 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Good morning, Speaker. And this question is for the Premier. I have asked this government multiple times to clear up their relationship with Atlas strategic advisors and the Premier's former principal secretary, Amin Masoudi. The same Amin Masoudi who was on the infamous boys trip to Vegas. Masoudi was paid through his private company, Atlas, nearly a quarter of a million dollars to do the same job as when he was the Premier's principal secretary. Yet this government has refused to answer questions on just exactly when that contract started, so I am going to try again. My question to the Premier is, can you finally clarify when the contract with Atlas strategic advisors started? To reply, the government host leader. I'll answer again, Mr. Speaker. The contract started after Mr. Masoudi was no longer employed by the Premier's office and after he reached out to the integrity commissioner to clear the work. Supplementary question? It's a simple question that merits a simple answer. Speaker, when did the contract start? People want to know, Speaker, because the Premier's office told media that the contract started on, and I quote, about July 1st, 2022. And that matters, because through an FOI, the official opposition NDP obtained documents that show Mr. Masoudi was going to meetings as the Premier's principal secretary as late as August 23rd, 2022. That's a two-month overlap between when Mr. Masoudi started billing the taxpayers through his company and while he himself was still on the government payroll speaker. So back to the Premier, was the Premier's close friend paid twice to perform the same work? The government house lady. The final supplementary. Speaker, it really shouldn't be so difficult. It's not just the dates that were sent out. OK, order. Member for Brampton North will come to order. The member for Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke will come to order. The member for Kitchener, Conestoga will come to order. We're just getting started. Restart the call. Leader of the opposition. The cranky today. Speaker, it's not just the dates that we're concerned about, because while Mr. Masoudi's company, Atlas Strategic Advisors, was billing the Premier's office for speech writing, that same company was lobbying the government on behalf of numerous private interests related to the green belt grab. In fact, the integrity commissioner has been looking into this. They've been, I quote, looking into Atlas Strategic Advisors for allegations of illegal lobbying since June. So, Speaker, back to the Premier, why was a close friend of the Premier awarded a contract to write speeches at the same time that they were actively lobbying this government? Member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order. Government House Leader can reply. But really the standing ovation really isn't for me, right? It's not for me. The Leader of the Opposition says that I'm cranky. But why would I be cranky when last Thursday there was a motion in front of this House, a motion of confidence in the government. And you know what happened, colleagues? 100% confidence in the government. Not one opposition stood in their place to vote against the government. Not one said that they did not have confidence in the government. It was an historic vote. But colleagues, that has happened once before in the history of the province. You know when that was? In the last Parliament. We're engaging in a conversation here. Government House Leader has the floor. Sure, Speaker, I'll go through you to them. Because had you been able to vote, I'm sure you also would have had the exact same confidence in the government that 100% of this legislation, Mr. Speaker, was an historic vote. I appreciate the confidence from the Leader of the Opposition. I appreciate the confidence from the third party. A historic vote and we'll continue on. Stop the clock. Start the clock. The next question. Leader of the Opposition. I have another question for the Premier. Today, Ontario Place for All is filing an injunction to stop the environmental vandalism at Ontario Place, including the destruction of 800 mature trees. The clear cutting at Ontario Place should have been part of an environmental assessment, but the government conveniently exempted it, saying it was a privately led development. Speaker, it is abundantly clear the Ontario government is running the show at Ontario Place. So an environmental assessment should have been done. So will the Premier order a full environmental assessment of the Ontario Place project? And to respond, the Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, we've conducted two environmental assessments, one on the site servicing work that is necessary in order to make sure that we can have tenants on the site. And Mr. Speaker, good news. We actually completed our category C environmental assessment on Friday. It will be made public. It is shared with the public, Mr. Speaker. But what's most important, we are bringing Ontario Place back to life. No one is deteriorating. The site is flooding. In fact, Live Nation had to cancel its concerts back in 2017. Because of the flooding issues, we will make sure that we improve the shoreline. We will make sure that there will be lots of family, lots of activities for families to do at Ontario Place. If it was up to the NDP, they would do nothing. They will let the site deteriorate and let the site continue to flood. We will not let that happen. A parliamentary question? Tell you what we wouldn't do, Speaker. We wouldn't sign a 95-year lease. The government's hands are all over the Ontario Place redevelopment. They're so hell-bent on this private luxury spa that they're ignoring municipal bylaws, claiming they don't apply to them. The government is threatening to use provincial powers to expropriate city-owned land, to ram their luxury spa project through. The government is trying to have it both ways. Will the Premier stop the environmental destruction at Ontario Place and order a full environmental assessment? Members, please take their seats. The Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, let me tell you what Ontario Place looks like right now. First of all, it is mostly paved. It's mostly paved. The marina is rusting. The island is flooding. Mr. Speaker, this is not a place where people bring their families anymore. That is just the reality of the situation. And, Mr. Speaker, we have a competitive... Opposition, come to order. ...process where Thurmay Wellness Facility participated and was successful, and now they will be an active tenant on the site that will contribute to the annual maintenance of the site to make sure that it does not fall into disrepair like it has done under their watch. John. They closed Ontario Place. John, you are watching. We are going to bring it back to life with wonderful activities to make sure that we bring the site to good standard so that families can enjoy it for years and years to come. Good morning, Chief. In fact, Speaker, 2.1 million Ontarians visited Ontario Place last