 Member Statements, the Member for University of Rosedale. Thank you, Speaker. At 5.30pm on Tuesday at here Ontario and Elm in Mississauga, a five-year-old boy began crossing the intersection with his father when he was hit by a woman driving a jeep. He was dragged, taken to hospital and he died. As a parent of a five-year-old, I can only imagine what this boy's parents will have to endure, but this boy's parents will endure it. And I ask, will there be justice? Do you know what's likely to happen to the person who killed this boy? If they were breaking a road rule they will be charged. The media will move on and time will pass. The driver will likely have the option to plead down and walk away with just a fine, because that is what happens. The vast majority of people who kill and injure someone on our roads are never convicted. They never take a driverry education course. They never have to listen to victim impact statements. As legislators, we have a responsibility to ensure that tragedies like this never happen again. We can change the rules to make our roads safer, to bring in tougher penalties for drivers who break the rules, who speed and injure and kill others, to redesign our roads and intersections and our road rules so they are safer. It is a system-wide issue. We cannot bring this precious boy back, but we can stop these tragedies from happening again and again and again. We have Bill 282 on the docket right now. We can make it an okay bill into a good one, and I urge this government to work with us to make this happen. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements. The Member for Peterborough, Co-Ortho. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Normally I would stand and talk about something great that's going on in my writing, but today I'm going to take a little twist, and I'm going to talk about something that is going to be a great initiative for all of our ridings. The Métis Nation of Ontario is launching their legacy preservation project, and they're inviting everybody in Ontario to be part of it. What they're doing is they're creating a time capsule to show the Métis spirit during COVID-19, and we're inviting everybody in Ontario to take part in this. This gives you a great opportunity for all of us as members to reach out to the Métis communities in our ridings and build that friendship, build that relationship with them. What this project will do is it will create a time capsule that is going to be buried on November the 16th, and it will reemerge November the 16th of 2085, the 200th anniversary of Louis Rielde. This for this project can be mailed to MNO Legacy Preservation Project, Post Office Box 1410, North Bay, Ontario, P1B 8K6. The deadline for submissions is October the 16th, and I want to give a huge, huge thank you to the North Bay women's representative for MNO, Leigh's Houston, and the youth representative for North Bay, Ish, and Vanda Rassel for their leadership on this project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. The pandemic has been especially hard for the local bars and restaurants in the Church and Wellesley Village in my writing of Toronto Centre. Many have been closed for more than six months now, and quite frankly they're struggling to stay afloat. To make matters worse, local bars are being dropped by mainstream insurance providers and left to pay sky-high commercial insurance rates. When it comes time to renew their liability insurance, the owners of Pegasus, as well as Cruz and Tango's, both were told by their insurance providers that they would no longer cover their businesses. These bars are beloved cultural landmarks for the queer and trans community. Right now, these businesses are hanging on by a thread. They're not alone, Speaker. Large-scale insurance providers are refusing to renew liability insurance for local bars that are community hubs that serve the 2SLGBTQ Plus community and other cultural communities all across the province. They're being forced to pay rates that are significantly higher than what they would have paid in the past, and all while they've been closed for months and months on end because of the lockdowns. These are not big corporate chains, Speaker. They are small local businesses focused on serving their communities. This is putting the very survival of the village at risk, which is a living, breathing part of queer and trans history in Toronto. Last fall, the Premier said that he would step in if the commercial insurance industry didn't do their part to support local small businesses through the pandemic. But since then, it's been radio silence. Why is this government refusing to protect small businesses from commercial insurance gouging, and when is the Premier going to step up to the plate and finally support the small businesses of this province? The next statement, member for Mississauga, Erin Mills. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am alarmed by the presence of many new variants of COVID-19 virus here in Ontario that keep showing up in our communities at a very high pace. We got the B117 variant detected in UK, which has infected over 60,000 Ontarians since it detected in December 2020. Studies show that it accelerated the spread of COVID-19 by about 10-fold during the months of January. The B1351 variant in South Africa was first detected in February in Ontario. And a little over a week ago, the B1617 variant in India was also reported here. So Ontario is fighting four different variants of COVID-19 so far. These variants are threatening our public health care system that was underfunded for more than 14 years. This risks the extraordinary efforts of our health care professionals who work tirelessly saving people's lives. This threat, our economy, our small businesses and all the work we continue to do to ensure the recovery of Ontario. In other words, these variants are a grave threat to every aspect of our province. Mr. Speaking, this variants are here due to the lack of strong response from the federal government at failure to secure our borders to prevent new variants from entering. Despite our request to tighten the borders, blaze, BCR testing locked down in the last three weeks alone. The government has sent three letters to the federal government. We are requesting immediate action to our borders and no actions taken. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have the member for London West. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, last week I met with Benjamin Hill of the Middlesex London Food Policy Council, about one in seven Middlesex London households struggle to put food on the table, a number that has grown during COVID-19. The Food Policy Council works with the Ontario School Nutrition Program to provide breakfast and snacks to over 16,000 children per day in 88 local schools. Current provincial funding for the program amounts to 13 cents per child per day, which is grossly inadequate to cover a healthy snack, much less breakfast or lunch. The Ministry of Education's own guidelines estimate a cost of 225 per meal, which means a school of 200 children would need $2,250 a week to feed each student daily, far more than the $130 they receive. There are many reasons, Speaker, why kids miss meals. But one thing is for sure, students can't learn if they are hungry and the pandemic has been especially hard for students who rely on schools for access to nutritious food. In the face of rising food prices, the School Nutrition Program has negotiated bulk purchases and new procurement arrangements to reduce the cost of items such as apples and carrots, but delivering food to students learning at home has caused transportation costs to soar and school fundraising can't come close to the real costs of running the program. Speaker, will this government commit the funding necessary to ensure that all Ontario students have access to healthy nutritious meals daily in school? Thank you. The Member for York City. For freedom of speech is becoming a casualty of Covid, a charter right that forms the basis of democracy now under attack by professional associations, social media, cancel culture, political correctness, Covid bullies and this government. Freedom of speech is the holy grain of all rights because if a regime sought to deprive us of rights, the very first right it would attack is our freedom of speech because it's through speech that we defend all other rights. Covid and its purveyors are trying to change that. Doctors, nurses, teachers are afraid to speak. People are being demonised for disagreement. Politicians gagged. That's why I now sit on the side of the house. George Orwell said that freedom means the right to tell people what they don't want to hear. So why are Canadians afraid to speak and how can anyone allow for this? Remember, we can disagree with each other, but we'll defend each other's right to say it. People have the right to be wrong. Only dictatorial regimes prohibit speech in the name of safety. Is this what we want our legacy to be? Is this the Canada we want for our children? Absolutely not. Speaker, my family and so many Canadians are here for this very reason and we're not letting it go. Prime Minister Diefenbaker said, I am Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think is right, free to oppose what I believe is wrong. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind, to anyone watching, have no fear. As long as there is rule of law, the truth will prevail. Don't be afraid. We are Canadian. Speak your voice and let it be heard. Thank you. The next member statement, the member for Brampton West. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since last year, the Interior Government and the Premier have been calling on the federal government to take real action to secure our borders. Unfortunately, previous measures have not worked to keep the variants out. And now, Ontario has the four main variants of concern. This includes the UK variant, which has become the dominant strain in Ontario. And, Speaker, according to new modeling, variants will soon make up 90 percent of the daily cases. Weak border measures allow these dangerous variants into Ontario. As nothing is more important than protecting the health and safety of all Ontarians, the Interior Government has also restricted travel by land and water into Ontario from Manitoba and Quebec. But air travel and international borders are a federal responsibility. So we need the federal government to take further action. Speaker, we are asking for a ban on all non-essential travel, mandatory pre-departure, PCA testing for everyone entering Ontario, and for the federal government to close the land border loophole. Mr. Speaker, in the past two weeks, there have been 23 domestic flights and 35 international flights into Toronto with possible COVID-19 exposures, and also over 150,000 people, not including essential truckers, have crossed Canada's land border. We cannot afford to let a vaccine-resistant variant into our country. More can and must be done to ensure the health and safety of all Ontarians and prevent the fourth wave from entering our borders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next member's statement. The member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's an honour, as