Speaker, I’m proud to rise to talk about a fund—a fund that, sadly, the opposition voted against: the Skills Development Fund. It’s over a billion dollars, and it has helped train half a million Ontarians.

Let me tell you two quick stories—one, Shanika. I met her at the newcomers’ centre in downtown Toronto. She talked about purpose-driven careers, thanks to work this government is doing supporting Sara Asalya and the team there with the Skills Development Fund investment. Thanks to that, she has gotten out of dead-end jobs; she has now got purpose in her life, because we’re lifting her up—something the opposition would never do.

Another story: Phil Fournier, Ironworkers 759—again, working dead-end cash jobs, not paying taxes; now a contributing member of the north. He’s inspiring. He’s training the next generation of ironworkers. He has joined the union up there, again, thanks to the Skills Development Fund.

This government is going to continue investing in the skilled trades because we’re actually building things. After decades of neglect, we’re getting it done for highways, roads, bridges—you name it. We’re getting it done and training—

Speaker, this is the face of Ontarians, why we serve in this place. The Bowman family—I didn’t know when I became labour minister, but I recall walking home one night and having a conversation with Alisen Bowman, and I’d like to thank that family for being here today. She told me the story of her husband. Captain Craig, affectionately known as Opie Bowman, who served at the Welland fire department with courage, skill and professionalism. He was a true hero who went into harm’s way to save others. He was a husband, he was a father, he was a brother and a brother to the men and women who served the Welland fire department. He tragically passed away after a battle with cancer at the far-too-young age of 47.

Speaker, cancer is the scourge that has affected many in this place I’m sure, but why did Craig get cancer? We know that firefighters are at far greater risk of occupational exposures. In fact, in fighting one fire they could be exposed to chemicals that we wouldn’t be exposed to in a lifetime.

To help firefighters and their families like the Bowmans, we’ve expanded cancer coverage for firefighters, assuming any thyroid or pancreatic cancer is related to their jobs. That means they get faster access to benefits and supports, and we made our changes retroactive to January 1, 1960, in this legislation. We’ll always work to support firefighters, Speaker.

When I spoke to Alisen and her daughter, who’s been a remarkable advocate for the well-being of firefighters now across Ontario—I remember I went down with Megan, who is standing up there, who has worked very hard for this Ministry of Labour for a number of years. We went down to the Welland fire department, and I had an opportunity to meet and speak with the family whom I had spoken with on the phone. I think when we all kiss our loved ones goodbye in the morning, we expect that they’ll return home healthy at the end of the day. As I said, we know firefighters are exposed to greater perils on the job than many of us and, I would say, than any of us here in this place.

Speaker, what was cruel and what was wrong about Craig’s case was that the esophageal cancer that he passed away from—you had a requirement previously to serve for a minimum of 25 years before that would be a presumptive exposure and therefore be guaranteed WSIB benefits. He served 24-plus years, just shy. He was so close to that mark.

In the spirit of non-partisanship, I know from conversations I’ve had with MPP Burch and others—Sandy Shaw, who’s across the way. We’ve had conversations about this. I think we all recognize that we can and must do more. I’m really glad to say, in that spirit, that we all stand behind the Bowman family in making these changes.

We will never get that hero back. We won’t get Craig back, sadly, tragically. But what he leaves behind is a legacy. He leaves behind a legacy that will affect firefighters and their families across Ontario forevermore. I don’t think there can be any greater purpose in life than leaving behind a legacy that will touch the lives of all firefighters in this great province.

This bill, if passed, would make changes that would be retroactive to 1960. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board would be required to re-adjudicate those denied claims in accordance with the proposed changes and to consider new claims that meet the shortened employment duration that I mentioned. The employment service time before diagnosis would now be reduced to 15 years, down from the current requirement of 25 years of service. As I said, that will be retroactive to January 1, 1960.

We owe it to our province’s firefighters and their families to make this right, and that’s exactly what our government intends to do. This legislation builds on past measures.

But I have to, again, thank the Bowman family. Thank you for your advocacy. Thank you for keeping Craig alive in this place, in this province. His spirit lives on, and his advocacy and the advocacy of this family are ensuring that firefighters and their families will be protected across Ontario. Thank you.

