Thank you to the member from Richmond Hill for that question.

Mr. Speaker, let me be crystal clear. No government is doing more for transit riders than under the leadership of Premier Ford. We are making public transit more accessible and affordable than ever before. Our $70-billion transit plan—we are building transit all across Ontario. Starting today, our new one-fare program will put more money back into people’s pockets. Double fares are now gone. On average, this is a savings of $1,600 every year. Liberals couldn’t do it, but under Premier Ford, we got it done.

Starting today, as I said, commuters can simply use the same card to tap to transfer from one transit agency to another transit agency. That’s going to save them more money so they can save their money towards their future, their children or for their most important things, like groceries.

We are the only party that is working to eliminate barriers and make life more affordable, under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford.

My question is to the Associate Minister of Transportation. Many people living in my riding of Richmond Hill and across the GTA rely on public transit as their primary form of travel. Their experience using public transit should be convenient and affordable. However, many of my constituents have voiced concerns over steep transit costs.

Speaker, life is expensive, and hard-working individuals and families across our province are saying that it’s very hard for them. Our government must continue to keep costs down for transit riders and deliver the financial relief that they deserve.

Can the associate minister tell the House how our government is removing barriers to ridership and making Ontarians’ travel more affordable?

With affordability being a top priority for everyone in Ontario, it’s surprising that the NDP and the independent Liberals voted against this program. They voted against saving transit riders $1,600 a year. That is shameful.

Our government will continue to ensure that our public transportation system is making it easier, faster and cheaper for people to get where they need to go.

Can the minister provide further details on how the one-fare program will make life easier for people in Ontario?

Thank you.

The next question.

Restart the clock. The supplementary question?

Since day one, we’ve been focused on ensuring that we have a reliable, affordable, clean energy system in this province. It’s remarkable for me, Mr. Speaker, to hear the energy critic from the NDP now standing up and championing gas in our province when at every opportunity he has slammed the use of natural gas—not just slammed the use of natural gas, but he’s also slammed our nuclear sector.

What we have done by introducing the bill last week—and we’ll debate it at second reading today, Mr. Speaker—is ensure that there’s at least one party in this Legislature that’s standing up for homeowners and new homeowners and energy customers, and that is Premier Ford and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. They can be beholden to the environmental groups; they can be beholden to those who are ideological. We are not going to do that. We’re going to stand up for the people of Ontario.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, there’s one party in this Legislature that is standing up for those who want to enter the home market. They want to buy a home in this province. That’s this party. The Ontario Energy Board’s decision from just before Christmas would have driven up the price of a home by, at minimum, $4,400. Our party won’t stand for that. But in parts of rural Ontario, it was going to drive up the cost by tens of thousands of dollars a year.

We are in a housing crisis in this province. Every time our party brings forward plans, like the housing supply action plan, it’s the NDP that stands up against it, Mr. Speaker, and this is the latest example of the NDP and the Liberals and the Greens standing up against the ability for people to buy a home in our province. We are going to stand with those who want to get into housing, Mr. Speaker, and make sure we’re keeping shovels in the ground in Ontario.

To the Premier: In December, the Ontario Energy Board decided to protect Enbridge Gas customers from unreasonable rate increases for new gas line installation. We’re talking about $300 per customer over the next four years. The next day, the Premier’s Minister of Energy said he would bring in a bill to overturn the decision and crank up the gas bills.

Will the Premier protect gas customers from higher Enbridge charges?

Our government recognizes just how important the manufacturing sector is in our economy. Already this year, we’ve welcomed $65 million in investment in Niagara region alone:

—Stanpac manufactures food, dairy and beverage packaging for global businesses—they invested $35 million to retool their facility in Smithville;

—AMSI, a company that designs and constructs support buildings for on-site development—they invested $20 million to construct a 67,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Beamsville;

—St. Davids Cold Storage invested $9 million to expand their cold storage facility for food and beverage manufacturers—they created a total of 46 good-paying jobs with $6.7 million in investment support from the government.

Stay tuned, Speaker. The game-changing investments are just starting.

I guess the Liberals are feeling left out. I actually thought they would keep their heads down on this kind of issue. Their record of appointments is abysmal and irresponsible. The former chair of the exact same committee was a Liberal donor and supporter, along with several other members of the same committee.

Here’s the thing: That doesn’t bother me. That doesn’t bother me at all. What bothers me is the hypocrisy of the other side—

What bothers me is the inconsistency of the other side in trying to avoid transparency. They’re mostly upset because something was said out loud that they want buried.

