 It is now time for members of statements, the member from York, Simcoe, or Simcoe, York. York Simcoe. York Simcoe. I got it right. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker, and it is with great pride that I stand today here at Queens Park, named after Queen Victoria, who's now the second longest serving monarch of the Commonwealth. It is my honor to speak in celebration of a very special milestone for Queen Elizabeth II. On Thursday, September 9th, Queen Elizabeth became the longest serving monarch in a millennium of royal tradition. We have been the beneficiaries of a parliamentary system that recently celebrated its 800th anniversary. Our constitutional monarch is a rock of stability in changing times, and I would like to extend my congratulations to the Queen and the royal family. As over the last 63 years, seven months of her reign, the Queen has led with wisdom and grace. Not only is she the longest serving monarch, but she also provided the most stable leadership of the Commonwealth. She is more than nonpartisan. She is above partisanship. Through 11 Canadian Prime Ministers, from Louis-Saint Laurent to Prime Minister Stephen Harris, Harper, from Sir Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron, the Queen has been a rock of stability. I was delighted to be able to share in the presentations that were done in honor of the Queen in my writing, both in East Gullinbury and in Bond Head at St. Catherine's Byzantine Church. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you. Further statements from the member from Essex? Thank you very much, Speaker. If I could bug your indulgence. I just want to say welcome to all my colleagues in the House. It's really as nice to see each and every one of you today. Speaker, it is good to see you in the chair as well and looking in good form. Here, the Writing of Essex lost, and with a haircut, Writing of Essex lost a wonderful woman over the summer. It is my honor to stand in this House to recognize the contributions made to my community by Margaret Walts. Any candidate who has run in an election in Essex County in the region over the last 40 years has done so under Margaret's careful watch. From 1975 until she passed on July the 27th, Margaret served as returning officer for both elections Canada and elections Ontario. Margaret committed herself to the democratic process in a way that very few others have. As a five-time candidate myself, Speaker, my team and I grew to have the utmost respect for Margaret's professionalism and her ability to effectively manage elections and countless staff. Margaret's contributions, however, weren't limited to elections. She sat as president on a number of boards, including the Essex Minor Baseball, Essex Minor Hockey Association, the Essex Regional Conservation Authority Foundation, the Essex Horticultural Society, the Liberal Association for Windsor and Essex County, and Essex BIA. She also served on Town Council and sat on the Board of Directors at the Woodsley Credit Union. Margaret's life centered around two things, family and community. Margaret met her husband Bill and became Sweethearts at Essex High. They married in 1950 and shared 65 years together and raised four children. On behalf of my riding of Essex, I want to say thank you to Bill, Richard, Dana, Becky, Brad and the grandchildren Brandon and Spencer for sharing Margaret with us for all these years. Thank you, Margaret, for everything. And just for today, the polls have now officially closed. Thank you, Margaret. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and pay tribute to Greater Sudbury Police Constable Joe McDonald. A name that will be familiar to many of my colleagues here and that we in Sudbury will not soon forget. Joe McDonald was 29 years old, a five-year veteran of the Sudbury Police Force with a young family at home when he was murdered doing a routine police stop in New Sudbury. Mr. Speaker, Constable Joe McDonald's murder was a tragedy. And while I rise today to pay tribute to Constable McDonald, I must also acknowledge Sergeant Rick McDonald of Sudbury, Mr. Speaker I got to know his mother this past summer, and other public safety officers throughout Ontario whose lives have been cut short in the line of duty. The death of a public safety officer in the line of duty in any community changes that community forever. In Sudbury and in the wake of the particularly violent murder of Constable Joe McDonald, our community was deeply wounded. None more wounded than Joe's entire family, but especially his wife and two daughters. On that night in 1993, the family of Joe McDonald lost a husband, father, son and brother. As a community, I believe it is our duty to help families like Joe's wherever we can. Which is why I'm pleased that our government remains committed to helping the spouses and children of fallen officers through the Constable Joe McDonald public safety officers survivor scholarship. While nothing can bring back Constable McDonald, Sergeant Rick McDonald or any other fallen officer back to their loved ones, this fund is a small way to help the spouses and children of these officers achieve their educational goals. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Further statements to the member from Elgin, Milisex Law. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, I'd like to welcome back the students to their school year and as we all know, asthma symptoms worsened during the month of September and I'm proud to note that this school year Ryan's Law has been enacted to keep our students safe. Ryan's Law is a common sense piece of legislation which allows for children who suffer asthma to carry their puffers with them at all time. This is the first such piece of legislation in Canada. Ryan's Law is named after Ryan Gibbons, an elementary student from Stratfordville who needlessly passed away at schools after suffering from an asthma attack during his recess break. One in five children in Ontario suffers from asthma, making it the most common chronic condition among children in our province. I'm extremely delighted that school boards across the province have implemented Ryan's Law into this year's school system. As schools across our province become more asthma friendly thanks to Ryan's Law, we hope to never see such a tragedy again like we saw with the passing of Ryan Gibbons. I'd like to take this opportunity to also thank the many people who supported Ryan's Law through the legislative process. To Ryan's Mom Sandra Gibbons, thank you for helping create a legacy for Ryan. Your strength and determination ensured that this bill succeeded. I'd also like to thank key stakeholders of the Ontario Lung Association and the Asthma Society of Canada for all their hard work since day one. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that sits in this legislature who voted in support of Ryan's Law unanimously. I appreciate the support behind that because we together can work together to make Ontario a better place. Let's never forget Ryan's memory as we continue to work hard to make our school system safer and a safer place for all children in Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Further status? Member from London West. Thank you Speaker. I'm pleased to update this House on an exciting initiative that is galvanizing my community called SHIFT Moving London Forward. SHIFT proposes a 22 kilometre rapid transit network that will connect major institutions in London, including the university, the college, our two hospitals and the airport. Community surveys have identified improved transit and transportation as the number one priority for Londoners. Western and Fanshawe students who make up about 40% of London's bus ridership have been advocating strongly for improvements. As an MPP I've heard too many stories of unemployed Londoners who can't accept work in the industrial parks because those jobs are not accessible by transit. Speaker, London's current transit membership per capita far exceeds that of many comparable municipalities such as Hamilton, Mississauga and Waterloo. Yet unlike these pier cities which have secured significant provincial investments in bus rapid transit or light rail, London continues to rely on a bus system that is bursting at the scenes. Londoners do not accept that investment in public transit is an either or proposition that we must choose between public transit and keeping our electricity system public. Londoners expect both. We expect our vital public assets to be protected but we also expect transit to be funded. Speaker, London is ready. Council has committed $4 million to conduct an environmental assessment that is currently underway. What we need now is for the province to come to the table. Thank you. Thank you. For the statements of the member from Kingston and the Islands. Mr. Speaker, on July 26 of this year at the age of 89 our country lost a great political leader. Flora Macdonald left behind a strong and inspiring legacy for our country, for female leadership and for the true meaning of public service. As the first female federal representative for my riding of Kingston and the Islands, Ms. Macdonald was a trailblazer, always striving to serve the best interests of her community. Flora was affectionately called by all, set up Canada's second constituency office in 1973. She became our nation's first foreign minister and proved her diplomacy, skillful negotiation and compassion in international affairs. Ms. Macdonald was a true politician for the people and of the people. She was accessible, personable and always ready to engage with her community. In my seven years at the federal constituency office there were so many occasions when people from the riding and beyond contacted my office to try and connect with Flora. That in itself is a wonderful demonstration of the affection that our community has for this inspirational leader and for the many lives that she touched. Mr. Speaker, I'm so honored today to have the opportunity to pay this small tribute to this amazing woman. May she rest in deserved peace. Thank you. Miigwech. Thank you. For those statements, the member from Lantan, Kent Middlesex. