Hansard Transcript 2025-Dec-03 | Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Bill 45, An Act to make statutory amendments respecting the transfer of jurisdiction within The Regional Municipality of Peel and the appointment of Deputy Provincial Land and Development Facilitators / Projet de loi 45, Loi apportant des modifications législatives en ce qui concerne le transfert de compétences dans la municipalité régionale de Peel et la nomination de facilitateurs provinciaux de l’aménagement adjoints.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Further debate?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: We must begin by recognizing the essential hard work that underpinned this legislation. It required a comprehensive and highly technical approach, and I want to acknowledge the dedication of the Peel Transition Board, whose expert recommendations were integral in shaping Bill 45. Their work, alongside the efforts of municipal representatives, countless stakeholders and subject-matter experts, involved a significant investment of time and diligence.

The results of that hard work—recommendations centred on efficiency and local empowerment—are clearly and substantially reflected in the bill now before us. Bill 45 is a testament to our government’s unwavering commitment to making our municipal structures work better for the people they serve. It is a commitment to local control, local accountability and, ultimately, local success in delivering housing and infrastructure.

Madam Speaker, before I begin, it is important to recognize the work that our government is already taking to support residents in Peel and invest in local infrastructure. In recent years, the province has made significant investments in infrastructure and municipal services in Mississauga, including:

—$19.9 million to widen Ninth Line road between Eglinton and Derry;

—$45 million for the South Common Community Centre;

—$21.9 million for a new elementary school near Tenth Line and Thomas Street;

—$23 million to support 4,200 people in Mississauga to find good-paying jobs in the skilled trades;

—more than $14 billion for the new 23-storey Mississauga hospital;

—developing 2,424 long-term-care beds in Mississauga; and

—investing in and prioritizing transportation projects, including the Hazel McCallion LRT, the Highway 413 and two-way, all-day GO train service for the Milton line.

This is what we have invested in Mississauga, and we are continuing to strengthen Mississauga and building infrastructure. We are investing in what matters, and we are giving municipalities the tools they need to grow and support residents.

The philosophy guiding the Peel region transition is simple and profound: Services should be delivered by the level of government closest to the people they impact. Peel region is home to over 1.5 million people, a population larger than many provinces. This immense population demands hyper-efficient service delivery and rapid infrastructure development. These communities are distinct, dynamic and have unique service needs: Mississauga is a fully mature urban centre, Brampton is a growing city and Caledon is a beautiful, thriving blend of rural and developing communities.

To govern such a diverse, large-scale region under a one-size-fits-all model is inherently inefficient and dilutes local autonomy. This legislation hands the reins back to the mayors and councils of the lower-tier municipalities, those who know their streets, their needs and their residents best. It aligns responsibilities with urgent authorities required for immediate action on growth.

The transition process enshrined in Bill 45 is not about dismantling; it is about re-engineering for optimal performance. It is about removing bureaucratic layers that impede progress and slow down the vital decisions necessary for housing and infrastructure planning. The time for indecision and institutional ambiguity is over. The time for decisive, accountable and locally driven action is now.

Let’s now turn to the two cornerstone areas of service transfer that will reshape the landscape of Peel region.

Waste collection services: To dive into the complexities that were so thoroughly considered during the formation of this bill, let’s first focus on the responsibility for waste collection services, a foundational service that touches every single household every single week and which must be managed efficiently to support massive residential expansion. Bill 45, if enacted, fully supports and enables the transfer of the responsibility for waste collection from the upper-tier municipality—the regional municipality of Peel—to its three lower-tier municipalities: the city of Mississauga, the city of Brampton and the town of Caledon.

I must emphasize clearly that this bill serves to underpin and support an agreement that the four municipalities of Peel have already successfully reached locally. This is a consensus-driven change, developed by local leaders for local benefit, and we, as a provincial government, are providing the essential legislative framework to make it a reality. Specifically, the provisions outlined in our bill would grant the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the necessary authority to enact a regulation that would formally align with the locally developed agreements negotiated between Peel, Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon for this transfer. This regulation would also formalize their mutually agreed-upon effective date.

We recognize that the four municipalities initially came to a locally agreed-upon solution on March 20, 2025, with an initial consensus date of January 2026. That initial decision was formally supported through by-laws passed in each of the three lower-tier municipalities and was approved by resolution at Peel regional council.

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The process that led to this local agreement was driven by a transition committee which worked diligently on the transfer process. They thoroughly examined the many complex elements involved. This scope of work included defining future operation and service delivery models, meticulous financial planning and addressing cost-sharing considerations. This is an act of responsible operational planning, ensuring a smooth transition for the public during the period of intense municipal growth.

One significant operational development arising from this work was the establishment of a formal partnership between Brampton and Caledon for the joint delivery of waste collection services, a perfect example of local innovation and collaborative efficiency enabled by this process.

Another key element of Bill 45 I wish to emphasize is the stipulation that the waste collection services transfer cannot be revoked for 10 years. Once the services have been transferred to the lower-tier municipalities, they are prohibited from being uploaded back to Peel region for a decade. The fundamental purpose of this restriction is to provide the certainty and sufficient time required for the service transfer to successfully take hold. This operational stability is critical for long-term municipal capital planning, which is currently dominated by growth demands.

Moreover, the proposed 10-year prohibition serves to ensure continuity across successive municipal elections. Waste management is too vital to be subject to political Ping-Pong. This provision ensures the new service delivery model has the time needed to succeed and fully support the goals of the transfer, particularly as lower-tier municipalities negotiate new long-term waste collection contracts with third parties, which typically last for eight to 10 years.

Understanding the current situation is vital to appreciate the scale of this undertaking. The region of Peel presently operates the second-largest waste management program in the entire province of Ontario. Peel provides collection services to approximately 347,000 curbside households and 107,000 units within 834 multi-residential buildings. Annually, the region handles some 555,000 metric tonnes of waste generated by the 1.5 million residents of Peel. As the population expands, the service must scale rapidly, and local control provides the flexibility to achieve this.

A significant detail is that 70% of Peel’s waste services are currently delivered by third-party contractors. This demonstrates the scale and inherent complexity of this service transfer, which requires meticulous planning. And crucially, we would ensure that these vital waste collection services remain under public ownership.

Now let’s turn to the second major pillar of service proposed for transfer from Peel region to the lower-tier municipalities: the transfer of jurisdiction over regional roads, including all related stormwater infrastructure. This is the critical step needed to unlock and accelerate infrastructure approvals for new housing development.

If the proposed Peel Transition Implementation Act is passed, the legislation, as currently written, stipulates that the effective date of the regional roads’ transfer would be July 1, 2026. I would highlight that unlike the waste collection transfer, which was locally negotiated, the transfer of regional roads and associated stormwater infrastructure will be facilitated by the non-partisan, expert Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator.

Speaker, to understand the context of this transfer, we must look at where we are and how the proposal aligns with recent transformative government action. Our government has already moved to transfer land use planning responsibilities from upper-tier to lower-tier municipalities across Ontario. This crucial transfer of planning powers began in Peel on July 1, 2024. It is only logical and efficient that since the planning of regional roads and related stormwater infrastructure is now the sole responsibility of the lower-tier municipalities in Peel, the construction and maintenance of these same regional roads and related stormwater infrastructure should also be transferred to them. You cannot be responsible for the house without controlling the driveway.

This streamlined and clarified chain of responsibilities is essential in Peel to make better, faster decisions around how their housing supply is planned, reducing red tape and accelerating the building of homes. It grants local communities more direct, end-to-end influence over infrastructure, from the planning stage right through to final asphalt. This is how we tackle the housing crisis head on.

For the benefit of this assembly, I will define what we mean by “regional roads.” These are roads that are characterized by a high volume of uninterrupted traffic and a higher speed limit than local roads. They are the arteries of the economy and the foundation upon which our future homes must be built.

Peel region maintains an extensive 1,682-kilometre network of regional roads. This includes local roads in Erin Mills such as Erin Mills Parkway and Britannia Road. This network is not just pavement; it is critical infrastructure that underpins the provincial economy. These roads carry $1.8-billion worth of goods every single day. Furthermore, 36% of truck trips in Ontario either start or end on Peel region’s roads. Goods moving on Peel region roads represent an impressive 21% of Ontario’s gross domestic product.

To put it plainly, the ability to maintain, improve and strategically expand this network cannot be held up by jurisdictional ambiguity. Local control means faster permitting, better coordination with developer timelines and, ultimately, an accelerated base of construction to match our explosive population growth.

These vital services are offered to municipalities to help efficiently resolve issues concerning growth management, land use and infrastructure planning, and municipal boundaries. All considerations, including provincial land use policy and financial interests, are integral to the issue resolution process.

In the case of the regional roads transfer, the PLDF will serve as a guiding hand, ensuring a fair, equitable and technically sound division of assets, liabilities and resources between municipalities. Their crucial function removes the friction, allowing local leaders to focus on their mandate: accommodating and supporting growth. This is needed for local growth.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Questions?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: When this government meddles in rezoning, land use, municipal planning, everyone has the right to be concerned because we have seen what this government has done when they put their thumb on the scale.

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It’s not clear who asked for this. It’s not clear what problem this is trying to resolve. But what is clear is this is going to cost taxpayers billions.

We know that the dissolution—Ford had a plan to dissolve the region of Peel. That was going to cost $1.3 billion. He seems to have backed off from that. I know in Hamilton that forced amalgamation under Conservative Premier Mike Harris cost taxpayers. It cost them six times what the projected cost was going to be, and it has cost them in continued lack of services for areas such as Ancaster and Dundas.

My question is, why is the cost to taxpayers remaining a secret in this bill? How much is this going to cost taxpayers?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: The bill is transferring authority and transferring responsibility—accountability—to lower-tier municipalities. I don’t see where the change of cost would be if this is just transferring the decision-making point from upper-tier to lower-tier municipalities with the same population, same geographical borders, same services. It just changes the authorities to accelerate their ability to take decisions to meet growth needs.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Question?

Ms. Laura Smith: I want to thank the member from Mississauga–Erin Mills for his statements. He talked a bit about how this was important for the community, how jobs were going to be something available as a result of this. I was interested in talking about how these changes, how these modernizations will actually create a plan for growth. I was wondering if the member could speak on how this legislation will help these communities and also manage growth, support economic development and strengthen their long-term fiscal health.

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Thank you very much, colleague, for the question. I would just like to give an example of this, how this conflict between the authorities of the regional and local municipalities could affect the growth in the area.

In my riding of Mississauga–Erin Mills, we had a developer who tried to build a building. This building, according to the code approved by the regional authorities, allowed, I think, above 40 floors on high-density roads like Dundas, but the local municipality said it’s a maximum of 26 floors. That stalled the project for about four years now, because there is a conflict in the—

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Response?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: So dividing the authorities will allow the local municipality to have control and accelerate those processes.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Question?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: The member will know that this is actually the fourth time that this matter has come before the Legislature. We saw legislation that was passed by this government two and a half years ago, rushed through the legislative process, no opportunity for public input, no committee hearings. Six months later, that bill to dissolve Peel region was repealed, perhaps because the government didn’t get the input in the first place.

Another bill was tabled just before this election, and now we have Bill 45 before us. My question is, has the government learned a lesson about the consequences of rushing legislation through the process without getting public input in advance of the decision?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: I think, as I stated in my speech earlier, this has already been in agreement between the two levels of government. They already have agreed on bylaws. We are just trying to enact it to make it the standard of this legislation. But this has been running and agreed upon between the two authorities. So if they already came in negotiation and through the transformation committee they managed to get to an agreement accepted by all the stakeholders, I don’t see why we should not be able to make that official and give everybody authority—and accountability as well—to these changes.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Question? I recognize the member from Don Valley North.

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: Well, thank you, Speaker—

Interjections.

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: I appreciate the enthusiasm of my colleagues for me standing up. I really appreciate it; it’s a nice wake-up in the morning.

Speaker, Brampton and Caledon mayors have both warned that Bill 45 could drive up property taxes, so I’m wondering, has the government committed to backstopping municipalities that can’t absorb these new costs?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Again, we talked about that bill to address the scalability of growth. So if there are projects or expansions that have been pending for years, waiting for some agreement between the two levels of government, they know now that the ball is in their court and they should take decisions and they should do things about the projects they actually need for their growth. So this is putting accountability with authority. I don’t see that there’s a conflict here; it’s just putting the things in the right context of it.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Question?

Mr. Matthew Rae: It’s a pleasure to rise this morning to ask my colleague an important question on his debate this morning. I know he is a member from Mississauga—a great member from that great city—and I was wondering if you could tell this place about the importance of Bill 45 and some of the initiatives around ensuring that we get waste water capacity built, ensuring that we’re there to support our regional governance but our municipalities as well in that endeavour.

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Waste management is very important. It’s a critical service. We can’t jeopardize—any interruption in that. We need to make sure that—there’s no “one solution fits all.” The nature of the city of Mississauga is different than the city of Brampton, different than the city of Caledon, and having “one solution fits all” doesn’t work for all the three cities. So giving the ability for cities, councillors and mayors to have decisions which affect their cities and are more aligned with their residents’ needs and residents’ demands I think is very important, and it is demanded by the mayors. We are not bringing that from the top of our heads. These are the requirements of local municipalities saying, “Please give us some authority to take decisions in our cities. They’re our cities, and we can’t take decisions. We need some authority.” So that’s exactly what this bill does.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Question?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: The government side has not answered why the cost of this is being kept a secret—because I know when this government meddles behind closed doors, like in the greenbelt, it costs $8.4 billion; like Ontario Place, where it’s going to cost taxpayers $2.4 billion for a private Therme company to operate in Ontario. I’ve told this House a number of times: Hamilton, Ancaster and Dundas were a forced amalgamation under this government’s previous Conservative Premier, Mike Harris. We know this costs taxpayers; it’s always going to cost taxpayers with this government.

So why, for heaven’s sake, is the cost being kept secret not just from taxpayers but from municipal councillors as well? Nobody trusts this government when they start mucking around in land and property in this province.

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Thank you very much to the colleague opposite in expressing that they don’t trust this government. But as you mentioned multiple times about the different bills, we have been trying to tackle this problem in Peel region on the demands of mayors, councillors, regional councillors about how can we get to a solution which balances between the authorities they have and the accountability they are demanding to give us back on—accountability on what they do in their cities.

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

MPP Wayne Gates: It’s always a pleasure to rise in the House. Bill 45—I know you’re not supposed to hold this up—is three pages. And one page, the whole thing is talking about how they can’t be sued. It’s such a good bill, one page is just talking about making sure they can’t be sued, which is very interesting to me.

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But I will start my speech; I just wanted get that out. One member was saying how they’ve got to get it right. Peel is one of the best-run areas in all of Canada. Speaker, I want to be very clear from the beginning: This bill, Bill 45, is another example of a government that governs by chaos and secrecy rather than by evidence, consultation or any real respect for people, the workers who keep our municipalities and services running.

For two and a half years, the government has put the region of Peel through total upheaval. They announced plans to dissolve Peel, walked it back, made new promises, cancelled these promises and then dumped the consequences on municipal governments and front-line workers. The result has been confusion, instability and fear for thousands of workers delivering essential public services that they may lose their jobs.

Let’s be clear: When we are already dealing with hundreds of jobs being cut in hospitals across the province due to this government, including in many government members’ ridings, and thousands of layoffs in the private sector due to Trump’s tariffs, the absolute last thing we need is to lose good public services in the province of Ontario and in Peel or Niagara. This government has created two and a half years of chaos, and Bill 45 only deepens that uncertainty.

Let’s remember how we got here. I think it’s always important to do that. In June 2023, the government passed Bill 112, the Hazel McCallion Act. I will tell you something about Hazel. I met her in Mississauga, going back to the year I got elected as city councillor. Some of the members over there may remember a team called the Mississauga Steelheads. She was sitting in a box—I wasn’t sitting in a box, but she was. But I was sitting in the back row, right up to the box, and I turned back to her because I just got elected as a councillor. I turned to her and I asked her what advice would be coming. I introduced myself, “I’m Wayne Gates, a new city councillor for Niagara Falls. I’m really excited.” You know when you first get elected, you’re excited. Seeing I lost seven times before I got elected, I was really excited. I turned to her and I said, “What advice would you give me?” And Hazel said to me, very clearly, “Make sure development pays for development. That’s what made Mississauga so great.” Boy, have we ever lost that theory from her, but that was her advice.

Then, when I was leaving the game—the IceDogs beat Mississauga that night, so it was a nice drive home—who was driving out? At that time she was in her late nineties. The mayor was driving her own car and right on the back it had “MAYOR 1.” That was my story about Hazel. Anyway, off track a little there, but seeing as I mentioned her name I thought I’d tell that story, because I’ve always respected that.

It was time-allocated, that bill, just like the government has done with Bill 60, Bill 33 and so many other bills. There were no committee hearings, no public consultation, no chance of amendments. The bill was supposed to dissolve Peel region altogether, but just six months later reports leaked showing dissolution would cost taxpayers over $1 billion. I remember when I was growing up—you ever hear that song, If I Had $1,000,000? You thought you were rich. We don’t talk in millions anymore; we talk in billions. How the world has changed. I still haven’t got my first million yet, but I just thought I’d throw that out.

And now we arrive at Bill 45. This is a bill that claims to bring order after the government caused the problem in the first place. But when you read it closely, it doesn’t solve the fundamental problem created by this government. Instead, it continues the pattern of downloading responsibility, shifting costs, avoiding accountability and refusing to disclose the true financial impact, both to the municipality and the public they serve. That one there really drives me nuts. Think about it: They won’t even tell how much it’s going to cost to do this. They know it, but they won’t say it.

Bill 45—and this is also interesting—transfers regional responsibility for roads, stormwater and waste collection down to the municipalities of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon. These are not minor changes—far from it. These are core public services—for roads, for drainage, for garbage collection—that are being handed off without the necessary resources or the transparency to manage them properly.

The bill hands a huge amount of power to the minister: the ability to amend agreements—think about that, “amend agreements;” make financial adjustments; force co-operation from municipal officials—force co-operation. It’s not saying “co-operation;” it’s “force co-operation,” which means duly elected officials are going to be told what to do, when to do it, how to do it and why to do it. “Force co-operation”—that’s a key word here. And even take any action with respect to operations—in other words, a minister could do whatever he wants with this bill. And what is it? Three pages—and one page talks about how they can’t be sued. When you hear all that I’m going to say over the next whatever number of minutes I talk, you’ll see why they put that they can’t be sued in this bill, because that’s going to happen and people are going to want to sue them.

The government has added more facilitators because even they know that this is a mess they can’t sort out. They know going in that it’s going to be a mess. When you amalgamate, that’s what happens.

On top of all that, like they’ve done with other bills, this bill has broad immunity clauses that shield the government from any lawsuits or damages that result from this decision. I’ll tell you right now, I’m guessing that Conservatives will be supporting this bill, so it will be your responsibility to go and talk to people from Mississauga and Brampton on what you guys have done to their municipalities.

This is it. Speaker, I know you’re listening intently with this bill. Municipalities still don’t have the financial information they need. The public certainly doesn’t, and the government continues to refuse to release the full findings of the Peel Transition Board. Even Caledon council has openly called on the government to release the information. The council is saying, “Give us the information.” The government said, “Oh, we’re not telling you any information.” Does that make sense to anybody? Duly elected officials—like ourselves, that’s all we are—are going to this government and saying, “Tell us what’s going on.” And the government says, “Oh no, we’re not going to tell you. We’re just going to pass the bill, and the minister will do what the hell he wants.” It’s terrible.

People deserve transparency, and they’re not getting it. Meanwhile—and this is important because I listen to you guys stand up all the time, a lot more in question period now, with the Skills Development Fund with the labour minister—“Working for Workers: We care about workers. That’s all we care about. We care about workers.” Here’s what they’re saying: Front-line workers are raising the alarm bells.

CUPE, which is a union that represents close to—I think it’s 300,000 members. They represent thousands of municipal workers. They have clearly stated that transferring these services out of regional control, as well as pushing water and waste water towards a corporate public utility model—now there’s a private corporation—will lead to higher taxes. Think about this. Every one of you guys should listen to this: higher taxes, worse service and the loss of control of essential public infrastructure.

I’m going to read that again, because I may be going through the same thing in Niagara shortly. Higher taxes—Speaker, do you want to pay higher taxes? I’m just wondering. I know I don’t. I want to pay my fair share of taxes, not necessarily higher—worse service, loss of local control over essential public infrastructure.

They’ve got a right to be concerned, CUPE, their workers and their representatives. When you download services without a real plan, workers suffer, community suffer and services get worse. They get worse.

Municipal workers still don’t know whether they’ll have jobs after the transition. Imagine that: going to work every day not knowing if you’re going to have a job. We just saw 100,000 people lose their jobs, and they blamed it on Trump. And that’s fair; what Trump is doing to Canada is disgraceful and we should all be mad about that. But I can tell you, what you’re doing here to these workers is no different. They will be going to work every day not knowing if they’re going to have a job after you pass Bill 45. Is that the way you want to treat workers? I don’t believe you should.

Municipalities—and this is important too—are struggling right now to hire and retain staff, because no one knows what this government structure will look like a year from now. Think about that. They’re all scared. Workers are scared of Trump. Some days, I’m kind of scared of Trump because I don’t know what he’s going to do to my municipality. Who’s going to lose their job next? I’ve got an auto plant in St. Catharines, which covers Niagara. I’m scared about their jobs with Trump. I shouldn’t have to be scared about losing my job because of a government decision on amalgamation.

That’s not how you build strong public services. It’s not how you maintain quality, and it certainly doesn’t save money. Amalgamation proved one thing: Amalgamation doesn’t save money. Going back, when you took care of Walkerton, when you got rid of amalgamated services there—and what happened in Walkerton? People dying—

Interjection: A tragedy—it was tragic.

MPP Wayne Gates: Caledon has said plainly that downloading roads and waste management will leave them with enormous costs they can’t absorb. The Mississauga mayor has said the bill leaves them acting as “the financial cash cow” for Brampton and Caledon, just as has been the same thing that’s happened for decades. When municipalities are pitted against one another, you know this government has created a situation that is fundamentally broken.

This bill fits into a broader pattern, which leaves this government downloading responsibility, underfunding them, creating a crisis and then using the crisis to justify privatization. And that’s exactly what’s going on in health care today: You’re trying to create a crisis in a publicly funded, publicly delivered health care system. You did it in long-term care—

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Pursuant to standing order 50(c), I am now required to interrupt the proceedings and announce that there have been six and a half hours of debate on the motion for second reading of this bill. This debate will therefore be deemed adjourned unless the government House leader directs the debate to continue.

I recognize the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.

Hon. Trevor Jones: Good morning, Speaker. Thank you. No further debate.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Orders of the day?

Hon. Trevor Jones: No further business.

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

The House recessed from 0942 to 1015.

Members’ Statements

Markville mall Christmas meet-and-greet

Mr. Billy Pang: Each year, as the Christmas season approaches, my team and I continue a long-standing tradition of ours in Markham–Unionville: hosting our annual Christmas meet-and-greet booth at Markville mall. While shoppers are hustling and bustling, looking for the ideal gifts for their loved ones, my booth invites them to pause and take a moment for themselves.

Connecting with residents and sharing in the festive spirit of the coming holidays during one of the busiest and most joyful shopping seasons is always very rewarding. It is a heartwarming opportunity to speak with families, seniors, students, workers, and new residents who stop by to say hello.

Events like this remind us of the importance of staying grounded and closely connected with the people we represent, not just in meetings or at formal events, but in the everyday places where community life naturally happens.

I want to offer my sincere thanks to CF Markville, our superb community partner, for once again providing us the space to host this annual tradition.

Speaker, this Saturday, at 2 p.m. I look forward to meeting many residents again at this year’s booth, as we celebrate the joy, warmth, and generosity of the Christmas and holiday season together.

Health care

Ms. Jessica Bell: The Auditor General released its annual report yesterday. It is important for you to know what the Conservative government is doing and not doing for health care.

Patients are paying for medically necessary care even though it is illegal.

Sylvia Jones, our Minister of Health, back in 2024, said, “Ontarians will always access the health care they need with their OHIP card, never their credit card.”

Well, Sylvia Jones, the Auditor General has told us some truths yesterday and has discovered that patients are regularly being upsold services and are not being told they have a right to choose free OHIP-covered services. This is most prevalent in eye care.

The family doctor shortage is getting worse. The goal is to get every Ontarian access to a primary care doctor or nurse by 2029. What we found out yesterday is that this government is throwing a whole lot of money at the problem, but they have no good plan to achieve this goal. They don’t know how many practitioners there are in each region. This system of connecting patients with doctors is so bad that the medical community is refusing to use it.

They’re not creating enough medical spots for family doctors because they did a crappy job of assessing the need and underestimated how many people don’t have a doctor—it’s two million.

And finally, the government has no effective plan to oversee physician billing, even though the Auditor General has found that some doctors are billing for more than 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

We can do better than this. Public health care—

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Members’ statements?

Insécurité alimentaire / Food insecurity

M^me Lucille Collard: Ce vendredi, le CSC Vanier nous convie à son 20^e Déjeuner Flocons de neige au profit de la Banque alimentaire Partage Vanier. C’est une tradition qui rassemble notre communauté au début du temps des Fêtes et qui connaît toujours un immense succès.

Mais derrière cet esprit festif se cache une réalité préoccupante. L’insécurité alimentaire augmente partout en Ontario, et Ottawa–Vanier ne fait pas exception. Partage Vanier voit une hausse de 30 % des visites, et ses équipes sonnent l’alarme. Elles constatent chaque jour l’impact du coût de la vie, de la crise du logement et du manque de revenus suffisants. C’est pourquoi cette année ils se fixent un objectif ambitieux de ramasser 45 000 $ pour subvenir aux besoins de la communauté.

Food insecurity is rising at an alarming rate across Ontario. According to Feed Ontario, over one million Ontarians relied on a food bank this past year—the highest number ever recorded. Food banks saw 8.7 million visits—a 13% increase in just one year—and nearly one in four users is employed but still can’t afford groceries. This is not sustainable.

As we enter the holiday season, I urge this government to confront this crisis with the seriousness it deserves and to ensure that every Ontarian in every community has the dignity of access to healthy, affordable food.

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Small business

Mr. John Jordan: I want to talk about some success stories in Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston. The Associate Minister of Small Business travelled to my riding over the summer, and we visited the Small Business Advisory Centre in Smiths Falls, which runs programs funded by this government, including Summer Company and Starter Company Plus program.

Ranelle Larocque is the owner of Queen Bee Millinery, in Perth. Hats and fascinators hand-made by Ranelle have been worn at the Queen’s birthday garden party in London, UK, the Royal Ascot, the Kentucky Derby and countless Canadian and international military ceremonial events around the world.

Montague township fudge-maker Gillian Manton registered with the Starter Company Plus program in June, 2024. Taking part in the program was a process she found helpful in building a strong foundation for her business. Moose Munchies Candy Co. began to grow, and Gillian is now selling her fudge in a large selection of retail locations across Canada, including over 30 in Ontario.

Cost of living

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Speaker, as we all know, this is the time of year when people are getting ready for the holidays, and it’s the time of the year when people also feel the crunch. I’ve been going door to door in my riding, talking to people—to tenants, to homeowners—and people consistently feel squeezed—tenants who say to me that with one or two more rent increases, they won’t be able to live in their home because they won’t also be able to buy food.

I’ve been talking to people who are paying now for what’s called remote care monitoring because of a cut on the part of the government. That remote care monitoring allowed seniors to live independent lives.

People are getting sticker shock at the grocery store, at the checkout or, increasingly, seeing onerous heating bills.

At Pape and Cosburn, Bethany Baptist Church runs a food bank. The lineups are getting longer, and the pastor tells me he’s seeing more and more new faces.

This government has abandoned people or actively made life more difficult through cuts or a failure to prevent rent or food gouging. People are suffering; they’re not going to forget. The government needs to change course and protect them.

Government investments

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member from Sarnia–Lambton.

Mr. Robert Bailey: Madam Speaker, it’s a pleasure to be here and speak to you this morning.

In my writing of Sarnia–Lambton, I was able to announce $7,939,000 for my six rural communities.

Rural Ontario is the backbone of Ontario’s economy, and this fall, we have continued our work to protect rural Ontario under the leadership of my minister. Just last month, the Ministry of Rural Affairs teamed up with the Ministry of Finance to announce that the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund is investing $600 million for 338 rural municipalities across this great province. This is an increase of over $100 million over the past two years.

It was wonderful to see all of the positive media coverage of the additional Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund across the province as well.

I’m also proud to share there’s been a tremendous response to the modernization of the Rural Ontario Development Program. We are seeing hundreds and hundreds of applications for this program.

I look forward to seeing all the positive news and new investments in rural Ontario announced earlier in the new year.

Speaker, thanks to the leadership of Premier Ford and our entire government, we will always invest in rural communities so they can become the best place to live, work, raise a family and call home as we continue to protect Ontario.

Health care

MPP Robin Lennox: Just this past week, we heard from Hamilton hospitals that they were having to cut jobs because of the budget cuts imposed by the Conservative government. When I walk into a hospital in Hamilton, I’m not standing to cut a ribbon or to stand beside a ceremonial shovel; I’m there to work—to go in and stand shoulder to shoulder with other doctors and nurses, doing the everyday work of holding up our health care system despite being failed by this government again and again.

And I would welcome the Minister of Health to join me, to go beyond the entrance to a hospital, to really immerse herself in the realities of an in-patient ward where patients are lining the hallways, where emergency departments are packed and full, and yet health care workers are run off their feet trying to plug all the holes left by the system.

I believe the Minister of Health would agree, if she truly saw that the way forward is not budget cuts; it’s making smart investments in a health care system that upholds and uplifts our communities. That means right-sizing our in-patient units to actually match demand. It means giving safe nurse-to-patient ratios. It means investing in our community spaces so we actually have safe places to discharge people to.

This is what I hope will be the way forward, and I welcome a conversation with the Minister of Health about how to bring that into reality.

Holiday events in Mississauga East–Cooksville

MPP Silvia Gualtieri: This holiday season has been filled with meaningful moments across my community, and I’m truly grateful for every opportunity to connect with the people who make Mississauga East–Cooksville so special.

From joining Heart Comonos and Joshua Creek Church at their magical holiday celebration where we recognized the transformative impact of $150,000 of the OTF capital grant supporting their new community hub, to welcoming families at the Mississauga Santa Claus parade, the spirit of joy and togetherness has been unmistakable.

I was honoured to visit the St. Patrick’s CWL Christmas Bazaar, meeting dedicated parishioners and neighbours who keep the cherished holiday traditions alive year after year.

I also had the pleasure of celebrating with the Canadian Christian Association, a vibrant group that continues to uplift so many, particularly in the Pakistani Canadian Christian community.

I joined the Christmas gala hosted by the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, an evening that showcased the remarkable support for families and ministries in the Holy Land.

