Hansard Transcript 2026-May-26 vol. A | Legislative Assembly of Ontario

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. Robert Charles Wong, with two minutes being allotted to the independent members as a group, five minutes to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the third party.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Robert Charles Wong, 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 Honourable Robert Charles Wong, who was the MPP for Fort York and Minister of Citizenship and Minister of Energy, during the 34th Parliament.

Joining us in the galleries are Honourable Wong’s family and friends: his spouse, Alice Wong; his nieces and their families, Kimberly Ann Mah-Poy, Barbara MacPhie, Gary MacPhie, Jameson MacPhie, Jessica Maggie MacPhie, Sarah Elizabeth Kargel and Isabella Lauren Kargel; and his friends Greg Wong and Sandra Chow Chee Wong.

Also joining us in the galleries are Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments, and Robin Martin, MPP for Eglinton–Lawrence during the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments.

Welcome.

I recognize the member for Eglinton–Lawrence.

Mrs. Michelle Cooper: I rise today to pay tribute to Robert Charles Wong, a former member of this House, who passed away on December 16, 2025. Mr. Wong served the people of Ontario with distinction as the member for Fort York from 1987 to 1990.

Bob Wong was born in Fort Erie, Ontario, in 1941. From an early age, he demonstrated a passion for learning and a deep commitment to excellence. He pursued his education at the University of Toronto, York University, the University of Waterloo and Harvard University, studying mathematics, physics and business administration. His academic journey reflected not only intellectual curiosity but also a belief that knowledge could be applied in service of the broader public good.

Before entering elected office, Mr. Wong built a strong foundation in public service. He worked as a special assistant to the federal Minister of National Health and Welfare, and later served as special adviser to Canada’s first Minister of State for Multiculturalism. In these roles, he contributed to the early development of policies that recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion in Canadian society.

In 1987, Bob Wong made history when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Representing the downtown Toronto riding of Fort York, he became the first Canadian of Chinese descent to sit in this House. His election marked an important moment in Ontario’s evolution as our Legislature began to better reflect the diversity of the people it serves.

Shortly after his election, Mr. Wong was appointed to cabinet, serving as Minister of Energy and later as Minister of Citizenship. In the latter role, he held responsibility for race relations, multiculturalism and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Through this work, he contributed to strengthening the province’s commitment to fairness, inclusion and respect for all Ontarians.

During his time at Queen’s Park, Bob Wong was known as a thoughtful and principled member. He approached public service with integrity and a clear belief that government should reflect and serve the full diversity of Ontario. He consistently supported efforts to improve opportunities for newcomers and to foster stronger understanding between communities.

Beyond his years in elected office, Mr. Wong made significant contributions in business and community. He was a respected leader in the financial sector, establishing the first brokerage office in Toronto’s Chinatown and earning recognition as analyst of the year in 1980. He also served in leadership roles across a wide range of organizations, contributing to the cultural, professional and civic life of this province.

Earlier in his career, he was also an educator and an innovator, helping to introduce computer science education at the secondary school level and authoring early works in the field. In every aspect of his life, whether in education, business or public service, he sought to break new ground and to create opportunities for others.

Bob Wong’s life was marked by a series of firsts, but it was also defined by consistent commitment to service. He understood that representation matters, and he worked to ensure that Ontario’s institutions were stronger, more inclusive and more reflective of the people they served. He served his constituents and the people of Ontario with dedication and integrity, always striving to contribute positively to public life.

His legacy continues in the many individuals he inspired and in the progress towards a more inclusive province that he helped to advance. I thank him for his years of service and for the enduring impact he had on this House and the province of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Spadina–Fort York.

Mr. Chris Glover: It’s an incredible honour to rise today to honour the memory of Bob Wong. Today we’re joined in the House by his family members: Dr. Alice Wong, his wife; Greg and Sandra Wong; niece Kimberly Mah-Poy; Sarah Kargel; Isabella Kargel; Maggie MacPhie; niece Barbara; and Gary MacPhie. Welcome to the House and thank you for joining us today on this really important occasion.

I am serving in the legacy riding of Fort York that Bob Wong was elected to in 1987. He served until 1990. Before he was elected, he had decades of public service. He was educated at the University of Toronto, York University, Harvard University and the University of Waterloo. He earned bachelor of science and MBA degrees. He was a special assistant to the Minister of National Health and Welfare, John Munro, from 1968 to 1970. He also served as special adviser to Stanley Haidasz, Canada’s first Minister of State for Multiculturalism, in 1972, so he actually played a role in shaping Canada’s multicultural policy.

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He also served as the president of the Toronto and District Liberal Association from 1974 to 1976 and of the Ontario Chinese Liberal Association in 1986. He also chaired the Toronto, Ontario Olympic committee and was a member of the multicultural advisory council. This is all before he became an MPP.

When he was elected in 1987—there’s a famous photo in the Toronto Star. Greg Wong, who is here today, shook up a bottle of champagne and popped the cork. He sprayed Bob and his wife, Alice, with champagne. So there’s a picture in the Toronto Star of just them being drowned in all these bubbles of champagne. It was a really momentous occasion because Bob was the first Canadian of Chinese descent to be elected to this Legislature. I think that deserves a round of applause because that was a truly, truly momentous occasion. I think it was certainly an occasion worthy of being wetted with champagne.

He said, at the time, “It was a historic win. The Chinese community was overly ecstatic and proud to have a member of the community serving in the Legislature for the first time in Ontario’s history.”

His help in shaping Canada’s multicultural policy led to a life-long commitment to Canada’s diversity. He said, “I have always believed that diversity helps to build better governments, organizations and a better country.”

He said, “I welcomed the responsibility of representing the Chinese community and the broader Asian community.” He said that when he was elected, his goals were to fight for “employment equity, settlement issues and harmonious race relations”—the causes he most strongly supported.

After he was an MPP, he also opened the first brokerage in Chinatown where he broke down barriers in the financial sector by helping immigrant and marginalized communities access financial services, investment opportunities and economic participation at a time when they were excluded from Bay Street institutions.

Bob understood that our institutions, media and leadership needed to include and represent our communities and ensure that everyone could participate and feel welcomed. He played an important role in helping secure a licence for CFMT/OMNI Television, Canada’s first multilingual television station. CFMT/OMNI gave immigrant communities access to news, programming and participation in their own language.

Bob also helped open many doors for so many people. His contributions extended far beyond politics. He was an educator in math and physics, and an early leader in computer science education, authoring early computing textbooks. He was a respected business and financial leader and was named analyst of the year in 1980 by the Financial Times of Canada. Bob served as the chair of the Canadian Automobile Association, as well as a Royal Ontario Museum board member.

I’ll just quote one other person that I spoke to, Tonny Louie. If anybody has ever been to Grossman’s, it’s a legendary bar down on—I see a couple of nods—so Tonny Louie and his family are the owners of Grossman’s. They’ve been managing it for decades. They were good friends with Bob. I’ve also heard many great bands there in my earlier days—and also lost a lot of games of pool, I will say, up there at Grossman’s.

But Tonny says of Bob that he was a stockbroker. He first met him when he was an investment broker for a friend.

He said that Bob’s favourite place to go with Alice was to get the Peking duck at Kom Jug Yuen, another legendary place in Chinatown. He said they used to park their car behind Grossman’s, so they had access to Kom Jug Yuen.

He said that Bob deeply, deeply loved Chinatown.

He said, “We remember Bob not only for his accomplishments, but for his integrity, intelligence, advocacy and his commitment to public service.

“I wish to acknowledge and extend condolences to Bob’s wife, Dr. Alice Wong; his family and friends; former colleagues; and the communities he served.

“Bob Wong leaves behind a lasting legacy of inclusion in politics and stronger public institutions. His work opened doors for future generations.”

Thank you very much for joining us, and thank you for sharing Bob Wong with all of us.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Kitchener Centre.

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: Thank you for this opportunity to speak about Bob Wong.

Hi. I want to thank the family and friends of Bob for coming today. I’m sure he didn’t do this alone. It takes a village to raise a politician. Thank you to Dr. Alice Wong and all the folks who are here today to celebrate his legacy because I am sure you were always there with him along the way, and that’s why he could do such amazing things.

So 54 years of marriage. I have been married 17 years. I think you deserve an award because being married that long is an amazing partnership. It shows how much you worked together as a team to make your life incredible. I’m sure you have lots of stories to tell, and so hopefully, one day, we can have coffee and you can tell me stories about the incredible life that you led together.

I’m just astounded that somebody could do this in one lifetime. As I learned about his life—all the degrees, all the leadership positions, the impact, teaching so many young people—I’m sure he inspired so many just by being there. So many people—Chinese youth—never got to see somebody in those positions until Bob came along and broke through those ceilings and made it happen.

It is incredible that he accomplished so many of these firsts because I’m sure he faced a lot of racism. I’m sure he faced a lot of discrimination; people telling him that he couldn’t because he was Chinese or other hateful comments that unfortunately still exist today, but I love that he had that spirit of character to persevere and say, “Watch me,” and he did it.

I was a settlement worker, and I know how much it means for people to have a community. Just by helping establish OMNI, we see the ripple effects to this day of how many folks tune in on a Sunday afternoon or a Friday evening to listen to their program in their language, learn about what’s going on in their community, be able to celebrate their traditions and connect with their neighbours in their language in their culture to feel at home in Canada, which often doesn’t feel like home because you are straddling two cultures. You need that piece of home every day, and that’s what OMNI continues to do for so many people in Ontario.

So I appreciate all the accomplishments he achieved in his life, but I think, above all, I truly believe that his life of service has made the life of the people of Ontario richer and better and more welcoming than ever before.

Thank you for sharing him with us.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Kingston and the Islands.

Mr. Ted Hsu: Today, I have the honour of rising and giving a tribute on behalf of the Ontario Liberal caucus to Robert Charles Wong, the former MPP for Fort York and minister in the David Peterson government.

I did not get to know Bob personally, but I’ve heard his friends and colleagues speak about him with a sort of reverence. He was beloved by his colleagues, staff and fellow Liberal activists for his good humour, wit, commitment to teamwork, commitment to service and helping those in need.

Bob was a man who did it all: business, academics and public service. One thing that attracted my attention was the fact that Bob got his start the way I did, working hard to achieve success in math, physics, computing and finance. In some ways, it’s not a complete accident.

I want to tell everybody here that the doors to certain fields of work or the doors to serving as an elected official for somebody of Chinese heritage are a lot wider today than they were 40 years ago—40 years ago, there were fewer choices. When I first ran for office 16 years ago, it was still a real question: “Can a Chinese guy win elected office in a place where there aren’t many ethnic-Chinese voters?” Bob Wong, who worked long and hard and earned prominence and respect, made answering that question easier.

Bob was devoted to serving his community. He was a pioneer in the teaching of computer science in Ontario high schools, and he even co-wrote textbooks. He founded the first brokerage in Toronto’s Chinatown and held senior roles at various financial firms. His community service included leadership positions with a diverse array of professional and civic organizations, and Bob was recognized later in life with various awards for leadership and volunteer achievement.

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Bob also took on lifetime voluntary roles with his beloved federal and provincial Liberal Parties.

Beyond politics, Bob was a co-founder of CFMT channel 47, the first multilingual television channel in Canada. It’s now known as OMNI.

Bob was a champion of strength in diversity before that became a political slogan. He said publicly that multicultural diversity was the most impressive thing about Toronto. He was an advocate for employment equity, newcomer settlement and harmonious race relations. He served as an adviser to the first federal Minister of State for Multiculturalism early in his career.

Bob was a leading light at Queen’s Park. He was elected to represent the riding of Fort York in 1987 and was named to cabinet that year as Minister of Energy. While energy minister, he passed legislation which enabled the province to test for energy efficiency and set minimum standards. It was the first of its kind in Canada.

In a Toronto Star interview, Bob said that serving as a minister was his ultimate experience because of the intellectual and physical challenge and the privilege of serving the people.

In 1989, he became Minister of Citizenship, responsible for race relations, multiculturalism and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. As the first minister of Asian heritage in either federal or provincial government, he was also a trailblazer in strengthening race relations, which was a cause near and dear to him. While Bob Wong himself would be the first to note that there is yet work to be done in our multi-ethnic and multicultural society, we could not have been handed the torch by a more capable, passionate and devoted man.

Today, we reflect on Bob Wong’s life, the people he touched, and the differences he made. He is survived by his wife, Alice, who joins us today in the gallery; his brother; and many cousins, nieces and nephews, who should take pride in knowing that his character, ethics and devotion are all uncontestable.

May he rest in peace, and may the rest of us honour him by reaffirming our commitment to work towards the Ontario and Canada he dreamed of.

Applause.

Ed Doyle

Hon. Steve Clark: Mr. Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Ed Doyle, 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 to His Majesty’s government.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Ed Doyle, 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. Ed Doyle, who was the MPP for Wentworth East and Speaker during the 36th Parliament.

Mr. Doyle’s family and friends are watching from home.

Joining us in the gallery today are Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments, and Robin Martin, MPP for Eglinton–Lawrence during the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments. Welcome.

I recognize the member from Hamilton-Wentworth-Ancaster—

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Thank you, Speaker. It would be easier if it was still Wentworth East, which is what Mr. Doyle represented.

It is an honour for me to rise and pay tribute to former MPP Mr. Ed Doyle. He served Wentworth East in the 36th Parliament from 1995 to 1999.

First and foremost, Ed was a family man. Together with his wife, Donna, they had four children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In fact, when Ed announced his candidacy for MPP, he cited family as the reason he wanted to run. Ed wanted to provide a better future for his grandchildren. I’m sure all of us in the House will share in those same hopes.

Edward Andrew Doyle was born in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, on May 30, 1935. Doyle had five brothers and one sister. Baie-Comeau was the hometown of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and, in fact, Doyle knew the Mulroneys because he was friends with one of the brothers.

Before entering politics, Ed had a long and reputable career in broadcast journalism. He began at a radio station, CFOW, in Montreal in 1958, but he made his biggest mark in Hamilton. He was a trusted presence in local homes for many, many years. First, Ed served as a radio reporter and newscaster on CHML, and then as a news reporter and anchor at CHCH TV.

Doyle then jumped into politics, winning Wentworth East for the Progressive Conservatives in the 1995 election that brought Mike Harris and his Common Sense Revolution to power. Ed Doyle was also the 35th Speaker of the Ontario Legislature, serving a brief stint in 1996.

Speaker, you may be seeing a pattern here: CHCH news, MPP and Speaker. The current 43rd Speaker, the Honourable Donna Skelly, worked with Doyle at the CHCH station and praised him for his public life. She said, “Ed will be remembered for his dedication, professionalism and kindness, and the positive impact he had on people he worked with.”

Wentworth East was a Hamilton riding, so I’m sure none of you will be surprised when I tell you that Ed was not afraid to speak his mind, especially when it came to his constituents.

CHCH Queen’s Park reporter Randy Rath worked with Ed for many years, and Randy told me that Ed was a genuinely nice guy and fun to be around. Ed was an old school journalist who had those golden baritone tones as an anchor—the man with a golden voice. Randy said it was obvious to everyone that he really cared about his constituents and that he made it a personal mission to fix problems and issues that they were facing.

Ed was a dedicated hobbyist, a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and flew a two-seater plane. After he retired, he got into woodworking; when his plans to build his own aircraft didn’t pan out, he used the equipment to replicate antique furniture. This was a hobby that he shared with his wife, Donna. His son Stephen said his dad was well spoken and knowledgeable about many topics and that he was very good at Trivial Pursuit: “He was a great father. You couldn’t have asked for a better guy.” What a nice thing to be able to say about your father.

Ed died on January 26 of this year at the good old age of 90. He is survived by his sons Shane, Sheldon, Stephen and Kevin, as well as seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Donna, who passed in 2011.

When I was researching this I was looking through Hansard, as we all do when we’re doing these tributes, and I was looking at some of the words that Ed spoke in the House. I think it’s fitting that I conclude this tribute with an Irish blessing that Ed read in this very Legislature with those deep, mellifluous tones that he had. I don’t know if I can do this justice, but I will try: “May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.”

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Toronto–St. Paul’s.

MPP Stephanie Smyth: Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, also, for the opportunity to pay tribute to Edward Andrew Doyle, who passed away, as we’ve heard, last January at the age of 90. It is a great honour to pay tribute to this former Speaker, MPP for Wentworth East and broadcaster.

As we’ve learned, Ed was born in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, and raised in Montreal, where he began his radio career. In 1978, he moved to Hamilton. In the 1950s, he dabbled as a junior draftsman at Imperial Oil and Northern Electric, working on some of the earliest computers, but he always had an interest in news and journalism, as well as that natural broadcasting voice my colleague was referring to. This led him to redirect his career to journalism and broadcasting.

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For 35 years, Ed was a journalist and anchor for various news outlets, including CHML, CKCO TV in Kitchener and CHCH TV in Hamilton. He was of course a very familiar voice in homes right across the province, retiring from journalism in 1993 to help his wife, Donna, manage her medical services company, demonstrating his commitment to family and to helping others.

In 1995, he decided to run for provincial government and was elected to the Legislature to serve as a Progressive Conservative MPP for the Hamilton area riding of Wentworth East. As a member for Hamilton East for four years, Ed was a strong advocate for the issues that most affected his constituents. He opposed city amalgamation. He worked on national pension reform and also worked on local free market housing.

In April 1997, Ed was appointed deputy government whip, signalling the trust his party placed in him. He also briefly served as Speaker of the House, thanks to his intellect and his ability to get along with everyone, a theme that remained consistent throughout both his political and personal life.

In a place where disagreements can often become heated, Ed was known for bringing people together rather than dividing them. He understood the importance of respect in public service, and he carried himself with dignity and humility right throughout his career.

Those who knew Ed often spoke of his kindness and his generosity. He’s been described as your favourite neighbour and uncle all rolled into one, which I think is the way many of us would probably love to be remembered.

Whether in broadcasting or in government, Ed knew how to make the people in his community feel valued and heard. Ed will be remembered fondly for the warmth and the kindness he brought to Queen’s Park and beyond.

He was a loving husband to his late wife, Donna; a loving father to his four sons, Shane, Sheldon, Stephen and Kevin; as well as, we heard, that loving grandfather to seven grandchildren and even loving great-grandfather to three great-grandchildren. As we know, love multiplies, it doesn’t divide. His sons describe him as the best father ever and the undisputed champion of Trivial Pursuit.

Outside of politics, he was part of the Experimental Aircraft Association and even piloted his own home-built two-seater plane. After exiting the political arena, he also took up woodworking.

Ed’s life was marked by a commitment to others, his constituents, his family, Ontarians and Canadians. Though I never had the pleasure of knowing Ed, the positive and lasting impressions he made on others resonates right through this building.

I offer my deepest condolences to his family, to his friends and the many people who had the pleasure of working with him. May he rest in peace.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Guelph.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It’s an honour to rise today to pay tribute to Edward Doyle for his service to the people of Ontario.

Ed served as the MPP for the Hamilton area riding of Wentworth East from 1995 to 1999. He also served as the 36th Speaker of the Ontario Legislature in the fall of 1996. Everyone agreed, when there was an opening in the Speakership, that the kindest person who got along with everyone and was respected and knowledgeable should fill in, and that person was Ed.

There is no doubt, Speaker, that Ed’s knowledge of issues and politics really came from his 35-year career in journalism as a broadcaster, reporter and news anchor. Born and raised in Quebec, Ed began his career in radio in 1958. He also served in Kitchener, but he became most famous for the work that he did in Hamilton at CHML and CHCH.

Ed was known as a straight talker with a great radio voice and a family man. And it was his commitment to family that inspired him to run for the Ontario Legislature in the Common Sense Revolution in 1995. Ed said that he wanted to make sure that balanced budgets were balanced, and that his kids, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren would grow up in a strong Ontario. He was a fierce advocate for his constituents, opposing the amalgamation of Hamilton and co-chairing provincial consultations on the Canadian pension plan.

I want to say to Ed’s family—especially his sons, Shane, Sheldon, Stephen and Kevin; his seven grandchildren; his three great-grandchildren; as well as his late wife Donna—thank you for sharing Ed with us. Ontario is a better place because of his service.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Hamilton Mountain.

MPP Monica Ciriello: I have the honour to rise today to pay tribute to former member of provincial Parliament Ed Doyle, whose contributions to this Legislature, to the residents of Hamilton and to Ontario continue to be remembered with great respect. While I didn’t have the opportunity to know Ed personally, I know his legacy—one that is rooted in community and family.

Before entering politics, Ed was already a well-known and trusted figure throughout Hamilton. He had a distinguished career in both broadcasting and journalism. For many years, Ontarians welcomed him into their homes daily through his work on CHCH, where he became a familiar and respected voice in local news.

Ed earned a reputation for professionalism, warmth and integrity—qualities that would continue to define him throughout his time in public life. It was an era defined by broadcasters with a commanding presence and an unmistakable voice, and Ed Doyle was regarded as one of the very best—not just in Hamilton, but across this province. He brought professionalism, credibility and warmth to journalism, earning the respect of colleagues and viewers alike. Wherever he went in Hamilton, he was described as someone who brought class to every story that he covered.

In the 1990s, Ed transitioned from journalism into politics, bringing with him the same sense of professionalism and service that had defined his broadcasting career. In 1995, he was elected to this Legislature as the Progressive Conservative member for Wentworth East, representing the Hamilton area during a significant moment in Ontario’s political history.

He served as a part of Premier Mike Harris’s government and spent four years in this chamber representing his riding with dedication and humility. While Ed served as a dedicated member, he also played a unique and important role in this chamber. In 1996, members from all three parties came together and asked Ed to serve as the Acting Speaker. That decision reflected a tremendous level of respect that he had earned across party lines. As one former colleague said, Ed Doyle was “a true gentleman, a professional, and very well respected on both sides of the floor.”

At a moment when the House required steadiness and dignity, members trusted Ed to guide the House fairly and calmly, and he did just that. Throughout 1996, Ed served as Speaker with composure and fairness, and he had the distinction of becoming the first Hamiltonian to serve in that role—and now, the Honourable Donna Skelly, being the second Hamiltonian to hold that role.

In a chamber that can be shaped by division, Ed demonstrated the importance of civility and restraint. His work in public service also extended beyond this chamber. During his time in office, Ed participated in province-wide consultations regarding the future of the Canadian pension plan and the role that provinces play within it. The work he contributed to helped shape Ontario’s position and supported reforms aimed at ensuring the CPP’s long-term stability for future generations.

But while Ed’s professional accomplishments were significant, what many remember most was his character. He was thoughtful and respectful, he was approachable and kind, and he was known for his wit and his warm smile.

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In both journalism and politics, Ed believed deeply in service rooted in community. Hamilton was always at the centre of all the work that he did, and he remained closely connected to the people and the stories of the city throughout his entire life.

Speaker, this Legislature is shaped by individuals who strengthen our democratic institutions through their integrity and commitment to service. Ed Doyle was one of those individuals.

Today, we remember a former colleague who served this House with honour and who leaves behind a legacy of decency and dedication to the people of Ontario.

On behalf of this Legislature, I want to extend my condolences to Ed’s family, friends and former colleagues, and thank them for sharing Ed with us.

Thank you, Ed, for your years of service to this House, to our province and to the city of Hamilton.

Applause.

Giorgio Mammoliti

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Giorgio Mammoliti, 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 (Mr. Ric Bresee): The member is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Giorgio Mammoliti, 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. Giorgio Mammoliti, who was the MPP for Yorkview during the 35th Parliament.

Joining us in the gallery today are members of Mr. Mammoliti’s family—his children and their spouses: Christopher Mammoliti, Barbara Mammoliti, Nicole Mammoliti, Isabella Calligario Mammoliti; his siblings and their spouses: Lina Scaccia, Mauro Scaccia, Franco Mammoliti, Len Mammoliti, Janice Mammoliti, Tony Mammoliti, Manuela Mammoliti; and his grandchildren Domenico Mammoliti, Milo Mammoliti, Colton Mammoliti-Hasmatali, Riley Mammoliti-Harsanyi and Violet Mammoliti-Harsanyi.

Welcome to you all.

I recognize the member from Beaches–East York.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Thank you very much, Speaker. It’s always a pleasure to rise in the chamber to represent beautiful Beaches–East York residents, but today it is an extremely special day, when I am invited to share a tribute to a former parliamentarian, especially one I worked alongside at Toronto city hall.

Giorgio Mammoliti was a steadfast member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, winning the riding of Yorkview in the 1990 election, at the very young age of 28 years old. He unseated the Liberal incumbent to serve with the new Premier, Bob Rae, and became a parliamentary assistant to several ministries.

After his time at Queen’s Park, he went on to represent Ward 7 York West—now Humber River–Black Creek—as a city councillor from 1995 to 2018, both pre- and post-amalgamation. While at city hall, even though elected officials act as independents, Giorgio left the NDP and joined the Liberal Party—yay!

In 2018, Giorgio Mammoliti announced he would re-enter provincial politics and seek the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party nomination for Brampton Centre.

He was up for any opportunity, anywhere, to serve the public and help people.

