 Member Statements, I recognize the member from Richmond Hill. Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise to recommend the remarkable contributions of Ontario's non-profit sector. These unsung heroes, our community champions play a pitiful role in addressing the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities. I extend my gratitude to all my MPP colleagues, along with our valued partners for making the second non-profit sector appreciation week held from February 13 to 19 a resounding success. In the spirit of appreciation, I'm excited to review our plan for 2024. This year, the appreciation will be on February 13 and we will continue to have it for a week. It will be from the 12th to the 16th. We'll continue to issue certificates and we'll have MPP to deliver them to the non-profit associations. We will encourage our local recognition with encouragement of our MPP colleagues, mayors and chambers of commerce and professional associations. We will organize a reception day at Queen's Park on February 13 to start off the week of appreciation in February 2024. However, let us keep this spirit alive throughout the year. Thank you Speaker. Further Member Statements, I recognize the member for Oshawa. Thank you Speaker and Oshawa is always a happening place to be with a long time vibrant arts and music scene. But I want to tell you about a very special event that took place earlier this fall in downtown Oshawa. There's a lot of buzz about a first ever downtown urban music festival called Convergence. The Convergence Festival was an event and main concert for the ages, in fact, Speaker, for all ages. Young, not so young, parents with strollers and seniors with rollers all converged on the downtown for music, community and a great party. Next, Christa Lixie, the director of Oshawa Tourism said, Convergence is a celebration of the vibrant ecosystem of artists, musicians and innovators who have long been part of Oshawa's legacy and culture. Speaker, I am sure you are aware of the music group the Strunbelas, well they came to Oshawa. But they weren't alone, Convergence was a 10-hour mash-up of emerging artists and established musical acts, acrobats and actors, makers and small shop owners and international cuisine showcasing Oshawa's diversity, all local. It is estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 people converged on Oshawa's streets for the festival and it was a rock and rolling success because of the backstage crew of so many volunteers. This first ever annual festival was a partnership between the City of Oshawa, the Region of Durham, the Central Counties, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce and they made it completely free to the public. Anyone who missed it will want to make sure they come next year. So everyone is invited, mark your calendars for September 21st, 2024, it will be bigger and better with even more to see and do. I've got my Shwa Rock City t-shirt ready to go. I hope you will come and see how we celebrate in the city in motion. Member, statements are recognized to the members of Mrs. Agamalton. Thank you Madam Speaker. Every October children aid societies across Ontario raise awareness about the important role that individuals and communities play in supporting vulnerable children, youth and families throughout the provincial Dress Purple Day campaign. The Dress Purple Day campaign is about supporting Ontarians, facing challenges and ensuring children, youth and families have access to the support, information and the resources they need. Dress Purple Day is also a reminder to young people that they have the right to safety and well-being and that goes beyond we often think of when we use those words. It's critical to understand those rights extend beyond physical bodies. They have the right to be safe emotionally, spiritually and culturally. I would like to recognize the PLCAS with their offices in Mrs. Agamalton for amplifying the message that it is a collective responsibility to ensure that every child's journey is guided by love, support and health. Thank you PLCAS, all your members and volunteers for your community service. To all my fellow MPPs and all Ontarians, join me this year on October 27th and Dress Purple to show that you're a part of a community that cares for children, youth and families. Let's make sure that they all know that they have the right to the most appropriate kind of support. Let's wear something purple to show children, youth and families that feel all here to help. No one is alone. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Member Statements. The Member for Trinity Spadina. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I want to dedicate my Member Statement to the Arthritis Society of Canada and to the 2.3 million Ontarians with arthritis including disability activist Janet Rodriguez and to my own mother Gwen Glover. She got arthritis in her early 20s and she was one of the very first people in the world to receive artificial joints in her fingers in 1970. Over half of the Ontarians with arthritis are under the age of 65 and the onset in their 20s and 30s is common and the pain from arthritis impacts the ability to socialize and causes loss of sleep and causes people to reduce their work or to retire early. Some with long-term benefits are pushed onto ODSP and with a housing allowance of $556 a month, ODSP pushes some people into homelessness. But there are solutions. There are community joint management programs that help people self manage their illness and reduce hospital visits. There are medications including new biological medications but not all are covered by OHIP and there are actions that this government can take to mitigate the impact of arthritis. They can provide support for the community joint management programs. They can cover the cost of medications so that people can access the medication that works best for them. They can double ODSP rates so that people with disabilities including arthritis do not end up homeless and they can fund the research to find a cure for arthritis. I want to thank the member for Skarboro Agent Court. Member Statements Member for Skarboro Agent Court Mr. Speaker, I was delighted to join the Minister of Transportation, Associate Minister of Transportation and Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery at the Aging Court Go Station to announce the completion of major infrastructure upgrades at Agent Court and Millicent Go Stations along the Stubble Line as part of our plan to deliver more trips more often across the Go network. The enhancement at both Go Stations will include an additional track and platforms, new pedestrian tunnels and brand new station buildings with modern facilities. The Agent Court and Millicent Go Stations will build capacity on the Stubble Line to meet current and future ridership demand and support two-way all-day go train service every 15 minutes between Unionville Go Station and Union Station. Building reliable public transportation has never been so important. The upgrades will ensure the necessity transit infrastructure is in place to support our growing population while delivering safer, faster and more convenient travel options for commuters. Commuters in Skarboro deserve a reliable public transit. That is why our government is making the critical investment needed to make this reality. The talk raised to the Agent Court and Millicent Go Station is a great news for the residents in a Skarboro Agent Court who count on public transit to go where they need to go. It is an honor and privilege to serve the resident of Skarboro Agent Court. Thank you. The next statement, a member for Niagara Falls. Thank you Mr. Speaker, NHL pride tape. I've been a hockey player and a fan my entire