And as we continue through this festive season, I wish everyone a merry Christmas and a joyful, healthy and hope-filled new year. May the season bring light, warmth—

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Members’ statements?

Health care

Mr. Steve Pinsonneault: I rise today to share a great development for families across my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex.

Earlier this year, the Middlesex Hospital Alliance welcomed our community’s very first MRI machine to Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital. After years of planning, hard work and local determination, the state-of-the-art MRI machine marks a major step forward for rural health care in our region.

As every rural community knows, when we come together, we do remarkable things. This MRI will give our residents world-class imaging close to home, producing detailed 3D scans which will support earlier diagnoses, better treatment planning and save lives.

Madam Speaker, as the fall session in this Legislature slowly wraps up, I would also like to take this time to wish everybody in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex happy holidays and a happy new year.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Billy Pang: I’m pleased to welcome delegates from YMCA to the Legislature today. I invite all members to join them in committee room 230 for their lunch reception. We are glad to have you here. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Robert Bailey: It’s a great pleasure today to introduce from Sarnia–Lambton our page’s parents, Doug and Karen Hatch, in the west members’ gallery, here to see their daughter Anna, who is a page here today. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to introduce Rob Adams, the CEO of the YMCA of Eastern Ontario; and Jill MacDonald, the senior director, association and child care services, attending with fellow CEOs today. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

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Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It gives me great pleasure to welcome Lesley Davidson, the president of YMCA Ontario, as well as Andrew Lockie, the CEO from YMCA of Southwestern Ontario. I look forward to meeting you at noon.

Ms. Chandra Pasma: It’s my pleasure to introduce, from Canadian Parents for French, Ahdi Visweswaran, Betty Gormley, Mary Cruden, Myron Karpiuk, Sandhya Mylabathula, Susan Lee and Dee Williams, who is also the duly elected trustee for the TDSB. Welcome.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I’d like to welcome, from the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition, Edward Andria, +OSB; Richard Linley, CBA; Karen Pollard-Josling, Pollard Windows Inc., and Pratik Bhalerao, CME. Also, from YMCA of Niagara, the CEO, Christian Wulff, and chief operations officer Deanna D’Elia, welcome to your House, and thank you for—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Beaches–East York.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Good morning, everyone. I had a great meeting this morning with Ontario manufacturers, who are fantastic. We need to shop local; we know that.

I’d also like to introduce my good friend bubbly Bruce Pausey, and my husband, Jim McMahon, over here. He never goes public with me but they are here today. Welcome to your House.

Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady: I’d like to welcome to Queen’s Park West Lynn Public School choir, which is here not only today but twice, leading up to the Christmas holidays as part of the holiday concert series. Please come see them on the grand staircase after question period. Thank you.

MPP Chris Scott: It’s my honour to rise and welcome Dr. James Chan. He’s a CEO of the YMCA in Sault Ste. Marie. Thanks for making the trip down. I’m looking forward to sitting down and having a good meeting later this afternoon.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: In the House today we have a good friend from Montreal: Breno Lima.

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: I recognize today’s page captain, Julian Duan, who is from my riding of Oakville North–Burlington, and to welcome Julian’s family in the members’ gallery: his father, Xu Duan; his mother, Sandy Lu; his sister Evelyn; and his grandparents.

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: I would like to welcome members from the Canadian Parents for French organization. I’m looking forward to meeting with them this afternoon. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

MPP Robin Lennox: I would like to welcome two colleagues from Canadian Doctors for Medicare: Dr. Zareef Ahmad, Canadian Doctors for Medicare’s national director; and Dr. Danyaal Raza, board director for Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: It’s a great honour this morning to introduce Deborah Williams, the TDSB trustee for my riding, as well as the remarkable team at the YMCA of Greater Toronto and a big shout-out to the downtown YMCA. Thank you for all that you do.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: I’d like to welcome members from the YMCA of Three Rivers, which includes the Y in Guelph: Lisa Hood, vice-president of philanthropy, marketing and communications; and Mike Ennis, CEO. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. David Piccini: It’s my great pleasure to welcome Eunice Kirkpatrick and Kathryn from the YMCA—I don’t see them but I know they’re here in the House today—and everyone who’s here from the incredible YMCA organization. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

House sittings

Hon. Steve Clark: I’d like to announce that the night sitting scheduled for this evening has been cancelled.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order. Order.

Pearl Mamakwa

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Kiiwetinoong on a point of order.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: This past summer was a very tough summer. Remarks in Anishininiimowin. This report will be republished to add the transcribed remarks once available.

On June 21, 2025, my wife, Pearl, passed away very suddenly in Sioux Lookout. I thought it was just a quick visit to the emergency room.

But I wanted to take some time today to acknowledge and say meegwetch to everyone who reached out to my family over the past few months to check in and share their condolences. It means a lot.

But also, to all my fellow MPPs: Thank you for your texts. Thank you for your calls, your emails, the words of comfort, the words of love, the flowers. They were very helpful during my family’s time of great sorrow. We are all human. From what I saw—who reached out—is that divisions between us do not matter. It doesn’t matter which party you belong to, where you are from or the colour of your skin. We are all people, all the same. No one escapes life’s tragedies.

Speaker, one of the things I learned during the ordeal is that it’s okay not to be okay. I’m not sharing this to be a sad moment, but it is for Pearl to live on. We need to remember: Every day that we are here with our health is a gift. We should spend more time less divided—spend more time less divided, more time accepting. Life is too short. We need to see each other. We need to hear each other. We need to love each other.

Most importantly, she cared about family. She cared about her identity, her language and her ways of life. This is how we will live on. That is the message of Pearl.

On behalf of my daughters, my son, the grandkids, her parents, her siblings, her friends and her co-workers: We love you. We miss you.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Sol, we love you too. We do.

It’s now time for question period.

Question Period

Government advertising

Ms. Marit Stiles: My question is to the Premier: $111.7 million—that is how much money this Premier spent polishing his image last year. Ontarians are putting groceries back on the shelves, and parents are figuring out how to tell their kids that they can’t get that toy for Christmas. Young people are lining up at the food banks in this province. And this Premier spent over $100 million of the people’s money to gaslight them before an election.

Why is the government spending so much money on looking good rather than doing good?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the President of the Treasury Board.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. Government advertising is a very important medium for governments to let the people of Ontario know about the vital programs and services that we deliver on their behalf. Throughout the pandemic, we were letting Ontarians know about new programs and new supports that we were putting in place. But just the routine business of government needs to be communicated—things like breast cancer screenings, winter driving safety awareness and post-secondary grant programs.

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Speaker, all of our government advertising is reviewed by the Auditor General under rules that were brought in by the previous Liberal government. We’re going to continue to let Ontarians know about valuable programs and services. During this critical time when we’re in an unjust tariff war with the United States, we’re telling the story of Ontario, both domestically and abroad. It’s our responsibility to do that, Speaker, and we’re going to continue to keep on doing that.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: A disappointing response, Speaker—the auditor was clear that, by any measure, really, this government’s advertising in that period was partisan. That kind of gaslighting is unfortunately what we have come to expect from this government.

The Premier promised to stop governments from spending taxpayer dollars on partisan ads when it was the Liberal government in power doing the same thing, and we remember. Now here they are spending more than any government in history on these ads.

Why does the Premier always have one set of rules for himself and a different set of rules for everybody else?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: As I said, the Auditor General reviews all government advertising. We’ve received eight clean audit opinions from the Auditor General, which was something the previous Liberal government didn’t do.

But I think, Speaker, we all agree in this House that we’re at a critical juncture in our country’s history. Our greatest friend has unleashed an unjust tariff war on our country, and we have to do everything we can to stand up for Ontarians, to stand up for Ontario businesses, to stand up for Ontario jobs. That is what our Premier is doing. That’s what our Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade is doing by letting people, both across Canada but also internationally, know that this is the best place to live, to work and to have a job.

We’re going to continue to tell the story of Ontario; it’s more critical now than ever. I am proud that I am part of a government that is telling that message broadly to make sure that we’re attracting investment here, but we’re also letting the people down south know that we have been their closest friend and ally and we need to get back to that place.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Final supplementary.

Ms. Marit Stiles: This Premier used to be a fierce opponent of the government gravy train. Remember that? Now he’s conducting it: “Toot toot, all aboard!” MPPs, strip club owners, big time CEOs, campaign managers for the Conservative party—all aboard, right? But it’s regular Ontarians who are getting left behind: people in Algoma and Sault Ste. Marie and Brampton. It is the workers who are lining up at the food banks that are getting left behind in this province.

The government is wasting public dollars on self-promotion, wasting billions of dollars on PPE supplies that are unusable—they’re incinerating them, Speaker—and wasting dollars on a friends-and-family fund while workers are getting the rug absolutely pulled out from under them. How can Ontarians trust this government with their hard-earned tax dollars?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Speaker, let me just highlight some of the things that the Leader of the Opposition thinks that we are wasting Ontarians’ taxpayer dollars on. We are:

—investing in campaigns that highlight critical initiatives, including improving learning and health outcomes through new cellphone and vaping rules in schools;

—creating awareness of major infrastructure projects, such as building roads, highways and transit that will benefit Ontarians and create jobs;

—informing people about measures to keep costs down and make life more affordable;

—promoting Ontario as a premier investment destination, including showcasing our abundant supply of critical minerals and leadership in the future of nuclear energy; and

—demonstrating how Ontario is developing an economy powered by affordable, reliable and clean energy.

Madam Speaker, that’s not all. We’re also increasing awareness of programs and services like financial assistance available to Ontario veterans and the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant program for post-secondary students. Speaker, I could go on and on and on. The government of Ontario delivers valuable, important programs. The people of Ontario need to know about them, and we will not stop.

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: That is not what the Auditor General says, actually.

Back to the Premier: I will say, I didn’t know where to start this morning, because there’s a new headline every day. There’s the ongoing SDF scandal. There is the health minister who can’t connect Ontarians to a family doctor. There are billions of dollars of PPE supplies being literally incinerated. And while this government is running up a tab like you wouldn’t believe on the people’s credit card, they are leaving a path of destruction in their wake. It is one incriminating report after another.

Not too long ago, we got a report from the Auditor General about the Skills Development Fund and how this government has a continued pattern of preferential treatment from this Minister of Labour for their insiders, their friends.

After six weeks of embarrassing headlines, an OPP anti-racketeering investigation, what lessons, if any, did this Premier learn about how they handled the Skills Development Fund?

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

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, let’s be clear about what the government is investing in.

The government looks at its priorities, like the $200-billion-plus commitment to infrastructure. Over successive rounds, we’ve added additional priorities like Indigenous youth, like people with disabilities in rounds four and five, and additional priorities like skilled trades in the most recent round. We’re doing it because we know we’re going to need over 18,000 workers at the SMR project—another 100,000 workers when you factor in new nuclear, small modular reactor and Pickering refurbishment.

What do all of these things have in common? It has in common that the member of the opposition would have given pink slips to all those members. That’s not a jobs strategy.

A jobs strategy is to build a stronger Ontario; a more prosperous, energy-efficient Ontario. And that’s exactly what this Premier and this government are doing.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: There you go, Speaker. Nothing, nada—apparently, they have learned absolutely nothing.

Well, here’s where you went wrong; let me help you out here: You hand-picked winners and losers. Millions of dollars were funnelled to companies with connections to this government and this Premier. Millions of taxpayer dollars were handed out with no jobs to show for it—$2.5 billion.

But the minister has been clear that he is making no changes to how the fund operates. They’re just digging in.

Why is the government ignoring the Auditor General’s recommendations? And when is this minister going to resign?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, I respect the member opposite, and I will set the record straight. She’s incorrect. We are accepting all of the Auditor General’s recommendations and are actually in the process of implementing them—had she listened to officials at public accounts.

We’re also going to keep investing, making changes to the program to make sure it’s reflective of the priorities of this government. And let me be clear on what that is.

I talked about new nuclear.

Let’s talk about the Ring of Fire, the two agreements the Premier recently signed—Marten Falls and Webequie—that’s going to bring in critical infrastructure. That’s also going to bring in important social service supports, health care supports to underserviced communities in the north, ensuring geographical distribution of our Skills Development Fund projects in every corner of Ontario.

When I was recently up in Thunder Bay, I saw a brand new ironworker training program that has been expanded, thanks to the investments of this government.

Speaker, support for Indigenous youth entering pathways into the trades—and as I’ve often reflected in this House, what has that meant? It has meant a historic number of youth registering for apprenticeships.

We’re going to keep—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Final supplementary.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, this is not his personal piggy bank. Billions—billions—of taxpayer dollars were handed out without any real checks or balances.

Every single dollar that went to your friends, to your favourite nightclub owner, to your family dentist, to your campaign managers was a dollar that did not go toward training the very workers we need to build in this province.

Protect Ontario? Give me a break. We need to protect Ontario from your backroom deals.

Back to the Premier: When are you going to fire this minister and get Ontario back on track?

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

Hon. David Piccini: Let’s talk about what actually happens with the program: monthly reporting, visits by officials to see the training that’s happening, organizational capacity review and an assessment of the partnerships, reputation and public presence review, financial budget requirements, a holdback on funding to make sure the project is doing exactly what it says it does.

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By the way, the Auditor General spoke to the strength of the KPIs of this program—100,000 people employed within 60 days or less in this program.

Risk and compliance checks, risk assessment process checks—we’ll continue making improvements. We welcome the recommendations of the Auditor General, and we’re going to keep working to ensure that the underemployed and unemployed have pathways to meaningful employment.

Government accountability

Mr. John Fraser: Yesterday’s AG report—if I wanted to describe it in one word, I’d say “waste.”

At the top of that list is Supply Ontario. They literally took $1.4 billion, put it in a pile and set it on fire—literally set it on fire. That $1.4 billion is a lot of money, folks. Maybe it isn’t to you, but our hospitals are asking for a billion dollars because they don’t have enough money; they’re being starved.

So my question to the Premier is, why did he light $1.4 billion on fire instead of spending that money in our hospitals?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: First, let me thank the Auditor General for the report that she brought out. As the President of the Treasury Board just mentioned, it was our eighth clean audit by this government—every single audit, clean bill of health. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for when we took office from the previous Liberal government with the Auditor General’s reports on their particular audits.

Having said that, Ontarians deserve a supply chain that is resilient, strong and domestic. When we took office in 2018, the former Liberal government had left Ontario with expiring PPE that was foreign-purchased from China, of all places. We acted swiftly to fix this mess and start building a domestic supply chain where we save jobs and are protecting the people of Ontario.

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

Mr. John Fraser: You can still smell those $20 bills burning right now. I’ll try to put this in language that the Premier would understand: This would be like taking 135 football fields—135 American; 89 Canadian—lining them with $20 bills and lighting them on fire. It would be the CN Tower 14 times. That’s how much money you burned.

Think of what $1.4 billion could have done for our schools. It could have made class sizes smaller, which the minister doesn’t think is important. It could have helped kids with special education needs who aren’t getting the help that they need. It could have helped the mental health crisis in our schools.

So I guess the question I have for the Premier is, why did he choose to burn $1.4 billion instead of investing in our kids and our schools?

Hon. Stephen Crawford: There was an election this February, and the overarching theme of this election was Protect Ontario. That’s exactly what this government is doing: protecting the businesses and the people of Ontario.

Actually, you speak to the Auditor General. We have great respect for the Auditor General, as I think you do as well. If I can quote from the Auditor General on her question about the PPE supply—this is a direct quote from the Auditor General of Ontario when asked about the oversupply of PPE: “I was not surprised. It was like The Hunger Games. I do not blame the government.”

Speaker, when we inherited office in 2018, we inherited outdated Chinese and foreign supplies of PPE. We acted quick during the COVID pandemic to make sure the people of Ontario had the supplies they need.

My question to the opposition is, would you prefer that we give this PPE to your children?

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

Mr. John Fraser: Judging by the response to the Auditor General’s news conference by the government yesterday, I’m not sure how much they actually respect the Auditor General.

But here’s what I know they don’t respect: taxpayers’ money. The CEO of Supply Ontario—guess who he is? The Premier’s former chief of staff. All roads lead to the Premier’s office.

Here’s the thing: If you know the Premier, you can burn 1.4 billion taxpayer dollars and everything is okay. Nobody says anything.

I don’t understand why this government doesn’t understand that $1.4 billion could have helped everyday Ontarians with the things that matter most to them: their schools, their classrooms, their hospitals, their primary care. I don’t understand why nobody is paying the price for spending—or burning—this $1.4 billion.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Let’s go back in time: During the COVID pandemic, that member was accusing our government of not acting swiftly enough to get PPE to the people of Ontario to protect them. That’s what we did. The only reason Ontario had to fight tooth and nail during this time period to get the PPE—and it was like The Hunger Games—was because the Liberals left us with a warehouse full of expired, foreign-bought PPE junk that would not pass basic safety checks, sitting in facilities that were literally falling apart. We will not take lectures from the very people who created this disaster. When the crisis hit, we didn’t hesitate. We cleaned up their mess, secured Ontario-made supplies and protected front-line workers and families.

Let me be absolutely clear: We will not apologize for putting Ontario businesses and families first. We will not apologize for following Health Canada guidelines and destroying medical waste. Speaker, the people on this side of the House stand for protecting the people of Ontario.

Government advertising

Mr. John Fraser: My question is back to the Premier. You burned $1.4 billion of taxpayers’ money, and it went to nothing. I don’t care what you say; you haven’t given an answer.

But speaking of money that was wasted, the Auditor General told us that $112 million was spent on government advertising last year. That’s a new record. Congratulations, Premier: millions of dollars wasted on self-promoting advertising.

For more context, Canadian Tire spent less than $100 million across Canada; RBC, $73 million across Canada; Tim Hortons—maybe you can relate to that—$58 million. And the Premier spent $112 million here in Ontario on himself.

So instead of spending $112 million on shameless, self-promoting ads, why didn’t the Premier invest in things that matter most to people, like our hospitals and our schools?

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

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, tariffs from south of the border have fundamentally changed the global landscape. That’s why our advertising dollars are being spent around the world educating companies, showing them the advantages of Ontario. You open any international magazine, any business magazine, and you see stories about Ontario, you see advertising from Ontario. Go to any international airport, you’ll see advertising from Ontario.

That investment has landed 409 international companies here in Ontario last year. They invested $40 billion in Ontario last year and hired 24,711 people. Our advertising around the world is working.

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

Mr. John Fraser: I want to add that the Premier was asked not to do it. It didn’t work; it ended the negotiations south of the border, and people are paying for that with their jobs. So I wouldn’t be crowing the way that this minister is crowing.

So $112 million on shameless self-promoting ads, 700,000 people out of work, kids can’t get the help they need in schools, people can’t find a family doctor, the cost of living is going through the roof, people are struggling just to get by—and this government thinks it’s just okay to waste a ton of money on stuff to try to make them look good.

Some $112 million—think about what that could have done. There’s no excuse. How does the Premier explain spending $112 million on himself instead of investing in the things that matter most to Ontarians?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, I’m going to let you in on a secret, and I’m sure I’m going to catch heck for it after. But this is a billion-dollar week in Ontario.

On Monday, we were in Ottawa announcing a several-hundred-million-dollar investment from a US firm. Yesterday, along with the Minister of Colleges and Universities, we were in Morrisburg announcing the successful trip to Japan where they invested $24 million in Morrisburg on a new plant. Today, the Minister of Energy and Mines and I will be in Hamilton to announce an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars. Thursday, the Premier and I will be in another city announcing yet another multi-hundred million. And we’ll end up announcing, on Friday, a company from Sweden that we attracted here.

Speaker, 409 international companies landed here, invested $40 billion and put 24,711 people to work.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Well, that’s a pretty cold answer to the 1,000 people in Sault Ste. Marie who don’t have a job now.

So $112 million last year—a new record. I guess the question is, this year—I think they’re going to set another record. Just take a look at those Ring of Fire ads—you know, those ads that are supposed to protect Ontarians but don’t protect one job? They don’t protect anything, other than maybe the Premier’s job. That’s the only thing I think that they’re protecting.

It is unbelievable. Look at those ads. Who do they help? If you live in the north, you’ve got to be going, “What are they talking about? Those pictures aren’t even of us.”

How can the Premier justify spending so much money—$112 million—on shameless self-promotion, ads that only benefit him, instead of investing in those things that matter most to Ontarians?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): President of the Treasury Board.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Well, it’s surprising to hear the member opposite speak the way he is. He knows that our ad campaign, as I’ve said, focuses on promoting Ontario abroad, on telling the story of the great opportunity here, but also of all the programs and services that we offer to the people of Ontario.

Only a few years ago, the member opposite was saying that we weren’t doing enough on TV. He said, “I don’t see anything on TV. I don’t hear anything on radio. I do know that when I watch football games south of the border, in the state of Massachusetts—at least the last game I watched—the state was pounding the airways about vaccinations. There were really great commercials, really good, solid commercials that said, ‘You know what, vaccinations are safe and effective....’ Sometimes they’d go two, three times in a row. That’s the way advertising works. I think the government side would know that, especially with sporting events, because I did watch their advertising during the campaign on hockey and baseball games, where their political ads appeared”—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The leader of the third party will come to order.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Speaker, what the member opposite is saying today is that now he’s decided that he doesn’t think there’s anything worth advertising for in Ontario. Well, we know we have a great story to tell and we’re going to continue—

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

Academic testing

Ms. Chandra Pasma: The Minister of Education finally released the EQAO scores, and it’s clear why the minister was hiding them. The impact of the government’s $6.8 billion in funding cuts is clear: Two in five grade 9 students aren’t meeting the provincial standard for math; half of grade 6 students are failing to meet the standard. Our kids don’t need an advisory body that pays more unqualified Conservative insiders lucrative salaries: They need smaller class sizes and more caring, qualified teachers.

Will the minister quit finding ways to give Conservatives high-paying jobs and fund our schools?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Well, clearly, I obviously disagree with the member opposite because we know the NDP would rather see our students failing. That is quite clear, because it is NDP trustees, in part, who have brought our system to almost complete collapse.

Look, these EQAO results were not what we expected. You know why? Because Conservatives believe that our students should have the best opportunity to succeed, and we are going to find out why that is not happening in a ministry that spends over $43 billion. I think students, parents and teachers should expect that their kids get the best opportunity to succeed. So we’re going to double down on making sure that our students can succeed by making sure that our teachers have the resources that they need and that parents also have the tools that they need to help their children.

Am I going to stop working hard to give our students every opportunity to succeed? No. Is the NDP going to continue to try and frustrate our mission to give our students the best opportunity to succeed? Yes. But you know what? We’ll get the job done for our students.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Ottawa West–Nepean.

Ms. Chandra Pasma: No parent and no teacher in the province is asking for jobs for Conservatives; they are asking for funding.

The results show just how badly the government is failing kids with disabilities and learning exceptionalities. School boards are spending $850 million more on special education than what they’re getting from this government, but less than one third of students are meeting the provincial standard for math, and the scores for reading and writing aren’t much better.

Will the Premier stop failing our most vulnerable kids and properly fund special education?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Look, as I said this morning at the news conference, for 50, 60 years, the Minister of Education has come before people and said, “We’re spending more than we ever have before in education.” The unions and the NDP have said, “You’re not spending enough.”

I think that parents just simply don’t care about that messaging. What they care about is—“How are my kids doing? Are they getting the tools that they need to succeed?”

So what I’m going to do and continue to do is build on the work that was done by the previous ministers—a back-to-basics approach, which has seen some very good results with respect to standardized testing in literacy, frankly. We’ve seen some good results. We need some more help on math.

Just a couple of days ago, I took over another school board, the Near North District School Board, using the tools under Bill 33. The opposition voted against Bill 33. They said it would end democracy across the province of Ontario. But do you know who supported me taking over the near North District School Board? It was the Leader of the Opposition, who said it was the right thing to do. That explains to me why, when it was time to stand up, as opposed to doing what the rest of her party did—voting against it—she got kicked out of this place fictitiously and took her time to get out of here. She didn’t want to be on the record as voting against what parents—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Health care

Ms. Lee Fairclough: The government has proven its commitment to funnelling taxpayer dollars to its friends. And yet, the Auditor General reported that the government has failed to show that same commitment to managing our health care system for the people of Ontario.

She found that physician over-billers are costing up to $600 million per year because of little oversight and a completely outdated billing system—something we’ve known for years; there are two million Ontarians without a doctor, forcing municipalities into a Hunger Games-style competition to recruit physicians, unlike anywhere else in Canada; this government has delivered less than half of the new medical school spots; and, at the same time, hospitals face a $1-billion deficit, and four hospitals have announced cuts to jobs and care this week.

To the Minister of Health, through the Speaker: When are you going to get serious about fraudulent billing and properly funding care?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Let’s be absolutely clear about this: We have zero tolerance for any misuse of the medical billing system in the province of Ontario, and anybody found guilty or attempting to misuse the medical billing system in the province of Ontario will be held accountable.

The specific claims cited by the Auditor General are under active ministry review, and they will be addressed. If any wrongdoing is found, the ministry can and will pursue recovery and hold people accountable.

The medical claims payment system has been successful in processing the vast majority of claims.

We will make sure that patients get uninterrupted care.

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

Ms. Lee Fairclough: It’s an interesting response today, because yesterday, in response to the $600-million potential overbilling, the parliamentary assistant implied that it’s just complicated, it’s lots of billing codes, and it’s pretty hard to figure out.

But here’s the thing: It is your job to figure it out, to fix it, to invest in our public health care system.

Recovering that $600 million could go a long way today. Think about the care that could provide. It would help us stop caring for people in hallways.

Through the Speaker, to the Minister of Health: When will you clean this up so we can invest in better care for people?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Once again, we will have zero tolerance for any misuse of the medical billing system in the province of Ontario, and we will hold accountable anybody found to be misusing that medical billing system.

The Auditor General did identify ways to strengthen the oversight. And it’s important to note that the recommendations relate to a very small fraction of the overall claims.

That being said, the specific claims that were identified by the Auditor General are under active ministry review and will be addressed. And in the event that any of those claims which are being reviewed are found to have been misusing the medical billing system in Ontario, steps will be taken, we will pursue recovery and people will be held accountable in the event that there is any misuse of that system.

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Transportation infrastructure

Ms. Natalie Pierre: My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Speaker, every day, families and businesses across Burlington depend on reliable connections into Toronto and the wider GTA. Whether it’s for commuting, transporting goods or supporting local employers, efficient travel along our major corridors, including the Gardiner Expressway, is essential. But Speaker, for years, the Liberals ignored these realities. They watched congestion get worse while key infrastructure aged. Instead of proposing solutions, the NDP went so far as to push for tearing the Gardiner down, or even burdening drivers with new tolls.

Under our Premier’s leadership, our government made a clear commitment to deliver long-overdue project upgrades and get the Gardiner project done as quickly as possible. Speaker, can the minister explain how the accelerated completion of the Gardiner Expressway is helping commuters and how this improvement supports economic activity across the—

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

Mr. Ric Bresee: Thank you to the member from Burlington for the question.

Speaker, the people in Burlington rely on strong, efficient transportation routes, and the Gardiner is a major part of that network. Whether residents are driving into downtown Toronto for work or business or businesses are moving freight across the region, that connection matters.

That’s why we stepped up and stepped in with $73 million in provincial support to ensure the city could keep work going 24/7, seven days a week. This level of constant activity is what allows major infrastructure projects to move faster and more efficiently, instead of dragging on for years and years, the way they did under the previous governments.

Because of these measures, Speaker, what was supposed to take three years has now been delivered in just 18 months—a level of efficiency that simply did not exist under the previous government. This is what a government focused on getting results actually delivers: practical solutions, faster construction and a transportation network that supports Ontario’s—

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

Ms. Natalie Pierre: As communities like Burlington, Oakville and the rest of the GTHA continue to grow, the pressure on our transportation network is only increasing. Families rely on highways more than ever to get to work, to get to school and to support local businesses. But Speaker, under the former Liberal government, critical infrastructure was neglected. Projects were pushed off, over budget and outright abandoned, leaving drivers to deal with longer commutes, more congestion and billions lost in productivity.

Speaker, Ontarians need a government that builds, not delays. They want a government that works with municipalities and industry partners to move projects forward faster. Can the minister explain how our investments in major corridors, like the Gardiner and QEW, are strengthening our region, reducing gridlock and protecting Ontario’s economic—

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

Mr. Ric Bresee: As the GTHA grows, our economy depends on the ability of people and goods to move efficiently across the region. That’s why our government is making strategic, targeted investments in the transportation corridors that matter the most.

Speaker, our partnership with the city of Toronto on the Gardiner is a clear example. By providing that $73 million from the province and enabling 24-hour-a-day construction, we’re accelerating one of the busiest highway sections in all of Ontario—a route used by more than 140,000 vehicles every weekday. And we’re taking the same approach on the QEW, where widening and rehabilitation work will improve capacity, reduce bottlenecks and keep traffic flowing between Burlington, Toronto and Niagara.

Ontarians overwhelmingly support this plan: The Toronto region board found that 73% support 24-hour construction. Speaker, by reducing gridlock—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Health care

MPP Robin Lennox: Speaker, two million people in Ontario lack a family doctor. Successive Conservative and Liberal governments have left us with the second-lowest number of family doctors per capita in all of Canada, and according to the Auditor General, we are nowhere near where we should be to ensure that every person in Ontario has access to primary care. We’re not talking about a luxury; we’re talking about essential health care.

Will the Minister of Health please explain how the government has had eight years to address the primary care crisis and still can’t put together a plan that meets the needs of all Ontarians?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: This government has instituted a $2.1-billion plan to connect people to primary care. It is called the primary care action plan.

Let me give the House a few examples of the progress that we are making in connecting thousands of people to primary care in the province of Ontario. For example, the Vaughan Community Health Centre received $2.6 million to connect approximately 6,000 people to primary care, and the Mississauga Integrated Care Centre has received approximately $5 million to connect over 12,000 people to primary care.

That is part of our plan, Madam Speaker. We are connecting people to primary care across the province of Ontario through our interprofessional primary care team expansion.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Member for Hamilton Centre.

MPP Robin Lennox: When asked about the number of people who have been connected to primary care, it seems the Minister of Health has caught a case of bad math. She said that 60% of people who need a family doctor had been connected, but she added an extra zero, because “60% of people” refers to the number of people on the Health Care Connect wait-list who have been connected, but that’s only 10% of people who actually need a family doctor. The correct number is actually 6%. Only 6% in need of a family doctor have even been referred to one in the past year. And each day, we hear of more and more family doctors retiring or leaving the profession because this government hasn’t invested in recruitment and retention.

To the minister: A 6% success rate isn’t a reassuring number. Why should the people of Ontario believe you when you say you’re going to attach someone to a family doctor by 2029, when you’re already falling way too short?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: To correct the member: It was actually the previous Liberal government that reduced the number of doctors being trained in Ontario, and it was this government that increased the number of doctors being trained in Ontario. Since taking office in 2018, the number of family doctors in the province of Ontario has actually increased by over 14%. That’s a 14% increase of family doctors in the province of Ontario since 2018.