year. It's flooding, so the government's solution is put in an underground parking garage. I mean, everything about this deal is fishy. This government has gone so far above and beyond for this luxury spa company. It smacks of preferential treatment. They're going out of their way to avoid scrutiny. They signed a 95-year lease with Thurmay but won't share the details with Ontarians. They're putting in at least a half billion dollars into this, and it seems like it was all a setup from the beginning. The deal reeks. So to the Premier, do we have to wait for another Auditor General report or the RCMP to get the details? Please take your seats. Minister of Infrastructure. Everyone here knows that the people that do go to Ontario Place are going there to enjoy the concerts provided by Live Nation. And Mr. Speaker, included in our redevelopment plans is a brand new stage that will be operational all year round so that the public can enjoy more concerts at Ontario Place. And Mr. Speaker, if my memory serves me correct, I mean, the City of Toronto just passed a motion asking for the Wellness Centre to be moved out of Exhibition Place. But do you know what one of their arguments was for that? Oh, because there's parking. Parking is a necessity when it comes to tourist attractions. Wonderland. Order. Every tourist attraction, the zoo has parking. We want to make it as accessible for people so that the mumma from Scarborough with three kids can make it down to Ontario Place to enjoy. Your response. Next question. The member for Spadina, Fort York. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Premier, Walter Kim, a prominent landscape architect who designed Trillium and Tommy Thompson Parks, has withdrawn his support from the Ontario Place redevelopment project. Mr. Kim is speaking out against the Premier's environmental vandalism at Ontario Place, including the clear cutting of 800 mature trees and the habitats that they support in order to make way for a government subsidized private luxury spa. The Auditor General has already announced an investigation of the Ontario Place scheme, and now Mr. Kim says the public needs to know the truth about the harm this project will cause. Will the Premier help his environmental vandalism at Ontario Place? To the construction. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about all of the environmental improvements that we are making at Ontario Place. For example, we will have 50 acres of free public realm and park space for the public to enjoy. We will have aquatic habitat, wetlands, and improved water quality at Ontario Place. And again, to reiterate, Mr. Speaker, we will have shoreline improvements and enhancements to protect the island for generations to come, so that our children, our grandchildren have a wonderful place to go all year round. A supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, to the Premier, the plan that you have, there was no environmental assessment, and your plan is actually to cut down to clear cut 800 mature trees and destroy the habitat for 125 bird species and other wildlife. And there was no environmental assessment because this, because this is just because the government announced, just before they announced the call for the Ontario Place redevelopment, it made regulatory changes that exempted this project from the environmental assessment act. And did the government make those changes so the public would not know the truth about the environmental vandalism the Premier was planning at Ontario Place? Members will take their seats. Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To add to my previous comments, we will be adding a 6 to 1 ratio on trees for larger trees and a 2 to 1 ratio for smaller trees. In fact, there will be far more vegetation on Ontario Place once fully redeveloped than today. But Mr. Speaker, let's ask what their plan in DP is. Do nothing. Don't build subways. Don't build highways. Don't build schools. Don't build long term care. And don't bring Ontario Place back to life. No wonder no one supports your party. See the chair. The next question, the member for Brantford. The House will come to order. Order. The member for Brantford branch has a question he wants to ask. The member for Brantford branch. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Energy. The Bank of Canada has confirmed what the Premier in our government have been saying for years. The carbon tax is raising the price of everything. After years of pushing energy costs higher, the Prime Minister has finally announced that the federal government is pausing the carbon tax, but only on home heating oil and only for three years. Speaker, this is a serious issue for many Ontarians as costs continue to soar. I've heard from many of my constituents over the weekend who heat with natural gas or propane who are concerned that the federal Liberals are leaving them out in the cold this winter. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how the carbon tax is negatively impacting the people of Ontario? Thank you. Minister of Energy. Once again, the member opposite is correct. The Bank of Canada has confirmed that Canadians are paying more for carbon tax, and they're worse off because of the carbon tax than they were prior to its arrival here in Canada and in Ontario. The federal government has admitted so because of what the member opposite mentioned. They've realized that it's costing Atlantic Canadians more, so they've carved out home heating fuel in Atlantic Canada, but they've left those who heat here in Ontario and the rest of Canada holding the bag with higher costs of living, Mr. Speaker. The Liberals are fully aware that the carbon tax is costing Canadians more. So why won't they do the right thing, Mr. Speaker? Why won't they do what the member opposite is suggesting? Make it cheaper for everybody across Canada to heat their homes this winter, Mr. Speaker. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the minister for that response. I appreciate that. It seems that there is now broad recognition that the carbon tax costs families much more than what they will ever get back. However, this recognition does little to help people who are struggling to pay high heating costs. In fact, the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that by 2030, the carbon tax will cost families over $2,000 per year, even with climate rebates. And that's why, Speaker, it was so surprising to hear a member of the Liberal Caucus rise in this House to repeat the claim that families are better off because of the carbon tax. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on the effects of the carbon tax on individuals and families across the province of Ontario? Thank you. Minister of Energy. Speaker, he was shocked. I was shocked, too. I couldn't believe it last Thursday when a member of the Ontario Liberal Party stood in her place, and I believe the exact quote was, families are better off now thanks to the carbon tax than they were before it was introduced, Mr. Speaker. If the federal Liberals are starting to realize that Canadians, in fact, aren't better off because of the carbon tax, it's amazing to me that members of the Ontario Liberal Caucus, and let's be honest, it shrunk significantly because of energy issues over the last five or six years, Mr. Speaker. But it's shocking to me that a member of the Ontario Liberal Party would stand in her place and say that families in Ontario are better off now than they were prior to the carbon tax, Mr. Speaker. It doesn't make any sense. I wonder, this party is down to a handful of members, Mr. Speaker. When are they finally going to come to the realization that it's their job to stand up for Ontario families like this party is doing? Member for London North Centre. Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. $15 billion in public funds have been committed to build the next-door battery plant in Windsor with a third of that committed by the province. On this side of the house, we welcome that investment and the good jobs that are supposed to come with it. The latest LG is potentially looking to have international workers build and staff the plant. A pretty big loophole if the province missed it. Speaker, the government is going to point fingers and state borders are federal, but what is this government doing right now to protect long-term Ontario jobs at next door? Minister of Labor, immigration, training and skills development. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, I first want to say, Speaker, I'm very excited about the world-class EV battery manufacturing that's taking place in Ontario. Thanks to the leadership of this Premier and this Minister of Economic Development. Minister of Economic Development and I have asked a very simple question. We've written to the federal government and asked them to disclose the number of foreign workers currently working on the site and how many will be arriving at the site via the labour market impact assessment. Then we just asked simply that the federal government disclose this assessment, make it public and just share with Ontarians how many foreign workers they expect to arrive. We know there's going to be thousands of good Ontario unionized jobs created on the site speaker and it's no thanks to the members opposite. We're creating those jobs thanks to investments this government's making and I look forward to explaining to the member from Windsor West next about more work this great government's doing to invest in jobs. Thank you to the member from Windsor West. Back to the Premier, the Minister should actually thank the workers in Windsor and the union that helped negotiate that deal over here. This Conservative government had two different opportunities to get this deal right and they still missed the mark. Windsor workers have been left behind because it didn't even occur to the Conservatives to tie the investment commitments to our local workforce. As many as 1600 workers from outside the country are reportedly on their way to work on the plant. Windsor is excited to be the home of the future battery plant. The people of Windsor have the skills and experience to do the work. Why did the Premier fail to ensure that Windsor workers would be at the forefront of these good paying union jobs and fail to have the proper protections in writing for the next armed battery plant deal? Please take your seats. Mr. Labour. Speaker, thank you very much. That member knows just as every member of this Legislature that there's going to be great unionized jobs created on that site and we're looking forward to it. I've got the letter from that member opposite where she meanders to talk about MZO's but there's one thing we do agree about. This 15 billion project is a huge significance to my community, our province and our country. What that member fails to recognize is the very MZO she talks about in this letter we issued one to get that record investment in her community. Secondly, this minister, this Premier have been working around the clock to land these deals, no thanks to them. They voted against every single measure in this place to support workers in her own community. Those workers know the only time they'll see that member is when she and her seatmate show up for the photo op. Speaker, they can decry everything they want not withstanding the decent photo op because that's what NDP stands for. They only show up for the photo op. The House will come to order. The next question, order. Member for Niagara Falls will come to order. Member for Brampton North will come to order. The next question, the member for Thornhill. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. We've seen a record number of investments come into our province since we took office because we have kept cost low for businesses. In the auto sector we have attracted generational investments that are building Ontario's end to end EV supply chain and creating tens of thousands of jobs in the process. But rather than supporting our low tax agenda, the NDP and Liberals in this House continue to support the federal government's carbon tax. They will never miss an opportunity to support tax increases as they are doing with the federal carbon tax. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how our government is positioning Ontario as a global powerhouse in EV production by keeping cost low? Member for Waterloo will come to order. Member for Brantford Grant will come to order. The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade can reply. Thank you very much Speaker. We have to think about where we were in 2018. Speaker, we had lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs. The Liberals supported by the NDP had left Ontario completely unprepared. In fact in 2019 Reuters announced there would be $300 billion spent on the EV supply chain and not one penny of it was scheduled to come to Canada. Not one penny of it. The government took office reduced the cost of doing business by $8 billion annually and as a direct result in our negotiations with all of the companies we landed $27 billion worth of auto and EV. Bloomberg has announced us as the number 2 global supply chain and that's because we kept taxes low. Supplementary question? Member? Thank you Speaker and thank you to the Minister for his dedicated work for this province. Under the previous Liberal government, years of high taxes and endless red tech led to countless businesses to pack up and leave that province. Thankfully from the first day we took office we've been focused on lowering costs for businesses which is why we've seen record investment and job creation in the province. Yet last week a Liberal member in this House spoke in support of a federal carbon tax a tax that's making everything more expensive for businesses. Speaker can the Minister please explain how the federal government's plan to continue hiking the carbon tax will affect Ontario's businesses? Minister of economic development creation and trade. Speaker you heard in my original answer we talked about how unprepared the Liberals had left this province we have changed all that for the past five out of the past six years