Speaker, we’re incredibly grateful, and I look forward to a prolonged relationship with the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association: Greg, Bob, Gavin—I don’t know if Gavin is here as well—and the team. They have been incredible to work with and such strong advocates for firefighters. I’m very grateful for the relationship that all members of this place have with the OPFFA. My door will always remain open for those firefighters who serve on the front lines, who keep our communities safe. We’re grateful for them.

Speaker, this bill also takes measures to protect service employees. Today, we’re building on our government’s Working for Workers momentum and continuing to put workers first. Service employees are essential to many businesses, and the work they do makes all of our lives better and easier. Recent data show that Ontario’s restaurant and service industry is made up of more than 400,000 employees, more than 6% of the province’s workforce.

But often, these same people, the ones who do so much to make sure we have a good time with family and friends—we’re on the heels of Family Day weekend, and I’m sure many in this place enjoyed time with family and friends at one of many restaurants across Ontario. We know that when they’re out, those men and women who work in the service sector are falling behind, and it’s through no fault of their own. Dining and dashing can be a big cost to businesses. Gas-and-dash thefts cost Ontario businesses over $3 million in 2022 alone. I know my colleague from Mississauga–Malton has been a champion on this issue. He has been an advocate on Ontario drawing attention to this theft, and we’re taking action.

While Ontario’s Employment Standards Act generally requires employees to be paid at least minimum wage for all hours worked and prohibits pay deductions for stolen property, the fact is unpaid trial shifts and punitive deductions for stolen property are still all too common in the restaurant and service industries. The fear of wages being withheld has led to tragic consequences while trying to stop someone from running out on their meal or not paying at the pump.

No employee should have to forfeit part of their paycheque when a bad customer dines and dashes. We’re making it explicit in the Employment Standards Act that no employee should be asked to work for free in an unpaid trial shift. These situations are unacceptable, and they must not continue. That’s why we’re proposing changes to the Employment Standards Act to better protect restaurant employees and other employees in the service industry, to clarify that employees must be paid for work performed during trial shifts, and make clear that employers can never deduct an employee’s wages in the event of a dine-and-dash, gas-and-dash, haircut-and-dash, or in any other situation where a customer leaves without paying for goods or services.

Speaker, these employees do much to ensure we are looked after when we go out for an evening on the town or when we get gas. We need to ensure they are paid for their work. It’s the right thing to do. This legislation would, if passed, provide that work performed during trial periods must be paid. I spoke to some workers in the restaurant sector, just the other day, about this, Speaker, and I know clarity from this place, clarity from this government is welcome in that sector. When someone steals from a store or runs from a restaurant or gas pump, that’s a matter for the police.

But we’re not stopping there. Speaker, many service industries operate at a fast pace. Employees can be required to work long hours and endure gruelling physical demands, like being on their feet all day. On top of this, they obviously deal with the occasional difficult customer, but no matter what, these employees must smile and put on a positive attitude because tips can significantly impact the success of their shift. The last thing they need to do is to deal with the added stress of worrying about unjust treatment affecting their tips.

If passed, this legislation does some important things. It will require employers to post in the workplace a copy of any existing policy related to an employer, a director or shareholder of an employer sharing in pooled tips. Many good employers already do this, but we’re ensuring that this happens across Ontario. These people can only share in a tip pool if they regularly perform, to a substantial degree, the same work as their staff. Again, in many small businesses, owners do do this, and this is a practice that they gladly post and share to their employees. This would help everyone know how tips are divided. As well, this legislation would, if passed, require employers to post the policy in a prominent spot in the workplace, in a place where every worker can see it. Everyone from the newest hire to the seasoned pro would see exactly how things work, empowering them with this information.

But that’s not all, Speaker. Tips and gratuities would need to be paid using cash, cheque or direct deposit. We know artificial intelligence is affecting the workplace. Speaker, I’ve met a number of service workers who have told me that apps, things on your phone now, are being used to pay out tips. Those apps deduct and charge a fee for every time you deduct your tips. Speaker, that’s not fair. We’re proposing common-sense changes in response to the rise of digital payment platforms on phones and in the service industry, which include fees for those employees to access their tips—again, it’s unjust—as well as potential technical and security issues.

Workers in the service industry should not have to pay to access their own hard-earned money for going above and beyond in the service of their work. The proposed changes would require employers who pay tips through direct deposit to allow their employees to select which account they want them to be deposited into. This would help employees avoid fees that they did not agree to. This would also help employees manage their money by choosing the account that works best for them.