In addition to that, we’ve increased the number of nurse practitioners practising in the province of Ontario. The nurse practitioners are always forgotten by the opposition, but we don’t forget the nurse practitioners, who have increased by 50% since this government took office in 2018.

Health care

Mr. Adil Shamji: Yesterday, the Auditor General delivered a scathing condemnation of this government. She said the Premier is more focused on himself than on Ontarians. She pulled back the cover on the empty promises that the Premier has been trumpeting, amplified by self-promotional ads to the tune of $112 million. She told us that at least two million people don’t have a family doctor; that a third of people who have a doctor can’t get to theirs; that health teams are getting a third of the funding that they’re asking for, if they get anything at all; and that the government is promising med schools but delivering disappointment.

Madam Speaker, the government could be advertising Health Care Connect. They could be advertising how to find a family doctor or how to get vaccinated. Instead, they’re advertising themselves. Will the Premier explain why he’s so busy boosting his image, instead of actually boosting our access to health care?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Member for Essex.

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Let me continue outlining the great progress that we are making connecting people to health care in the province of Ontario. The Health Care Connect wait-list, since only January 1, 2025, has already been reduced by 65%. That’s a 65% reduction just since January 1, 2025.

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Connecting people to primary care is part of our overall plan. Let me give you yet another example: The Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities has received approximately $4 million to connect over 9,000 people to primary care here in the province of Ontario. We are expanding our primary care to connect people more and more, every single day, to give people health care where and when they need it.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Don Valley East.

Mr. Adil Shamji: I wish the PA for health actually read the Auditor General’s report instead of saying that he did, because she actually highlighted the fact that nobody uses Health Care Connect and it captures only 11% of the people who actually need a family doctor.

I’m going to remind you again that the Auditor General officially graded the government’s performance on primary care—not the announcements, their performance on primary care—and gave you guys a grade of F. She said the government has failed to deliver a primary care action strategy with real timelines or targets, failed to fix Health Care Connect, failed to properly fund health teams, failed to actually expand medical schools and failed to crack down on medical overcharging—fail after fail after fail after fail.

Unsurprisingly, their performance is down, but their ad budget is up: $112 million in self-promotional advertising.

Madam Speaker, can the Premier explain why he is more preoccupied with self-serving ads when he should be preoccupied with delivering primary care for everyone?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: I think the doctor member from the Liberal Party forgot that it was the Liberal Party of Ontario that reduced the number of doctors being trained in Ontario. By contrast, it is this government that has increased the number of doctors being trained in Ontario.

In addition to that, we have introduced as-of-right recognition for medical professionals across the country, meaning that more medical professionals can get into Ontario and practise sooner and faster. We’ve reduced that Health Care Connect wait-list by 65%, only since January of this year.

We are adding thousands of people to primary care in Ontario. Let me give you yet another example: another 6,000 people added to the Niagara Falls Community Health Centre for a $2.6-million investment.

Nuclear energy

Mr. Billy Pang: My question is for the Minister of Energy and Mines.

Ontario is growing at an unprecedented pace. People and businesses are choosing our province because we provide stability, opportunity and a strong economic foundation. Major investments in advanced manufacturing, clean steel, electric vehicle production and transit electrification are driving even more growth. These projects require clean, reliable and affordable electricity.

Speaker, nuclear energy has long been the backbone of Ontario’s power system. It keeps our grid clean and reliable, and it supports thousands of good-paying jobs across our province. As our population increases and new industries expand, the need for additional nuclear capacity becomes even more important. Can the minister explain the role that new nuclear will play as Ontario continues to reduce emissions and pursue a clean energy future?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Mississauga–Lakeshore.

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: I want to thank the member from Markham–Unionville for that question.

I want to take us on a brief trip down memory lane, because it is important to remember how we got here. In 2013, the Toronto Star headline read “Ontario Liberals Scrap Plan for New Nuclear Reactors.” At that time, the Liberal Minister of Energy, Bob Chiarelli, stated, “New nuclear will not be part of the long-term energy plan,” and “We’re in a comfortable (electricity ...) surplus position.” Fast-forward to 2016: The Liberals announced their intention to shut down the Pickering nuclear station.

Now, just last week, under the leadership of the Premier, our government made a truly historic announcement: We’re moving forward with the refurbishing of the Pickering nuclear generation station, securing power for 2.2 million homes; over 30,000 high-quality, skilled jobs; and 50 more years of clean, reliable, affordable energy.

When it comes to powering Ontario’s future, nuclear energy isn’t just part of our plan; it is the plan.

Mr. Billy Pang: Thank you the to parliamentary assistant for the important update.

Speaker, the refurbishment of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station is not just an energy project; it is a major economic engine for Ontario. This project creates thousands of good-paying jobs. It supports local businesses and strengthens communities.

Speaker, Ontario is not waiting; we are leading. Countries around the globe are looking to our province for our expertise, our workforce and our technology. The decisions we make today will ensure we remain a global leader in clean energy tomorrow.

Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant explain how our investments in nuclear power are helping Ontario assert leadership at home and on the global stage?

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: I want to thank the member again for that question. The world is watching Ontario and they want to partner with us. We already have nuclear partnerships in Poland, Romania and Estonia, and earlier this week, the minister secured a major new partnership with Bulgaria. Demand is growing and more countries are in line. Ontario is participating on the world stage and we’re leading there.

We’re delivering the first grid-scale small modular reactor in the G7 at Darlington, adding up to 1,200 megawatts of clean power to the grid, $38.5 billion to Canada’s GDP and supporting 18,000 high-skilled jobs across the country.

We’re refurbishing our entire nuclear fleet including 4,800 megawatts at Bruce Power, 3,500 megawatts at Darlington and 2,200 megawatts at Pickering. And Speaker, we’re taking steps towards the largest nuclear build in the world at Wesleyville, adding up to a 10,000 megawatts of new, clean baseload power—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Toronto–Danforth.

Environmental protection

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Speaker, to the Premier: The Auditor General made it clear in her report yesterday that the government doesn’t follow or respect the law regarding environmental consultation, the Environmental Bill of Rights. The government made it clear, through steps to undermine climate action, that it doesn’t respect the environment. Why doesn’t the government respect the law or the environment?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Minister of the Environment.

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy: I’m glad the member opposite asked that question, Madam Speaker. I want to quote directly from the Auditor General.

The Auditor General acknowledges that the Environmental Bill of Rights “continued in 2024-25 to enable the public to participate in the province’s environmental decision-making. Ministries notified and consulted the public about hundreds of environmentally significant proposals, and the public submitted thousands of comments. In many cases, ministries made changes to their final decisions as a result of the public’s comments.”

And so our ministry and our government, through dedicated outreach, focused consultation sessions and specialized working groups, consults and listens and acts in accordance with the will of the people.

Speaking of the will of the people, the biggest consultation of all this year was the 2025 election. We heard the people loud and clear: We have a third majority mandate under Premier Ford.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Member for Toronto–Danforth.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Again to the Premier: Jobs, homes and our health depend on a clean and stable environment. When the government doesn’t respect Ontario’s environmental laws, it puts all those at risk.

Why don’t jobs, homes or our health matter to the government?

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy: We do not have to make a choice, I would say to the member opposite. We can build the Ontario of tomorrow while protecting our shared environment.

Our government is proud to lead our country when it comes to protecting our environment. Ontario alone has achieved more greenhouse gas emissions reductions than all other provinces combined, leading Canada with 67% of total emissions reductions. We’re proud of that record.

And why are we doing that? Because we’re making the smart investments: $10.9 billion in clean nuclear energy, half a billion dollars in green steel, $70 billion in public transit. It’s these investments that achieve results. Results matter. We’re getting it done for the people.

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Health care

MPP Tyler Watt: My question is for the Minister of Health. Last week, the Minister of Health told this House that Ontario’s health care workers are cheering them on. She also said it was appropriate for a hospital to lay off nurses to balance their budget.

Then, yesterday, the Premier stood up in front of cameras and said that he saved our health care system and that we should call any CEO of any hospital and ask them if it’s better now.

Well, Speaker, the Premier doesn’t need to go very far. He has a former hospital CEO, and she is sitting right here. He has an emergency room doctor sitting right there. And he has a nurse right here who ran because I couldn’t stand seeing what this government was doing to our health care system.

Will the minister explain why her vision of health care—full of applause, praise and imaginary cheering—looks nothing like what patients and health care workers are experiencing in our hospitals?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: I thank the nurse practitioner or the nurse from the Liberal Party for that question. I go back to the facts, which are that nurse practitioners in the province of Ontario have actually increased by 50% since this government took office. And the reason why we’ve increased the number of practising nurse practitioners in the province of Ontario is because we didn’t do what the Liberal Party did: We didn’t balance the budget on the backs of people who needed health care. What we did is we increased the health care budget from $62 billion in 2018 to over $90 billion today, which is a 50% increase that allowed us to put those nurse practitioners to work, bringing health care to the people of the province of Ontario, where and when they need it.

We are expanding access to primary care because we know people value primary care through our publicly funded health care system, and that is what we are dedicated to.

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

MPP Tyler Watt: I encourage that member to take his time sitting down because after all that spinning, you can get very dizzy.

This holiday season, I will be working shifts as a nurse, and I invite the health minister to join me for a few hours so she can finally see the reality of what is going on in hospitals. I’m talking about hospitals. I’ll be honest, though, I wouldn’t expect much cheering there because ER wait times are at historic highs, if they’re even open. Family doctors are closing their doors, urgent care walk-in clinics are closed by 10 a.m., and nurses and health care workers are leaving faster than hospitals can hire them.

Madam Speaker, instead of telling us that people are cheering for her, will the Minister of Health touch grass and commit today to the Ontario Liberal Party plan to provide an additional $1 billion to our hospitals to make them whole?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Madam Speaker, I note that the MPP first made light of this government’s financial investments in the health care system and then ended his question by asking for more money.

We’ve increased the budget for the health care system in Ontario by 50% since this government took office. The number of family doctors practising in Ontario has increased by 14% since this government took office. The number of nurse practitioners in Ontario has increased by 50% since this government took office because we, unlike the Liberal Party of Ontario, made the investments necessary for family doctors to practise in Ontario, for nurse practitioners to practise in Ontario—the nurse practitioners that are routinely ignored by both the Liberal Party and the NDP.

We believe in delivering primary care, and we will continue to do so.

Public transit

Mr. Deepak Anand: My question is to the Minister of Transportation. For our seniors, our parents—the people who cared for us—it is time for us to care for them. Seniors like Piara Pannu, Paramjit Kahlon and many more in my riding rely on public transit for their day-to-day activities. Whether they’re going to visit family or on their way to a health care appointment, many seniors rely on MiWay and the TTC to get where they need to go.

Can the minister tell us about the One Fare program and the positive impact it has made on their lives? Instead of paying double fares, now they only pay one fare.

The question again: Minister, please outline what steps our government is taking to keep costs down for people who care for us and making it easier for them—

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

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Thank you to the member for that question. Whether it’s seniors, students or others who use public transit across the province, it’s all been about making life more affordable. That’s why, two years ago, we launched the One Fare program. This program saves commuters $1,600 every single year.

That senior that will then get onto a MiWay bus trying to get to downtown Toronto, who might need to use the GO train or the TTC, will only pay one fare. Especially for those on fixed incomes, this makes a huge difference. As I said: $1,600 a year. That is what this program focuses on.

This program makes transit more accessible for people across the province, especially for those seniors in Mississauga and across the province. We’re going to continue to deliver this world-class public transit system that we’re investing $70 billion in over the next 10 years.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Mississauga–Malton.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you to the minister for that response.

I heard the word “students.” As a father of two children—and my daughter is actually in university. She regularly uses public transit whenever she’s here in Mississauga, and she tells me all the time that the One Fare program helps them save money. That’s why it is frustrating to see the NDP and the Liberals—while we hear them talk about the students, these are the same people who voted against this program.

Our government will continue to make transit more affordable and convenient so that hard-working Ontarians can keep more money in their pockets.

Speaker, can the minister please explain to the House the benefits of One Fare and how this extension will make it even easier for our students?

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Madam Speaker, 62 million free transfers: That is what the One Fare program has enabled to date. That’s over $200 million of savings for those transit riders across the network.

Think of a student who’s going to jump on to a MiWay bus, get on a GO train and then they use their TTC card to get on the TTC to get up to TMU. That is the power of One Fare: students saving money, families across this province saving money, putting more money back into their pockets. This two-year extension that we announced just on Monday—$3,200 back into the pockets of hard-working families.

Madam Speaker, this builds on our progress. Whether it’s removing tolls off the 412, the 418 or the 407 east, or whether it’s the 5.7-cent reduction in our gas tax, we’re committed to making life more—

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

Health care

M^me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé.

The Auditor General yesterday told us that six different people filed complaints about being billed illegally by a physician, but that didn’t trigger anything. She told us that 59 physicians billed for more than 24 hours in a single day, some billing for over 100 patients per day. More than 100 physicians billed for working every single day of the year, and some even billed for more days than there are in a year.

There could be some very valid reason why this is happening, but there are $600 million in limbo. How come none of that ever triggered any need for action from this government and none of that ever triggered any need for a review?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: The Auditor General did in fact identify ways to strengthen oversight, but it’s important to note that the recommendations are related to a very small fraction of the overall OHIP billing claims. We know there’s more to do, and that is why we launched a claims modernization plan. That was to strengthen the oversight in physician billing, and that’s why we are accepting the auditor’s recommendations.

We’re working closely with the Ontario Medical Association to implement targeted solutions that prevent errors and strengthen accountability, and we want to maintain public confidence in Ontario’s health care system. Our priority will always be to protect taxpayer dollars, at the same time ensuring that physicians are paid on time and also making sure that care is not disrupted.

Deferred Votes

Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour une mobilité accrue, des prix plus abordables et des transports plus fiables en Ontario

Deferred vote on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 70, An Act to amend the Metrolinx Act, 2006 and the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act with respect to transportation / Projet de loi 70, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2006 sur Metrolinx et la Loi sur l’aménagement des voies publiques et des transports en commun en ce qui concerne les transports.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1140 to 1145.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Members, please take your seats.

On December 2, 2025, MPP Hazell moved second reading of Bill 70, An Act to amend the Metrolinx Act, 2006 and the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act with respect to transportation.

All those in favour, please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Armstrong, Teresa J.
Begum, Doly
Bell, Jessica
Blais, Stephen
Bourgouin, Guy
Bowman, Stephanie
Brady, Bobbi Ann
Cerjanec, Rob
Clancy, Aislinn
Collard, Lucille
Fairclough, Lee
Fife, Catherine
Fraser, John
French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne
Gélinas, France
Gilmour, Alexa
Glover, Chris
Gretzky, Lisa
Hazell, Andrea
Hsu, Ted
Kernaghan, Terence
Lennox, Robin
Mamakwa, Sol
McCrimmon, Karen
McKenney, Catherine
McMahon, Mary-Margaret
Pasma, Chandra

Sattler, Peggy
Schreiner, Mike
Shamji, Adil
Shaw, Sandy
Smyth, Stephanie
Stevens, Jennifer (Jennie)
Tabuns, Peter
Tsao, Jonathan
Vanthof, John
Vaugeois, Lise
Watt, Tyler
West, Jamie
Wong-Tam, Kristyn

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): All those opposed, please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Anand, Deepak
Babikian, Aris
Bailey, Robert
Bethlenfalvy, Peter
Bouma, Will
Bresee, Ric
Calandra, Paul
Cho, Raymond Sung Joon
Cho, Stan
Ciriello, Monica
Clark, Steve
Cooper, Michelle
Crawford, Stephen
Cuzzetto, Rudy
Darouze, George
Denault, Billy
Dixon, Jess
Dowie, Andrew
Downey, Doug
Dunlop, Jill
Fedeli, Victor
Firin, Mohamed
Flack, Rob

Ford, Doug
Gallagher Murphy, Dawn
Grewal, Hardeep Singh
Gualtieri, Silvia
Hamid, Zee
Hardeman, Ernie
Jones, Trevor
Jordan, John
Kanapathi, Logan
Kerzner, Michael S.
Khanjin, Andrea
Leardi, Anthony
Lecce, Stephen
Lumsden, Neil
McCarthy, Todd J.
McGregor, Graham
Mulroney, Caroline
Oosterhoff, Sam
Pang, Billy
Parsa, Michael
Pierre, Natalie
Pinsonneault, Steve
Quinn, Nolan

Racinsky, Joseph
Rae, Matthew
Riddell, Brian
Rosenberg, Bill
Sabawy, Sheref
Sandhu, Amarjot
Sarkaria, Prabmeet Singh
Sarrazin, Stéphane
Saunderson, Brian
Scott, Chris
Scott, Laurie
Smith, David
Smith, Laura
Tangri, Nina
Thanigasalam, Vijay
Thompson, Lisa M.
Tibollo, Michael A.
Triantafilopoulos, Effie J.
Vickers, Paul
Wai, Daisy
Williams, Charmaine A.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day): The ayes are 41; the nays are 67.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I declare the motion lost.

Second reading negatived.

There being no further business, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1149 to 1300.

Royal assent / Sanction royale

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I beg to inform the House that in the name of His Majesty the King, Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor has been pleased to assent to certain bills in her office.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Mr. Christopher Tyrell): The following are the titles to the bills to which Her Honour did assent:

An Act to make statutory amendments respecting emergency management and authorizing enforceable directives to specified entities providing publicly-funded community social services / Loi visant à apporter des modifications législatives concernant la gestion des situations d’urgence et autorisant la formulation de directives exécutoires aux entités publiques désignées qui fournissent des services communautaires et sociaux financés par les fonds publics.

An Act to enact the Geologic Carbon Storage Act, 2025 and to amend various Acts with respect to wildfires, resource safety and surveyors / Loi édictant la Loi de 2025 sur le stockage géologique de carbone et modifiant diverses lois concernant les incendies de végétation, la sécurité des ressources et les arpenteurs-géomètres.

Introduction of Visitors

Ms. Chandra Pasma: I would like to welcome Cameron MacLeod from Ottawa, previously of the Carlington Community Health Centre—which is shared between my riding and the riding of the member for Ottawa Centre—and currently of TryCycle. Welcome, Cameron.

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on the Interior

Mr. Aris Babikian: Madam Speaker, I beg leave to present the report from the Standing Committee on the Interior and move its adoption.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Mr. Christopher Tyrell): Your committee begs to report the following bill, as amended:

Bill 40, An Act to amend various statutes, with respect to energy, the electrical sector and public utilities.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Shall the report be received and adopted? Agreed? Agreed.

Report adopted.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to the order of the House dated November 6, 2025, the bill is ordered for third reading.

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

International Day of Persons with Disabilities / Journée internationale des personnes handicapées

Hon. Raymond Sung Joon Cho: Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This day holds profound significance for Ontario and for communities around the world. Its purpose is clear and compelling: to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support with the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also increases awareness of the benefits that come from integrating people with disabilities into every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

This year’s theme, “Fostering Disability Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress,” reminds us that accessibility is not simply a matter of compliance; it is a foundation of building stronger communities and a more prosperous province. When people with disabilities are fully included, everyone benefits. Accessibility drives innovation, strengthens economies and enriches our social fabric. This is of particular importance as our province and country face unprecedented challenges from the tariffs put in place by US President Donald Trump. In the face of these uncertainties, it is especially important that we all work together to create a province where every Ontarian can fully participate.

Accessibility is not just a legal requirement; it is a moral imperative, and that involves all of us. And it is an economic opportunity for our province. We know that barriers—whether physical, digital or attitudinal—limit participation and potential. Removing those barriers is essential to creating a society where everyone can contribute and thrive.

That is why Ontario continues to lead with strong legislation, strategic investment and collaborative partnerships. Our government works alongside many partners to further accessibility, from individuals with lived experience to municipalities to businesses and other organizations, to expert committees and councils. And when we’re all working together, it is incredible what we can achieve. Our actions are coordinated across Ontario’s government and the broader public sector to ensure maximum impact.

This has led to marvellous partnerships with the school boards and the health sector to renovate existing and build new schools and hospitals. It has led to transformational investments in transit infrastructure, with each new station and every renovated station being accessible. It has led to updating the Ontario building code, incorporating the feedback of people with disabilities and strengthening accessibility requirements. It has led to improvements in how ServiceOntario operates, making it easier to access government services.

We are continuing to help people with disabilities enter the workplace and fully participate in our economy, while also making strategic investments to support innovative programs by partner organizations across Ontario.

I want to take a moment to thank my many colleagues who, under the leadership of Premier Ford, are delivering truly transformational change in Ontario. We are ensuring that the voice of people with disabilities is always included in the development of our government services. We examine all programs and initiatives through an accessible lens, to ensure that our investment programs are producing concrete results from the outset.

This reflects Ontario’s commitment to creating a province where accessibility is woven into the fabric of everyday life. Under our government, accessibility has been integrated into every part of what we do. Our government cannot act alone. We need the active engagement of our businesses, community organizations and individuals.

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Accessibility is a collective effort, requiring the dedication and involvement of individuals and organizations across Ontario. We are sincerely grateful for everyone’s shared commitment to lead by example and meet or exceed their accessibility requirements. By embracing accessibility as a core value, you’re driving meaningful change that benefits everyone. And by standing together, we are showing that Ontario is strong and united.

The observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is more than a symbolic gesture; it is a reminder that we want to continue to challenge our assumptions, dismantle barriers and embrace accessibility in all its forms. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities and to recognize that their voices, talents and perspectives enrich every aspect of our society.

Speaker, as we mark this important day, I encourage all Ontarians to reflect on what accessibility means in their workplaces, schools and communities. Ask yourself, “How can we make our spaces more accessible? How can we ensure that programs and services meet the needs of everyone? How can we foster attitudes that value ability, rather than focus on limitations?” The answers to these questions will shape the future of our province, a future where accessibility continues to be a guiding principle, a future where every person can participate fully and equally.

Ontario has come a long way, and our work is far from finished. We know that accessibility is an ongoing journey. As we continue to make the province more accessible, we are also uncovering new barriers and new challenges. We know, though, that when we are united, we can achieve anything. Together we can build a society that truly reflects the theme of this year’s observance: “Fostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress.”

We have achieved so much and I’m excited to see all that is still to come.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Responses?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: It’s an honour to speak in the House about the conditions for people living with disabilities in Ontario. Malheureusement, la réalité vécue par beaucoup trop de personnes handicapées en Ontario demeure dure et semée de barrières.

The government asserts that supports for people on the Ontario Disability Support Program are generous, but let’s be clear: No one can live on $1,400 a month. And if you live in a household with other people—your parents, a partner or a housemate—your support will be clawed back.

We also know that those trying to survive on Ontario Works—a mere $733 a month—are often waiting to have their disability acknowledged so that they can move slightly up to ODSP.

To paraphrase the recent Feed Ontario report: The rules governing benefits can leave people worse off for making what most would consider to be reasonable financial choices, such as working more hours, saving money to bridge gaps between contracts, or moving in with a partner to reduce costs. The rules are designed to keep people on the edge of desperation, where living a dignified life is an impossibility. This is legislated poverty. On constate également une grave pénurie de logements abordables et accessibles.

The latest update of the Ontario building code was a missed opportunity. Instead of consulting with disability advocates when updating the code, building standards were reduced to the lowest common denominator while public consultation was eliminated.

Why not give builders incentives to make accessibility the standard in all new builds, and support small businesses in renovating to make older buildings accessible as well?

Right now, rules governing the private sector don’t even require doctors and dentists to have accessible offices and washrooms. Et il n’y a personne à qui se plaindre, personne à appeler.

We also know that workers made ill or injured on the job, particularly those with critical and permanent injuries or disabilities, are pushed into poverty by a compensation system so distorted from its intended purpose that the government actually brags about taking money away from injured workers to give back to employers. Les règles en matière de sécurité au travail sont tellement laxistes que Fiera Foods, où cinq travailleurs sont morts au travail, bénéficie toujours de remboursements.

We heard from the Ontario Ombudsman this week that adults with developmental disabilities are medically and/or physically tied down in hospitals or even jails, because there are no community homes and supports available to them. This was already known in 2016, but nothing has changed.

The government also shows its disdain for people with disabilities by paying critical front-line workers so little that they can be working full-time and still be forced to use food banks to survive.

We continue to see the forced isolation of seniors in long-term care through the abuse of the Trespass to Property Act—an abuse that is still being actively promoted by the Ministry of Long-Term Care and, shockingly, by the Ontario Patient Ombudsman. According to the former Minister of Long-Term Care, this practice was ended in 2021. So why is this government allowing this abuse to continue? It needs to stop.

Finally, I want to make clear that between the government’s failure to control the cost of housing and impossibly low levels of financial support, living with a disability is incredibly precarious and exhausting. Mais c’est la réalité pour trop de personnes handicapées en Ontario.

The challenges of the disability itself are one thing, but as Dr. Ramona Coelho, who sits on the chief coroner’s Medical Assistance in Dying Death Review Committee, says, “The same government that is failing to offer social systems is the same government that is offering quick and easy MAID. There’s a perverse disincentive to improve care.”

We know that MAID is federal and that the federal government cannot be left off the hook for their failures, but the conditions of desperation for people with disabilities in Ontario lie squarely with the province. The AODA standards are the law, and these standards were supposed to be in place by 2025, but clearly, this is not going to happen. Worse, though, are the political decisions that keep people living lives of endless struggle and precarity that lead people to give up and suicide—alone, or using MAID.

People with disabilities are our friends, our neighbours, our family members, ourselves. When profits come first, people are cast aside. We can and must do better.

MPP Stephanie Smyth: I’m honoured to speak today, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I want to start by thanking the minister for his remarks and for the work he does in this portfolio. I know he cares about this file and his team does too. But caring isn’t the same as doing enough.

Speaker, when it comes to accessibility in Ontario, we are simply not where we need to be, and I think we all know that. It has been nearly 20 years since the AODA passed, 20 years of people with disabilities being told that barriers would come down, that change was coming, that Ontario was on a path to becoming fully accessible by 2025. Speaker, the end of 2025 is weeks away, and we are nowhere close, not even within reach.

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I’ve spoken with people who can’t access basic services like transportation—people in wheelchairs still not able to get elevator service at many TTC stations; websites aren’t screen-reader-compatible; parents who spend years fighting for accommodations for their children that they should have had on day one; workers blocked from good jobs because their workplace hasn’t bothered to meet even the minimum standards; seniors who feel like the world is shrinking around them because transit, public spaces, health services, things everyone else takes for granted, still aren’t accessible. Every one of these stories represents a barrier that could have been removed already but has not been.

Speaker, what we keep hearing from experts, from stakeholders, from constituents, reviewer after reviewer is the same message over and over. We don’t need more reports. We don’t need more round tables. We know what needs to be done. What is missing is urgency, the follow-through, the political commitment to actually enforce the laws that we already have.

Right now, accessibility compliance is pretty much based on luck: whether an organization happens to be audited. That is not enforcement; that is crossing your fingers and hoping the system works on its own. While we wait and while we consult and while we delay, people are shut out of opportunities they deserve.

Technology has changed dramatically since 2005, but our standards haven’t kept pace. The world moved forward; the AODA didn’t. We owe it to people with disabilities to modernize the act so that it actually reflects how people live, work, interact and access information today.

This isn’t about attacking the government as much as it is about asking the government to rise to this moment and to listen, again, to the disability community, who have been incredibly patient for far too long, to turn commitments into real action, real timelines and real accountability. Ontario Liberals have been asking for the doubling of ODSP for how long now? Because accessibility isn’t nice to just have. It’s not an extra; it’s a fundamental right, and it affects one in four Ontarians—and frankly, it affects all of us eventually.

Speaker, people with disabilities deserve a government that moves barriers out of the way, not one that asks them to keep adjusting their lives around those barriers. They deserve a province that actually delivers on promises made years ago.

So I’m asking the minister today, sincerely: Let’s stop celebrating small steps as if they’re the finish line. Let’s stop announcing things as if announcing it is the same as building, and let’s finally give this legislation the teeth, the clarity and the urgency that it’s needed for years. Ontario can lead again. We can get this right, but we need to act now with the seriousness people with disabilities have been asking for over and over again.

Speaker, I want to end with this: People with disabilities are tired of waiting. They’re tired of having to fight for every accommodation and explain again and again and again why accessibility is not optional. They have held up their end for decades; now it’s time for the government to hold up theirs.

So I urge the minister, let’s shift from slow, incremental steps to real momentum. Let’s remove barriers faster than they’re being built, and let’s finally deliver on the promises of the AODA and not just talk about it.

An accessible Ontario shouldn’t be a dream; it should be the norm. With real action, it can be.

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

Mr. Mike Schreiner: I seek unanimous consent to allow the independents to respond to the ministerial statement collectively as a group for two minutes.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The independent member is asking for unanimous consent to allow the independent members for two minutes to respond. Agreed? Agreed.

I recognize the member from Guelph.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It’s an honour to rise today for the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a day to speak out for disability rights and to call for full integration of people with disabilities.

All of us, the collective we in Ontario, need to be held accountable for Ontario’s failure to fulfill the commitment that the government made to people with disabilities with the passage of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act in 2005. Despite giving itself 20 years to make the province accessible, successive governments have failed to meet that commitment. People with disabilities deserve the dignity of full inclusion and the dignity of living not being in legislative poverty.

People on ODSP receive $1,400 per month. The math doesn’t add up, and that’s exactly why one in three people with disabilities are a food bank user. Speaker, we have an obligation to do better.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member from Haldimand–Norfolk.

Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady: I want to applaud the minister as he recognizes International Day of Persons with Disabilities. By doing so, we as legislators are promoting a further understanding and driving a culture of inclusion for those with challenges.

However, I maintain respecting people with disabilities must reflect both dignity and economic reality, and that begins with meaningful change to ODSP. For too long, clawbacks have penalized people who are simply trying to improve their circumstances, limiting their ability to work part-time or accept modest income supports without fear of losing vital benefits. Ending punitive clawbacks would give recipients the stability to pursue training, employment and independence at their very own pace.

At the same time, Ontario’s asset limits are outdated and unrealistic. Increasing asset thresholds would also allow individuals to save responsibly for emergencies, housing or future needs, basic financial protections that every single Ontarian deserves.

Modernizing ODSP just isn’t compassionate policy; it’s smart policy that empowers people, reduces poverty and builds stronger, more resilient communities across this province.

Petitions

University funding

Mr. Ted Hsu: I have a petition from my constituents, many of whom are associated with Queen’s University. It says a number of things, but I’ll just point out one of the points they make is that universities are integral to society because they drive economic growth and future prosperity, something that we are struggling with now as we are facing tariff wars. But they also point out that Ontario’s universities have been undervalued and chronically underfunded, the lowest in the country amongst all provinces.

They’re calling on the government to invest in Ontario’s future by boosting Ontario universities’ base operating funds to the level recommended by the government’s own Blue Ribbon Panel on Financial Sustainability in the Post-Secondary Education Sector.

