I think that member spoke a little too soon. I might get cheeky in my response, so I’m sure I will get heckled.

This Premier made a historic commitment to expand capital and announced not one but two new provincial parks. And we announced just recently—by our incredible member, PA Yakabuski—over $3.3 million in vital infrastructure upgrades to Algonquin Provincial Park.

Speaker, when we make these historic investments in the budget for new provincial parks—it’s regrettable that the NDP and members opposite voted no. They voted no to expanded recreational opportunities for Ontarians; it’s just shocking. I’m not surprised they voted no to public transit. They voted no to tax cuts on low-income families. They voted no to record infrastructure spending in rural communities.

On this side of the House, we’re going to grow Ontario for all income brackets, for all Ontarians, regardless of your background, while also expanding—

I appreciate the question from the member opposite. I, too, am a Petes fan.

On to another subject: We’ll talk about Ontario Parks. He’s completely right; Ontario parks are no longer the hidden gem of Canada. Every year, we know more and more people are visiting Ontario’s beautiful provincial parks. In every corner of this province, there is an Ontario park just ready to be explored. I’m proud that under this Premier’s leadership we’re expanding recreational opportunities for Ontarians—Alfred Bog, a new non-operating provincial park in the National Capital Region; Mississagi Provincial Park, a tripartite agreement with Serpent River and Mississauga First Nations and the city of Elliot Lake; or the brand new, urban provincial park that we just announced intent to create in Uxbridge. Wherever you look, there is a beautiful provincial park in Ontario.

That’s why our government has made a historic commitment in the next two years of over $42 million to support the beautiful infrastructure at Ontario provincial parks so families can make memories—

I appreciate the question from the member opposite, and I appreciate her advocacy for increased recreational opportunities for Ontarians.

Speaker, I was proud to stand on Earth Day alongside the MPP for Pickering–Uxbridge, who has been a strong champion for the outdoors and the environment, to announce Ontario’s first-ever urban provincial park. This is also the first provincial park the province of Ontario is announcing in over 40 years.

Ontarians in the GTHA, Speaker, we know, don’t always have equal access to Ontario’s green spaces, unlike those living in other areas of the province. That’s why our government is working hard to bring more opportunities for all Ontarians to enjoy the great outdoors. As the trail capital of Ontario, Uxbridge is an ideal location, and I thank the many partners, who I’ll elaborate on in the supplementary, who joined us—

I want to thank all the partners who joined us on Earth Day for that announcement, who we’ve been working for years with to make Saturday possible. I’d like to thank Mayor Barton, first and foremost, from the town of Uxbridge; he has been a champion, working alongside our member. I’d like to thank regional chair John Henry. I’d like to thank John MacKenzie from the TRCA; Rob Baldwin from the Lake Simcoe conservation authority; the chair of our Protected Areas Working Group, Peter Kendall, who was there; the Nature Conservancy of Canada; the Schad Foundation; Earth Rangers; local high school students who were there. Speaker, this is what partnership looks like.

In closing, a special thank-you to John MacKenzie, whose legacy land donation helped make this possible. It’s important to note that legacy land donors like John—we’ve enabled them to protect these areas for generations to come, thanks to the Greenlands Conservation Partnership, which this minister increased for a historic $14 million in funding in the budget. It’s one of the reasons we’ve protected four times that of the previous government since the last election, and we’re going to continue protecting these crown jewels for generations to come.

Thank you to the member for that question. I value his friendship, mentorship and leadership. And most of all, he has been a true champion and strong voice for the north. He spoke to me of visiting fly-in communities in the north, and it’s in that spirit that I recently visited the north and the beautiful community of Elliot Lake. I cannot thank my hosts enough for the incredible, warm welcome that they extended to me. It’s true, Mr. Speaker, that northern Ontario hospitality is second to none. And they’re glad that in these members from the north, they now have a government that’s listening and championing their needs.

Ontario has signed a historic co-partnership agreement with the Mississagi Park Foundation, who will maintain and operate Mississagi Provincial Park. Under this agreement, parks operation will be shared between Serpent River First Nation, led by Chief Brent; Mississauga First Nation, led by Chief Bob; and the municipality of Elliot Lake, led by Mayor Andrew. I had the opportunity to sit down with all of them, and there are so many more—

And sometimes you just have to listen, so I was honoured to have the opportunity to learn from those Indigenous leaders, to learn from that municipality, who have signed a historic agreement.

We’re getting the job done—

Interjection.

This is a win for all residents of Elliot Lake, especially Serpent River and Mississauga First Nations, and most importantly, for all Ontarians, for our next generations who are going to learn from the Indigenous teachings and participate in the great outdoors for generations to come.

I want to thank the member for Perth–Wellington for that great question. I’m looking forward to joining you in your riding next week.

Speaker, I think everyone here in the chamber can agree: We all love Ontario parks, and we all love getting outdoors. As a lover of nature, I know first-hand the value of having such an extensive park system in the province of Ontario—in fact, a park system we’re expanding. I reflect fondly on the recent announcement to add Alfred Bog to this incredible system, preserving over 3,000 acres and protecting peat moss, one of the most important sources to sequester carbon.

Ontario parks attracted over 800,000 visitors last year, and this government is making investments. In fact, since 2018 alone, this government has invested over $50 million back into Ontario’s park system. These are ensuring that Ontarians are having the best possible visitor experience. We’re not done there, and I look forward to expanding on the great work in the supplementary.

You know, Speaker, when I became Minister of the Environment, I reflected that a previous government had no online store. There was no way to generate revenue from those parks visitors that demanded and wanted things like hoodies or the popular crest—and I see the member from Oshawa looking; I know she’s a crest lover as well. We wanted those crests, and online, you can now buy them. In fact, what’s exciting is that revenue that we now generate online, 100% of it is going right back into provincial parks. The only answer the Liberals had was to tax people.

Speaker, what’s exciting in the winter months: Arrowhead skating. I know members really enjoy that. In Sandbanks, we’ve invested over $5.6 million in new campgrounds alone, and I know our Minister of Energy is excited with that. We’ve also upgraded staffing facilities and built new ones so that the great employees can continue doing the great work. We’re the number one employee for students in the summer.

So I encourage everyone: Get out to the parks—