 It's now time for a member's statements, the member from Oxford. Mr. Speaker, this Sunday we celebrate the annual Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival. It's an important traditional festival celebrated by many people from southeast and northeast Asia, especially among those of Chinese descent. I am honored that Ambassador Yu and Michelle Yu Liu from the Taipei Economic Culture Office are here today to mark this occasion with us. Oxford is proud of the strong relationship that we have with Taiwan since George Leslie Mackay traveled there in the late 1800s and became one of the most well-known Canadians in Taiwan. So on behalf of the people of Oxford and the PC caucus, I'm pleased to offer best wishes to everyone celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's a time to get together with family, share mooncakes and give thanks. At this time of thanksgiving I also want to take a moment to recognize and thank the Taiwanese Canadian Community Service Association. Last weekend I was pleased to attend their 18th anniversary annual fundraising dinner and bring greetings on behalf of our leader. And I want to commend them all for their good work and the many people that they help. Honoring their work to help the community is especially fitting at this time of year. This weekend people of the ethnic Chinese background across Ontario and around the world will be celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with their communities and their families. We wish them all the best and a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. Thank you for being here. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Sadia Ghassim came to Canada as an immigrant from the war-torn Somalia of 1993. For many years she focused on community, building and social change in Waterloo Region. Sadia died of pancreatic cancer on July 28th just a week before her 60th birthday and her losses felt deeply in our community. Her work was not done. In 1994 she established worldwide opportunities for women a non-profit organization that helped support newcomer women. Sadia worked with the African Women's Alliance of Waterloo Region. She was the key organizer of the annual Afrofest in Waterloo Park and was a proud board member on the Canadian Council for Muslim Women. Sadia believed in education as essential for the liberation of women. Countless women, many survivors of abuse attribute their pursuit of education to Sadia's personal guidance and her support. Sadia attributed her commitment to social justice to her father who had risen from poverty to become a medical doctor and community leader. He believed in the education of women and encouraged Sadia to attend university. Sadia was an altruist. She was a strong Muslim feminist who believed in the power of women to make positive change. She was not afraid to address controversial issues such as female genital mutilation, violence against women, systemic racism and climate change. Sadia was deeply loved and respected by her four boys, her many diverse friends and colleagues and the local Somali community in the region. There are a few more deserving of recognition in our legislature than Sadia. We will miss her. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member Stavitz, the member from Ajax Pickering. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm honored to rise in the House today to recognize the International Week of the Death. It is taking place from September 21st to 27th. It is an initiative of the World Federation of the Death. The current occasion was first marked in Rome, 1958. Since then it has provided a chance to raise awareness around the world, every year. Mr. Speaker, our province, Ontario, has proud to join other countries in observing this important occasion. This year's theme highlights the importance of sign language for children as a basic human right. I'm proud to say as a Canadian that Ontario is a leader in accessibility. We require staff to be trained on accessibility. We are the first province in Canada to have legislation that sets out a clear goal and a time frame of accessibility by 2025. Greater accessibility means greater opportunity for people with disabilities to participate in our workforce and our economy. And for entrepreneurs to create new businesses based on inclusive design, products and services. In particular, I'd like to recognize the great work of the Ontario Association of the Death. They are tireless advocates and make a big difference in our communities. Mr. Speaker, I invite my honourable colleagues to join me in celebrating International Week of the Death. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased today to share with my fellow members how proud I am of here in Paris's resident, Devaney House. This tenacious young girl chose to give up her birthday gifts this year in favour of raising money for Women's House in Concardin. Women's House provides services to women and children of Bruce and Great Counties who have or are experiencing abuse, sexual violence and homelessness. They also provide educational resources on sexual assault and information on how to recognize it. In addition to raising $305 herself, Devaney has expanded her mission and is now encouraging the broader community to get involved. At the shelter, Devaney delivered the following message. I quote, I want to issue a challenge to all businesses in Concardin to match my donation. She said with a huge smile and a sense of pride. This is not the first time that Devaney has committed herself to helping Women's House with her first appearance at the House occurring on International Women's Day this past March. Devaney is just one of many volunteers that make the work of the Women's House possible. With the help of people like her, the organization will host their annual Women's House gala on October 17th, which will raise money for their essential services. And I hope the Concardin community takes up Devaney's challenge. It warms my heart to see Devaney committing herself to working on behalf of this important cause, and I thank her for that. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for your Member's statements, the Member from Women. Speaker, so I'm proud to be here today to stand with the health care members of Opsu Local 294, in the Members Gallery, and they're here today. 