University funding

Mr. Ted Hsu: I have a different petition, but it’s on the same subject. This is pointing out that universities are integral to our society for a number of reasons, and one is that they train the talent for Ontario’s growth industries.

Yesterday we met the greenhouse growers. I remember one of them was very proud to have a PhD on his staff doing research and innovation.

Anyway, in this petition, the petitioners are pointing out the underfunding of Ontario’s universities, and they in this petition are asking the government to invest in Ontario’s future by boosting Ontario universities’ base operating funds by 11.75% annually for a five-year period to bring Ontario close to the Canadian average for funding.

Orders of the Day

Allan Kenneth McLean

Hon. Steve Clark: Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Allan Kenneth McLean, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government.

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The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Allan Kenneth McLean, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government. Agreed? Agreed.

Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Allan Kenneth McLean, who was the MPP for Simcoe East during the 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th Parliaments.

Mr. McLean’s family and friends are watching from home, including his spouse, Marjorie McLean, and his children and their families: Gary, Joanne, Nancy, Barry, Sandra, Patsy, Darrin, Lesley, Angela and Kevin.

Also joining us in the galleries are Don McIsaac, his friend and mayor of the city of Orillia; Dave Levac, Speaker during the during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Ross McClellan, MPP for Bellwoods during the 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; Odoardo Di Santo, MPP for Downsview during the 30th, 31st and 32nd Parliaments; Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; Bob Rae, the member for York South in the 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th Parliaments; and Judy Marsales, the member for Hamilton West in the 30th Parliament. Welcome.

I now turn to the first presenter who will be giving a tribute to the family. I recognize the member from Timiskaming–Cochrane.

Mr. John Vanthof: Welcome to our guests who are here locally and guests of the family of the late Al McLean.

If you’re wondering how we get picked to do a tribute to someone who, quite frankly, I have never met, staff goes through the list, and they pick who they think is the most appropriate to do the tribute. I read this quote from Al McLean’s successor and now I know why I was picked. The quote regarding Mr. McLean: “‘I think as a farmer and as a politician, he was a hard guy to beat,’ said Garfield Dunlop, who succeeded McLean as Simcoe North MPP in 1999.”

Doing some research on Mr. McLean—and I think I’m going to call him Al. After the research, I feel pretty close as a fellow farmer. I feel some of the things he felt. It said he was hard-working and, as a dairy farmer, there are many traits that are similar to political life. One of the things I think that made Al McLean stand out—farmers, dairy farmers, we do our best to take care of our animals, to breed quality animals. Sometimes if the best cow has a heifer calf and that heifer calf dies, does a dairy farmer say, “That’s it. I’m going to find another job”? They don’t do that. They start again, right? They breed that cow all over again. It’s the same as when your—hay is very important to a dairy farm. Sometimes you have the best, driest hay, you have beautiful alfalfa, and the rain comes and destroys it. It’s a tough day, but you need to keep going because you need to have quality feed for those cows for the winter.

It’s much like our vocation. We don’t win every day. We can’t fix everyone’s problems every day. But we try every day because we know tomorrow is another day. I think, reading some of his quotes about agriculture—“It’s hard to get it out of your system.” I think that says a lot about agriculture.

I was envious of Al McLean for one thing: He got to say in his memoir, “My grandson’s running it now,” and that was regarding his dairy farm. My kids are hard workers, but they didn’t want to milk cows. The day that we sold our dairy farm was one of the hardest days of my life. I’m so happy for him and happy for his family that he had the career he had and his business got to continue.

I’d like to acknowledge one thing that’s exactly the same with agriculture, with dairy farming and with politics: You don’t do it alone; you do it with your family. If your family doesn’t support what you’re doing, you don’t last. That’s the same on the farm and it’s the same with a political career.

I’d like to thank Al McLean’s family for sharing him with the province of Ontario, letting him use his skills to help us all. It’s been an incredible tribute to speak on behalf of the official opposition and to remember Al McLean.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member from Don Valley East.

Mr. Adil Shamji: Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to remember a man whose life embodied service—service to his community, to this province and to every person whose path he crossed. Allan Kenneth McLean passed on November 20, at the age of 87, leaving behind a legacy that will not be forgotten.

It will come as no surprise that I did not have the privilege of serving in Queen’s Park alongside him, but Allan’s career and character speak for themselves. Over the course of two decades, he represented the people of Simcoe East as their devoted member of provincial Parliament. From 1981 to 1999, he served particularly with dedication, holding roles such as the deputy whip of his caucus, and from 1995 to 1996, undertaking the responsibility of serving as the 34th Speaker of the Ontario Legislature. I will say that it takes a special kind of person to earn the confidence of an entire Legislature, and clearly, he was one such person.

But long before his time in the Legislature, and long before the associated titles and responsibilities of public office, he was guided by the values of the land. Born in the township of Oro, Allan spent his early years as a dairy farmer, cultivating a deep, living understanding of agricultural communities. These roots never left him. Evidently, they grounded him, enabling Allan to meet people with honesty and humility, regardless of whether they lived on a quiet rural road or in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Allan’s commitment to public service began early. As one of the youngest municipal councillors in Oro, he demonstrated even then the sense of responsibility and care that would define his life’s work. Allan understood that leadership was not about standing over others but standing alongside them.

This is certainly reflected in his successive electoral victories: His win in the 1987 election when he was one of only a few PC members re-elected, and his consecutive wins in 1990 and 1995. Most notably, in 1995, Allan won by over 14,000 votes—numbers that speak to the depth of Allan’s commitment to his craft and also of his constituents’ faith in him, their faith that he would fulfill their needs over the course of another term.

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Those who knew him speak highly of his warm presence. He was someone who met constituents at their level, listening before speaking. He was someone who actively made space for voices that too often go unheard. Beyond the political sphere, Allan also embraced the simple joys of life. I understand that he loved shuffleboarding, swimming and socializing, activities that paint his appreciation for connecting with peers in the world around him. He understood that friendship, laughter and shared moments are what make life a life worth living.

Madam Speaker, in his 2015 memoir, Farmer Politician, Al McLean reflected on a life devoted to public service. He was a man who showed up, clearly, a man who listened and who worked tirelessly on behalf of his constituents. For nearly two decades, the people of Simcoe East had in Al McLean a steadfast advocate at Queen’s Park.

Today, we’re taking a moment to honour not only Allan Kenneth McLean, the public servant, but also Allan McLean, the farmer, the colleague, the neighbour and the friend. His dedication to community and authenticity have left a lasting impression on this Pink Palace. With his legacy in mind, may we honour Allan by carrying forward the spirit with which he lived: grounded, generous and always open to others.

May he rest in peace.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response.

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Today we rise to remember and honour Allan McLean, a man whose presence in this chamber and in the communities of Simcoe county was as unmistakable as his voice echoing down these very hallways. As you’ve said earlier, Allan’s family is joining us virtually, but I’d like to acknowledge the mayor of Orillia, Don McIsaac, for being here and for being a long-time friend with Allan McLean.

Al served as a member of provincial Parliament for Simcoe East with deep commitment, plain-spoken candour and a level of authenticity that made him truly unforgettable. He was first elected provincially in 1981 and served to 1999. Over those years, he became known not only as a strong representative, but as one of the Legislature’s true originals.

He was known as someone whose personality filled the room before he even reached his seat. If you worked here during Big Al’s tenure, you may remember when he rose to speak, he never needed a microphone. His voice both filled the chamber with confidence and conviction. He believed passionately in the issues he fought for. He delivered every question, every speech and every comment with the unmistakable cadence of a man who understood his community and loved it deeply.

Allan was a proud champion of rural Ontario. His sincerity was rooted in lived experience. He represented farmers, families, service clubs and local councils. He believed that government should never drift too far from the people it serves, and he acted on that belief every day. Allan made politics accessible. It was known that constituents did not need an appointment with Al, they just needed to stop by the local coffee shop.

Many here will also remember Al’s memorable tenure as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He approached the role with fairness, respect for tradition and on occasion with a sense of humour that only he could deliver. There was the famous moment when after a spirited debate, which we often see here, he simply stopped, straightened in the chair and offered the chamber what staff later called the glare of order. It was a look so powerful it could silence even the most enthusiastic members and, occasionally, even make them laugh. Only Al could scold a chamber full of politicians with that level of civility and keep the proceedings on track.

He was also a mentor. Younger members often sought his advice, and Al gave it freely, without pretense. I can tell you he left big shoes to follow for both my father, Garfield Dunlop, and myself. His guidance was practical, rooted in experience and always delivered with that trademark candour.

But beyond the politics there was the man. Raised in Simcoe county, he understood the rhythms of rural life: The early mornings on the farm, the importance of local businesses and the strength of community ties. These experiences shaped his values and grounded his approach to politics. Whether he was flipping pancakes at a charity breakfast or cheering at local hockey games, he believed that being present mattered. He didn’t just represent his constituents; he lived among them, shared their concerns and celebrated their successes.

Al never forgot a name, never forgot a face and he never forgot where he came from. Whether he was marching at a local parade or greeting every single person at a fall fair, Al showed up and showed us all what it truly meant to be a public servant. He was present, he was approachable and he was genuinely interested in the lives of the people who he served.

Allan’s legacy is woven into the communities he served and into the fabric of this Legislature. He reminded us that politics can be human. He reminds us that representatives can be colourful and kind, that you can speak with force while still acting with fairness and that serving the public is not just a responsibility; it is a true privilege.

Al was a man who brought heart, humour and humility to Queen’s Park, a man whose voice carried far beyond these walls, a man who never forgot the people who sent him here and never stopped working for them. Al taught us that leadership is about listening, caring and standing firm when it counts. His example challenges us to lead with heart and humility, just as he did.

To his wife, Marjorie, and his children, his grandchildren, family, friends, former colleagues and the countless constituents whose lives he touched, we extend our deepest condolences and our enduring gratitude for sharing Big Al with us.

Mike Liam Farnan

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Madam Speaker, if you seek it you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Mike Liam Farnan, with five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Mike Liam Farnan, with five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition. Agreed? Agreed.

Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Michael Liam Farnan, who was the MPP for Cambridge during the 34th and 35th Parliaments.

Joining us in the galleries are Mr. Farnan’s family and friends: his wife, Jane Farnan; his children and families, Rory Farnan, Tanya Farnan and Kevin Farnan; his grandchildren, Michael Farnan, Alexander Farnan and Liam Farnan; and his friend Mona Ghaenizadeh.

Also joining us in the galleries are David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; Ross McClellan, MPP for Bellwoods during the 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; Odoardo Di Santo, MPP for Downsview during the 30th, 31st and 32nd Parliaments; and Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments. We have Judy Marsales, member for Hamilton West in the 38th Parliament. We have Bob Rae, member for York South in the 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th Parliaments, Premier in the 35th Parliament. Welcome.

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I was just given two notes that we have in the gallery Norman Miller and Phil Gillies.

I now recognize the member from Kanata–Carleton.

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: I want to begin by saying what an honour it is to be able to rise today to pay tribute to former MPP Mike Liam Farnan.

I would like to offer a special welcome to his wife, Jane; his sons, Rory and Kevin; his family members and their children and grandchildren and friends and Mona. Thank you all for being here. It does our heart good to do this.

I would like to welcome Mike’s grandsons Michael, Alexander and Liam, and I want to say to them: You should be very proud of your grandfather. It’s not easy to put your name forward to run for political office. In 1985, your grandfather lost his first provincial election by 903 votes. I just can’t imagine that. I lost my first election by 25,000 votes, so he was close, right from the very beginning. Undeterred, he ran again two years later, and he won, and then he won another election after that, and he served the people of Cambridge as their MPP for eight years.

What a remarkable life he lived: a graduate of the University of Dublin; a graduate of the University of McGill, where he earned his master’s of education. He was a seminarian, a teacher, a politician, a municipal councillor for five years and a member of provincial Parliament for eight. He was Minister of Transportation, Associate Minister of Education, Minister of Correctional Services, Minister of the Solicitor General and the first Deputy Speaker of the House. He was the minister of just about everything.

I read with interest that, in June of 1990, he felt that his private member’s bill on replica handguns wasn’t being taken seriously, so he pulled out two plastic models in the Legislature. He was trying to show his fellow MPPs just how lifelike the guns can actually be. The gambit worked, and the Sergeant-at-Arms moved in quickly to disarm Farnan. To me, it shows just how passionate he was on the issue. And he could also add flair to the Legislature; it’s something that matters.

I had to chuckle when I read that about four months later, when the NDP won the 1990 election, Mike was sworn into cabinet by the Premier, the Honourable Bob Rae, who is here with us today in the gallery, as Ontario’s—you guessed it—Solicitor General, Minister of Correctional Services and the minister responsible for the anti-drug secretariat.

As Solicitor General, he oversaw law enforcement and public safety across Ontario, including the Ontario Provincial Police, the Office of the Fire Marshal, the Office of the Chief Coroner, the Centre of Forensic Sciences, forensic pathology and Emergency Planning Ontario. Holy cow—what a portfolio. I’m sure he saw many more handguns.

Mike was the Minister of Education from 1991 to 1993, at a time when Ontario was facing economic recession and budget constraints—but did he ever manage to do a lot, even in spite of those circumstances. He introduced anti-harassment and safe-schools initiatives. We could use more of that today, couldn’t we?

Mike championed policies to combat bullying and sexual harassment in schools, emphasizing student safety and inclusive learning environments.

He advocated for support for classroom resources and special education—also something we could use more of today.

He pushed to expand support for students with special needs and advocated for more equitable school funding, although fiscal pressures limited the full implementation of his plan.

He tried to modernize the curriculum frameworks to better respond to changing market needs and social realities.

In going through some of the information I read on Mike, I found this quote. Listen:

“My family is very important to me. My time with my family is ... precious. I also believe that to be effective in your job, whatever your job is, if you find comfort and strength in your home life,” in your family life, “it’s going to help you do that job” well.

Perhaps that’s the most important thing we need to remember about Mike. Despite the office, despite the political stage, despite the tremendous responsibility of representing and helping constituents, taking care of family was the most important thing to him. And for that, we all say thank you for your service, Mike.

And thank you to Jane, Rory, Kevin, Michael, Alexander and Liam for sharing him with the constituents of Cambridge and the residents of Ontario. I know the sacrifices the family makes to allow a member to serve, and I thank you for that.

The true measure of a life is the impact that that life makes on the lives of others. Mike made a big difference in a lot of lives. You should all be very proud of his exemplary service to his community, to his province and to his country.

I thank you all, and I want you always to remember that he loved you greatly.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I will now call on the member from Kitchener Centre.

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I’m honoured to be here today to share a few words about Mike Farnan. As a girl who grew up in Galt in the 1990s, I knew of Mike Farnan. I didn’t know him personally, but you can’t live in Cambridge and not know of him. His name preceded him.

I was friends with Rory in high school, and I remember knowing that his dad was a big deal, but I didn’t really know what it meant to be an MPP for him to be the son of an MPP. I know now what it means to give your dad and share in that life in representing your community.

He did so many things for our community over the years. I know that it meant time away from his family; long days debating, campaigning, writing speeches, working on legislation. It’s a messy business.

And then there’s the constituents. He did a lot for democracy and a lot for all the people he served.

I am grateful that we had him as our amazing public servant, and I have a deep respect for what he stood for; how he carried himself as a politician; and much more than that, as a father, a community member, a man of faith, an educator, a leader and a mentor.

He never really retired, but became a quiet mentor to many Cambridge politicians over the years who are still in office to this day. He has a big legacy: Scott Hamilton, Doug Craig and Carla Johnson—just to name a few who speak of him. Carla ran for the Greens and is a school board trustee. It’s amazing how he carried on his passion for public office and service, giving wisdom, advice, encouragement, and building the next generation of political leaders.

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I am amazed at what he accomplished in his life—born in Ireland, degrees from University College Dublin, University of London in England, McGill University—a master’s of education. He taught primary school, secondary school. He was on Cambridge city council. He was the president of OECTA. He was an MPP, minister of many things—Minister of Transportation, Solicitor General, correctional services. And then a legacy in real estate to boot—I don’t think he knows how to retire. He’s a bit like my dad, who is a realtor to this day.

But I got to know him in his final years, again, as somebody very near and dear to the Green Party’s heart, because he came to really put his focus on our common home, Mother Earth. I know that’s because he had big hopes for his grandkids to have a livable planet—for you to have fresh water to drink and fresh air to breath—so I’m grateful he became Green in his final years.

I want to thank Jane, Kevin and Rory and your family for sharing Mike with us and to the city of Cambridge. I want to thank Rory for carrying on a legacy of political and climate action. You do so much, and he would be so proud.

And to Mike’s grandkids, Kaydyn, Michael, Alexander, Liam and Tilly, I hope you’re proud of your grandpa and that, like him, you will always speak up for those who need it and for our planet. Remember that you have a voice, and use it to make the world a better place.

My condolences.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Now, I will go to the member from Cambridge.

Mr. Brian Riddell: Being born and raised in Cambridge, how could you not know of Mike Farnan? I want to take a moment today to honour the life and legacy of Mike.

Mike was a dedicated public servant who represented Cambridge as a member of provincial Parliament from 1987 to 1995. During his early years in opposition, he took on the responsibilities of critic for correctional services and for tourism. These roles allowed him to develop a reputation for fairness, diligence and a commitment to improving the lives of the people he served. When the New Democratic Party formed government in 1990, it was this integrity and strong reputation that earned him appointments as Solicitor General and, later, as Minister of Transportation. Over the course of this tenure, Mike also contributed to the work of eight different standing committees, demonstrating the depth of his dedication.

I have tremendous respect for all who choose to serve their communities. Public service is demanding, and it requires personal sacrifice, resilience and a belief in something greater than oneself. Mike Farnan exemplified that commitment through his career with steady leadership and devotion to the people who had trusted him with their voices. Though he passed away last year, his contributions to Cambridge and to Ontario will continue to be remembered and appreciated for many years to come.

Mike’s life outside politics was equally remarkable. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he immigrated to Canada in 1970. His educational journey was impressive and international: He began his post-secondary studies at the University College Dublin, then continued on to the University of London in England. After arriving in Canada, he completed further studies at McGill University. His academic path led to a bachelor of arts degree, followed by a master’s degree in education.

Education was not simply a field of study for Mike but a calling. After serving his time as an MPP, he returned to the classroom and taught at a secondary school in Brantford. I think about how I had done a similar transition from teaching to politics, and I hold a great admiration for anyone who devotes so much of their life to supporting their community through teaching.

Later in life, Mike also pursued a career in real estate before fully retiring, showing once again his willingness to embrace new challenges and to continue contributing in meaningful ways.

In his final days, Mike faced pancreatic cancer, a painful and challenging disease. He made the courageous decision to choose medical assistance in dying—a choice that allowed him to spend his final moments on his own terms. It granted him the gift of time with his family—time that might otherwise have been taken by suffering.

Even after his passing, Mike continued his lifelong pattern of service. Rather than flowers, he asked that those wishing to honour him make donations to the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. It was a final act of generosity that reflected his character: thoughtful, community-minded, and always focused on helping others.

It is not enough to have a name engraved on the walls of Queen’s Park. Those names carry meaning only when we recall the stories behind them and ensure those stories guide our actions in the future.

My hope is that this speech helps keep Mike’s memory alive and that everyone here will take a moment to reflect on his legacy of service, compassion, and commitment to his community.

Mike will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 28 years, Jane; by his children, Rory and Kevin; and by his grandchildren, Kaydyn, Michael, Alexander, Liam and Tilly. Their love for him is a testament to the kind of person he was and the impact he had both at home and throughout his community.

May we honour him not only today, but in the way we live and the way we serve one another.

On a side note, my EA, Grace Camara, also worked for Mike, and she has said so many wonderful things about him.

You should be so proud.

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: It is a massive responsibility to honour the life of Mike Farnan, because we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.

On June 24 of this year, Queen’s Park lost a much-loved and well-respected alumnus when former MPP Mike Farnan passed away at the age of 83. He was a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a trusted friend.

My heart goes out to his wife, Jane, and the rest of his family, many of whom are here today. The House shares in your loss, and it is my honour to pay tribute to Mike.

Mike Farnan was a proud Irishman, a devout Catholic, and a man with a powerful intellect. All these attributes combined to create a unique, empathetic individual who felt compelled to use his gifts in service to others.

In 1970, at the age of 29, he immigrated to Canada, where he continued the teaching career he had begun in England seven years earlier.

After obtaining his master’s of education at McGill University, he moved to Cambridge, where he started his family.

Mike’s faith helped to guide him throughout his life, and this was reflected in his service to the community. His strong sense of fairness compelled him to use his voice to speak on behalf of others, as part of the local labour movement. As a teacher, Mike held a union leadership role, and he advocated for a fair and just society. Thus began his life in politics.

From 1982, Mike was a municipal councillor in the city of Cambridge. He also served with distinction as a minister in the government of Bob Rae, who is here today. Thank you very much for being here, former Premier Bob Rae.

Mike is remembered by the NDP’s Cambridge riding association for how he re-energized the local party between 2015 and 2020, by welcoming diversity, recognizing talent and mentoring many new volunteers, particularly young people. His praise and encouragement would often get them more involved.

Mike made people feel part of something bigger than themselves, and that their contribution was important to a project’s success. This was amplified by his own personal enthusiasm and larger-than-life personality, whether it was during election preparation or in the middle of a campaign.

The rapport he enjoyed with the voters of Cambridge endured well past his days as an elected politician, and he left his mark on the community that he served.

His son Rory, who is here today, told me, “As the son of a politician, educator, union activist, and community leader, both my brother Kevin and I learned about the importance of community service at a young age. Through learning and active participation, we were given a unique lens of experiencing a broad range of what it meant to be part of a community. His commitment to being a transformative change agent was an inspiration to many, and this has been passed on to both his children and his grandchildren,” who are here today.

I met Rory’s son Michael, who is named after his grandfather, at a Fight for Farmland rally earlier this year. Eight-year-old Michael sat in the region of Waterloo council chambers the entire meeting, attentively and thoughtfully listening to engaged citizens as they spoke.

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Rory said, “This reminded me of the events Dad used to take me to: that unique lens of being there in the moment to witness things first-hand. The importance of caring for your community has passed on to yet another generation.”

Mike was a tireless campaigner, and he loved knocking on doors. If he met a Newfoundlander while he was out canvassing, Mike would often say: “A horse born outside the stable is still a horse.” He acknowledged the strong relationship between the Irish and Newfoundlanders. He taught himself enough Portuguese so that he could ask voters for their support and offer them a lawn sign.

Rory remembers watching the provincial election results on the family’s basement TV in 1990. When it was announced that the NDP majority had been called—a day we often wish for around here—Mike jumped so high in the air that he hit his head on the ceiling.

While Rory made frequent trips with his father to Queen’s Park and the Premier’s office, it was events in the community that stood out more: visits to seniors’ homes, union marches in solidarity for workers’ rights, celebrations at local multicultural festivals, spending Christmas with those who were less fortunate.

Though the list of his accomplishments is wide and deep, it was the way in which Mike faced his final challenge that proved to be the bravest. Faced with terminal cancer, he chose medical assistance in dying. His last act was to die with dignity, with respect and in the comfort of his own home with his beloved family at his side.

If you needed a song lyric to summarize the way Mike lived his life, it would be, “I did it my way.”

Throughout his career and throughout his life, Mike was driven to help others and make the world better. He improved Ontario with his tireless work in this place, and we owe him a debt of gratitude. He will be missed by many, but he lives on in our work and in our fight for dignity for all Ontarians.

I want to thank the family for being here today, and thank you for sharing Mike Farnan with us.

Michael A. Brown

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Michael “Mike” A. Brown, with two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking a unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Michael A. Brown, with two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party. Agreed? Agreed.

Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Michael “Mike” Brown, who was the MPP for Algoma–Manitoulin during the 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th and 39th Parliaments and who served as Speaker during the 38th Parliament.

Joining us in the galleries are Mr. Brown’s family and friends: his wife, Wendy Ground; her children, Michael and Scott Ground; and his friends Peggy Finch, Kevin Raymond, Karyn Leonard and Ken Leonard.

Also joining us in the galleries are Norman Miller, MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka for the 37th to the 42nd Parliaments; Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Ross McClellan, MPP for Bellwoods during the 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; Odoardo Di Santo, MPP for Downsview during the 30th, 31st and 32nd Parliaments; and Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; Todd Smith, MPP for Prince Edward–Hastings in the 40th and 41st Parliaments and Bay of Quinte in the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments; Phil Gillies, MPP for Brantford during the 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; Bob Rae, the member for York South in the 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th Parliaments, and Premier in the 35th Parliament; Judy Marsales, the member for Hamilton West in the 30th Parliament. Welcome.

I will now turn to the first member to make their presentation, and I go to the member from Algoma–Manitoulin.

MPP Bill Rosenberg: Even though I never knew Mike Brown, I know of his legacy, not only here in this House but also in the riding of Algoma–Manitoulin.

Today, we rise to honour the life and public service of Michael A. Brown, known to many of us simply as Mike, a dedicated representative of northern Ontario, a steady voice for his constituents and a former Speaker of this Legislature.

Mike first entered this chamber in 1987, winning the election in the riding of Algoma–Manitoulin. His victory signalled not only the trust of his constituents but a renewed commitment to northern Ontario communities by the people of that riding. Over the course of more than two decades, Mike served his riding with dedication and conviction. Throughout his career, he was part of many committees and held a variety of roles: the critic for natural resources and northern development, Chair of the Standing Committee on General Government, deputy opposition whip and, later, Deputy Speaker, among many others.

In 2003, under a new government, Mike was appointed parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources, a role in which he helped bring northern concerns to the heart of provincial decision-making. But perhaps his most visible and memorable contribution came on October 11, 2005, when he was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. In that capacity, he presided over our deliberations from 2005 until 2007. As Speaker, he carried the responsibility of fairness, order and respect in debate—vital duties that uphold the dignity of this institution and embodied him as a person.

Beyond his roles and titles, Mike Brown represented something more profound: a commitment to northern Ontario and to the people who call it home. He served through changing political tides, including the substantial restructuring of ridings in the 1990s, and he won re-election multiple times, continuing to represent constituents. His resilience and steady representation earned the respect of colleagues across the aisle and the gratitude of constituents who believed in his voice. When he left public office in 2011, it marked the end of a deeply committed chapter of service, but his legacy endures on the walls of this Legislature. His name remains among those who worked for Ontario for the north and for all the people.

Mike was known to his friends and his neighbours not just as a politician but as a steady, dependable servant. He was someone who valued the quiet dignity of listening, representing and delivering for his community.

Mike’s legacy lives on most profoundly through his family, who were the foundation of his life and the source of his greatest joy. He is survived by his daughters, Jennifer Fessey, Amy Beard, Micki Becks, Paula McFadden, and their mother, Lynn. He was also a loving grandfather to Graeme and Emma Becks, Mackenzie and Taylor Fessey and Chloe and Cole McFadden.

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His children knew him as a gentle and dependable figure, proud of their accomplishments and eager to share in their lives. The joy he found in family gatherings, celebrations and everyday moments was a reminder that his truest commitment was not only to the people of Ontario but to those closest to him. To each of them, he was not only a father and a grandfather, but a steadfast presence, someone who offered guidance, encouragement and a quiet strength that reflected the same qualities he brought to public service.

In remembering Mike, we not only honour the public servant who represented Algoma–Manitoulin with resilience and dignity, but also the father, the grandfather and the brother who cherished his family deeply. His devotion to them mirrored his devotion to the community. So today, we pause to remember him, not just as a family man or an MPP or a Speaker, but as a public servant who dedicated a large part of his life to northern Ontario, to his constituents to Algoma–Manitoulin and to the public good.

Mike has set the bar higher for all of us that represent and serve Algoma–Manitoulin. I join all colleagues in honouring his legacy as a representative in this chamber and may we all remember his work as a reminder of the important work we do on behalf of our constituents.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I will now go to the member from Nickel Belt.

M^me France Gélinas: It is an honour for me to rise today to pay tribute to Michael Brown, the MPP for Algoma–Manitoulin from 1987 to 2011. Michael is survived by his wife, Wendy; her sons Michael, Matthew, Scott and Stephen, as well as their spouses Mandy and Nancy; her grandchildren Avery, Rachel, Colton, Wyatt; his daughter Jennifer and spouse Steve, Amy and Anthony, Michelle and Paul, Paula and Kyle; and his grandchildren Mackenzie, Taylor, Graeme, Emma, Chloe and Cole.

Michael was actually a funeral director before seeking office here at Queen’s Park. Prior to relocating to Cookstown, he resided in Kagawong and was a member of the Manitoulin Planning Board. He served as president of the Manitoulin Island country club. Michael also served as a Deputy Speaker here in this House from 2000 to 2001 and he was elected Speaker of this House of the 38th Parliament in 2005.

When I was first elected in 2007, I had known Michael for many years. He had already been an MPP for 20 years and here I was, a brand new MPP in 2007. I would say he knew everything, and I knew nothing, but he was very kind to me and always willing to help me and answer all of my questions.

I knew him as a politician for Algoma–Manitoulin, but that winter, we quickly realized that we had a whole lot more in common. His riding of Algoma–Manitoulin shares a border with Nickel Belt. Mine ends and his starts in the little town of Nairn Centre.

But that’s not the only thing that we shared, Speaker. We both love snowmobiling. Not just a little day ride, but overnight rides all over northern Ontario. I want to share one of those rides that Michael took.

From 2000 to 2011, he would take MPPs on snowmobile rides throughout northern Ontario, often coming into my riding, and sometimes I would go into his riding because there’s some beautiful trails. He talked about this particular ride that he took, where he was accompanied by the MPP from Scarborough–Agincourt, the MPP from Ajax–Pickering and the MPP from Oakville. He had started the ride that year at St. Joseph Island with a wonderful breakfast with the famous St. Joseph Island maple syrup. I know that everybody has good maple syrup until you go to St. Joseph Island and realize how good maple syrup can taste. Then he had gone to see Richards Landing, where the volunteers from the Legion had a “welcome the MPP.” He then went to lunch in Thessalon with a tour of the construction that was going on at Algoma Manor—a huge thank you to Donna Latulippe, who was at Algoma Manor at the time—then they headed off to Elliot Lake with a quick stop at the country store, Iron Bridge, before heading to the hotel in Elliot Lake for supper. The next day, they returned to the Hilton on St. Joseph Island. Basically, that was the tour that he had taken the MPPs on.

I can tell you that we’ve met on northern trails many, many times. He had a way nicer snowmobile than I did, but it was still very fun to see him. I remember the day when he shared that story in the House.

I also remember the day when he brought forward a resolution that passed unanimously to proclaim Lake Superior Day the third Sunday of July. He spoke of the absolute beauty and grandeur of the largest body of fresh water in the world, Lake Superior. Lake Superior: 560 kilometres long, 260 kilometres wide, an average of 150 metres deep, Lake Superior holds 10% of the world’s supply of fresh water, and his riding followed this beautiful lake. The way he was able to describe the nature of his riding was just beautiful. I remember that day, and I remember how proud I was to be a northerner.

