 Now, time for Member Statements, the Member from Prince Edward Hastings. Thank you, Speaker. Brigadier General Alexander Ross famously said that when he looked out across the battlefield at Vimy Ridge, he saw Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade. He felt that he was witnessing the birth of a nation. Every year we must reflect and pay our respects to the honourable Canadian soldiers who sacrificed their lives at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, France, Easter Monday, 1917. I had the opportunity yesterday to lay a wreath on behalf of Ontario at a commemorative service in the warm sunshine at the Belleville Cenotaph to remember the sacrifices at Vimy. It was 98 years ago that the four divisions of the Canadian forces came together for the first time to occupy the French Hill at Vimy Ridge from the German Army. This Allied victory was a significant milestone for our country as we joined together as one nation to defend our freedom during the First World War. However, we can't forget that this success came with great sacrifice. Throughout the three-day battle, more than 15,000 brave Canadians overtook the Germans under heavy fire. At the highest peak of the ridge, where the memorial now stands, soldiers battled machine guns with their bayonets in a long, costly fight to victory. Some 3,600 Canadians were killed during the three days, another 7,000 wounded. With the 100th anniversary just two years away, I'm proud to stand here on behalf of all members of the Ontario Legislature to pay our respects to those who gave their lives so that we can live free in Canada. Back in France, a radiant Vimy sculpture stands as a tribute to the fine men and women from the First World War. The memorial has a statue of a woman representing Canada, a young nation mourning her dead. Below is a tomb to remind us of the soldiers killed in France who have no graves. We will remember them, Speaker. Thank you very much. Members stately, they're members of our Gova Manitoulin. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Manitoulin Secondary School math and science teacher Heather Thysmeyer has been named the recipient of the Ontario Association of Mathematics Education Award for exceptional and creative teaching in secondary mathematics for 2015. This award recognizes an exceptional and creative secondary teacher who demonstrates excellence in mathematics education and contributes to the overall development of students. Her support for Heather's nomination provided a comprehensive picture of her exceptional and creative teaching, her contributions to mathematics, education and her ongoing support for students. Mrs. Thysmeyer was honored to be recognized at a provincial level and she is now looking forward to representing the Rainbow District School Board at the award ceremony in May. MSS principal, Laurie Sano, was part of the nomination process. Let's say in her words, Heather is an inspirational educator. Her passion for learning is very contagious. Her need to put students first and her drive is what makes her such an exceptional and creative teacher. She is very deserving of this award and we are all very proud of her. We wish her very a lot of luck. Congratulations, Mrs. Thysmeyer. Teachers will teach and be fulfilled in touching many young lives. However, it is later in life that the student will reflect and speak of the impact one teacher had on their lives. Thank you. Member statements. Member from Cambridge. Thank you, Speaker. On Saturday, April the 4th, I was pleased to attend a pancake breakfast in my writing of Cambridge, which was hosted by the North Dumfries Historical Preservation Society. The breakfast took place at the Historic Clyde and Scots Women Institute and about 55 tickets were sold in support of the society. While I sat as a board member for Heritage Cambridge, we assisted the Clyde Women's Institute to refurbish the bell tower. It was nice to see it. The event featured a number of fascinating historical archives on display, including local Tweetsmere books. Speaker, it was an honour to attend the breakfast and it was a pleasure to hear you speak at the event as well. The attendees were interested to hear about the speaker's role, your role, and it was wonderful that you could provide my constituents with an understanding of how Queen's Park functions. Joanna Rickert Hall, a historian based in Waterloo region, spoke about the founding of the Women's Institute by Adelaide Hunter-Hoodless. Adelaide Hoodless was an activist and advocate for women's rights and education. We have her to thank for many of the leaps forward that we have made in terms of women's rights in Canada and abroad. The North Dumfries Historical Preservation Society has a very important role in my community. Its mandate is to preserve history and culture in North Dumfries and it aims to create an archive for the township. Organisations like this one truly remind us about how important it is to remember and honour our past and to preserve pieces of our history for future generations. Thank you. Thank you. Member Stavins, the member for North Farm Economics and Addictive. Thank you, Speaker. Every day I receive calls from constituents complaining about their hydro bills. I recently conducted a comparison that looked at the all-in cost of the average electricity bill in rural areas across the country. Hydro ones all-in cost far surpass that of all other jurisdictions and it's an amazing 277% higher than our neighbours in Quebec. The main cause for this was due to the outrageous delivery, regulatory and debt charges. These charges are unique to Ontario and are not found in other provinces. There are countless cases where bills are more than double due to delivery charges which are often more than the cost of the electricity. The charge more for delivery of electricity than the value of the electricity itself is a direct result not only of wasteful, inefficient and bloated bureaucracy in Ontario, but also the painful policies of this government and their disregard for oversight of these agencies. But there's more, Speaker. Tens of thousands of errors over billings, outrageous estimates and no bills at all for extended periods of time from hydro one has resulted in a crown corporation that people have lost utterly all confidence in and it's now it's time to put an end to this disastrous hydro one monopoly and the disastrous policies of this government. