PM, Premier discuss housing, infrastructure and labour shortages

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Ontario Construction News staff writer

Housing and labour market shortages were on the agenda Tuesday when Premier Doug Ford met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Queen’s Park.

The premier and prime minister also discussed the current state of health care in Ontario and across the country and agreed to work closely as governments and with partners on the front line to implement innovative solutions to problems that have been decades in the making.

Ford told reporters he had a “great meeting” with Trudeau and is “very very confident” that they will come to a deal on health care funding and reform.

“We know how urgent this is and we’re gonna make sure that we sit down and really work out a deal,” Ford said.

The leaders discussed solutions to tackle the housing crisis, including Ontario’s progress on the plan to build 1.5 million homes in 10 years. Recent steps include giving municipalities the tools to speed up housing construction and leveraging surplus provincial lands. They agreed that all three levels of government must work together to do what they can to get more homes built faster.

They also talked about Ontario’s need to welcome more economic and skilled immigrants to the province and the premier said removing barriers to immigration would significantly help Ontario respond to current labour and workforce shortages, including in the health care sector.

“I know Canadians want to see the orders of government working together,” Trudeau said ahead of the meeting. “And I’m always looking for that and I really appreciate your welcome here.”

According to a statement from Ford’s office, Trudeau “agreed that all three levels of government must work together to do what they can to get more homes built faster.”

“The two leaders also discussed Ontario’s desire to welcome more economic and skilled immigrants to the province and the premier raised that removing barriers to immigration would significantly help Ontario respond to current labour and workforce shortages, including in the health care sector.”

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