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise to recognize Mr. Rex Crawford, a former liberal MP for Kent, for his significant contributions to his community and to the nation. Rex is prolific in his desire to serve and volunteer. Some of his many roles include work with the Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club, being Vice President of the Farmers Union, Director of the Chatham Children's Treatment Centre, Sydenham District Hospital Board, the Chatham General Hospital Board and ARC Industries in Wallisburg. As an environmentally conscious farmer, Rex has served on the Board of the Lower Thames Conservation Authority and he continues on the Board of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority Trust. In Dover Township, beginning in 1977, he was Councillor, Deputy Reeve and Reeve, working hard to maintain the agricultural integrity of some of the finest and most productive land in the country. In 1987, he was elected warden of Kent County. The following year he was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Kent and was re-elected in 1993. Rex was largely responsible for bringing the ethanol plant to Chatham, Kent. As MP, Rex was a voice of his constituents and he was never afraid to challenge a position of his party if it was contrary to the interests of the people of Kent. For this he is respected and admired by all who know him. I continue to appreciate his advice, his support and friendship. Thank you. Thank you. Further statements? The Member from Cambridge. Thank you, Speaker. Yesterday afternoon I was pleased to attend the fourth annual United Way Car Show at the Toyota Manufacturing Plant in my community of Cambridge. There was a great turnout of people from Cambridge and neighbouring communities strolling through the rows of gleaming cars, enjoying the food and the music and contributing to a great cause. Just like these are just one of many examples of how Toyota partners with local groups and remains a staple of my community of Cambridge. On July 31st I was pleased to visit this award-winning plant, along with CEO Brian Crinock, where the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, Brad Dugood, announced that the Ontario government would be investing $42.1 million to secure over 8,000 current jobs and create new ones in Toyota's Ontario manufacturing operations. It was a great news day. Along with an investment of $421 million from Toyota, this funding will support equipment and technology upgrades and will prepare the Cambridge Toyota facility to produce the next generation of Lexus vehicles. For the first time outside Japan, Toyota's specialized welding technology will be used. This announcement is great news for the thousands of families across the Waterloo region that depend on the auto industry for their livelihood. Toyota is a major employment and a driver of our regional economy. And I am very, very proud that our government set the table to help keep the sector competitive in the face of fierce global competition. Thank you. Thank you. Further statements? The member from the Tobago Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, I rise in honour of Ukrainian Heritage Day today, Mr. Speaker. Through the first Ukrainian immigrants to Canada, Vasily Yelinyak and Ivan Pilipov arrived in Canada on September 7th, 1891. Since then, the Ukrainian-Canadian population in Ontario has grown to more than 340,000 people. And Ontarians of Ukrainian descent, along with so many other communities and backgrounds, have a rich heritage and have contributed to making Canada the great country that it is today. Many Ukrainians fled their homeland to find freedom from oppression and a better life. They found that life here in Canada. My grandfather was one of those people. And he and so many others in the community will always be grateful to Ontario and to our country. As proud as he was of his Ukrainian heritage, my grandfather was one of the proudest Canadians I have ever known. As a result of these reasons, Mr. Speaker, the province in 2011 unanimously passed a bill proclaiming Ukrainian Heritage Day on September 7th every year. I was honoured to have worked with members of this legislation on all sides on this bill. Later today, we shall be commemorating Heritage Day with a flag-raising ceremony at 4 o'clock. I invite all members of the House to attend. Mr. Speaker, this government has worked closely with Ontario's Ukrainian-Canadian community. The Premier was an Etobicoke Centre to commemorate Ukrainian Independence Day last month. She will also be attending the Blu-R-West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival this weekend. I encourage all members here to join us. It's a wonderful, wonderful weekend. The Premier and Minister Sandels, for example, worked to ensure that the interment and the Hall of Demar would be included in Ontario's curriculum. They ensured that funding would be provided to a new mobile classroom that will travel Ontario to educate students about the Hall of Demar. The Premier has repeatedly called for an independent and territorial sovereign Ukraine, and is proud and proudly sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine in these difficult times. The Premier is an MPP and a member of the community. I am proud of my Ukrainian heritage, proud of the work that the Premier and the government have done with the community, and proud of the contributions the community has made to our province and our country. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.