Speaker, it’s all about fairness, clarity and giving employees control over how they receive their well-deserved tips if their employer pays them by direct deposit. We want employees to be able to focus on their work, not on possible unfair treatment involving their tips and wages.

Far too often, those who put in an honest shift, those who save every day to build a better life for their family, who deliver services to make our lives better and help drive our economy, are struggling to get ahead. We see them. We hear them. That’s why we’re also proposing changes to put them in the driver’s seat. How many times have we spoken to someone—in the first few months of being labour minister, speaking to people who are working hard? I spoke with a single mother, a newcomer, the other day, working very hard to provide for her family, her two beautiful children. That better job, that elusive bigger paycheque, requires you to apply to another job. You go through those hurdles. It’s sometimes like an Olympic marathon race just to get to that finish line—the job offer—just to find out that the salary and compensation is nowhere near what you had thought.

That awkward conversation about salaries and wages—if you do it and ask those questions too soon, you may be viewed in ill light by your employer; if you wait too late, you might not know and you go through all that process. But we’re saying, Speaker, especially for those working jobs in the middle class, that we recognize those challenges. We’re recognizing that employees are facing other challenges as the workplace evolves, so we need all hands on deck to solve these challenges.

So we’re proposing legislation here, Speaker, that would require employers to disclose salary ranges of these jobs, putting these workers in the driver’s seat so that they can know before they apply if the salary range of that job they’re applying for is the job that they’re looking for and is in the compensation range that they want and that they feel they deserve.

Despite 250,000 jobs in Ontario going unfilled recently, job seekers face that discouraging cycle, as I mentioned, applying for that job just to find out at the end that that job is less than you earn today. And, Speaker, as an added by-product of this, we know from feedback and round tables that I’ve had as minister that this also is an important step in tackling the gender pay gap. It’s not a silver bullet, Speaker, and I’ll say that right now, but it is an important step.

Providing transparency for job seekers helps enable them to make better decisions about their future and about job moves. To put it simply, giving out this information about jobs right at the beginning is a win-win for everyone involved.

In addition, Speaker, I would like to talk a bit about non-disclosure agreements—another initiative we’re bringing forward. Sometimes, workers, through no fault of their own, are sexually harassed or subjected to mistreatment or violence in the workplace. Unfortunately, seven in 10 report experiencing some form of harassment or violence in the workplace. To help end workplace misconduct and hold abusers to account, we’re proposing to consult on ending the use of non-disclosure agreements in the settlement of cases of workplace sexual harassment or violence.

I had a woman come into my office who works a job in the city, Speaker, and she said, “You know, when you said that the day for these creeps is over, I wanted to share my story.” So if this consultation does but one thing in enabling them to share their story, it’s a win.

But we’re also recognizing that NDAs are far too often used to silence victims. We know from consultation with the legal community that they support these consultations. We understand and want to empower victims. In the cases where NDAs will support and put the victim first, we, of course, don’t want to remove that ability. But by launching consultations on this and making it clear that corporate executives and senior employers in companies will not be protected—their day is numbered if it comes to harassment, in particular sexual harassment in the workplace—we’re going to empower victims by ensuring they are never muzzled or silenced by a non-disclosure agreement.

Speaker, we recognize, as I mentioned, that we’ll continue to engage the legal community, employers, and above all, survivors, like that remarkable woman who stepped forward and came into my office. We’ll work with them over the coming months and ensure that what we bring forward has the support of all those communities. We’ll continue to listen to survivors, legal experts throughout this consultation process and hold bad actors who want to evade accountability to account.

Speaker, this bill does so many things, and I see from the clock that I’m running out of time, so I just want to pause and say that Ontario is changing. We’re not immune to the broader economic headwinds, but this is a government that has launched the largest Skills Development Fund. This is a government that recognizes that measuring employment services, measuring social assistance supports solely by the metric of the size of a cheque cut to an individual or the number of people being serviced is not a metric to measure success. It’s a metric that was used by previous governments. But what inspires me the most is going to the newcomer centre, talking to an asylum seeker who was callously left on the streets of Toronto by this federal government but who, thanks to our Skills Development Fund, now has the dignity of a job, but more importantly than that, Speaker, has found a sense of purpose, contributing to the Canadian dream, her Canadian dream, contributing to her community.