We were elected—we’re not just on this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, we’re on that side of the House. Our majority sits over there. We have an obligation to the public to make appointments in the interests of the public. We will listen to conservative voices and we will make responsible appointments.

Interjections.

My question is to the Premier. We know that the Premier makes sure that wealthy, well-connected friends are taken care of, whether it’s the $8.3-billion backroom deal to carve up the greenbelt; secret, sole-source contracts for Therme and Staples; ministerial zoning orders for land speculators; or, as the Premier said himself, appointments for insiders and friends.

The Premier’s latest two insider appointments are to the panel that appoints Ontario’s judges. That’s not the worst part, folks; it’s that the Premier says that their job is to appoint “like-minded” judges. I just need to know: Why does the Premier think it’s a good idea to appoint judges who think like him while his office is the subject of an RCMP criminal investigation?

Interjections.

Ontarians don’t need like-minded judges, they need fair-minded judges who apply the law in an unbiased and unpartisan way, Premier. That’s the Canadian way. We don’t elect judges. We’re not the US. Politicians don’t get to stack the courts, Premier. This is so Canadians all have trust in the judicial system. What the Premier says he wants to do, just by simply saying it, is eroding trust in the people’s courts.

Speaker, through you: Will the Premier do the right thing, rescind these two appointments and stop his interference with the independence of our courts?

I do thank the member opposite for the question. We do agree; these are the most exceptional children within our care. It’s why this government has announced an $8.6-million investment to enhance and renew the facilities that lodge these kids. It’s why the government actually appointed inspectors to ensure compliance. It’s why this government announced a permanent executive director and a clinical manager and a new lodging policy that enhances safety through regulation.

We are committed to investing in supporting these kids, recognizing there are about 520 kids within our care and 610 staff that we have in place. We’ll continue to support them and provide compassion, hope, opportunity and training for these children, whom I visited at these various lodgings and schools across Ontario. We are committed to their success, Speaker.

But you talk about a track record—the member opposite will need to explain to those families why you opposed the funding to enhance those lodgings, why you opposed the increase in special education funding for those kids, why you opposed the hiring of 3,200 EAs to help the most vulnerable in our schools. While they’ll have to explain that to the families of this province, we’ll continue to invest and support the success of the most exceptional kids within our care.

Students at Ontario’s provincial schools are some of the most vulnerable students in our province, yet they are being forced to learn in horrific conditions. There are allegations of abuse, discrimination and neglect; a serious teacher shortage; crumbling school buildings; and absurd emergency response plans.

These schools are the direct responsibility of the Minister of Education. He could change things today if he wanted to. Students, parents, alumni, teachers and advocates have been begging him for years to act.

Will the minister finally take action and do something to protect these children?

—a school with deaf students and deaf staff using a cowbell as the emergency alert system;

—students having class in the bathroom because it’s the only place warm enough to take off their mittens, and they need to use their hands to communicate;

—students only getting assessments if their parents hire a lawyer or complain to their MPP;

—two class action lawsuits in the past 10 years, with the province paying $23 million in settlements, and yet there are currently no less than three new lawsuits filed or pending.

Is this a record that the minister is proud of? What is it going to take for him to finally act?

Thank you to the minister for the answer and also the work he is doing to attract good-paying jobs to Niagara and to every corner of this province. It’s great to hear that new, good-paying manufacturing jobs are being created in our province following years of news about manufacturing jobs—some 300,000 of them—fleeing Ontario under the Liberal government.

In fact, manufacturing employment in Ontario is now at one of the highest levels it has been since 2008. It is a testament to the measures our government has taken to cut red tape, slash taxes and get our economy back on track while rebuilding the manufacturing sector.

Speaker, could the minister share more about how these manufacturing investments are coming to Ontario?

I find it ironic, and I actually have no problem with it. Many years ago, 30 years ago, I met a former Speaker called Chris Stockwell. He said, “Never, ever criticize the opposition for appointing people like-minded.”

We have a massive crime wave right now happening in our cities right across Toronto and the GTA. They’re kicking doors in, they’re putting guns to people’s heads and guess what happens, Mr. Speaker? They get out on bail, then they go do it again, then they get out on bail again and then they get out on bail. They’ve been out on bail eight times.

I guarantee, if I asked the students up there if they’re aware their houses are being broken into, their cars are being broken into—they’re terrified to stay at home by themselves. They want to go everywhere their parents go, because they’re terrified.

I am going to make sure we have like-minded judges—

Interjections.