Michael was a proud northerner. He brought the stories and the voices of northerners to Queen’s Park.

My condolences to all of his family and friends. He was very much loved. We will miss him.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member from Toronto–St. Paul’s.

MPP Stephanie Smyth: Colleagues, we gather today to honour the life and legacy of former MPP Michael A. Brown, or Mike, who passed away September 20, 2024, at the age of 74. It’s such a pleasure to hear the pieces of his life come together when all of us remember him and all these parts of his life that had such impact on people and also this Legislature and this province.

A native of Sarnia, Ontario, Mike Brown served this Legislature with distinction for 24 years, first elected in 1987 in David Peterson’s government as a representative for the vast northern riding of Algoma–Manitoulin.

But first, he went to the University of Western Ontario and he went to Humber College as well. After that, he actually was deputy mayor of Gore Bay. Now, after that point, as we heard, he became a funeral director when he moved to the northern riding of Algoma–Manitoulin. There, he worked as a funeral director, a small business owner and a dedicated community leader on Manitoulin Island. This grounded him in the everyday lives of rural Ontarians and prepared him well to carry their hopes and challenges here to Queen’s Park.

Throughout shifting political climates, from the rise of the NDP in the north through the Conservative Common Sense Revolution and later the return of the Liberals, Mike held his seat with integrity and steadfast commitment to his constituents.

Over the years, he served in many roles, including parliamentary assistant to Ministers of Mines and Natural Resources, critic for natural resources and northern development, chair and member of various standing committees, a consistent voice for northern issues, and he vigorously championed the needs of rural and northern communities, whether it was advocating for fair representation at Queen’s Park, pushing for infrastructure improvements like safer highways we still hear about today, and local services or supporting community institutions such as small municipalities, fire services and local health care facilities.

In October 2005, his peers honoured him with the election of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, a role he held until 2007. As Speaker, he pledged to uphold fairness and decorum in this chamber to transcend partisan divides and ensure that all MPPs regardless of party had the opportunity to be heard. In fact, he was quoted saying that he promised to boot out even cabinet ministers for excessive heckling or grandstanding. He actually vowed this after he beat out his only challenger, Ted Arnott.

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Now, outside of this House, Mike never forgot his roots. He was deeply embedded in community life on Manitoulin Island, serving on the Manitoulin Planning Board, leading the Manitoulin Island Country Club, helping small towns and municipalities navigate fiscal and infrastructure challenges, and devoting time to service clubs and civic engagement.

He also understood the realities of representing a riding that spans tens of thousands of square kilometres, a region where constituents might be hours apart by car, where services are often remote and where voices can be overlooked. That didn’t deter him, though. Through quarterly constituency clinics and—as my colleague was talking about—the annual snowmobile tours to places like north of Elliot Lake, visits to remote communities and frequent presence in the riding, he really made sure that people felt heard.

What we remember today is a man of integrity and humility, steady in his commitments, deeply loyal to his community and faithfully dedicated to giving northern Ontarians a real voice in the Legislature.

To his wife, his children, his grandchildren, siblings, extended family, and many friends, colleagues and constituents whose lives he touched, we offer our condolences and our thanks.

May we honour his memory by continuing to uphold the values that he embodied: fair representation, respect for rural and northern communities, and steadfast public service. I know he is dearly missed by former colleagues and his loving family.

Jan Dukszta

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Jan Dukszta, with five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Jan Dukszta, with five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition. Agreed? Agreed.

I recognize the member from Beaches–East York.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: It’s always an honour to rise in this House, but especially on a day when we honour the icons who were here before us building Ontario to be the great province it is.

Today, it’s my honour to rise to pay tribute to Mr. Jan Dukszta, the member for Parkdale from 1971 to 1981. I want to take a moment to recognize the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Dukszta who are here with us today.

There is a long list, which I think explains how popular he is and was: Adam Dukszta, his nephew; Elizabeth Tutors, friend and colleague; Federico Allodi, best friend and colleague; Helen Ross, friend; Francesca Allodi, a friend; John Stanley, a friend; Helmut Reichenbächer, a friend; Michael Kainer, a friend; Richard Gilbert and Rosalind Gilbert, friends—and Richard was a colleague—Vincenzo Pietropaolo, friend; Giuliana Colalillo, a friend; as well as—saving the best to last—Max Streicher, John’s spouse, who is watching online today.

Thank you all very much for being here and allowing us to pay tribute to this legend. We all know how much of a toll public life can take on our family members, so thank you for supporting Jan and enabling him to serve the people of Parkdale and this province for so many years.

Speaker, throughout his life, Mr. Jan Dukszta demonstrated the perseverance, conviction and compassion for others that we all should strive for to demonstrate in our lives, in our work as elected officials.

A psychiatrist by training, Jan knew what it meant to care for some of the most vulnerable and ostracized people in our society. He saw people at some of the most challenging points in their lives, but he never gave up on them. Instead, he took the time to listen to them, care for them, and work with them to get them back on their feet and out living their lives once again.

He worked every day to help improve the lives of the patients he cared for, and he took that same focus to his work as an MPP. He worked hard every day to make life better for the people he served. He made significant contributions to the NDP’s policies in the areas of health and education, helping to lead the development of his party’s stances in those areas. And he wasn’t afraid to take unconventional approaches or to push at the forefront of societal change. As a gay man, Jan supported an amendment to the Human Rights Code to establish equal rights for housing and employment regardless of sexual orientation—a position that unfortunately may have contributed to his political defeat in 1981.

Jan was unapologetically himself in every facet of his life, and he fought for what he believed in and for those he served every single day.

We need more people like Jan in this world.

In his personal life, Jan’s originality shone through. Apparently, he loved hosting dinner parties at his Toronto apartment, where his guests were treated to a unique show of dozens of portraits and other works of art of himself and his family that Jan personally commissioned. He appreciated tailor-made suits from Savile Row, the classical music of Richard Wagner, the inspiring architecture of Venice, and books of all kinds. He loved to travel, supported young aspiring artists in Toronto, and hospitably welcomed people into his home.

Jan was an intellectual, an ardent advocate for social justice, a caring health care professional, a loving husband, a friend, and an inspiration to us all. His life reminds us that no matter what we do in our lives, we should do it with kindness, with compassion, with conviction, and with style.

Jan passed away in July of this year, and I want to extend my sincere condolences to his family and friends. Jan touched the lives of many people throughout his life in meaningful ways, and his legacy is one to be proud of.

Rest in peace.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Dr. Janusz Dukszta, who was the MPP for Parkdale during the 29th, 30th and 31st Parliaments.

Joining us in the galleries are Dr. Dukszta’s family and friends: his nephew Adam Dukszta; and his friends Kaspar Tutors, Elizabeth Tutors, Federico Allodi, Helen Ross, Francesca Allodi, John Stanley, Helmut Reichenbächer, Michael Kainer, Richard Gilbert, Rosalind Gilbert, Vincenzo Pietropaolo and Giuliana Colalillo.

Also joining us in the galleries are Ross McClellan, MPP for Bellwoods during the 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; Odoardo Di Santo, MPP for Downsview during the 30th, 31st and 32nd Parliaments; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; and Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments.

Dr. Janusz’s husband, Max Streicher, is watching from home.

Judy Marsales, member for Hamilton West in the 30th Parliament; Phil Gillies, MPP for Brantford during the 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; and Todd Smith, MPP for Prince Edward–Hastings in the 40th and 41st Parliaments and Bay of Quinte in the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments. Welcome.

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I want to recognize the next speaker.

MPP George Darouze: I rise this afternoon to speak in memorial of Jan Dukszta, a former member of this House who passed away on July 31 of this year. Jan served his constituents in the riding of Parkdale for nearly a decade, representing them at Queen’s Park from 1971 until 1981.

Jan was born in northeastern Poland in 1932 and grew up amidst the devastation wrought by the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in the Second World War. From an early age, he witnessed both the daily struggles of civilians and the quiet, persistent resilience of communities trying to survive wartime brutality.

He left Poland in 1946 and went west to London. In the decades that followed, he studied medicine in Dublin and then moved to Canada. Here, he pursued a career in psychiatry and found his first job as a doctor in Toronto at the Queen Street Mental Health Centre. Today, the Queen Street hospital is one of the main locations of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

After some time, Jan decided he wanted to be a change-maker for the health care system and decided to run for provincial politics. He was first elected in the 1971 election that saw Bill Davis come to power for the first time. Jan was elected as a New Democrat under the leadership of Stephen Lewis.

In his 10 years at Queen’s Park, he was tirelessly working and advocating for workers’ health and safety, where he fought hard to have his voice heard in the debate on the Employees’ Health and Safety Act. This act was a precursor to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, better known as OSHA. He used his voice in politics to advocate for marginalized communities, often drawing from his youth in occupied Poland, where he lived through the horrors of the war from its genesis to its bitter end.

After leaving politics, he returned to the Queen Street Mental Health Centre. By the mid-1980s, he led the medical staff at Queen Street, and he continued to provide services to his patients into his eighties.

Outside of his career in health care and politics, Jan was a formidable art collector. Over more than six decades, he created one of the most unusual personal portrait collections in Canada, commissioning nearly 100 likenesses of himself from artists across generations and disciplines. What began in 1953 with a simple drawing by a fellow medical student in Dublin blossomed into a lifelong exploration of identity, aging and collaboration.

His Rosedale apartment became a living museum: portraits hung on every wall, were tucked under beds, perched on tables, and some even stood on his balcony. Artists like Stephen Andrews, Andy Fabo, Charles Pachter, Evan Penny, Yves Tessier, Michael Merrill and Phil Richards transformed Jan into sculpture, mural, caricature, bobblehead-like figures and even a 50-tonne sculpture in the likeness of his own head. Some works place him in art-historical narratives: reclining on a Corbusier chair, striding into the Baroque era or echoing Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress. Others were intimate, humorous or unflinchingly honest.

Jan’s collection was a testament to his belief in artists, especially the young and struggling ones. His portraits sought transformation over perfection and served as a visual diary of his own life for more than 50 years. This extraordinary body of work stands as a testament to his curiosity, generosity and enduring love of art.

Jan served his constituents with dedication and integrity for a decade in this House, consistently putting the needs of others above his own. He lived a life defined by selfless service, always striving to make a positive difference in the lives of those around him. His commitment to the people of Ontario both as a public servant and as a member of the community leaves a lasting legacy.

I thank him for his years of tireless work and for the enduring impact he has made on the lives of so many.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Now, I will recognize the member for Parkdale–High Park.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Goodness, friends; these halls, these seats, they ring with the spirits of those who have attempted, as we do each and every day, to build Ontario in the way that allows for the striving of all.

Today, I rise to honour a former member of provincial Parliament, a man whose life stretched from the terrors of wartime Europe to the front lines of Ontario’s fight for human rights. Dr. Janusz Dukszta, long-time MPP for Parkdale, leaves behind him a legacy that has shaped my riding, shaped our province and, in my discussions with his friends and family, has now shaped my own life.

Janusz’s story began far from this chamber on May 27, 1932, just outside Lida, in what was then northeastern Poland. His childhood was shaped by the brutalities of the Second World War. In an area known as the bloodlands of Europe, where 14 million people were killed by the Nazis, by the Soviets, Janusz learned early about human cruelty and about how compassion is our highest calling. It was neighbours that helped him escape from Poland, but he was never fully able to escape the memories of gunfire in the Jewish ghettos or having to dig graves for the people and the animals of his town.

These childhood experiences led to his lifelong decision and dedication to prevention, to justice, to human rights. Our province, friends, is kinder because he never forgot that early lesson.

After the war, his mother worked in a Polish resettlement camp as an educator, and she insisted that her boys learn culture. Their early experience and exposure blossomed into a life, as we’ve heard today, of passionate support for the visual arts. Janusz was not just a collector. A 2015 documentary chronicles his life as a patron who invested in many of Canada’s young artists.

But, Speaker, the greatest chapter of his public life began when he came to Ontario and ultimately to this Legislature. Dr. Dukszta represented the riding of Parkdale for over a decade with a clarity of purpose that still feels ahead of its time. As a psychiatrist and a socialist, he believed prevention, not crisis response, had to guide our health system. He championed public dental care, children’s mental health, workers’ health and safety, and community-based supports long before those ideas gained broader political traction.

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Ross McClellan, Odoardo Di Santo, David Warner, who are here in the galleries today, reminded me of just how prophetic he was: Decades before SARS or COVID, he warned this very House that the threat of global pandemics was coming and about Ontario’s lack of preparedness. He also challenged the government’s approach to deinstitutionalization, sounding the alarm that closing psychiatric hospitals without building housing or community supports would lead to disaster. Tragically, he was right. We see that crisis in our streets today.

He founded Mental Health for Tomorrow, opposing the infamous four towers at the Queen Street Mental Health Centre. This was a custodial model that he knew would fail, and it did. The towers were eventually demolished, replaced with a modern patient-centred model of care. After his time in office here, he became the head of mental health at the new Queen Street centre, continuing his work to build a humane mental health system.

Speaker, it is vital that we also honour Janusz Dukszta as one of Ontario’s first openly gay politicians, who lived his truth without apology, without compromise. But honesty came at a cost. In 1981, the election came shortly after the police bathhouse raids of Toronto—a dark and prejudicial time in our city. A group called Positive Parents distributed materials attacking the NDP candidates who supported adding sexual orientation protections to the Human Rights Code. They circulated literature about Janusz saying he was gay, as if that was a threat to the public good. And at an all-candidates meeting, confronted with this rising hostility, Janusz held up two homemade signs—a pink triangle and a Star of David—and he said, “I saw this sort of thing in Poland, in the war. These groups are dangerous. It is the start of fascism.” It was not hyperbole; it was the deep understanding born of intimate experiences of World War II.

He lost that election, but he never lost his integrity. He refused to mirror hatred with hatred. He told the truth, and he trusted Ontarians to hear it.

Throughout his life, Speaker, he was a healer, a defender of those pushed to the margins. He gave generously of his labour, his resources, his conviction that a more just Ontario was possible.

On behalf of the Ontario NDP, I extend sincere condolences to his husband, Max; to his family, his friends, his colleagues; to all shaped by his brilliance, his courage.

We’ve lost a great public servant—one who was a moral architect of Ontario—and we have inherited the work that he began. May we pick it up with that courage and compassion that he exemplified.

William C. Davis

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: If you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Rev. William “Bill” C. Davis, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Rev. William “Bill” C. Davis, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government. Agreed? Agreed.

Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Rev. William “Bill” C. Davis, who was the MPP for Scarborough Centre during the 33rd Parliament.

Joining us in the galleries are Reverend Davis’s family and friends: his wife, Linda Davis; his children and their families, Kathleen Corry, Michael Corry, Sue Davis, Jon Barnes, Jamie Davis and Karen Wilson Davis.

Also joining us in the Speaker’s gallery are Phil Gillies, MPP for Brantford during the 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; Norman Miller, MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka from the 37th to the 42nd Parliaments; Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; Han Dong, MPP for Trinity–Spadina during the 41st Parliament; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; Judy Marsales, member for Hamilton West in the 38th Parliament; and Todd Smith, MPP for Prince Edward–Hastings in the 40th and 41st Parliaments and Bay of Quinte in the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments.

Welcome.

Ms. Doly Begum: It is an honour to rise today on behalf of the good people of Scarborough and my colleagues here to pay tribute to the late member of provincial Parliament for Scarborough Centre, William Charles Davis, known to many as Bill. After a full life devoted to family, faith and public service, Bill passed away on September 15, 2025, at the age of 86. Today we remember Bill, a man whose life was guided by service, integrity and a genuine care for others.

I’d like to take a moment to welcome the late MPP Bill Davis’s family and friends to Queen’s Park as we pay our respect to his life and work: his beloved wife, Linda Davis; his daughters, Kathleen Corry and Sue Davis; his sons-in-law, Michael Corry and Jon Barnes; his son, Jamie Davis; his daughter-in-law, Karen Wilson Davis, and his friends and former colleagues, including Han Dong, MPP for Trinity–Spadina during the 41st Parliament; Phil Gillies, MPP for Brantford during the 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; Norman Miller, MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka during the 37th through 42nd Parliaments; Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; and Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments.

I have always believed that, beyond party lines and personal backgrounds, what binds us all in this chamber is our dedication to serving the people who place their trust in us. Bill Davis lived this commitment every day, even before he took his seat here.

Bill was ordained as an Anglican priest and generously served congregations in the diocese of Toronto. In the Scarborough community, he became known not only as a minister but as a trusted anchor, someone who listened deeply and cared sincerely. One community member, Bette Stanley, who was reported in the Toronto Star, once described him as “one of the most ethical and honest people I can see in politics”—a reflection of the profound respect he earned from those who knew him. She even went so far as to purchase the former Premier Bill Davis’s well-worn office phone at a charity auction, insisting that the new Bill Davis deserved it because of his bright future at Queen’s Park—a small but meaningful glimpse into how warmly he was regarded.

Bill’s dedication to education was equally clear. He served as a school trustee and later as chair of the Scarborough Board of Education, as well as vice-chair of the Metropolitan Toronto School Board, where he championed public education and opportunities for youth.

In 1985, he was elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Scarborough Centre, later serving as the Progressive Conservative critic for education. He brought his wealth of community experience, compassion and principled leadership into this Legislature.

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After his time in elected office, Bill continued his service as executive director of the Ontario and Toronto Automobile Dealers Associations, where he was known for his professionalism, accessibility and warmth.

Beyond public roles, Bill’s life was defined by simple joys: time at the family cottage, travel with close friends, sharing meals, and filling every room with humour, music and generosity. He connected easily with people and made everyone feel valued—qualities that cannot be taught but that leave lasting legacies.

Scarborough has been shaped by many committed public servants, and Bill Davis is firmly among those who left a meaningful mark. Although I did not have the privilege of knowing him personally, I’m certain that we would have shared stories about serving Scarborough’s vibrant, diverse and hard-working neighbourhoods—communities he loved and served with great pride.

Let us all take this moment to honour and remember the late Bill Davis, a man of faith, integrity and intentional service. His legacy lives on in the community he loved, in the countless lives he touched, and in the family who carries his memory forward.

May his life continue to inspire all of us who have the privilege of serving the people of Ontario.

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

Mr. John Fraser: I’m honoured and pleased today to rise to say a few words about Rev. William “Bill” Charles Davis, a member of this Legislature for Scarborough Centre from 1985 to 1987.

Along with being elected to this Legislature, he was an Anglican priest, which I know would be very good training for being here, for a couple of reasons. First of all—and I’ve heard this from people, and I read it—he had an ability to listen to people. We have to listen to each other. We’re all not always as good as we can be at that; I can be guilty of that, too. There’s a lot of preaching that goes on in here too. But actually, I don’t think that’s the training in terms of public speaking that I think is most important. From what I read in Hansard—because I like to try to read Hansard and find something and see what people were like—he had the ability, which I really appreciate and honour, of standing up and speaking, not having any of this; being able to communicate what was here and what was in here very effectively. And if you look to the Hansard, you can see that I have some stuff that I’m going to read a little later, that he said. In a short time, he made a difference.

He cared a lot about education. He was a trustee and chair at the Scarborough Board of Education. He also was a vice-chair of the Metropolitan Toronto School Board. And he served as education critic here at Queen’s Park.

He believed—and it is in Hansard—that freedom is a right that must be constantly defended. He said that all of us in this Legislature should take pride in Ontario’s record as a leader in defending individual rights and in fighting discrimination.

He once said—this is a quote from Hansard—when freedom marchers in a community in Georgia were attacked because of the colour of their skin, it was unthinkable in Ontario. “Those scenes are unthinkable because Ontario has enjoyed courageous leadership in human rights. We have had leaders who were willing to make the tough decisions.”

He had a familiar name, and some of his colleagues were saying—I thought it was a burden. They were saying, “Well, it wasn’t always a burden. He might have traded on it a little bit every once in a while. It probably helped.” I’d do it, too. I can relate. I know a lot of Bill Davises, and there are a lot of John Frasers, so people can get you mixed up all the time. So to get elected as a Bill Davis just after Bill Davis stepped down—that must have been good and trying at times.

Here’s the thing that I learned by talking to some of his colleagues and that I’d like you all to remember. Here’s what they said: He always had a smile. He was always happy. He always listened. He took the time. This was an important place. The people who worked with him were important. All of us would want to hear that about ourselves when one day there is one of these for us. It’s a legacy to be really proud of.

I’ll close on this. You were talking about him being trained as an Anglican priest and having a flock and a responsibility. It’s not just here that we have a responsibility. We actually all have a flock; it’s just a really big one. Right now, it’s up around between 100,000 and 125,000 people—probably not as big then, but in the tens of thousands of people. I’m sure, from what I’ve heard and what I’ve read and what I’ve seen, that he brought the values that he brought here—of listening and being happy, smiling, open and helpful—to his riding. That’s a pretty good thing to be remembered for.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I want to recognize two members in the gallery: John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke from the 30th to the 43rd Parliament; and Norm Sterling, MPP for Carleton–Grenville from the 31st to the 33rd Parliament; for Carleton from the 34th to the 36th Parliament; for Lanark–Carleton in the 37th and 38th Parliament; and Carleton–Mississippi Mills in the 39th Parliament.

I recognize the member from Newmarket–Aurora.

M^me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: I am humbly honoured to rise today in this chamber to pay tribute to the Reverend William “Bill” C. Davis.

I would like to set the stage for the time period, as I remember it well. Leading up to the provincial election of May 1985, there were concerns mounting due to potential job losses resulting from a proposed Canada-US Free Trade Agreement, the impact of an economic recession and the perceived political instability following Premier Bill Davis’s resignation. I must note, this was the year that our PC Party reigned as government for a span of 42 years. Never Surrender by Corey Hart topped the charts; Careless Whisper by Wham! was number 2 and Crazy for You by Madonna was a massive hit at number 3.

And in Scarborough Centre, wouldn’t you know, there was an Anglican minister from the parish of St. Peter’s, on Brimley Road, who also had been serving for 10 years as a Scarborough school board trustee, who was asked to run as the PC candidate. The Rev, as he was fondly referred to by his provincial member colleagues, won his seat in this Legislature by 359 votes.

I asked myself, “Why would a minister want to put himself out there for office?” Well, the answer was quite clear: to serve his community, to ensure the people he served would be happier by what he could do for them in the here and now and for tomorrow.

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Madam Speaker, I felt compelled to do this tribute. I found myself drawn to the Rev, as my father was an Anglican priest. Quite frankly, my father’s role is what drew me into the lure of helping people. The Rev was elected at a time of political upset in this province. He sat as an opposition member for two years and had the fortune of serving as the PC Party’s critic for education until September 1987.

And what a time to be the critic of education—by the autumn of 1985, there was a teacher strike, primarily a significant high school teacher strike. I understand that Bill would travel around the province, engaging with residents. It was his warmth, his humour and ability to connect with everyone he met. The Rev was able to engage quite easily with the people of this province.

That is what the Rev did so successfully. He was known for his ability to converse, to listen deeply, carefully, and that is what a minister does. Thus, his ability to slide into this public servant role was truly not a far stretch.

After his two-year stint as a member of provincial Parliament, Bill went on to enjoy a 20-year career with the Ontario and Toronto Automobile Dealers Associations, which he loved. One of his greatest accomplishments was working with the dealers on making connections within their communities and “driving” the message of giving back to your community. That’s what he did.

Amongst all his accolades, including being a volunteer firefighter, a member of the Rotary Club, to sitting on town council in the early 1970s, his greatest moment was meeting his wife-to-be while he was living in Montreal studying at the theological college in the mid-1960s. He brought Linda, the love of his life, back to Ontario, where they had three children: Kathleen, Susan—whose birthday is today; happy birthday, Sue—and Jamie.

Being with his beloved Linda and his children; spending time in the great outdoors at the cottage in the Muskokas and preaching the odd occasion at the local church by the lake; helping the people around the community; having fun with his six grandchildren, Jason, Tyler, Jacob, Cian and Andie—this was indeed his greatest enjoyment. Yes, he loved the great community events, the festivals, the food and all his constituents. That was truly what kept him grounded as a politician: It was his constituency.

When it came down to it, Bill had a deep connection with God. I believe this connection allowed the Rev. Bill C. Davis to serve the people of his community, the people of this province. Bill was a Christian gentleman. Faith grows a Christian. Charity proves a Christian. Hope confirms a Christian. Death crowns a Christian. I believe Bill Davis travelled well in these three great Christian values, these virtues of faith, hope and charity. He lived his life like this. This was his fulfillment, it was his reward and, now, it is his victory.

To Linda, Kathleen, Sue, Jamie—to all the Davis family, thank you for sharing Bill with the people of Ontario.

James J. Bradley

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. James Joseph “Jim” Bradley, with two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, and five minutes allotted to the third party.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. James Joseph “Jim” Bradley, with two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, and five minutes allotted to the third party. Agreed? Agreed.

Today we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. James Joseph “Jim” Bradley, who was the MPP for St. Catharines from the 31st Parliament to the 41st Parliament.

Joining us in the galleries are Mr. Bradley’s family and friends: his brother Gerry Bradley; his nieces, nephews and their families: Lynn Bradley, Kelly Bennett, Randy Lowden, Christine Lowden, Jim Bradley, Lorraine Dowd, Barbara Bradley, Norm Matthews, Tyler Gayman, Corri Gayman and Jim Gayman; his cousins and their families: Barbara Gail Holman, Jennifer Hyde and Bob Pietra Cupa; and his friends Ron Cuthbert, Mark Rupcic, Jack Rupcic, David Oved, Ellen Schwartzel and Bradley Hammond.

Also joining in the Speaker’s Gallery are Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Han Dong, MPP for Trinity–Spadina during the 41st Parliament; Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; Phil Gillies, MPP for Brantford during the 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; Norman Miller, MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka from the 37th to the 42nd Parliaments; John Yakabush—

Interjections: Yakabuski.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Yakabuski—I’m missing the I—MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke from the 30th to the 43rd Parliaments; Norm Sterling, MPP for Carlton–Grenville from the 31st to the 33rd Parliaments, Carleton in the 34th to the 36th Parliaments, Lanark–Carlton in the 37th and 38th Parliaments and Carleton–Mississippi Mills in the 39th Parliament; Todd Smith, MPP for Prince Edward–Hastings in the 40th and 41st Parliaments and Bay of Quinte in the 42nd and 43rd; Judy Marsales, member for Hamilton West in the 38th Parliament; and Michael Harris, MPP for Kitchener–Conestoga in the 40th and 41st Parliaments. Welcome.

I recognize the member from Guelph.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It’s an honour today to rise to pay tribute to Ontario’s second-longest-serving MPP, Jim Bradley, representing St. Catharines from 1977 to 2018. Jim was the quintessential public servant, someone who loved public service and inspired others to serve. I can’t tell you how many members of the Bradley gang, who I’ve had the privilege of working with on environmental issues over the years, told me they were inspired by Jim.

I had the honour of attending Jim’s celebration of life, and I want to put on the record what I told Steve Paikin that day, and I quote Mike Schreiner: “Jim Bradley was the leader of the Green Party before there was a Green Party at Queen’s Park.” Without a doubt, Jim was the best environment minister in Ontario history, serving as the environment minister under David Peterson’s government and later during the McGuinty government and the Wynne government.

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Jim is best remembered for bringing in Ontario’s iconic Blue Box Program, but he also got the spills bill passed, requiring companies to pay for their chemical messes. He developed Countdown Acid Rain, targeting the worst polluters of sulphur dioxide, among many other accomplishments as the environment minister.

But my favourite Jim Bradley moment was when he served as deputy House leader during the Wynne government. One day, I was sitting in the visitors’ gallery as the unelected leader of the Green Party. Jim was responding to relentless questioning from the opposition, and he said to the Speaker: “You should allow the Green leader to come down here to ask a question because it will be better than anything I’m getting from the opposition.” Jim and I had some good laughs about that after I actually took my seat in this House.

Jim, I want to say thank you for your service. Thank you for inspiring others to serve. You will be missed but not forgotten. Thank you to his family and friends for sharing Jim with the people of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I now recognize the Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: I rise in the chamber today to pay tribute to our former colleague and MPP for St. Catharines, the Honourable James Joseph Bradley, a servant of the people from 1977 to 2018 in the 31st to 41st Parliaments—10 Parliaments.

He was born on February 19, 1945, in Sudbury, Ontario, a city he loved his entire life. But it was shortly after he became a teacher in St. Catharines that he would find his true love: public service.

Elected as a St. Catharines city councillor in 1970, Jim built up from the very beginning of his career a strong reputation as a down-to-earth, thoughtful and all-around decent elected official. After a raucous, hotly contested St. Catharines Ontario Liberal nomination race to see who would become the Liberal candidate in the 1977 election, Jim prevailed. The local papers of the day described the frustration of some local Liberals on the losing side. Little did they know that day that a Niagara legend was continuing his rise, and that that was just the beginning of a long, proud tradition in St. Catharines: losing to Jim Bradley.

Jim would soon prove himself as a capable parliamentarian, a biting question period orator and an all-around effective politician who cared deeply for his city, his region and his province.

When I first showed up in this House in 2016, one of the first members of the Legislature to meet and greet me was Minister Jim Bradley. I sat then in the farthest back corner of the opposition benches, and he walked over to me. “I started in the exact same seat,” he told me. “It’s a good one.” Then he paused with that little grin and twinkle in his eye and said, “You know, there’s no such thing as a bad seat in this place.” And he was right.

I had the privilege of participating in many podium announcements with Jim over the years. When being first introduced, he would almost always follow up with, “Thank you for that mercifully brief introduction,” in his classic self-deprecating way.

Jim was a big fan of the well-placed heckle. He was an especially adroit practitioner of the dying art of the drive-by heckle. He would lobby a quip or a timely comment over into the opposition benches as he meandered his way that way out of the chambers into the east lobby, leaving all hell to break loose and the Speaker the job of calming members’ inevitable reactions.

Jim was also a big fan of now government House leader Steve Clark, something I am sure had absolutely nothing to do with being named chair of the Niagara region, not once but twice, by Mr. Steve Clark. Although, the government House leader assures me that it’s simply because he’s a good heckler just like Jim was.

Now, despite his deep red Liberal affiliation, which he was very proud of, as regional chair, Jim was always quick to assure me with a smile and a twinkle that, “I’m really non-partisan now. Don’t you see my tie? It’s blue today.” In many ways, municipally he really was non-partisan. He was committed to working with all levels of government and representation from all partisan stripes to do what was in the best interest of families, of businesses, of taxpayers and citizens in the Niagara region.

James Joseph Bradley served for a combined 55 years in elected office, a remarkable feat in Canadian politics. He was an enduring voice of integrity, of conviction, and passion at Queen’s Park. In Niagara, he truly was an exceptional man. He cared for his staff. He cared for his campaign team. He cared for his family, his colleagues, his friends with loyalty and conviction.