Later, he surprised everyone yet again by jumping in to become a member of the People’s Party and run federally in 2023 in Simcoe–Grey—this after running for the mayor of Wasaga Beach in 2022. “Keep them guessing” should have been Giorgio’s mantra.

If you look up “passionate” in the dictionary, you will find the name Giorgio Mammoliti. Whether crusading to bring the famous giant pandas to Ontario as the chair of the Toronto Zoo board or talking about Emery Village BIA—business improvement area—endlessly to anyone who would listen while pushing forth with his dream to help them build the world’s largest flagpole or caring deeply for his constituents and the whole York West community, Giorgio was all in, and he brought others in too with his energy and his enthusiasm.

He was also extremely exuberant about his bold ideas for the city; some he put forth when he ran for mayor of Toronto twice, in 2010 and 2023—proposals like transforming the Gardiner into an elevated garden akin to the High Line in New York City and creating a red-light district on Toronto Island just for some excitement.

Giorgio was never once to mince words—he literally called a spade a spade. His constituents absolutely loved his candour, and it made for many lively and spicy city council meetings. Why not take your shirt off in the chamber at Nathan Phillips? Why not ride an elephant down a main street in the fourth-largest city in North America? This was Giorgio’s thinking when trying to capture people’s attention and actually make them care. His commentary in council meetings was equally colourful and comical. The line I remember most was when he blurted out, “Councillor McMahon, you’d even give a woodpecker a headache.”

When my amazing mother, Gloria, passed away in my first year in office, Giorgio wrote me the most beautiful card, and it touched me deeply. Underneath all that wild and woolly hoopla, there was a man who genuinely cared. He cared for his family, he cared for his community and for his city.

Rest in peace, Giorgio.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Guelph.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It’s an honour today to rise to pay tribute to Giorgio Mammoliti, MPP from 1990 to 1995 who served in the first NDP government in Ontario’s history in the 35th Parliament for Yorkview.

Elected at the young age of 28, Giorgio was a rare politician who really spoke his own mind on many occasions, including voting against his own party, much to the chagrin of the government of the day, which maybe is why Giorgio not only ran and was elected for the NDP, but ran as a Liberal, sought the nomination for the PC Party, ran for the People’s Party—I guess he never decided to run for the Green Party, but we would have welcomed that as well, just to make sure we round things out in his career. But I would say that in a long, distinguished career, he was probably most known for the 18 years he served as a Toronto city councillor.

I found a couple of quotes from the former deputy mayor Mike Colle that I just had to share with you because I think it summed up Giorgio’s life: “Giorgio was a political street fighter who took on all comers and never feared controversy when he believed in a cause, especially if he felt his constituents wanted or needed something done.”

Or former mayor John Tory, who said, “While he was never far from controversy, he always stood up for the people he represented and for better, or sometimes worse, said exactly what was on his mind.”

I think that sums up Giorgio.

I want to say to the many members of his family who are here today: He was a good man, a great servant to the people of Ontario and the people of Toronto, and I want to thank you for supporting him and allowing him to serve the people of this province and the city of Toronto in the way he did. We’re better because he fought for people each and every day of his life.

0950

The Acting Chair (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the Associate Attorney General.

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: I rise in the House today to pay tribute to a loving father, a proud nonno, a caring brother, a gregarious community advocate and a man I was proud to call my friend, Giorgio Mammoliti.

I want to acknowledge the family that’s present here today. His memory will live on through you and through the hearts of all the people that he touched.

Giorgio was, at his very core, a man who was always driven to change the status quo, be passionate about his beliefs and defend the little guy. He would always ask the question “Why?” when told to jump, never “How high?” In thinking critically, he always had the talent of asking the right question at the right moment. That essence of being, that raison d’être, was rooted in the fact that he never forgot where he came from and he never stopped going back. He refused to let go of his journey and he reflected on it when he moved forward.

He arrived in the Emery Village area as a three-year-old boy, the son of Italian immigrants in a neighbourhood, like many in Toronto at that time, that was still finding in its spirit as a place where people of different backgrounds could come together. Because of this, he grew up knowing what it meant to be the outsider, the kid with the unfamiliar name, the kid with the accent that didn’t quite fit in. I know that many in this House share that memory and feeling. The fact that many of us are here in spite of our differences is a testament to the success story of the Canadian multicultural experience.

Giorgio was part of that success story as well. He turned that experience of being different into a reason to build something bigger than himself. He was a man filled with “amore e passione” for family, for his city, for his province and for his country.

When you asked Giorgio how he got his start, he would never talk about his ambition to lead. He would tell you about a pair of workboots. He was 19, the first day on the job, working in construction. The shop steward pulled him aside and asked where his workboots were; Giorgio didn’t even know he needed to have them to be working. Within 24 hours, the shop steward delivered a brand new pair of boots to Giorgio. He said, at that point, “I was very impressed with that whole dynamic. I knew I could make a difference.”

He saw someone stand up for a worker’s basic right to a safe pair of boots and firmly decided that he wanted to explore a similar career path, one that was dedicated to service for others. So he became a shop steward, then president of the union at 23. He negotiated three collective bargaining agreements before he was 28 years old.

Then, at that age, he traded in those workboots for a seat in this very Legislature, serving as the MPP for Yorkview and also as parliamentary assistant to Ontario’s provincial anti-drug strategy, the Minister of Correctional Services and the Solicitor General. He later became a highly forceful presence at city council for 18 years. But here’s something that every person in this room should understand. It’s what Giorgio’s colleagues, his friends and family knew well: He never really put those workboots away. Rather, they guided him in his life of service to others. He simply polished them up and continued working with them.

Giorgio had an instinct deep inside him that I believe, Speaker, many of our province’s finest public servants possess. He was always looking out for the underdog. He was always searching for that quiet voice that needed to be amplified. He was never afraid to argue an opinion if he believed something needed to be said or done, and he never did things in the patronizing manner that minimized the struggles and needs of his constituents.

Ward 7, York West, Giorgio’s ward as a Toronto city councillor, had apparently more than 110 spoken languages within its boundaries. What an astounding number, Mr. Speaker. But Giorgio did not see that diversity as a challenge or as a threat. He saw it as a community to celebrate, one that could be woven together. His belief in multiculturalism being a unifying force was, simply put, legendary.

He was never afraid of being in the paper for sticking to his beliefs and defending the underdog. Sure, Giorgio could be considered by some as being disruptive—a firecracker. But that disruptiveness truly gave him an edge. It gave him an unabashed sense of confidence to challenge assumptions and fight for what he believed was right.

Speaker, I’d like to share with the House a personal moment with Giorgio that speaks to the kind of man he was. In 2000, when I was engaging in community work related to mental health and addictions—work that at that time was not fashionable, not always urgent and work that certainly wasn’t easy to support—Giorgio was there for me. Through his work with the Emery Village Business Improvement Association, Giorgio helped raise $10,000 in support of our mission. You see, Mr. Speaker, the doors were about to close, and when he heard this, he rallied the troops and gave us the money to keep the doors open, to help other people that he didn’t even know. He didn’t have to do that. He had no inherent political value to gain from doing this. He did it because someone needed a strong voice in their corner, someone vulnerable was in need. And that was Giorgio.

Speaker, through sheer determination, through a genuine love and ability to connect with others, Giorgio dedicated himself to the people.

Giorgio was a complicated man; in truth, all honest people are. He was an outspoken man, indeed, outspoken as all courageous people should be. And he was a loving and passionate leader.

I’m a better public servant for having known him, and I believe that this city, the province as a whole, is a much better place for the work that he did.

To his family, thank you for sharing him with us. This House will not forget him. I will not forget him. His legacy will live on.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Humber River–Black Creek.

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Speaker, politicians come in many types. There are some whose goal, above all, is to never rock the boat. There are others who veer straight into the heart of the storm—the kind of guy that might rip their shirt off in the middle of a press conference or even ride an elephant—yes, an elephant—through the streets of Toronto. That’s why, if you lived in Toronto over the course of the last generation, you’ve probably heard of the late Giorgio Mammoliti.

Speaker, it is my honour to rise on behalf of Ontario’s NDP and deliver his tribute today. We are joined by his children Chris, Nicole and Isabella; his daughter-in-law Barbara; his siblings, Franco, Len, Tony and Lina; his in-laws Mauro, Janice and Manuela; his grandchildren Domenico, Milo, Colton, Riley and Violet; and other cousins and friends.

Speaker, Giorgio wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. A child of Italian immigrants, he grew up in a humble home in the Jane and Finch community. He worked as a maintenance supervisor for the Metro Toronto Housing Authority, later becoming a shop steward, teaching courses on workplace health and safety and drug awareness. Building a strong reputation for himself, he later became the president of CUPE Local 767.

But after years of protest outside of Queen’s Park, Giorgio was finally ready for an office inside the building. So, as life would have it, he was swept into power as a member of the NDP government in 1990, becoming the MPP for the former riding of Yorkview in Toronto’s northwest end.

During his time here, Giorgio served as the PA to the Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services, as well as the PA of the minister responsible for the anti-drug strategy.

Among his accomplishments here, Giorgio chaired a committee that toured the province, leading to an important report he offered entitled, Caring for Each Other: The People of Ontario Respond to Alcohol and Drug Treatment Problems.

During that time, Giorgio credited both Premier Bob Rae and former MPP Odoardo Di Santo as his political mentors—Rae, from afar, for his intellect and dedication and Di Santo for taking him under his wing and sharing his wisdom.

Councillor Anthony Perruzza, a friend and MPP colleague of Giorgio at that time, praised Giorgio’s determination and fighting spirit, saying, “There was no one better to have at your side when the fight was on.”

Speaker, Giorgio was a survivor, and when the Rae government fell in 1995, he put his name in for city councillor and came right up the middle in a tough election fight. It is safe to say that the independence of municipal politics was best suited for Giorgio, and it is in that role which he served for many years that most came to know his name.

Speaker, he certainly made municipal politics interesting. A simple Google search will tell you that, but it won’t tell you everything. For instance, Giorgio used his talent for attracting attention for wholesome things too. He rode an elephant down a city street to promote the Toronto Zoo, and he even travelled to China multiple times to successfully negotiate in bringing the giant pandas to Toronto.

Giorgio was also a creator. He founded the Emery Village BIA, the largest business improvement area in Canada. Its executive director, Sandra Farina, commended the role he played in building the BIA, as well as his passion, courage and commitment to his community.

Local businessman and BIA co-founder Steve Sanderson said that Giorgio often fought for the underdog, and if he believed in your cause, he’d defend it to the end.

Giorgio loved his role as councillor and the community he represented. Long-time resident Louise Russo credited his work in beautifying her local park and, like many others, praised his dedication and commitment to community safety.

Speaker, Giorgio developed a great bond with the seniors’ groups of his community. He worked to create recreational spaces and programming for them, and it is no wonder that to this very day, so many remain his most loyal of fans.

In his personal life, Giorgio faced his share of adversity. He underwent life-saving brain surgery and said the experience changed him forever: “Sometimes you have to be a little nicer, a little calmer, and do your job in a way that doesn’t make all the enemies that perhaps comes with being a politician”—and that change almost lasted a week.

Seriously, facing one’s own health challenges pales in comparison to facing the health challenges of one’s child. Giorgio’s son battled and overcame cancer. Chris attributed his father as his caregiver, giving him strength and showing him boundless love throughout. Because, above all, Giorgio loved his family, and nothing made him prouder than being a dad and a granddad. During the holidays, he would gather everyone together at his home in Wasaga Beach, where he would cook for them, treasure their company and even agonize over the perfect decorations to match the moment.

Speaker, over the years, Giorgio sure had his detractors, but you know what? He didn’t mind. He even enjoyed it, because he said what he believed, he relished a good fight and he never backed down. Like the words of Frank Sinatra’s famous song that he so loved, he always did it his way.

Speaker, we remember him and we thank him for his years of dedicated service. May he rest in peace.

Applause.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Orders of the day?

Hon. Steve Clark: No further business.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): There being no further business, this House is in recess in until 10:15.

The House recessed from 1003 to 1015.

Wearing of jersey

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: Point of order.

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

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: Madam Speaker, if you seek it, you’ll find unanimous consent for me to wear my Kitchener Rangers jersey for my member’s statement.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Kitchener Centre is seeking unanimous consent to wear her Kitchener Rangers jersey for her member’s statement. Agreed? Agreed.

Members’ Statements

Dennis Bayley

Mr. Lorne Coe: I’m pleased today to recognize Dennis Bayley from Whitby, one of the recipients of the 2026 Ontario Senior Achievement Award. These awards recognize the wisdom, generosity and positive impact of seniors in all aspects of daily life. This year’s recipients, like Dennis, have made lasting contributions to their communities and empowered fellow seniors by leading cultural, artistic, educational and health care initiatives that foster engagement and inclusion.

Dennis represents the very best of Whitby: compassion, civic pride and a willingness to give back. His efforts have had a lasting impact on countless residents and his example reminds us all of the important role seniors continue to play in building stronger, more connected communities.

Congratulations, Dennis, for your long-standing commitment to protecting and supporting seniors in Whitby and overall in the region of Durham now and for years to come.

Peter Palko / Claude Depatie

M^me France Gélinas: Today, I want to honour two heroes from my riding. Their names are Peter Palko and Claude Depatie.

In the early morning on April 27, 2025, Nickel Belt resident Roy Levesque pulled into his driveway, opened the car door and collapsed after exiting his vehicle. His neighbour Peter happened to be looking out his kitchen window and saw Ray collapse, so he put his coat on on top of his pyjamas, put his boots on and went across the street to see what was going on. On his way, he saw that Claude was plowing his driveway and called him over.

When they got to Roy, he was unconscious and his face was turning blue. Claude had learned CPR, but he had never done it before. But he started CPR and Peter called 911. Claude performed CPR for several minutes, until Ray’s heart restarted and he began breathing on his own.

Peter searched through Roy’s garage and found some chairs and cushions to keep him warm and get him off the snow, as Roy was getting cold really fast. It took seven minutes, which felt like seven hours, for the paramedics to arrive. They transported Roy to Health Sciences North, where he made a full recovery.

Claude Depatie and Peter Palko were awarded the citizen heroism award on Tuesday. It was a proud moment for all of us: for Roy, for their families and everyone in attendance. Do you know what, Speaker? Not all heroes wear capes; some wear winter coats on top of pyjamas.

Small business

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Today in Ontario, life is less affordable and it feels like it’s harder to get ahead. Costs keep rising, good jobs are hard to find and good homes are out of reach, especially for young people. When I travel across Ontario, I hear people’s frustration with the Conservative status quo. Ontarians think that they are out of touch and not doing enough to help them get ahead.

I believe that an Ontario that works for everyone is possible, and I believe in fighting hard to make Ontario affordable for everyone. So here’s one practical way to do that, while giving the economy a boost.

Many small business owners have told me about how they are struggling with unaffordable rising rents, and I hear this across Ontario and from the 8,000 small businesses in my own riding. When landlords hike rents sky-high, they threaten many small businesses’ livelihood. The Better Way Alliance wants to ease commercial rents for small businesses, and I support their goals and look forward to meeting with them here today.

Every dollar spent at an independent local business generates four to six times more economic impact than money spent at a big corporate chain. I encourage Ontarians to join me in supporting small businesses in your community. Making life more affordable for small businesses makes like more affordable for all of us.

1020

Screen time in schools

Ms. Jess Dixon: Later on this afternoon, it will be my absolute honour and privilege to present a petition from Dr. Natasha Larocque and Dr. Sarah Khan. That petition is calling on banning the use of screens at mealtimes in schools. Dr. Larocque is a very busy doctor—radiologist—in Timmins and a mom. She ended up with her own children—increasingly hearing across the province about screens being used in schools during lunch times, sometimes with content that wasn’t appropriate. It was often distracting kids to the point that they were not able to eat their lunch because they were excited about the show.

It is an incredibly worthwhile thing to focus on and something that is certainly near and dear to me, as I sometimes tell high schoolers that I’m the one that initially brought the motion to ban cellphones in schools; it doesn’t always go that well. But what I wanted to focus on at this point in time is really commending Dr. Larocque, who is here in the gallery today, on her incredible work. As everybody knows, in the Ontario Legislature, petitions can’t be done online; the signatures have to be collected physically. And despite being a doctor and a working mom, Dr. Larocque was able to collect over 2,600 signatures in person which she drove to my office—incredible work, incredible advocacy. Thank you, Dr. Larocque.

Addiction services

MPP Robin Lennox: This Conservative government has caused a crisis in our communities. Over the past several months, we have seen an overflow of public drug use in our libraries, on public transit and in our public spaces because people now have nowhere to go. Last year, 16 supervised consumption sites were either defunded, blocked or legislatively forced to close because of this Conservative government. In two weeks, we will see eight more supervised consumption sites close their doors.

The impact on our communities has been extreme. In the first six months after the initial nine sites closed, Ontario paramedics saw a nearly 70% increase in calls for opioid toxicity. Emergency departments saw a 67% increase in ER visits for overdose in the six months from March to September 2025. In Hamilton, we have had the highest number of EMS calls for overdose on record since we started recording it in 2017. Last month, we had 171 calls. The last month the CTS was open, we had 39 calls.

HART hubs are not filling that gap. Most of them are just opening and figuring out how to operate with very little support and direction from this government. We have heard the call from municipal leaders, faith leaders, librarians, transit operators and our neighbours: Stop the crisis in our communities, reopen supervised consumption sites, fund supportive housing and invest in comprehensive mental health care so we can uplift our communities instead of abandoning them.

Rebecca Simpson

Ms. Laura Smith: I would like to take a moment to recognize an outstanding member of the community that I was honoured to know for many years. No matter where she went, the consensus was the same: Rebecca Simpson was the kindest and warmest light when she entered the room, bringing joy to her family and friends and devoting great acts of generosity and kindness that extended to so many worthy causes. She was a board member at Kayla’s Children Centre, Camp Solelim. Her love of her work was only surpassed by that of her family: husband Alan; children Hannah, Raquel, Jared and Eli.

In 2019, Rebecca was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, but her light continued to shine bright in her advocacy and her philanthropy, becoming a strong advocate for early detection of breast cancer, which included the life-saving work at Princess Margaret and Women’s College hospitals.

Sadly, Rebecca lost her fight with cancer last summer, but knowing that her light transcended mortality, her friends and her family formed the team Be Like Becca, as part of the 200-kilometre ride to raise funds for the life-saving research and treatment at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. On June 12 and 13, Rebecca’s journey will continue, as the team will ride from Toronto to Niagara, continuing her legacy and giving hope to a new generation of cancer patients.

Speaker, Rebecca’s diagnosis happened one year before mine and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to tell her story, reminding everyone that there is still time to be like Becca.

Health care

MPP Lisa Gretzky: I rise to speak about my bill, Bill 117, the Access Act, because in Ontario access to health care should never depend on your postal code or financial situation.

Across Ontario, patients are travelling hours from home for cancer treatment, cardiac care, specialists’ appointment, surgeries and diagnostic care that isn’t available in their community. While already facing illness, fear and uncertainty, they’re also faced with taking on enormous costs for gas, hotels, meals and transportation, along with lost work time. For many, these costs are devastating: seniors on fixed income, parents caring for sick children and people living in northern, rural and underserved communities, left behind by a system that’s supposed to provide universal care. Some are delaying treatment. Some skip appointments altogether and some die without treatment, and that is unacceptable.

Many families in Windsor must travel to London, Hamilton, Toronto or beyond for health care. This is impacting many in my community, which is why I brought forward Bill 117.

The Access Act would help ensure that Ontarians who must travel to access essential specialized medical care outside of their community would receive support for the financial burden that comes with it because access to care means nothing if people can’t afford to get there.

The Access Act is about fairness, dignity and recognizing that health care delayed by distance and cost is health care denied.

We deserve a government that removes barriers to health care, not ignores or creates them. I urge every member of this House to support this Bill 117, the Access Act, and stand with patients and families across Ontario.

Education funding

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: I rise today to recognize another major investment in the future of education in Brampton West.

Recently I was proud to attend the blessing and official opening of St. Carlo Acutis Catholic Elementary School, a nearly $30-million investment that will provide 435 student spaces and four child care rooms for local families.

Speaker, when families choose a community, one of the first questions they ask is simple: Will there be a school for my child? In Brampton West, our government is making sure that the answer to that question is yes. From the opening of St. Carlo Acutis Catholic Elementary School, Red Cedar Public School and Malala Yousafzai Public School, to the construction of the new Mount Pleasant Secondary School and Brampton’s first ever French-language Catholic secondary school, our government is making historic investments to ensure our education infrastructure keeps pace with our growing community. These projects are creating thousands of new student spaces, expanding access to child care and helping students learn closer to home in modern learning environments built for success.

Speaker, these investments are not just about building schools; they’re about supporting families, strengthening communities and creating opportunities for the next generation.

Government investments

Hon. Laurie Scott: I am pleased to highlight some recent investments in Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock.

With our primary care action plan, more than 11,000 residents will now have access to health care close to home. The redevelopment at the Ross Memorial Hospital emergency department in Lindsay will help ensure quality care when you need it most.

We remain committed to community safety by supporting local firefighters through the Fire Protection Grant to seven municipalities to fund cancer care prevention initiatives and enhance emergency response capacity; helping Haliburton county with an emergency preparedness grant to improve emergency communications and coordination; and investing in essential water infrastructure in Cavan Monaghan to support new housing and future growth.

We see trucks on our roads continuing to bring reliable high-speed Internet to more homes and communities, ensuring rural residents can stay connected to the services and opportunities they rely on every day.

In Lindsay, our partnership with the John Howard Society of Kawartha Lakes led to the creation of a new integrated care hub which offers emergency shelter beds and vital support for our neighbours in crisis.

Recently with the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we announced funding for the Minden Curling Club and the Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls, allowing two community pillars to continue to run for years to come.

And on a sweeter note, I am thrilled to share that Kawartha Dairy will be launching their latest flavour on June 22. “The Tragically Chip” celebrates the sweet taste of local tradition and Canadian pride.

Come and join us, and have an ice cream.

1030

Kitchener Rangers

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: This week, the Kitchener Rangers are taking on the country at the 2026 Memorial Cup in Kelowna, BC. This is the first time since 2008 that our team has made it to the national stage, and they made it there by winning the OHL championship and the J. Ross Robertson Cup, in a four-game sweep against the Barrie Colts. They finished the playoffs with a 16-2 record.

This legendary season is not a fluke. It is the work of visionary leaders who brought together talented players to grow a team that is what we have today. Under the leadership of coach Jussi Ahokas and captain Cameron Reid, they’ve become a team that plays together and brings hard work and dedication to every game and practice. But behind every playoff beard is a talented young man.

I want to wish the players an awesome tournament. Thank you for all the joy that you always bring to our community. I hope you savour this experience and make lasting memories.

To the fans: You rock. You’re the best. I got to meet so many of you, of all ages and abilities, at the Rangers rally at city hall last week, when you showed up to cheer on our team.

I want to thank Mike Farwell and Sean Furfaro, the voice of the Rangers; our play-by-play man, Dave Schneider; our mascot, Tex; and all the diehard fans—and a special shout-out to Paul Capel and Rob Hoffman.

I can’t wait to watch you battle it out in the finals and bring home the Memorial Cup.

Let’s go, Rangers!

Introduction of Visitors

Hon. Michael Parsa: I want to welcome Marg Spoelstra, the CEO of Autism Ontario, and the entire team at Autism Ontario to Queen’s Park.

Colleagues, at 5 p.m., there’s a reception in the dining room tonight. I look forward to seeing all of you there.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to recognize Robin Jones, the mayor of Westport. She’s also the president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. She’s here for the vote on Bill 9. I want to thank her for her advocacy.

We’re going to miss you as mayor, I’ll tell you that. Welcome.

Mr. Robert Bailey: It’s a pleasure today to welcome a constituent of mine to Queen’s Park: Ms. Tania Lee. She’s president of the Sarnia duty-free store and president of the Canadian land duty-free. She’ll be joining us later this morning.

Ms. Marit Stiles: This morning, I want to welcome the incredible force and founder behind the Women of Ontario Say No: Emily McIntosh. Thank you for your tireless advocacy, helping to bring about legislative change and true accountability.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: I would like to introduce the mother of page Levon and my phenomenal daughter, Madeline Wilson Shaw.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to introduce my friend Shernett Martin and the entire young delegation from ANCHOR—young Black students making a difference in York region.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Michelle Cooper: I’m pleased to welcome Lauren Coady, from my riding of Eglinton–Lawrence, and Migraine Canada, a national charity advocating on behalf of the five million Canadians affected by migraine and related headache disorders. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

MPP Stephanie Smyth: I’d like to welcome Migraine Canada, as well, to Queen’s Park today for their advocacy day. I look forward to meeting with you this afternoon. Welcome.

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: I’d like to welcome Sophie Edwards, an outstanding young student from my riding, and her mom, Jen. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: I have a wonderful constituent here: Baraa Fattal, from the great riding of Niagara West. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Blessing Ajayi, executive producer of the Brampton Rising Stars Talent Hunt Show, alongside other members—Ukela Prince, Mokshi Virk, Zlata Barchuk, Marie Barchuk. Thank you for creating this platform to discover, empower and elevate young Canadians.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: I’d like to welcome Hazel Devitt, Maggie McHardy and Aasim Syed. They’re summer interns on Team Thompson this year.