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, universities in Ontario have been dealing with accumulated underfunding for years. The government's review of the funding formula for universities must not be motivated solely by the desire to slash funding. It must aim to improve the accessibility and quality of post-secondary education. The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations recently met with me to express their concerns. They have asked that the review of the funding formula protect and promote the two core activities of a university, excellent teaching and learning and world class research. Funding must be responsive to the number of students in the system and the programs in which those students are enrolled. Universities should receive adequate funding to support good jobs on their campuses. This means ensuring fair terms and conditions of employment for contract faculty and hiring enough tenure stream professors to maintain high academic standards and fair workloads. Funding should be stable and predictable to facilitate long-term planning and to avoid extreme fluctuations in institutional revenue. Funding should be allocated across institutions on a fair and equitable basis to protect against wide variations in quality across the system and to support student success in all universities. This review must be an open-ended, public and inclusive process where outcomes have not been pre-determined or artificially constrained at the outset. Above all, university funding must not be subject to short-term political objectives. Thank you. Member Stavins. The member from Downing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize National Volunteer Week. During this special week, we say thank you and celebrate the enormous impact volunteers have on our lives. More than 5.2 million volunteers of all ages give their precious time to make our community stronger and to build Ontario up. They do it by supporting caregivers, welcoming newcomers, supporting food banks and knocking on doors for worthy causes. For many, volunteering is a lifetime commitment. They deserve our respect, recognition, support and heartfelt thanks. We celebrate and honour our volunteers through a number of programs including the June Calwood Outstanding Achievement Award, the Ontario Medal for Youth Volunteers, and the Lieutenant Governor's Community Volunteer Award for Students. As many of you are aware, the annual Volunteer Service Awards are now in full-swinging communities across the province. This year, more than 9,000 volunteers are being recognized for their outstanding community service. With the Pan-Para-Pan-Am Games coming this summer, it is important we recognize the tremendous role volunteers will play. Over 23,000 volunteers will deliver an unforgettable Pan-Para-Pan-American Games experience to athletes, families and spectators. In addition, the Games present an opportunity to create a lasting legacy on Ontario's voluntary sector. A certificate of achievement will be provided to volunteers to recognize the training and experience they gained to assist with future employment opportunities. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Today I am pleased to recognize the accomplishments of two outstanding athletes in Perth, Wellington, Cory Connors and Joey Hishin. Listle native Cory Connors is one of two Canadians who played in last week's 79th Masters Tournament. Cory is an exceptional golfer and has been a member of Team Canada for five years. He won his way into this year's Masters by placing second in last year's US Amateur Championship. In 2013, Cory was a semi-finalist in the same tournament and along with Team Canada, finished second in last year's World Amateur Team Championships. I would like to congratulate Cory on his fine work at the Masters and all of his golfing accomplishments. Another local athlete who earned great praise last week was Joey Hishin. On Tuesday, Joey scored his first NHL goal, breaking a tie between Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators. Joey grew up in Stratford and has played hockey with the Stratford Minor Hockey Association, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, the Ontario Hockey League and the American Hockey League and now the NHL. He was a first round pick of the Avalanche in the 2010 entry draft. I am confident that this is the first goal of what will be a remarkable NHL career for Joey. Again, congratulations to both Cory Connors and Joey Hishin for their outstanding athletic accomplishments. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On March 23rd, I had the opportunity to be part of a memorable event in my riding of Scarborough Southwest, honouring the honourable David C. Onley and Mrs. Ruth Ann Onley with a 2015 in the Spotlight Award. This award is in recognition of their support and friendship they have shown to Variety Village over the last 20 years. Beyond this have gone above and beyond to support Variety Village's customized recreation and fitness programs for people of all ages and levels of ability in an integrated, engaging and inclusive environment. Variety Village's true accomplishments can be seen through client-specific recreation, fitness, wellness and lifestyle programs. The Ontario Government has always been a proud supporter of Variety Village and the continuous efforts to improve the lives of the people in our community. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to help support this dynamic organization, to recognize all the individuals who have gone to great lengths to help support Variety Village. And finally, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to say a big thank you to the audience on behalf of the residents of the riding of Scarborough Southwest. Thank you. Thank you. Member Stevens. Member from Scarborough Agent Court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rise to the House today to recognize constituents from my riding of Scarborough Agent Court who have received this year's Ontario Volunteer Service Awards. This provincial will recognize individual volunteers for the long-standing commitment and years of dedicated service to community organizations. Last week, I had a privilege of being part of three different volunteer service award ceremonies held in Scarborough, Mr. Speaker, where over 100 of my constituents will recognize further work in our community. One of those constituents, Muriel Averez, a staffer from my colleague, Minister McCharles, has joined us today at the House. Muriel was recognized for her 15 years' involvement with the Operations Spring Board, Scarborough Youth Justice Committee, where she continued to support youth participation in restorative justice. Thank you, Muriel, for your commitment to community service. Volunteers are the most important resource that community organizations have. Their dedication to devote their time to betterment of our community is invaluable. Mr. Speaker, this week is National Volunteer Week. Every year more than 6 million Ontarians volunteer at the time to cause us to believe in. And I believe, Mr. Speaker, it is this dedicated community service that makes this province a great place to live, work, and play. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I thank all members for their statements.