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.

My question is also to the Premier. After months of public pressure, this government has finally tabled legislation to reverse its own disastrous greenbelt grab. The Auditor General concluded that this government gave preferential treatment to a select few land speculators in their greenbelt decision. In fact, the government minister was found to have breached ethics law, while another minister was partying in Vegas with a favoured land speculator.

In total, we have seen the departure of three ministers and three senior Conservative staffers, and now a criminal investigation by the RCMP.

To the Premier: What actions will the Premier personally take if criminal charges are laid in his greenbelt scandal?

The Auditor General said that she can’t even call their greenbelt decision a process, but rather an “exercise,” an exercise that the Integrity Commissioner said was “rushed, non-transparent and almost reckless” and “marked by ... unnecessary hastiness and deception.”

Speaker, back to the Premier: How can the people of Ontario trust the government’s rushed, non-transparent and almost reckless decision-making processes?

Interjections.

My question is to the Attorney General. The Ombudsman’s investigation into delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board was a damning indictment of this government’s failure to provide justice to tenants and landlords. The Conservatives have had five years to fix the Landlord and Tenant Board, yet this report shows that the government has made the problem worse. Delays at the LTB have increased, and the number of people waiting for hearings has doubled to 38,000 people.

This government has accepted all the Ombudsman’s 61 recommendations to fix the LTB. When do you plan to implement those recommendations?

The Landlord and Tenant Board is a mess. Tenants are waiting up to two years to get their landlords to do basic repairs, stop harassing them, to deal with vermin. Landlords are waiting for months—if not years—just for a hearing while they lose on rent or lose their homes because they cannot keep up with their mortgages. This system isn’t working for anybody, and they have had five years to fix that.

Speaker, my question is, can this government actually commit to making those changes that the Ombudsman has recommended? Because Ontarians deserve a Landlord and Tenant Board that actually is working right now for Ontarians.

I want to thank the community members who have reached out and signed this petition. It is entitled “Protect the Greenbelt.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Bill 23 is the Ford government’s latest attempt to remove protected land from the greenbelt, allowing developers to bulldoze and pave over 7,000 acres of farmland in the greenbelt;

“Whereas Ontario is already losing 319.6 acres of farmland and green space daily to development;

“Whereas the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force found there are plenty of places to build homes without destroying the greenbelt;

“Whereas Ford’s repeated moves to tear up farmland and bulldoze wetlands have never been about housing, but are about making the rich richer;

“Whereas green spaces and farmland are what we rely on to grow our food, support natural habitats and prevent flooding;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately amend Bill 23, stop all plans to further remove protected land from the greenbelt and protect existing farmland in the province by passing the NDP’s Protecting Agricultural Land Act.”

Speaker, I fully support this petition, will affix my signature to it and give it to page Serena.