My question is for the Premier. Speaker, the public still remembers the bread price-fixing scandal where grocers reached a secret agreement to inflate the cost of bread for more than 14 years. They said they were sorry, but since then big corporations’ profits continue to reach all-time highs while Ontarians’ monthly budgets get tighter, and shrinkflation means we’re literally getting less for our money.

Speaker, something just doesn’t smell right in Ontario’s grocery stores. Can the Premier tell Ontarians what he’s doing to hold big corporations accountable and put a stop to price gouging?

It’s time to stop cozying up to powerful billionaires and start taking a much closer look at their business practices. Speaker, what is the Premier doing to investigate price gouging and make sure Ontarians aren’t getting ripped off on groceries?

NOSIs are a type of lien against property commonly used today to scam and extort Ontarians across our province, especially our seniors. Earlier this year, the Ontario NDP tabled a bill to ban them and put an end to this abuse. The minister said he agreed with us, but here we are two months later, and we are still waiting while homeowners continue to get scammed.

Will the minister commit today to banning these secretive, harmful liens against homes in Ontario and, if so, tell us when he will make it into law?

There are countless Ontarians with these secretive, harmful liens on their homes, including an elderly couple in my community with a dozen of them totalling more than $100,000.

I recently tabled a motion calling on the government to immediately notify all homeowners who have these liens on their homes, because the people deserve to know.

Will the minister support this important motion?

Last month, I held a meeting where I informed my community about fraud and the abuse of a type of lien against a property called a notice of security interest, or NOSI for short.

As you know, people across our province, especially seniors and vulnerable members of our communities, have been victimized by unscrupulous door-to-door salespeople who have used every trick in the book to try to scam them into a bad contract. Many of these scams involve NOSIs without the knowledge of the victim. So these liens sit unnoticed until the time comes to sell, take out a loan, or refinance your home. During this stressful time, the victims are extorted to pay large amounts to have the lien removed, or spend loads of time and money in the courts trying to reverse this vexatious registration. These liens are often in the tens of thousands. A family in my riding had over a dozen NOSIs placed on their home—a dozen.

In many cases, the personal banking and identification of these victims are trafficked and used to commit other types of fraud. In extreme cases, the victims are tricked into signing reverse mortgages in an attempt for the thieves to steal their homes.

At my town hall, residents couldn’t believe that the government hasn’t put an end to this yet. I let my residents know about our private members’ bill to ban NOSIs, and they all insisted that it be passed immediately.

Once again, I call on this government to ban NOSIs in Ontario and to notify all Ontarians who have a NOSI on their property, free of charge.

Imagine signing a contract for a preconstruction freehold home. You put down large sums of money during these tough times, and after waiting years, you’re shocked to find out in the media that the project has been cancelled.

This continues to happen under this government, and the government regulator will only post cancellations for condos, but not freehold homes. This information is vital for consumers, so they can make the most informed choice when choosing a builder. Why is the government letting their regulator cherry-pick the information it discloses to consumers on the builder directory?

What is taking the government so long in fixing the builder directory, so consumers have the absolutely necessary information they need to make the best decision in purchasing a newly built home?

Life has never been so expensive, and now more than ever we need real consumer protection in Ontario. People are paying more for less, and when you get gouged, ripped off or taken advantage of, where do you turn? How about the ministry’s consumer hotline? Tens of thousands of complaints, and not a single fine laid—so you get a lawyer to fight a giant industry that can crush you like a bug. It’s the classic story of David and Goliath.

Last year, I tabled a solution: the Ontario Consumer Watchdog Act—the creation of a powerful advocate who would have the back of consumers and the resources and powers to stand up to Goliath. And do you know what? The government said no. They voted on the side of Goliath.

This afternoon, I’m proud to table a new and strengthened Ontario Consumer Watchdog Act that reflects the crushing times consumers are facing. I’m calling on all members of this House to do the right thing and support this very important NDP bill to bring real consumer protection to Ontario.

Thank you, Speaker. As you’ve heard, there are far too many condo residents facing big problems with no easy solutions here in Ontario, with nowhere to turn. Many end up fighting in court and are forced to give up, leaving them worse off than when they started, without a resolution and in debt. In my community, condo residents were individually forced to pay a special assessment of over $30,000, in mere days, or face a lien. Many were forced to sell. Others fought in court but gave up when legal costs hit $100,000.

Again, when will the government implement all of the recommendations in the Auditor General’s report, such as fully expanding the condominium appeal tribunal so that condo residents can finally get the respect they need and deserve?

Buying a new home should be a dream, not a nightmare. We continue to hear about bad builders who extort homebuyers by raising the price of homes after contracts have been signed, or turn around and cancel the contract and re-sell the home to the highest bidder. This has to stop.

Your regulator, the HCRA, has only investigated 10% of all complaints, and not a single fine has been laid. To make matters worse, because of the government regulator’s inaction, many homebuyers have had to spend thousands and thousands of dollars in court, sign NDAs and go through years of unnecessary stress, because your government regulator isn’t protecting them.

Why is this government letting this happen, and if they’re not willing to act, are they willing to reimburse homebuyers for their legal fees since they are unwilling to protect them?

The Ex is opening on Friday. Every year, TSSA safety inspectors and engineers are at the Ex inspecting every nut and bolt to ensure that people are kept safe. But now, OPSEU inspectors are on strike, and the society engineers are in conciliation. The people are rightfully concerned about their safety.

What is the Premier doing to get TSSA back to the table to negotiate a fair deal so families can feel safe again?

Since inspectors have been on strike, there have been multiple issues at amusement parks across the province: a miniature-train derailment, a fire, multiple ride failures. And it’s not just amusement parks. There has been a propane blast in Sudbury, multiple elevator failures. New condominium and other construction is delayed. The list goes on. These inspectors and engineers are also responsible for the safety of so many things, including our nuclear power plants.

The public are worried for their safety. What is this government waiting for?