 Last call for introductions. It's now time for member statements. The member from Wellington, Halton Hills. Mr. Speaker, as members of this house know, for some time we've been advocating for a Highway 6 Morriston bypass in the township of Puslench. However, Morriston is not the only community in my riding in need of a bypass. On December 7th, I tabled a resolution in this house calling on the Minister of Transportation to place a Highway 7 Acton bypass project on the Southern Highways Program, the MTO's five-year plan for highway construction. This bypass is badly needed due to the increasing volume of truck traffic that is making its way along Highway 7 through Acton's narrow downtown. The need for a long-term truck strategy, including the possibility of an acton bypass, is strongly supported by Halton Hills Mayor Rick Burnett and Town Council. I want to commend them for their leadership on this issue. Mayor Burnett, Council and staff are proposing a partnership with the Ministry of Transportation to develop a plan to deal with the problem of truck traffic through urban areas of Halton Hills, including Acton, Georgetown and Norville. I support the town's efforts and am working with them. The government is promising $134 billion in infrastructure spending over a 10-year period. $16 billion has been set aside for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. Halton Hills is in the GTA and we need to know where we are on this list. Last week I approached the Minister to request a meeting to discuss these issues. The Minister was very receptive and this week his staff responded to my office. We've arranged a meeting for January 20th at Queen's Park. I've invited Mayor Burnett and Council to join us, as well as Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. I hope that the other Halton area MPPs can attend as well. Working together, we can make progress. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the member's statements. The member from Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Speaker. Last Wednesday, December 3rd, just before 6 p.m., Jay Keddy was riding his bike up the Clear Mountain Access in Hamilton when he was struck by a truck and died at the scene. Speaker, Jay was one of those people who make our city a community. He was an elementary teacher who took an active interest in the lives as well as the education of the children that he served. Jay worked at the Prince of Wales School in the lower city and lived on the mountain in my riding. He was an avid, careful cyclist and was no stranger to the route he was taking. He cycled to school each and every day. He was also an active member of the West Highland Baptist Church where he was a deacon and a board member. At the time of tragedy, Jay was on his way home or he was on his way from cheering on the school volleyball team to a prayer meeting at the church. He had a profound commitment to his faith at home and abroad. In fact, him and his wife Ingrid spent time as missionaries in Africa. I knew Jay personally. He volunteered in my campaigns and it was always a delight to see him walk through the door of the campaign, often still wearing his bike helmet. I saw his dedication to the job at hand and his willingness to take on any task. Just the type of person you want on your team. I know he brought the same commitment to all of his other endeavors. He will be missed by many and our city is a poorer place with his loss. Our thoughts are with his family. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to take a moment to encourage you to support bill 149 this afternoon. This bill was motivated by very tragic events in May 2013 at the age of 17 years. Rowan's junior suffered three concussions in a few days. The last one took his her life. Rowan was a very generous person before her death. She was part of the Trillium gift of life. This improved the lives of a lot of young Ontarians. Moreover, her parents decided to do what they could to make the people aware of the consequences of concussions thanks to their efforts. An investigation by the chief coroner was done. The recommendations brought by this investigation brought about a parliamentary committee and they will study how players and coaches are educated about concussions in sports. Rowan's law will help to ensure that all Ontarians, particularly children and young adults, will participate in physical activities in safety. This is why I would like to encourage you to support this bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for their member statements. The member from York-Simco. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Every community has local small businesses that quickly become a community staple. I rise today to recognize one such establishment in my writing of York-Simco, Dutch Treats. This year, Dutch Treats in Bradford celebrated 60 years. Core Den Blecker and his wife Louise have owned and operated this business for the last 10 years. The Den Bleckers are the fourth owners of Dutch Treats since its 1955 opening. For context, Lesley Frost was Premier and Louis Salarant was Prime Minister. What makes this restaurant so special is its longstanding tradition in the community. In fact, the Den Bleckers were customers long before they became owners. What started as a local gathering place for the Dutch community is now a specialty shop and cafe enjoyed by all. While the years have come and gone, the food has remained delicious and traditional. On a more personal note, my favorite is our Oli Bolen. This is enjoyed by the Dutch to celebrate new years. But, Mr. Speaker, small business owners are vital to Ontario's economy, Ontario's communities and Ontario's character. According to a recent report, only 9% of small business owners in Canada believe their Premier understands the realities of running a small business. 59% of Canadian small business owners say provincial taxes discourage them from growing their business. And while I'm delighted to see a thriving small business in Bradford, I worry about the many other small businesses in my riding and across Ontario and their opportunity to succeed. It's important to stand up for small business in Ontario so that others may have the same opportunity for success that Dutch Treat has had. And if you are ever in Bradford, I encourage you to stop by for a snap. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. It is my pleasure to rise one last time before the session breaks to speak to yet another community building initiative in my riding of Windsor West. Justice Douglas W. Phillips of the Ontario Court of Justice has helped unite the legal community of Windsor and Essex County. Over the past few years he poured tremendous time and resources into creating a history of law by way of beautiful and informative display boards on the walls of a courthouse at 200 Chatham Street East in Windsor. The display outlines the history of law in Windsor and Essex County and recognizes the achievements of many legal professionals and community leaders throughout history who have helped shape our community through their legal work and local initiatives. The display helps demonstrate that the legal history of Windsor is intertwined with the development and growth of our region. Having toured this display over the summer, I can honestly say that the history of law and those that contributed to its development is nothing short of inspiring. Speaker, I'm proud to be from an area that recognizes the contributions of our legal professionals and community activists. Thank you to Justice Phillips and all law enthusiasts that contributed to this community building project. Thank you. Thank you for the member Stevens, the member from Cambridge. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today on behalf of my constituents of Cambridge to pay tribute to the extraordinary life of Jim Chaplin who left us after a 12-year battle with Parkinson's disease. A leader in business, politics and community philanthropy throughout his 82 years, many people felt they had a connection with Jim. Jim dedicated his life to giving back to our community. The Chaplin family YMCA is an enduring example of Jim's legacy to Cambridge. As president of the Cambridge Y from 1964 to 74, he guided the Y through difficult times and gave a large donation that enabled the Y to build its current facility. He stayed involved long after his service as president and in 2005 he became the recipient of YMCA Canada's highest award, the Fellowship of Honor. He helped build the bridges, a homeless shelter that assists our less fortunate citizens. He was also honored as a Mel Osborne Fellow in 1996 by the Qantas of Cambridge for outstanding service to the community. Jim also headed up his family business of Canadian General Tower. Under his capable leadership it grew into a multi-million-dollar manufacturing company that employs over 400 people and it's renowned for its quality in countries across the globe. Politics was a lifelong interest and he served as city councillor and deputy mayor. In the words of one of his daughters, Joan Fisk, Jim was a dedicated family man who loved to wear cashmere sweaters that earned him many hugs from his large family. To his wife Daisy, we will always remember him. Rest in peace, Jim. Thank you. Further member statements? The member from Niagara West Glenmore. Well thank you Speaker. I don't know if you know this but the member for Halvin Norfolk, Toby Barrett, has hitchhiked to 60 different countries. He spent a lot of years, 19, the year 20, 1968, 1973 hitchhiking and while Toby has now traded in his thumb for his votes legislature and his beat-up jeans for his suit, technology has changed a lot too. So I tell you about Blancride. Blancride is a Toronto-based app that helps take the era of hitching a ride with somebody from using your thumb to using your smartphone. So it'll help connect passengers with drivers whether they're coming into Toronto from Mississauga, going from Niagara to London. It's a great new technology and it's Canadian-born here in the GTA. The CEO, Hamid Akbari, was a professor at the Oshawa Institute of Technology. So he's sitting in traffic one day on the DVP and he looks around, he sees so many cars with single passengers in them. So he can do something about it. So he invented the technology. Now when I talk to Mr. Akbari or I talk to his team, they tell me there's still provincial rules that are standing in the way. For example, Speaker, if you want to take more than one trip in a day, one round trip, you're actually prohibited by laws that come from the 1970s instead of 2015. Similarly, our laws dealing with compensation are restricting this opportunity. Look, if we want to grow companies like this, if we want to see them become sort of the Uber of carpooling and create jobs here in Ontario, we need to update our laws. They've got great ideas and fully support them and to help the government will agree and create some jobs right here. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre. This incident marks a dark, solemn period in the history of China. The massacre began December 13, 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Over a period of six weeks, 200,000 to 300,000 people, including both injured soldiers and civilians, were murdered in Nanjing in the Dan capital of China. Nanjing was left in ruins. It took decades for the city to recover from these violent attacks. I had the opportunity to visit the city of Nanjing with the Premier just a few weeks ago. I was moved by the Nanjing Massacre Memorial that was built to commemorate those who lost their lives. This memorial pays tribute to the resilience of the Chinese people and humanity. It reminds us life is beautiful and invaluable. Mr. Speaker, many community events will be taking place across Ontario, commemorating the Nanjing Massacre this coming weekend. I encourage the members of this house to attend these events and learn more about the Nanjing Massacre. Lastly, to all members of this house and to all Ontarians, Merry Christmas and have a happy new year. We are truly blessed to be in this province. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the member Stevens, the member from Halton. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to wish my constituents and all Ontario residents a safe and happy holiday season. Mr. Speaker, you know the festive spirit is alive and well in my riding of Halton. Every year I have the pleasure of attending close to four Santa Claus parades, several tree lighting ceremonies, some major toy drives and a number of local holiday cheer events. It is an honour to be invited to these wonderful festive gatherings and I want to thank the towns and chambers of Milton, Oakville, Campbellville and the City of Burlington for their part in organizing these great celebrations. I'd also like to thank the countless volunteers and organizers who work tirelessly to make these gatherings a success. I was honoured to kick off the holiday season as a judge at the Milton Santa Claus Parade. I also had the pleasure of riding in both the Oakville and Burlington Santa Claus parades recently, along with my colleague, the MPP from Burlington. You know, Mr. Speaker, participating in a parade gives you a unique perspective. It is a privilege to see the smiling faces of so many children. It's also wonderful to see great community spirit, as friends and neighbours gather around barbecues on lawns or on porches to celebrate the holiday season. I'm now looking forward to the upcoming Campbellville Parade and Milton's popular Miracle on Main Street event, a great toy drive for needy kids and their families. And coming up this weekend, my second annual family skating party at Milton Memorial Arena. Mr. Speaker, this is a wonderful time of year. It's also a time for generosity and to give to those who may need extra help. I'd like to wish all of those friends and families out there once again happy holidays and Merry Christmas. Thank you. Thank you. I thank all members for their statements.