But you don’t have to just take it from me. As Premier David Peterson recalls: “Jim was, by any standard, one of the best environment ministers in the province’s history, from Countdown Acid Rain to the spills bill, to introducing North America’s first blue box recycling plan, Jim and the Bradley Brats helped pioneer a greener Ontario.”

Or, in the words of former Premier Bob Rae, “As an opponent, he was to be feared. As a friend, he was to be valued and loved. As a great professional and public servant, he was to be admired. Above all, Jimmy cared about people, about sports, about the issues of our time. I was lucky to know him and I shall miss him.”

Ron Tripp, the CAO of Niagara region, who is here today, notes, “We will all fondly remember Jim’s unwavering commitment to regional staff, his valued friendship and his passionate advocacy for Niagara. A true gentleman, he consistently showed kindness, a calm demeanour and a deep appreciation for the exceptional work of staff in every department.”

Norm Sterling, the former MPP who is here today, was elected on the same day as Jim back in 1977 and served with him for 34 years. They served as co-deans of the House from 2003 to 2011, and they maintained a close friendship over the years, even having lunch as recently as this May. He recalled Jim’s strong advocacy for the Niagara Escarpment Commission and protecting the Niagara Escarpment, and the pride he took in his time as environment minister. Norm said, “Jim was proudly partisan, great with people’s names, and a huge germophobe”—a fact many others can attest to as well.

From his friend and colleague, who is also here, Mark Rupcic, he said, “Those who knew Jim will remember how he could be found at every community event, amateur sports event and church bazaar”—never forget the butter tarts—“always with the same approachable warmth. He had the rare ability to truly listen, making everyone he met feel that they mattered.”

Speaker, I believe that there are very few places in Niagara that you can go to today where Jim’s legacy and his impact have not been felt. Whether as a city councillor, a 41-year member of this assembly or as regional chair, it’s safe to say that Jim Bradley’s legacy, his leadership and what he left behind has had a greater mark on the Niagara region than any other politician for the past century.

Jim was a gentleman. He was a humble man. He was a man of faith and of conviction; of tireless interest in his community and his constituents. He was a man defined by a lifetime of service and excellence and unfailingly a kind man.

Join me in giving thanks for the life of James “Jim” Bradley. May we all strive to serve and be remembered in such a way.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I will now recognize the member from St. Catharines.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: To our colleagues, members of the Bradley family and to the people of Ontario: Today I rise and we stand with the community of St. Catharines and the region of Niagara to honour a man who shaped our city and our province with every step he took, every hand he shook, every note he wrote and every moment he gave.

For more than half a century, the Honourable James Joseph “Jim” Bradley didn’t just serve St. Catharines; he loved St. Catharines, and in return, St. Catharines loved him right back.

To the late James Joseph Bradley’s family, to Gerry, to Jim’s loved ones, and to the lifelong friends and his colleagues who are here today: Thank you for sharing him with us. Your pride in him is reflected in every corner of our city and your loss is felt by all of us. Your sacrifice gave our community a leader whose part was generous as his service was long. We are forever grateful.

Jim often said, “Community isn’t something you represent. It’s something you belong to.” And for more than 55 years, he lived that truth every single day. You could find Jim everywhere: cheering on a minor hockey game; standing along the baselines at a baseball tournament; showing off at charity walks or Rotary breakfasts; attending fundraiser, festivals and parades; and church suppers. He proudly wore a vintage minor sports jacket to every occasion. He had a tie and every T-shirt ever handed to him—not for show and certainly not for the cameras, but because he genuinely belonged to the people who gave them to him.

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Jim didn’t drop in; he belonged. In Niagara, he wasn’t the Honourable Jim Bradley; he was Mr. Community and he was St. Catharines Jim.

And yes, if there was food, if there was food anywhere within 30 metres, especially an egg salad sandwich, a butter tart, a plate of perogies, a rib fest, the Greek festival or a dessert table that looked a little bit too tempting, Jim would just happen to be nearby. He loved his sweets, but even more, he loved the conversations, the stories and the laughter shared over a simple meal with neighbours and friends.

Jim’s public service spanned every level of government. He began as a St. Catharines alderman at just 25 years old. He went on to serve 41 years as MPP, one of the longest-serving members in Ontario’s history. And after that remarkable tenure, he continued as Niagara regional councillor and chair.

Here at Queen’s Park, Jim Bradley served in the cabinets of three Premiers and held roles that required trust above all else: Minister of the Environment; Minister of Transportation; Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Minister of Tourism; Minister of Community Safety; government House leader; chief government whip; and the interim Leader of the Opposition. Throughout every chapter, Jim’s principles, humility and quiet dignity never wavered.

If you want to understand Jim’s impact, start with the environment. As minister during the acid rain crisis, he helped lead the effort that dramatically reduced emissions and protected our lakes and forests. He championed the spills bill, ensuring that polluters, including powerful corporations, paid for the damage they caused. He helped transform the blue box from a small, local experiment into a global model for recycling. Jim would often shrug and say, “If the blue box is my legacy, at least it won’t end up in the garbage.”

That was his humour: humble, dry and quite proud of what it meant to the future generations to come. And of course, if you’ve ever travelled through Niagara, you probably know his favourite line: “There are three unavoidable things in life: death, taxes and construction on the damn QEW.” Only Jim could turn a traffic jam into a joke.

His legacy is also rooted deeply in the everyday life of St. Catharines. He helped secure the investments that built our modern hospital and the Walker Family Cancer Centre. He championed the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, strengthening our cultural heart in St. Catharines. He advanced road safety, expanded GO services to Niagara and supported regional transit integration—practical changes that connected people to jobs, to schools, to health care and to one another.

Even after four decades of public service, Jim just kept on going. As regional chair, he pushed for accountability, championed unified gain. Jim used public office not as a platform for himself but as a tool to make life better for the people he served.

But when people speak of Jim, they start not with titles or accomplishments but with kindness. They remember his handwritten Christmas cards every year and the fact that he never forgot anyone’s birthday in St. Catharines or in the Niagara region; his habit of checking in on someone who was ill; Jim’s dry sense of humour; the flip phone he refused to give up; the crumpled notes pulled out of his suit pockets often; his ability to make politics more human, more personal, simply by being just himself.

He’d say, “Hold on a minute. Hold on. Let me get my BlackBerry out,” and as he pulled it out and he reached out of his pocket, he’d pull out a pen and a folded piece of paper to write down the note that he had to remember later.

Across party lines, he was respected. Across the province, Jim was trusted. People didn’t see him as Liberal Jim Bradley; they saw him as our Jim—steady, humble, fair and always decent.

Speaker, like so many in this chamber, I walk a path he helped lay. His example reminds us that public service is about patience and bringing the conversation back, always, to the people.

To the Bradley family: Your loss is shared by an entire city, an entire region, an entire province and by my colleagues from every political tradition.

To Jim: Thank you. Thank you, Jim, for your devotion, for your friendship, for your integrity and for your love of St. Catharines and Ontario with everything you had. We will miss you, Jim; we will honour your legacy and we will carry it forever—we will carry it for always.

Rest in peace, our dear friend.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the next member, from Ottawa South.

Mr. John Fraser: It is really, truly an honour and a privilege to be able to say a few words to honour our friend Jim Bradley, and I say that because there are a number of us in the Legislature right now—there are only three of us who are going to get a chance to say it; I see the government House leader, I see the member from Niagara Falls—who could equally do an even better job than I think I’m going to be able to do because of the depth of the relationship that Jim had with so many people.

So, Jim, one of a kind: They will never make another one—hopefully. I shouldn’t say that.

My first connection with Jim—I’m going to say a few personal things—is my first private member’s bill was on disclosure of members’ expenses. Let me just say this: Jim was not too happy. He was heard going into cabinet one day saying, “Those ... members from Ottawa South”—I won’t say the word that he said—of course referring to my former boss.

The other story is a strange one, though. I had been elected for about nine months. It was freezing cold, it was one night late in winter, a Sunday night. I get to Manulife, I’m going up to my apartment, the elevator door opens at 11 o’clock at night and Jim Bradley is standing in front of me, overcoat and everything on. I go, “Jim, what are you doing in my building?” He goes, “I live here.” I say, “Well, what apartment?” He goes, “1660.” Right next door to me. Nine months, I didn’t know he lived next door to me. The truth of the matter is, Jim, he kept odd hours, right? He was going out to dinner at 11 o’clock on a Sunday night. And that’s Jim.

So I asked a few people—I wanted to ask the staff members, some people who worked with him, because I didn’t want them to be all my own words. David Oved, who I think worked with him for 15 years—David’s a great guy—wanted me to say this:

“Jim happily represented St. Catharines in the House for 41 years—more than half his long life—but his happiest days were the ‘five years, three months and five days,’ as he often said, that he was environment minister in David Peterson’s government. He ended the acid rain that was ruining thousands of Ontario’s lakes, brought blue box recycling to every corner of Ontario and took hundreds of actions, big and small, to reduce pollution. To this day, he’s regarded as the most effective environment minister in Ontario’s history.”

Premier Kathleen Wynne simply said, “Jim led by example for so many of us.”

I wanted to talk to my former boss Dalton McGuinty, who had maybe the same kind of relationship with Jim that I did. Jim eventually forgave me and I think he forgave Dalton. It always took a little bit of time, but he always came around.

Here’s what Dalton had to say:

“There was just no gap between Jim and the people he served. He closely followed the sage advice that says, ‘We should never forget where we come from, who sent us and what they sent us to do.’”

He also shared with me a note that he sent to Jim at the end, and here’s what the note said:

“I have such fond memories of our times together at Queen’s Park. Thanks for everything you brought to our cause. Not only did you bring sound leadership to your ministerial responsibilities, but you also brought sober second thought to our caucus discussions in combination with a wry sense of humour. You kept us grounded from a Golden Pheasant point of view”—also known as a duck, for those of us who know that as well too.

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On another note, I can’t finish this without talking about Jim’s boxes. Jim boxed everything up. He kept everything. Forty-one years—it’s a long time. Eventually those boxes, which moved with him from ministry to ministry, took up a whole room. It was a source of great frustration for staff, and one day his chief of staff at the time, Steve Dyke, was so fed up he says, “I’m throwing something out. I’ve got to throw something out.” So he went in and he went into this box, and he grabbed three decade-old telephone books from the Niagara region and he threw them out in the garbage, just because he wanted to do it because he was just mad about having to move all this stuff around.

And the next day, Jim says, “You know, I’ve been thinking—I think the name was Mabel Smith, and I haven’t got her number. You can probably find it in the Niagara telephone book from 1999.” Either he just knew something shifted in the universe that was his boxes, or maybe he found out some other way.

He was just such a character. But his universe wasn’t the boxes in the room. His universe was in here. He loved this place. He loved to heckle. I learned some of the best heckles from him, the most effective heckles. Some of the best ones were just when he would hold up a fundraiser across at Andrea Horwath when she was here—I remember that—or the Ottawa Sun to show, maybe, something that a former member, Lisa MacLeod, was doing at the certain point in time—not to bring names up, but I just did. He was very effective at doing it and he enjoyed doing it. But it wasn’t done in a mean way. He was a tease, there was no question about it, and he was really, really good at it.

It’s hard in some ways to imagine a world without Jim because he was so unique, from his “WhiteBerry,” which some of you may know, which was a little pad that he used instead of a BlackBerry—he just wouldn’t use it. I think he was making book, to be honest with you because the writing was so small. I think he was taking bets and just not telling us. That’s what it looked like.

He could be crusty, and he could let you know he wasn’t happy, if he wasn’t happy with you or if somebody made him mad. But you know, Jim was just all heart inside. He was. You can tell because he made sure people got Christmas cards. He didn’t forget things. He cared about people. Yes, he could be grumpy and rough and speak his mind, but at his core he had a big heart. He had a big heart for this place, and he had a big heart for the people in St. Catharines and all of Niagara, and indeed, all of Ontario.

I am just so proud to be able to say a few words and to call him a friend and colleague, and I want to say thank you to the family for sharing him with us. He was a great man. He’s unique. There will never, ever, ever be another Jim Bradley. And that’s okay.

Allan Furlong

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Thank you, Madam Speaker. If you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Allan Furlong, with two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Allan Furlong, with two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party. Agreed? Agreed.

Today we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Allan Furlong, who was the MPP for Durham Centre during the 34th Parliament.

Mr. Furlong’s family and friends are watching from home, including his wife, Mary; his children, Michael and Katie; and his siblings Wayne, Gary and Carol Furlong.

Also joining us in the Speaker’s gallery are: David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke from the 38th to 43rd Parliaments; Norm Sterling, MPP for Carleton–Grenville from the 31st to 33rd Parliaments, Carleton in the 34th to 36th Parliaments, Lanark–Carleton in the 37th and 38th Parliaments, and Carleton–Mississippi Mills in the 39th Parliament; Todd Smith, MPP for Prince Edward–Hastings in the 40th and 41st Parliaments, and Bay of Quinte in the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments; Judy Marsales, the member for Hamilton West in the 38th Parliament; Michael Harris, MPP for Kitchener–Conestoga in the 40th and 41st Parliaments. Welcome.

I recognize the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy: It is a privilege to be able to rise today and to pay tribute to the late Allan Furlong, member of provincial Parliament for the riding of Durham Centre in the 34th Ontario Parliament.

Al Furlong was elected in 1987 as the member for Durham Centre when it was a newly created electoral district, encompassing most of the town of Whitby. Allan took on the challenge of representing a rapidly growing and changing community—a statement which still rings true today. Under his watch, he advocated for the extension of the GO train to Whitby and, later, to Oshawa. And that legacy continues today.

Whether he was speaking in this chamber, engaging with residents, or working behind the scenes, Al Furlong approached every task with the same sense of purpose, ensuring that the needs and the aspirations of the people of Durham Centre were heard.

But long before his election, Allan had already built a distinguished career in law and a foundation that shaped his approach to public service. He was educated at the University of New Brunswick, where he met the love of his life: his wife, Mary. He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree and went on to law school, and was a graduate with an LLB from the University of New Brunswick law school—being called to the bar of New Brunswick in 1971, and then beginning his practice for 46 years in Durham region in 1973, retiring in 2019.

Like so many Canadians—and he was a proud Canadian—he enjoyed playing hockey from a young age, from childhood, until the old timers’ years. He was such a good player that he was actually on the varsity hockey team at UNB, and he played for three years, earning both a place in the UNB hockey hall of fame and also the nickname “Bullet Furlong.” So he had quite a slapshot.

When he moved to Durham to continue practising law, he joined the firm Salmers and Furlong, embarking on a legal practice that would span decades, as I indicated, until 2019.

Over the years, Allan’s legal work grew in scope and complexity. As a senior lawyer associated with what later became Furlong Ford Barristers and Solicitors, he handled a broad range of matters, including business and corporate law, real estate, estates, family law, and employment and labour law.

His experience also extended to serving as a deputy judge of the Small Claims Court in Durham—including presiding over bilingual trials—a role that underlined his integrity, his legal knowledge, and respect for fairness.

Colleagues in this Legislature and in the legal profession, regardless of background or affiliation, respected Al Furlong for his integrity and his ability to work constructively with others. And I can certainly say that from personal experience because I knew him as a fellow lawyer in Durham region.

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Before and after his time as a member of provincial Parliament, Allan continued to contribute to his community and his profession. That’s before and after, so these are just some examples.

Back when there were two-year terms for school trustees and municipal councillors, Allan was elected as a trustee to what we then called the Durham Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board.

He also served as chair of the Oshawa Harbour Commission from 1981 to 1984.

Allan also spent several years as the president of the Oshawa and District Association for Community Living.

He served six years as a member of the board of governors for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, now known as Ontario Tech University.

Al also served as a member of the Durham Regional Police Service Board for 10 years.

And his time here as an MPP during the 34th Parliament was from 1987 to 1990.

He even served one term as president of the Ontario Liberal Party, but I won’t hold that against him.

Today, as we reflect on Al Furlong’s life and legacy, we honour not just a former member of provincial Parliament but a leading lawyer, a community leader and a Canadian citizen whose dedication made a meaningful difference to countless individuals, countless families and, indeed, to his community. His legacy will endure in the values he championed, the people he served and the communities—Whitby, Oshawa, Durham region and Ontario as a whole—that continue to benefit from his efforts and his example.

He leaves behind the love of his life: his wife, Mary. They were married for 56 years when he passed earlier this year. He leaves behind his daughter, Katie; his son, Michael; and his daughter-in-law, Meredith. He leaves behind six grandchildren: Abby, Luke, Danielle, Zack, Ainsley and Emmersyn; and a great-granddaughter, Amelia. This is his most important and enduring legacy.

I can say from personal experience and engagement that Al Furlong exemplified what it means to serve. We will always remember Allan Furlong with both gratitude and respect.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the next speaker, from Oshawa.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: It is always an honour to stand in this proud Legislature, and today, it is my honour to stand to share on behalf of Ontario’s New Democrats and to pay tribute to Allan Furlong. I am pleased to acknowledge Allan’s family and friends today on behalf of the Legislature.

Allan was a loving husband and father, brother, grandfather and great friend to many people. He leaves behind his wife, Mary; his children, Katie and Michael and partner, Meredith; his six grandchildren, Abby, Luke, Danielle, Zack, Ainsley, Emmersyn; and his great-granddaughter, Amelia.

Allan is survived by his brother Wayne and his wife, Deirdre; his brother Gary and his wife, Suzanne; and his sister, Carol and her husband, Andre.

When we pay tribute to former MPPs, it is a chance to remember them, to recognize their work and celebrate their lasting impact. It is my honour to share a few words today on behalf of the official opposition and my home community of Oshawa, the community that Allan Furlong loved and served and called home.

Allan Joseph William Furlong was born on January 26, 1942, and grew up in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. He loved hockey from the very beginning, and that love never left him. He played varsity hockey for three years, earning the nickname “Bullet Furlong,” and was inducted into the University of New Brunswick’s Hockey Hall of Fame.

His first experience in government affairs occurred when he worked for the treasury board of the government of New Brunswick at a job which began his law journey, and he returned to university to attend law school.

Allan met his wife of 56 years, Mary, at the University of New Brunswick. Allan and Mary left New Brunswick and moved to Oshawa.

Allan joined the law firm of Salmers and Furlong, and that was where he settled into community life and politics.

Allan was elected in 1987 in David Peterson’s Liberal sweep. He was the first to represent the newly created Durham Centre riding, which was the Whitby-Oshawa area. As reported then, “Durham Centre was expected to be a tough three-way fight between the trio of first-time candidates. But Furlong led from the first poll and never looked back. It was obvious less than an hour after the polls closed that he was going to be an easy winner.”

During his time at Queen’s Park, Allan was a dynamic voice for education, bilingualism and local transportation, and served on the Standing Committees on Government Agencies, Regulations and Private Bills, and General Government. Additionally, he was very proud of his meaningful work on the Select Committee on Education and chaired the Select Committee on Constitutional and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Allan advocated for his constituents in his riding and got to see the GO train extended to Whitby and then later to Oshawa. Personally, as someone who’s been advocating to get the GO train to Bowmanville for the last 11 years, I wish I could ask him about the transit successes from back then.

In the late 1980s, Canada was going through an important and very challenging time in its story. Here we are during today’s moment in time, again reflecting deeply on what unites us as Canadians in the face of division.

I travelled back in time to Hansard of 1988 and pulled some thoughtful words from MPP Furlong on the topic of constitutional reform in Canada: “I spent the first 20 years of my life in a northwestern mining community in Quebec. I spent the next 10 years in the province of New Brunswick and the most recent 16 years in Ontario. I have had an opportunity to travel extensively in every province ... I have established close friendships with many people in different parts of the country and have had the opportunity to hear their views, not only on Meech Lake but on a host of other national issues. It will come as no surprise that views and opinions vary from region to region, but my experience convinced me of one thing: we all want a united Canada.” And I think that’s still true.

The election of 1990 was a change election and Allan Furlong passed the torch for Whitby-Oshawa’s Durham Centre riding to Drummond White of the NDP. Allan made the adjustment from public servant to public but still served. Allan continued to keep his eye on politics and stayed very involved in his community.

Allan was elected president of the Oshawa and District Association for Community Living for several years, was appointed chairman of the Oshawa Harbour Commission, served as president of the Oshawa Golf Club where he was also an active member for 45 years, and served on the police services board for 10 years. He was honoured to be appointed to the board of governors of the new University of Ontario Institute of Technology and served for six years. And with all of this community involvement he still found time for his love of hockey and community and played 25 years of old timers’ hockey.

Allan Furlong was 83 when he passed on February 27, 2025. Al took his family and so many wonderful friends on his journey of community service and connection. When it comes to legacies, it is clear that Allan Furlong has left the best kind. His is a legacy of true service and love for community. Oshawa and Ontario are ever grateful to Allan Furlong for his life of service, invested heart and commitment to the community he loved.

Thank you, Al Furlong.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I now recognize the member for Ajax.

Mr. Rob Cerjanec: It’s really nice that we’ve got a fantastic perspective from Durham region members of provincial Parliament from the Progressive Conservative side, the NDP side and the Liberal side as well. As the member of provincial Parliament for Ajax, I’d like to reflect on the life and work of Allan Furlong, someone whose story is deeply inspiring and represents the very best in public service, representing the riding of Durham Centre encompassing Whitby and Oshawa from 1987 to 1990 in David Peterson’s government.

But way before that, he grew up in Rouyn-Noranda in northern Quebec, close to the Ontario border, and went to the University of New Brunswick. After working for the government of New Brunswick, which inspired him to set out and become a lawyer, Allan and his wife, Mary, moved to Oshawa, where they built a life and he built his career serving and working on behalf of the community. He worked hard and was the first Liberal elected in Oshawa-Whitby since 1937.

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His quote in an Oshawa Times article from his election win in 1987 spoke about how hard he worked: “We won this riding because we outhustled, outworked and outmaneuvered the opposition.” Looking at other articles about his time winning the Liberal nomination, again, it was that hard work and perseverance that has helped him succeed and deliver quite a lot for all of Durham region.

Earlier this year, I attended his celebration of life. It was full of family and friends. There were lots of great stories and memories of someone who left an impact on all of the lives that he touched. For myself, as a new Liberal member in a Durham region riding, it’s his work ethic and story; it’s an inspiration for what I hope to accomplish for my community in the Legislature.

Coming across a Whitby Free Press article from September 1988, which was the month and year that I was born, it reflected on Al Furlong’s first year in office. He spoke openly about the successes and challenges of being a new member. It was comforting to know that someone as impactful as Al started out as an MPP sorting out the basics. Just as I have gotten a closet in my own office, he was looking for furniture as a new MPP. I think it’s something that all of us in this chamber have experienced as new members. I often find myself advocating to build on projects that began under MPP Furlong, continuing the legacy of work that he started in Durham.

Al and his executive assistant, Judi Longfield, discussed the concerns that they heard from residents about their work to make lives better for people. Those concerns focused around health care and the need for hospital expansion. His early focus on health services and public education understood the essential needs of families in Durham region. I also understand that Al supported the people around him, including Judi, who later went on to be a member of Parliament. Their roles reversed: Al became her executive assistant in return. That reflects the kind of colleague and mentor that he was—supportive, encouraging and collaborative.

He had a strong commitment to Liberal values, even serving as president of the Ontario Liberal Party for one year. He was a strong advocate for expanding transit and infrastructure in Durham region, championing investments and growth of the GO train network, including the extension to Whitby and Oshawa. This continues to be one of the most significant transit improvements in the region, supporting thousands of residents every day as they make their way into Toronto for work.

His commitment to education and his community was equally strong, serving on what was the Catholic school board in Durham region. Through that work, he helped strengthen local Catholic education and supported families all across the region. He was chair of the Oshawa Harbour Commission and a member of the human resources committee of the multicultural council of Oshawa. He contributed to the development of post-secondary education in Durham, serving six years on the board of governors at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. During its earliest days, his service helped guide the direction of what is now Ontario Tech University, becoming a major part of Durham’s economic, technological and academic growth.

He was an athlete and played varsity hockey—I love the nickname he earned, “Bullet Furlong”—even being inducted into his own university’s hockey hall of fame. But more than that, I love that he continued to participate in old timers’ hockey for 25 years.

When we look to what a strong representative for Durham should look like, Al Furlong stands out as an example. He dedicated his life to supporting better health care, expanding transit and increasing access to quality education. He demonstrated dedication, humility and a deep understanding of community needs.

To his family watching at home, thank you for sharing Al with us in the Legislature and your community. As I continue my work as the member for provincial Parliament for Ajax, I know that I will continue to look to the example set by Allan Furlong. His record of service is a reminder of the kind of commitment our communities deserve. His legacy continues to shape Durham region today. Thank you, Al.

Bernard C. Grandmaître

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Thank you, Madam Speaker. If you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Monsieur Bernard Grandmaître, with two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Bernard Grandmaître, with two minutes allotted to independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party. Agreed? Agreed.

Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Bernard Grandmaître, who was the MPP for Ottawa East during the 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th Parliaments.

Mr. Grandmaître’s family and friends are watching from home, including his sons, Denis and Marc. Also joining us in the Speaker’s gallery are Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke from the 38th to 43rd Parliaments; and Norm Sterling, MPP for Carleton–Grenville from the 31st to the 33rd Parliaments, Carleton in the 34th to the 36th Parliaments, Lanark–Carleton in the 37th and 38th Parliaments, and Carleton–Mississippi Mills in the 39th Parliament. Welcome.

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: C’est avec respect que je prends la parole aujourd’hui pour rendre hommage à l’un des bâtisseurs de notre province, un homme dont l’engagement envers l’Ontario et la francophonie a laissé une marque indélébile, M. Bernard Grandmaître, décédé le 28 octobre dernier.

Né le 24 juin 1933 à Eastview, aujourd’hui Vanier, Bernard Grandmaître s’est d’abord illustré comme journaliste et enseignant avant de se lancer en politique municipale. Conseiller de 1969 à 1974, puis maire de Vanier pendant 10 ans, il a durablement marqué cette ville par un leadership calme, déterminé et profondément ancré dans le service communautaire.

En 1984, il fait le saut en politique provinciale. Élu député libéral d’Ottawa-Est lors d’une élection partielle, il représentera cette circonscription pendant 15 années, jusqu’à sa retraite en 1999.

Au sein du Cabinet du premier ministre David Peterson, il occupe plusieurs fonctions importantes, notamment ministre des Affaires municipales, ministre du Revenu et ministre délégué aux Affaires francophones, le premier à occuper ce nouveau rôle.

C’est son rôle d’architecte de la Loi sur les services en français, adoptée en 1986, qui constitue l’héritage le plus marquant de sa carrière publique. Cette loi garantit l’accès aux services gouvernementaux en français et demeure aujourd’hui l’une des pierres angulaires de notre mission collective envers la francophonie ontarienne.

Madame la Présidente, je n’ai pas eu l’honneur de connaître personnellement M. Grandmaître, mais en tant que ministre des Affaires francophones, j’ai été appelée à approfondir ce qu’il a accompli et à m’investir dans la modernisation de cette loi en 2021.

En revisitant les archives, on mesure l’ampleur des efforts qu’il a déployés pour obtenir son adoption. Il lui a fallu pas moins de 18 mois pour convaincre ses collègues du Conseil des ministres à aller de l’avant. Cela exigeait ténacité, diplomatie et un profond sens du bien commun.

Ses collègues l’appelaient avec affection le père de la Loi sur les services en français, un titre qui reflète toute sa persévérance.

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Dans une intervention en cette Chambre le 18 novembre 1986, il déclarait : « Dorénavant, les gens de l’Ontario, les francophones de l’Ontario pourront se vanter du fait qu’ils demeurent et qu’ils demeureront non seulement dans une province économiquement forte mais dans une province à deux cultures qui offre toutes sortes de possibilités. » Presque 40 ans plus tard, ces paroles résonnent toujours. Elles rappellent que la prospérité et le rayonnement de la francophonie ontarienne sont des engagements qui transcendent les partis, un travail que nous poursuivons tous sans relâche.

Son action ne s’est pas arrêtée à Queen’s Park. Après sa retraite, il a continué de servir la communauté comme président du comité des services en français de la ville d’Ottawa. Son influence a contribué à la croissance d’institutions essentielles comme La Cité, le premier collège francophone de l’Ontario. Ses contributions lui ont valu de nombreuses distinctions, dont l’Ordre du Canada, et plusieurs lieux publics portent aujourd’hui son nom.

Bernard Grandmaître laisse dans le deuil une famille nombreuse et aimante. Ses deux fils, Denis et Marc, qui nous regarde de la maison, six petits-enfants et sept arrière-petits-enfants. Il rejoint son épouse, Mariette, qui l’a précédé.

Madame la Présidente, le passage de Bernard Grandmaître en cette vie s’est achevé mais son apport inestimable demeure vivant dans nos institutions, nos actions et notre engagement collectif envers un Ontario fier de ses deux langues. Il nous invite à continuer de porter le flambeau avec la même générosité, la même conviction et le même sens du service public.

À ses proches, à celles et ceux qui ont travaillé à ses côtés, j’offre mes plus sincères condoléances, auxquelles s’ajoutent celles de notre gouvernement et, j’en suis convaincue, de tous les membres de cette Assemblée.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I now recognize the member for Ottawa West–Nepean.

M^me Chandra Pasma: Aujourd’hui, nous rendons hommage à un grand homme qui a marqué pour toujours l’histoire de notre province, un député dont l’héritage continue de vivre dans nos institutions, dans nos écoles, dans nos services publics et dans le coeur de la communauté franco-ontarienne.

Dans ma région d’Ottawa, il est impossible de s’engager en politique sans connaître l’empreinte laissée par Bernard Grandmaître. Sa réputation de serviteur dévoué et bâtisseur infatigable fait partie de notre mémoire collective. C’est un immense privilège de pouvoir prendre la parole pour honorer sa vie et son oeuvre.

La première chose qui me vient à l’esprit, c’est la singularité de sa personnalité. Dans la vie municipale, comme à Queen’s Park, on se souvient d’un homme toujours humble, respectueux, préparé et impeccable en veste et cravate. Dans un monde politique trop souvent dominé par les grands discours et les grands egos, il était une force tranquille—un homme qui ne parlait pas fort, mais qui se faisait entendre.

Mon expérience m’a appris que ce sont souvent les voix les plus discrètes qui portent les causes les plus essentielles. Nous rendons aujourd’hui hommage à cet homme pour que jamais ne s’éteigne cette voix à la fois douce et déterminée, et pour que son intégrité demeure un exemple à suivre pour nous tous.

Avant de marquer l’histoire provinciale, Bernard Grandmaître a d’abord façonné la vie municipale de notre région. Conseiller, puis maire de Vanier pendant 10 ans, il a contribué à faire de Vanier un pilier de la francophonie d’Ottawa. C’est à Vanier qu’il a façonné son sens du service au contact direct des gens qu’il représentait. De cette proximité est né un engagement politique sincère, courageux et profondément enraciné dans sa communauté, pour laquelle il va se battre sans relâche.