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: I’m pleased to recognize—also from Migraine Canada—Dayana Gonzalez, from the riding of York Centre. Welcome.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I’d like to welcome Tatiana Banasik, Martha Bedminster, Nicole Foster and Ruth Blaney-Bendzel from Unifor. Thank you for your meeting this morning, thanks for all your advocacy and thanks for all you do for long-term care.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It gives me great pleasure to welcome the amazing London Cares House of Hope team: Chris Moss, Chantelle McDonald, Zoe Koopman, Season Bieronski, Francis Mathew, River Ytbarek and Evan McFadyen. Thank you for all you do. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: I’d like to welcome, from the Better Way Alliance, Vijai Singh, Daphne Nissani, Amisha Moorjani, Sean Meagher and Aaron Binder.

I’d also like to welcome Christie Tait from my riding of Etobicoke–Lakeshore, who’s here advocating with Migraine Canada today.

Thank you. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

M^me France Gélinas: J’aimerais accueillir Suzanne Murphy et Miska Jones d’Autisme Ontario, ainsi que toute l’équipe—as well as the entire team from Migraine Canada. Welcome to your House.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I’d like to welcome my good friend Shinade Allder, who’s here from London West. She’s president of Unifor Local 6005 in London and also Unifor’s Ontario regional council chair. Welcome to Queen’s Park today.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I’d like to welcome PSWs visiting Queen’s Park from Thunder Bay: Danielle Morash, Lisa Fleming, Lilly Aiello, Jennifer Shott and Christina Thompson. I hope we manage to get together later today. Thank you.

House sittings

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the government House leader on a point of order.

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

Legislative pages

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I would now like to ask our pages to gather in front of me to introduce our new group of pages.

Members, representing Mississauga–Lakeshore, Naya Aery; from Ajax, Arshiya Anand; from Mississauga–Streetsville, Philip Gergis; from Niagara Centre, Ian Gervais; from Windsor–Tecumseh, Mason Grisch; from Kitchener South–Hespeler, Lincoln Harris; from Spadina–Fort York, Simon Hill; from Oakville, Kimberly Hu; from Ottawa South, Anika Kaushik; from Toronto Centre, Ruben Le Pichon; from Beaches–East York, Abigail Ledetu; from Scarborough Southwest, Alexander Lewis; from Davenport, Wren Ley; from Toronto–Danforth, Stavroula Makrikostas; from University–Rosedale, Finn Flaherty Mowder; from Etobicoke–Lakeshore, Julia Nelson; from Markham–Thornhill, Vedha Palayadan; from Ottawa Centre, Sara Pham; from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry, Norah Quinn; from Scarborough Centre, Asahi Seko; from Hamilton Centre, Levon Shaw Dore; from Brampton North, Sarvin Shrestha; from Brampton West, Maneet Tuli; and from York–Simcoe, Arianna Yusuff.

Our new pages, welcome to Queen’s Park.

Applause.

1040

Question Period

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is for the Premier. Yesterday he claimed that no one is more ticked off than he is over the $200,000 in fees for his private luxury jet, but he didn’t commit to paying it back, leaving the taxpayers on the hook once again for his shopping spree. The people of Ontario simply cannot afford this Premier’s luxury, lavish lifestyle. Why does the Premier think it’s fair for Ontarians to foot the bill for his lavish spending?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Response? I recognize the Minister of Finance.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: As the Premier said, no one’s happy about any penny extra that we have to pay, whether it’s a $29-million jet or a $244-billion budget.

Madam Speaker, that’s why, as I mentioned yesterday, I’m so proud that our collective efforts of building this economy, being fiscally responsible, has led us to get credit rating affirmations from not only Moody’s, a global credit rating agency, but also Fitch Ratings, which affirmed Ontario’s AA status. This is what’s important to the people of Ontario, that we continue to manage not only the fiscal perspective of the province, but also the economy of the province and the good jobs in the province.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Well, Speaker, I’ll tell you, I think what the people of Ontario care about right now is that life just gets more and more expensive, and this Premier and his lavish spending are costing us more and more every day, right?

Earlier this month, his friends at Metrolinx settled a $500-million dispute with another buddy of his. Ontarians are literally paying for the air so that that guy who sat at the Premier’s family table at the Premier’s daughter’s wedding can walk away with half a billion bucks. Why does this Premier keep wasting taxpayer dollars for his personal needs?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’ll remind the members to keep the questions relevant and consistent.

I recognize the Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: That member knows that the Premier nor anyone in this government has any involvement in those proceedings that led to the expropriation.

What we are doing is we’re committed to building the largest subway expansion in Canadian and North American history. That starts in a place like Scarborough, Madam Speaker, where we’re building the Scarborough subway extension—a project that the Leader of the Opposition has opposed.

If the leader takes a look to the left of her, she’ll realize that she has lost her deputy leader from Scarborough, and I wonder why. It’s because they refuse to invest in projects and support projects that this province is putting forward like the Scarborough subway extension, like policies like One Fare that put $1,600 back into the pockets of hard-working Ontarians and transit users, especially those in places like Scarborough.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, back to the Premier: This question is again about the outrageous overspending of this Premier on his luxury needs on the taxpayer dime. I want to say that my commitment to the people of Ontario is that when I’m Premier, I’m going to be getting the money back from all of you.

A $30-million luxury private jet for the Premier, unknown millions to pay for his friend for air—for air, Speaker—all these costs and then a half a trillion-dollar debt on top of it all. This Premier, he’s just too expensive. When will this Premier start putting money back into people’s pockets instead of into his friends’ pockets?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Madam Speaker, through you to the member opposite, I think I heard the word debt. May I remind this House that we have the lowest debt in over 15 years relative to our economy without increasing taxes, by cutting taxes. Don’t listen to me; listen to S&P, the global ratings agency which upgraded the province of Ontario—a credit rating upgrade to AA.

Don’t listen to just them; listen to DBRS Morningstar, which upgraded the province, again, to AA.

Madam Speaker, this government is proving it’s not either/or—you can be fiscally responsible, have the lowest deficit-to-GDP in the land, the lowest debt-to-GDP in the land, get credit rating upgrades, cut taxes and build Ontario through unprecedented infrastructure, $230 billion, putting many men and women—

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

Freedom of information

Ms. Marit Stiles: Well Speaker, I have news for the Minister of Finance, because for most people out there, what they care about is that life has never been more expensive for people in the province of Ontario.

Speaker, my question again is for the Premier, because this Premier claims: “No one respects judges or the courts more than I do.” That’s a direct quote from him yesterday.

Well, the courts ordered the Premier to hand over his phone records. He appealed that decision. His appeal was rejected. I think you can see where I’m going with this.

So back to the Premier: Is the Premier actually going to respect the courts and turn over his phone records like they have ordered him to do?

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

Hon. Stephen Crawford: I’ve certainly highlighted the reason why we made the changes we did in the budget, which made updates to our privacy legislation, aligning ourselves with other jurisdictions across Canada and the federal government, including NDP provinces like Manitoba and BC.

But we had constituency week last week. What I heard from the people of Ontario, what they care about, is something that you touched on, which is affordability. Now, unfortunately, the opposition has not supported us in our measures with respect to affordability. In the budget we just passed a few weeks ago, we made a massive tax reduction for new home buyers which is going to spur building in this province, get new homes built, and you voted against it.

So when you speak about affordability, you’re all talk when the camera is on, but when the cameras are away, you’re voting against it.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): A reminder to direct your comments through the Speaker.

I recognize the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: We’ll go back and check the record on that one.

“I’m the most transparent Premier in history.” Those are the words of this Premier. They are laughable, because he is so desperate to hide his personal phone records and whatever is on them that he has gone ahead and changed the law to keep them away from the people of Ontario. He actually took away the people’s right to access government records so that he could hide his own phone records.

Now, I don’t know who he thinks he works for, but on this side of the House, we know that we work for the people of Ontario.

So I want to say to the Premier and ask him if he is going to release those records. Is he going to tell us today? Or why is he trying so hard to hide them?

Hon. Stephen Crawford: It is true: The Premier of Ontario is and has been the most accessible Premier this province has ever had. And again, I encourage the Leader of the Opposition—the people of Ontario are watching—share your phone number. Let them give you feedback if you care about the people of Ontario and you want to hear from them.

Because what the people are saying is they care about building an Ontario economy, about protecting Ontario—and that’s exactly what we’re doing, Speaker. Whether it’s in the areas of finance, where we have an incredible financial community located here in Toronto—we’re working hard to get that defence bank right here in Toronto. Day by day, we’re going to continue supporting workers in that sector. Whether it’s the tech sector in Ontario, where we have 450,000 tech workers—we’re getting new AI companies set up here in the province of Ontario. We’re supporting them through buy-Ontario legislation where we can.

We’re going to continue supporting the businesses of Ontario while you just stand here and criticize and don’t have an open door policy to the people of Ontario.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: It’s so outrageous it would be actually laughable, Speaker. I mean, the most transparent Premier, the most phone calls in the world, in the universe—you know, this Premier is so outrageous. If he wasn’t running from the law, it might actually be funny, right? Calls from his rich buddies—that’s who’s calling him; calls from developers; calls from the guys that he’s making deals with at family events—but we may never know, because this Premier will not hand over his personal cellphone records. That’s the truth.

So I want to ask the Premier again to stand in his place and admit he has no intention of following the court order to hand them over.

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Hon. Stephen Crawford: Again, I want to encourage the Leader of the Opposition—I’ll give you this opportunity: Share your number with the people of Ontario. Share it so they can give you feedback and hear what we’re hearing, because you’re not hearing anything. I encourage you, please.

Speaker, what we’re focused on is protecting Ontario, whether it’s finance in Toronto, the technology businesses we’re building at—

Interjections.

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

I apologize to the minister—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Come to order or I will start naming people.

Back to the minister.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Whether it’s the financial businesses here in Toronto; whether it’s technology businesses in Waterloo, Kanata, the GTA; whether it’s manufacturing that we’re bringing back—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member from Waterloo will come to order. The Leader of the Opposition will come to order.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Speaker, we are re-energizing the Ontario economy in the threat of US tariffs. Finance, tech, energy—we’re rebuilding energy like we’ve never seen in the province of Ontario. The first G7 small modular reactor is right here in the province of Ontario. We’re going to keep focusing on what the people care about. That’s building jobs and building—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Hospital funding

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Minister of Health. The Ottawa Hospital has been planning a new civic site for more than a decade. In 2016, Speaker, they chose the John Carling site and received their first planning grant. It’s now more than one decade later and there is no end in sight.

Can the Minister of Health please explain to the residents of Ottawa when this new civic site will be finished and how much it costs?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: I thank the member for that question. It talks about hospitals and, of course, nobody has invested more in the capital projects across the province of Ontario, in building hospitals, than the government of Premier Doug Ford. In fact, as we speak, we have actually 17 hospital capital projects going on across the province of Ontario. Those projects include not only new hospitals but renovations to existing hospitals.

All hospital projects take a long time because there are four phases they have to go to. But this government has made the investments to make sure that 17 of those projects are actually taking place as we speak, because this government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, is making the investments in our capital hospital program that the previous Liberal government never made.

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

Mr. John Fraser: To the minister: The Ottawa Hospital civic site has gone from $2.8 billion to more than $7 billion—and that’s in 2025 dollars—and all Ottawa citizens have right now is a gigantic parking garage on Dow’s Lake and a big hole in the ground where a hospital is supposed to be built. Nothing else. So those costs, as I said, Speaker, have increased by billions of dollars, and most recently, a major consultant to the project said the hospital won’t be completed until well into the 2030s. We’re talking about 20 years. It’s beginning to sound like the Eglinton Crosstown of hospitals.

Back to the minister again: Can the minister explain to us the excessive delays in this project and why costs have ballooned so much?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: It’s nice to see that the Liberals have finally taken an interest in health care in the province of Ontario. They should have done that when they were in government and had the opportunity to build hospitals, which they did not do.

With respect to the Ottawa campus, yes, a planning grant was awarded, and yes, that project, as the member has just confirmed, is in fact proceeding. And we do in fact have shovels in the ground, as that member has just confirmed. Progress is being made on that project, as well as 17 capital hospital projects right across the province of Ontario, all of which could have been undertaken by the previous Liberal government, were not undertaken by the previous Liberal government, but we picked up the ball under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford. We are providing the capital hospital projects which the previous Liberal government never provided.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Just to let the minister know, if he wants to talk about building hospitals for 15 years, I’ll give him this record: We doubled the size of the Montfort. We actually built up a new heart institute, a regional cancer centre on two sites; we expanded CHEO. Every hospital in Ottawa had a crane and projects got done. This government—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The government side will come to order. The Minister of Transportation will come to order. Order on both sides.

Back to the leader of the third party.

Mr. John Fraser: So the message I get from the minister is that 20 years is okay for the citizens of Ottawa. They can wait that long and their local share can double and triple because this government can’t get their act together and get a hospital built in Ottawa.

One in six Ottawans don’t have a family doctor. People are waiting too long in ERs. People are waiting too long for surgeries. Costs have skyrocketed in this project. Ottawans are getting shortchanged by this government when it comes to health care.

When is the minister actually going to get this job done and build the new civic site?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: In addition to failing to make the investments that were necessary to build hospitals in Ontario, the previous Liberal government failed to make the necessary investments to provide primary care to people in Ontario. But our government, through the primary care action plan, is making the necessary investments.

For example, $110 million in interprofessional primary care teams in the Ottawa area, connecting—listen to this—another 7,800 people to primary care in the Ottawa area; an investment made by this government under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford—an investment which was never made under the previous Liberal government because they did not action any primary care in the province of Ontario. Instead, they cut back on training the number of doctors we needed to serve this population. We will not repeat their mistakes.

Health care / Soins de santé

M^me Lucille Collard: My question is for the Minister of Health. After eight long years of promises and announcements, families in Ottawa–Vanier are still struggling to find a family doctor. Speaking about waiting, people wait months for appointments and end up relying on walk-in clinics and overcrowded emergency rooms because they cannot access basic primary care in their own community. Community organizations are doing everything they can to fill the gaps, but they cannot carry a collapsing primary care system on their own without appropriate funding.

So my question is, if the government’s plan is working, why are Ottawa residents still waiting years for care?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: And, Madam Speaker, in addition to the primary care investment previously mentioned in the previous question, which attached 7,800 people in the Ottawa area to a primary care provider—in addition to that, our government has provided $8.2 million through the exceptional circumstances project grant to the Ottawa Hospital so that they could continue their programs and their important services to the people of Ottawa.

Once again, this government is stepping up, under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, making the health investments that are necessary to provide primary care and hospital care to the people of Ottawa; investments which could have been made by the previous Liberal government but were not.

We are stepping up where the Liberals failed. We will continue to invest in our publicly funded health care system where the previous Liberal government failed.

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

M^me Lucille Collard: The member keeps going back to hospitals. I’m talking about access to primary care so people don’t have to go to hospitals for primary care.

Provincial data itself shows that only about one third of Ontarians can access timely appointments. Meanwhile, family doctors are leaving practice because burnout, administrative burdens and underfunding are making the profession increasingly unsustainable. The result is exactly what we’re seeing in Ottawa: overcrowded emergency rooms, delayed treatment and patients falling through the cracks.

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Can the minister explain why, after eight years in government, Ottawa families are still being forced to use emergency rooms as substitutes for primary care?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I’ll remind the member opposite that it is her party that voted against our Ontario Learn and Stay Grant that’s going to provide tuition, educational costs and other costs for 1,300 primary care doctors.

We also established the first new medical school in Brampton with Toronto Metropolitan University, something the Liberals promised but never delivered. Under our government, it’s now open and training nearly 200 future doctors in its first year. We also created the first medical school in Canadian history that’s focused on training family doctors at York University.

We’re requiring that all medical schools in Ontario allocate 95% of undergraduate seats to people from Ontario because we understand that we’re going to treat the people of Ontario first, because we know when students grow up in Ontario, study in Ontario, they stay, they work and they practise in Ontario.

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

M^me Lucille Collard: Madame la Présidente, cette crise de la santé a une dimension francophone bien réelle dans ma circonscription d’Ottawa–Vanier. Pour de nombreuses familles francophones, y compris de nouveaux arrivants, des personnes à faible revenu et des personnes vivant avec un handicap, l’impossibilité d’accéder à des soins en français exerce une pression encore plus grande sur notre centre de santé communautaire francophone qui continue de demander, année après année, au gouvernement des ressources nécessaires pour répondre à une demande grandissante.

Est-ce que la ministre de la Santé s’engage à travailler avec la nouvelle ministre des Affaires francophones afin de faire des investissements ciblés pour améliorer l’accès aux soins primaires en français et soutenir les équipes de soins communautaires à Ottawa–Vanier?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Long-Term Care.

L’hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta: Merci pour la question. Je suis vraiment honorée de continuer le travail de l’honorable Caroline Mulroney, qui a fait un travail exceptionnel pour la communauté franco-ontarienne.

Pour répondre à la question, on fait beaucoup d’investissements dans la région d’Ottawa. J’étais à Ottawa il y a deux vendredis—deux fois j’étais là-bas pour annoncer de nouveaux projets de soins de longue durée. On travaille avec l’Hôpital d’Ottawa et avec Schlegel Villages pour avoir un campus où on va avoir des soins de longue durée sur le campus de l’Hôpital d’Ottawa. On travaille aussi avec Southbridge Ottawa. On va avoir deux foyers de soins de longue durée, et je vais demander—peut-être qu’on peut aussi faire des lits désignés dans ce campus.

On va continuer ces investissements importants et on va travailler avec la ministre de la Santé, bien sûr, pour aussi avoir des soins primaires pour nos communautés francophones.

Supportive housing

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It saves the province more money to house someone with full wraparound supports than to leave them on the streets. House of Hope in London has successfully helped move people from encampments into housing, saving lives and saving the province $1.2 million. It’s a proven program that works. The city of London has stepped up with funding, private donors have stepped up with funding, but House of Hope lost provincial investment. They urgently need $1.3 million in matching provincial funding or House of Hope will close.

My question: How can the Premier sleep at night knowing 45 people will soon lose their homes?

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

Hon. Rob Flack: Speaker, indeed the House of Hope has been a great pilot project. I would point out that it was funded not by the province per se, but the pilot project received funding from LHSC, the local London hospital. The business of hospitals is not to provide supportive housing. The pilot’s over; the funding got done.

Here’s the deal: Since 2023, this province under this Premier increased homelessness prevention funding by 40%. London got 63%—$65 million over the last three years plus another $21.8 million coming this year.

We don’t have spending issues; we have a priority issue. It is up to the local service manager to decide where that funding goes. Let them make that a priority. We will support those priorities.

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

Ms. Peggy Sattler: To the minister: Keeping people housed is a provincial responsibility.

Speaker, the people who now live at House of Hope were chronically unhoused, some for decades. Many had been living in encampments or been banned from local shelters. There is a huge risk that they will end up living rough again, joining the more than 2,000 Londoners who are already homeless. Two evaluations have proven that the House of Hope works. It costs much less to keep someone stably housed than to pay for repeated police interactions and ER visits.

Why is this Premier allowing yet more people to become homeless in London?

Hon. Rob Flack: Speaker, $65 million was allocated to the local service manager in London. It is up to them to allocate where they see the funding goes best. That is not our role. That’s why we have service managers in this province—$21.8 million more this year, up 63%.

It is a great project. I agree totally with the members opposite: House of Hope has worked. I would argue that David Musyj from—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Hon. Rob Flack: —to $65 million. Get the service manager in London to take the priority of $21.8 million and fund the project.

Hospital funding

MPP Tyler Watt: Listen, I know it’s been eight long years but, man, does this government need a reality check.

I’d like to remind the member across that it was the previous Conservative government that closed down the Grace Hospital that my mother worked at in Ottawa. Right now in Ottawa, we have a very expensive hole in the ground to show for our new campus. Queensway Carleton and TOH have record emergency room wait times, one of the longest in this province, but you all can’t seem to find Ottawa on a map. You don’t care about Ottawa at all.

The minister last week spoke about nurses’ appreciation week, paramedic appreciation week and these imaginary nurses who are coming up to her on the street saying, “You’re doing a good job.” This minister also likes to complain about her lack of recognition. But here’s what’s going on: The Ottawa Hospital is cutting more than 400 staff, including 200 registered nurses and nurse educators.

Speaker, through you to the Minister of Health: When will this government stop ignoring Ottawa and fix our collapsing health care crisis?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Madam Speaker, as a medical professional himself, the member knows that since this government took office, we have registered over 100,000 nurses in the province of Ontario.

In addition to that, when you calculate the number of nurses who have entered the profession, taking into account also those nurses who have exited the profession with respect to retirements, for example, there has been a net increase in nurses practising in the publicly funded system of 15% since this government took office. That is a 15% net increase in the number of nurses working in the publicly funded system here in Ontario since this government took office in 2018. It is undeniable and it is a fact. Every medical professional should take that into account because that is a remarkable success.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I will ask the members to refrain from talking to each other across the aisle. Thank you. That includes the leader of the third party and the Minister of Education.

I recognize the member for Nepean.

MPP Tyler Watt: Yes, I am a medical professional. I’m a proud registered nurse and I’m here to tell you that I ran for this position because of the state of the health care system under your government.

In my riding of Nepean, we still have over 30,000 people who don’t have primary care through a nurse practitioner or family doctor. That’s just Nepean. That’s not even the entire city of Ottawa that we’re here talking about today.

Walk-ins are often closed by 10 or 12 p.m. because there are so many people who don’t have primary care that are trying to get into there. Then where do they go? They go to the emergency room that is overcrowded in two hospitals that you all completely ignore. You brag about getting things done. But just look at that expensive hole in the ground that we see with the new civic centre and hospital.

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Seriously, with record wait times through the roof, nurses are leaving at a rapid pace. Again, you talk about recruitment. All you guys can talk about is recruitment. You’re doing a terrible job at retention. You lost—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question.

MPP Tyler Watt: Speaker, through you to the Minister of Health, when will this government once again stop ignoring Ottawa and finally address our collapsing health care system?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Madam Speaker, in addition to making the capital investment in the Ottawa planning grant, which is making that hospital in Ottawa a new reality with shovels in the ground as we speak, our government has made the necessary multi-million dollar investments to make sure that people in Ottawa are connected with primary care. An additional 7,800 people in the area of Ottawa have a primary care provider today because of the steps taken by this government under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, because we have a primary care action plan, which the Liberal Party does not have, which the NDP does not have. They do not have any action plan to connect people with primary care.

We have the action plan. We are implementing the plan. The plan is working. Another 7,800 people in Ottawa have primary care because of the steps taken by this government.

Mining industry

Mr. Matthew Rae: My question is to the Minister of Energy and Mines. We know the members opposite love to lecture us on how roads should not be built, that minerals should stay in the ground and every major project should be tied up for years in delays, as the member from Essex very well mentioned today around hospitals.

But the voters in Ontario choose to put economic stability and fiscal responsibility ahead of an ideologically driven, out-of-touch agenda. For that reason, our government was given a strong and historic mandate for the third time to drive economic growth, create jobs and unlock new opportunities for the good people of Ontario.

Ontario’s mining sector is a huge part of this plan to protect and build Ontario. It supports over 150,000 jobs and contributes $14.4 billion to our GDP.

Speaker, can the minister please share the impact of the recent exciting announcement for northern Ontario and mining.

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

Mr. David Smith: I thank the member from Perth–Wellington for that question. When our government took office in 2018, it took an average of 15 years for a new mine to open in Ontario. That simply was unacceptable. We understood that if Ontario wanted to stay competitive and create jobs, we needed to cut unnecessary delay and make it easy for development in the mineral sector.

I am proud to share that under this government, Ontario has become the second most attractive destination in the world for mining investment. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we have attracted over $14 billion of investment in Ontario by Agnico Eagle, Canada’s largest mining company and the world’s second-largest gold producer. This investment has created 1,600 good-paying jobs, adding nearly $5 billion to Ontario’s GDP.

Despite the members opposite continuing to oppose development, the government remains focused on delivering results. This historic investment—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Perth–Wellington.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Thank you to the parliamentary assistant for all of the work that he is doing to support Ontario’s critical mineral sector.

Speaker, there are currently 37 active mine projects in Ontario, and these mines support the largest mining district in Canada, but to stay competitive in global markets and create new jobs in the sector, mineral exploration is a necessary step, obviously, in a mine’s life cycle. Unlike the Liberals, who like to add red tape, slow down job creation and economic growth, our government has stepped up through programs like the Ontario Junior Exploration Program. Recently, the Ministry of Energy and Mines announced an additional $10 million in funding for this program.

With Agnico’s vote of confidence already a great example of how Ontario is attracting new mining investment, could the parliamentary assistant share with this House how we are unlocking Ontario’s potential in critical minerals?

Mr. David Smith: I thank the member for the question.