Ontario is now the number one in the site selection in all of North America. This is where people want to be. The Liberals lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs. They wanted us out of manufacturing and into the service sector. They jeopardized our competitiveness they tripled the carbon tax. They are tripling the carbon tax by 2030. They're going to add 37 cents a liter. They're going to continue to jeopardize our competitiveness just like they did for the 15 years that they are on offer. Speaker we cannot go back to the days of the Liberal tax and spend. That's why we want them to axe the carbon tax. The next question the member for Toronto Centre. On several occasions the legal sector magazine Canadian lawyer has raised legitimate concerns about this government's pattern of politicizing the judicial appointment process. Internal government documents show that on November 19, 2021 the Attorney General was notified of an imminent judicial vacancy in Cornwall. This provided more than enough time for the Attorney General to work with the judicial appointment advisory committee non-partisan and respected advisory body and choose from the committee's highly qualified and vetted list of candidate recommendations. Speaker it's been two years since that notification and Cornwall is still one short one sitting judge. Is the Attorney General ignoring the committee's advice because his Conservative candidate choice was not applied and vetted recommendations. The Attorney General Mr. Speaker I appreciate the opportunity to talk about the judicial advisory committee and how they work. I'll tell you Mr. Speaker we've been working to make the system more transparent and more fair. Talking about choice when we came to government Mr. Speaker the committee would give two names to the Attorney General for choice and they could get 100 applications they could do 50 interviews and come forward. Those are the only two names that you would see. And in one occasion I got John Smith and John Smith in one location and John Smith and John Smith in the other effectively giving me a choice would you like vegetables it's peas that's it Mr. Speaker there was no choice so we changed in 2021 to allow for six names per appointment Mr. Speaker because the Attorney General is charged with making that appointment now Mr. Speaker we've also made other changes to improve the process we've been very open about our criteria now Mr. Speaker rather than the conspiracy theories that are bound in the NDP I would like to know which one of the 83 judges I have appointed that she doesn't like Thank you Mr. Speaker this government's years of political meddling with tribunal and judicial appointments are very well documented now the Attorney General himself admitted in a TVO interview that he should have the right and ability to appoint judges to reflect the same values as he political interference has produced dire consequences for Ontario's justice system under this conservative government there have been record high tribunal wait lists massive court staffing shortages courtrooms literally falling apart charges against violent offenders being tossed for unconditional court delays and much more considering their insistent political meddling with tribunal and judicial appointments the current criminal investigation of this government the court of corruption how can anyone from the legal community or the general public ever trust this government again Minister of Education will come to order the Attorney General can reply thank the opposite member for reading her rambling question because it covers a lot of ground but what I can tell you Mr. Speaker is that we work closely with the Ontario Bar Association with the Law Society with the Federation of Ontario Law Associations and the Judicial Advisory Appointments Committee Mr. Speaker is that it's an advisory committee Mr. Speaker and of all of the the Chief Justice the regional senior judges the JPs the regional senior JPs the Associate Chief Justice Mr. Speaker and the 83 judges that this government has appointed Mr. Speaker I challenge the NDP to tell me one that is inappropriate Mr. Speaker the member for Guelph Good morning Mr. Speaker I am here to support the premier instead of building homes your government has wasted time and money on the 8.3 billion dollar green belt scandal and enforced boundary expansions which you are now reversing housing starts are not on track and the RCMP is closing in tomorrow will be exactly since I tabled bills to legalize home building in existing communities without paving over farmland and lining the pockets of speculators saying no to expensive sprawl and saying yes in my backyard so speaker will the premier say yes to my bills to legalize building forplexes walk up apartments in mid-rise housing so people can find a home they can afford in the communities they know and love Mr. Speaker I do appreciate that but I think the member is incorrect really the policies that have been issued in by this government the significant housing supply action plans brought in by the former minister have actually helped us increase housing starts across the province to their highest level in over 10 years in fact purpose built rentals because of those policies are at their highest level 15 years because of the policies that the minister of finance fought for to ensure that we took off the HST on purpose built rentals the federal government finally after a year came on board and has matched that speaker so what we're doing is working with our municipal partners to get more shovels in the ground as quickly as we possibly can removing the obstacles that the liberals put in the way speaker and we're going to continue to do that our policies are working and they're working because we know how important it is to remove obstacles to cut red tape to reduce taxes so that people can get out of their parents basement and into a brand new home for themselves thank you supplementary question with all due respect to the minister speaker the government is not on track to meet their housing goals that's what the facts say they've spent their time focused on helping well connected speculators cash in instead of focusing in on building homes that ordinary people can afford in the communities they want to live in they focused in on expensive sprawl which increases property taxes and makes commuting more expensive unfocused on building homes that ordinary people can afford in the communities they want to live in so the government has an opportunity happy happy to help them here we have an opportunity to say yes to legalizing forplexes four-story walk-up apartments and nice developments so ordinary people can afford homes will they say yes to that to reply the premier well mr. Speaker I find it very ironic from a member from the green party saying all this when he votes against every single piece of legislation we have the speed up development to make sure that municipalities have all the tools they need to get things built but I want to remind you mr. Speaker once again in his own writing