My question is for the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery.

The Liberal carbon tax is making life unnecessarily more difficult for people throughout the province. Due to the increased costs of goods and services, more Ontarians are struggling to afford basic essentials and make ends meet. Behind this record inflation and rising carbon tax, people are facing real harsh realities.

It’s time for the federal government to finally listen to Ontarians and stop piling on even more financial burdens. They must scrap the tax now.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how the Liberal carbon tax is impacting consumer confidence in Ontario?

I’m glad to see that, unlike the Liberals and the NDP, our government is actually listening to the concerns of the people who elected us.

Speaker, Ontario has had enough of the Liberal carbon tax. After last month’s carbon tax hike, commuters are being forced to pay more at the gas pumps. That’s unfair to the residents in northern, rural and remote communities—and Thornhill—who rely heavily on vehicles for their work and to run their daily errands. The federal Liberals and their provincial buddies need to start respecting Ontarians and get rid of this unnecessary tax.

Can the minister please elaborate on how the Liberal carbon tax overlooks the varied needs and challenges experienced in communities across Ontario?

It is my great honour to rise and speak to this bill, the Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act, 2023. I would like to extend my thanks to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery for bringing this bill forward.

Speaker, this government and this Premier strongly believe that Ontarians deserve to feel protected when spending their hard-earned money, and this legislation, if passed, is a testament to our government’s promise to always listen to the needs of Ontarians. The new act is the first update of Ontario’s consumer protection legislation in nearly 20 years. After years of insufficient attention by the Liberal Party, in 2019 our ministry embarked on a long and extensive consultation journey, conducting a comprehensive review of existing legislation by gathering feedback from stakeholders, consumer groups and advocates, the legal community and everyday Ontarians.

The new act is the first update of Ontario’s consumer protection legislation since 2005. The Consumer Protection Act, 2002, in its current form defines the rights and requirements for most personal and household transactions between consumers and businesses in Ontario, and its regulations establish and protect basic consumer rights, prohibit unfair business practices and set out contract regulations. Our government is now proposing measures that will ensure a fair and competitive economy based on insights discovered from the process. With this legislation, we’re building a safer, more fair and stronger economy.

In 2002, not every home had a computer. Contracts were pieces of physical paper that were signed in-person. There were very basic avenues for doing business, and therefore fewer avenues for scammers. Today, the opportunities for bad business practices are overwhelmingly numerous, and consumers need updated protections that reflect the realities of an online world and dynamic marketplace. They need protections that address high-impact consumer harms.

I’m sure everyone in this chamber would agree that when consumers feel confident and protected, everyone in our economy thrives. This bill, if passed, will create those protections. The proposed bill would strengthen consumer rights, empower consumers, and give the ministry stronger enforcement powers to crack down on bad actors—keeping in mind that most business people are honest and hard-working, and as a government, we strive for the protection of the people of Ontario, including the businesses. It would also address the concerns and harms of our most vulnerable citizens, especially seniors, when facing contract amendments, subscription traps, high termination costs in long-term leases and unfair business practices used by door-to-door sellers. It is our government’s goal to protect Ontarians with common-sense policies that reduce red tape and make it easier for consumers and businesses alike.

Let’s look, specifically, at what this legislation will do. Firstly, if passed, this bill will create consumer protections by targeting unfair business practices. In law, to have a contract, there’s something called consideration, and each contracting party must exchange something of value, in the sense that the act or the promise of one party must be bought or bargained for for the act or promise of the other; basically, one party gets something in consideration for someone else’s in this situation. This bill closes the inequity that can sometimes exist between parties in an unfair agreement.

The bill will also clarify and strengthen prohibitions against unconscionable conduct by explicitly prohibiting specific unfair business practices, such as price gouging and profiting off of a consumer’s inability to understand a language in a contract. This is important on a few fronts. Firstly, Ontario is a medley of multiculturalism, and there are many people for whom English is not their first language.

Recently, a constituent came into my office, a lovely gentleman; I met him at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in my riding. He told me his English was not so good and that he was worried about installing a new accessible tub in his house. He couldn’t understand what the company he was speaking with wanted from him, and he was worried that he was going to get scammed. All he was trying to do was make his home safer for his wife of 50 years. This gentleman will be one of the many people who will benefit from this new legislation.

Speaker, many homeowners in Ontario lease or rent water heaters and furnaces. This bill would establish specific rules for a new category of long-term leases for heating, ventilation and air conditioning called purchase-cost-plus leases. A purchase-cost-plus lease would be a lease under which the total amount payable exceeds 90% of the estimated retail value of the leased goods. It would establish a 10-day cooling-off period and would set limits on termination costs for purchase-cost-plus leases if a consumer wishes to end a contract early.

