 Therefore, it is now time for Member Statements, the Member from Oxford. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today to recognize an Oxford hero, George Leslie Mackay. This week would mark Dr. Mackay's 173rd birthday. All these years later, he still remembered not just here in Ontario, but throughout Taiwan as a hero. As a young man, George Leslie Mackay traveled to Taiwan, which was then known as Formosa as a missionary. He fell in love with this island. He learned the language, married a woman from Formosa, named Minnie, and said about helping people in any way he could, including practicing dentistry, pulling over 10,000 teeth. He said, quote, I was pulled by an invisible string to an unknown place, but when that beautiful view of the Green Mountains on the island came to me, all was cleared that this was where my life would like to be. George Leslie Mackay returned to Oxford several times over the years, and during this time at home, he raised money to build a hospital and schools in Taiwan, including the first school for girls and a university. He was also credited with helping to create the first newspaper. During his time back in Canada, Dr. Mackay also had a significant impact through his work to fight discrimination and to oppose the Chinese head tax. Today, Dr. George Leslie Mackay's legacy lives on in the schools he created, the modern hospital that bears his name, and in the strong friendship between Taiwan and my riding of Oxford. It is a friendship and a legacy that we will continue to celebrate. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to make this statement today. I respectfully suggest to our gallery, our rules here are that members visiting cannot participate in any way. So thank you for your understanding. Further member's statements, the member from Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Anyone who has had the honour of sitting where you do, as I have in the past, can attest to the fact, and to the quote that Winston Churchill made of parliamentary democracy, he said, it's the worst possible system except for all the others. I had the absolute privilege and honour this week of visiting a very young parliamentary democracy in Kosovo, only nine years old, and to take part in an amazing initiative hosted by the National Democratic Institute, among others, called the Week of Women. At only nine years of age, Kosovo's system is one of proportional representation with 30% women MPs, and they engage in the monumental task of building a parliamentary system from the ground up. I'm delighted to say Kosovo's accomplished a great deal. It's a vibrant first world, secular European nation with a majority of Albanian Muslims and a minority of Christians and other religions and nationalities. It's a privilege to share some of our ways of doing both politics and government. They're eager to learn, and in awe of Canada, which we should all be proud to know, has an exemplary reputation there. On this, our 150th year of parliamentary democracy, it's most flattering that a country that could have chosen any method of organising themselves picked ours. Thank you, Kosovo, for being such an example, and to my colleagues here of all political persuasions, note that although we differ on how our parliamentary democracy should look, we should all be thankful that we have a system that is the measure of democracy the world over. Thank you. Member of statements? Member from Scarborough, South West. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to rise today and bring attention to something wonderful that's been going on throughout Ontario this past month, the celebration of Bangladeshi heritage. Mr. Speaker, last year I brought forward a bill, Bill 44, and asked for a claim the month of March as Bangladesh Heritage Month in Ontario. And it's wonderful to see this bill coming to fruition. Bangladeshi Canadians have made many important contributions to our province, and March has given us the opportunity to highlight their vital role in strengthening the multicultural fabric that keeps Ontario's community strong. They're our friends, our neighbours, our doctors, our artists, our scientists, our business, and our community leaders. The minority of Scarborough, South West, Mr. Speaker, they represent the largest denominated visible minority, and their impact has been particularly significant. Their infusion of culture, shared values, and an incredible work ethic has strengthened this variety and made it a more vital and more vibrant community in which to live. I'm proud that this legislation recognises their incredible contributions to our province. And on the next Monday of the 27th, Mr. Speaker, we've been celebrating this historical occasion with a flag-raising ceremony and reception to follow. I encourage all members to attend. I look forward to celebrating with them and with members from the Bangladeshi community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Further member statements? Member from Leeds, Grenville? Thank you, Speaker. A terrible crash on Highway 401 in my riding last week brought into sharp focus the tremendous debt we owe our brave first responders. As a snowstorm raged, several tractor trailers and other vehicles collided. One of the trucks in the tangled wreckage was hauling a hazardous chemical. The truck was spilling onto the scene as first responders rushed to help victims. Initial reports from the site were terrifying to read, and I can't imagine even being there at the time. First responders were exposed to acid spilling from the truck, as were many motorists and truckers trying to help. The bravery on display as emergency services got to the injured and got them to safety and contained the spill was really extraordinary. But praise goes beyond the courage witnessed at the scene. In the nearby village of Lansdowne, a decontamination area was set up to treat those exposed to the acid. That community responded as only rural Ontario can. Everyone from business owners to residents chipped in and to comfort people caught up in the disaster. The coordination from the crash site to Lansdowne and at hospitals in both Kingston and Brockville, where the injured, including 13 first responders, were treated was remarkable. I commend all involved, not only that day, but the township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands for having an emergency plan and being prepared. Tragically, one tractor-trailer driver lost his life, but if not for the combination of bravery and preparedness, the toll could have been much higher. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Speaker. Today I want to talk about Kiwi Park. It is in my writing in Nicobalt. It is a year-round outdoor recreational activity that exists thanks to the tremendous generosity of Mrs. Lily Fielding. Kiwi Park is well on its way to becoming best in its class park, and it will draw tourists from all over Ontario. I invite you, Speaker, to come and check it out. Last August for her 100th birthday, Mrs. Fielding provided millions of dollars to purchase 312 acres of property to build a park in her parents' memory. Her parents, John and Susanna Kiwi, were Finnish immigrant who had a farm in Long Lake area where Lily was raised. In recognition of her generous contribution, Mrs. Fielding and her family received the Community Builder Award of Excellence Hall of Fame category. Kiwi Park has two outdoor rings, and you'll be interested to know that we have an outdoor Zamboni. We have an Olympic-sized ice rink, and another one is being built. They are snowshoeing cross-country ski trails in warmer months. They are used for hiking, mountain biking, walkers, and a lot of dog owners like to walk their dogs. It is an incredible playground for young children like you have never seen. And the future plans include baseball, diamond, tennis court, upgrade to the soccer field. It is all of the community use it from the Kiwi Park Winter Carnival, the Norton Cancer Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis. I want to say a huge thank you, Mrs. Fielding. You are my hero. Thank you for what you do, what you have done, and continue to do for us. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak about the Boys and Girls Club Appeal. Last month, Boys and Girls Club hosted a great Black History Month celebration called More Than Our Struggles. The Boys and Girls Club Appeal chose to celebrate Black History Month in their own unique way by celebrating with their youth leaders, mentors, and members of the community. A youth-driven, youth-led event to celebrate Black History Month. This event was held in the community room at Barrow's Place and it was a great opportunity to attend and see youth in action as they gave back to our communities and set positive examples for our younger youth in Brampton. Congratulations to all of those who participated. I was pleased to also talk about Ontario Expansion of True Programs and the need for the jobs of the future and earn credits towards the next step in their post-secondary education. Changing lives of young people since 1983, the Boys and Girls Club Appeal has been in fabulous work. They engage at-risk youth and families from low-income communities and provide a safe place for these individuals to participate in impactful fun activities to support the development of confidence, learning, and positive relationships. Last month, the Boys and Girls Club also hosted their annual Celebrity Cooking event and Celebrity Chef Robert Rainford. The Boys and Girls Club Appeal utilizes a respectful, inclusive, and engaging approach to serving the community. Programs are developed to support children, youth, and families in high-need and low-income communities across the region and their services continue to support a number of large number of families and empower individuals to achieve their goals. Congratulations on celebrating another great year and many more to come in Brampton and in the region of appeal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to rise today in the legislature to represent the fine residents, parents, students, and teachers of Niagara West Glam Brook. All this week in Niagara, the teachers of the Niagara Catholic District School Board have been locked out. Close to 15,000 elementary school children and their parents are suffering the consequences of this lockout. The Niagara Catholic District School Board is the only Catholic board in the province that has yet to reach an agreement with its elementary teachers. I call on the Minister of Education to take immediate action to ensure that the elementary school children of the Niagara Catholic District School Board receive the education they deserve. This is just one more example of how the Liberal government's two-tiered bargaining system has been a failure. The Liberals botched everything they've touched on the education file. Students, parents, and teachers are noticing. Constituents have been contacting me to express their well-founded frustration over this situation. They do not know how long the lockout will continue and they're worried about the negative impact on their children. Parents and schools have already suffered enough at the hands of this negligent Liberal government. They need and deserve effective action now. Here, here. Thank you for your member's statements and members from beaches this short. Aferisto para poli, Mr. Speaker and Calimara to all my friends and the colleagues who are in the legislature today. Because today I rise to celebrate and acknowledge the important contributions of Ontario's Hellenic community as they mark on Greek Independence Day. Here, here. March 25, 1821 is regarded as the beginning of the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire. The eight-year struggle ended almost 400 years of Ottoman rule in United and divided and embattled people. So at 2 p.m. today, that spirit of unity, pride and independence will be recognized at the raising of the Greek flag and on Sunday, thousands of Greeks along with their neighbors, families and friends will parade along the Danforth to celebrate their history and culture. And I'm looking forward to joining them in these celebrations and if you're in Toronto, I encourage you to do the same. Our province is home to more than 130,000 Ontarians of Greek descent, many of whom live in the eastern part of Toronto, including my writing of beaches east York. And over the years, they've proven themselves to be successful entrepreneurs, community leaders, philanthropists Ontario's Greek embody our province's belief and strength through diversity. They honor the religious culture and local traditions of their ancestral home but have spent decades sharing those traditions with the larger communities and embracing the needs of others. So I have been honored to be part of many Greek family and community celebrations and ceremonies and I look forward to celebrating again this weekend. So join me in thanking Ontario's Greek community for their contributions to the province and their ongoing commitments to making our province a better place for all Ontarians. Thank you very much, Speaker. Thank you. Further Member Stevens, the Member for Whitby Oshawa. Thank you very much, Speaker. I'd like to speak about the Grand View Children's Centre at the only facility in the region of Durham where children and youth with special needs can receive the therapy that they need. There's 2,000 children in Durham region waiting to receive therapy at Grand View and Grand View needs to grow now to better serve children and youth with special needs and their families. Speaker, by the year 2031 more than 10,000 children will need Grand View services. The region of Durham is doing its part. The land has been donated. $8 million has been raised, Speaker. However, other levels of government also need to step up to help these children and their families with the special needs demands. They've been waiting nine years. So I call on the Liberal Government to provide Grand View with the resources it needs to better serve Grand View children and families. Build Grand View now, Speaker. Promise is made. Thank you. I'll thank all members for their statements. It's therefore now time for reports by committees.