This is such a historic number that it bears repeating: In 2023, Ontario created more manufacturing jobs than all 50 US states combined. In the last three years, Ontario has attracted more than $29 billion in new manufacturing investments, creating more than 11,000 new jobs in that sector.

This year, Ontario welcomed an investment from a Kitchener-based med-tech firm, FluidAI. They’re investing $25 million, hiring 38 new technicians with a $1.4-million investment from our government. This investment will strengthen our world-class manufacturing sector and create jobs for hard-working families in Ontario.

We have continued to create the right conditions for job growth in every region of the province.

The supplementary question?

To reply, the Attorney General.

The supplementary question?

Start the clock. The next question.

My question is for the Minister of Northern Development. Speaker, the northern agri-food industry keeps our communities thriving. For 15 years, this critical industry was ignored by the previous Liberal government. Instead of supporting workers in the north, they insulted them by calling northern Ontario a “no man’s land.”

Our government recognizes the value of the agriculture and food sector in northern Ontario, as it boosts the local economy and creates great employment opportunities. That’s why we need to continue to make targeted investments that will boost local food production and stimulate expansion and diversification in the northern agri-food sector.

Can the minister tell this House what steps this government is taking to ensure that the agri-food sector stays competitive in northern Ontario?

Thank you to the member from Flamborough–Glanbrook for this question. I’m proud to announce in this House for the first time since we last rose ahead of the holidays that our government has landed deals with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the French teachers’ union, which represents over a million children having peace and stability in their lives for the next three years.

As our government goes back to the basics of ensuring foundational learning, we can now provide a sense of certainty to families that their children will be in school learning with their educators, with their friends and with the stimulus of extracurriculars, clubs and sports. All of this is important to producing a well-rounded student who graduates with a competitive advantage as we help them ensure they’ve got the skills to get a good-paying job.

We are committed to stability for families, and we will stand up for children and their families to keep them in school right to June.

Our plan to get back to basics and back on track is working. Ontario is the second in the nation in reading, writing and math; we are in the top 10 in science internationally and top 15 in math globally.

To build on this, we recognize we have to start early, which is why the parliamentary assistants to the Ministers of Education and Health joined me to announce that we are introducing a new kindergarten curriculum that will require mandatory, explicit daily instruction in literacy and in math, supported by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

We are committed to ensuring kids learn life and job skills that allow them to get a good-paying job, own a home and achieve the dream of this country. We’re going to continue to invest and support back to basics in Ontario schools.

Supplementary?

The next question.

The government received a joint health and safety committee recommendation pointing to the failure of the ministry to acknowledge well-known and serious health risks to forest firefighters. Forest firefighters are exposed to silicas, benzines, formaldehyde, poison ivy smoke, carbon monoxide and dump fires riddled with carcinogens. And yet, unbelievably, forest firefighters are told that all they need to protect themselves from toxins is a homemade bandana. Does this government seriously believe this is an acceptable standard of worker health and safety?

My question is for the Minister of Education. Our government will always be on the side of parents who want their kids to stay in class. The data is clear: Children excel when they are in school consistently. Literacy rates have increased across all grade levels and math has either stabilized or improved. We know that the minister is determined to land deals that keep kids learning and ensure that families across our province receive the stability they deserve.

Speaker, through you to the minister: How is our government working to keep children learning and to ensure that Ontario families benefit from a renewed focus on academic achievement?

Will the minister outline our government’s plan to support our youngest students and strengthen learning on what actually matters to parents and the job market?

A short answer to the member opposite: Yes. We look forward, as we’ve done multiple times in session, to implement Working for Workers legislation, and I appreciate the input from all members of this place.

Speaker, let’s not forget that it’s this government that has expanded presumptive coverage for thyroid, for pancreatic, and now esophageal cancer. When that party opposite held the balance of power and could have pushed the Liberals to do something about it, they didn’t—but Premier Ford and our government are.

I would appreciate the member opposite—he can work like other members in his caucus, work with us and add these expanded coverages, and I look forward to working with him to do just that.

That member is seriously late to everything. This government has taken action—as I said: thyroid, pancreatic, esophageal, so much more. We’ve reformed WSIB. Quite frankly, when that party held the balance of power and when that party was, for the one time that they’ll ever have, in government in Ontario, WSIB was a mess. We’re working with WSIB, working with the heroic front-line responders, and we implemented the Skills Development Fund—things that member has done nothing to support—to expand Indigenous fire training, to support men and women who are serving on the front lines. We’ll always have their back, with or without that member.

I hope she’ll work with us on this, and I look forward—