I love to educate the opposition on how we are attracting new mines in Ontario. Our government recently added another $10 million to the Ontario Junior Exploration Program, bringing the total to $45 million. Mining companies can receive grants up to $500,000 for each project through OJEP. This helps with the early costs of exploration in northern Ontario. So far, the program has committed funding to 280 companies—of their own capital in mining exploration.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, Ontario is now the top province in Canada for mineral exploration spending. We are committed to building new mines, attracting investments and strengthening Ontario’s economy.

Youth services

Ms. Jennifer K. French: My question is to the Premier. Friday night at midnight, the management at Murray McKinnon Foundation in Oshawa locked out its workers—locked them out of their jobs.

I spent Saturday afternoon in the rain with workers who support vulnerable youth, work with custodial youth—some who have spent 30 years doing community reintegration work or support the education of vulnerable young people. Their work matters. This Premier is responsible for underfunding and undervaluing the work that they do every day.

I met a worker who has worked in youth justice, supporting young people’s education needs for 38 years, and this is the first time she’s been out on the street instead of doing her job. Fix this.

Will the Premier fund our public service workers who are absolutely worth fighting for?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I thank my honourable colleague for the very important question.

Madam Speaker, we thank and value the important work that’s being done by every staff in every organization across this province. It’s why we are supporting them, backing them by record historic investments right across every sector that this ministry supports. We have, in one sector alone—the developmental services sector—increased our investments this year to nearly $4 billion. That is an increase of $1.6 billion to better support people who rely on these supports and services.

Our message is very clear: We value the work that you’re doing. That’s why we’re providing these historic investments. We expect both parties to get back to the table, get a deal to better—and continue serving those people.

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

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Many of us stood with the developmental services workers yesterday in Toronto, and they are collapsing under the burnout. Record investment is not paying the bills.

Under Bill 124, this Ford government unconstitutionally stole workers’ wages. They’ve been forced to pay back many workers across Ontario, but they still haven’t paid back community public service workers who keep our communities running—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I will ask the member to withdraw.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I will withdraw.

Workers in developmental services, child welfare, youth justice, children’s treatment centres, community health care and agencies, and mental health and addictions deserve fair wages, safe workplaces and our thanks, for goodness’ sake.

Will this Premier finally pony up the wages his government withheld so these valuable public service workers can get back to work?

Hon. Michael Parsa: Again, I thank the honourable colleague for the very important question.

And I’ll just say this, Madam Speaker—this is the difference: Here on this side, as a minister, as a government, we will not be pitting parties against one another. We want to bring everyone together. It’s to benefit every single person that’s getting the support.

I encourage the honourable colleague’s support in this space. The member said the investment doesn’t matter. It does matter, Madam Speaker.

We have increased investment in the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services more than a billion dollars this year. Why? Because we want to make sure that nobody in this province is left behind. As I said, we highly value the great work of every single person and every organization in every corner of this province. That’s why the developmental services sector has seen an increase of $1.6 billion since we formed government, Madam Speaker. It’s why we saw $407 million of investment increase in this budget, $310 million—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

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Defence, Security and Resilience Bank

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: This year, the city of Ottawa, founded in 1826, will celebrate its 200th anniversary. The city has existed for 200 years, but with this government, you would never know it. This government and the Premier have continued to ignore the people of Ottawa for eight long years, and now the Premier says that Toronto is the only city that can host the new international defence bank. Why? Because this Premier thinks that Toronto is the only city in Ontario.

Ottawa is home to the Department of National Defence, the embassies of all NATO countries, the largest technology park in all of Canada. So when will this Premier finally realize that he is the Premier for all of Ontario and that he is not the mayor of Toronto?

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

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Madam Speaker, through you to the member opposite, who represents a riding in Ottawa: It’s just unfortunate, though, that she forgets to mention the new deal for the city of Ottawa that is providing over half a billion—$543 million—in supports. You forgot about that.

Or how about the $29 million for the Ottawa Hospital’s state-of-the-art Civic Campus, which will serve to lead acute care across Ottawa, not just in her riding but right across the whole city? She forgot that.

How about expanding Highway 17 from two lanes to four lanes, so you can get to that hospital faster? Forgot about that.

What about the $8 million for the Alexander Community Centre for sports and recreation? Forgot about that. You’ve got to remember that.

And how about the $181 million for transportation priorities for Ottawa Road 174, and of course, the Ottawa Police Service hub in Rideau Centre? She forgot about that.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Kanata–Carleton.

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: Ottawa is home to Canada’s National Defence Headquarters; the Canadian Security Intelligence Service; the Communications Security Establishment; Public Services and Procurement Canada; defence operations; major NATO liaison functions; defence policy, procurement and intelligence communities. When will this government and this Premier realize that Ottawa is the natural choice for NATO’s Defence, Security and Resilience Bank?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, the minister talked about the Ottawa investments, and I’d like to add a couple that have happened recently in Ottawa. Of course, just a week ago, we were at Ross Video to announce an expansion of $122 million, partially from the province of Ontario—125 new jobs that were created there. Before that, we were at Marvell Technology, a $238-million investment; 350 jobs created. Before that was Ranovus: a beautiful expansion of their semiconductor facility; it’s $100 million and 126 new jobs.

That party voted against every one of these financial incentives that we have put in the budget, but we will always be there to support the city of Ottawa and all of our cities in Ontario.

Government spending

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Premier. Colleges across Ontario are cancelling programs and closing campuses, especially in rural communities: Georgian College closing its Orillia and Bracebridge campuses; Algonquin closing its Perth campus; Canadore closing its West Parry Sound campus. These closures damage rural economies, hurt local businesses and make filling labour shortages more difficult in rural communities.

Whether it’s colleges or hospitals or roads and bridges, rural communities have been shortchanged by this government’s focus on pet projects in Toronto that people in Toronto don’t even want.

How can the Premier justify wasting $2.2 billion on the luxury spa, $5 billion on the island airport and untold billions on the 401 when rural communities are struggling just to afford basic services?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I would recommend that member tell his rural community that he voted against the largest increase to post-secondary education not only in Ontario’s history but Canadian history. As part of that $6.4-billion investment, $284 million went to small, northern and rural institutes to ensure that the cost of doing the education there is covered.

Another part of that is $3.3 billion that’s going towards our weighted grant units to ensure that the higher-cost programming, including health and human resources, skilled trades and others, are covered fully, as well as $1.7 billion to fund 70,000 new seats for our post-secondary sector.

We’ll continue to be there for the post-secondary sector, especially in rural Ontario.

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

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad that the minister is so out of touch that he would make the claim he just made while rural colleges are literally closing campuses—colleges that train health care workers at a time of unprecedented emergency department closures in rural communities, construction workers at a time when rural roads and bridges are crumbling, tradespeople at a time when we’re facing the worst housing affordability crisis in Ontario’s history.

The bottom line is, Ontario has the lowest funding for colleges and universities in the entire country. How can this government justify wasting tens of billions of dollars on Toronto tunnels, jets and islands when rural colleges are closing, roads and bridges are crumbling and homes are not affordable?

Hon. Nolan Quinn: The real question is, how can that member vote against $6.4 billion for the post-secondary sector? We have a new housing project in Guelph that member is against—new student housing.

But let me be clear: This fall, funding for our post-secondary sector is going to $7 billion, a 30% increase over last year.

Speaker, he votes against every single motion we bring forward and then he’ll stand there and say that he supports it. He does not.

We are there for the post-secondary sector, including the $6.4 billion. We’re bringing 40,000 new seats online into all of the real high-priority programs across the sector. The $1.1 billion is for operating for every single student, as well as $3.3 billion for those high-priority programs to ensure that our health and human resources, our skilled trades program, will continue to be there for decades to come.

Ring of Fire

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. Unlocking the Ring of Fire is not just about minerals or infrastructure; it’s about building the workforce, businesses and ownership opportunities that allow First Nations communities to lead and benefit from development. That starts with training.

First Nations and Indigenous businesses have long been leaders in construction, energy, housing, mining and services in northern Ontario.

Can the minister explain how our government is working with First Nations to build the workforce, supply chains and economic opportunities that will allow the north to prosper for generations?

Hon. Greg Rickford: I want to thank the member in particular for his great representation for the Ottawa region.

This is a timely question. We’re taking an enterprise-wide approach. The Ministry of Colleges and Universities is investing in institutes for Indigenous people on 780 seats in high-demand programs.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines has dedicated $10 million for professional careers for Indigenous peoples in resource development.

My own ministry is investing, through the Indigenous Participation Fund, supports for consultation, value-mapping and data management and, in particular, engagement and relationship-building, which has been incredibly helpful for us in developing our community and economic partnerships.

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Finally, Madam Speaker, we have a testing centre for skilled trades and Red Seal certificates in Kenora for the better of northwestern Ontario and Indigenous peoples. We’re preparing a workforce for today and tomorrow in northern Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell.

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: Thank you, Minister, for the important update.

Speaker, across northern Ontario, we’re seeing major Ring of Fire infrastructure move from planning into delivery, with First Nations leading the way, of course. These projects are about more than roads; they’re about year-round access, stronger communities, economic opportunity and ensuring First Nations are full partners in the development taking place in their communities.

Speaker, can the minister update the House on how recent progress on the Marten Falls community access road is helping to unlock the Ring of Fire while supporting First Nation communities?

Hon. Greg Rickford: The message has been clear: From Greenstone to Aroland First Nation, Marten Falls First Nation, Webequie First Nation, we mustn’t tarry, Madam Speaker. We need to get shovels in the ground and build the corridor to prosperity.

This represents an incredible economic opportunity and jobs for young First Nations people in that massive corridor. We’re so excited about the communities making economic partnerships with large companies, forming relationships with local unions so they have good-paying jobs to provide for their families and build for the prosperity of tomorrow, and the government of Ontario is right there with them.

Hospital funding

MPP Jamie West: My question is for the Premier. Speaker, hallway medicine was so bad that it cost the Liberals the 2018 election, but, instead of fixing it, the Premier keeps underfunding hospitals. He’s going to brag, and he’ll throw around big numbers, but his funding has never met baseline levels, and the people of Ontario have suffered, Speaker.

Health care workers are burnt out and demoralized. Patients are waiting seven hours to be seen in the ER. In Sudbury, at Health Sciences North, patients are waiting 51 hours for a room. That’s two and a half days—two and a half days sick in the hallway without privacy, without a washroom, without basic dignity.

Question to the Premier: Premier, why are you letting hallway health care be your legacy?

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

Mr. Anthony Leardi: It is this government, under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, who is making the proper and enormous investments in our health care system.

I’ll remind all members of this House that when this government first took office in 2018, the provincial health care budget was $62 billion, and today it is over $101 billion. That is a multi-billion dollar increase because this government is making the necessary investments in our health care system, which the previous Liberal government refused to make.

It is this government that is investing in our publicly funded health care system and increasing the number of nurses who are working in the province of Ontario, recruiting more doctors from overseas, making sure that Ontario residents get the residency placements they need in Ontario so that our publicly funded health care system can continue on into the future.

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

M^me France Gélinas: On this side of the House, Speaker, we understand what the government is doing to our community hospitals. It is called failure by design.

Did you know the majority of hospitals in Ontario, including HSN in Sudbury, are in a deficit position? They are borrowing money from private banks to pay their staff and keep the lights on. Hospital deficits make wait times so bad that people get desperate. Desperate people will pay to skip the line. They will pay to feel better, even if they can’t afford it.

Did the Premier achieve this milestone accidentally, or is it by design to drive sick people to private clinics?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Madam Speaker, you can only rely on the Premier Doug Ford government to make sure that we do the innovations in the health care system that will provide the necessary services to people in the north for health care.

Let me remind every member of this House that it was the Premier Doug Ford government which introduced the Learn and Stay grant, which now has nearly 7,500 students agreeing to work in underserviced communities in the north. That was an innovation introduced by this government, including the innovation to expand the scope of practice for pharmacists, which will allow people to skip the doctor’s appointment and go straight to the pharmacy to get the health care they need for many simple illnesses, like pink eye, for example.

This government is making the innovations in our health care system which make health care better in the north and across the province of Ontario.

Transportation infrastructure

Mr. Stephen Blais: My question is for the Premier. After eight years of Conservative government, Ottawa commuters have nothing to show for it except for gridlock, delays and broken promises.

Highway 174 is still dangerous. People are still seriously injured and killed on the undivided section every year. Orléans residents still spend hours stuck in traffic trying to get to work and get home again.

Two years after promising to upload the 174—that’s 789 days later—there has been no upload, there has been no progress and there’s nothing to show for the Premier’s empty promise.

And now the Premier and his buddy want tens of thousands of public servants to go back downtown in failing transit and overly congested roads.

So, Madam Speaker: eight years, more congestion, more frustration, more danger. Why has this Premier’s Conservative government abandoned Ottawa commuters?

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

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: I can’t believe that question coming from the Liberals.

Let’s start with the 174. That member who asked that question, during his time at municipal council, wanted to toll the 174. He wanted to toll the 174, Madam Speaker. He wasn’t talking about building more roads or bridges when he was at city council; he was talking about tolling the 174 to make it even less affordable for individuals to get to work, to get to the downtown.

That’s why we introduced legislation to make sure no one could ever toll a road in this province. We don’t believe in tolls. The 412, the 418—we got rid of every single one of those tolls. And guess what? We reached a historic deal with Toronto and Ottawa to ensure that we give the funding needed for the upload of the 174 so silly councillors like that can’t toll it.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’m going to ask the member for Orléans to withdraw the comment he made when the Minister of Transportation was speaking.

Mr. Stephen Blais: I’ll withdraw.

Mr. John Fraser: What’s the point in showing up if you can’t stand up?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’ll ask the leader of the third party to come to order.

Back to the member for Orléans.

Mr. Stephen Blais: For commuters in the GTA, the government brought in One Fare transit, saving some $1,600 a year. Ottawa taxpayers help fund that program, but in Ottawa, there’s nothing. OC Transpo fares keep going up. In fact, in the last four years, fares are up 13%, and they’re running a $7-million deficit in the first quarter.

In Ottawa, local property taxpayers are still carrying the burden of the LRT, while the Conservative government pays billions for subways and GO trains in the GTA and Toronto.

Ottawa sees more delays, higher fares and no investment. In Toronto, the government offers gold-plated service.

Why are Ottawa residents expected to help pay for better and cheaper transit in Toronto and the GTA while transit just gets worse in the city of Ottawa?

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Thank you for that question. That member was on council when they built one of the least-effective LRTs in this province’s history, one that has derailed after launching, one that has some of the lowest ridership.

But it’s this government who has stepped in for the reason of the incompetence of that council on building that LRT. This Premier and our government stepped up to the table, signed the Toronto-Ottawa new deal to ensure that we can get that city back on track and fix the mistakes of that individual when he was on council overseeing the disastrous LRT there.

We are making huge investments into the city of Ottawa to ensure that they have the reliability on their transit system. That’s why we struck a historic $500-million deal with the cities of Ottawa and Toronto—never done before, and definitely wasn’t done in the past 15 years when those Liberals were in—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Markham–Unionville.

Highway construction

Mr. Billy Pang: My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Every day, tens of thousands of commuters in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area sit in gridlock. With the GTHA expected to grow into more than 15 million people by 2051, the pressure on our transportation network is only going to increase.

For too long, families in York region and Simcoe county have faced an impossible choice: a long, frustrating commute or an even longer one. Without a direct link between Highway 400 and Highway 404, drivers are losing up to 35 minutes on every trip, every single day.

Speaker, can the minister tell this House what our government is doing to deliver the Bradford Bypass and bring real relief to the commuters across the region?

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

Mr. Hardeep Singh Grewal: Thank you to the member from Markham–Unionville. The member is absolutely right. Gridlock is costing our economy $56 billion every year, and that’s money out of Ontarian families’ pockets.

That’s why we’re building the Bradford Bypass. This new freeway connection between Highway 400 and Highway 404 will save drivers up to 35 minutes per trip. That’s a 60% reduction in travel time compared to the existing routes. That’s why this is real, tangible relief for commuters in Bradford West Gwillimbury, East Gwillimbury, Simcoe county and York region.

We’ve made a commitment to build the critical infrastructure, create jobs and keep Ontario moving, and we’re going to continue to build on that commitment. The west section of the Bradford Bypass is in detail design, contracts have been awarded for the central section and design work is under way for the east section.

Speaker, our government is getting shovels in the ground and we’re moving forward on building the Bradford Bypass.

Notice of dissatisfaction

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to standing order 36(a), the member for Orléans has given notice of dissatisfaction with the answer to the question given by the Minister of Transportation regarding commuting in Ottawa. This matter will be debated today following private members’ public business.

Deferred Votes

Municipal Accountability Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la responsabilité au niveau municipal

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

Bill 9, An Act to amend the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Municipal Act, 2001 in relation to codes of conduct / Projet de loi 9, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2006 sur la cité de Toronto et la Loi de 2001 sur les municipalités en ce qui concerne les codes de déontologie.

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

The division bells rang from 1142 to 1147.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): On May 25, 2026, Mr. Flack moved third reading of Bill 9, An Act to amend the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Municipal Act, 2001 in relation to codes of conduct.

All those in favour of the motion, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Allsopp, Tyler
Anand, Deepak
Armstrong, Teresa J.
Babikian, Aris
Bailey, Robert
Bell, Jessica
Bethlenfalvy, Peter
Blais, Stephen
Bouma, Will
Bourgouin, Guy
Bowman, Stephanie
Bresee, Ric
Burch, Jeff
Calandra, Paul
Cerjanec, Rob
Cho, Raymond Sung Joon
Cho, Stan
Ciriello, Monica
Clancy, Aislinn
Clark, Steve
Coe, Lorne
Collard, Lucille
Cooper, Michelle
Crawford, Stephen
Cuzzetto, Rudy
Denault, Billy
Dixon, Jess
Dowie, Andrew
Dunlop, Jill
Fairclough, Lee
Fedeli, Victor
Fife, Catherine
Firin, Mohamed
Flack, Rob
Ford, Doug
Fraser, John
French, Jennifer K.

Gallagher Murphy, Dawn
Gates, Wayne
Gélinas, France
Gilmour, Alexa
Glover, Chris
Gretzky, Lisa
Grewal, Hardeep Singh
Hamid, Zee
Hardeman, Ernie
Harris, Mike
Hazell, Andrea
Hsu, Ted
Jones, Trevor
Jordan, John
Kanapathi, Logan
Kernaghan, Terence
Kerzner, Michael S.
Khanjin, Andrea
Kusendova-Bashta, Natalia
Leardi, Anthony
Lecce, Stephen
Lennox, Robin
Mamakwa, Sol
McCarthy, Todd J.
McCrimmon, Karen
McKenney, Catherine
McMahon, Mary-Margaret
Mulroney, Caroline
Oosterhoff, Sam
Pang, Billy
Parsa, Michael
Pasma, Chandra
Piccini, David
Pierre, Natalie
Pinsonneault, Steve
Quinn, Nolan
Racinsky, Joseph

Rae, Matthew
Rakocevic, Tom
Rickford, Greg
Riddell, Brian
Rosenberg, Bill
Sabawy, Sheref
Sandhu, Amarjot
Sarkaria, Prabmeet Singh
Sarrazin, Stéphane
Sattler, Peggy
Saunderson, Brian
Schreiner, Mike
Scott, Laurie
Shamji, Adil
Shaw, Sandy
Smith, Dave
Smith, David
Smith, Graydon
Smith, Laura
Smyth, Stephanie
Stevens, Jennifer (Jennie)
Stiles, Marit
Tabuns, Peter
Tangri, Nina
Thanigasalam, Vijay
Thompson, Lisa M.
Tibollo, Michael A.
Triantafilopoulos, Effie J.
Tsao, Jonathan
Vanthof, John
Vaugeois, Lise
Vickers, Paul
Watt, Tyler
West, Jamie
Williams, Charmaine A.
Wong-Tam, Kristyn

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): All those opposed to the motion, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Brady, Bobbi Ann

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day): The ayes are 110; the nays are 1.

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

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.

Third reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): There being no further business, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.

The House recessed from 1152 to 1500.

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Social Policy

Mr. Brian Riddell: I beg leave to present a report from the Standing Committee on Social Policy on the estimates selected by the standing committee for consideration.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Mr. Wai Lam (William) Wong): Mr. Riddell from the Standing Committee on Social Policy presents the committee’s report as follows:

Pursuant to standing order 63, your committee has selected the 2026-27 estimates of the following ministries for consideration: Ministry of Health; Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services; Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Long-Term Care; Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security.

Report presented.

Standing Committee on the Interior

Mr. Aris Babikian: I beg leave to present a report from the Standing Committee on the Interior on the estimates selected by the standing committee for consideration.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Mr. Wai Lam (William) Wong): Mr. Babikian from the Standing Committee on the Interior presents the committee’s report as follows:

Pursuant to standing order 63, your committee has selected the 2026-27 estimates of the following ministries for consideration: Ministry of Energy and Mines; Ministry of Natural Resources; Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness; Ministry of Northern Economic Development and Growth; Ministry of Rural Affairs; Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Report presented.

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: I beg leave to present a report from the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on the estimates selected by the standing committee for consideration.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Mr. Wai Lam (William) Wong): Mr. Hardeman from the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs presents the committee’s report as follows:

Pursuant to standing order 63, your committee has selected the 2026-27 estimates of the following ministries and offices for consideration: Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development; Treasury Board Secretariat; Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; Ministry of Finance; Cabinet Office and Office of the Premier.

Report presented.

Introduction of Bills

Save a Life Act (Naloxone Kit Registration and Public Access), 2026 / Loi de 2026 visant à sauver des vies (accès public aux trousses de naloxone et leur enregistrement)

MPP Lennox moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 121, An Act to enact the Save a Life Act (Naloxone Kit Registration and Public Access), 2026 / Projet de loi 121, Loi édictant la Loi de 2026 visant à sauver des vies (accès public aux trousses de naloxone et leur enregistrement).

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Would you like to speak to the bill?

MPP Robin Lennox: Speaker, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to introduce this bill. I’m very proud to have co-sponsored this bill along with my colleagues the MPPs from Nickel Belt, Thunder Bay and Windsor West.

We know that each year more than 2,000 Ontarians die from opioid poisoning. These are our friends, our neighbours and our loved ones. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can be safely administered by bystanders to reverse opioid poisonings when they occur. But it’s only useful if it’s available and if bystanders who witness opioid poisoning have the tools to be able to respond quickly.

We also know that for every death, there are 15 non-fatal overdoses that occur in our community that require immediate intervention to prevent brain injury and other complications.

We also know that many of these opioid poisonings occur in public spaces. Just like we have access to AEDs in public spaces to be able to respond in the event of cardiac arrest, so should we have naloxone publicly available in those same public spaces.

The Save a Life Act would do just that, by thoughtfully ensuring that naloxone kits are co-located where defibrillators are housed in our communities and other public spaces where naloxone may be most needed.

Romanian Heritage Week Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la Semaine du patrimoine roumain

Mr. Kanapathi moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 122, An Act to proclaim Romanian Heritage Week / Projet de loi 122, Loi proclamant la Semaine du patrimoine roumain.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Does the member wish to speak to the bill?

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: I am happy to rise today to introduce Romanian Heritage Week Act, 2026.

The bill proclaims the first full week of December in each year as Romanian Heritage Week. Ontario has the privilege to be the home to approximately 150,000 Romanian Canadians. They began arriving in the late 19th century, with another significant wave following World War II.

By proclaiming the first full week of December as Romanian Heritage Week, we recognize the important contribution of Romanian Canadians in entrepreneurship, education, athletics, the arts, science and public service. For the first time in Canadian history, Romanian Canadians are being recognized through this bill.

Fighting Extreme Heat in Schools Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la lutte contre la chaleur extrême dans les écoles

Ms. Pasma moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 123, An Act to amend the Education Act to provide for a maximum indoor temperature and other measures to fight extreme heat / Projet de loi 123, Loi modifiant la Loi sur l’éducation pour prévoir une température intérieure maximale et d’autres mesures afin de lutter contre la chaleur extrême.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Would the member like to briefly describe the bill?

Ms. Chandra Pasma: I’d like to thank my co-sponsors, the MPP for Nickel Belt, MPP for Toronto–Danforth and MPP for Sudbury.

The Fighting Extreme Heat in Schools Act, 2026, amends the Education Act to require school boards to take certain steps with respect to fighting extreme heat levels in school settings. One of the requirements is for boards to develop a heat mitigation strategy for each school in consultation with the applicable joint health and safety committees. The bill requires the Minister of Education to review the boards’ heat mitigation strategies at least once every three years and publish reports with respect to the reviews.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Just a reminder, and you did it perfectly, that when we do speak to the bills that we are presenting, we reference the explanatory note and do not expand it. It is not a time to debate the bill. It is a time to explain the bill.

Mining Awareness Week Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la Semaine de sensibilisation à l’exploitation minière

MPP West moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 124, An Act to proclaim Mining Awareness Week / Projet de loi 124, Loi proclamant la Semaine de sensibilisation à l’exploitation minière.

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The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Does the member wish to explain the bill?

MPP Jamie West: There’s an adage in mining: “If you can’t grow it, you mine it.”