always, to rise on behalf of my constituents in Davenport. This week, I visited the picket line at the Nestle Chocolate Factory in my riding, where 470 uniform members are on strike. These workers have been on the job 24-7 throughout the pandemic, and today they are fighting for equal pay, for equal work, and to ensure new workers are made permanent and treated fairly. They're standing up to a multinational corporation that has profited throughout this pandemic because of the very hard work and sacrifice of those same employees. These systemic injustices have really been laid bare during this pandemic, and they demand strong legislative protections, permanent paid sick days, decent wages, decent hours, an end to racism and bullying in the workplace, an end to the exploitation of migrant workers, the abuse and misclassification of gig workers, and real protection for temp agency workers. Speaker, I want to take a moment to recognize the extraordinary Decent Work and Health Network, formerly 15 in Fairness, the Workers Action Center, and all the people in my community who are fighting for change, including employers who are making a difference, like the great people at Paws Beauty on Bloor Street West, who are committed to changing the personal care industry and leading by example, and the owners of Bernhardts and Dreyfus, who support the Canadian Restaurant Workers Coalition and who work in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Mr. Speaker, this pandemic has shown us that working conditions can literally make the difference between life and death. It's time this government started to listen. Thank you. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the dire COVID situation in India. Each day I have conversations with friends and relatives, all who know someone who has succumbed to this horrible virus. As you may have seen, the numbers of the population are testing positive. The situation with the shortage of oxygen and other supplies has the whole world stepping up. I am so proud of our Premier and the people of Ontario who swiftly came to the forefront and are sending 3,000 ventilators to the Indian Red Cross. Even Punjab has seen massive spread of COVID. On Tuesday, I spoke to the Health Minister of Punjab, the Honourable Balbir Sidhu, who himself recently recovered from COVID, telling us about the overwhelmed hospital staff and the general public who are desperate. As our Premier said, and I quote, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of India during these difficult times. Our government will work closely with His Excellency Ajay Bissarya, High Commissioner of India and the Consul General to Toronto and stand ready to assist further with India's urgent needs for as long as we are able to. We are all in this together and COVID is deadly and we cannot be complacent. We need to continue to physically distance, wear a mask and most importantly, only go out for the essentials. COVID came to Canada through our borders, which is why we are asking, no pleading to the federal government to restrict travel and close our borders. Although we are facing tremendous challenges here in Ontario, with more patients requiring intensive care, our government is taking swift and decisive action. I want to thank you for your leadership during these difficult times and for his assistance with supporting India in their true time of need. Thank you. Thank you, Member Statements. The Member for Ottawa, West Nippian. Thank you, Speaker. This previous year has been a difficult one for everyone across Ontario, but it has been particularly difficult on those with developmental disabilities. I am particularly proud that Ontario has made it possible for people with developmental disabilities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 2 and this group has become eligible effective today. Members in this House know that this is a community near and dear to my heart. Near the beginning of the pandemic, I started hosting monthly virtual meetings with representatives from the developmental services sector. Over the course of many months, we have tackled dozens of issues, including the frequent supply of PPE, expanding emergency day care to our incredible developmental services workers, DSWs, or ensuring that they were included in our pandemic pay. DSWs like PSWs provide an invaluable service in our communities. They work tirelessly with a unique and complex population of kids and adults, and I have seen firsthand at my brother's home the dedication that these women bring to the job every day. Well, we've often taken the time throughout the pandemic to thank our PSWs for their incredible work. Today, I want to take a moment on behalf of everyone in this House to sincerely thank all of our passionate and devoted DSWs. You certainly rank highly in the pantheon of our COVID-19 heroes. Thanks for all you do to provide incredible care to my brother and to all the guys and gals right across this province. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. That concludes our Member's statements for this morning. I've been informed that the Leader of the Opposition has a point of order that she wishes to raise at this time. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the House to observe a moment of silence for the 199 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 over the past week. The Opposition is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to observe a moment of silence in memory of the 199 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 in the past week. Agreed? Agreed. Members will please rise. Thank you very much. Please take your seats.