his own writing they voted against student housing on golf universities property themselves I never heard a word from them never heard a word from them but maybe if mr. Green comes on board and starts voting for building homes and cutting out of tape and making things happen you're welcome to come to this side of the aisle anytime referring to each other by their writing name or ministry of title as applicable the next question the member for Carlton Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of energy I hear that my constituents I hear from my constituents that they want to be treated equally and fairly when it comes to the carbon tax they see how the federal government has moved quickly to provide a pause on the carbon tax for Atlantic Canadians and they are asking that Ontario be provided with the same opportunity Speaker I agree with my constituents all forms of home heating in Ontario should be exempt as winter approaches home heating costs are top of mind for many families unfortunately the independent Liberals and opposition NDP do not appreciate the hardship many Ontarians face because of the carbon tax Speaker through you can the minister please explain how the carbon tax negatively impacts Ontarians who need financial Thank you and to reply the minister of energy I hear this seems like something that everyone in this house should be able to agree on especially with winter on our doorstep Mr. Speaker everybody should be able to agree that the carbon tax needs to take a pause for a while but if they can't agree on that Mr. Speaker I think everybody should be able to agree that affordability is an issue right now and it's not because of anything that this government has done because we brought forward so many different levers to make life more affordable for the people of Ontario including removing HST off of home heating bills that was a motion that was brought forward last week and I was really happy that our government house leader brought forward that motion to ask that the harmonized sales tax be removed from home heating for all Ontarians Mr. Speaker it's something that everybody should be able to get by especially at this time of year Mr. Speaker so I commend our government for standing up for the people of Ontario why won't the opposition Liberals do the same and the supplementary question back to member for Carlton Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for that response Along with the minister I fully support the government house leader in calling on the federal government to pause the collection of HST from home heating bills even if they won't scrap the disastrous carbon tax Ontario households should never have to choose between heating and eating just because of the federal Liberals carbon tax it is shameful that the majority of Liberal members have once again demonstrated that they just don't care about affordability by voting against our government's carbon tax motions even after they themselves had suggested this very same measure Speaker through you can the minister please elaborate on how the federally imposed carbon tax negatively impacts the people of Ontario Thank you Minister of Energy Once again the Ontario Liberals are just proving that they're not serious about making life more affordable for the people of Ontario and we saw that in real time for 15 years when they were the government of Ontario Mr. Speaker they kept making it more expensive to live in Ontario they called the phrase heat or eat an energy poverty and it's part of the reason why the Ontario Liberal caucus has been reduced to the minibus party Mr. Speaker and they continue to make the same stupid decisions that they made back in those days Mr. Speaker they're driving up the price of people across Ontario and they have members that are standing up and saying that the carbon tax is making life easier for the people of Ontario than before the carbon tax Mr. Speaker it's ludicrous these Liberals are all about playing politics Mr. Speaker while our government is doing everything that we can Mr. Speaker to make sure that life is more affordable for the people of Ontario and that includes our government house leaders motion to remove the harmonized sales tax from home heating fuel for all Ontarians Mr. Speaker Next question the members for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas Speaker yesterday the premier said the people of Ontario don't give hoots about his government's attempt to carve up the green belt, but I disagree and so do hundreds of people who signed petitions and joined rallies to oppose this government's decisions. I imagine also on Terrorist Auditor General, the integrity commissioner and the RCMP would disagree. So, Speaker, my question is for the Premier. How can the Premier say, people don't care about his government's shady green belt deal when it was public pressure that forced him to reverse the policy in the first place? Again, I'm going to caution the member on her choice of words. Government House Leader and Minister Ms. Polferesen housing. Speaker, what the Premier was saying yesterday was how important it is for the legislative of Assembly of Ontario and for the government of Ontario to focus on the priorities of the people of Ontario. Now, those priorities include affordability, those priorities include building homes, the people of the province of Ontario are worried about the increasing interest rates. Now today is a day where the federal government is at four o'clock a fiscal update, which will include presumably measures which will either hurt or harm the economy of the country. And have the NDP ask even one question on the economy. We're now, what, 40 minutes into question period and the NDP have yet to ask a question on the economy because they don't care about the people of the province of Ontario. What they care about is ensuring that people are dependent on government. It is an overriding theme for them. Well, we want to give people the tools to succeed. They want people to be dependent on government, Mr. Speaker. We're going to do what we think is right, cut taxes so that we're going to do that. Thank you. Supplementary question. Speaker, try as they might. The government can't keep hiding from the public. They're blocking the public from being hurt on this important bill. They've only allowed for one hour of committee hearings to discuss the green belt reversals and the minister plans to use it up all by himself. It sure looks like the government is intentionally blocking the public from participating at committee. So, are you doing this to avoid being held accountable by the public for preferential treatment of the green belt special speculator friends? Mr. Mr. Farrison-Helden. Great. When the bill was in front of the House, you know what happened? Again, when the dining room closed downstairs, the vote collapsed and the NDP went home. They left hours of debate on the table for the bill. They're upset that the public doesn't have an opportunity, according to them, the public doesn't have an opportunity to speak, but the public elected them to come