was hoping that the Liberal government would finally come to its senses and end the carbon tax, which seems only effective in hurting the pocketbook of Ontario families. Sadly, Speaker, the Liberals' attachment to the carbon tax seems to far outweigh their concern for the economy, while families and workers are calling for a response. This regressive tax, the federal government is ignoring their voices. So we're asking the federal government, don't just help Pickering, don't just help Ontario, help all of Canada with this. Supplementary question. Speaker, and back to the Minister of Finance. Our government has been very clear regarding the damage that the carbon tax is causing to hardworking families in Ontario. This regressive tax does nothing but increase the price of everything. Now is not the time to raise taxes or increase expenses. Families and individuals throughout Ontario are struggling due to higher inflation, rising interest rates and ongoing supply chain challenges. A carbon tax only increases those concerns and makes affordability that much more challenging. The carbon tax adversely affects our businesses and negatively impacts our economy and Ontario workers. Speaker, can the Minister please elaborate on why all members of this House should advocate for Ontario by calling on the federal government to end the carbon tax? Once again, Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you again to the hardworking member from Whitby, who I call him the Gordy Howe, because he's ran nine times and he's won nine times. So he's won number nine. And of course, the more you shard in the Bobby Howe, but I digress. Mr. Speaker, the other part of my riding, Uxbridge, guess what? People who use their cars not only to get around in Uxbridge, guess what the farmers do? They have the tractors in Uxbridge. They use energy and power, you know, that they need a break as well. The hardworking people and farmers of Uxbridge who grow the food, you know, and obviously the food gets shipped and then we buy the food. We need to all work on affordability in this country. And it starts with the carbon tax. We took action by lowering the gas tax when combined with other measures, 10 cents a liter. And when we table the fall economic statement, I'm highly confident the members opposite will vote to reduce that gas tax. Join us as we work all across Canada to make life more affordable. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier to quote the executive director of victim services in Durham region. Publicly funded prescription birth control will help empower survivors experiencing gender-based violence and human trafficking. Access to birth control is life-saving. Speaker, the lack of access to birth control is used by abusers and perpetrators of human sex trafficking to control their victims. Birth control is much more cost effective than health care or even therapy that we owe the survivors after freeing them from sex trafficking if they are pregnant. Speaker, does this government agree that universal access to contraception will give survivors more control over their bodies and lives and help combat sex trafficking? The member opposite should know that our government's history in dealing with human trafficking and survivors and perpetrators is clear and very, very deep. The member from Halliburton, North Lakes has done, when I think of the legislation that we have brought forward as a government to protect and ensure that individuals who perpetrate human trafficking are brought to justice, it is our government under Premier Ford who has done that work. I really think it's important for the member to understand that we are absolutely seized to ensure that every piece of human trafficking and the survivor's pathway to treatment is something that our government and multiple ministries have been working on for many, many years. Thank you. The supplementary, the member for Sudbury. Speaker, access to birth control radically changed the face of the workforce. Family planning has empowered women to pursue the careers of their dreams. It secures economic freedom and has been the key to a prospering Ontario. However, Speaker, the cost remains a barrier to many women. Does the Premier believe that access to birth control is a right and if so, will he be supporting the NDP member for St. Catherine's motion for universal access to birth control? If and when access becomes a barrier when it is financially there, we of course have programs in the province of Ontario. We have no, the members of office don't want to hear it, but the truth is that we've done a lot in this space and we have put in a lot of protections. So individuals who are under the age of 25 have free access. Individuals who have because of income thresholds have access through the Ontario Drug Benefit Plan do not tell me that having almost 50% of the population having access to those free programs isn't making a difference to the lives of women in this program. It is and it does. Thank you, Speaker. Order. The next question, the member for Beaches East York. Good morning, everyone. Beautiful day to be in here with you. Mr. Speaker, tell the Premier that instead of holiday bells, I am ringing the alarm bells because the climate crisis is here and it's costing Ontarians already. While we wait to hear about the RCMP criminal investigation into the $8.3 