140 members of this local who are community nurses that provide complex nursing care to people in homes in Norfolk and in Niagara, from moon care to chemo and dialysis in patients' homes across the region. Yet, Speaker, for six months they've been on a force strike by their employer care partners, attempting and been attempting to negotiate a collective agreement for over two years. Over 1,400 patients who were serviced by these hard-working and dedicated nurses, and the ones suffering the most from this strike are the patients. As a former nurse myself, I've joined them on the picket line. I've written to the Minister of Health, but today we've had no action from the Minister's office. Today, the day after the AG report, the Auditor General put out her report on the CCAC, I'm calling for the care partners to return to the table. Her reports show that there are serious issues within the system, CEOs fattening their paychecks by as much as 27% while frontline workers are on the picket line. It's time for the government to start thinking about vulnerable patients who continue to suffer because of bad faith bargaining and because of the strike. And, you know, this is an honoured profession, Speaker, and I don't think that they need to be on the picket line. They need to be where they do their work best with their patients. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today and extend best wishes to Muslims across Ontario and around the world who are celebrating Eid ul-Adha. Eid ul-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, marks the end of the holy pilgrimage of Hajj to Mecca. Eid is about sacrifice, equality and family. It's a time when Muslims come together to give thanks and show compassion to those less fortunate. It's also a time to remember their traditions and roots. This morning, I was honoured to attend the Muslim Association of Canada's Eid celebration with the Premier and MPP Baker. It was great to see so many Muslim families out celebrating this special occasion with prayers, visits and exchanges of greetings and gifts. Mr. Speaker, Ontario's diversity is one of our greatest strengths. We are fortunate to live in a vibrant, inclusive and welcoming society that celebrates our differences. Together, we will make Ontario one of the best places to live, work and raise a family. I want to acknowledge the important contributions of the Muslim community to our province. Thank you for helping to shape our social, economic and cultural landscape. I also want to take a moment to remember the challenges that some of our Muslim friends and neighbours are facing when it comes to the refugee crisis abroad, and to remember the more than 700 people killed during Hajj this year so far. Our thoughts are with the families of those loved ones. To everyone celebrating this very special occasion, I extend my very best wishes for a joyous and memorable Eid. Thank you. Eid Mubarak. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Municipal councils in my riding have spoken loudly and clearly about this government's planned sell-off of Hydro-1. One after the other has forwarded me formal resolutions blasting the plan. The City of North Bay, Town of Madawa, Municipality of East Ferris, and the townships of Bondfield, Chisholm, Madawan and Papano Cameron have all stated their formal opposition. Their resolutions note, as our caucus has noted, that a privatised Hydro-1 will no longer be subject to scrutiny by officers of the legislature, including the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General. They believe, Speaker, that this will result in higher Hydro rates that families can't afford. They also note that, quote, the provincial government has no mandate from the voters to sell any part of Hydro-1, quote. Indeed, Speaker, this government did not campaign on this during last year's election. The councils in their resolutions asked the provincial government to, quote, halt the sale of any part of Hydro-1 and maintain Hydro-1 as a public asset for the benefit of all Ontarians. Speaker, I will take the answered copy tomorrow and release it to all of the councils who sent resolutions to me. Thank you. Okay, Member Statens, the Member from Scarborough Agent Court. Thank you. Autumn Festival. It is the second largest Asian celebration after Chinese New Year, celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. This festival is a harvest festival dating back over 3,000 years. On Mid-Autumn Festival night, the moon is supposed to be the brightest and the fullest, which is why the festival is also known as the Day of Reunion and Moon Festival. In the Chinese culture, it is believed that a full moon is a symbol of peace, prosperity and family reunion. Eating mooncakes and other sweet treats are one of the many traditions associated with this occasion. While it is certainly one of the largest Chinese events in my community, it is also celebrated by many other Asian communities, including Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesians, Singaporean and Taiwanese, all of which are presented in my diverse writing of Scarborough Agent Court. This year marks a special celebration for Scarborough Agent Court resident, Mr. Speaker. As Premier Wen and I will be visiting the community and local businesses on September 26th in recognition of our rich Asian-Canadian heritage. I encourage everyone to join in celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for your member statements. The member from Scarborough Southwest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay tribute to a legend in baseball and sport, Yogi Berra. Yogi Berra passed away recently at the age of 90. Mr. Speaker, Yogi Berra was a Major League Baseball player for 19 years and he spent the majority of his career with the New York Yankees. He set records such as being a World Series winner for 10 of those years and 18 years as an All-Star. As a player, coach or manager, Berra appeared in 21 World Series and won 13 of them. He admirably served his country in World War II fighting with Allied forces in France during the D-Day landing and gave back to others the various philanthropic endeavors. In addition, he is fondly remembered for his sayings or, as they become to know him, as Yogi-isms, which have become part of our cultural dialogues. Saying such as it ain't over until it's over and baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical and another one, always go to other people's funerals or else they won't come to yours are still primarily used today. Yogi Berra's insight, wisdom and perspectives on sports and life will be truly missed. Mr. Speaker, I would request if a copy of this on the Gap of Legislature could be sent to the Berra family. That's rather interesting. The short answer is we've done it in the past for other families of deceased and I'll investigate the possibility of forwarding the statement on to the Berra family. It'll get to the family. Thank you very much. Thank all members for their comments. It is now time for reports.