Congratulations to the member opposite on his Peterborough Petes winning the OHL Championship last week.

As usual, the member is correct. I know from my time as a critic on that side, Ontarians felt helpless as they watched their hydro bills just skyrocket on a monthly basis.

Then, in 2018, we took office. We began taking steps to reduce the costs and empower customers to lower their costs. We implemented the Ontario Electricity Rebate, the OER, which is lowering the cost of electricity by 12%. We introduced more customer choice. We gave customers the power to take control of their hydro bills with the Green Button standard being implemented right across, possibly saving customers up to 18%. Electricity customers also will soon have the right, and they do in some jurisdictions, to have an ultra-low overnight rate. I’m going to have more to say about the Peak Perks program coming up in my supplementary.

Interjections.

Thanks to the member from Whitby for the question.

From small modular reactors to battery storage, our government really has embraced innovative and bold energy solutions. That also includes last week’s announcement of a new Hydrogen Innovation Fund. This fund is $50 million that’s going to be invested over the next three years to kick-start and develop new opportunities for hydrogen to be integrated into Ontario’s clean energy system, including hydrogen electricity storage. This launch marks another milestone in the implementation of our low-carbon hydrogen strategy, positioning Ontario as a clean manufacturing hub for hydrogen. This fund is going to help us lay the groundwork for hydrogen to contribute to our diverse energy supply that we have in the province, Mr. Speaker, and it’s going to help us build on the clean-energy advantage that we now enjoy in Ontario.

By making these investments early, we’re paving the way for the growth of our own hydrogen economy in Ontario. We’re cleaning up the mess that was left by the previous Liberal government and bringing a stable Ontario energy supply to Ontario. It’s just one more part of our plan to build Ontario’s clean energy advantage and to make Ontario a leader in the latest frontier in energy, and that would be the hydrogen economy.

Thanks very much to the member opposite from Brampton for the great question this morning.

Our government knows that a reliable and affordable electricity grid isn’t just good for the economy; it’s also great for the environment.

We’ve stabilized electricity prices since the harmful days of the previous Liberal government, through programs like the comprehensive electricity plan, which has stabilized rates. It has allowed manufacturing jobs and new investment to come back to our province, like the $3.6-billion investment at Stellantis in the member opposite’s riding and down in the Windsor region as well—but it’s more than just that. Stabilizing our electricity rates also means that companies can now invest in electrifying their industrial businesses, like we’re seeing with the green steelmaking processes coming soon to Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie.

It’s because of a stable, reliable, affordable electricity grid that we will see reduced emissions in other parts of our economy, while at the same time watching our economy in this province grow.

The comprehensive electricity plan is reducing electricity costs for more than 50,000 industrial and commercial customers by 15% to 17%. To the member’s question: Why is that program necessary? Well, I can tell you, it’s necessary because of a decade of Liberals mucking up the energy policy in our province. They signed contracts under the Green Energy Act, locked in for 20 years, many at 80 cents a kilowatt hour, when our clean, reliable, affordable nuclear power was available for eight cents a kilowatt hour and our hydroelectric was available for four cents a kilowatt hour. The Liberals kept signing these contracts that were driving up the price of electricity and were going to continue to drive up the price of electricity by 6%, 7%, 8% year over year, through the end of the decade. The comprehensive energy plan is meant to fix the problems that were created by the Liberal government.

We are bringing back a stable electricity system to our province so that our economy can thrive.

I want to assure the member from Whitby that, yes, the power is going to be there and the lights will go on when they flick the switches in Canada’s clean energy capital in Durham region.

We’re taking action to ensure that our electricity grid can support the incredible growth and the electrification that we’re seeing in Ontario. Our work includes announcing Canada’s first grid-scale small modular reactor on the site not too far from his riding, in Darlington. Just last week I was pleased to join my federal counterpart, Minister Wilkinson: $970 million is on its way to that project from the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

We’re supporting the continued operation of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. We’ve increased efficiency programs—$342 million to expand those efficiency programs. We’re re-contracting biomass and hydroelectric, and our ongoing competitive procurement that’s in place is going ensure we’re getting the reliable and affordable electricity that we need to power this province.