 Member Statements, the member for Windsor to come see. Good morning, Mr. Chairman. I rise today to bring birthday greetings to a dear friend of mine. Steve Sernick is turning 94 today. That's right, 94. He was born in 1926. Back in the days, we used to call him the Roaring Twenties. And Roaring is certainly a descriptive word that describes Steve for most of his life. He slowed down a bit, but just a bit, Speaker. If you're a new Democrat in Windsor and Essex County, you likely work with Steve Sernick on an election campaign or two. If the kids were tearing down election signs, Steve would be the first to scramble up a tree and put the sign up there so they couldn't get at it, Speaker. The member for Niagara Falls may have the best mustache in the legislature, but Steve Sernick has the best mustache this side of Croatia. It's a handlebar without the handle. It's big and bushy like the one you'll send me, Sam. The Looney Tunes character has it just droops down. All the better to match his ponytail, of course, Speaker. It's also a convenient way just to reach out very gently and pull him in for a big kiss. And, Speaker, I'm not ashamed to say I have done that on more than one occasion. His wife, Dr. Madeline Sernick, used to be an analyst on my old Percy's political panel back in the old CBC days in Windsor. So, Steve, happy birthday, buddy. I hope the next time to get together with you, we're doing shots of slivovits. Member Statements, the member for Haldeman, Norfolk. Yes, thank you, Speaker. And the days over the past several months have been tough for many and certain professions. We value and respect those essential workers who showed up and continue to show up. And, you know, Speaker, one field where challenges have been plentiful is farming. I know many people took to growing their own food this spring and summer, including myself, and it's not easy as it seems. And that's just on a very small plot. Imagine trying to produce and harvest food to feed many, many people in Ontario and across Canada. The pressure is immense. Weather, too much rain, then not enough. Pest and, of course, early frost is always something on a farmer's mind. And farmers, of course, are not immune to the challenges a global pandemic has presented. In my writing of Haldeman, Norfolk, labor-intensive agriculture is dealing with some of the strictest rules in North America for housing seasonal workers. I know my farmers cannot endure much more as they've been put in a precarious and unfair situation. They're clearly at a competitive disadvantage. And the risk, as well, is they may not be able to adequately feed the rest of us. Farmers don't ask for much. What they do ask is to be treated fairly. And, more importantly, they ask for support. We ask for support for our farm families who put food in our tables. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for London North Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Today I remember a great man who taught many about kindness, thoughtfulness, and life's second and third acts. Jerry Lehey was a wise soul, an impassioned writer, speaker, and devoted friend to many. Last week, he met his final rest. The loss felt in London is colossal. Jerry used his undeniable charm and zest for life to push for greater accessibility for everyone. After both his legs were amputated due to complications from diabetes, Jerry showed Londoners what life was like for folks in a wheelchair. He pushed to prioritize sidewalk snow clearing, AODA standards with teeth, and parking enforcement so walkways and bike lanes weren't blocked by cars. Jerry and I also had many conversations about insufficient ODSP funding. He felt that many years of government neglect were pushing more and more people deeper into poverty. COVID has only made these flaws more apparent. ODSP recipients hardly received any assistance during the pandemic and are struggling now more than ever. Jerry reminded us that ODSP recipients deserve to live with dignity and that we almost do our part to ensure Ontarians with disabilities are not left behind. He taught us all that if we don't look outside ourselves, we will never see what others need. Jerry, you are one of a kind and we miss you terribly. Thank you for sharing yourself with us. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Willowdale. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise this morning to lend my voice in bringing awareness to a genetic disorder which affects thousands of Ontarians including in my community of Willowdale. Cystic fibrosis, or CF, is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting children and young adults in Canada and at present there is no cure. It's estimated that one in every 3600 children born in Canada has CF. The disease causes damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs and in many cases leads to the destruction of lungs and a loss of lung function that is fatal in the majority of people with CF. Speaker from Onts, I have been meeting with members of CF community in Willowdale and representatives from Cystic Fibrosis Canada including Jennifer, whose 8-year-old daughter Allison is living with CF. Jennifer's daughter is often unable to play with other kids, attend school or enjoy many of the activities that make being a kid great. During this pandemic it has been especially hard for her to be away from her friends or receive necessary care. In September Jennifer and I met with Willowdale MP Alia Sassy to discuss ways both the federal and provincial governments can help approve and make available life-saving treatments for CF. Speaker, at the moment there is no proven cure for Cystic Fibrosis and I know that our government is negotiating with pharmaceutical manufacturers to make new treatments available in Ontario but we all have a role to play in ensuring that Ontarians living with CF have access to new treatments, the best care and breakthrough medications. Let's all work to help Allison, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements and Member for Trottles Centre. Thank you Speaker. Today is International Tenants Day, a day to highlight the challenges facing tenants around the world. This year tenants organizations are calling on governments to take action to ensure housing for all. In the fight against COVID-19, access to housing has become a matter of life and death. For those without stable housing it is impossible to isolate and as many tenants have lost their income and their jobs more and more people are struggling to keep a roof over their head. COVID-19 has compounded the housing and homelessness crisis that many of our communities are facing. Too many tenants are being renovicted, receiving massive above guideline rent increases and waiting decades on wait lists for affordable housing. Liberal and Conservative governments have let tenants down over and over again and have ignored the housing crisis for years. And now instead of helping tenants during this difficult time, this Conservative government has managed to take things from bad to worse. Tenants urgently need rent relief. They need a ban on commercial evictions and real rent control that's going to put a check on the sky-high rents we're experiencing in many of our communities. We need substantial investments in affordable housing and to repair the existing infrastructure of housing that we have. We need significant changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to ensure that tenants have faith that their landlord is properly maintaining their units. Everyone deserves a place to call home and it's time that this provincial government took action to make that a reality. Thank you. Member Statements, a member for Ottawa 7th. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Vision problems can really create a problem for young people when they're trying to learn. 80% of classroom learning is visual. So I remember in 2013 I was here in this building and an ophthalmologist said to me, we don't actually check children's vision in school anymore. I said that's not true. I found out it was true. And literally nobody was checking the box. Parents don't often see it. It didn't always happen in the physician's office. And it was a problem with the perception of perception. It's hard to tell when someone can't see. So I was pleased to be able to do some work as a parliamentary assistant to bring vision screening to schools in Ontario on September 2019. The Ottawa Public Health Unit started doing that. Now it's been pulled back because of the pandemic. It's really a critical thing. It can affect a child's brain development. So I just want to mention this to members in this house that once we get out of this pandemic, we'll have to refocus on this effort to ensure that every child has their vision screen before they get to school, go to see an optometrist, get the glasses if they need it. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Stormont, Dundas, Southland, Geary. Thank you, Speaker. I rise to say to recognize the achievements of the Williamstown Fair Board for their centuries-long commitment to their community and especially for their dedication this September to hold again Canada's oldest annual fair, the 209th edition of the Williamstown Fair. On September 5th, the Williamstown Fair staged a wonderful experience by hosting a drive-through experience along with a horse riding and cap, dairy cap competition. It was gratifying to see the work put in by the many volunteers and resulting support from the residents. They were able to bring together more than a thousand feet of displays that everyone could enjoy from the safety of their motor vehicle. The Fair Board also collaborated with their partners, the World's Finest Shows, the Raising River Conservation Authority, and the Township of South Gun, Gary. World's Finest prepared cotton candy, candy and caramel apples to serve to visitors in each vehicle, while the Raising River and South Gun, Gary work together to give away free trees to the first 500 vehicles. This example of community spirit in these troubling times is what makes the riding of Stormont-Dundas and South Gun, Gary the special and strong place that it is. Thank you, Speaker. Member Statements, the Member for London West. Thank you, Speaker. I rise on International Teachers' Day to celebrate the amazing work that Ontario teachers are doing in the age of COVID-19. As public health experts emphasize the critical importance of physical distancing and gatherings of no more than 10, in-class teachers are in cramped classrooms with as many as 30 students, while rooms down the hall sit empty because of this government's stubborn refusal to reduce class sizes. Online teachers are grappling with challenging technology issues. I talked to London West parent Anna Foutt, whose two sons, age six and nine, are learning online. Anna says, we have every advantage. A mom who has flexible work and time to do IT support. Sons with their own Chromebooks who are being taught by brand new enthusiastic teachers. Yet they are all frustrated by provincially mandated digital tools and systems that do not work together by login and authentication errors that regularly reduce her sons to tears by unrealistic expectations that parents will download, print or reproduce worksheets, then upload or use a webcam if they have one to record the assignment. Speaker, this government had six months to plan for the safe reopening of schools. Instead they chose to ignore crucial public health recommendations for safe in-school learning and to flood schools with uncoordinated remote learning devices. We are profoundly grateful for the dedication and professionalism of teachers who are rising above the chaos and doing everything they can to help students learn. Thank you, Speaker. Member for Burlington. Thanks so much, Speaker. Every year Canadians buy over a billion batteries and according to Environment Canada only 5% of them are being recycled. When batteries break down in our landfills chemicals get into the groundwater and can contaminate the supply. That's why I partnered with Call to Recycle Canada's national consumers batteries collection and recycling program. I'm pleased to report that during two weeks in September, my Burlington office collected over 160 pounds of batteries. In addition, my paint recycling drive took in 872 cans of paint including 103 spray cans. Recycling paint and battery protects our environment by keeping hazardous waste out of our landfills and it's something everyone could be doing. Speaker, I'm pleased to be working with the non-profit electronic recycling association and the pediatric oncology group in a six week long collection drive. We're accepting used laptops, computers, monitors, printers, cell phones and tablets from now until November 6 at my Burlington office, Speaker. Electronic devices will be refurbished and provided to children undergoing cancer treatment. I want to thank the Burlington community for always stepping up and supporting these efforts. Thanks so much, Speaker. Thank you, Member Statements. The Member for Scarborough Center. Thank you, Speaker. And I just wanted to give a shout out to the Scarborough Rib Fest that happened a few weeks ago and was put on by the Rotary Club of Scarborough. We had over 2,800 cars drive through the Centennial College campus on progress so thank you Centennial College for lending us your parking lot and my family and I were one of the cars that went through and we went to Camp 31 which is a family favorite and got ribs, mac and cheese, chicken coming onions and funnel cakes with strawberry and ice cream and my daughter enjoyed her first Scarborough Rib Fest meal and she loved the sauce as she says the most so next year I really look forward to coming out with all of you Rotarians at Thompson Park and waiting in one two-hour line-ups in the blistering heat because let's face it that's part of the experience. So I thank you Rotarians so much for putting on this event this year and for ensuring that Scarborough still had this really great community event and it was really nice to see so many of your familiar faces so thank you for the work you did on the Rib Fest and thank you for all of the volunteer work that you do for Scarborough. I understand the member for Guelph has a point of order. Thank you Speaker, I rise with a point of order. I'd like to congratulate Anami Paul for not only being elected the leader of the Green Party of Canada Thank you but I also want to congratulate her for her historic election. She is the first black woman and the first Jewish woman to lead a major political party in Canada with seats in the House of Commons. Thank you.