life. When I was a kid I became a goalie. I was, believe it or not, I was the first goalie in Niagara to wear white skates, which was inspired by one of my hockey heroes, Mara Edwards, who recently passed away. I love going to leaf games, saver games with my family and friends. This is why I'm so outraged with the National Hockey League decision to ban pride tape on hockey sticks. He flies in the face of the league's message that they support players' choice. More importantly, it sends a message to kids in our community and across the province that they are not welcome playing hockey. We've heard from several players, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, the best hockey player in the world, that are disappointed with the ban and some even plan to still use the tape on their sticks. I want to be clear, hockey is for everybody. And we need to ensure that the LGBTQ community feels included in the sport, full stop. I strongly disagree with the ban and I believe it should use my voice as an MPP and a blind lover of hockey to call for inclusion for the LGBTQ community and the National Hockey League. And I call on the Minister of Tourism and Sport to send a letter to the National Hockey League where we have two teams in the province of Ontario disagreeing with the NHL policy that hurts the LGBTQ community. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The next member statement, the member for Hastings, Lennox and Addington. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker as we all know, this House is recognizing October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So I wanted to share with the House one of the most inspiring events that I had the privilege of attending this summer. I met with a group of amazing women. They support each other and they inspire the world. Each one of these grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts have undergone or are currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. And they are also members of Breast Cancer Action Kingston and they call themselves Chest Mates because they are dragon boaters. They are a dragon boat team, a group of up to 25 members in a 25 foot long boat paddling their hearts out. They train several times a week, all summer long, competing in several dragon boat races against other breast cancer survivors. It was humbling to watch these health and heart warriors propel themselves, showing their strength and unity, their positive spirit to continue to fight to survive and most importantly showing their love for each other as they paddle. Cancer will affect everyone. In all cases, cancer causes massive disruption to the individual and the entire family. But thankfully today more frequently there are success stories, not tragedies. I thank you Mr. Speaker and as the Chest Mates say, paddles up. Remember for Don Valley East. Mr. Speaker, Ontarians deserve a government that acts transparently with accountability and in their best interests. Yet time after time it feels like that hasn't happened. We've seen it with broken promises to protect public health care, with broken promises to protect the green balance and now we're seeing mounting concerns about backroom deals to build a spa at Ontario Place while demolishing the Science Centre. The residents of Don Valley East won't stand for it. When this government walked back its decision on the green belt after getting caught by the Integrity Commissioner and the Auditor General, the justification was that they made a decision not supported by the people of Ontario and that's an understatement. Here's another decision not supported by the people of Ontario. It's a decision to demolish the Science Centre in my riding of Don Valley East and instead build a private spa at Ontario Place that has a sprawling mega garage subsidised by taxpayer money. These are major decisions created without any consultation and in case there is any doubt about it, these decisions are vigorously opposed by Ontarians. For example, we've already submitted petitions with nearly 35,000 signatures and we're not done yet. Today I join my constituents in calling on the government to act with integrity and transparency to listen to the residents of Don Valley East and the citizens of Ontario to save our Science Centre and to stop the spa. Thank you very much Member Statements, the Member for Bruce Gray Owen Sound. Thank you Speaker. Colleagues, it is my pleasure to tell you about a great occasion that took place in the heart of my great riding of Bruce Gray Owen Sound last Saturday, the celebration of the 25th anniversary of a call Saint Dominique Savio in Owen Sound. It is a beautiful school in a lovely neighbourhood north of the downtown core. It is also a very unique school as it is the only French school serving our Gray Bruce community. There was a great turnout for this important event. We heard many speakers tell us how the school had made a big difference to them through their education, the roles as teachers and administrators and as members of the community. A call Saint Dominique Savio has made a big difference in the lives of so many over 25 years. We also heard about all the efforts and commitment to establish a French school in the heart of Owen Sound 25 years ago. I was struck by just what an amazing achievement that was. It takes great courage and a spirit of thinking of others to make such a project a success. But the efforts were well worth it as the spirit of welcoming and community was very evident last Saturday in Owen Sound. Felicitations at the call Saint Dominique Savio. Congratulations to this call for your 25th year. During the last 25 years you've played a very important role in the education of our students. Thank you very much and congratulations for this very special location. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member statements. The member for Oak Hill North Burlington. Thank you. Just last month, our government to the victim support grant program announced more than four million dollars to help support victims and survivors of intimate partner and domestic violence, human trafficking and child exploitation. And $100,000 of that funding went to the Halton police services directed towards crisis intervention and counseling. Great work is also being done across the province by women's shelters, including in my own community of Oakville North Burlington. Halton women's place held its annual hope and high heels event with 400 plus men, women and young people participating. They launched the silent witness project, a profoundly moving exhibit of 52 life sized purple silhouettes that lined the space, each representing a woman whose life was tragically cut short last year by gender based violence in Ontario. They symbolized women who lived, laughed and loved among us. They were daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, friends, neighbors and colleagues. Their voices were silenced forever and these life sized figures aptly named the silent witnesses now stand in their memory. Let their lives and actions inspire us to reaffirm our efforts to end the scourge of gender based violence. I am proud to be part of a government that has provided vital support and legal protections for victims, survivors and their children and I congratulate the Solicitor General on taking historic action on this serious issue in our community. I conclude our member's statements for this morning. I beg to inform the House that pursuant to standing order 9H, the clerk has received written notice from the government house leader indicating that a temporary change in the weekly meeting schedule of the house is required and therefore the house shall commence at 9am on Monday, October 23rd, 2023 for the proceedings borders of the day.