Speaker, today we’re amidst the most severe housing and homelessness crisis in recent memory. Every day, the Premier reiterates his commitment to providing shelter for the people of Ontario, yet year after year, tenants and landlords alike are left waiting for justice.

The backlog at Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board has ballooned to over 53,000 cases. This backlog is not merely a statistic but is a testament to a system spiralling out of control, as highlighted in the report by Tribunal Watch Ontario. Tenants facing maintenance disputes endure extremely long waits of over 14 months for resolution, while landlords struggling with rent non-payment eviction cases are left hanging for more than a year. This is unacceptable. The report highlights that the root of this issue lies in the politicization of the LTB by the Ontario government, by this Conservative government, favouring political appointments over experienced professionals. Regional centres shuttered under this government have only exacerbated the delays. Every day, my office hears about the profound consequences of this, with individuals bearing significant personal costs: lost housing; poor living conditions for tenants; and significant financial hardships, particularly impacting small landlords.

Speaker, our Ontario NDP colleagues and I are calling on this government to implement much-needed reforms of the LTB suggested by the Ombudsman. It’s time to ensure that all Ontarians receive the justice and relief they so desperately need.

I listened to both the member from Durham and the member from Richmond Hill asking for support for this legislation, and one of the things I’m really concerned about, Speaker, is the crisis in our housing across this province. Not only can’t people rent, but people are seeing the high mortgage payments and the increasing property taxes. We’re seeing this is going to happen in Toronto, as well.

How do you justify the cut by your government of $124.4 million in this budget to municipal affairs?

I want to thank the member for her presentation. You know when you have finished an hour and you run out of time talking about this that there are significant issues that need to be addressed. So I want to thank her for her presentation, which was informative.

My question is regarding the Premier’s recent comment just a little while ago, I believe, when he came to the children’s hospital in Ottawa. I’m sure everyone knows that CHEO had to recently call in the Red Cross to help, and the Premier said that he is glad that they’re thinking outside the box. Instead of taking responsibility and actually doing something, he is praising the hospital.

I have heard pediatricians talk about the crisis and talk about how we don’t just need beds but we need to have the human resources. We need to have the nurses, the doctors, the people who are in the hospital to support them.

So my question to the member is: What are some of the things that we could have seen in this budget that would have actually helped address our health care crisis?

My question is to the Premier. On three separate occasions just recently, families in Scarborough Southwest have had to rely on calling 911 because their family member was going through a mental health crisis—and that is only in the hope that they might get professional support for mental health. I heard from one parent whose daughter has been waiting, after immense trauma, for 18 months to get mental health support. Another parent called me in tears, feeling guilty that she had no choice but to call 911 for her son. This is the terrifying reality across our province to get mental health support.

My question is very simple: What will this government do so that families do not have to rely on 911 emergency services or wait for more than a year to get mental health support?

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, the number of people waiting for mental health supports has increased by 135%, with an increase of 175% in the number of people who need urgent assessment and support and who may be at risk of homelessness. The CMHA has only received a total funding increase of 3.9% over the last 11 years, nowhere close to the rate of those seeking mental health supports, especially in my community and communities across this province, or to the level of mental health and addictions support necessary.

Will this government commit today to consistent annual increases to meet the need of mental health and addictions support services across this province?