Son oeuvre pour la protection des droits a montré l’importance de l’inclusion pour construire une province forte. Grand bâtisseur de la fierté francophone en Ontario, son engagement politique a changé le destin fragile de sa communauté. Avant lui, le risque n’était pas juste de perdre une langue; c’était le risque d’être assimilé, de perdre une culture entière, un héritage vivant façonné par quatre siècles d’histoire.

Il a changé cela. Et même si ce combat continue encore aujourd’hui, Bernard Grandmaître a offert à sa communauté certaines de ses plus grandes victoires. En tant que ministre des Affaires francophones, il a fait adopter la Loi sur les services en français de 1986—la Loi 8—une loi fondatrice qui garantit pour la première fois le droit de recevoir des services gouvernementaux en français dans les régions où il y a des communautés francophones.

La force de son héritage se mesure à l’impact durable qu’il a eu sur notre province. Chez nous à Ottawa, nous en avons deux exemples parfaits. D’abord, l’Hôpital Montfort, dont la défense a montré l’importance de la Loi 8, utilisée par la communauté pour protéger cet hôpital qui est un véritable symbole identitaire et un refuge indispensable pour des milliers de personnes. Puis, le collège La Cité : un lieu essentiel qui témoigne de sa détermination à ouvrir la voie de la prospérité aux générations futures qui peuvent enfin étudier et s’épanouir pleinement dans leur langue. Ce ne sont que quelques exemples de son immense contribution à l’histoire de notre belle province.

L’héritage de Bernard Grandmaître dépasse les mots que nous pourrons prononcer aujourd’hui : il a protégé une langue; il a renforcé une culture; il a construit des institutions; il a changé le destin de milliers de personnes; et il a donné aux francophones la certitude qu’ils ont leur place ici, dans cette province, dans cette Assemblée, dans cette histoire.

Pour toutes ces raisons, pour sa vision, pour son courage tranquille, nous nous inclinons devant la mémoire de Bernard Grandmaître. Qu’il repose en paix, entouré de la gratitude de toute une communauté, de toute une province, de tout un pays—et nos plus profondes condoléances à sa famille : ses fils, Marc et Denis, ses petits-enfants et ses arrière-petits-enfants. Merci de l’avoir partagé avec nous.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I will now go to the member from Ottawa–Vanier.

M^me Lucille Collard: C’est vraiment un privilège et un honneur de me lever aujourd’hui pour rendre hommage à M. Bernard Grandmaître.

Il y a à peine une semaine, la communauté et la famille étaient réunies pour lui rendre hommage lors de ses funérailles à Vanier. Le départ récent de Bernard Grandmaître laisse un immense vide, mais c’est aussi un moment précieux pour célébrer l’héritage d’un homme dont le nom, l’oeuvre et l’esprit continueront d’habiter Ottawa et tout l’Ontario pendant encore très longtemps.

Son nom est honoré de différentes façons. Ainsi, le prestigieux Prix Bernard-Grandmaître a été créé en 1999 et est décerné chaque année à celles et ceux qui font rayonner la francophonie en Ontario. Il y a aussi une école, l’École élémentaire catholique Bernard-Grandmaître, à Ottawa; et bien sûr, l’Aréna Bernard-Grandmaître, dans mon quartier, où mon fils a joué au hockey. Toutes ces désignations sont autant de témoignages d’une vie consacrée aux autres, à sa communauté et à la défense inlassable des droits des Franco-Ontariens et Franco-Ontariennes.

Bernard Grandmaître a siégé ici à Queen’s Park pendant 15 années, de 1984 à 1999, et la trace qu’il y a laissée est lumineuse. Les anglophones l’appelaient affectueusement « Ben », signe du respect et de l’amitié qu’il inspirait au-delà des lignes partisanes. Déjà reconnu pour son engagement municipal comme conseiller et ensuite comme maire de Vanier, il a continué de faire preuve de dignité, de calme et d’intégrité tout au long de sa carrière—et c’est un modèle que j’aspire moi-même à modéliser. Comme plusieurs ici peuvent en témoigner, ce n’est pas toujours facile de rester calme à Queen’s Park.

Mais au-delà du parlementaire, c’est le bâtisseur que nous saluons aujourd’hui. Bernard Grandmaître a été surnommé le père de la Loi sur les services en français, qui a été adoptée en 1986, donc il y aura bientôt 40 ans. Comme ministre des Affaires francophones, il a été une figure centrale dans l’adoption de cette loi qui a transformé l’offre de services gouvernementaux en français en Ontario. Il a lui-même reconnu son rôle en disant : « La plume de mon chapeau, c’est la Loi sur les services en français. »

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Grâce à sa vision et à son courage politique, des centaines de milliers de Franco-Ontariens peuvent aujourd’hui recevoir des services dans nos hôpitaux, nos écoles, nos tribunaux, nos organismes, dans la langue qui les définit. Cette loi n’est pas seulement un texte; c’est un pilier de notre identité collective, un geste fondateur de reconnaissance et l’un des héritages les plus précieux de Bernard Grandmaître.

La Francophonie internationale a également souligné son apport exceptionnel. En 1989, il est devenu le premier Ontarien décoré de l’Ordre de la Pléiade au grade de commandeur, une distinction rare et parfaitement méritée pour un homme qui n’a jamais compté ses heures pour faire avancer sa communauté.

Et pourtant, malgré l’immensité de ses accomplissements, Bernard est toujours resté humble, accessible et profondément humain.

Permettez-moi de partager une petite anecdote personnelle. En 2018, lors de ma campagne à l’investiture libérale dans Ottawa–Vanier, je vendais des cartes de membre. À l’époque, c’était 5 $. Un jour, je croise M. Grandmaître. Je lui fais mon petit discours, et sans hésiter, il sort son 5 $ de son portefeuille pour m’appuyer. J’étais vraiment fière.

C’est juste après que j’ai appris qu’il était déjà membre à vie du Parti libéral; il n’avait pas besoin d’une carte. Il aurait pu me dire non, mais il a choisi d’encourager la relève avec une bienveillance simple et sincère. Ceux et celles qui l’ont connu savent à quel point cette générosité tranquille lui ressemblait entièrement.

Aujourd’hui, alors que nous célébrons sa mémoire, je pense à tout ce que la francophonie ontarienne lui doit—aux élèves qui étudient dans les écoles portant son nom, aux lauréats du prix qui perpétuent son engagement, aux familles et aux nouveaux arrivants qui bénéficient des services rendus possibles grâce à son travail. Chaque geste, chaque service, chaque victoire de la francophonie moderne porte un peu son empreinte.

À sa famille, je veux dire merci. Merci de l’avoir partagé avec nous. Merci d’avoir soutenu ses combats, ses longues soirées à Queen’s Park—dont je comprends très bien le sens—et sa passion pour un Ontario plus juste, plus inclusif et plus fier de sa diversité.

Timothy Escott Reid

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Timothy “Tim” Escott Reid, with two minutes allotted for the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Timothy “Tim” Escott Reid, with two minutes allotted for the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party. Agreed? Agreed.

Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Timothy Escott Reid, who was the MPP for Scarborough East during the 20th Parliament. Joining us in the galleries are Mr. Reid’s family and friends: his son and his daughter-in-law, Dylan Reid and Molly McCarron; his daughter and her partner, Vanessa Reid and Cassie Robinson; and his nieces, nephews and family members, Patrick Fancott, Lisa Fancott, Luke Fancott, Bronwyn Underhill, Oliver Velasquez Toledo, Elena Velasquez Toledo, Luiza Velasquez Toledo, Bettianne Matheson and Lea Matheson.

Also joining us in the galleries are Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke from the 38th to the 43rd Parliaments; and Norman Miller, MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka from the 37th to 42nd Parliaments.

Welcome.

I recognize the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam: I rise today to honour a great man who we lost this year, a dedicated public servant and leader in Scarborough and across Ontario, Mr. Timothy Escott Reid. Tim represented my riding, then known as Scarborough East, in this very Legislature, elected back in 1967, over 20 years before I was even born.

In a time that for many of us seems so distant, you would have seen Tim Reid standing across the aisle in the opposition benches, keeping in line Premier John Robarts’s education minister. That education minister would be none other than the late, great Bill Davis. That relationship highlights the very importance of the work we do, the opposition and the government each playing their essential part. Tim was a passionate leader, and furthermore, a dedicated representative of the people of Scarborough, and for that he will always be remembered by the community and all of us here at Queen’s Park.

Timothy Escott Reid will be remembered not just as a respected parliamentarian but a lifelong leader and adventurer. Throughout his life, and especially in his youth, Tim travelled across the world, from India, through the Middle East, and into Europe. He was a committed student, studying politics and economics, first, just a few minutes away, at the University of Toronto’s Trinity College, and he went on to earn his master’s in economics at Yale, and was awarded a Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford. It was through these incredible experiences that he not only learned from books and lectures, but through the world, culture and history.

He is remembered by many as an esteemed athlete, excelling in a number of sports, whether it be basketball, track and field or football. He was so successful in his time playing football for U of T’s Varsity Blues that he made it to the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

He accomplished all of this in the field of academics and sports before he turned 30 years of age, at which point he embarked on his next adventure: becoming elected as a member of provincial Parliament here in the Ontario Legislature. He was an active participant in politics, whether provincial or federal. He organized and fought for what he believed in: a province and a country that we could all be proud of.

After his time in politics, he joined the federal public service and later as a dean of the business school at Ryerson Polytechnic. While at the school, he chose to teach a first-year course out of his passion for education and teaching, inspiring the next generation.

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He would end his long and active career as president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, further contributing to the national public policy discussion. I would say he retired but that isn’t truly accurate. He would still continue to serve on the University of Toronto’s governing council, on the board of VIA Rail and as chair of OLG. Tim Reid was truly an incredible man, someone who accomplished and contributed much in public life.

I say all of this without yet mentioning perhaps the most important aspect of what made Tim Reid complete: his love for his family. While on his many travels throughout his youth, he met the love of his life, Julyan Fancott, whom he became happily married to for over 50 years. Julyan was his partner in all things, whether family or public life. They could not have done and accomplished what they did if it was not for each other. They leave behind their two children, Dylan and Vanessa, as well as many nieces and nephews. I offer my sincere condolences to them on behalf of the residents of Scarborough and all my colleagues here in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

In many ways, the story of Timothy Escott Reid is a story of a life well lived. He never stopped learning, he never stopped serving and he never stopped doing what he loved.

In learning about him, I have been inspired. I hope this tribute may inspire not only my honourable colleagues here in the Legislature, but also my constituents at home, young and old.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the next member, from Waterloo.

Ms. Catherine Fife: It’s always a deep honour for us as MPPs to deliver these tributes to former MPPs. When it comes to Tim Reid, Steve Paikin said it best in his recent article: “Tim Reid spent only one term” here “at Queen’s Park—but his career was unlike any other Ontario legislator.... There has never been an MPP like” him.

Firstly, I’d like to welcome Tim’s son, Dylan, and daughter, Vanessa, and his many family members, friends and former colleagues here with us today. Although I’ll be detailing Tim’s professional achievements, I want to highlight that Tim’s commitment to his family was said to be one of his greatest joys and achievements. Thank you, on behalf of all of us, for sharing Tim with us.

Tim served at Queen’s Park from 1967 to 1971 as the Liberal MPP for Scarborough East. But before he got to the Legislature, Tim did things that few Canadians had ever done before. He was a legend in Canadian football, signed by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played in the 50th Grey Cup game in December 1962 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This game actually became known as “Fog Bowl” because a thick fog caused the game to be suspended with only nine minutes and 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter, marking the only time a Grey Cup has ever been suspended during play.

From that game came one of the most iconic photographs in CFL history: the Winnipeg running back emerging from the fog as Tim, number 24, moves in for the tackle. This was good preparation for Queen’s Park, I think, actually. This image was actually featured on a 2012 Canada Post stamp commemorating the 100th Grey Cup.

On top of his athletic achievements, Tim helped establish York University and went on to teach economics there. He loved learning and he loved education policy. After being bit by the political bug, Tim was elected as the new MPP for Scarborough East in 1967. He also became the opposition’s education critic.

It always bothered him when he saw Ontario students using textbooks that were published in the United States and had little-to-no understanding of Canadian nuances or values. So he advocated hard for made-in-Ontario textbooks—an initiative we can appreciate in today’s political climate.

After his time as MPP, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development offered him a job in Paris. He said it took his wife, Julyan, about half a second to decide whether or not to take that job and move to Paris or stay in Scarborough.

Their photo albums have been a testament to their love for travel, overflowing with images from countless adventures together.

After returning to Canada, Tim continued to add to his already impressive résumé. He was the assistant deputy minister in industry and tourism, MBA at Harvard, dean of the business school at TMU, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce—just your average underachiever here.

Tim remained committed to mentoring and supporting younger generations, serving as a listener, an adviser, and a mentor—in other words, he paid it forward.

He was always an athlete, and he was still doing physio until his last week of life.

Tim passed away on October 9, four months shy of his 90th birthday.

According to his children, Tim was known for the sparkle in his eye, his endless curiosity, warm sensitivity, and love of dancing—qualities that remained with him until the end.

Ontario’s 20th Premier, David Peterson, had this to say about his old friend: “Tim was immensely talented in every field, and he contributed to a better world in every way. And not only that, he was a very nice guy.”

Even in death, Tim demonstrated who he was as a human being. His obituary noted that donations to Belmont House, a charitable non-profit Christian home for seniors offering long-term care and retirement living, or to Interval House, Canada’s first shelter for women and their children fleeing violence, in his name would be greatly appreciated. This gesture speaks volumes about the type of person that Tim Reid was. He continued his care for others even in death.

Tim—and to his family—thank you for your years of service and for those contributions. We are thankful for Tim’s years of service, and on behalf of His Majesty’s official opposition, please accept our sincere condolences.

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

MPP Tyler Watt: Good evening, friends, family, colleagues and all gathered here today and watching online to honour the life of Tim Reid. Tonight we remember not just a politician or a public servant, but a rare soul whose life bore the imprint of many worlds: scholarship, sports, public service, business, mentorship, and, above all, humanity.

Tim was born in Toronto in 1936, the son of noted diplomat and scholar Escott Reid.

Tim’s gifts were evident early on. He starred as a halfback for the Varsity Blues football team, setting a scoring record in their undefeated 1958 season, and competed in track and field, winning a gold medal in the low hurdles and contributing to a team league title. He later played in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, even featuring in the 1962 Grey Cup—a remarkable journey from varsity athlete to professional football.

He went on to attend Yale University for a master’s in economics and, as a Rhodes Scholarship recipient, studied at Oxford.

That combination of intellectual curiosity, athletic discipline and global outlook formed the foundation of everything he did.

In 1967, Tim emerged on the public stage as the member for Scarborough East in the provincial Legislature. Tim served this Legislature and the people of Ontario with honour from 1967 to 1971, representing the Ontario Liberal Party.

As an article by Steve Paikin memorializing him puts it, he was “the most talented MPP you’ve never heard of.”

Rather than seeing his single term as an end point, Tim turned it into a launch pad for a whole new, fabulous chapter—from federal public service and senior roles across government; to academia, as dean of business at what became Toronto Metropolitan University; to leading the Canadian Chamber of Commerce during a critical decade for Canada’s economy.

Yet, for all of his accomplishments—from economics to trade policy, from institutional leadership to public discourse—those closest to him remember something far more precious: a man of warmth, insight, generosity, wit and humility.

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According to people who knew him, Tim had a sparkle in his eye, an unbounded curiosity, a capacity to bridge worlds and a willingness to mentor younger generations quietly but deeply.

Maybe the most fitting way to honour Tim is to embrace the life lessons that he embodied:

—that talent, no matter how wide or impressive, is most powerful when paired with humility and service;

—that a career need not be linear to matter—one’s impact can ripple across sectors, roles and decades;

—that true legacy lies not only in titles or positions, but in the lives touched, the young people mentored, the ideas shared and the integrity shown when no one’s watching.

So tonight, as we say farewell, let’s salute not just Tim Reid the MPP, the academic, the business leader, but Tim Reid the human being—a life lived with breadth, heart and purpose. May we carry forward his spirit of curiosity, his belief in public good and his generosity of mind.

Rest in peace, Tim. Thank you for what you taught us—in word, in deed and in example.

John Hastings

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. John Hastings, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. John Hastings, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government. Agreed? Agreed.

Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. John Hastings, who was the MPP for Etobicoke North during the 36th and 37th Parliaments.

Joining us in the galleries are Mr. Hastings’s friends—Susan, Bob, Heather and Haylie Wakutz—who are attending on behalf of Mr. Hastings’ family. Mr. Hastings’s niece, Nancy Rodd, is watching from home.

Also joining us in the galleries are Norman Miller, MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka from the 37th to the 42nd Parliaments; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Dave Levac, Speaker during the 40th and 41st Parliaments; Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; and John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke from the 38th to 43rd Parliaments. Welcome.

I recognize the Premier.

Hon. Doug Ford: It’s such an honour to rise today to pay tribute on behalf of the government, all members of the Legislative Assembly and the people of Ontario to the late John Hastings, an MPP whose commitment to public service left an irreplaceable mark on our province and my family. I say my family because my dad worked in the next riding; Rob was a city councillor, and John was just an incredible person—always worked closely with our family. I know a couple of colleagues are sitting up there as well. Overall, he was just a great man.

When someone called John from our community, he’d be right at the front door trying to help them any way he could. He shared the community of Etobicoke, as I said earlier. He was the north part of Etobicoke.

John Hastings served in this Legislature with distinction from 1995 until 2003, first for Etobicoke–Rexdale and then for Etobicoke North. During this time, he was appointed to important roles, as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation; as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Energy, Science and Technology; and finally as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Citizenship.

John was a dedicated public servant, helping guide policies that were fundamental to building a stronger, better Ontario, investing in critical infrastructure improvements and implementing energy policies that families and taxpayers still benefit from today.

John wasn’t afraid to ask tough questions, even if they were towards his own government—and that’s a true statement; like, John just called anyone out, but that was great. He was a strong advocate for taxpayers across Ontario. And for all John’s tireless work in the Legislature, he was, first and foremost, dedicated to his constituents. This wasn’t surprising, given John’s background in education and community service. He was a teacher by training and a tireless voice in municipal politics before coming to Queen’s Park. He never forgot where he came from and he never stopped worrying about the concerns of day-to-day Ontario families, as well as the schools, public service and safe neighbourhoods they relied on.

John was a constant presence in the community meetings and classrooms and on the ground in Etobicoke. Madam Speaker, I remember this distinctly: No matter if it was a municipal issue or a provincial issue, John would be at the community meeting, voicing his concerns and always protecting his community of Etobicoke North. His roots in our community ran deep. His work helped make Etobicoke stronger and more resilient, and the wonderful place it is today has a lot to do with the work John did.

To his family, friends, and community who mourn him today, on behalf of the people of Ontario who are still benefiting from his service, I offer our deepest condolences. John Hastings was a man of principle. He served with the conviction that he could make our province a better place than when he found it. I can say with pride that John Hastings succeeded in that mission. May we remember him not just for the positions he held, but for the people he served, and may his memory continue to inspire us to build a better, stronger province for everyone who calls Ontario home.

Again, I’d like to thank his family who are watching and his friends. We’re a close-knit community up in Etobicoke and I just want to thank each and every one of you. Thank you. May God bless John Hastings.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I will now turn to the member from London North Centre.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the late John Edward Hastings, former member of provincial Parliament for Etobicoke–Rexdale and, later, Etobicoke North. Although John served proudly as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, his life and his work reached far beyond any partisan line drawn on a seating chart in this chamber.

Before I continue, I’d like to welcome and acknowledge that we’re joined by several of John Hastings’s family and friends. Susan Wakutz, lifelong friend of Mr. Hastings, is attending on behalf of his niece, Nancy Rodd. We’re also joined by Bob Wakutz, Heather Wakutz, and Haylie Wakutz. We’re honoured to have many of John’s former colleagues in the House and I also want to recognize Nancy Rodd, his niece, who is watching this tribute from home.

John was born in Collingwood in 1942 and grew up with the kind of values many Ontarians will recognize: humility, responsibility, hard work and a belief that communities thrive when neighbours show up for one another. Before he ever came to Queen’s Park, he spent 10 years teaching in Ontario secondary schools. Those who worked with him often said he never really stopped being a teacher. Whether he was in committee, at a constituency event, or chatting with new staff here in the building, John carried himself with patience, a willingness to explain and a sincere belief that every conversation mattered.

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He came to political life gradually, first as a political researcher and executive assistant in Queen’s Park in the early 1970s. Later, he worked for nearly two decades with the Workers’ Compensation Board, where he developed a reputation as a steady communicator and someone who genuinely cared about fairness for workers.

He also served as an Etobicoke city councillor from 1988 to 1995, bringing that same grounded sensibility to municipal government. Yes, he was famous for knocking on doors endlessly and tirelessly because he believed that in order to represent people, you had to hear from them directly.

In 1995, John was elected as the member for Etobicoke–Rexdale and re-elected in 1999 for Etobicoke North. During his years here, he served as a parliamentary assistant to several ministries, including transportation; energy, science and technology; and citizenship. He took on complex policy files, especially around transportation and infrastructure, and he approached the work with seriousness, curiosity and a genuine desire to get things right.

John successfully passed several private members’ bills, no small accomplishment in this place, including the e-commerce act of 2000 and the Saving for Our Children’s Future Act of 2001. He took pride in crafting legislation that looked ahead, that tried to help families plan for their futures and that modernized Ontario’s legal landscape.

Speaker, he also brought personality to this place. One newspaper affectionately referred to him as “the member from Bedrock,” drawing a comparison to Barney Rubble, a lighthearted Queen’s Park nickname that, as the article noted, was truly a sign of respect. To be given a nickname here is often to be recognized as someone who has become part of the very fabric of the building.

Beyond politics, there was the man, and that’s often the part that we do not hear about enough in this chamber. John was a passionate jazz aficionado. He could talk about music with the energy of someone discovering it for the very first time, even after decades of listening. He loved the spontaneity of jazz, the way it blends discipline, technical skill, and improvisation. Perhaps that appealed to him because politics, at its best, can be a little bit like that too.

He was also a devoted supporter of the arts. John was a prolific art collector, but, more importantly, he was an enthusiastic supporter of artists, especially young and emerging ones. He took as much pride in buying a painting from a local community art show as he did from acquiring works by members of the Group of Seven. For him, art was not a luxury; it was a way of encouraging creativity, supporting talent and building community. That says something about the way he saw the world.

John’s community involvement extended to Rotary, Big Brothers, CANES and numerous other organizations. He believed deeply that public service did not end when the cameras were off or when a term concluded. It was something you lived every day.

John passed away on May 15, 2024. He is survived by his niece, Nancy Rodd, and by many friends, colleagues, neighbours and former constituents whose lives were touched by his dedication and generosity.

As members of this Legislature, we come to this place with different perspectives and different political loyalties, but when we honour someone like John Hastings, we are reminded that what unites us is a shared commitment to making life better for the people of Ontario. John lived that commitment every day across decades with sincerity and effort. We remember John Hastings with gratitude and respect and celebrate the legacy he leaves behind for all of us in public service. May his memory continue to inspire all of us to serve with the same integrity and heart that defined his life.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I now turn to the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Good afternoon, everyone. As the member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore, it is my honour today to recognize and reflect on the legacy of public service of John Edward Hastings, who served with distinction in this chamber from 1995 to 2003, representing Etobicoke–Rexdale and Etobicoke North.

I’d like to acknowledge the family, friends and colleagues that have joined today. They’ve been introduced a few times. I especially want to say hello and extend my remarks to his niece, Nancy Rodd, who is watching from home. Thank you for joining us in the Legislature today.

Born in Collingwood on March 16, 1942, MPP Hastings lived a life defined by purpose. He believed deeply in public service, in building stronger communities and lifting up the people around him. For nearly four decades, he did exactly that.

I did not know John personally, but many here will remember him, first and foremost, as a devoted public servant who was drawn to elected office. In 1985, he successfully won a position on the Toronto Hydro Commission and then successfully campaigned to serve at the municipal level, serving as an Etobicoke city councillor from 1988 to 1995. His time on council reflected who he was: someone rooted in neighbourhoods, listening carefully and always trying to make life a little easier for the people of north Etobicoke.

During his public life, John distinguished himself by his work ethic, his curiosity, his commitment to learning—we’ve heard about his independence of mind—and by the respect he earned from colleagues. While a member of the government caucus, he served the people of Ontario as the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation from 1997 to 2001; later as the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Energy, Science and Technology from 2001 to 2002; and finally to the Minister of Citizenship with responsibility for seniors.

He was especially proud of the nine private member’s bills he successfully passed, which I’m learning as a new MPP is no small feat in this chamber. These included the Electronic Commerce Act, 2000, one of the first pieces of legislation in Canada to modernize digital transactions, and the Saving for Our Children’s Future Act, 2001, which encouraged long-term financial planning for young people.

His public service continued after provincial politics and he was elected to serve as a Toronto District School Board trustee from 2006 to 2014, continuing his dedication to young people, learning and local families. My own children would have been getting their education while he served in that role, so I extend my thanks for that.

I did not have the privilege of knowing MPP Hastings, as I’ve said, but I know he was a champion of Etobicoke, and we would have found a little common ground there, I think, as well as our shared love of jazz music. It’s quite possible that we unknowingly sat in the same rooms at Etobicoke’s Old Mill, taking in jazz concerts over the years. It’s famous for it.

And then there’s John’s life outside of public office. John wanted to make an impact. He was a teacher, he was a researcher, a communications professional, a lecturer in community colleges, the president of the Toronto West Rotary Club and a mentor to many. As I’ve said, he was passionate about jazz music, and he supported the arts with a genuine belief that beauty belongs in everyday life. He was a prolific collector; he cherished young local artists’ work just as much as the most famous; and he was generous, curious, thoughtful and had a dry wit that made conversations with him both unforgettable and disarming.

Above all, John was a man who cared about people. He never stopped knocking on doors, even on cold Saturday mornings. He never stopped listening. He never stopped believing that public service is a noble calling and that every person, every neighbour, every senior, every young person, deserves dignity, opportunity and voice.

He is survived by his niece and by the many individuals whose lives he’s touched throughout his long, full life.

Today, as we honour John Hastings, we honour a life lived with purpose and heart and we honour a man who gave so much of himself to public service. We say, “May he rest in peace,” knowing he truly made a positive difference in the lives of many.

My condolences on behalf of our entire caucus to his friends and his family, and please join me in recognizing his many contributions.

Sharon Margaret Murdock

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Ms. Sharon Margaret Murdock, with five minutes allotted to third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Ms. Sharon Margaret Murdock, with five minutes allotted to the third party, two minutes allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition. Agreed? Agreed.

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Today, we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Ms. Sharon Murdock, who was the MPP for Sudbury during the 35th Parliament.

Joining us in the galleries are Ms. Murdock’s brother, Kilby Murdock; David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; and David Levac, Speaker during the 40th and the 41st Parliaments. Ms. Murdock’s sister, Kathleen Murdock-Roy, is watching from home. We also have John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke from the 38th to the 43rd Parliament. Welcome.

Mr. Ted Hsu: Today, I’m honoured to rise and pay tribute to Ms. Sharon Margaret Murdock, a woman whose work left a profound and lasting impact on her community, on northern Ontario and on this province.

Sharon devoted her life to public service, but more importantly, she devoted it to people. Sharon spent her career in roles that put people first, as a teacher, as a constituency assistant, as an MPP and later as a community leader. The work she chose throughout her life reflected a commitment to fairness and to strengthening opportunities for the communities she served, both here at Queen’s Park and back home in Sudbury.

She was a proud voice for northern Ontario at a time when the north was undergoing significant economic and social change. Sharon understood the unique challenges faced by northern communities, from the high cost of living to transportation barriers to the need for sustainable regional economic development. She fought to ensure that northern voices were not only heard in this Legislature but valued. She made it clear that decisions made at Queen’s Park must reflect the realities and needs of every part of this province, including the north.

Before entering politics, Sharon spent more than a decade as a teacher. She worked with the Ministry of Education’s northern corps, working with isolated communities. Her years with the northern corps showed her first-hand the challenges facing students in remote communities: limited resources, long distances and uneven access to opportunity. That work shaped her understanding of the importance of strong public education, especially in the north.

Later in life, she returned to school, earned her law degree and then went back to work as a constituency assistant for Elie Martel and Shelley Martel. It was work that kept her closely connected to her community and to the issues that mattered most.

When Sharon entered the Legislature in 1990 as the member for Sudbury, she brought her community with her. She never forgot who she was here for, and she never stopped fighting for them. Serving as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour, she worked on files related to labour policy and workplace issues during her time in government.

After her time in office, Sharon continued to serve her community for many years. She helped establish and later led the Sudbury and Manitoulin Training and Adjustment Board, now Workforce Planning for Sudbury and Manitoulin. For 16 years, she brought together school boards, colleges, the university, First Nations, local government and employers to strengthen education, training and workforce development across the region. She played a leading role in the Education Coordinating Team, and she helped create Women of the Future, a program designed to inspire young women to explore a wider range of careers and see new possibilities in themselves.

All of this work in classrooms, in the Legislature and in the community had one thing in common: Sharon cared deeply about people. She listened, she took action and she believed that northern communities deserved the same opportunities and attention as any other part of Ontario.

To her family, friends and the community of Sudbury, thank you for sharing her with this province. Sharon’s work continues to have an impact today, and her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched.

Speaker, I ask members to join me in remembering Sharon Margaret Murdock and in honouring her lifetime of service to the people of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): I recognize the member from Windsor–Tecumseh.

Mr. Andrew Dowie: Truly, it’s a privilege to rise today in honour of Sharon Margaret Murdock. She was a trailblazer whose work changed Ontario.

Sharon represented Sudbury in this Legislature from 1990 to 1995 and passed away on July 9, 2024, at the age of 78.

Born and raised in Sudbury, Sharon began her career as an elementary school teacher in 1967, including service in northern and remote communities through the Ministry of Education’s northern corps. These experiences truly shaped her deep understanding of northern realities and the importance of truly accessible education.

Nearly everyone who met Sharon felt as if they were meeting a lifelong friend—a reflection of her kindness and approachability.

She later earned a law degree in 1984 and was called to the bar in 1986. I’m proud to say that she had some time at the University of Windsor, and it was truly formative, connected her to communities beyond the north and reinforced her belief in fairness and opportunity. In law school, she was truly known for her fearless approach to debate—always prepared, always principled and never, ever, ever afraid to stand up for what she believed was right.

Elected in 1990, Sharon served as the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour, supporting initiatives to strengthen labour protections and advance pay equity, particularly for women in jobs without direct male comparators. She was never in a hurry, always willing to take the time to listen and engage, especially on education, training and politics.

During her time in office, Sharon carried 12 pieces of legislation through to third reading, and three of them became law. These include the Avian Emblem Act of 1994, designating the common loon as Ontario’s official bird, among many. She also served on key legislative committees and mentored many up-and-coming NDP candidates and youth activists, helping to shape the next generation of leaders.