We’re empowering those people to earn better jobs, bigger paycheques. We’re doing it through enhancing the Employment Standards Act, ensuring health and safety is protected, supporting the front-line heroes that keep our community safe. Yes, we can talk about community safety and have the backs of our front-line officers, our front-line firefighters, our front-line first responders and paramedics.

Speaker, I’m grateful to live in this great province, this country that’s given so many, so many newcomers. But we recognize that artificial intelligence and technology is disrupting the workplace, so we’re taking action. We recognize that for young people trapped in their parents’ basement, the dream of home ownership just too far away—giving them the skill sets, giving them the leg up, giving them access to a better job and a bigger paycheque, having the Skills Development Fund that is targeting the hardest-to-place people, breaking down, bashing the glass ceiling in the skilled trades for women, empowering them on job sites, ensuring that as we build an Ontario that actually builds hospitals, actually builds subways.

You know, the previous government studied stuff to death. We’re actually getting the job done, getting shovels in the ground. We have 50 hospital projects under construction today. We’re empowering men and women on the front line of the building trades, technical trades and so much more. We’re a world-class destination for life sciences and STEM, a world-class destination where people from foreign shores look to Ontario for opportunity and a better future, and this government is giving them that leg up, Speaker. This government is getting shovels in the ground, building an Ontario not for yesterday but an Ontario for tomorrow.

We can’t do it without talking to workers, and I’m grateful for the opportunity on every job site. I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to sit down with educators, to sit down with health care professionals like those nurses I just sat down with at NHH, to sit down with men and women in the skilled trades, to break down barriers for racialized, for marginalized individuals, and then to ensure everyone can achieve their full potential in this great province that is Ontario.

I want to close by once again thanking the Bowman family, thanking the firefighters of this province. This is a big move in this legislation that will forever enshrine Captain Craig Bowman’s legacy. I want to thank them for being here today once again, and for your advocacy. You’re going to continue doing that advocacy, and I know your dad would be incredibly proud looking down on you doing that.

Thank you, Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak. I’d like to turn it over to my incredible colleague the member for Mississauga–Malton.

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, 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.

I appreciate the question from the member opposite.

It’s important that Ontarians know that we’re very blessed to live in this province that has such robust standards for water—the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, the Health Protection and Promotion Act.

It’s unfortunate that the member opposite is choosing to politicize water rather than work with this government to make investments that protect water.

That’s why, as a government, as I mentioned in the previous answer, we’ve worked at no charge to train water operators—dealing with systemic challenges in training for water operators—in Indigenous communities. That’s why we’re working with rural municipalities, the Ontario Clean Water Agency, and dealing with staff and retention challenges there. That’s why we’re investing in the modern and critical infrastructure.

That member said “urgent action”—that’s why we’ve required updated monitoring and reporting in her own community, to ensure that we’re protecting water for generations to come and investing in the modern infrastructure to support those growing communities.

Thank you to the member opposite for that question. This report rightly highlights the need to do more. That’s why the Premier is doing just that. Hoesung Lee, the chair of the UN panel, spoke about low-carbon electrification and investing in those projects. That’s why Premier Ford is working with Algoma Steel and Dofasco to electrify the arc furnace. That’s supporting jobs, Mr. Speaker, and it’s taking two million cars off the road. That’s why, in this report, they called for investments in public transit. There is no government in this province’s history that has invested more in public transit than Premier Ford and this government.

Speaker, we’re going to continue to make the investments we need to provide clean jobs for the next generation. For the immigrant looking to come to this province, we’ll have a home for them and a clean job for generations to come.

Speaker, we know they can’t see the forest through the trees, but on this side of the House, we’re going to continue making investments to support clean jobs, clean growth and a low-carbon future for Ontarians.

I appreciate the question from the member opposite.

When it comes to acting to build a more sustainable environment, this government is acting. We’ve spent a record investment in public transit, taking millions of cars off the road. That member voted against it. When it comes to climate change impact assessment—the first of its kind—that member voted against it. When it comes to countless commitments—working on getting housing built for our next generation—he voted against it. What is his solution? His solution is to punish low-income and middle-class families with a carbon tax that is so punitive that we would drive jobs out and impoverish an entire generation of Ontarians.

When it comes to acting, we’re working with industries like Algoma and Dofasco—the largest industrial decarbonization in Ontario’s history. We’re going to continue doing that, ensuring green jobs for generations to come.