There’s a lot of focus right now on critical minerals and the importance of mining in general.

It’s about raising the awareness of the importance of mining in Ontario and providing an opportunity for us to learn about mining projects, the value of mining, and the careers and innovation that mining enables.

I’ve selected the third Monday of February of each year as Mining Awareness Week because, in 1920, that’s when the Ontario Mining Association was first founded. That leaves it agnostic to the different mining minerals that we have—and a way for all of us to celebrate mining in Ontario and raise the awareness about the jobs that are needed and the benefits to our communities.

Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act (Vaping is not for Kids), 2026 / Loi de 2026 modifiant la Loi favorisant un Ontario sans fumée (le vapotage n’est pas pour les enfants)

Madame Gélinas moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 125, An Act to amend the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 with respect to activities related to vapour products / Projet de loi 125, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2017 favorisant un Ontario sans fumée en ce qui concerne des activités liées aux produits de vapotage.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Would you like to explain the bill?

M^me France Gélinas: The explanation of the bill is quite long, so I will try to shorten it. Basically, the title says it all: Vaping is not for kids.

So the first thing is that the bill will prohibit the promotion of vaping products—no more promotion.

Second, the bill will make sure that no vaping products can be sold to anyone who is less than 21 years old. If vaping is to help people quit smoking, then there’s no reason to sell them to anybody below 21 years old.

The third part of the bill talks about the retail sales tax—basically, to make sure that the amount of nicotine in the vaping products is regulated and there’s a maximum amount of nicotine that can be contained in vaping products. We all know that it’s easy to become dependent on nicotine, so we want to make sure that the products have a limit.

The fourth part of the bill is that vaping products can only be sold in specialty stores.

The fifth part of the bill has to do with taxes. Some of the taxes would be used to help people understand the damage to your health from vaping.

The sixth part of the bill is to ask the Ministry of Health to do a report—right now, 27% of Ontario students in high school vape on a regular basis—to see if we can decrease the percentage of our youth who are not allowed to vape but vape on a regular basis nevertheless.

Petitions

Social assistance

M^me Lucille Collard: I have a petition to raise social assistance rates. This petition is from Dr. Sally Palmer. I have to thank her for continuing to send those to us. She has been a continued and relentless advocate on this issue.

The petition asks the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.

It outlines a few reasons for this, including the fact that the current rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line. It describes how small increases to ODSP have still been insufficient to lift people above the poverty line, particularly given the rate of inflation in recent years and the rising cost of food and rent.

However, the reality is that even doubling the rate wouldn’t be sufficient by today’s cost of living.

This petition has been tabled over and over, again and again in this Legislature for years now, and yet there’s nothing happening on adjusting these rates to reflect any kind of recognition of the affordability crisis affecting everyone, including people that have to rely on OW and ODSP to make a living.

I support this petition, Mr. Speaker. I will affix my name to it and give it to page Ian to bring to the table.

Social assistance

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I also have petitions from Sally Palmer. Professor Palmer has been so diligent and focused on improving the lives of low-income Ontarians.

We know that OW and ODSP are well below the poverty line. People on Ontario Works get $733, and $390 of that is for accommodations. There is nowhere in Ontario you can find accommodations for that amount. This is why we have record numbers of people homeless.

We need to double OW and ODSP to bring people closer to the poverty line so they can pay for a roof and food.

Research showed that the basic income pilot was working, and it does save all of our institutions—whether it’s health care, justice or other parts of the sector—money by just ensuring people have enough to live.

I fully support this petition. I want to thank Sally Palmer again for her efforts, and we will keep at it until we see improvements in this area.

I will affix my signature and give it to page Anika.

Air quality

MPP Robin Lennox: We know from studies that breathing Hamilton air is like smoking a cigarette per day. That’s largely due to the large amount of industrial pollution that we have, including emissions of known carcinogens like benzo[a]pyrene and benzene.

I am proud to present this petition from many groups in Hamilton who are concerned about this, who want to see our steel sector move towards clean steel production.

We value the steel sector. We value those jobs, but we want to make sure that our air quality is safe for all of our Hamiltonians and all of our neighbours who live in the lower city.

I’m proud to affix my name to this petition and hand it to Simon.

Collective bargaining

Mr. John Fraser: I have a petition here from Laura McCrae and others from Peterborough that talks about the end of the use of the “notwithstanding” clause in labour disputes.

It points out very clearly in this petition that in 2021 and 2022—particularly in 2022—the government used the “notwithstanding” clause to override people’s rights to bargain, and that’s wrong.

The petition also says that the government should end the practice of including the “notwithstanding” clause or section 33 inside its legislation.

I support this petition and I’m going to give it to page Alex.

Screen time in schools

Ms. Jess Dixon: I would like to sincerely, once again, thank Dr. Natasha Larocque, who is actually present in the gallery, for bringing this petition to my attention and to the House’s attention.

This petition is called “Ban Screens in Schools During Mealtimes.”

As many know, children are in a period of peak development, and having screens present can have a significant impact on their development and their behaviour—even something as basic as being focused enough in order to actually eat their meals at lunchtime. Dr. Larocque became aware that it had become a practice to show screens and TV shows and so on to children over the lunch hour and took it on herself to conduct this petition.

There are approximately 2,600 signatures on this, from parents and teachers across the province.

It brings me great joy to be able to put my own name on this petition, which I wholeheartedly support and will sign, and I will send it with page Julia.

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Highway safety

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: I have a petition entitled “Improve Northern Highway Safety.” It’s signed by 319 people in my riding.

First, they talk about Highways 11 and 17. They have high traffic and are critical to the development and prosperity of northern Ontario.

Injuries and fatalities are twice more likely to happen on northern highways than highways in southern Ontario.

Scale and inspection stations are not in sufficient operation, and appropriate enforcement of the Highway Traffic Act is lacking.

Northern highways are regularly closed for extended periods due to weather conditions and vehicle collisions.

Insufficient oversight of new truck drivers who lack experience to manage weather and road conditions on Highways 11 and 17 are putting both themselves and residents at risk of collision.

They are also asking that that highway be brought back to the MTO.

Therefore, they’re asking the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to mandate that the scale and inspection stations operate at least 12 hours daily; ensure the sufficient enforcement of the Highway Traffic Act; guarantee that testing of truck drivers for commercial licensing is conducted by examiners certified by the Ministry of Transportation; and restore management of winter highway maintenance on Highways 11 and 17 to the Ministry of Transportation.

I fully support this petition. I will sign my name to the petition and give it to Mason to bring to the Clerks’ table.

Collective bargaining

Mr. John Fraser: I have a petition here from Stephen Hanna from Burlington and others from Oakville and Burlington with OSSTF. It talks about the end of the use of the “notwithstanding” clause in labour disputes. As I said earlier, Speaker, your government used it twice in 2021 and 2022—in particular, to intervene in a labour dispute in 2022. That’s not right.

The petition also calls on the government not to use the “notwithstanding” clause in the legislation that it puts forward. The “notwithstanding” clause is not a “get out of jail free” card to allow you to do whatever it is you want to do.

I agree with this petition, and I’m going to give it to page Simon.

Education funding

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I am here with a petition from ETFO—this is Lambton Kent and Avon Maitland members and people in the community. They’re worried about the state of our education system. There has been $6.35 billion in terms of cuts because the funding has not kept up with the rate of inflation. So we see larger class sizes, we see kids with special education needs that aren’t being met. We need to see education as an investment.

I fully support this petition calling on the government to fund smaller class sizes in our elementary schools. I will affix my signature and pass it to page Abi.

Thank you for the petition.

Land use planning

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I am pleased to have been sent a whole whack of petitions—it looks like I’ve got about 100 names here—sent by Sharon for Headwaters Stops the 413, a grassroots group that wrote me a lovely letter thanking me for presenting this on behalf of the residents of Dufferin–Caledon.

They are petitioning the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to stop construction of the 413 highway and subsidize truck use on the 407.

They have highlighted that the 401 is over capacity and the 407 is under capacity.

Building the 413, as they have said, is an expensive and unnecessary burden on taxpayers that won’t relieve traffic congestion on the 401.

They’re concerned that building the 413 will destroy much-needed and irreplaceable farmland, woodlots and natural habitats.

Therefore, the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately stop all plans to construct Highway 413 and to redirect the 413 budget to subsidize truck use of the 407.

This is a concerned group of neighbours, and I hope that the government is meeting with them and connecting on these important issues. I’m happy to table this on their behalf, and I thank them for their advocacy.

Highway safety

M^me France Gélinas: I would like to thank Rae Swan, who is from Cartier in my riding, for these petitions. They read: “Make Highway 144 Safe.”

Highway 144 is a 300-and-some-kilometre highway. It starts in Sudbury and goes to Timmins. The entirety of the highway is in my riding. It is closed during the wintertime at least once a week. There are no detours.

There are many mines that use Highway 144. At least eight of them daily have trucks going out every 15 minutes. Then the highway closes, and then there’s nowhere to go. The people are worried about all of the accidents and the fatalities. They are worried that this highway is a two-lane highway with no shoulder.

A couple of weeks ago, when I was on it, I saw seven moose. I stopped because there were moose, but the seven big trucks behind me—you never know if they’re going to stop or not. People would like, at a minimum, that there be shoulders so that you can pull over when a large animal comes across the highway.

They petition the government of Ontario to organize a round table with representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, the police, the ambulances, the tow truck operators, the shipping companies, mining companies, school bus drivers and other road users. There are ideas to make this highway safer without great expense. Please do that—the sooner, the better. We’ve seen too many people die.

I fully support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask page Mason to bring it to the Clerk.

Social assistance

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I am pleased to present a petition that many of us have been sharing. Sally Palmer is a very busy and committed advocate when it comes to calling to raise social assistance rates.

This particular petition highlights just how challenging it is for those dependent on OW and ODSP. It highlighted that there was a letter sent to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, that recommended that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program. This petition points out that the small increases that have happened have still left people well below the poverty line. Those folks, as well as those receiving the frozen OW rates, are struggling to survive in this climate of alarming inflation.

This petition—folks across the province have been signing it and sending it in. They’re petitioning the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.

I’m very pleased to support this petition, affix my signature and send it to the table with page Simon.

Education funding

MPP Robin Lennox: I’m pleased to present this petition today to advocate for more funding for our public education system. We know that $6.4 billion has been taken out of our public education system since 2018. This has resulted in smaller class sizes, increased stress in our schools, inadequate special education and inadequate mental health supports for our children.

I’m very proud to support this petition from many people in Hamilton. We ask that the Legislative Assembly of Ontario commit to making the necessary investments in public education to lower class sizes, to increase student supports and to ensure that every student gets the great-quality public education that they deserve.

I’m very pleased to affix my signature and to send this petition down with Alex.

Tire disposal

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I’m here to present a petition about tire recycling. People are finding that the changes are having a negative impact and are calling on the government to add some oversight and ensure that these handling fees are being used appropriately. Because of the changes in how the process is being administered, it’s leading to risks of tire fires, pollution, illegal dumping and harm to Ontario’s recycling reputation.

I fully support this petition. I will sign it and hand it to page Sarvin.

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Orders of the Day

Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la construction de l’aéroport Billy Bishop

Mr. Sarkaria moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 110, An Act to enact the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 / Projet de loi 110, Loi édictant la Loi de 2026 sur la construction de l’aéroport Billy Bishop.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Back to the minister for comments.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Today I’m pleased to speak to the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act. I will share my time with the member for Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, the member for Markham–Thornhill and the member for Brampton West.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll start by just recapping a bit of the discussion around this airport since we have brought this bill forward. We’ve heard from the government a vision put forward by the Premier to ensure that we build transportation infrastructure for the future. And when we look at the conversations around this country at this moment, it’s about nation building, it’s about making sure we’re more competitive, self-reliant, and ensuring that we can compete against any jurisdiction in the world nationally, globally with key projects like this that improve our competitiveness.

What we’ve heard from the opposition is not something of surprise for us. Any time that we have put forward a major project—whether that be on public transit, whether that be on roads, highways, bridges, either here in the GTA or in the north—they have opposed those major investments that will change the face of this beautiful province.

We’re going to continue to ensure that we move forward and build these projects, because that is what we were elected to do and that is the mandate that was given to us by the people of this province—to make us more competitive, to protect Ontario, and to protect us against the greater challenges that are happening from south of the border, that we did not expect from our greatest trading ally.

We’re building the transportation infrastructure that our growing province so desperately needs, whether it’s highways, whether it’s transit, whether it’s expanding GO service. We are restoring passenger rail to northeastern Ontario. And we’re taking action to make sure that our airports meet the needs of a growing province and a growing economy.

Billy Bishop airport is an important part of that transportation network—not just for the city of Toronto, not just for this province, but for this country. It connects Toronto to destinations across Canada and the United States. Over 20 cities are supported currently, as we speak, through Billy Bishop airport. But it does much more than just connect us. It supports jobs. It supports tourism. It supports business travel. And it has potential to do even more.

Mr. Speaker, our government believes in building. For years, you have seen the investments this province has made, whether it’s in transit, in highways, our focus to reduce gridlock, cut travel times and support economic growth across Ontario, including right here in the city of Toronto.

We recently reached a historic agreement with the federal government to not only spur housing development in Toronto, but also to help fund the Waterfront East transit line, another piece of critical infrastructure that will change the way people move in the downtown core.

We made history by signing the new deal for the city of Toronto and Ontario, investing $1.2 billion in provincial operating supports to ensure the city thrives today, tomorrow and for generations to come.

We’re conducting due diligence work to upload the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway—a move that would save Toronto hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

We are revitalizing Ontario Place, building a new world-class facility that will attract millions of visitors a year while supporting thousands of good-paying jobs for our tourism sector—an asset that was left bare by the previous government and something that this government picked up to revitalize so generations could enjoy for years to come.

And now we have the opportunity to support another transportation asset on Toronto’s waterfront. That opportunity is Billy Bishop airport. We reviewed the Toronto Port Authority’s modernization plan for the airport, and we believe in it. We believe in generating good-paying jobs in our province’s aviation, construction and tourism industries. As we continue to build this province, we believe Billy Bishop airport can reach its full potential through this critical modernization project.

Toronto will have a world-class waterfront airport that welcomes millions of more visitors and businesses travelling to Toronto each year. Our government is determined to make that vision a reality and support the Billy Bishop airport expansion project. Some say we can’t fly jets out of Billy Bishop airport, but we know we can. We cannot afford to let this opportunity pass us by.

Let’s let the numbers do the talking on this one. Right now, Billy Bishop airport serves about two million passengers each year, connecting Toronto to 20 cities across Canada and the United States. Each year, this airport contributes approximately $900 million to Ontario’s GDP and generates $1.8 billion in economic output.

According to Toronto Port Authority’s modernization plan, expanding Billy Bishop airport would attract close to 10 million passengers once all is said and done. Building a bigger, better airport could support 23,000 jobs in Ontario’s construction sector alone. And by 2050, the Billy Bishop airport will be contributing $8.5 billion to Canada’s economy each year.

We are determined to get this done. Today, over 4,900 people receive a paycheque because of Billy Bishop airport.

This act represents the next phase of our plan to expand Toronto’s transportation infrastructure as we continue our work to build the strongest economy in the G7. We’re putting our full weight behind Billy Bishop airport and the city of Toronto so Ontarians and visitors to our province can benefit from more flight options and more convenience.

Now more than ever, when our economy is under attack, we must do whatever is necessary to unleash Billy Bishop airport’s full potential.

By enabling the extension of the runway, upgrading the terminal building and making improvements to Toronto’s waterfront, we can improve the airport. These goals are within our reach. The measures proposed in this legislation would play a vital role in expanding travel options across Ontario and welcoming millions of more visitors to our province. With Ontario’s population set to exceed 20 million in the coming years, this work has never been more important, and we will not let Ontarians down.

In mere days, the FIFA World Cup will come to Toronto, attracting thousands of visitors from countries across the world to this great city. They will be eager to experience the excitement on the pitch and to experience everything southern Ontario has to offer.

Our government has worked hard to make sure visitors can move easily when they get here. During the World Cup, we are increasing GO Transit and UP Express to accommodate the crowds; we’re adding more service to and from Exhibition station on game days; and we’re increasing bus service from Toronto to Niagara Falls, Canada’s top tourist destination. Thousands of travellers are counting on us to connect them to world-class destinations across the province, and we will not let them down.

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Day in, day out, our government is making it faster and easier for people to get where they’re going on transit. Whether they’re commuting or travelling for pleasure, we are going to get them to where they need to go. We are investing $70 billion on the largest transit expansion in North America and we’re delivering results. Our GO Expansion program is delivering two-way, all-day service on the GO network’s busiest railroads.

Our GO extensions will bring new and improved service to communities in Hamilton, Niagara, Durham region and Kitchener-Waterloo. This summer, we’re launching daily service to Stratford on the Kitchener line, improving access to the Stratford Festival, one of the greatest theatre festivals in the world. We introduced a first-ever weekend service from Toronto to Kitchener, making it easier than ever to enjoy the greatest Oktoberfest celebrations outside of Germany.

We have shovels in the ground at the Woodbine GO station in Toronto, a new station on the Kitchener line that will provide direct access to Woodbine Racetrack, one of the province’s premier entertainment destinations. We’ve slashed travel times on the Niagara line to Niagara Falls by completing upgrades to West Harbour GO station. That upgrade saves close to 25,000 commuters 15 minutes on a round trip. We are building Caledonia GO in Toronto, a new station on the Barrie line that will transform travel for thousands of transit riders.

To date, we’ve invested close to $15 billion to deliver faster, more frequent service across the GO network, and we’re just getting started. Construction is under way on the Bowmanville extension, a generational project that will bring the Lakeshore East line deeper into the heart of Durham region.

With each of these projects, we’re building an integrated transit network across the greater Toronto and Hamilton area, and it only gets better from here. We recently extended the One Fare program, which saves transit riders up to $1,600 a year by allowing free transfers between the TTC, GO Transit and participating transit agencies. One Fare is changing lives. The program has enabled 82 million free transfers since its launch, saving Ontarians more than $264 million. We recently tabled legislation that will lay the groundwork for One Fare 2.0.

And as we prepare to unlock the next phase of savings, we continue to expand fast, reliable transit right here in Toronto. The Finch West LRT is up and running, carrying thousands of passengers a day across northwest Toronto. The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is slashing travel times across the city by almost one hour, transporting over 100,000 passengers every day. We are carrying out the largest subway expansion in Canadian history, with construction under way to build the Ontario Line subway, the Scarborough subway and the Eglinton Crosstown West extension. This is the first time in over 60 years that we have tunnelling machines underneath downtown Toronto and our downtown core to get people moving. The Yonge North subway extension will extend the TTC’s Line 1 subway into Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill for the first time ever. This will reduce travel times by over 20 minutes each way for those using this line.

We are building a world-class transit network for Toronto, and this city also deserves a world-class airport downtown. The measures proposed in the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act represent a major step forward in our wider plan to transform how people move in the GTA, keeping people and goods moving on our roads, our public transit and our transportation network.

As a part of this transformation, we are doing so much more. We’re harmonizing our road-building construction centres to make it easier in the GTA and other cities across the GTA to build the roads the drivers of this region rely on and count on every single day.

We invested over $73 million in funding for the city of Toronto to accelerate construction on the Gardiner Expressway. The work was finished more than a year and a half ahead of schedule, saving 140,000 daily riders up to 22 minutes per trip and saving Ontario’s economy $273 million. We knew the Gardiner Expressway had to fully reopen before the World Cup got under way, and thanks to our government’s investment, we got the job done.

Drivers in Toronto have spent too many years in gridlock, too many years sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, wondering if they’ll get where they’re going. Gridlock costs our province upward of $56 billion a year—a cost we can ill afford in the face of mounting economic uncertainty.

We are doing something about it. In addition to conducting due diligence work to upload the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway, we’re studying the feasibility of building a tunnel under the busiest section of Highway 401, one of the most congested highway corridors in North America.

Our government is exploring every option possible to get people out of gridlock. That’s why, Mr. Speaker, we’re building the 413, we’re building the Bradford Bypass, we’re building the Garden City Skyway bridge and we’re building Highway 11 and 17.

The 413 is going to save drivers in Peel, York and Halton valuable time each day—30 minutes back in their trip; that’s five hours back in their day, every single week.

That’s why we’re building the Bradford Bypass, a project that is going to save commuters 35 minutes each way, once again enhancing their quality of life, removing them from the bumper-to-bumper traffic that they face every single day. York region and Simcoe county drivers will directly benefit from those investments.

That’s why we’re twinning the Garden City Skyway, a vital link to Niagara Falls that will see even more traffic as we see thousands and millions of visitors come into this country as we partake in the FIFA World Cup 2026 festivities.

We’re setting the stage to widen Highway 400 in Barrie and to widen sections of the 401 in the Durham region near Port Hope.

With each of these projects, we’re investing in a stronger, more robust transportation network, as we move forward to eradicate gridlock once and for all.

Investing in air transportation is our next frontier, and the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act holds the key to unlocking billions of dollars in untapped potential on Toronto’s waterfront. The measures proposed in this bill would allow the province to take ownership of the city-owned lands at Billy Bishop in exchange for fair compensation. It would allow the province to take on the city’s role in this tripartite agreement governing the airport so we can work in lockstep with the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority to ensure the success of this critical expansion project.

As always, we will continue to meet our duty to consult with Indigenous communities every step of the way. We will uphold the environmental protections that have made our province a world leader in sustainability.

We know the expansion of Billy Bishop airport is possible, that it would allow Toronto to join the ranks of other world-class cities with multiple major airports. Our government, after reviewing the Toronto Port Authority’s modernization plan for Billy Bishop airport, is eager to support this transformational project. Our economy depends on it. Millions of travellers here in Ontario and from around the globe depend on it. The future of our province depends on it.

That is why I urge the members of the opposition, both the NDP and Liberals, to support this piece of legislation that will make Ontario more competitive, that will make Ontario more self-reliant.

It’s something that this province so desperately needs: more options for air travel for our consumers across this province; higher competition so we can lower fare prices for those using air travel across this province, so we can expand access to remote and northern communities through the Billy Bishop airport, which so many of the people in this House, both on the government side and the opposition side, use today to access northern and remote communities.

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I urge the opposition to join with us as we build these transformational projects. I know they’ve opposed many of these projects in the past, but they have an opportunity to stand up for this province, to support thousands of good-paying jobs in this province and to stand with this government as we move forward to make Toronto, Ontario and Canada more competitive and self-reliant against threats from south of the border and make us a world-class destination.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the time. I will now pass it over to my colleague.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Brampton West.

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: Our government was elected on a promise to protect Ontario. That means protecting the economic engine of this province and this country. It means stopping at nothing to elevate Ontario and Toronto’s standing on the world stage. And it means doing everything in our power to build the infrastructure that will keep our province competitive for generations to come.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we have championed Toronto ever since we took office. We have made historic investments in this city’s infrastructure to tackle gridlock, shorten travel times and drive economic growth. And today, we’re taking another bold step forward.

We’re here to talk about unlocking the full potential of Billy Bishop airport. Billy Bishop is one of Ontario’s most important transportation assets. It currently serves approximately two million passengers each year, connecting Toronto to more than 20 cities across Canada and the United States. The airport generates $1.8 billion in economic output annually and contributes $900 million to Ontario’s GDP. It supports essential services such as Ornge air ambulance operations, helping connect people to urgent care when every minute matters.

But Billy Bishop can do such so much more, and it will do so much more. As Ontario grows and as travel demand continues to increase across southern Ontario, we need more capacity, more competition and better options for passengers. We need to reduce pressure on Pearson airport. We need to support more routes and more affordable flights. And we need to ensure that Toronto and Ontario have the world-class transportation infrastructure required to compete with leading jurisdictions around the globe.

That is why we tabled the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026. This legislation, if passed, would support the long-term modernization and expansion of Billy Bishop airport, giving travellers more choice, more convenience and more affordable options.

The Toronto Port Authority has a bold vision to expand Billy Bishop airport, to capitalize on the airport’s full potential and maximize good-paying jobs for Ontario’s aviation, tourism and construction industries. Under the Toronto Port Authority’s modernization plan, Billy Bishop airport could serve millions more passengers each year, with runway enhancements to accommodate modern jet aircraft, improvements to the terminal building and better access to Toronto’s waterfront.

According to the Toronto Port Authority, an expanded Billy Bishop airport could attract 10 million visitors annually, contributing an estimated $8.5 billion to Canada’s GDP each year by 2050, and supporting up to 23,000 jobs in Ontario’s construction sector alone. For travellers, an expanded Billy Bishop would provide more routes, more convenience and cheaper flight options. For Toronto, it would strengthen a waterfront airport that can compete with world-class cities around the globe. And for Ontario, it would support more jobs, more investment, stronger tourism and a more competitive economy.

This would be a game-changer, Mr. Speaker—a game-changer for the millions of tourists who visit our province each year, a game-changer for the millions of business travellers who come to Ontario to invest and create jobs, and a game-changer for the workers and families who call this province home.