Consumers should feel safe when making purchases. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a rise in suppliers who create contracts that are difficult for consumers to exit, and that’s not okay. This bill will protect Ontarians.

This bill proposes regulations that would, once approved and implemented, also prohibit businesses from creating unnecessary barriers when consumers are trying to cancel a contract, particularly a subscription or a membership-based contract; for example, a gym membership.

Over the last few years, many constituents have described how difficult the process was for cancelling their gym membership. Some of my constituents were forced to pay the monthly fees until the end of their contract agreement. Some received notification of unpaid dues even after their memberships had been cancelled. One told me she had to physically mail a cancellation form to a gym’s head office in order to cancel their membership. In this day and age, with phones and Internet, that’s simply not acceptable. Under the former rules, that individual would be in a position where they would have to pay for that benefit that they were not receiving and, sadly, they would not be able to rebut this continual payment that would be tested against their credit card. This improved legislation would prohibit businesses from creating unnecessary barriers when Ontarians are trying to cancel their contract, reinforcing consumer rights and choice.

This legislation would also provide more fair exit options for time-shares and long-term leases of work-related equipment.

On the discussion of time-shares, it’s a common story—people who have purchased time-shares, sometimes older and vulnerable, in a property many years ago, and they’re no longer able to use their property. I’ll give you an example. It has been several years since Corinne, 83, from my riding last visited a time-share her late husband purchased many years ago. At more than $600, the annual maintenance fee was unnecessary, and Corinne, a grandmother, worried about burdening her adult children with a property they didn’t want to inherit. She became very concerned.

If the new amendment is passed, it would provide time-share owners with the option to terminate that contract after 25 years. It would also provide authority, including regulation-making authority, to provide certain persons with a right to terminate a time-share upon that time-share owner’s death. It would also limit the cost that a consumer or other specified person may be charged for exercising an option to terminate a time-share contract, with specific limits to be set out in regulation. This legislation would make the proposed new termination option apply to both existing and new time-share contracts. As part of the regulatory development, the new CPA would further improve disclosure requirements for time-share contracts, to help ensure consumers are better informed about the long-term implications of these contracts.

This bill would also clarify the obligations for businesses to discharge the NOSIs—those are the notices of security interest—for consumer goods registered in the land registry system when a contract is cancelled or rescinded in accordance with the new CPA or when a purchase-cost-plus lease is terminated. It would authorize the director to issue a document that the consumer can register on the land registry system to facilitate the discharge of the NOSI. And the new CPA would provide authority to develop regulations that would, if necessary, extend the new rules relating to NOSIs to other prescribed registrations, notices or instruments in the land registry system or other registration systems, like the personal property security registration system.

This bill additionally addresses the Consumer Reporting Act, the CRA, which regulates consumer agencies such as Equifax and TransUnion, and sets out the rights of consumers and obligations of businesses to address the transparency and accuracy of consumer reports. Now more than ever, consumers recognize the importance of being able to access credit to participate in the market and monitor their overall financial well-being. The amendments to the CRA would improve outcomes for consumers while minimizing impacts to industry.

This bill, if passed, would have a substantial regulatory development phase that would include opportunities for further consultation with stakeholders and the public, with more detailed requirements to be set out.

This bill, ultimately, is a solid bill. I support it, and I move to adjourn this debate. Thank you very much.

Thornhill.

We’re working for Ontarians, and I want to demonstrate how this bill will have a direct impact on the people of my riding of Thornhill, as well as the rest of this province, by taking you on another tour. Let’s begin at one of the most famous delis in Thornhill; this is the Centre Street Deli. I believe some of you may be acquainted with the Centre Street Deli because Nana actually brought their very famous smoked meat sandwiches to the Legislature, and they sold out halfway through the event. It was pretty remarkable.

They’re actually located right beside the constituency office. They’re so popular you cannot get a parking spot at lunchtime during certain times of the week in my community. They were founded over 35 years ago. It’s a legacy that was continued by three dedicated employees who purchased from the original owner, and Nana, Ganesh and Kuna now lead the organization.

But despite its popularity, the deli closes every day at 5 p.m. I asked Nana, “Why don’t you keep it open longer?” She advised she would love to keep the restaurant open longer, but unfortunately, she’s unable to for a couple of reasons, including a lack of available staff. It’s a common issue that we hear across this province, which is why our government is enabling an estimated $8 billion in cost savings and support for eligible Ontario employers in 2023, making it easier for these small business people. Almost half of these savings and supports are going directly to small businesses like Nana’s and Centre Street Deli. That includes expanding access to the small business corporate income tax rate by increasing the phase-out range. That would provide Ontario’s small businesses with an additional Ontario income tax relief of $265 million over the next few years.