here and speak on their behalf. And if they're so upset about it, you think they could carry debate for more than an hour, Mr. Speaker? No, they couldn't, Mr. Speaker. That's why it collapsed. And that's why we're going to go to committee. We will spend the time at committee. It is listed on the environmental registry right now. People have the opportunity to comment, Mr. Speaker. If they are against the changes that we are making, Speaker, they will have that opportunity to say so in committee. But we will continue on to provide the maximum protection of the green belt, despite the fact that they never did it, this party will stand up for the green belt. We will stand up for the environment and we'll stop the clock. Thank you. Start the clock. I'm going to ask the member for Kingston and the Islands. Mr. Speaker, in January, this government forced the Joaquin Clinic and Mallory Town to close after they changed how virtual clinics bill O'Hip. It was the only one of its kind in Leeds-Grandville. Over a thousand rural residents were left without another option. In April, a funding application was submitted for a nurse practitioner-led clinic, another option for rural residents. An announcement was supposed to be made in September and then October and then the fall economic statement, crickets. The mayor just called it a very deathly silence. In the meantime, you've still got rural Ontarians without access to primary care. More people and more complex problems crowd the Brockville emergency room. How many times is this kind of thing being repeated in rural and Northern Ontario? Mr. Speaker, innovative ideas for primary care are ready to roll across the province. Why can't this government make up its mind to get rural Ontarians access to primary care? Thank you to apply to Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. I am absolutely thrilled that the member opposite is finally talking about an expansion of primary care in the province of Ontario. An initiative that our government brought forward and he voted against. So to suggest that we are in any way delaying this expansion is a complete fallacy. We are assessing all of those expressions of interest. And I will say, Speaker, there are some wonderful examples of innovation that we will be able to expand primary care, the first primary care expansion of multidisciplinary teams in the province's history. Very happy to do it. I'm finally pleased that the member opposite is on board and supporting it. I'm going to ask the minister to withdraw the unparliamentary comment. What? What do I have to do? Withdraw. Withdraw. Supplementary question. Speaker, they're still waiting. Now, before I ask my question, the minister's probably going to make up some attack on the liberal record in her answer to this supplemental question. So let me just say here that the first nurse practitioner led clinic in Canada was in 2007. The first term of a liberal government, team-based primary care, began in 2005 in the first term of a liberal government. Mr. Speaker, the government's MPP for Leeds, Granville, Thousand Islands, and Rideau Lakes hasn't been standing up and asking about this critically important rural health care issue in this legislature. So to the minister, why does the liberal MPP next door have to fight for health care in rural communities? Minister of Health. I don't know. Maybe your leadership candidate isn't going so well. I don't know. What I know is primary care expansion in the province of Ontario is expanding. We are assessing those expression of interest. We have literally received hundreds of applications. We're seeing innovation. We're seeing partnership. We're seeing community care health care centers coming forward and showing that they can help and be part of the solution. We'll continue to do that work. We want to make sure that primary care expansion is absolutely at the core of how we are improving health care services in the province of Ontario. But I have to say, Ontario still is leading Canada in the number of people who have connections with the primary care clinician. We're at 90% in Ontario. These are not my numbers. These come from Chi-I, but we're going to do better with this most recent announcement of primary care expansion. The next question, the member for Whitby. But thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. What's clear, Speaker, is that the carbon tax is not working to reduce emissions. However, the carbon tax is working to drive up inflation and make the products we need every day even more expensive. Businesses across Ontario are forced to pay this tax instead of making investments to expand their workforce by hiring more workers. It's not right, Speaker, that this federally imposed, regressive tax is making it difficult for businesses to innovate and grow. There are other ways to reduce emissions without this useless tax. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how our government is supporting businesses to strengthen economic growth and curb emissions? Great question. To respond, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And you know the member from Whitby, the great member, is absolutely right. There is a better way. I talked about it last week, and it's around carbon capture, utilization, and storage. One of the great things we're doing here in Ontario to make this province a global leader in reducing emissions. Speaker, we can do this by creating jobs and creating opportunity. And Enbridge appeared at committee last spring. And they said the path in net zero in Ontario is achievable by 2050. And the most cost-effective, reliable, and resilient approach is one where CCS is expected to play a key role. Critical for industry, communities, and governments to continue working together to create the right frameworks to support CCS opportunities in Ontario. Opportunities like creating low carbon hydrogen. Speaker, the way isn't to drill into the wallets of Ontario families. The way is to make sure that we're creating jobs for Ontarians every day while meeting our obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That's what we're doing through my ministry. That's what this government is doing every single day. Every day. Supplementary question. Back to the minister. As he explained, the investments that our government is making will support job creation and reduce emissions. It's clear that carbon capture technology is just one way that our government has supported job creators and our shared goal of reducing emissions. Investments in job creation and innovation are key speaker to building a better Ontario. Many sectors have great potential to integrate new technology that will significantly reduce emissions. That's why it's so concerning that the independent liberals and the opposition, NDP, insist on supporting this job killing and regressive tax. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on the importance of enabling the technology that's essential for reducing emissions in Ontario? Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Thank you again, Speaker, and thank you to the member for the question. You know, I think it's incredibly exciting what we're doing across many government ministries here in Ontario. And we've heard from the minister of energy about the steps that they're taking to make sure that we continue to produce clean energy in Ontario, expanding the nuclear fleet. Last week, I talked about the great work that the minister reminds. Well, I love looking at the minister of minds. He's excited to go to work every day and make sure that we build that road to the ring of fire. Make sure we extract those metals. Make sure that we build the ED battery capital here in Ontario, the minister of economic development, job creation and trade on the case every day. Mr. Speaker, we know in Ontario that it's not about taking money from Ontarians. It's saying, oh, trust us, we'll give it back to you later. It's about creating jobs. It's about meeting our obligations. We are focused on that. We are doing it every single day. We'll continue to do it every day. I'm hoping at 4 p.m. today, the federal government realizes that and takes the opportunity to get rid of that carbon tax. Stop the call, please take your seat. Order. Order. Start the clock. The next question, the member for Oshawa. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and my questions to the Premier. Last week, Infrastructure Ontario announced that Collier's project leaders would continue to provide project management services for the province's real estate assets. In 2017, the Auditor General criticized Infrastructure Ontario's previous procurement of project management services. She said the procurement had been structured in a way that favored large companies like Collier's. They were the, there were only three bids for two massive contracts. The new Collier's mega contract appears to be even bigger. What is the value of the new Collier's mega contract and how many eligible bids did Infrastructure Ontario receive? Good lie, the Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'm happy to speak about some of the efforts that we're doing to improve real estate management in the province, such as the bill that will be before the House this afternoon in terms of centralizing real estate assets and having better oversight and a sight line into the use of our real estate so that we can address some of the most pressing challenges in society that we're facing today, like housing, affordable housing, and long-term care. Very happy to speak about that further. Thank you, Speaker. The Auditor General's 2017 report also pointed out that Infrastructure Ontario and its embedded private contractors do a terrible job at managing the province's real estate assets. The permanent presence of embedded private contractors within Infrastructure Ontario means public dollars keep going towards private profits instead of keeping Ontario's public buildings in a state of good repair. Why is the Premier wasting money by maintaining a permanent presence of embedded private contractors within Infrastructure Ontario instead of bringing this core function back in-house to be delivered by civil servants who are accountable to the public and not to private shareholders? Mr. Ventures-Shukty. Mr. Speaker, well, in regards to the legislation that I will be speaking to today, we are in fact listening to the recommendations made by the AG back in 2017 where they said that government needs to be more innovative, be more efficient in terms of managing real estate assets. We're doing that, Mr. Speaker, through the legislation, through centralization, through a holistic approach to make sure that we manage our properties better. But, Mr. Speaker, there are also other things that we are doing to make sure that we make greater use of public lands through our surplus properties, whether it be for economic development, long-term care, and housing opportunities across the province. So, Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action and we are doing more with our real estate assets. Thank you. The next question, the member for Peterborough, Coortha. Hey. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, I was at three Santa Claus parades this weekend and a resounding theme came up in some people who were talking to me. And it was about affordability and the challenges that they're having in the rural part of Ontario. So, Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. As winter approaches, our government continues to take action on measures to make life more affordable for home heating. Yes. Mr. Speaker, our government continues to advocate on behalf of Ontarians to the federal government to walk back the disastrous carbon tax. It's played a key role in driving up inflation. We're looking to the other parties in this legislature for their support by asking the federal government to scrap the carbon tax or at least cut the federal HST from home heating. Speaker, can the Minister of Energy please share his views on the urgency of financial relief for Ontarians when it comes to the carbon tax? To apply the Minister of Energy. To the member from Peterborough, Coortha for the question this morning, it's an important one and he's right. This is what people are talking about on the streets in our communities is the affordability crisis that's going on right now where people are having to choose between heating and eating in some cases, Mr. Speaker. While we have put lots of different affordability measures in the window, Mr. Speaker, it's unfortunate that the opposition liberals here in Ontario continue to support their federal cousins in imposing a carbon tax, which according to the Bank of Canada and according to the parliamentary budget officers driving up the cost of everything, Mr. Speaker. I'm not gonna say exactly which member it was earlier when I was answering a question about the carbon tax indicated that we care more about bicycles in Ontario and riding bicycles than we do about driving, Mr. Speaker. There are a lot of people outside of this city that drive vehicles, Mr. Speaker, and it's costing them more and more to drive vehicles. If this Ontario Liberal Party isn't careful, they're not gonna be the minibus party or the minivan party. They're gonna be the bicycle built for two, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. That's an excellent point. When the grocery store absolutely burns, it's a 55 kilometer drive to get to the nearest grocery store, so I'm not sure how you do that on a bicycle. Mr. Speaker, I wanna thank the minister for his great answer, though, and it's clear from the minister's response that support from the NDP is tentative at best and really kind of fails to offer actual help for Ontarians. Well, if here's the NDP are at least interested in supporting the installation of heat bumps to help reduce the cost of home heating and emissions, they kind of missed the mark on supporting the cost-saving energy programs that our government has implemented. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how our government is supporting the people of Ontario with cost-saving energy initiatives? Minister of Energy. Well, thank you to the member opposite for the question. This time I will address the meat of the question that he's asking, Mr. Speaker. We have several programs that we put forward, including the Ontario Electricity Rebate, the comprehensive electricity plan, cutting the price of gasoline by 10 cents a litre, Mr. Speaker. We have the Clean Home Heating Initiative, which is also making heat pumps available in communities across the province, Mr. Speaker. These are hybrid heat pumps that will allow people to reduce their use of natural gas and still at the same time heat their home using electricity. We're putting all of these measures on the table, Mr. Speaker. The NDP's plan to give heat pumps to everybody is uncosted. They said it would cost less than a billion dollars, Mr. Speaker. It's that kind of half-baked policy that is gonna result in massive, massive over-expenditures. If we were to give everybody that's on natural gas or home heating or propane in the province of free heat pumps, Mr. Speaker, our back of the napkin math would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 billion. You can't afford the NDP, and the Liberals won't stand up to the people of Ontario. The next question, the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much, Speaker. And my question is to the Premier. Over the last couple of weeks, the NDP, the official opposition, have put forward two motions that would make life more affordable for Ontarians. Both of these motions have been shut down by this government. Last week, we tabled a motion simply calling for a clear timeline and clear firm funding commitment for the expanded two-way all-day GO train service between Kitchener and Toronto. The business case for this is very sound, but the government chose to vote against that motion, Mr. Speaker, even though in 2018 and in 2022, this Premier promised the people of Kitchener, Waterloo, that he would get it done. This Premier also has a candidate in Kitchener in the by-election right now, and when they announced him, they promised to deliver two-way all-day GO service, I wonder how this candidate feels now that the government has voted down a firm funding commitment and a firm pledge for two-way all-day GO. So my question is very simple to the Premier of Ontario. Why does he keep leaving the people of Kitchener, Waterloo behind stranded at the station? Please take your seats, Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, there has been no government in the history of this province that has done more for public transit than this government under a leadership previous war. Mr. Speaker, on the Kitchener line, we have increased service by over 27% since 2020, and guess what, Mr. Speaker, that member from Waterloo has voted against every single one of those service increases. This government has been committed to making sure the tunnels are built to ensure that we can have all-way two-way GO across the Kitchener line, but then again, when we put those investments forward in this House, in the budget, that member stands up every single time and votes no. Votes no for expansion of GO rail transit across this province, specifically on the Kitchener line, and says no to the people of Waterloo for better public transit. The supplementary question. Thank you so much. To the member from Brampton South, I would like to remind him that there has never been a government in the history of this province with a criminal investigation from the RCMP. So, Speaker, just yesterday we saw that this government again, vote no to a measure that would benefit the lives of Ontarians. I don't know, I can't hear myself. The NDP motion to make heat pumps subsidized, actually in cooperation with the federal government, to help Ontarians with energy saving retrofits was the only solution so far put forward in this House to tackle affordability and climate change. This would create good local jobs, it would address the underground economy, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's a good idea, but this government is not going to go down that road, Speaker. Our proposal actually would make so much more efficient and lower people's energy bills. To the Premier, why does this government continue to vote against the interests of the people that we are elected to serve in Ontario? Parliamentary Assistant and member for Kitchener Conestoga. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I find it rich coming from someone who has actually had an integrity commissioner investigation once against her and was found guilty of what she was accused from. But let's talk a little bit about what we've done for Kitchener. We're building a new hospital in Kitchener, Mr. Speaker. We're building Highway 7, Mr. Speaker, between Kitchener and Guelph. We are seeing incredible investments when it comes to GO-TRAIN service in the region. In fact, we've increased service almost 100% since 2018 when we took office. So I'm extremely proud to be part of a government that is putting Waterloo Region first, not like this member who sits across, votes no. We're going to get it done for the people of Kitchener. Yeah! Stop the call. For Kitchener Conestoga, we'll come door. The government house leader will come door. The Minister of Education will come door. No, that was me. Start the clock. The next question, the member for Burlington. My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. The carbon tax means rising prices for everything. It's costing every sector in Ontario more on every single thing they grow, produce, manufacture, and transport. We've heard from the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Minister of Transportation and others about the negative impact of the carbon tax on our economy and environment. Speaker, our government is finding solutions to reduce emissions while supporting job creators. That's why it's so disappointing that the independent liberals and opposition NDP continue to support the federal carbon tax. That's true. Shame. Speaker, can the Minister please elaborate on how innovative approaches to reduce emissions will support Ontario's economy and environment? Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Thank you very much, Speaker, and thank you to the member for the question. I've had the chance to speak about some of those innovations today. It strikes me, Speaker, that the carbon tax is a little bit like a bad movie written by the liberals and our friends over here in the opposition called Groundhog Day 2. Only in this movie, Bill Murray wakes up every day with a full wallet, and by the end of the day, all the money is gone because he had to pay carbon tax on buying gas, on buying groceries, and on paying his heating bill. Well, Speaker, I can tell you that this caucus is prepared to do a rewrite on that script and turn this into a movie with a happy ending. We're working at it every single day for the people of Ontario. It's easy to write a good movie, Speaker. The liberals need to give us a hand to do it. Thank you very much. That concludes our question period for this morning.