We can do this. We will stop at nothing to protect Ontario, and expanding Billy Bishop airport will unlock opportunities that will transform travel across southern Ontario for generations to come.

The legislation we have tabled, if passed, would allow the province to take over the city of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport. It would also allow the province to take ownership of city-owned lands at the airport in exchange for fair compensation.

As part of the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026, city-owned parcels of land have been identified to support future airport expansion. The province is working with the Toronto Port Authority, Transport Canada and the city of Toronto to complete the necessary due diligence, including carefully assessing those parcels and developing a fair compensation framework. Of course, any decisions on land requirements will be informed by the due diligence process in collaboration with our partners.

Ahead of construction, our government also intends to designate Billy Bishop airport as a special economic zone. This would help speed up the airport’s expansion by streamlining approvals while maintaining robust safety and environmental protections.

We’ll continue to fully meet our duty to consult with Indigenous communities. We’ll also continue to uphold strong environmental protections as we move this work forward.

There is too much at stake for Ontario to move slowly. With our population expected to exceed 20 million in the coming years, we need to expand air travel options for Ontarians and visitors to our province. We need more competition in the air travel sector to support more routes and cheaper flights, and we need to support thousands of good-paying jobs in Ontario’s aviation, tourism and construction sectors.

At a time when economic uncertainty is mounting, when President Trump’s tariffs continue to take aim at Ontario workers and businesses, we have a responsibility to build a province that is more competitive, more resilient and more self-reliant. We cannot afford to accept the status quo. We need to build faster, work smarter and get critical infrastructure built.

People have talked about expanding Billy Bishop airport for years. Our government is taking action. Now is the time to unlock Billy Bishop’s full potential. Expanding Billy Bishop airport will strengthen Ontario’s economy and will strengthen Toronto’s economy. People from around the world want to visit here, invest here and do business here. But a growing global city needs world-class transportation infrastructure, and that is why our government has made historic investments in Toronto’s long-term success.

Our new deal for Toronto committed $9 billion to support transit, housing and critical infrastructure. As part of that deal, we’re conducting due diligence work to upload the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway to the province. This will ensure both highways remain safe, reliable and in a good state of repair, and that they remain toll-free for the city’s drivers.

The Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway are nationally significant economic corridors tied to the provincial highway network, facilitating domestic and international trade, boosting GDP and supporting millions of visitors to Toronto annually.

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Not only that, Mr. Speaker, we’re building a new state-of-the-art Ontario Place that will attract millions of visitors annually, generating economic benefits for years to come.

We’re investing in a new OPP detachment at Ontario Place to keep Toronto roads safe.

Supporting the expansion of Billy Bishop airport is another example of how our government is taking action to drive growth across the city and province. It would help reduce pressure on Pearson airport, welcome more travellers directly into Toronto’s downtown core and strengthen Toronto’s position as a global destination for jobs, investment and opportunity.

We are only two weeks away from FIFA World Cup 2026 kicking off in Toronto, with thousands of tourists from around the world expected to come through the city. Our government has gone to great lengths to ensure visitors to the city enjoy a world-class experience while they’re here.

We supported the city of Toronto with a $73-million investment to accelerate repairs to the Gardiner Expressway. Thanks to our investment, that work was completed more than a year ahead of schedule—

Interjection: Wow, that’s huge.

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: —it is good—saving our economy $273 million and saving the 140,000 drivers who use the Gardiner Expressway each day up to 22 minutes per trip. We knew we had to reopen the Gardiner before FIFA World Cup 2026 came to Toronto. And, Mr. Speaker, you know what? We got the job done.

This is just one example of our government taking decisive actions to improve travel options in Toronto. Expanding Billy Bishop airport will ensure Toronto is ready to welcome millions more visitors from around the globe each year.

But airports do not operate in isolation. They are part of a broader transportation network. When someone lands in Toronto, they need reliable ways to get to work, meetings, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, attractions and communities across the region. They need roads and highways that move. They need public transit and regional rail that connect. That is why our government is investing nearly $100 billion in transportation infrastructure across the province, including more than $30 billion to build, repair and expand highways, roads and bridges to fight gridlock and keep people and goods moving.

We are restoring vehicle lanes on some of the city’s busiest streets so drivers spend less time in bumper-to-bumper traffic and more time with their families.

We are harmonizing municipal road building standards across the province so Toronto and other cities in the GTA can build the roads people are counting on.

We’re building Highway 413, which is a very critical piece of infrastructure, not only for Brampton, but for the entire Peel region, York and Halton regions, which will save thousands of daily drivers up to 30 minutes per trip.

Last week, we announced shovels in the ground on the Bradford Bypass, a new four-lane highway that will save drivers in York region and Simcoe county up to 30 minutes per trip.

We’re twinning the Garden City Skyway bridge on the QEW, a critical route to Niagara Falls. Congratulations to the member from Niagara Falls.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: It’s Niagara West.

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: What’s your riding?

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: Niagara West.

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: Niagara West, sorry—I gave the credit to the wrong person. The member from Niagara West deserves all the credit.

We’re laying the groundwork to widen Highway 401 in Durham region and Highway 400 in Barrie, and we’re assessing the feasibility of a new driver-and-transit tunnel expressway under Highway 401, a revolutionary concept that would dramatically improve traffic flow along one of the most congested highway corridors in North America.

Drivers across the GTA have had enough of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic; we have heard them loud and clear. That is why we’re making historic investments in transportation infrastructure to fight gridlock, cut commute times and keep people moving.

We are also building better public transit for people travelling across the province. Our government is investing nearly $70 billion in the largest transit expansion in North America and the largest subway expansion in Canadian history. We are building new subways, LRTs and rail networks that will transform the way people travel across the province for generations to come.

With FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto just around the corner, these investments have never been more important. We are increasing GO Transit service during the World Cup to accommodate large crowds. We are adding more bus trips from downtown Toronto to Niagara Falls so visitors can experience Canada’s top tourist destination.

Earlier this year, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT opened to the public, slashing travel times from Kennedy station to Mount Dennis station by almost one hour. The Finch West LRT is up and running, bringing 230,000 more people within walking distance of fast and reliable transit and moving more than 51,000 riders each weekday. Together, the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT are transporting more than 150,000 commuters across Toronto each day.

Construction is under way across the entirety of the Ontario Line, which will give the city of Toronto 15 new subway stations. Wait times for the next train will be as short as 90 seconds. We’re moving forward to build the Yonge North subway extension, which will extend the TTC line 1 subway to Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill for the first time. The Scarborough subway extension will extend the TTC line 2 subway by almost eight kilometres.

We’re tunnelling the final segment of the Eglinton Crosstown West extension, which will bring Line 5 Eglinton to Mississauga, opening a new world of possibilities for thousands of commuters across the GTA.

We’re also expanding regional rail. Our historic GO Expansion program will deliver two-way, all-day service on GO Transit’s busiest railroads. Our GO extension will deliver new and improved service to communities in Durham region, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton and Niagara.

To date, we have spent close to $15 billion to deliver faster, more frequent service across the GO network, and we’re seeing the results. We recently launched the first-ever weekend service from Toronto to Kitchener, making it easier to access the finest Oktoberfest activities outside Germany. This summer, we’re launching GO rail service from Toronto to Stratford, making it easier than ever for thousands of tourists to get to the world-renowned Stratford Festival.

We have broken ground on the Bowmanville extension, which will extend the Lakeshore East line almost 20 kilometres deeper into Durham region. We opened Confederation GO station in Hamilton, and completed updates to West Harbour GO station that is saving 250,000 commuters in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls 15 minutes, round trip.

Not only that, Mr. Speaker: Construction is under way at Caledonia GO in Toronto, a new station on the Barrie line that will serve as a vital transportation hub for commuters and tourists. We have shovels in the ground at Woodbine GO, a new station on the Kitchener line that will provide a direct connection to Woodbine Racetrack.

Each of these investments will allow commuters and tourists to travel through the GTA effortlessly. We’re building an integrated transit network that makes it faster, easier and more affordable to get where you’re going. We recently extended the One Fare program, which is saving transit riders up to $1,600 a year by allowing free transfers between the TTC, GO Transit and participating transit agencies across the GTA.

Since One Fare launched, the program has enabled 82 million free transfers, saving Ontarians more than $264 million. We recently tabled legislation that, if passed, would pave the way for One Fare 2.0. There has never been a better time to take transit in the GTA, and we are continuing to make service faster, easier and more convenient.

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Billy Bishop airport fits directly into that work: More visitors and business travellers will mean more demand on Toronto’s roads, highways and transit system. People expect reliable transportation options when they arrive in Ontario, whether they are travelling by transit, rail or car. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is building the connected transportation network our growing province needs.

With Ontario’s population expected to reach 20.5 million by 2051, it is critical that we build the transportation infrastructure needed to support that growth. The expansion of Billy Bishop airport is the next step in our journey to support Toronto’s economy by investing in world-class transportation infrastructure, supporting tourism and business travel across Ontario and creating thousands of new jobs for Ontario workers.

Toronto is a world-class city, and it needs world-class transportation infrastructure to support its future, and that is why we tabled the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act to help unlock the full potential of one of Ontario’s most important transportation assets. We’re taking a stand against naysayers and showing what we can accomplish when the government of Ontario puts its full weight behind the city of Toronto.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex.

Mr. Steve Pinsonneault: I want to start by talking about the absolute core of our province: the city of Toronto. Let’s be clear about what this city represents to our province and our country. Toronto is not just a world-class municipality; it’s the economic engine of Ontario. When Toronto thrives, Ontario thrives. When Toronto falls behind due to congestion and outdated infrastructure, the entire country pays the price.

That is why our government refuses to let this city stall. We believe that to protect our economy and to keep our province competitive on the global stage, we must invest heavily into our future of our infrastructure. Transportation infrastructure is not about concrete and asphalt; it’s the foundation of our future economic growth. That is exactly why we’re introducing the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026. We are here today to unlock a major piece of Toronto’s potential that has been held back for far too long.

Today, our government is officially announcing our plan to support a massive expansion and modernizing of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. For decades, this airport has been a convenient gem in our city, but the simple truth is, it is currently underutilized. It is restricted by outdated governance and boundaries. It is holding back billions of dollars in economic potential.

To fix this, the province is stepping up with a bold, decisive plan to change how this asset is managed. Ontario will introduce legislation to take over the city of Toronto’s current role in the airport’s tripartite governing agreement. We plan to acquire city-owned airport lands, and we will ensure the city receives fair and proper compensation for these assets. We will partner directly with the Toronto Port Authority and our federal counterparts to get this expansion done right. We are stepping up because a project of this strategic importance needs provincial leadership to get across the finish line.

Let’s look at the hard numbers because the data behind this decision speak for themselves. Right now, Billy Bishop airport makes a solid contribution to our region. It handles roughly two million passengers every single year. It generates $1.8 billion in annual economic output. It contributes $900 million directly to Ontario’s GDP. But look what happens when we modernize, expand and think bigger for the year 2050. We will scale up from two million to 10 million travellers annually. By 2050, this expansion will inject $8.5 billion yearly into the Canadian economy. This project will immediately create 23,000 good-paying construction jobs, right here in Ontario.

This isn’t about travel; this is a massive win for everyday workers and families. Think about what modernized airport means for the average traveller. It will supercharge our local tourism industry by making the heart of our city directly accessible. It will improve business travel, letting job creators move in and out of our financial district seamlessly.

What does an expanded Billy Bishop actually look like? We are looking at concrete, practical upgrades designed for the 21st century. We will safely extend the runway to accommodate modern, quieter and more efficient aircraft. We will build world-class terminal facilities to give travellers a seamless, comfortable experience. We will improve access around the airport area so that it integrates beauty with a vibrant accessible Toronto waterfront. This expansion means additional routes, connecting Toronto directly to more cities across North America and beyond.

By taking these steps, we’ll also reduce the massive pressure on Toronto Pearson International Airport, balancing the travel load across the greater Toronto area.

I also want to highlight that the airport expansion is connected to broader infrastructure and transportation goals. It is one critical piece of our government’s extensive transportation agenda.

We know what the people of the GTA face every single day: unnecessary congestion. Our mission is clear: We are fighting gridlock, reducing commute times and building the capacity we need to support historic population growth.

Look at the highway network we are building and expanding across the region. We are moving forward rapidly on Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass to unlock the northern GTA. We are heavily investing in Gardiner Expressway upgrades to keep the core in our city moving. We have proposed an upload of the Don Valley Parkway to ensure its long-term maintenance is backed by provincial dollars. We are actively widening bottlenecks on Highway 401 and Highway 400. We are tackling congestion from every single angle, both on the ground and in the air.

At the same time we build our roads, we are delivering the largest public transit expansion in Canadian history. Our government has committed a historic nearly $70 billion to transit over the next decade. The Ontario Line is actively under construction right now, cutting right through the heart of Toronto. We are rapidly expanding GO Transit to deliver two-way, all-day 15-minute service across the entire network. We are pushing forward on vital subway extensions into every corner of the GTA. We are finalizing major light rail projects, including the Eglinton Crosstown and the Finch West LRT. We have implemented a highly successful One Fare program, saving the average commuter up to $1,600 every single year by integrating local and regional transit fees. We are building a truly unified seamless transportation network.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is here, and Toronto is taking centre stage on the global map. We are expecting a large influx of international tourists and sports fans to our city over the coming weeks. This tournament proves exactly why transportation upgrades are not a luxury, they are an absolute necessity to handle global crowds.

As we move forward with this historic piece of legislation, let me reaffirm our core promises: We will fulfill all our Indigenous consultation obligations with our First Nations partners and maintain high environmental protections to ensure expansion is clean, quiet and sustainable.

This project is about the big picture. Expanding Billy Bishop airport is about securing Toronto’s future growth. It’s about congestion, creating tens of thousands of jobs and keeping Ontario globally competitive. We have a vision for a faster, better-connected greater Toronto area, and we’re going to build it.

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: I’m honoured to rise today as a member of provincial Parliament for Markham–Thornhill to speak on the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026. Thank you to the Minister of Transportation for his tireless work in bringing forward not only this project but also the largest infrastructure projects in Ontario history.

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Markham–Thornhill is one of the most ethnically diverse ridings in all of Canada, according to the census. Our residents are entrepreneurs, professionals and hard-working families who depend on a transportation network that is reliable, affordable and future-ready. The Building Billy Bishop Airport Act is an important part of that network and of our government’s broader plan to protect Ontario’s economic future.

Our government was elected to protect Ontario—its workers, its families and its long-term prosperity. That means building modern infrastructure that keeps people and goods moving, strengthens our economy, and supports Toronto and the entire greater Toronto area. Under Premier Ford’s leadership, we have made historic investments to reduce gridlock, shorten commutes and drive growth.

Today’s legislation continues that work by enabling that expansion and modernization of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Billy Bishop already plays a vital role in our transportation system. It serves about two million passengers each year, connecting Toronto’s waterfront to more than 20 destinations across Canada and the United States. It contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to Ontario’s GDP. It also supports Ornge air ambulance flights, helping patients get to life-saving care when every minute counts. Billy Bishop is a success story, but it is underutilized, operating below its full potential.

Air travel demand in southern Ontario continues to grow. Pearson airport faces increasing pressure. Travellers want more choice, more convenience and better value. If we do nothing, we risk congestion, higher costs and missed opportunities. The Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026, is about planning ahead, making sure Ontario stays competitive.

The Toronto Port Authority has set out the clear vision for Billy Bishop’s future. Their plan includes extending the runway to accommodate newer, quieter, more efficient aircraft; modernizing the terminal to improve the passenger experience; and enhancing access to the surrounding waterfront. With these upgrades, Billy Bishop would welcome many more passengers each year, support tens of thousands of jobs during construction and operation, and add billions of dollars to the economy in the decades ahead.

Speaker, the legislation before us focuses on enabling that growth responsibly. If passed, it would transfer the city of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement governing the airport to the province. It would authorize the province to acquire specified city-owned land at the airport in exchange for fair compensation based on careful due diligence, and it would allow the province to act as a full partner with the Toronto Port Authority and the federal government in advancing expansion. This is about putting clear accountability with the level of government prepared to deliver major infrastructure projects in Ontario.

At the same time, we are committed to doing this the right way. We will fully meet our duty to consult with Indigenous communities. We will uphold strong environmental protection. And we will maintain a high standard of aviation safety, from planning through construction and operation.

Speaker, I want to speak directly to what this means for my riding of Markham–Thornhill and the broader York region. Our community is a hub for technology, financial services, life sciences and small businesses. In my riding alone—over 1,800 small businesses in the Markham–Thornhill riding. Employers in my riding compete globally. They need fast, reliable access to customers, partners and investors. Today, many of those trips start with a long, congested ride to Pearson airport. A stronger Billy Bishop linked directly to the downtown financial district and connected by transit and highways gives our local businesses another efficient gateway not only to the province but to the world. For families in Markham–Thornhill, expanded service at Billy Bishop means more options and potentially more affordable fares to visit loved ones, attend school and travel for work. For the skilled workers and tradespeople across York region, the expansion and operation of Billy Bishop will support jobs and business opportunities that ripple across the province.

These benefits are amplified because Billy Bishop is part of a larger integrated transportation plan. We are not treating this airport in isolation; we are aligning it with our investment in highways, transit and regional rail that serve Markham–Thornhill and the wider GTA. Through our new deal for Toronto, we have committed billions of dollars to transit, housing and critical infrastructure. That agreement includes moving forward with the upload of the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway to the province, ensuring these key corridors stay safe, reliable and toll-free.

We are making historic investments in public transit. Thank you to the minister—our government is investing nearly $70 billion in transit, the largest expansion in North America. The Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT projects are now moving riders and reducing travel times. The Ontario Line, with 15 new stations, is under construction and will bring major relief to the existing subway system. The Yonge North subway extension, so important for my riding of Markham–Thornhill, Markham and the entire York region, will extend Line 1 into Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill, directly benefiting commuters and families in and around that riding. The Scarborough subway extension and the Eglinton Crosstown West extension will further strengthen our rapid transit spine.

Through GO expansion, we are building towards two-way, all-day service on our busiest rail corridors and extending service to more communities. New stations and upgraded infrastructure will make it easier for residents of Markham–Thornhill and beyond to connect to downtown Toronto and, ultimately, to airports like Billy Bishop and Pearson airport.

All of these initiatives—highways, transit, fare integration and now the proposed expansion of Billy Bishop—are connected. Together, they form a transportation system that supports a growing population, a dynamic economy and communities like Markham–Thornhill.

A modern downtown airport with improved capacity, linked to strong transit and highway networks, is a strategic asset for the entire province. It supports trade, tourism, investment and innovation. It helps our businesses reach new markets and gives families more choice in how they travel.

In closing, the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026, is about more than one project. It is about the vision for a connected, competitive Ontario. It is about ensuring that communities like Markham–Thornhill and York region have the infrastructure they need to thrive in a global economy. It is about building a transportation system that matches the ambition and energy of our people. For travellers, for workers, for businesses and families, this bill moves us in the right direction.

For this reason, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask all the members, including across the aisle, the members opposite, to support the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I listened intently to the Minister of Transportation. The terminal at Billy Bishop airport, as I understand it, is owned by Nieuport Aviation, which is controlled by J.P. Morgan, an American bank with trillions in global assets that have actively lobbied this government to let jets land on our waterfront at the expense of tourism, environment and our health.

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Prime Minister Carney stood beside Premier Ford and called this seizure of Toronto’s islands efficient, full of “big possibilities.” Yet even after our time in committee last week, this government still couldn’t tell us the cost, the runway length, who pays for it and why we don’t know yet where the feds are.

Now, there’s a rumour that I’d like this minister to clear up for me: Did the Prime Minister and the Premier, who both either have jets or wanted to have jets, make a deal behind closed doors to hand an American bank a windfall on Toronto’s waterfront, or are they giving away Toronto’s waterfront to an American company—

The Acting Chair (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: If you’re looking at political leaders across this country—we’re talking about nation-building projects. We’re talking about how do we make this province, the city of Toronto, this country more self-reliant, more competitive? That’s exactly what the island airport expansion and modernization will do. Every city you look at in North America—whether it’s Chicago, whether it’s Dallas, whether it’s New York—cities the size of Toronto have two world-class airports because it makes them that much more competitive. We’re going to continue to build upon this.

I made this very clear at committee, and I made this very clear in all of my answers: The government does not put any money into this expansion, because it is a self-funded project. That is the success of this project and the revitalization plan that will continue to expand air travel access for Ontarians.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

Mr. Ted Hsu: Speaker, this bill extinguishes all potential legal proceedings as a result of government actions under this bill. In other words, you can’t sue ministers. I was wondering if the government side could give an example of something that they might do where they need this protection in the bill to not get sued, because we find this kind of provision in a lot of government bills now. I’m wondering if there’s something specific they’re worried about or it’s just something they’re putting in every bill.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: What I can talk about is our plan at Billy Bishop airport, which is to expand air travel access for passengers. Close to 9,000 people directly, indirectly, will benefit from the Billy Bishop airport—$900 million in Ontario’s GDP, $1.8 billion for this country. That is how significant of an asset Billy Bishop is.

I know the opposition wants to shut this down, turn it into a park. They want to take away 4,900 jobs from the people that are directly employed by Billy Bishop. You know what? We just won’t let that stand. The councillors at city hall—a very, I would say, small minority of people that show up—it doesn’t matter if it’s the Ontario Line; it doesn’t matter if it’s the airport expansion or Ontario Place: They oppose every single project that we put forward, and we’re not going to listen to them. We’re going to power through, and we’re going to build Ontario to its full potential.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Mr. Lorne Coe: Speaker, I think you already know that infrastructure investments support jobs and economic growth. Billy Bishop airport already supports approximately 9,000 jobs and contributes nearly $2 billion in annual economic output.

I’d like the Minister of Transportation—through you, Speaker—to explain how this project continues to demonstrate support for Ontario’s workers and, importantly, long-term economic growth.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: What a great question.

When we just talk about the construction sector, this modernization plan could put forward close to—just the construction side of it—23,000 jobs for the people of this province. Those are good paycheques that are going to be going to the people that not only support this province but work hard each and every single day. Today, as I mentioned in my previous answer, there are about 4,900 people directly employed by Billy Bishop airport. If you look at the indirect employment support, when we talk about tourism, it’s close to 9,000 individuals that are supported by them.

Once all is said and done—the full modernization of this—the economic output of this is going to be $8.5 billion by 2050.

The NDP want to stand in opposition to progress, in opposition to economic growth, but we’re not going to listen to them. We’re going to power through, and we’re going to build this province for the future.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Mr. Chris Glover: First of all, I would call into question the Minister of Transportation’s numbers because he’s claiming that Billy Bishop with 10 million passengers will generate $8.5 billion in economic return whereas Pearson with 47 million passengers generates $19.6 billion. So how is it that with one fifth of the passengers, they generate more than half of the economic return?

Anyway, whether this airport is paid for through our taxes or passenger fees, additional fees on our plane tickets, the Toronto Port Authority said it’s going to cost $5 billion. That’s $5 billion of our dollars that’s going to go into this thing to increase capacity by eight million passengers.

At Pearson, we’re investing $3 billion to increase capacity by 23 million passengers a year. Why would we spend almost twice the cost at Billy Bishop for one third of the—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: First of all, the government won’t be spending the $5 billion. It’s a privately financed operation, just like Pearson.

What I can tell you is, that member—any time, whether it’s public transit, whether it’s highways, or Ontario Place—will oppose any sort of project that will bring forward progress in this city. I think he should be the leader of the NIMBY movement in this city, in this province, because whether it was the Ontario Line, a public transit project that is going to move close to 400,000 people, he was out there trying to stop the construction of it, holding funerals for trees, Mr. Speaker. That is what we have to put up with on the opposition.

That is why the people of this province elected Premier Ford and our government on a mandate to build, to push aside the noise that comes from special interest groups and build this province for the future.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

MPP Tyler Watt: I’ve been learning a lot about Billy Bishop the last little bit. They’re currently extending the runway for safety reasons. That was cool to learn.

It’s just interesting that we’re debating this now. People from Ottawa certainly are still waiting to hear about that LRT upload that was promised in the election.

But back to this bill and to the minister: Will this government explain to Ontarians the justification of each of the eight pieces of land that will be prescribed for the purposes of subsection 2(1) of this bill and why the province has to seize them?

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Thank you for the question. To the member opposite: We’ve identified these parcels that are of interest. We’re going to survey them. Whatever is not needed for the expansion of the airport will be returned back to the city.

But what that will do and what that will support for the city of Ottawa—I was just on the radio channel there last week speaking to residents in Ottawa. The host, Bill, was speaking to the access to Billy Bishop for him as an Ottawa resident: flying in for a Blue Jays game, flying back, not having to get to Pearson. Ottawa is one of the cities that will actually benefit because there will be more flights, more access to the residents of a city like Ottawa because of Billy Bishop.

That is why we continue to move forward with this plan, because it’s great for this province and for—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

MPP Mohamed Firin: I’ll make it quick, Speaker. I just wanted to thank the minister for putting this forward.