Our government is expanding the Ontario bridge training program by an additional $3 million in the 2023-24 year to help internationally trained immigrants find employment in their fields and get faster access to training and supports toward a licence or a certificate. More training and employment for immigrants means more staff who can help small businesses, like employers like Nana. With added cost savings measures and tax incentives, Nana will have the tools she needs to run her business effectively.

I’m going to take another tour around the neighbourhood, and I’m going to take everybody to the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, which is one of the oldest churches in my riding. It was actually founded in the 1830s. I’ve been there many times. The Holy Trinity also functions as a homeless shelter with 25 beds as part of Blue Door Shelters. I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer there and help and serve meals and hand out blankets.

Madam Speaker, with this budget, we are investing an additional $202 million each year in the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program to help those experiencing or those at risk of homelessness and those escaping intimate partner violence, which is a huge issue. These investments will support the community organizations delivering supportive housing. Those investments will help Holy Trinity.

Let’s move over to Henderson Avenue, where we’ve got a brand new school. It’s almost finished. I drove by it yesterday. Literally, I’d say it’s got maybe a month more of work to do, and it’s scheduled to open for the students in September. This new school will ensure that more students in Thornhill have better access to education, and I cannot wait to see it in action and up and running. I sat on parent council for over a decade with my local school, and I know how important this school is going to be to the community.

The passage of this bill will allow schools like this one to be best supported and prepare our children. This is because our budget outlines plans to invest $15 billion in capital grants over 10 years to expand and renew schools, and help create 86,000 new child care spaces by December 2026. When I drove by that school the other day, I saw that new child care space to the side. They’re easily recognizable. As somebody who has worked within the system, it was a very joyous moment for me, because I know when you’ve got new kids, you’ve got parents, you’ve got families moving in, it’s good for the community. Improving the education of our children and increasing child care spaces helps our next generation have the best possible foundation for building their lives, and as a mother, I understand how important this is to parents all over Ontario—parents and grandparents. In Thornhill, we call them bubbes and zaydes. It’s all good.

And speaking of that foundation, this budget aims to help close to 27,000 students earn credits towards both their Ontario secondary school diploma and post-secondary degree or certificate. We want to prepare our children for the jobs of the future, and we’re setting them up for success. That includes dual-credit opportunities in health-care-related courses for an additional 1,400 secondary students, which I think is a marvellous incentive. It’s a win-win for all the parties involved. The kids get exposure to this very important sector, and they’re able to gain credits for their future.

Madam Speaker, many parents and grandparents have approached me to talk about the fact that their children and grandchildren cannot study to become doctors close to home, which is why our government’s plan also includes helping more Ontario students become doctors by adding more undergraduate and postgraduate medical training seats right here in Ontario with the new medical schools in Scarborough and Brampton. We need these doctors. This is another great way of ensuring that Ontarians are able to get the health care they need and deserve.

Madam Speaker, let us now drive over to the Improve centre; it’s farther west in my riding, closer to the highway. There’s a not-for-profit called Bata to Batapreneur—also known as b2B. They just graduated 40 students from their business workshop. Giving young adults exposure to creating a plan for business is such an important thing, and our plan includes providing $2 million to the Futurpreneur Canada program, which helps young entrepreneurs grow their skills and achieve their business goals. More students will be able to nurture their interest in business and pursue successful careers in business according to our plan, Madam Speaker. This will not only supports the success of our young professionals, but it will also grow our economy, and I am certain that their businesses—their future businesses, the seeds, these ideas—will provide invaluable contributions to our community. I always talk about Thornhill being a group of self-starters—we start something from nothing—and it’s with that generation, that seed that’s handed out to these students, that allows them to further move in a direction that’s positive to create a small business.

I actually just hired a student that I’m happy to say I graduated from elementary school. He’s got his own landscaping business—that’s what he’s doing this summer—and he’s becoming an initiative for his own future, which is so important.

Okay, the tour is definitely not over. We’re going to keep driving in our e-vehicle, and let’s go over to the west side of Thornhill. Many folks may not know this, but there’s an area that’s home to some top industry manufacturers who are looking to grow and expand right in Vaughan. One of these is none other than the Give and Go bakeries, who make these delicious two-bite brownies. We’re going to be providing an Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit, which will provide a 10% refundable corporate tax credit. We’re going to be providing important initiatives so that they can turn that money and invest back into the workers and innovate and become more competitive, because we don’t want to lose these businesses to the south.

We are caring for our residents and we are creating a stronger Ontario. These are such important things—