 Member Statements I recognize the member for Algoma Manitou. Thank you speaker and I heard that cry at the beginning of the session today and I want to welcome back our friend Bruno welcome back Bruno. Speaker on October 5th I wrote to the Minister of Education about the closure of child care centers in Duberville in the Sagan Act due to staff shortages. These closures left parents to come up with new arrangements for their children's care on a moment's notice. A constituent in Duberville informed me that one parent travels an hour every day with her child from Duberville to Wawa for child care and then has to take the same trek back home every single day. With the winter months coming you can imagine how stressful and dangerous this will be. In a Sagan Act the waitlist has grown from 26 individuals. Staff there say operating on skeleton crew is a regular thing and have had to transfer workers from another location just to keep their doors open. Speaker this is unacceptable in Ontario. Young families are under enough stress with the skyrocketing cost of living as it is. This staffing crisis is the result of this government's low wage policies and lack of funding to child care centers to hire and retain qualified individual. The government must end this crisis and give early childhood education workers fair pay so that children can thrive and parents can have peace of mind. This cannot wait. The government needs to step up to the plate and recognize that child care workers in Ontario families deserve better. Member statements the member for Sarnia Lampton. Thank you Speaker. As always it's an honour to rise in the house today. Mr. Speaker I felt it's very important today to take this opportunity to acknowledge the commitment to community demonstrated by all those candidates who put their name forward from municipal council and school board elections throughout Sarnia Lampton and of course the province of Ontario. I don't have to tell anyone in this house that putting your name on the ballot is not an easy decision to make. By putting forward your platform and ideas you open yourself up to scrutiny and criticism from the public and our friends in the press. However the debate of those ideas is fundamental to our democracy and without a variety of candidates diversity opinion whether they finished on top of the polls or somewhere farther down the list I want to congratulate every candidate in Sarnia Lampton on their campaign and let them know just how much their participation mattered to their community. I look forward to working with all the returning and newly elected mayors and members of council in Sarnia Lampton. I want to say congratulations to newly elected mayor Gary Ackerson and Clinton Wyoming and Jeff Agard St. Clair Township. I also applaud mayors Kevin Marriott and then the skill in township Ian Veen and Oil Spring, Brad Loosley and Petroia, Bev Hand and Point Everett on their reelection and of course Mr. Speaker special congratulations to Mayor Mike Bradley in Sarnia who was just elected to his eleventh term as mayor of the Imperial City. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you member statements the member for Ottawa West and Pean. Thank You Speaker. Family physicians are an essential part of our health care system but far too many Ontarians currently do not have a family doctor. According to a recent study 1.8 million Ontarians do not have access to a regular family physician. This includes many residents of Ottawa West and Pean. I've heard from many constituents who are desperately searching for access to a primary care physician but to no avail. One local doctor wrote to me that her office has no less than 10 people walking in every day hoping to find a family doctor taking on new patients. Family physicians meanwhile are experiencing burnout and too many of them are currently closing their practices. They are contacting my office to help her to ask for help in finding additional resources that will allow them to keep serving patients. These family doctor shortages have serious implications. Erin Bain one of my constituents was recently informed that her doctor is closing her practice. Her doctor is under 40 but she has experienced so much stress over the past few years that she is walking away from the profession of medicine. Erin and her parents who are in their 70s and live with chronic health concerns are now frantically searching for a new doctor hoping they won't be forced to go to the emergency room for routine care. Wait times at Ottawa hospitals are already over 12 hours. We can't afford patients who need non-emergency care ending up in the ER because of a doctor shortage. We need this government to take the crisis in health care seriously invest in all parts of our public health care system and make sure everyone gets the health care they deserve. Next member statement the member for Thunder Bay Attic-Holken. Thank you Mr. Speaker. As yesterday was the municipal elections in Ontario I want to start off today by thanking everyone that put their names forward in the municipal and school board elections across Ontario. Participating in our democratic process by putting your names on the ballot to represent your communities is something that you should all be proud of. To those that were elected yesterday I offer you my sincere congratulations. Each of you have been entrusted with a responsibility