Minister, in northern Ontario, air travel is not a luxury. We heard from the CEO of Hope Air last week. I just want you to maybe tell this House what this would do for people in the north in regard to health care.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Thank you to the member. I know that’s why many of those members on the NDP and Liberal benches know the importance of Billy Bishop, but they have to, unfortunately, listen to this small minority of special interests from Toronto that will take away from access to northern communities, whether it’s Timmins, whether it’s Thunder Bay.

We heard from the Timmins hospital CEO, who spoke to the importance of the flight access that improves the quality of life. That’s what we need to focus on: more airfare—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further debate?

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MPP Alexa Gilmour: It is an honour to rise on behalf of the people of Parkdale–High Park, on behalf of the people in Toronto and Ontario, to speak about Billy Bishop and Bill 110.

Speaker, we’ve now come back from committee. We’ve heard from experts, we’ve heard from many people in the health industry, we’ve heard from the Toronto Port Authority, we’ve heard from the minister himself and we seem to know less about this plan now instead of more. We don’t have a business case for this expansion. There is no environmental analysis that’s been done. There’s no health impact study for the people of the waterfront, for the environment and the bird sanctuaries and the water itself. There is no independent economic analysis to support the expansion. In fact, the minister seems to be pulling numbers out of a hat, and we continue to ask for the evidence to back this up, but we don’t have it.

So it’s disturbing to be bringing forth a bill and voting on it without a clear plan of understanding why this government is removing the city of Toronto from the tripartite agreement and taking over the waterfront lands, including virtually all of the Toronto Islands.

In fact, this feels a lot like some previous scandals that have been uncovered, the greenbelt being one of the most famous, which is still under an RCMP investigation. And I just want to draw some of the parallels here, especially for those in the government seats who might be starting to feel a little uncomfortable as the RCMP investigation continues.

Here we have yet another very similar situation. Do you remember the greenbelt? The greenbelt began with rushed legislation: “We must get this through to get housing built. This is urgent. The people of Ontario need this.” There were no completed studies in that case either, and in that case, the land had been seized for the benefit of insiders, at Ontario’s expense. It was a government at the time—this government—dismissing all expert advice and dismissing the will of the people, who had said that they wanted to keep the greenbelt as an important environmental piece of our landscape. Instead, the government said, “Trust us. This is about progress. We have your best interest,” and it turned out to be the case that the only interests they had were the developer friends of the Premier.

Here’s where the parallel changes a little, in that Captain Canada has been saying that he wants to make sure that everything remains in Ontario. In this particular case, the private interest behind the Billy Bishop airport is an American company, Nieuport Aviation, controlled by J.P. Morgan. And one of the most important questions I have is: Why on earth are we giving up our waterfront so an American company can get rich? Why are we giving up our beaches, our islands, our small boats, our clean water so an American company can profit?

The pattern seems to be clear: There is overreach; there is secrecy. We’ve seen this in previous bills that have come to pass: Bill 5, which is now being fought in the courts; the greenbelt scandal, which is now under an RCMP investigation. We see the same pattern with the removing of our beloved science centre, though the reports that came out said it would have been cheaper to fix the roof than to replace and change it down to Ontario Place. We see this with Ontario Place and where the spas have been placed.

I am coming now to this pattern that seems to be with this particular bill, Bill 110. When we were in committee last week, the Toronto Port Authority CEO, RJ Steenstra, confirmed under questioning that there was no completed business case, no health study, no environmental assessment had been done before this bill was introduced, and that this study that we needed would be released some time in the next six months to a year.

Speaker, why are we voting prematurely before we see the evidence for this plan? The mayor of the city of Toronto keeps asking for a plan. The waterfront secretariat raised alarms about the plan. There are massive issues with placing this airport expansion at the waterfront. Yet this government is forcing us to vote—maybe even in the next day or two—on permanently removing the city of Toronto from a 43-year agreement, seizing its lands and banning jets from a safety-non-compliant airport before a study that would justify doing so has ever been written.

I want to touch for a moment on safety. Because, Speaker, I don’t know if you know this, but Billy Bishop airport does not meet the Transport Canada safety standards at this moment. It was given an exemption. The exemption that is given to it involves the primary hazard zone that Transport Canada requires around any airport and that, in fact, would encompass all of the Toronto Islands, all of the waterfront buildings, Tommy Thompson Park, the recently naturalized mouth of the Don that billions were spent on, at all three levels of government, and the Port Lands.

These were exempted when we had the propeller planes coming in. But now these jets would increase the levels of pollution and the levels of destruction to the area. For example, Transport Canada’s own regulations designate wildlife refuges—like Tommy Thompson Park, one of the great migratory bird sanctuaries in eastern Canada—as high-risk and they are unacceptable land use—that’s Transport Canada’s words—because of the primary hazard zones that would be related to bird strikes.

I want to make that clear for people. I don’t know if anybody here saw the movie The Miracle on the Hudson, the true story about a jet coming into New York. What happens with jets is that they suck everything into the engines; propeller planes bounce birds off it. But when Canada geese got sucked into this jet coming into the New York airport, it cut the engines out and this jet was forced to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River. It was potentially one of the great aviation disasters, were it not for the miraculous landing of the pilot. If we’re going to have jets coming in every two to three minutes over a bird sanctuary, with Canada geese and others—swans and the rest of them—how on earth will we make sure that this kind of disaster never happens?

This is incredible to me, that 200 metres from a public school, just a few hundred metres from local beaches, from the Budweiser Stage, from Centre Island, where children will be playing and riding all summer, we might have jets flying into these dangerous bird-strike zones every two to three minutes. It spells disaster, Speaker.

The current expansion is looking at taking two million passengers to 10 million passengers. I want to say that these 100,000 residents and the 25,000 planned residents from the Port Lands and the 2,000 from the Mimico area all deserve a say in whether these dangerous jets fly over their heads.

Before I continue, I want to say that I’m splitting my time today with the members from Spadina–Fort York and from Oshawa.

I want to talk about this harbour and this recreation area that is Canada’s biggest tourist destination. Some 28 million people come every single year to enjoy Toronto’s waterfront. Just imagine if you are at the Budweiser Stage, enjoying a concert; if you are at Sunnyside beach, playing volleyball; if you are paddling a small canoe, a dragon boat or sailing; if you are lying out in the sun on Hanlan’s Point or taking your children on rides at Centerville or even at the Premier’s private spa—that every two to three minutes, a jet is going right over. It’s right there.

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They’re talking about a runway that looks like, in total, about a couple of kilometres when you include the lights. The runway itself comes out to Ontario Place. It’s 900 metres with a wall that is 15 to 20 feet tall.

But imagine this: You’re paddling your little dragon boat, you’ve got the beach on one side, and instead of the beautiful expansion of waterway in front of you, you’ve got a wall.

Not only that, there was a report ordered by the Toronto Port Authority that says that even those walls, which are there to keep the jet blast at bay—even those walls won’t prevent the jet blast from knocking over small crafts, which essentially means that our waterway will no longer be usable for small boats, for sails—

Interjections.

The Acting Speaker (M^me France Gélinas): Order. It’s getting pretty loud on the government side. It’s okay to have chats, but keep them at a lower tone, please. Especially the ones that are not listening over there—you need to bring it down.

Continue.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: The Toronto Port Authority commissioned AECOM Canada Ltd. to do a study. This study was done on a previous iteration of expanding the airport, and this study was promptly buried by Toronto Port Authority, for nine years, from the public. This report was only surfaced through freedom of information this past March by the NoJetsTO people.

It was stunning to see what was in this report and quite shocking that the Toronto Port Authority would hide it from the public, especially in light of these talks about airport expansion. Because the report concluded that extending the runway will reduce the water circulation through the western channel, raising the pollution levels and the number of days that pollution, waterway runoff, sewage would sit in the basin, in the harbour, harming aquatic life.

It also noted that adding a large volume of fill into Lake Ontario—we’re talking about hundreds of kilometres of fill, dumping it into the lake—would destroy the fish habitats, the spawning beds and reduce the volume of nutrients that fish feed on.

Then, as I said, even with the installation of the jet blast walls at each end and the sides of the extended runways, this report warned that the jet exhaust blasts pose higher risks to capsizing boats like canoes, paddleboards, kayaks—all the things that the harbour is beautifully filled with all summer long.

In 2017, this report warned also very seriously, Speaker, of an increased risk in respiratory illnesses, in cardiopulmonary problems, in lung cancers, in respiratory tract tumours with the introduction of jets. The report found that highly dangerous air pollutants exceeded the benchmark toxicology reference values.

I mean, this is wild that we are proposing putting Billy Bishop, the only airport in Canada situated so close to a high-density urban population, only 120 metres from the Bathurst Quay neighbourhood and 200 metres from a school. It is incredulous. Even the former mayor, David Crombie, who led the Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront, who was a Conservative, said that we must do everything we can to stop this. He came to committee and he asked the government to reverse course.

All levels of government have invested $2.5 billion into the naturalizing of the mouth of the Don River to reduce the flood risks. Then, in March, another $3 billion commitment, and yet this government is wanting to pass legislation that will undermine the very communities that this $3-billion investment was meant to serve.

This is all at a time when Pearson is already set to expand from 47 million passengers to 65 million; when the federal government is talking about the electrification of high-speed rail that will divert 2.3 million from plane travel already; when KPMG wrote a report for the federal government and determined that there was no need for another airport in the Toronto area for at least another 20 years, and that led the federal government, this year, to sell the Pickering lands.

So it’s very concerning, because it seems that the only individuals that seem to stand to gain from this expansion are the Toronto Port Authority themselves and Nieuport Aviation, owned by J.P. Morgan.

Nieuport Aviation has not seen the level of passengers that they saw pre-pandemic. They’ve been lobbying the government to expand to include jets so that they can reach a bottom line. But why should they be getting that balanced book on our backs, on the waterfront that belongs to all Torontonians?

The government is seizing public land, bypassing environmental law and blocking affordable housing in the Mimico area—we’re talking about 2,000 units—and in the Port Lands—we’re talking about tens of thousands—all to rescue the balance sheet of a private company owned by an American bank.

This bill gives the government the power to seize virtually all of Toronto Islands, not just the airport lands, and it doesn’t specifically say that they will expropriate the land. If they had used that Expropriations Act, we would know that they would only take what was needed for the airport. But this bill gives them the entire Toronto Islands, which means that this province can then give the rest of the islands, if they so choose, for any purpose, including private development, like they did with the greenbelt.

It also includes a clause in this bill stating that if the city sues to protect its rights, the province can deduct the legal costs from the compensation owed. This effectively penalizes the city for exercising any legal recourse, even if the city wins. This is not the behaviour of a government that is confident its bill is lawful.

The waterfront belongs to every Ontarian. It’s one of the great public assets of one of the great cities of this country, and what this bill does in the final analysis is trade public inheritance that belongs to each and every one of us for a private American facility whose business case has not been written, whose environmental impact has not been studied, whose safety implications are already a violation of Transport Canada’s own standards.

We cannot let this happen, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Spadina–Fort York.

Mr. Chris Glover: I want to thank my colleague from Parkdale–High Park for her comments today.

Today we’re talking about Bill 110, the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act. Actually, the subtitle should be the “destroying the Toronto waterfront act.”

Sometimes in this House, we see this government heading towards a train wreck. It’s on the tracks, it’s barrelling down, and we are saying in the House, “Put the brakes on. For goodness’ sake, put the brakes on because this is going to be a disaster.”

We said this with Ontario Place. We said this with the greenbelt. We said this multiple times about Metrolinx. And this one, the Billy Bishop redevelopment—this is a train wreck. This is an absolute disaster that you’re walking us into.

I’ll start with what’s in the bill. What’s in the bill is, the provincial government is seizing control of most of the Toronto Islands, Little Norway Park and the city-owned lands at Billy Bishop airport, and they are replacing the city of Toronto with themselves, the provincial government. They’re extracting—or usurping—the role of the city of Toronto in the tripartite agreement and inserting themselves into it.

The Premier has said that he wants to increase passenger traffic at Billy Bishop airport from two million passengers a year to 10 million passengers a year. So instead of having a turboprop land every 10 to 20 minutes at the airport, you would have a jet landing or taking off every two and a half minutes.

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The Premier has also said that the federal government is on board. He was quoted saying that on March 23 when he first announced this absolutely ludicrous idea. What we found out in committee last week is that Ford and Carney, the provincial and federal governments, have been in secret, closed-door conversations with the port authority about this expansion of the Billy Bishop airport. So the federal government, although they’ve been kind of coy in their comments about Billy Bishop—we know, in fact, that they’ve been part of the planning for this takeover from the get-go.

The question is, why should people across Ontario care? This is not just a Toronto issue; this is a provincial issue, and the biggest reason that everybody in Ontario should care is the $5-billion price tag that was revealed last week at committee. That $5 billion is $900 for every household. If you own a household, if you have a family in Ontario, you are going to be putting $900 into this expansion project in downtown Toronto at the Billy Bishop airport. It’s similar to the $2.2 billion the government is wasting building a private spa at Ontario Place. That worked out to be $400. This is now another $900. They’re reaching into your pocket, to the taxpayers’ or the passengers’ pockets in Ontario, and they’re extracting $900 to expand this airport.

The other reason people across Ontario should be concerned about this is, it’s an attack on our municipal democratic rights. The city of Toronto, in 1983, signed an agreement to manage the airport with the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority. They’ve been managing it ever since: the city of Toronto, federal government and Toronto Port Authority.

Now the government is saying, “Oh, you may have a contract”—and the contract actually stipulates that it can only be changed with the consent of all three parties. The Ontario government is saying, “We don’t care about your contract. We’re going to tear it up. We’re going to rewrite the contract with ourselves in there. And if you sue us in this bill, if you dare to sue us, we will charge you, so that not only will you have to pay your own legal fees, you’ll have to pay the government’s legal fees”—even if the Ontario government is found to have violated that agreement.

It’s an attack on democratic rights, on municipalities. They’re seizing parkland, the Toronto Islands and Little Norway Park. They’re seizing municipal parkland. Anybody who lives anywhere or is part of any municipal government in Ontario, take note because this could be you next. They could be seizing your parkland next.

We’ve seen this government following similar patterns with what they’re announcing: a Ferris wheel at Niagara Falls. They never consulted with the municipality of Niagara Falls. They never consulted with the people in Niagara Falls. They’re going to take over a huge chunk of parkland in Niagara Falls, and they’re going to be putting a Ferris wheel there.

They also sold 60% of the beachfront at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, and now that’s all going to private developers.

What we see is a consistent pattern of this government seizing public assets, whether they be provincial or municipal, and handing them over to private corporations so that they can make a profit off of it.

Look, there are five reasons that I’ll go into why this shouldn’t happen. First is, it’s a waste of five billion taxpayer dollars. It’s the destruction of the Toronto waterfront. It’s a bailout for J.P. Morgan. It’s an attack on the democratic rights of all Ontarians.

The other issue I’ll talk about is the impact on the north. What we are saying here on this side is, we need to invest money into northern infrastructure, into northern health care systems. We don’t need to be squandering $5 billion in downtown Toronto.

The waste of $5 billion: The Toronto Port Authority, last week in committee, said that the estimated cost is $5 billion to expand this airport, and that’s $900 per household. Expanding the airport will take it from a capacity of two million passengers a year to 10 million passengers a year. For $5 billion, they get an additional eight million passengers.

Pearson, just last week, announced that they’re expanding their capacity. They’re going to invest $3 billion and their capacity is going to go from 47 million to 70 million. So they’re going to have an additional 23-million passenger capacity.

So the question is—at Billy Bishop, we are spending twice as much money to increase capacity by one third of what Pearson is capable of. These two airports are so close to each other, they actually compete for the same passengers. So why would we invest in both airports, expanding both airports at the same time? It makes no financial sense. And we know it makes no financial sense, because one of the things the Minister of Transportation indicated at the committee meeting last week was that they have not done a business case.

They have introduced this legislation, they’re proposing to tear up the city’s contract to manage the airport, they’re proposing to seize ownership of the Toronto Islands parks and the Little Norway Park, and they haven’t done a business case. They haven’t actually weighed the pros and cons of this. They haven’t actually looked at what the costs are, what the benefits are of this.

This is an absolutely insane way to manage public assets and the public dollars. It just baffles me that this government could be that irresponsible, to launch into a massive redevelopment project and not even sit down and do a cost-benefit analysis before you do that.

When we’re talking about costs, it’s not just the $5 billion; it’s also destroying the downtown waterfront. It’s destroying the downtown waterfront because you’re going to have jets flying over every two and a half minutes. Jets fly over lower and faster, and when they take off and land, they actually burn more fuel than a turboprop, so there’s going to be an increase in pollution. It’s a waste of the billions of dollars that we, as taxpayers in Ontario, Toronto, Canada, have invested in the waterfront over the last 30 years.

I’ll give you just a brief anecdote: My father is 93, and he said that when he was a kid and they were driving to the CNE grounds—he said, “When you drove along Lake Shore Boulevard, you’d hold your nose,” because the waterfront—the lakeshore at that time—was full of abattoirs, which are slaughterhouses and soap factories. So it smelled really bad.

What that waterfront has been turned into is Canada’s number one tourist destination in 2025. It had 28 million visitors to the downtown Toronto waterfront, and that generated some $20 billion in economic activity.

All of this is at risk. How many people are going to want to come to the waterfront for concerts, for cultural events, for the dragon boat race, for the Caribbean Carnival, for the CNE? How many people are going to want to come to the downtown waterfront if there are jets flying over every two and a half minutes and the waterfront is in a constant cloud of jet fumes? What is the cost of that, as well as the $5 billion, the initial upfront cost?

The other thing—and my colleague from Parkdale–High Park mentioned this: The only winner in this scenario of the expansion is J.P. Morgan. In fact, this should be considered a J.P. Morgan subsidy bill.

In 2015, J.P. Morgan, through a company it controls called Nieuport Aviation, bought the terminal building at Billy Bishop from Porter aviation. They bought it for $750 million. It turned out to be not such a great deal, because two years later, they sued Porter to try to get $130 million back because Porter did not have the number of flights that they had guaranteed and they were paying Nieuport a fee for each flight. So it turned out to not be a good investment.

Since then, since the pandemic, the number of flights at Billy Bishop Airport is down by 37%—and this compares. There is a bit of a downturn in airports, in flying, in passengers. Pearson is down by 7%. So compare that: 7% down at Pearson; 37% down at Billy Bishop.

J.P. Morgan—poor J.P. Morgan. They made this investment, and it hasn’t panned out for them. One of the ways that they can turn this investment around is if they can get provincial and federal governments to invest billions of dollars to expand this airport so that they can have jets, and then they would collect a fee for every jet that takes off and lands.

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So this really is a J.P. Morgan bailout plan. That’s what this is all about. The only winner in this—nobody else is asking for jets at the waterfront. The only one who would possibly win, if you follow the money, is J.P. Morgan. That really frightens me that we would destroy the waterfront so that J.P. Morgan can turn around their investment.

I also mentioned that it’s an attack on the democratic rights of all Ontarians, because what we learned last week is, the federal and provincial governments have been meeting behind closed doors to plan this takeover for months. It’s the federal and provincial government plotting against the people of Toronto and the city of Toronto.

It goes against the spirit of the tripartite agreement that manages the airport because the city was kept in the dark. They didn’t know these conversations were going on. The people of Toronto didn’t know until this was launched. Then, a couple of weeks later, the government introduces the bill, and now they’re rushing the bill through the House. They’re trying to get this done as quickly as they possibly can while they’re dealing with all kinds of other scandals, like the Premier’s jet—his private, $30-million jet—and the fact that Carmine Nigro, a friend of the Premier, got a court settlement for air rights over the Ontario Line that he didn’t actually own.

So there are all these scandals going on, and the government has just thrown this into the mix, hoping that it won’t get too much attention, that people won’t pay too much attention to the fact that $5 billion of our tax dollars is going to go into this plan to actually destroy the waterfront.

In the committee hearings, we also heard from people from the north. And I want to salute Hope Air. Hope Air is a group of volunteers who fly people—they’re pilots, and they fly people in their own planes, often down to Toronto, for hospital appointments. It’s an incredible service and kudos to them for what they’re doing. They were worried about Billy Bishop because they said, “Oh, well, we want to expand Billy Bishop.” But actually, the expansion would put at risk the service that they provide because they are not flying jets; they are flying small planes—Cessnas, prop planes—and those are the ones that can land now easily at Billy Bishop. If the Premier and the Prime Minister were actually successful in turning Billy Bishop into Pearson on the lake, it would be much harder for Hope Air and their small prop planes to be landing at Billy Bishop. So it would actually make it more difficult for people coming for medical evacuations or medical visits to Toronto to get there.

The other people that spoke about Billy Bishop, in favour of the expansion, were people from health care services in northern Ontario. Our response is, we need to improve the quality of health care services in northern Ontario. We need to invest this $5 billion. Let’s not squander it at Billy Bishop to have an expansion that actually competes with an expansion we’re already paying for at Pearson.

Let’s invest it into fixing Highway 11, because Highway 11 was closed for 32 days last year. Let’s expand it. Let’s twin Highway 11. It’s the Trans-Canada Highway and it was closed for 32 days last year.

Let’s invest in paving airports. There are 19 airports in northern Ontario that have gravel runways. Let’s invest in that.

Let’s invest in hospitals and health care services in northern Ontario so that people don’t have to come to southern Ontario to get medical treatment.

I was just talking to some members of Unifor. They were talking about the Sault Ste. Marie hospital. Sault Ste. Marie hospital has six operating rooms. Only four have ever been working, have ever been running, at any one time. There are cuts to staffing, which means that they’re going to be down to two or three operating rooms functioning in Sault Ste. Marie. I’m sure my colleague from Mushkegowuk–James Bay can confirm there are probably similar situations at North Bay, at Sudbury, at Hearst and all the other hospitals in the north.

Let’s take this $5 billion and actually provide it for expanding and fixing the highways, paving and fixing the airports in northern Ontario and fixing the health care system so that people in northern Ontario can get health care where they need it and when they need it. Then they don’t have to come to southern Ontario.

I’m wrapping up here, but I’m going to just finish with five reasons this airport expansion should not happen.

First of all, Billy Bishop is Canada’s smallest airport—210 acres—in the most congested part of the busiest city in Canada. There simply isn’t room to expand the airport to what they want to do unless they eviscerate and destroy a huge chunk of the Toronto Islands. It’s simply too small. The next smallest airport in North America that allows jets is San Diego at 630 acres, so Billy Bishop is a third of the size of the next smallest airport that allows jets.

Pearson is Canada’s largest airport—4,500 acres. We’re already investing $3 billion at Pearson. Why wouldn’t we just invest our money there and keep our money there?

There are other reasons. Second reason: The runway extensions would close off most of the harbour to boats and create a stagnant swamp to the west of the airport.

What they’re proposing is extending the runway to allow for jets because they come in faster and lower, to extend the runway by 900 metres on the west side. This would virtually close off the western gap. It would mean that boats, the marinas, the cruise ships, all of the tourist vessels that go out there would probably not be able to go past that exit out of the western gap.

The whole tourism cycle in the waterfront is to get on a cruise ship in the harbour. You go out the western gap, you go out around the Toronto Islands, you cruise through some of the canals in the Toronto Islands and then you come back to the harbour. There’s a beautiful circular route that the cruise ships take. That would be cut off, and all of the sailboats, all of the canoes, all of the kayaks would be cut off if this extension goes.

The other reason, the third reason—five reasons, I said. The airport is too small, the runway extensions would close off the harbour to boats and create a stagnant swamp, and it’s not safe.

This is the third reason: The airport does not meet Transport Canada safety standards. It has currently got exemptions from Transport Canada safety standards, and this is not just me saying that it has exemptions. We have an email that was received through a freedom-of-information request from Transport Canada staff saying that Billy Bishop airport operates with exemptions from the safety standards of Transport Canada.

It does this because, around an airport, you have what’s called a prime hazard zone. Within that prime hazard zone, Transport Canada designates some unacceptable uses, including schools, parks, marinas, cultural centres. Everything that is on the waterfront is an unacceptable use within the prime hazard zone.

The entire prime hazard zone is the downtown waterfront, so we should not be expanding this. If we’re going to go from a prop plane landing every 10 to 20 minutes or taking off every 10 to 20 minutes to a jet landing or taking off every two and a half minutes, we’re increasing the risk through the community.

Let me just say a couple of the things that are in the waterfront within that prime hazard zone: There are 17 marinas; six schools; six community centres; and parks, including the 600-acre park at the Toronto Islands.

The parks are concerned because parks have birds. Birds and jets really don’t mix, because jets, the way they work, take a huge amount of suction into their turbines and then they eject it, and that’s how they propel themselves. If a bird hits a turboprop, it tends to bounce off. The bird probably dies, but the plane is okay. What we’ve seen in the past is if a jet—and this happened in New York City. A jet flew into a flock of Canada geese and the Canada geese choked up the engines. They lost both engines. They had to do an emergency landing on the Hudson River.