billion sale of the green belt, the government could and should read the damning report released last week by the Financial Accountability Officer of Ontario. Spoiler alert, there's a frightening financial impact of the climate crisis on our infrastructure. If we don't begin to proactively plan and build for the extreme weather events that are definitely coming due to climate change, it will cost an extra $4.1 billion per year. You who wake up, the question is to the Premier, when will he wake up, smell the wildfires and declare climate emergency in Ontario? The member for Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke and Parliamentary Assistant. Well, Speaker, Ontario is responsible for 86% of the greenhouse gas reductions for the all of the country of Canada. Think about that. One third of the population, 86%. We have done the things that are going to make the impact. We are leading the world in EV battery production for the electric cars. We've installed electric car furnaces and our steel mills, which will take 2 million cars off the road. We're investing in nuclear power, clean green nuclear power. We're on target to meet our 2030 greenhouse gas reduction goals. We're doing all this while building the economy and standing against the most punishing thing that people are experiencing in this province and all across Canada, the unacceptable, unfair carbon tax by your party in Ottawa. Take your seats. Order. Order. Restart the clock. Supplementary. No to the Conservatives. Electric vehicles alone will not solve this climate crisis. Now my question, Mr Speaker, how long is this government going to wait and invest in climate resilient infrastructure? They are leaving Ontarians up a creek, literally. The FAO report clearly proves that we need to be proactive about this. No more short-term thinking. The fatal consequences of climate change are already in effect. The global mortality rate associated with extreme heat accounts for 5 million deaths per year. The 2021 heat wave in BC amounted to over 600 people dying. It's only a matter of time before Ontario faces an extreme heat wave. Mr Speaker, my question is to the Premier, will he commit to an expansive and informative public education campaign on extensive plan to ready our infrastructure before next summer comes blazing in with potentially deadly temperatures? The Member for Renfrew, Nipissing-Temple. Well, Speaker, the Member would know that the Build Better, Stronger is part of our plan to prepare our infrastructure for the effects of climate change, and she would know that. But not only in those, we've introduced an urban park in Oxbridge because people want to care about the ground. The Nature Conservancy of Canada says we're leaders in protecting green space here in the country of Canada. The first operating provincial park in 40 years. But all of that, we're doing it on top of that. We're giving people a break. We've lowered the price of gas so they can get to work or get their kids to soccer. We've taken away the cost of license plate stickers. We're doing all of those things because your party in Ottawa has got their hand in their pocket every time they turn around, taking the gas, the carbon tax out of their pocket. Everything is costing more because of the carbon tax. There are so many initiatives that this government and every other government could be doing if they weren't taxing the people to death with the carbon tax. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Minister, the carbon tax is raising the price of everything. This regressive and harmful tax is hurting the people of Ontario by driving up the cost of goods, of services, and of essential items that they need. The Minister has previously warned about how the carbon tax is increasing the cost of raw materials from the forestry sector and is raising the price of products such as sand and stone. Not only does this federally imposed carbon tax make raw materials more expensive, but it also impacts the entire supply chain, resulting in higher costs for everything and everyone. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how the carbon tax is negatively impacting industries in the natural resources sector and consumers across the province of Ontario? To reply, the Member for Hastings, Lennox, and Addington, the Parliamentary Assistant. The Member from Brand for Brand is absolutely correct. The forestry sector is just one of the many natural resources sectors that are being punished by the carbon tax. In fact, all of our northern and rural businesses are being disproportionately impacted by that liberal carbon tax. Ontario's commercial fishing sector is feeling the financial pressure, too. The Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association recently told us, and I quote, one business estimates that the carbon tax is costing them $88,000 per year. And if the federal government cared about the success of that business and the people we employ, they would cut the carbon tax. Speaker, with this regressive tax, they simply can't compete with the American businesses fishing in the same waters. Speaker, we have urged the Ontario government to call on their federal counterparts to end this tax that is making everything more expensive. Let's work together, do what's right, and build a better... Thank you very much. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Parliamentary Assistant for his response. It's disheartening to see the independent Liberals and the opposition NDP members continue to support such a regressive tax that harms our northern and rural businesses, while consistently voting against measures that would make life more affordable for all Ontarians. The carbon tax has contributed to higher fuel prices, higher shipping prices, and more burdensome red tape and less innovation. Speaker, industries in the natural resources sector are legacy businesses that help build Ontario. Many of these businesses are vital to sustaining northern communities and contributing to Ontario's economic prosperity. Speaker, can the Parliamentary Assistant please expand on how the carbon tax is negatively impacting local businesses and our province's economy? Thank you. Thank you for the great question. We have repeatedly asked the federal Liberals to help us by removing the carbon tax to put even more money back in the pockets of the people in Ontario. Speaker, I want to share further comments from the Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association, who said that the carbon tax, and I quote, increases the cost of goods because everything is shipped. The suppliers have passed their carbon tax expenses on their businesses, driving up the cost of everything. Our government is doing more every day to support job creators and build a stronger Ontario. That's why our Premier and our Minister of Finance have reduced the gas tax. Industries, small businesses, families and workers across this province are asking the members opposite to recognize these negative impacts. Speaker, Ontarians want solutions, not additional taxes. The members that need to stand up and call for the end of the carbon tax. Come on, scrap the tax. The next question, the member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker, my questions to the Premier. The cost of living crisis is getting worse. According to a recent report from Feed Ontario, 23% of food bank clients spent 100% of their income on housing. That's all their income on housing. Without real rent control for all tenants, people are paying a larger and larger percent of their paycheck towards rent, leaving little for all other expenses. Premier, will you bring back real rent control measures that not only help keep people housed but also helps keep food on the table? And to reply, the government house leader. Speaker, if I was, history shows that if I was to do that, nobody would actually build rental housing in the province of Ontario. Because when we stopped, when we stopped, when we stopped that, made a modification of that policy, we saw record levels of purpose-built housing across the province of Ontario. In fact, to go even a step further, Speaker, it has now finally been acknowledged by the federal Liberals and NDP that when you cut taxes and when you make life more affordable for people and when you make life more affordable for those who construct rental housing, they'll get in. When the Minister of Finance said we have to eliminate HST on purpose-built rentals, the federal government fought us for over a year. And what happened when we finally were able to get that done, with no help from Jagmeet Singh and the Socialist Caucus in Ottawa, we are seeing a $45,000 per unit reduction in the cost of purpose-built rentals. And you know who stepped up to the plate? People who build purpose-built rentals to the tune of we are at the highest level in over 15 years. That's actually really good news. Supplementary question. Speaker, struggling is now the rule not the exception in Ontario. Feed Ontario says 40% of Ontario food bank users were under 17. These are children. It's 320,000 children in Ontario who are going hungry. Under your watch, more and more children are going hungry. What are you going to do about it? Well, one of the first actions that we brought in when we were elected in 2018 was to remove the lowest income earning Ontarians from the tax rolls entirely, because we thought it would be more important that they invest in themselves and in their families than in sending tax dollars to the province of Ontario. You know who voted against that? It was the opposition. Now, when the Minister of Education said that we have to bring down the fee of child care, but not in a way that would hurt or put one sector against another, but in a way that would advantage all Ontarians. And then when he fought to extend that deal, the opposition NDP voted against that. When the Minister of Children and Community Services increased ODSP rates and tied it to inflation, the opposition voted against that. When we integrated fairs so that people who take transit across the GTA to get to work, to get to appointments, to get to child care would only have one fare to pay, reducing the cost by $1,600 on average per person, the NDP voted against it. On affordability, this is. Thank you. Thank you. Next question, the member for Don Dolly North. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Solicitor General. Speaker, I often talk about auto thefts and car jackings in this house, mainly because 33 divisions is among the hotspots for car theft and is immorality. Speaker, even the Federal Justice Minister is not commute, is not immune to this crime. Two government vehicles assigned to him were stolen. One, and only one was recovered. Michael Roth, President and CEO of the Canadian Financier Association said in an interview with McLean's quote, we are a very safe country in many ways, but freedom isn't free. Solving the car theft problem will actually help solve a lot of other issues. Speaker, I welcome the news of the preventing auto theft grant funding. Can the Solicitor General please elaborate on how the government funding will help to tackle this urgent issue? Thank you. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank my colleague opposite for the question. There's never been a government more concerned about public safety than our government led by Premier Ford. And we have acted, Mr. Speaker. The member is correct. Last week, we announced the first sums of money that will be going as part of our $51 million investment to fight auto theft throughout our province. And Mr. Speaker, it's serious because every few minutes somewhere in Ontario a car is getting stolen and it's completely unacceptable. And that's why I continue to call on our federal counterpart to meet me at the border, to meet me at the Port of Montreal, to open the containers that are being loaded onto the ships and see for yourself. That's where our cars are going. It's completely unacceptable. And we will do everything we can, Mr. Speaker, to continue to keep Ontario safe. A complimentary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the source of the general for the information. Speaker, vehicle related crimes cause Ontario's not only poverty losses, but they also rob people and their family of a sense of safety and security. Speaker, the Ontario government is doing its job to combat this issue, but we cannot achieve an effective solution without active participation from our federal government to paraphrase Michael Roth in the same interview with McLean. U.S. Homeland Security is much more engaged than Canadian broad day services agency and our broad days are not more porous. Canadians are so frustrated to see containers with stolen vehicle going up to other countries. Speaker, can the source of the general tell this house where the timeline has been set for all levels of government to sit down together to address this crisis? And are there any public education programs planned in the near future to inform vehicle owners about car theft prevention? So, Mr. General. Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank my colleague for the question again. Last Friday, I joined with the Premier and our caucus colleagues in Peel Police Services to announce the first $18 million as part of the $51 million that will be invested, and I want to identify some of the municipalities that are going to be getting some of the money. Chatham Kent, $879,000. York Region Police, $900,000. Toronto, $900,000. Hamilton, almost $900,000. And there's a greater list. The member is also correct. Our federal and our provincial and territorial ministers met in Beaumont, Quebec. This was discussed in the meeting. And we all said, the other provincial ministers said, with me to our federal counterpart, you must do something at the border. You must step up border safety. You must go to the Port of Montreal, and you must see for yourself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Solicitor General. I rise today to address an issue that I have been hearing from my constituency in Mississauga, Air Mills. It is clear to everyone, but the federal government and the independent liberal members, that the carbon tax is negatively impacting Ontario's economy. People in my community are concerned about the potential effects of the carbon tax on our public safety system. Last week, we heard from the Solicitor General who spoke about the additional costs that the carbon tax is placing on our frontline first responders. Speaker, can Solicitor General please explain the consequences of the federal carbon tax on our provinces public safety system? So, Mr. General. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank my colleague opposite from Mississauga, Aaron Mills, for the hard work he does to keep his community safe as well every day. And he's right, Mr. Speaker. I can equate it like this. Every million dollars of money that is wasted by a police service to pay the carbon tax portion on a litre of gas equates to almost 10 officers. Boots on the ground that can keep those communities safe. It's completely unacceptable that when a police chief has to present himself before a police service board to go through his budgetary lines, one of the lines is the carbon tax on fuel. It is absolutely ridiculous. So, we're again calling on the federal government. Call yourselves the police service boards. Call the police chiefs and see for yourself we have to get rid of this tax. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is reassuring to hear that our government continues to hold public safety as its highest barrier. With the media reports about crime and illegal activities in many areas of our province, residents in my community are concerned about the financial impact of the carbon tax on the day-to-day work of our frontline police officers. It is reasonable that people are worried about how the carbon taxes strain on policing budgets. All Ontarians deserve to live safely in their communities, and they are counting on our frontline officers to respond to emergencies. Even more so, our hardworking police officers deserve support from our government as they carry out their duties. Speaker, can the Solace General please elaborate on how the carbon tax is negatively impacting police services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank again my colleague for this very pertinent question. I speak, Mr. Speaker, to many police chiefs early in the morning. I started around 6.30, and many of them are telling me that they have to go before police service boards to negotiate their budgets. Some are hanging by a thread because the budgets are tight. And when I found out that how much fuel they are using, I asked the question, are you exempt from carbon tax? They say no, it's part of the cost of fuel. It is completely unacceptable that 10,000 vehicles a day, on average, are on the road to keep Ontario safe, and every time a police officer who's risking his life or her life for Ontario has to sign a chip for the carbon tax. Mr. Speaker, it's very clear. This is regressive. This is affecting public safety. Let's get rid of the tax. Next question, the Member for Waterloo. Thank you very much. My questions for the Premier. In Kitchener Waterloo, one in 10 households struggled to afford to put food on the table. Last year, it was one in 14. Two years ago, it was one in 20. Things are not getting better in the province of Ontario. 58,000 individuals in need. 4,629 households accessed a food assistance program for the first time. 45% increase over the same quarter in 2020. Yesterday we received the 2023 Feed Ontario Hunger Report. It was titled, Why Ontarians Can't Get Ahead? Well, isn't that a good question, Mr. Speaker? We all know the food bank model was fundamentally designed to respond to an emergency need, but emergencies are supposed to end. In Ontario and KW, it is only getting worse. When will the government acknowledge this and respond to this emergency? Minister of Finance. Well, thank you through you, Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite for that question, Mr. Speaker. We've been acknowledging and understand that many have been hurting in this province for some time. And that's why, Mr. Speaker, we moved early to reduce the gas tax back in the spring of 2022. Now, we just are debating the fall economic statement which, Mr. Speaker, extends that gas tax. So the member opposite has an opportunity to make life more affordable for the people of Kitchener and Waterloo, Mr. Speaker. Not only did we do that, we rebated the HST on purpose-built rental buildings to encourage more rental, which will help many people in this province. And of course, Mr. Speaker, we didn't stop there to encourage more housing. The water systems infrastructure fund $200 million so that we could build more affordable housing in this great province. So Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has an opportunity to support Bill 146 and make life more affordable for her constituents. Mr. Speaker, fact, hunger is becoming normalized in Ontario. Fact, food banks are becoming a way to subsidize government's balanced budgets. And this is especially galling in Ontario, where you have squirreled away $5.4 billion in an unallocated contingency fund. That is a fact that is hurting the people of this province. The people who are living in tents, they're not concerned about the carbon tax. They're not concerned about the gas tax. They're concerned about surviving in this province. Last year's food bank use was a double the increase seen in 2018 recession, double since the last recession. This is not the future we want for our children who now make up one in every four recipients and families. People in Kitchen or Waterloo and across Ontario deserve so much more. Now, Feed Ontario has presented some really good suggestions on housing, on food insecurity, on employment. Will this government listen to the lived experiences of Ontarians and actually get back on track to working for the people that were elected to serve? Mr Speaker, fact, we reduced the gas tax. Fact, Ottawa increased the carbon tax. Those are facts. Now, Mr Speaker, we also announced an historic deal with the City of Toronto, which will benefit not only just Torontonians but people in the GTA and frankly the whole province of Ontario, included in that deal, of course, is to help transit, to help housing. And yes, Mr Speaker, to help homelessness and shelters for those people that the member opposite is talking about. And in fact, in the budget that she didn't vote for and her party voted against the budget from last year, we creased the homelessness prevention program by 40% for all Ontarians. Mr Speaker, the facts are in. This is the party that supports the people of Ontario. Mr Speaker, the facts are in. That's the party that votes against it. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Energy. We already know that the federal carbon tax is making life more unaffordable for Ontarians when it comes to home heating costs. The federal government has announced an exemption of the carbon tax on home heating oil for some Canadians, but further action for all Canadians is needed. Heating isn't a necessity, but unfortunately many Ontarians can't afford the luxury of picking and choosing what heating fuel they can use. Because of the carbon tax, they are unfairly forced to pay additional costs to stay warm during the winter. This is unfair and not right. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is supporting Ontarians to reduce the costs of home heating? Speaker, the member for Burlington is absolutely right. Ontarians are struggling to eat their homes due to rising inflation. The federal government's tax break only targets 2.5% of Ontarians, which is absolutely not enough. Our government has launched our Clean Home Eating Initiative program, which is the CHHI, providing recipients with a grant of up to $4,500 to buy a standard air source heat pump or cold climate air source heat pump. This program will help save up to $280 yearly on energy bills. On top of that, it would cut their emission by a third. This past spring, we expanded the program to help even more communities. Obviously, the best remedy to the problem the member for Burlington described, Speaker, would be to eliminate the carbon tax. I hope that the federal government sees how harmful and ineffective this carbon tax is. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the parliamentary assistant for that response. It's reassuring to know that our government is taking the necessary steps to help Ontarians with the cost of keeping their homes warm this winter. I'm disappointed to hear the federal government refuses to address the problems that the carbon tax is imposing on the people of Ontario. Speaker, our government has known for years that the carbon tax is making life more unaffordable for Ontarians, and the Bank of Canada and the Parliamentary Budget Officer have confirmed our warnings about this regressive tax. The carbon tax is creating unnecessary burdens on the people of Ontario, and they're looking for financial relief. Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant please elaborate on how our government is making life more affordable for all Ontarians? Thank you for Glenn, Gary Prescott. Speaker, our ministry is taking great steps to keep prices affordable for all Ontarians, especially when dealing with something like the carbon tax. Speaker, recently the Minister of Energy announced that we increase the Ontario electricity rebate, the OER, up to 19.3%. Thanks to that, families will enjoy a $26 a month rebate on their electricity bills. But because of the carbon tax, households eating with natural gas see a $290 yearly increase on their energy bills, while those using propane will spend $250 more annually. Speaker, it's ridiculous. We are talking about 70% of Ontarians' households having to pay an average of $270 in increased costs due to the stacks. But this is a reason why we increased our rebate, but I am hoping that the federal government finally open its eyes and join us into reducing costs for Ontarians. Thank you. The next question, the member for London West. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, Londoners are facing waits for MRIs that in some cases are nearly 10 times the provincial average. Dawn from London West has waited 18 months for an MRI well beyond the target 28 days. Tom learned in April this year that he needs an MRI. He finally got an appointment for February 2024. Again, clearly nowhere near the 28-day target. Speaker, without adequate healthcare staffing and resources, wait time targets are meaningless. And the result is 11,000 Ontarians who died while waiting on wait lists for surgeries, MRIs and CAT scans last year. Speaker, why is this government more focused on improving profits for insider healthcare investors than in reducing wait times in Ontario? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. So I'm going to remind the member opposite that in fact since 2018 we have expanded the number of MRI machines that we are funding across Ontario. And that includes communities that have never had an MRI machine in their hospital before. What does that actually mean Speaker? It means that I'll give a very specific example. An emergency room doctor told me that when we announced the MRI for that hospital that they would no longer have to spend literally hours trying to find access to an MRI machine then trying to arrange transportation through the paramedic service. We're bringing care closer to home and it is making a difference in our communities. Thank you very much. That concludes our question period for this morning. The Minister of Education has informed me that he has a point of order he'd like to raise. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, during question period, guests from the Kenny Queen leadership are with us today. And I want to give a special recognition to Rona Zerowich, Roma Zerowich, Danny Zerowich and Victor Headmanchuk who are with us. Earlier this morning we announced that Ontario will be the first province to mandate Haldemore education. I want to thank them for their leadership. Encourage every MPP who are with us after votes to join us. The Haldemore Awareness Bus is at Queens Park which is very special. Please promote this wonderful education led by the Kennedy Queen Foundation. Thank you very much. Next we have a deferred vote on a motion for closure. On the motion for third reading of Bill 135 an act to amend the Connecting Care Act 2019 with respect to home and community care services and health governance and to make related amendments to other acts. Calling the members this is a five-minute bill.