After leaving office in 1995, Sharon continued to serve northern Ontario as executive director of the Sudbury and Manitoulin Training and Adjustment Board for 16 years. She brought together labour, educators, employers, municipalities and Indigenous communities to address workforce needs and championed programs for young women, including the Women of the Future conference.

Speaker, those who knew Sharon speak of her character with admiration. To her 22 nieces and nephews, she was much more than their aunt. In particular, her niece Jenna Smith said, “She showed me that it was possible to be a strong, independent woman and not ever apologize for intelligence.”

Her sister, Kathleen Roy, shared simply, “She was my best friend.”

Former MPP Shelley Martel described her as “loyal, unwavering, unapologetic and true.”

And Andréane Chénier, one of her mentees, recalled, “There’d be ... five minutes of ... business, an hour of stories, and then five” more “minutes of ... business ... just to make sure” everything had been covered properly.

When Sharon committed to a project, success was almost guaranteed—a testament to her determination and her leadership. From family, colleagues and those she mentored, the message is clear: Sharon Murdock was dedicated, principled and deeply supportive. Her life’s work was devoted to service and to making life better for others—a legacy that will endure.

On behalf of our caucus, I extend sincere condolences to Sharon’s family, her friends and the many, many youths, adults and everyone in between who were truly the beneficiaries of her generosity, her kindness and her collegiality. It’s something that stands to this day.

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

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M^me France Gélinas: It is my pleasure to share a few words about my friend Sharon. Thanks to Kilby, her brother, for joining us today and to Kathleen for watching us at home. I also want to thank Dave Levac and David Warner, previous Speakers, for being here.

My good friend Sharon died on July 9 this summer. I talked to her the week before. I had no idea that was going to be the last time. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly from 1990 to 1995. While in government, she introduced a bill to make the common loon Ontario’s official bird. As well, she introduced a bill that granted Nipissing University its charter. She introduced a proxy job that could be used as a comparator for female jobs that did not have a similar occupation, to make sure that equal pay for equal work applied to every woman in Ontario.

Applause.

M^me France Gélinas: Yes.

After serving as the MPP for Sudbury, Sharon worked for the Sudbury Manitoulin Training and Adjustment Board, which is now called Workforce Planning for Sudbury and Manitoulin. She was the executive director for 16 years. Sharon did a lot of volunteer work not only for the riding association of MPP Jamie West and my own, but also for the Sudbury Arts Council and the Sudbury branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Above all, for Jamie and me, Sharon was a friend. I want people to know that I am here as an MPP in huge part because of Sharon.

When Shelley Martel shared that she had intention to retire as MPP for Nickel Belt, I agreed to put my name forward to represent the NDP for the riding. I knew absolutely nothing about a successful nomination, and this is when Sharon took me under her wing. She was the first one to offer to help me, and she stayed by my side for all 18 years.

Sharon had worked for Elie Martel and then for his daughter, Shelley Martel, in their constituency office, the very same office where I’ve been working for the last 18 years. I think we painted once, but that’s it.

Sharon knew the riding inside and out. She put a communication strategy together, a membership drive and organized everything from volunteers to meeting and everything in between for my nomination. All I had to do was show up and do what I was told. She gave me a long list of people I had to talk to, like lifelong NDP members like Don Morin, Harvey Wyers or Sandy Bass. She knew all the leaders in all 33 communities of Nickel Belt, and who was an NDP supporter and who was not.

She shared all of that knowledge with me because she wanted me to succeed. She put in an incredible amount of time, effort and energy and never asked for anything in return, never accepted anything in return. Her generosity knew no bound, no limit.

Sharon was organized and good at organizing, but what I remember the most is how kind she was. She always had something nice to say about people. There’s lots of work that needs to be done, but you need to respect people. You need to listen to them. You need to treat them right. Sharon would not hesitate to come and meet with me whenever I needed her. She was a true social democrat. Sharing prosperity and social justice were the values that she lived with every day of her life.

When Jamie won the nomination to represent the NDP in Sudbury, she was there. She came to me and she said, “This young man is going to win. Here’s the plan.” During the election, she kicked into overdrive for the entire election period, showing up daily, doing whatever needed to be done. She was good at fundraising, membership drives, nominations, helping to find volunteers. She was right: Jamie won.

To Sharon’s brother and sister: Thank you for sharing Sharon with us. I’m a better person—I’m a better MPP—because for 18 years, Sharon took me under her wing and never stopped supporting me and helping Jamie and I. Sharon, we will miss you. Thank you for being my friend.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Thank you.

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Point of order.

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: If you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to see the clock at 6.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The member from Essex is seeking unanimous consent to see the clock at 6. Agreed? Agreed.

Private Members’ Public Business

Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur le Mois de la sécurité et de la protection de la vie privée des enfants en ligne

Mr. Blais moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 66, An Act to proclaim the month of October as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month / Projet de loi 66, Loi proclamant le mois d’octobre Mois de la sécurité et de la protection de la vie privée des enfants en ligne.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Pursuant to standing order 100, the member has 12 minutes for their presentation.

Mr. Stephen Blais: Well, thank you very much, Madam Speaker, and good evening, colleagues. It’s an honour to rise today on behalf of the people of Orléans to speak to Bill 66, the Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act, 2025. I would like to first acknowledge and thank my colleague the MPP for Ottawa–Vanier, Lucille Collard, for her tremendous leadership on this project. Her dedication to protecting children is without equal, and I can say without hesitation that in this House, nobody does it better or cares more than she does.

Je voudrais d’abord reconnaître et remercier ma collègue la députée provinciale d’Ottawa–Vanier, Lucille Collard, pour son remarquable leadership dans ce projet de loi. Son engagement envers la protection des enfants est incomparable et je peux dire sans hésiter que dans cette Chambre, personne ne fait un meilleur travail et personne ne se soucie plus que M^me Collard par rapport à ce projet important.

This is a simple bill with a clear purpose: to shine a spotlight every October on the safety, privacy, and well-being of children growing up in an increasingly digital world. This bill creates a dedicated moment every year—an opportunity for parents, educators, community organizations, members of government and lawmakers to come together—to talk honestly and openly about how we protect children online.

Ce que ce projet de loi permet, c’est de créer chaque année un moment consacré—une occasion pour les parents, les éducateurs, les organismes communautaires, les membres du gouvernement et les législateurs de se réunir—afin de discuter ouvertement et honnêtement de la façon dont nous protégeons les enfants en ligne dans notre province.

Mr. Speaker, that conversation is urgently needed. Our young people today are the first generation to grow up fully immersed in digital, online technology. Young people don’t step into the digital world; they live in it. It’s where they learn. It’s where they socialize. It’s how they explore new ideas and express themselves.

In 2022, 99% of young Canadians aged 15 to 24 used the Internet, and 91% were active on social networking sites. What’s most alarming is what our kids encounter while navigating the Net. We cannot discuss online safety without confronting one of the most disturbing crimes in our country: the online sexual exploitation of children and efforts to radicalize them online with exposure to hate of all forms.

The Internet has opened remarkable opportunities for learning, for connection and for creativity, but it has also become a weapon for predators to exploit children and for extremists to spread hate.

Nous ne pouvons pas parler de la sécurité de nos enfants en ligne sans aborder un crime des plus dérangeants dans notre pays : l’exploitation sexuelle des enfants sur l’Internet et les efforts de les radicaliser en ligne par l’exposition à toutes formes de haine.

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L’Internet a ouvert la porte à des possibilités remarquables d’apprentissage, de connexion et de la créativité, mais il est aussi devenu une arme qui permet à des prédateurs d’exploiter les enfants et à des extrémistes de propager la haine.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, one of Canada’s most important advocates in this area, now receives more than 100,000 reports every month related to online sexual abuse of children and their exploitation.

Statistics Canada reports that 71% of young Canadians saw online hate content in 2022.

And police-reported data collected between 2018 and 2022 shows that more than one third, or 36%, of victims of cyber-related hate crimes were under the age of 25.

For many young people, the online world exposes them to things that no child should ever have to see or experience.

A recent Stats Canada report shows an equally troubling trend. Police-reported incidents involving children harmed in digital spaces increased from 50 incidents per 100,000 in 2014 to 130 by 2020. That’s an increase of more than 160% in just six years.

Lianna McDonald, the executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, summarized the crisis clearly when she said, “Canadian children and adolescents are being targeted and victimized through their daily use of technology and social media platforms. There is an urgent need for all levels of government to ensure they regulate and protect minors in digital spaces with the same level of care as they do in the offline world.”

That urgency is why we are here today debating Bill 66.

Mr. Speaker, we know that online victimization does not happen in isolation. Stats Canada data on child sexual offences reveals that luring a child accounts for 77% of all online sexual offences against children; 65% of victims were targeted by a stranger or casual acquaintance, while nearly a quarter were exploited by someone they knew—a friend, a family member, or an intimate partner. What’s also challenging is that less than half of cases, roughly 44%, are cleared by police.

And while charges are laid in the majority of those cases, the lasting impacts remain with survivors for their entire lives, and those impacts are profound. Children who experience sexual exploitation often suffer from psychological harm, challenges with development, substance use disorders, depression and trauma that impact their relationships well into adulthood.

This is a public health crisis, a public safety crisis, and a children’s rights crisis.

Ontario and Canada have long recognized that children possess their own agency as individuals. At one point in our history, children had no rights at all; they had only obligations. But now children are recognized as full people with their own inherent rights, deserving of special protections because of their developmental stage and their vulnerability.

This principle is the foundation of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was ratified by Canada in 1991. The CRC remains the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, and two articles speak specifically to what we’re debating tonight. Article 19 states that states must take all appropriate measures to protect children from abuse, injury, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse. Article 34 states that states must protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.

Madam Speaker, adopting Bill 66 sends a clear message: Ontario is committed to upholding these obligations, not just on paper, but in practice.

I would also like to recognize the meaningful steps being taken by the federal Liberal government to help keep our kids safe online. Earlier this year, the Minister of Public Safety announced $39.7 million in federal investments to protect children and youth from online sexual exploitation. That was $21.5 million for provincial Internet child exploitation units, helping support their investigative capacity, including $7.5 million for the Ontario Provincial Police and $18.2 million for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to expand their critical work and respond to an overwhelming rise in demand.

But, Madam Speaker, no single government can solve this alone. Around the world, governments are grappling with the same challenge. In Australia, the federal Parliament has passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill, which will come into force next week on December 10. Under that law, children under the age of 16 will no longer be allowed to create or maintain social media platforms, including on Facebook and X and YouTube, Instagram and Reddit. Social media companies must take responsible steps to enforce the rule or face fines of up to $50 million. Parents cannot override the restriction. The purpose of that legislation is simple: to protect the mental health and well-being of Australian kids.

Now, whether one agrees or disagrees with that approach—and it is, perhaps, extreme—the message is the same worldwide: We must act. Doing nothing should no longer be an option. The hope with this bill is to bring awareness to the issue because awareness drives action, because conversations create cultural and societal change.

Designating a month allows us to highlight safety resources for families, promote digital literacy in schools, partner with community groups, support law enforcement and child protection agencies and speak directly to young people about their rights, safety and privacy online. It creates a space for all of us, no matter the political stripe, to work together and, Madam Speaker, that is exactly what the kids of Ontario need and deserve.

The digital world is evolving faster than any generation or government can keep up with. Our laws, our education systems and our public awareness must evolve with it, or else we risk further harming our children. Bill 66 won’t solve all of these problems, but it will ensure that Ontario sets aside a time every year to confront them head-on, to learn from experts, to hear from survivors, to empower parents and educators and, most importantly, to protect children. This bill is about recognizing that every child in Ontario has the right to grow up safe, supported and free from exploitation, both online and offline.

Le projet de loi 66 ne va pas régler tous les problèmes, mais il va garantir que l’Ontario consacre chaque année un mois entier pour affronter ces enjeux, pour apprendre des experts, pour écouter les survivants, pour donner aux parents et aux éducateurs les outils nécessaires pour agir, et surtout pour protéger les enfants en ligne. Ce projet de loi se concentre sur la prévention et la sensibilisation. Il s’agit de reconnaître que chaque enfant en Ontario a le droit de grandir en sécurité et libre de toute forme d’exploitation, tant en ligne qu’hors ligne.

So thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you, colleagues and friends. I hope that you will find it appropriate to support this bill this evening.

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

Mr. Brian Riddell: I rise today for the second reading of Bill 66, the Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act, 2025. This bill seeks to proclaim October as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month in Ontario, raising awareness about the importance of digital safety for children and encouraging parents, educators and communities to prioritize online protection.

As we consider this bill, it’s important to recognize that Ontario already is a national leader in cyber security awareness and action, especially when it comes to protecting our youngest citizens. This October, Ontario hosted the 2025 Cybersecurity Summit, bringing together executives, IT professionals and public sector leaders to share strategies and resources for building a resilient digital province. The summit focused on the most pressing issues in Ontario’s cyber landscape, including how to protect the data and privacy of Ontarians, combat cyber threats and enhance cross-sector collaboration. A major theme was the need to safeguard children and students in the K-12 sector. The summit highlighted the Ontario K-12 Cyber Protection Strategy, a province-wide plan launched in 2022 to strengthen digital safety in schools.

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Ontario’s leadership in cyber security is reflected in our commitment to education and awareness. Throughout Cyber Security Awareness Month, the summit promoted campaigns, student tools and standardization of cyber security policies developed with expert partners like the Educational Computing Network of Ontario. These initiatives directly support the goals of Bill 66 by raising awareness and providing practical resources for kids, parents and educators.

Speaker, while Ontario’s cyber security summit and ongoing programs already achieve the aims of Bill 66, this bill serves as a powerful symbol. By proclaiming Ontario as kids’ online security and privacy month, we reinforce our commitment to digital safety, encourage ongoing dialogue and ensure that every year we renew our focus on protecting children online.

Awareness is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing responsibility. Our government has already put in place strong legislation and programs to safeguard children’s state of privacy and well-being. Bill 66 complements our existing efforts, amplifies the visibility of cyber safety initiatives and reminds us all—government, parents, educators and industry—that protecting kids online is a shared priority.

For these reasons, I am pleased to support the aim of Bill 66. Let us use Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month as an opportunity to renew our commitment to digital safety, to empower parents and educators, and to ensure that every child in Ontario can navigate the digital world confidently and safely.

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: It’s a pleasure to join the debate here tonight. The member from Orléans has brought forward a bill to declare online security month being in October. I don’t know how else to get the attention of this government on this issue; at least this month would shine a light on what’s actually happening to youth.

There is a motion at social policy to take on this work together, to actually have a strategy and implement some safety measures around online use of social media for youth. I want to tell you that I’ve been working with a doctor named Alison Yeung in Waterloo region. They’re doing a massive amount of research, but the body of evidence already exists to protect youth. Because the algorithms are designed to be addictive, right? This is a fact. The research and evidence say it.

It’s important to note that 15- to 24-year-olds are the most likely cohort to see violent content online because there are no protections in place. According to Stats Canada, 52% encounter content that may incite hate or violence once a month or more and 12.6% see such content daily. This is not helpful for the social discourse in the province of Ontario. The research is very strong, and Dr. Yeung actually goes on to say, “It’s hard for kids to control their use.” We have to be honest about what’s happening here. “Almost one in two youth had a high addictive use trajectory for mobile phones. More than 40% had a high addictive use trajectory for video games.”

The algorithms are designed to be addictive. The government of Ontario is doing nothing to stop this and to protect youth online.

“Take-away 2: More problematic use led to increased suicidal behaviours.

“For social media, mobile phones and video games, both the high and increasing addictive use trajectories were associated with greater risks of suicidal behaviours and suicidal ideation compared with the low addictive use trajectory.”

The stakes are high, and for some reason, the government seems paralyzed—paralyzed—to deal with this issue. I did, because we’ve been presenting—because we have thousands of names actually asking the government to do something, to review the addictive nature of social media platforms, to clarify the responsibilities of social media companies regarding the moderation of use of youth under the age of 13, to require the Ontario public health units to issue a health warning on social media platforms about the risks of excessive social media use by youth.

Because this petition has generated a lot of attention, the Ministry of Health did get back to me about this issue. They say they’ve got some programs and services that address child and youth mental health—after the fact. They have a youth program for gambling and technology use treatment that is available for 11-year-olds to 21-year-olds, but after the fact. They’re collecting relevant data, after the fact. Nobody in this province is being proactive about protecting youth from seeing these violent images and from being exposed to the hate and crimes.

I just want to point to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. This report just came out on November 25. Listen, this was a survey of 1,300 youth in Canada. “Nearly nine in 10 ... participants were sexually victimized in private communication environments” around private messaging. “Over nine in 10 ... teen victims think that Canada should legally force apps and platforms to prevent harm online. Most also thought safety measures would help.” These are the voices of people who have found themselves victims in this space, because it is an unsafe space by design. They are asking us to take action, so of course His Majesty’s official opposition will be supporting online safety month.

For the love of humanity, can we actually do something about this issue? And not just to inspire one month, we need to inspire action. We need police to get involved. We need the committee to do the work. Let’s do something for the people of this province.

And some people will blame parents. They say, “Oh, this is a parent issue.” Parents aren’t failing; the tech billionaires are winning. Let’s put children and their safety above everybody else in this province, and let’s get this bill passed. But let’s get to work, for the love of God.

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

M^me Lucille Collard: I want to begin by thanking the member for Orléans for actually re-tabling this bill, a bill that I tabled in the last Parliament, which I debated and which passed second reading but didn’t get any further. I am proudly co-sponsoring this bill and I want to thank the member for recognizing the urgency of this issue and for allowing us to debate it tonight on his own ballot date. I think I owe him one.

Kids’ online safety is one of the topics I discuss the most with people in my riding, from educators to parents to front-line service providers. I recently organized a round table on all the PMBs I have tabled, and there was unanimous agreement that this bill deserves high priority.

As lawmakers, we have all become increasingly aware that the digital world, while full of innovation and opportunity, has also become one of the most complex and consequential challenges facing young people in Ontario and beyond. Online safety is not abstract; it’s real, and it’s part of our family life. Technology is now unavoidable. It is the environment in which kids grow up. Parents worry that their children may be exposed to violent or sexual content, targeted by predators, manipulated by algorithms or pressured by impossible standards of perfection.

Teachers see cyberbullying spill into their classrooms. Health care providers see the connections between social media, anxiety, depression and body image issues at unprecedented levels. Young people themselves tell us clearly that they feel overwhelmed, unprotected and unheard.

But we must also speak plainly about the dangers. Children are being approached by strangers through direct messages, gaming chats and live streams. Some are lured into exchanging photos, only to become victims of sextortion, a crime that is growing rapidly across Canada. There are documented cases in Ontario of youth being groomed online and recruited into human trafficking by people who first showed up as friends in their inbox.

Many young people are falling into gaming addictions, where online games are deliberately designed to keep them hooked, impacting their sleep, their mental health and their academic performance. These situations are not theoretical. They are happening today in our communities to children who believed they were safe at home.

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The act does not pretend to solve every one of these challenges, but it does something meaningful. It creates the time and space for awareness, for education, for honest conversations and for coordinated action. Declaring a Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month is not symbolic; it is strategic. It builds a structured annual opportunity to mobilize parents, schools, tech companies, law enforcement, mental health experts and community organizations around one shared purpose: keeping kids safe.

Speaker, we already designate awareness periods for bullying prevention, mental health, domestic violence and road safety. Why? Because awareness changes behaviour, awareness shifts culture and awareness empowers people to protect themselves and each other. In the digital world, where technology evolves faster than policy and where children encounter risks long before adults fully understand them, awareness is not optional; it is essential.

This act gives Ontario a mechanism to keep public understanding current. During this month, stakeholders could:

—highlight best practices on privacy settings;

—teach kids about digital footprints;

—support teachers with updated resources;

—host workshops on misinformation, online grooming and compulsive gaming; and

—equip parents with the tools they need to guide their children in a world where the boundaries between safe and unsafe are increasingly blurred.

It also strengthens partnerships with experts: cyber security professionals, mental health practitioners, youth advocates and academic researchers. These are the voices we need at the table, and this act ensures they have a recurring platform.

The Educational Collaborative Network of Ontario, ECNO, has already developed strong tools and resources for schools and parents on online safety for students of all ages. This bill builds on that foundation and demonstrates that the Ontario Legislature supports and values this work.

Et permettez-moi d’insister : la sécurité en ligne n’est pas partisane. Le bien-être des enfants n’est pas politique. Protéger les jeunes en ligne ne doit jamais dépendre de qui est au gouvernement. En appuyant ce projet de loi, nous affirmons que la protection de l’environnement numérique dans lequel nos enfants évoluent chaque jour est une responsabilité partagée.

Nous ne pouvons pas non plus ignorer les répercussions sur la santé mentale d’une exposition numérique non réglementée. Les données sont claires : la cyberintimidation, le harcèlement et les contenus nocifs ont des conséquences à long terme. Et lorsque les jeunes ont l’impression de devoir affronter seuls ces pressions, les impacts peuvent être dévastateurs.

Un mois annuel de sensibilisation nous permet de mettre régulièrement en lumière les soutiens disponibles, de normaliser la recherche d’aide et de créer un espace pour des conversations qui protègent le bien-être mental des enfants.

We debate the future of Ontario often—its economy, its infrastructure, its services—but the truth is that the future will be shaped by the children who are growing up right now. Their ability to participate safely in the digital world will affect their opportunities, their resilience and their well-being for the rest of their life. We cannot ask them to navigate that world alone. We owe them guidance, protection and leadership.

The Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act is an important step. It builds awareness, fosters collaboration, strengthens community and ensures that, every year, we pause to ask, “Are we doing enough to keep our children safe?” Tonight, Speaker, we can answer “yes.” We can act. We can unite around that simple truth that nothing matters more than the safety of our children in Ontario.

I am proud to support this bill, and I urge all the members of this House to do the same.

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

Mr. Chris Glover: It’s an honour to rise and speak in favour of this Bill 66, the Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act. Obviously, we in the NDP will be supporting this. This is an important first step in actually making sure our kids are safe online. I want to thank the members from Orléans and Ottawa–Vanier for bringing it forward.

The Internet provides all kinds of incredible opportunities for connection and learning, but it’s also a place where people can be exploited and, particularly, children are vulnerable to that.

I’m one of those annoying, proud grandparents who is always showing pictures of my grandson. I was online with him a little while ago—he’s three years old, and he got his first pair of skates. He was showing me, on a video call, this pair of skates, and he was just gushing about them. He was so excited. He said, “They’re delicious,” and my daughter said, “You’re going to eat them?”

It was one of those mistakes that children make that are just so adorable because they are so innocent. They’re still figuring out—like, “delicious” to him meant something that was really wonderful, but he didn’t realize that it only really applies to food; that you don’t actually use “delicious” for skates. It shows just how innocent kids are.

The Internet is full of all kinds of wonderful things, but all kinds of terrible things. Cyberbullying, online grooming, exploitation and trafficking are just some of the dangers that our children are exposed to that can cause long-lasting harm. There are things online that appear to be innocent. There’s deceptive programming. On YouTube, you can see accounts that seem to be for kids that produce bright, colourful content. When you watch them carefully, though, you realize that the themes are not appropriate for kids, and the language can be quite foul at times. So you have to be really, really careful about what children are watching.

There’s also exploitation. There’s a company called Roblox that is being sued many, many times over for the exploitation that happens on their site for children. An Iowa family is among those suing this multi-million-dollar gaming company, alleging that a 13-year-old girl was trafficked and sexually abused after a predator on Roblox groomed the child and abducted her from her grandmother’s home in May, according to the legal petition.

A 12-year-old from British Columbia recently sued the platform, alleging that its games are addictive, manipulative and financially exploitative, leading the child to anxiety, depression, irritability and mood swings, according to a CBC report.

Children are often using their parents’ money. They get their parents’ credit card, they’re asked to put the numbers online and then the parents are exploited. So they’re being financially exploited as well.

There are also cases of extremism. In Thunder Bay, there was a 13-year-old boy who has been charged for an alleged online plot to commit a violent school attack, according to the Thunder Bay Police Service. They determined that the youth had been communicating online with another person who was believed to be outside of Canada, and they communicated about ways to conspire and counsel each other regarding a potential attack on the school. The police said that they believed that the attempt would have been carried out on that child’s school in the near future. So there’s also this extremism recruiting that is happening online.

There’s a Canadian Centre for Child Protection. The director, Jacques Marcoux, has said that while some youth may appear to be more vulnerable than others, the reality is that “just about all kids are potentially vulnerable to these tactics.” He said that you have people who are experts at exploiting children. There are online training manuals that get exchanged between offender communities where they discuss the tactics to exploit children online. They know exactly what steps to take and how to identify kids who might be easier to groom.

So there is incredible danger out there. This bill to create the online safety and privacy month is a good step because it starts us on the road to dialogue, but dialogue is not enough. We need action. We need regulation. We need to protect our children from this exploitation that is happening online. I want to thank my colleague from Waterloo for talking about that, about the work that’s being done in committee, where we need all-party support to actually bring in real, tangible protections for children in the province of Ontario.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak.

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

MPP Tyler Watt: I’m proud to rise today in full support of my colleagues, the members from Orléans and Ottawa–Vanier, and this important bill, Bill 66, which would proclaim October as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month in Ontario.

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Speaker, every generation of parents faces new challenges, but today’s parents are navigating something entirely new. Children are growing up in a digital world that most adults never experienced at their age. The Internet is no longer a place that you log on; it is woven into learning, friendships and entertainment.

In my riding of Nepean, I hear from families constantly about the struggle to keep their kids safe in that world. They know the Internet can empower kids, but they also know the risks are real: cyberbullying, online grooming, scams, trafficking and exploitation. These aren’t distant possibilities; they’re happening right now to young people across Ontario.

When I visit schools like Mary Honeywell and St. Mother Teresa, students tell me themselves how overwhelming the digital world can be, how fast misinformation spreads, how hard it is to protect their privacy and how impossible it can feel to escape online cruelty. These are bright, tech-savvy kids and teenagers, but being tech-savvy is not the same as being safe. This is why this bill matters. Awareness is not a luxury; it is the first layer of protection.

By proclaiming October as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month, we create a yearly opportunity to talk openly about online risks, promote digital literacy and equip parents, schools and communities with the tools they need. This isn’t about fear; it’s about empowerment—empowerment for kids to understand their boundaries and their digital footprint, and empowerment for parents to know what signs to look for and where to turn for help.

I also want to speak personally, as a millennial who grew up right in between these two eras. I spent my childhood without Internet in my pocket. I remember when MySpace arrived. I remember when Facebook suddenly became the place everyone joined. We were teenagers figuring out something brand new.

Yes, bullying existed, but you could escape it, at least when you went home. I’d have to get permission from my mother to use dial-up and hog the phone line in order to get on the Internet. It wasn’t as accessible back then and I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful my generation didn’t grow up under that weight of anonymous comment sections, viral harassment or the pressure to be perfect online.

Kids today face a level of constant scrutiny, comparison and pressure that my generation never knew. Their entire social world follows them everywhere, at every hour of the day. This is exactly why bills like this are so important. Kids should not have to navigate the world alone.

I also want to address the role of artificial intelligence, which is reshaping this landscape faster than any of us can keep up with. AI is already creating new risks: deepfakes, voice cloning, image manipulation, personalized scams, automated bots—these tools can be used to exploit, deceive and target kids in ways we couldn’t have imagined five years ago.

And yet our legislative framework is far behind. Technology is sprinting while our laws are jogging to catch up. Kids can now be impersonated, manipulated or targeted with frightening accuracy. We need modern protections to keep pace with AI, demand accountability from tech platforms, and centre children’s privacy and safety every step of the way. AI isn’t slowing down and neither can we.

Speaker, online risks don’t care about political lines. Every child deserves to be safe. Every parent deserves peace of mind. Every school deserves the tools to teach digital safety effectively.

Proclaiming October as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month is the start, and it will create that annual commitment to action. It tells families that this Legislature understands their reality and is ready to support them.

I want to thank the member from Ottawa–Vanier and the member from Orléans for their leadership, and I encourage all members in this Legislature to support this bill, because our kids deserve nothing less.

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

Mr. John Fraser: I just want to say how proud I am of the members from Ottawa–Vanier and Orléans—the member from Ottawa–Vanier for creating this bill and the member from Orléans for sharing his spot about something I know is important to both of them. They both come from school boards; they know how important this is.

I just want to say, if we’re not worried about our kids being addicted to these things, just look across the way every day.

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

The member now has two minutes to reply.

Mr. Stephen Blais: I’d like to thank the members from Cambridge, from Waterloo, from Spadina–Fort York, and of course, my friend from Nepean, who is younger than I am, and my colleague and friend from Ottawa–Vanier for the amazing work she did putting this together and all the advocacy.

As my colleague from Nepean mentioned, I don’t think any of us in this room are young enough to have grown up in this environment—maybe over there in the corner. But most of us probably would be leading a slightly different life if a computer and a phone were in our pocket when we were growing up. If we had had Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Roblox and all those things as we were kids, our lives would have been different, whether that was because of online pressure and bullying or perhaps some photographic evidence which we are lucky doesn’t exist that our kids currently would have to deal with.

I think it’s important for all of us to recognize the modern reality that kids are living through. I’ve got a 16-year-old at home. We’ve got locks on his iPhone, his Instagram, his computer, the Xbox, and I’m sure he’s still seen and done things online that my wife and I would not be too happy about. I think many of us still have kids at home, or grandkids. Some of them are probably not old enough yet to be online, but they’re going to get there soon if they’re not there already.

So we need to make sure that our kids are equipped, that families are equipped, that educators are equipped, and we have to absolutely ensure that law enforcement agencies and social agencies are equipped, to deal with predators when they do infect our communities and our homes.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity. Thank you, colleagues, for your remarks tonight. And above all, thank you, Madame Collard, for your leadership.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): The time provided for private members’ public business has expired.

Mr. Blais has moved second reading of Bill 66, An Act to proclaim the month of October as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Second reading agreed to.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Pursuant to standing order 100(h), the bill is referred to the Committee of the Whole House.

Mr. Stephen Blais: I would like for this to go to the Standing Committee on Social Policy, please.

The Acting Speaker (MPP Andrea Hazell): Is the majority in favour of this bill being referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy? Agreed.

The bill is referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy.

All matters relating to private members’ public business have been completed. This House stands adjourned until Thursday, December 4, at 9 a.m.

The House adjourned at 1758.

December 3, 2025

Orders of the Day

Peel Transition Implementation Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la mise en oeuvre de la transition de Peel

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Orders of the Day

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Jan Dukszta

William C. Davis

James J. Bradley

Allan Furlong

Bernard C. Grandmaître

Timothy Escott Reid

John Hastings

Sharon Margaret Murdock

Private Members’ Public Business

Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur le Mois de la sécurité et de la protection de la vie privée des enfants en ligne