Press Release - June 18, 2025 "Looking Back on the Spring 2025 Session"

by: MPP John Vanthof

In February, Premier Ford called an early election claiming that he needed a new mandate to “Protect Ontario” from the Trump tariff threat.  While he won the election, his claim of protecting the province has fallen short.

The legislature rose for the summer last week, and it was announced that it would not sit again until the end of October, almost two months later than normal.  The government passed many bills in the short six-week session, the most problematic being Bill 5.

Bill 5 was sold as a way to make mine permitting go more smoothly; that’s the part which the opposition agrees with, but most of the bill is a basic attack on our legal and democratic system.  Under Bill 5, the Premier and cabinet can declare any area of the province a “Special Economic Zone” and can suspend whatever provincial or municipal laws they see fit. They claim this power is needed to defend against Trump’s tariff threats, but the first lawless zone is Ontario Place.  I don’t think a fancy spa is going to do much to stop the tariffs.  This legislation is dangerous for several reasons; the possibility of corruption is increased when ministers have the power to override laws.  Why should rules and regulations be different for certain companies or people in the same province?  Nobody should be above the law.  If regulations are bad or outdated, they should be improved for everyone, not eliminated for a select few.  Rather than speeding up development, this bill could have the exact opposite effect, creating uncertainty and confusion in the business community.

Since the election, we have continued to focus on highway safety and improvements. I co-sponsored a Private Members Bill with MPP Guy Bourgouin and MPP Lise Vaugeois on Tuesday June 4th called the Northern Highway 11 and 17 Safety Act 2025.  The bill proposed to make it mandatory for inspection stations to be open at least 12 hours per day, increase enforcement of the highway traffic act, have mandatory testing for commercial truck drivers by MTO-certified inspectors, and return maintenance management of highways 11 and 17 to the MTO.  During the consultation process for the Northern Highway Safety Plan, these were the changes that could be implemented immediately.  We plan to continue the consultation process and to continue to put pressure on the government to improve highway safety.  The only part of the TransCanada highway that isn’t divided into four lanes is through northern Ontario.  Fixing this bottleneck should be an issue of national importance, especially with expanded domestic trade.

Housing starts have also slumped lower. The government continues to put forth housing legislation that isn’t working. Although it was mentioned as a priority during the election, Ontario still has the lowest housing starts in 2025 compared to years previous and a 17% decline is projected over the next 3 years.  This isn’t good for anyone: buyers, builders, or investors. 

Furthermore, access to healthcare, especially for family doctors, remains a serious issue in the riding and the rest of rural Canada.  In some cases, municipal recruitment efforts and the responsibilities of healthcare organizations have come into conflict.  The province needs to step in to facilitate doctor recruitment across the province to ensure equal access to healthcare for everyone. 

Finally, although the legislature is closed, our offices and the ministries we deal with remain open, and if you see me at any events, please come and say hello.  We are always happy to help you with any issues you may be having with Ontario government programs.