to serve your communities. Having served on council in my community for 31 years I can tell you that the experience can be a very rewarding one. To those that have been elected for the first time you will soon find out that your responsibilities will demand a considerable amount of your time and it will impact not only on you but your family as well. Please recognize the sacrifices that your family will be making while they support you. In my role as PH and the Minister of Municipal Affairs I look forward to working with all of you towards our mutual goal of continuing to make Ontario and our communities the best they can be. As with all elections we will see change at council tables across the province. I want to thank all members that are not returning for their service and commitment to their communities. In my writing of Thunder Bay out of Cokin there are several members of council that are not returning but I'd like to mention one in particular and that is out of Cokin Mayor Dennis Brown. Mayor Brown decided to retire after an incredible 38 years of service. Throughout his time on council Mayor Brown has worked tirelessly to make out of Cokin a better place to live, work and play and the word impossible was not in his vocabulary. It has been a pleasure for me to work with Mayor Brown over the years and I want to offer him my gratitude and sincere best wishes in his retirement. Thank you. Member of Pre-Key Wetnell. Miigwech Speaker Mili Keshirbaya. Speaker Fall is hunting season across Ontario and in Kuwait and far northern Ontario it's something that we all do in practice. We have to understand that hunting is a way of life for all of us in the north. It brings families together, it brings communities together and it's important to to acknowledge that and I know and I see all the pictures all the you know the stories from all the hunters up north whether it's smooth whether it's you know the fishing that happens in the north. I know for for me hunting is a is a way of life as I said hunting is part of who I am as a First Nations person and I will continue these ways of life for to pass down to the children the grandchildren that are for coming. And I know sometimes people ask me what is land back? Land back to us in the north is going back to the land. Land back is building a cabin in in these forests in these lands. Land back is relearning your language. It's a gift that we have from our ancestors and the one I'm proud of and that that we will pass on for generations to come. Miigwech. Member statements. Member for Brantford Grant. Thank you Speaker. On Sunday October 16th I had the honour of attending the Six Nations Veterans Association annual Remembrance Day Parade and Service in Oshwekan. The beautiful sunny fall day did not mask the seriousness of the occasion. Honoring First Nations veterans that fought in every major conflict that Canada has ever been in. Speaker the Six Nations Remembrance Day ceremony is very personal to me. The liberation of the Netherlands from September 1944 to April 1945 played a key role in the culmination of the Second World War as the Allied forces closed in on Germany from all sides. The First Canadian Army played a major role in the liberation of the Dutch people who had suffered terrible hunger and hardship under the increasingly desperate German occupiers. Six nation soldiers were among Allied soldiers that fought town to town, canal by canal, pushing back the occupying German forces from the country of my birth the Netherlands. The First Canadian Army also played a leading role in opening Belgium and the Netherlands Estuary Gateway to the port of Antwerp, a key city in the region. More than 7,600 Canadians died in the eight month campaign to liberate the Netherlands. A tremendous sacrifice in the cause for freedom and, Speaker, I will wear a poppy with a deep sense of pride lovingly made in my writing of Brandford Brandt by Tuscarora hands that remind me of the sacrifices made by First Nations, Canadian, and Allied troops in Europe. Thank you, Speaker. Member Statements, the member for Scarborough Guildwood. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you, Speaker, for the opportunity to visit Yellowknife as part of the Canadian Parliamentary Association. Their parliament in Northwest Territories is driven by consensus, and I think that all members of this House will agree that public education is one of our most important responsibilities as a legislature, and that our public education system was the hardest hit in the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The harsh reality, Speaker, is that our students have missed more school days than any other jurisdiction in North America. As a result, our public education faces an urgent race to catch up. But again, this challenge represents a steeper climb for some more than others. Added to this, we have entered the flu season, and we're continuing to manage the latest COVID variants. This means that more disruption is likely. More supports are needed in our public education system, not less. And yet, alarmingly, the government continues to underspend when it comes to public education. And, Speaker, while families during this time need support to manage the inflation crisis, direct payments to parents, while taking away those precious resources from the classroom, are not addressing the gaps in learning that students currently face. I see that in my own writing in Scarborough-Gildwood, where many students are struggling to reach grade level in reading. All students do not require the same level of supports to catch up. And that is why it is critical that solutions are put forward by the government that are equitably designed to meet the needs of all Ontario's learners. The best place for this investment is in our public education system. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Members' statements? The Member for Mississauga Lakeshore. Thank you, Speaker. I'm proud to rise today to celebrate the first annual Hungarian Heritage Month in Ontario. This past Friday, I was proud to join the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and the Mental Health and Addiction and the MPP from Flamberg-Lenbrook here at Queen's Park to help raise the Hungarian flag, together with officials from the Hungarian Consulate and the Hungarian Canadian community leaders. On Sunday, we celebrated Hungarians Republic Day, which marks two important events. 66 years ago, the Hungarian people revolted against the Soviet territory and oppression. And exactly 33 years later and 33 years ago, Hungary became a democratic parliamentary republic. Again, Speaker, on behalf of the Hungarian Canadians in Mississauga and across Ontario, I just want to thank members from both sides of this house for supporting my private members' bill earlier this year and to create the first Hungarian Heritage Month in Canada and to recognize a community that has contributed so much to Ontario. Speaker, later this week, the President of Hungary, Katerina Novak will visit Ontario. She is the first woman elected President of Hungary and also the youngest president in the history of Hungary. I look forward to celebrating Hungarian Heritage Month together with her and I know that all members will join me to welcome in her to Ontario. Thank you. Statements, the member for Don Valley North. Thank you. For the fall and winter season upon us, a potential resurgence of COVID-19 and the flu season is fast approaching. In addition to the province's strong vaccine program to help protect Ontarians, it is important to remind the public that practicing hand washing and good home hygiene helps to provide an additional layer of difference against the risk of contracting COVID-19 and the seasonal flu. Speaker, I want to thank American Hygiene Corporation for their generous donation of sanitizing wet wipes to help further protect our vulnerable citizens and seniors in the community of Don Valley North. I sincerely thank them for their care and kindness. Speaker, these wet wipes are being distributed by a team of dedicated volunteers who work diligently to support seniors and marginalized people in our community who don't always have their sources to access wet wipes. Speaker, I'm proud to recognize the compassionate member of my community who so often put their needs of others ahead of their own. I'm thankful for the constituents of Don Valley North who consistently demonstrated that their priorities are in the right order. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Berry Innisfree. Thank you, Speaker. I rise with a heavy heart to honour and give my deepest condolences to the families of Constable Morgan Russell or Moe as he was known by his close friends in Constable Devon Northrop. They paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and embodied the so simple values of teamwork, integrity, respect, compassion, integrity and so much more, Speaker. These professionals in their field were professionals in their field and served in the emergency response unit and touched the lives of countless individuals. I had the honour to know Constable Northrop and had an opportunity to do a ride along with him while I learned about all his work in the mental health field. Both Constable Northrop and Russell were passionate and devoted to serving those facing mental health challenges and finding ways to better support youth in our region. Constable Russell could have retired years ago but insisted on serving his community for many more years. As Staff Sergeant Chalmers remind us, the greatest contribution that we can give to these heroes in life and their families is to take responsibility for the youth in our community and to connect with the children, young adults in our lives. Not just via text message but a call to check in and let them know that they're loved and supported. A simple call, hug or kind words can change a day in the life of someone who is experiencing difficult times and sadness. Do not let it go unnoticed and do not be afraid to ask for help. If we don't change the ways that we do things more people will get hurt. As Madeline, the daughter of Constable Russell reminded us that our police officers are first responders. Our men and women uniform who serve are not just those to serve in our community but they are beloved by their beloved spouses, parents, family members and friends. To the Northrop family, to the Russell family, I want to let you know that Constable Northrop and Russell will not be forgotten. They will remain as heroes in our hearts and throughout our community for years to come. Our government, our community and the South Simcoe police have your back and I want to ask everyone to join me here in this legislature to pay gratitude to Constable Russell and Constable Northrop.