 It's now time for member statements. I recognize the member for Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. Today I would like to recognize two incredibly dedicated members of my community, Maya McHale and Brian Hogan, who have been recognized recently for their contributions in Windsor. Maya McHale is an exceptional young woman who has been spearheading social justice causes in Windsor all her life. She's the founder of Maya's Friends and Maya's Lemonade Stand, through which she has raised tens of thousands of dollars and collected food donations for local causes. In the spring, Maya received the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada, in recognition of her exceptional volunteer achievements. Yesterday, Maya received the Habitat for Humanity Windsor Essex Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award. Maya's dedication continues to be an inspiration to me and so many others in my community. I want to take the opportunity to congratulate Maya and again thank her for everything that she does for my community. I also want to recognize Brian Hogan, he's the President of the Windsor and District Labor Council. Last week, Brian deservedly received the Charles E. Brooks Award for Labor Community Service. Brian has been involved with the Labor Council for over 20 years, but he is also a retired teacher, a volunteer and an activist, devoting much of his time and energy to community service and social justice. He is an unstoppable force, motivated by his desire to better our community any way that he can. I have had the honor of working with Brian over the years and have seen his dedication and good work firsthand. I am proud to call Brian a friend. I am sincerely grateful to both Maya and Brian and want to congratulate them once again. Thank you for making Windsor community stronger. Member Statements. Member for Durham. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to update this House on the work our government has been doing over the last many months to support GM workers in Oshawa and Durham region. On October 23rd, GM and Unifor, in partnership with our government, hosted a job fair for GM workers and parts suppliers at Durham College. There were approximately 50 employers, community, government and education partners, at this job fair, eager to meet GM workers and eager at the idea of GM workers becoming a part of their teams. A couple of weeks ago, on top of that, actually on the same day, I was pleased to join the Minister of Labor Training and Skills Development at GM in Oshawa to announce that our government in partnership with GM and Unifor have opened an action centre for impacted GM employees, providing local, targeted employment and retraining support to help them in this transition. Also before that, between February and June 2019, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, as it was then known, held 42 information sessions for affected auto workers and those throughout the auto parts sector. These sessions included drop in times where employees could ask any questions or get one-on-one support, and I know there's been another 16 of those sessions since June. This past year has been difficult for GM workers and their families, but I also know how resilient our workers are and community members around them, and I know new employers will be blessed to have such committed, resilient employees join their team. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. The Member for Ottawa's Centre. Well, thank you, Speaker. On November 30th, our MPP office in Ottawa Centre is going to be hosting a town hall to talk about an issue that's on everybody's mind in Ottawa right now, public transit. Like the rest of our city, I actually was thrilled when the light rail transit launched in September, but what's followed since has been discouraging, to say the least. With thousands of commuters stranded with mechanical failures, and the entire system is routinely ground to halt. Speaker, I'm talking about mums and dads who can't pick up their kids on time. I'm talking about employees who can't get to work. It's a complete mess. The problems plaguing the LRT are yet another indictment, in my view, of the public-private partnership model that both Conservative and Liberal governments have embraced over the years. They're absolutely, I want to be clear, not an indictment of the drivers and the mechanics that keep public transit in the City of Ottawa going. Those folks are doing their very best under great circumstances, and I want to thank the members of ATU 279 for everything you do in our city. But until now, Speaker, there have been far too few opportunities for citizens to come together and have a conversation of what kind of transit system we want in our city. So that's why on November 30th, we are going to be hosting that conversation. From 1pm to 3pm at Centretown United Church in the basement, I'm going to personally make a batch of my own chili, and I welcome you to come out and take part in it. We need a better transit system. We need you to turn out your kids are welcome. Your ideas are welcome. Please turn out 1pm to 3pm, November 30th, Ottawa. We'll see you there. Thank you. Member Statements. Member for Don Valley North. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Friday, remember the 8th. On behalf of the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, I was happy to announce a new funding for the Topicana Employment Centre's play-apprenticeship program in my writing of Don Valley North. This centre will receive over $269,000 for their auto body and collection damage repair program. The Topicana Employment Centre has been a great resource in my writing, which we often refer constituents to who need jobs or want to upgrade their professional skills. Speaker, this program will help those who are at risk learn a new skill, get into the flow-reaching skill trade field and allow them to invest in their future. Speaker, the skill trade is a larger and growing field that we need to encourage our youth to get involved in, especially now, since there is a skill trade shortage and a high demand for the skill trade workers. Speaker, by 2021, one in five new jobs in Ontario will be in trade-related occupation. Due to the high demands, I'd like to encourage anyone who wants to get involved in the skill trade to be a part of this fascinating field. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Next, we have the Member for York Southwest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to extend congratulations to the Western Santa Colisebrate organisers, Western Village BIA, which is celebrating its fourth year, 41st season. The 41st annual Western Santa Colisebrate will be on this Sunday, November 24th. Mr. Speaker, it is the cutest Santa Colisebrate in the entire city. Western Santa Colisebrate starts at Western Road and Church Street and goes all the way south to Western Road and Sydney, Belgium. As many as 20,000 expectators are expected to line on Western Road to see Santa. And the largest parade in the event's history, featuring many entries of floats, merging bands, beautifully decorated and costumed characters from Christmas movies, TV shows and books. Many people who came to the parade, Mr. Speaker, as kids with their parents are now coming back with their children. Bands are a huge part of the parade and true to form. This year's parade will feature eight of the best. The Bartleton Tin Tour Band with its 120 assemble is back this year. They are consistently rated as the top parade band in Canada and will once again lead Santa into the parade. Mr. Speaker, I invite the House to join me in congratulating the Western Santa Colisebrate organizers for the first 41 wonderful years. And we look forward to seeing you there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're statements to the member for Ottawa South. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And our most important job as legislators is to listen to the voices that are hardest to hear. And adults with developmental disabilities and their families are amongst those. So yesterday, the Ontario Agency supporting individuals with special needs was here at Queen's Park, helping us hear those voices. And here's what we heard, that after the age of 21, the supports for those living with developmental disabilities and their families are dramatically reduced. That too often it's a weight list, it's a life of weight lists and precarious programs. Parents in their 70s or 80s, sometimes not knowing who's going to care for their child, should they become ill or die. That is the reality that too many families in Ontario are living right now. So last week we learned that the government hired a consultant for up to a million dollars to find half a billion dollars in savings from the developmental services budget. We need to build their services up, not cut them back. So I'm appealing to the government to commit to not cutting the developmental services budget. The government needs to annualize the stabilization fund and keep passport as an entitlement program. And the government must sit down with adults with developmental disabilities, their families and the people who serve them and consult them before making any major changes in this field. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Markham Unionville. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak to the amazing work that the first responders are doing in Markham Unionville and across York Region. I've recently had an opportunity to visit and speak with our first responders over the past several weeks. Not only do they have lives and keep us safe, our police, firefighters and paramedics are also educators, mentors, service workers, volunteers, parents and so much more. The emergency service workers of York Region are developing innovative programs, systems and procedures to be as efficient and effective as possible. For example, York Region paramedics have made incredible strikes in community health and care programs. Doing their part to reduce hallway health care in York Region and doing their best to deliver faster, more sensitive, contextual emergency responses. Despite the amount of work that first responders do, they continue to volunteer selflessly when and where they can. A perfect example of this is the random act of Christmas initiative that York Region Police and Geo88.5 are doing this year to make Christmas an extra special time of year. It was a tremendous success last year and is only one example of the ways that all three emergency service branches not only serve but to give to our municipalities and I am honored to recognize them today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Next, we have the member for Windsor to come see. Well, good afternoon, Speaker. I want to say a few words today about my mother, Pearl. She'll turn 96 in a couple of weeks and she's led a remarkable life. She survived the tidal wave that hit the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland 90 years ago this week. The first wave swept their home out to sea. Second wave brought them back closer to shore. A neighbor rode his dory out to them and they escaped. Her mum, herself, and her two older sisters crawled out through a broken kitchen window into the boat. 28 Newfoundlanders died in that tidal wave. Hundreds of others were left homeless or destitute. I took away my mum's car keys a couple of years ago, sold her car in her home and helped her move in a retirement center down the road to Maristown, Newfoundland. She wasn't happy about that. She lived on her own since my father died back in 93. Mum and dad met during the Second World War after crossing from Nova Scotia on the SS Caribou while a German submarine sank the Caribou on its very next crossing on the 14th of October, 1942. 136 of the 237 people on board were killed. After the war, my mum and dad moved to New Brunswick and tragedy struck again. My older brother Billy died in a house fire along with one of my cousins. I can't imagine how that loss affected my mother and father losing their first child. Mum learned how to drive when dad retired from the military. They moved back to Buran to look after her parents. She was the president of the ladies' auxiliary of the Legion, sang in the United Church choir, and joined neighbors at the evening service at the Salvation Army. Speaker's mum's memory isn't what it used to be always, but when the music starts, when that accordion kicks in, she's the first one up in the dance floor step dancing. I know my brother Barry up in Ottawa, a retired Air Force Chief Warrant Officer, joins me today when I say happy birthday, mum. We love you and we hope to see you soon. Thank you. Member statements? The member for Whitby. Thank you, Speaker. The Ability Center in Whitby is an internationally renowned, innovative community health and sports center where people of all ages and abilities engage in various social health and cultural programs. On November the 8th, together with the President and Treasury Board, the Minister of Health, Finance Minister, MPP Park, the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility and the Minister of Children and Community and Social Services, we announced $1.7 million for the Ability Center. This funding speaker will benefit the center as it engages with community partner, school boards and municipalities to identify service gaps and in addition, it will help create pilot projects for adults with disabilities and a new pre-employment skills program. Speaker, the Ability Center was inspired by the vision of the Honorable Christine Elliott and her late husband, James Michael Flaherty and it has a growing importance for everyone in the community. As Speaker, it continues to enrich lives in the town of Whitby and across the region of Durham. Thank you, Speaker. Next we have the member for Mississauga East Cuxville. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to tell you that Ontario has a plan to make government processes and services matter and better. We will do this by finding ways to spend more efficiently while ensuring value for every taxpayer dollar. This plan includes making government services easier and more efficient so people can access the services they want, when and where they want, including delivering simpler and faster online transactions such as renewing a driver license or getting a health card, modernizing provincial procurement and supply chains to make it easier for companies of all sizes to do business with the province and to combine and leverage public sector wide purchasing agreements. Making government agencies more efficient through opportunities for back office consolidations, the use of digital tools and dissolving inactive or duplicative agencies. This plan also includes exploring new non-text revenue generating opportunities such as advertising and naming rights for GO stations. These are revenues that can then support healthcare and education. Mr. Speaker, I can promise you that we will always be looking for ways to deliver better and smarter government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Reports by committees.