The Ontario legislature is scheduled to resume its sessions this week with a wave of activity, starting from the repeal of the unconstitutional wage restriction law to the repeal of the dissolution decision of the Peel region and the introduction of politically charged comprehensive legislation.

The Minister of Colleges and Universities is also expected to announce the government's plan to address the financial difficulties of post-secondary institutions in the province early in the session.

A government-appointed committee said institutions have been suffering from low and stagnant levels of operating funding for years, and then the 10 percent tuition fee cut and freeze announced by Premier Doug Ford's government in 2019 exacerbated the challenges faced.

That committee last year recommended that the province lift the tuition freeze with increased student aid and increased operating grants for schools, but so far Ford and Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop have not indicated what they plan to do to stabilize the sector, except to rule out tuition increases and tell institutions to find efficiencies.

One of the government's first orders of business upon returning from the more than 10-week legislative break will be to introduce comprehensive legislation entitled Get It Done Act, similar to Ford's 2022 election campaign slogan.

The announced signature last week requires any future government to put any new provincial carbon pricing system to a referendum, and it has been criticized by opposition politicians who described it as "political stunt games" and a "smokescreen."

This will not affect the federal carbon tax and the legislation can be repealed by a future government. Ford spent some time during the announcement in Mississauga, Ontario, attacking that city's former mayor, now Ontario Liberal leader, Bonnie Crombie.

Another part already announced of the Get It Done Act would ban new tolls on regional highways. Ford's government has no intention of imposing new tolls after canceling tolls on Highways 412 and 418, and a future government can reverse the law.

The legislation will not remove tolls on Highway 407 East, the portion of this highway owned by the province, which a 2021 Ministry of Transportation report projected would bring the province about $72 million in revenue in 2024-2025.

The comprehensive bill is also prepared to enable automatic renewal of license plates, extend the freeze on driver's license fees through legislation rather than regulation, and "streamline approvals for major infrastructure and housing projects."

Ford's government also promised to repeal Bill 124, a 2019 law that sets a cap on salary increases for broader public sector workers at 1 percent annually for three years, when the legislature resumes.

Opposition critics, labor advocates, and healthcare workers have urged the government for years to repeal the law, blaming it for worsening the nursing shortage, but the repeal is coming only after two phases of courts found the law unconstitutional.

The government is also reversing the dissolution of the Peel region, as announced in December, and is set to do so through a section of the Get It Done Act amending the Peel region dissolution law passed by the legislature in June.

New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles said her party's priorities in the session include addressing staff shortages in hospitals and accelerating the housing process.

She wrote in a statement: "People are waiting hours for essential healthcare, they are stuck with extremely high housing costs, and their bills aren’t going down."

"We need real solutions, but this government is mired in its never-ending scandals so it can’t come up with real solutions that matter to Ontarians."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigation into the Greenbelt land swap scandal continues, which involved the government taking land from the protected area for housing development and then returning it after heavy criticism of the selection process. The RCMP recently said no charges have been laid yet.

Crombie, who does not have a seat in the legislature, put forward similar priorities to other opposition parties.

In a statement she wrote, "While desperate Doug spends all his time distracting Ontarians from his failures, flip-flops, scandals, and internal battles, Ontario Liberals will continue to focus squarely on fighting for better healthcare and education, more housing, and a growing economy that lifts every family in Ontario."

Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said he will focus on putting forward bold housing solutions, protecting public services, and investments in renewable energy.

Energy Minister Todd Smith said he will introduce legislation to repeal the Ontario Energy Board decision that he said will increase costs for new homes heated by natural gas. Environmental groups said the OEB decision was a major win as it would have encouraged the use of more environmentally friendly home heating and cooling methods, such as heat pumps.

More housing-related legislation is expected before the session convenes in June as the province tries to find a way to get on track to achieve its goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.

Ford is also heading into the session down one minister, although he does not seem in a hurry to name a replacement.

Parmeet Gill announced last month that he resigned as Minister of Red Tape Reduction and will also resign his seat in Milton to run federally with the Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre. Ministerial positions are usually filled quickly, but it has been more than three weeks since the position was vacated.

The resignation also means Ford will have to call a by-election for this round, although he has six months to do so. Crombie has not ruled out seeking a legislative seat in that neighbouring Mississauga riding.

Ford has almost another month to call a by-election for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, a seat vacated by then-Labour Minister Monte McNaughton to take a job at Woodbine Entertainment. Conservatives, New Democrats, and Liberals have all nominated candidates for this pending vote.