Back to the Premier: As someone who has owned several small businesses, I know first-hand how hard it is to get a small business off the ground. I launched my businesses before today’s challenges of every fast technology change and costly inflation hikes.

Sonja Scharf, a small business owner in my riding, told me, “The Digital Main Street Program helps small businesses like ours offset costs and build an online presence. This program is an extremely valuable asset to small businesses. I can only praise their work.”

Now is not the time for the Premier to pull the plug on Digital Main Street funding, and it’s never time to abandon small businesses in Ontario. Yes or no: Will the Premier reverse course, listen to the small business owners and maintain funding to keep the lights on for the Digital Main Street Program?

Thank you for the applause, and thank you, Speaker.

To the Premier—my question is for you. Jennie, a local parent, told my office—and I’m going to share her story: “I am one of those parents whose child relies on ... absolutely incredible education workers.” They have “to be toileted, supervised during meals (to prevent choking), to safely walk” down the stairs and up the stairs, “have medications administered” and yes, the child still has to learn.

Speaker, this government gave 88% of their PC MPPs a $16,600 raise this June. My question to the Premier: Will this government be willing to actually give education workers a raise that they deserve and match it to inflation?

I’m going to share another story with you, Premier—and through the Speaker. Carrie, another teacher, tells my office: “One of our ECEs held a girl in her lap until her grandpa came” because she was throwing up “in a garbage can. The ECE refused to leave” this little girl, because she was scared and nervous.

Carrie then tells me, “I watched our other ECE march down the kinders to the library because they had to evacuate the classroom while their education assistant was controlling a friend who was having a moment,” or episode. “All the littles had adorable beautiful smiles” on their faces as they passed the teacher’s window and gave her a wave. “They didn’t know anything was wrong” in their classroom, despite the fact that there was. A caretaker then marched down the hallway with a bucket in hand to clean up the mess on the floor because four students got sick that same day. All of that happened within a 24-hour period.

Speaker, will this government show a fraction of the emotional intelligence that we see education workers exercise every single day and return to the bargaining table and give them a fair deal?

My constituent Andrew reached out to me saying, “I make decent money as an engineer but there is no way I will be able to afford a house in the next 10 years. It makes me want to leave. Many believe that zoning and supply are the issues, but demand is artificially generated by those who are rich enough to speculate and pay cash. Their greed will never run out.”

Speaker, every housing expert notes that supply alone didn’t create the housing crisis; speculators with insider connections did.

What is this government doing to stop the rampant speculation taking home ownership out of reach for young families and tenants?

Speaker, while encampments grow in every Ontario city, why is this government worsening inflation by allowing a historic rent increase?