My grandfather came to this country and worked in the steel sector. He would be proud to know that this government is decarbonizing, working with industry, expanding jobs.

If that member spent a little less time crowing and harassing people outside health clinics and actually sitting down with job creators, with research institutions, he would know that when it comes to GHG reductions, Navius, an independent world leader, validated this province’s plan to reach our climate goals by 2030.

We’re going to continue working with industry and investing record amounts in public transit, which he voted against; record amounts in housing, which he voted against; record amounts to ensure that we can build a more sustainable future, taking meaningful action, working with industry. I just wish he would join us and bring meaningful solutions, instead of harassment—

Interjections.

I appreciate the question from the member, and I share his views that action is required now. Canada, in fact, is the only jurisdiction in North America with the critical minerals required to support full EVs. And we’re blessed in Ontario with an abundance of natural beauty and, of course, the natural resources we require to support electrification. This Premier, this government, in partnership with municipalities and Indigenous partners, are unlocking that potential. In fact, working with partners in Webequie First Nation and Marten Falls First Nation, we’re undertaking a first-of-its-kind partnership that will open the corridor to prosperity and ensure the critical minerals we need to decarbonize—minerals that will fuel Ontario’s growing electric vehicle revolution that has supported the $16 billion this Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, in working with the Premier, has attracted to this province. It is truly historic. This work will bring good jobs to remote and northern communities in the province of Ontario, ensuring green jobs for next-generation Ontarians for—

For a young worker in the steel sector, like my grandfather, who came here from Italy with no money in his pockets, who worked in the open-hearth blast furnace—they now know that green jobs of the future are going to happen at Dofasco and Algoma as we electrify the arc furnace to secure green jobs for generations to come.

But we’re not stopping there; we’re building the public transit we need. You know the U with the line crossed through it? The only major jurisdiction that had it—we’re building public transit and the subways—

This government is addressing the housing crisis facing Ontarians. That’s why we’ve brought forward this plan that’s going to expand the greenbelt and develop areas that are beside fully serviced areas beside the 401, 404 and 418, which makes sense, Speaker.

I would also add that Ontario is among Canada’s leaders in protected areas last year, doing things like the Boreal Wildlands, making additions to the Hastings wildlife, making additions in Brighton, the South Shore Joint Initiative for migratory—

Interjection.

I’d like to thank the member for Thunder Bay–Atikokan for that excellent question. He’s right: Too often we hear this false choice. Environmental protection and economic development go hand in hand, and that’s a belief of this government. In fact, that worrying false dichotomy presents a fundamental lack of belief in Ontarians and in the potential of the men and women in the north.

Speaker, there is no net-zero without mining. In the north, the corridor to prosperity means the critical minerals we need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

Just this past week, I approved, with my powers under the Environmental Assessment Act, Generation PGM’s Marathon mine project. This approval is a guarantee that this vital project will go forward for the people of northern Ontario.

Ontario is leading Canada, showing that by working with businesses, not taxing them, we can realize the potential of the north, work hand in hand with Indigenous partners, and ensure that Ontario is at the forefront of decarbonization.

I’d like to thank the member opposite for her leadership and advocacy to support a critical need in housing. We heard it through the last election and we know that our municipal counterparts heard it through theirs. For years, Ontarians have struggled to find attainable home ownership. Parents and grandparents are looking in the eyes of their children, wondering if they’ll ever have a place to call home. And if we’re going to be honest with ourselves, Speaker, that means we need to build the critical infrastructure to support that housing growth. Simply put, Ontarians deserve reliability and strong environmental oversight for simple actions like turning the faucet on or flushing the toilet.

It’s not sexy, I know, but for years, the previous Liberal government ignored this critical infrastructure needed to give people the dignity of a roof over their head and a place to call home, and for years, these regions struggled to meet their population growth numbers because of neglect by the previous Liberal government. Well, I’m proud to say that under the leadership of this Premier and this Minister of Housing, we’re solving the problem. We are getting shovels in ground on the roads, the bridges, the houses and, yes, the critical water and waste water infrastructure needed so that people can have a place to call home in the province of Ontario.

And finally, they’ve done the important work of looking at optimizing existing infrastructure. They’ve done excellent work, and that’s why our ministry is here, providing certainty for both regions, to support the growth, working with Indigenous partners to meet important duty-to-consult requirements. And, Speaker—