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In the harbourfront down here, if this were to happen—and there are hundreds of thousands of birds on the Toronto Islands and Tommy Thompson Park right alongside the runway. If they hit a flock of birds and they lost both engines, they’re not landing on the Hudson River; they’re landing in downtown Toronto’s harbourfront. And that harbourfront is the busiest waterway in Canada for paddling, for kayaks, for canoes, for sailboats, for cruise ships. So it’s not going to end well. It’s an incredible danger. It’s a danger for everybody along the waterfront, what this government is proposing.

The fifth reason that this should not happen: The Canadian physicians for the environment came to the committee hearings last week and they said that, compared with turboprop aircraft, commercial jets generate substantially higher emissions because they must accelerate to higher speeds and climb to greater altitudes. That raises the fuel burn and reduces efficiency, resulting in roughly 30% to 50% more pollutants per passenger mile.

So if you have jets, you’re going to increase the amount of pollutants by 30% to 50%. These include carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ultrafine particles.

The Canadian physicians for the environment said that ultrafine particles are linked to multi-system diseases, because the ultrafine particles can pass through your lungs into your blood and then go into your organs. They’re linked to multi-system diseases, including cardiopulmonary diseases, pneumonia, bronchitis, lung inflammation, asthma. There’s also dementia, hypertension and stroke, heart attacks, heart disease. All of these health outcomes would be worsened if they allow jets, if they go ahead with this expansion.

And for everybody here in this room who is a parent or a grandparent, who has children in school, this airport is just 200 metres from the nearest elementary school. The runway is 200 metres from the nearest elementary school. Ask yourself: If your child or your grandchild was going to that school, would you allow this airport to expand, to have jets landing and taking off every two and a half minutes?

At the beginning of this, I said that we see a train wreck coming. The more we learn about this plan to expand Billy Bishop, to allow jets to land and take off every two and a half minutes, the worse an idea it becomes.

So, we see this government racing ahead. They’ve been having closed-door meetings with the federal government to push this ahead, and it’s an absolute disaster.

We’re saying to this government: Do not pass this legislation. Do not destroy the downtown Toronto waterfront. Protect the waterfront that we’ve got. Protect the tourism industry. Protect the residences. Protect the housing that we can build along the waterfront—that’s actually scheduled to be built but would be cut in half.

Let’s save the downtown waterfront for future generations and let’s not squander it just in order to bail out J.P. Morgan from their bad investment at the Billy Bishop airport.

I’ll pass it to my colleague.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Oshawa.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I am pleased to be able to add my voice on this issue. We’re here debating the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, proposing to expand the operations at Billy Bishop.

There’s a lot of interest in this initiative. A lot of folks are paying attention to the Premier’s luxury jet. That was big news, and then it became a little clearer about why he was so gung-ho to have this expansion in downtown Toronto—but it is a lot of interest based in Toronto. Folks are quite unhappy and quite upset, and we’ll talk a bit more about that. I’m going to make a bit of a case for the folks in Oshawa and beyond Toronto who might also be interested in why this downtown airport matters to them.

Speaker, I’m pleased to be able to stand and rise, as the Ontario NDP official opposition shadow minister for infrastructure and transportation. It has been a very lively file with this government in the last stretch. But here we are, and we’re talking about this bill which allows this government to take over the city of Toronto’s interest in the Billy Bishop airport without paying full compensation and blocking all legal recourse. It’s another unprecedented land and power grab by this Premier, whose tax-funded obsession with Toronto’s waterfront is already costing us billions. And he’s neglecting a lot of really important priorities across the province.

So what does this bill do? It allows the minister to seize any city-owned land and buildings within Little Norway Park and nearly all of the Toronto Islands, whether or not the land is needed for the airport expansion or not. And because this is not an expropriation per se, what they will do with those islands is to be determined. It doesn’t have to be for the airport, so I guess—stay tuned to see what the real motivations are.

It blocks the city from selling or unencumbering any of the above properties, whether or not it is seized. Like I said, it exempts the land grab from the Expropriations Act so the government can arbitrarily limit compensation, arbitrarily assess undefined costs against the city, prevent the city from challenging the compensation in the land grab.

Maybe it sounds like I’m a bit in the weeds, but what we’re dealing with is, this Premier is seizing nearly all of the Toronto Islands without fair compensation, without a business case, especially, as we heard in committee and my colleagues raised—there isn’t a business case. The minister said that they’re not going to be coming forward with a business case. We can talk about that in a bit.

There’s no recourse for the people of Toronto. The government is rewriting the rules so that they cannot be held accountable. This is a Premier who is exempting this land grab from the Expropriations Act, blocking lawsuits, even in cases of bad faith, and refusing to publish a business case, as I’ve said. There is no plan, there is no price tag, and there is no federal green light—although I’m looking forward to talking a bit more about the Liberals in this story. I imagine that one of the positives that will come from this is that we may find that a lot of Liberals will lose their seats in downtown Toronto, because it would seem that they are on the side of this government in this endeavour. So we’ll delve a bit into that.

It’s interesting that this is a Premier who is finding billions of dollars for his waterfront obsession while neglecting the rest of the province of Ontario. This is more money being poured into projects that nobody asked for, but he’s not properly funding northern airports, and those are the lifelines of remote communities. If this government is so interested in airports, there are a whole bunch of gravel runways that are begging to be paved. People need to be able to get around. We talk about that a lot in here. But this is just the Premier’s downtown Toronto focus.

Interesting—this bill captures nearly all of the Toronto Islands. For the folks who visit Toronto, have been to the Toronto Islands—it’s a fantastic destination spot. I spent some time there last summer. I borrowed the bikes and tooled around all over the place. It was a lovely day. It will not be in the future, when the jets are two to three minutes apart, when we’re breathing this ultrafine particulate matter which is linked to multi-system diseases. This is not going to be a destination for folks and families. Hanlan’s Point, Centreville, the non-residential parts of Ward’s Island, Toronto Island Marina, the Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts, the island school—captures all of Little Norway Park and the recently opened Bathurst Quay Common. It also captures all the buildings, structures and fixtures on these lands and all interest in these lands, buildings, structures and fixtures. That’s a lot; that’s a big grab.

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This is the kind of thing that people watch and think it’s a downtown Toronto issue, but when we think about the rules—right now, there’s a tripartite agreement, and that is supposed to be with the Toronto Port Authority, the city of Toronto and the federal government. This bill basically switches the province out for the city of Toronto and makes themselves a player in the decision-making.

I want to share from the Toronto Star, May 2—this is a bit of their breakdown, but I want to talk about the Liberal part of this, because in that tripartite agreement where the province is going to be switching themselves in instead of the city of Toronto, the feds have a role to play. In fact, the federal government and Prime Minister Carney—this is airport stuff, and that’s federal. This doesn’t happen without their permission and their go-ahead.

As it says here, “Liberals could shut down Doug Ford’s jet airplane ambitions today if they wanted to. One reason they should be speaking up is that the Ford government is changing the rules of the game and the Liberals are the only players with the power to say ‘stop.’

“The potential rule change is the ‘Building Billy Bishop Airport Act’ the Ford government tabled last week that would formalize the takeover of Toronto’s role in the agreement, breaking the spirit, if not the law itself, of that agreement.”

Let’s see. Folks have been weighing in on this. We’ve had, all of us, an email sent from a fellow named Harry G. Black. I have not met Harry, but Harry has spent a lot of time writing to every single MPP in this place, has put together a very thoughtful—I’ll call it an article, but a body of work. I’m going to share some of his thoughts and questions because they’re quite interesting.

When we’re talking about the actual proposed runway extension, which is going to extend out into the water by nearly a kilometre—and that’s not a magical floating carpet; that will be all the way down to the bottom. Okay? This is a lot of earth, a lot of fill that will be trucked into downtown Toronto to build this runway. He has said, “It would present engineering difficulties that may in fact make it impossible to build. There are only a few places in the world where a runway has successfully been built over water that is the depth of the water around the west side of” Billy Bishop.

“The Ford government has not outlined any details of the proposed extension, but according to an article in the Toronto Star ... quoting information from the Toronto Port Authority, it is proposed to lengthen” the runway “by 900 metres,” or almost 3,000 feet “out into Lake Ontario on the west side of the island.

“This is more than twice as far as the original proposal by Porter Airlines ...

“This huge extension would create real problems for marine traffic and recreational boaters going in and out of the harbour through the Western Gap.” It would effectively close off the Western Gap—I guess no more water taxis, but anyway.

He goes on to say, “Any proposed extension of” the runway “would need to be not less than 41 feet high from the bottom of the lake at a minimum.”

Speaker, I don’t know if Mr. Black is an engineer and knows that, but if the government has plans, it would be really fun to know them. If that number is off, perhaps they could correct me.

“In order to support the structure, it would need to be filled with some sort of backfill,” and, by his estimates, “it would take at least 100,000 dump trucks of backfill to fill the structure.” Imagine that in downtown Toronto traffic.

And if those numbers are off, share. What numbers have you got? Have you done the math on this?

I would say, Speaker, that this is a very expensive experiment, and my colleagues thoughtfully talked about the health challenges of that ultrafine particulate that is very damaging. This is not a well-thought-out plan, which brings me to: Where does it come from? Who wants this? Obviously a $29-million plane that can’t land anywhere, that’s no fun. I feel like the Premier wanted it for that reason. But—was it last week or the week before? One of the front-bench ministers heckled across to the Liberals that, “Mark Carney asked us for this. Mark Carney wants this for his jets,” is what I heard. I’d love to know, perhaps in the Q&A, if the government can let us know if that is indeed where this has come from.

My colleague from Spadina–Fort York thinks that it’s J.P. Morgan. Yes, they’ll benefit, but who else will? If this is for the Prime Minister, I would love for him to be public about it, because our Liberal colleagues—as much fun as it is to sit beside them, I haven’t heard anything from them that would make me know that they are opposing this. And Toronto has a lot of Liberals, admittedly. So if something positive comes from this—if this expansion happens, I hope the positive that comes is that a lot of those federal Liberals get turfed. If they can’t stand up for their constituents, get them out of here. The New Democrats would be happy to replace them.

Speaker, further to that, here’s an article from TVO entitled “Why Won’t Carney’s Liberals Take a Side on Billy Bishop?”

“Toronto and Queen’s Park are feuding over the island airport. The feds are staying on the sidelines.”

It goes on to say, “But there’s a third partner in the triumvirate that has responsibility for what’s happening on Toronto’s waterfront: the federal government. What do they have to say about Ford’s plans to expand the airport?

“At the moment, crickets….

“The federal environment minister is Julie Dabrusin, whose riding, Toronto–Danforth, is bordered by Lake Ontario. In fact, the airport is right next door. Dabrusin’s ministry would be responsible for doing due diligence on a potential airport expansion. After all, there would be environmental factors to consider if the runways were extended and the jet traffic increased….

“Greg Sorbara”—I remember him, because that was my very first protest that I organized. He was having a fundraiser dinner, and I filled the buses to come and protest his dinner. But I’m quoting him, interestingly, at Queen’s Park.

“Greg Sorbara is a former Ontario Liberal finance minister and president of the provincial party….

“He told the minister he was ‘in awe that neither your government, nor you as Canada’s environment minister, nor the Toronto Liberal caucus has expressed even a mild objection to [Premier] Ford’s proposed expropriation of both municipal and federal authority over Billy Bishop. You have a clear line of authority on this matter.’”

Interestingly, the Prime Minister has the right to appoint seven of the nine members of the Toronto Port Authority’s board, but guess what? Five of these positions currently remain unfilled. This is interesting.

There are a few other people who are staying quiet. This article points out that “Ontario’s biggest home builders haven’t raised a stink even though they could stand to lose big time. Plans to build new homes on waterfront land would surely be dramatically curtailed if bigger jets were permitted at Billy Bishop.”

There are folks in Oshawa who have reached out and made comments.

A constituent, W.E., said, “It seems to be a very extravagant expense when we should be putting the money to better use such as in health care.”

Alexander P. said, “If the government is prioritizing luxury air travel while front-line services like education and health care are under strain, the public deserves to see the receipts.”

This was more specific to the gravy plane, but do you know what? I’m happy to talk about it every opportunity I get.

John is a student in Oshawa who shared, “Students are being told to accept more debt, work harder, struggle more, and somehow be grateful for it. Meanwhile, his government can spend nearly $29 million on a plane for his travel. Students are expected to scrape by, but there always seems to be money when it is for him, his image, or his priorities.”

Speaker, I’m running out of time, which is too bad, because there’s a Toronto Star article that—I am surprised that it’s being as snarky towards the Liberals as it is, but I’ll take it. If you have time to read it, it points out that the Liberal MPs are in an awkward position. They’re surely hearing an earful from their constituents. There are petitions that have garnered signatures in the tens of thousands.

It comes down to this: This is a Premier who has a wish list. He’s overplaying his hand. It’s a massive land grab. It flies in the face of democracy, which is not a new trick for this Premier. This is not good for anyone’s health. It is unnecessary, especially with the expansion of Pearson. We don’t need Pearson downtown. The waterfront is a fantastic tourist attraction, and it will no longer be.

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If you’re interested in the mechanics of it, the logistics, the engineering, you won’t find it from this government. But perhaps the government members would like to check out the email that was very thoughtfully sent by Mr. Harry Black, who delves into multiple pages of just how challenging it will be in the downtown core now and going forward.

This is a wrong-headed move. Knock it off.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions? Do we have questions?

MPP Jamie West: Thank you to my colleagues for speaking on this. My colleague the member from Spadina–Fort York talked about how it’s going to cost every household in Ontario $900 for this project. With the unaffordability crisis, with people losing their jobs, with people not having family doctors, not being able to put a roof over their head, not being able to afford groceries, does it make sense for the Premier to have a luxury project to extend a runway into the middle of the lake when we have an international airport at Pearson that is not that far away?

Mr. Chris Glover: Thank you for the question. Actually, the response that just came is that the runway actually goes right beside the spa that they’re building. They’re spending $2.2 billion of our tax dollars—that’s $400 per household to build a private spa—and then they’re going to spend another $5 billion to have jets flying by, so people in the spa won’t be able to enjoy it. It’s just amazing how this government can waste money.

That $5 billion is $900 per household when we’re already expanding Canada’s largest airport, Pearson, to handle another 23 million passengers, so it’s a complete waste of money. It’s completely unnecessary, and it’s incredibly destructive to the tourism businesses down on the waterfront that generate 28 million visitors and $20 billion of economic activity.

In this affordability crisis, I don’t think anybody in Ontario has said to the Premier or to the Prime Minister, “Hey, dig into my pocket. Take $900 out to expand Billy Bishop.”

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

Mr. Lorne Coe: My question is to the member from Oshawa. As I understand it, this project is going to support approximately 23,000 construction jobs, generate up to $140 billion in economic output over 25 years, increase competition and give travellers more choice and more affordable options.

So I want to get some clarity from the member from Oshawa. Does she believe that creating thousands of good-paying jobs and strengthening Ontario’s economy is something that they can oppose?

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Those are interesting numbers considering there is no business plan, and the Minister of Transportation, at committee, basically said there’s not going to be a business plan. Where’s the business plan to even substantiate the question?

But I will say that when housing that would have been built along the waterfront is no longer going to be built along the waterfront, what about those jobs? Forget the housing—which this government already has done without my prompting. What about the construction jobs for that housing? How does that compare to whatever numbers he was—I don’t know—pulling from somewhere, from the ultra-fine particles that are floating around?

Speaker, this is something that the people of Ontario deserve: real answers, real numbers, a business case. This government doesn’t have that. When it comes to jobs, we want jobs, but we want real ones in a business case.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: This question is for the member from Oshawa. At the end of her presentation, she described this as a luxury project and certainly focused on the expansion in terms of being able to have jets.

But we know that this expansion will facilitate all different types of aircraft being used out of Billy Bishop and expand their capacity. For a lot of communities, like northern communities and Indigenous communities, flight is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.

We were actually at FNTI, First Nations Technical Institute, in Tyendinaga the other day announcing $4 million to help train more Indigenous pilots to be able to make those connections to Indigenous communities up north, which could be facilitated out of Billy Bishop. Do you consider that to be a luxury? And why do you think we shouldn’t invest in connecting northern communities and First Nations?

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Just to clarify: When I had talked about the luxury, I was quoting a student who was commenting about the luxury jet that the Premier was so excited about. However, I will dig in a little bit more on the luxury piece.

If folks are going to be paying to have a good time at the Therme spa with jets hanging overhead where they can actually breathe the jet fuel, or the RBC Amphitheatre, the multi-million-dollar revitalization—all of that will be thrown away.

The question, though, he asked about First Nations and northern travel—there are like 19 runways that are gravel that they won’t pave. So if they want to talk about travel and airports, there are some that we could point to. Invest in that.

Also, let’s invest in health care so people don’t have to travel to Toronto for their health care needs. This is a layered problem; have a layered solution.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Humber River–Black Creek.

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Once again, we’re debating another big public giveaway to their billionaire banker buddies in the United States, which is something that’s common in this chamber.

But I just want to be clear—I need to understand this clearly. If this public giveaway goes through, it will only happen if this government and their Conservative Prime Minister buddy in Ottawa reach across, give a big hug and say, “Let’s go through.”

Interjection.

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: He’s a Conservative. You know that.

Is that true?

Mr. Chris Glover: Absolutely. Airports are regulated by the federal government. This expansion can only happen if the Prime Minister—the Liberal Prime Minister—gives his go-ahead. That’s the only way that this can happen.

And if you follow the money, the only one who is going to benefit from it is J.P. Morgan, because they’ve got a bad investment at Billy Bishop. They bought the terminal, and it’s not turning out well for them. But if they put in $5 billion in taxpayer dollars to expand the airport, then maybe J.P. Morgan can turn that investment around. That’s the only one who is going to be the winner here. It’s absolutely a bailout for the Premier and the Prime Minister’s billionaire buddies.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Let’s go through a map of downtown Toronto, okay? We’ve got an imaginary island. We’ve got a huge underground tunnel in their imagination. We’ve got a whole bunch of sand and rocks being piled to build a huge runway leading to a luxury spa that they’ve yet to build and we’ve spent $2 billion on. At the end of the day, all this money is being made by big foreign interests—on the spa, from Europe; bankers in the United States.

Who is making this up? Tell us, how do you think these plans get drafted up? Because certainly nobody is asking for this except their billionaire friends.

Mr. Chris Glover: I don’t think we’ll ever know how these plans are getting drafted up. The Premier is passing legislation to gut the freedom-of-information laws so that he will never have to release his phone records, because he doesn’t want to know how he ended up buying a $30-million private jet or how he ended up giving an Austrian spa a $2.2-billion taxpayer-dollar donation subsidy at Ontario Place—and now, how they’re going to be squandering $5 billion in order to bail out J.P. Morgan from their investment at Billy Bishop airport. Unless we can get those phone records, we won’t really know how those plans were made.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Perth–Wellington.

Mr. Matthew Rae: My question is to the member from Spadina–Fort York. If this piece of legislation is passed by this assembly and we move forward with this expansion as a government continuing to invest in Ontario and our transportation network—I know the opposition has made it very clear they’re going to vote against this piece of legislation. Will the member from Spadina–Fort York commit to never taking a jet from Billy Bishop island airport in the future?

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Mr. Chris Glover: Absolutely, because the jets will destroy the downtown Toronto waterfront. They will destroy the waterfront. That is the area that I serve, so how could I possibly patronize the service, the jets, the money that’s being wasted here and the destruction of that waterfront? Would you invest money? Would you support a company that came into your community, your riding, and destroyed your riding and made it uninhabitable for people, that reduced the housing cost by 20% and that made it impossible to build more housing that has already been planned? Would you be supporting that company?

I hope, out of loyalty to your residents and your riding, that you wouldn’t. And I hope, out of loyalty to the people of Ontario, that you will not go ahead with this plan—that you actually back off and save the Toronto waterfront and save Ontarians $5 billion.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further debate?

MPP Andrea Hazell: I rise today on behalf of my riding of Scarborough–Guildwood and on behalf of many people of Toronto, on behalf of many Ontarians, to speak against Bill 110, a piece of legislation so arrogant, so reckless and so profoundly anti-democratic that it will be remembered as a stain on this government’s legacy.

Speaker, I will not only disclose the staggering incompetence behind this bill, the complete absence of data—there is no data, there is no analysis or planning that we can follow along and try to see that this is a great project—but I will also expose its dangerous authoritarian core, because this isn’t just a bad plan; it’s a hostile takeover of municipal democracy.

Let’s start with the basics. The absolute minimum requirement for any government proposing a project of this magnitude is to do the homework, the analysis, the due diligence. But on this massive file, this government has done nothing to help us. The people of Ontario, the taxpayers of Ontario, who are going to be paying for this project, need to understand how much this massive project is going to cost.

Where is the independent cost-benefit analysis? It doesn’t exist. Where is the public health impact assessment? It does not exist. Where is the integrated transportation plan to prevent gridlock and the further congestion that this expansion is going to create? Again, it doesn’t exist. And where is the comprehensive environmental impact study? It doesn’t exist.

Speaker, this government is asking this chamber to approve a multi-billion-dollar project based on nothing more than a brochure and a prayer. It is legislative malpractice—I’m calling it legislative malpractice—on a scale I have never seen in this chamber. I have never seen a bill this massive that is going to cost Ontarians billions of dollars, and we in this chamber on the opposite side have nothing to go on.

Speaker, it just keeps getting worse with this government’s lack of transparency and lack of accountability for Ontarians’ hard-earned tax dollars. Ontarians’ hard-earned tax dollars are not the personal piggy bank of this government.

As I said, this goes far beyond sheer incompetence; this bill reveals the government’s true character. It reveals a deep-seated attempt for local democracy and the thirst for centralized control.

Through this bill, this Premier somehow has decided to appoint himself the unelected mayor of Toronto. He has decided that the democratically elected city council, the city’s professional planners and the citizens of Toronto are nothing more than inconvenient obstacles to be swept aside.

This bill is a direct assault on the city of Toronto. It contains unprecedented powers to ignore municipal planning, to override zoning and to seize municipal land. Land that belongs to the people of Toronto, paid for by their tax dollars, will be seized by this provincial government to serve the interests of a private, for-profit corporation, so the Premier can land his private jet.

Speaker, let’s use the proper term for this project and for what this government is planning: It’s called expropriation. That’s what I call this massive project.

This bill is a tool to forcibly take land and assets that do not belongs to the province. It is a legislated power grab, designed to bypass negotiations, to silence opposition and to impose its will by force. This is not what partnerships look like. This is not collaboration. To me, it’s a hostile takeover.

When and where is this authoritarian overreach most evident? In their designs on the Toronto Islands. Speaker, the Toronto Islands are a sanctuary—I don’t know if they know what that means—a unique community, a priceless natural asset, cherished by millions that are living in Ontario.

When I migrated here to Canada and I got my kids, it was the first place I took my kids on a tour. That still symbolizes the many parents and families that take the ferry and cross that island. Let’s not let this government take away our island. Our island belongs to the people of Ontario and to the rest of Canada that come down and visit the islands. But this government doesn’t see a community; they see a construction site.

I will be sharing my time with the member for Don Valley West and member for Nepean.

I want to end my debate by saying this government will unleash a transportation catastrophe, creating permanent, debilitating gridlock on the Gardiner and lakeshore, strangling the economic arteries of our city and costing our economy billions in lost productivity. It’s already losing billions in lost productivity. This government is just going to add to it for his own gain and to land his private jet.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): The clock showing 6 o’clock, it is now time for private members’ public business.

Third reading debate deemed adjourned.

Report continues in volume B.

May 26, 2026

Orders of the Day

Robert Charles Wong

Ed Doyle

Giorgio Mammoliti

Wearing of jersey

Members’ Statements

Dennis Bayley

Peter Palko / Claude Depatie

Small business

Screen time in schools

Addiction services

Rebecca Simpson

Health care

Education funding

Government investments

Kitchener Rangers

Introduction of Visitors

House sittings

Legislative pages

Question Period

Government accountability

Freedom of information

Hospital funding

Health care / Soins de santé

Supportive housing

Hospital funding

Mining industry

Youth services

Defence, Security and Resilience Bank

Government spending

Ring of Fire

Hospital funding

Transportation infrastructure

Highway construction

Notice of dissatisfaction

Deferred Votes

Municipal Accountability Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la responsabilité au niveau municipal

Ayes

Nays

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Social Policy

Standing Committee on the Interior

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Introduction of Bills

Save a Life Act (Naloxone Kit Registration and Public Access), 2026 / Loi de 2026 visant à sauver des vies (accès public aux trousses de naloxone et leur enregistrement)

Romanian Heritage Week Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la Semaine du patrimoine roumain

Fighting Extreme Heat in Schools Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la lutte contre la chaleur extrême dans les écoles

Mining Awareness Week Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la Semaine de sensibilisation à l’exploitation minière

Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act (Vaping is not for Kids), 2026 / Loi de 2026 modifiant la Loi favorisant un Ontario sans fumée (le vapotage n’est pas pour les enfants)

Petitions

Social assistance

Social assistance

Air quality

Collective bargaining

Screen time in schools

Highway safety

Collective bargaining

Education funding

Land use planning

Highway safety

Social assistance

Education funding

Tire disposal

Orders of the Day

Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la construction de l’aéroport Billy Bishop