 members statements I recognize the member for Niagara Falls. Thank you Mr. Speaker on April 6th the government released a list of postal codes across Ontario which were deemed hotspots. These hotspots were designated based on transmission records hospitalization. These postal codes has seen so much death and suffering on account of this virus. One of those postal codes is L2G postal code in Niagara Falls. Yet that community in Niagara was not given access to priority lists for vaccines. This is another failure of this government to provide vaccines we need in Niagara. In fact this postal code may not have been needed at all if this government didn't divert over 5,000 life-saving Moderna vaccines from us in January. Something the government now claims is a myth despite all the evidence that this happened. Time and time again this government failure to get Niagara vaccines it needs is making this pandemic worse. The people in Niagara want an end to this cycle of lockdowns and viruses. We can end that cycle by following the guidelines set out and giving vaccine priorities to more postal codes in Niagara. Especially the L2G code as identified by your own government as a hotspot. You say listen the doctors so let's listen to them and their plea to provide paid sick days for workers. Paid time off to get vaccines. We also need more vaccination dates available in Fort Erie. We also need a minute Niagara in the lake to serve our elderly population. Enough failures. Get this right. Get these vaccines into these postal codes in Niagara immediately and let's save lives. Thank you. Member statements. The member for Mississauga East Cooksville. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The holy month of Ramadan has arrived and Muslims across Ontario and around the world will observe 30 days of fasting, prayer and self reflection in commitment to the religious values and traditions of their faith. Just like last year Muslims in our province continue to demonstrate their willingness to adopt to the current restriction by practicing social distancing and wearing a mask to stop the spread of COVID-19. Across Ontario the Muslim community has found ways to practice their faith in these uncertain times and for this I thank them for their diligence in keeping one another and all of us safe. Ramadan is a blessed month of charitable giving, self reflection and most importantly commitment. For this I say thank you to all of my Muslim brothers and sisters for your continuous generosity and support towards those in need during these unprecedented times. On behalf of my family and the people of Ontario I wish the Muslim community a Ramadan Mubarak. Thank you. Member statements, the member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you Speaker. As a working parent of two children with one in elementary school I have a question for the Ford government. A question I know parents across Ontario has as well, have as well. Why do you feel the need to surprise people? For weeks on end you kept saying that schools were safe and that in-person learning was going to continue only to have it changed on us last minute. Think about the panic you create. Parents don't know what to do. Everyone is left scrambling. It's stressful. We have to make big changes again on very short notice because this government can't be bothered to share with everyone what is actually going on. Be transparent. Provide a clear strategy and line of thought. Show some leadership. People understand that we're in the midst of a pandemic and tough decisions need to be made. What we get from this government instead are press conferences announcing that there is an update but that update can only be shared tomorrow. Don't keep us guessing what it may be. Just tell us what you know. Tell us what you want to tell us tomorrow today. Now is as good a time. Better in fact. You know Speaker if people did this at work if people did at their jobs what this government is doing they would be told you don't know what you're doing. They would be fired. So do you know what you're doing or do you not know what you're doing. I understand these are unprecedented times tough times. And if you don't know what you're doing maybe leave it to someone else that can do it better. Thank you. I say to the Minister of Natural Resources the time is 10 20 this morning. Member statements. The member for flamborough glamour. Thank you and good morning Mr. Speaker. I rise in the house this morning to express my gratitude to farmers not only in my riding a flamborough glamour but of course right across the province of Ontario for their efforts to keep us fed throughout this pandemic. Farmers have faced incredible challenges because of COVID-19. They've been dealing with a shortage of migrant workers. Farmers are at the mercy of the weather. They need adequate workers to plant to maintain and to harvest their crops at the right time. Without these workers consumers would see empty shelves in our grocery stores. But to compensate farmers and their workers have been toiling long hours in the fields in our orchards and in our vineyards. Farmers have not only been losing workers but they have also been losing money. Over the past year they've lost a large share of the restaurant and hospitality business. Restaurants aren't able to buy products like tomato sauce by the gallon with movie theaters closed butters and being delivered by the pail. But farmers have figured out different ways to sell their products. They've effectively shifted to online sales and roadside operations. Farmers are selling chicken, beef and pork to consumers at roadside stands right across the province. Some dairy farmers are now selling online and delivering milk to your door just like the old days. Because of their efforts grocery store shelves, coolers and freezers are fully stocked. This past year has been a struggle for farmers and at the start of the pandemic the food system did bend but due to their ingenuity, industrious nature it didn't break. We thank them. Member statements. The member for London North Senate. Speaker, it's no secret that our small businesses in Ontario are struggling more than ever right now. The Ontario small business support grant was supposed to be a lifeline. But for too many small business owners the process was made impossibly complicated. Danny is a small business owner in London and she is one of many in my writing having issues accessing this grant. She first applied for this grant in January, but after her application sat under review for months. Finally in April after the deadline had passed, she found out her application was denied. She was not given a reason why and there's no appeal process in place for her to challenge this decision. Danny told me she has called the helpline 20 times and left nine escalation tickets without any follower. It's infuriating, she told me, that some businesses received funds within two weeks while businesses like mine are on the brink of bankruptcy. Speaker, after the year they've had our small businesses deserve clarity and support from this government. Each day their grant requests go unanswered is another day of anxiety and uncertainty. I'm asking the Premier to take immediate action provide our small business owners with the answers and information they deserve and get these grants to London's small businesses today. Member statements. The member for Cambridge. Good morning. Earlier this week, the British Journal of Sports Medicine released a study which looked at almost 50,000 adults with COVID-19. The objective of this study was to compare hospitalization rates, ICU admissions and mortality for patients with COVID-19 who were consistently inactive doing some activity or consistently meeting physical activity guidelines. The conclusion, Mr Speaker, was that other than advanced age and a history of organ transplant, lack of physical activity was the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes. Those who engaged in at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week had quote lower incidence, intensity of symptoms and mortality from various viral infections and quote. So not just COVID-19. A fact that I'm sure many gym going Ontarians and gym owners have known for a very long time. Physical activity is good for your cardiovascular and pulmonary health. It boosts immune function and improves mental health. So why has this progressive conservative government shuttered gyms across Ontario for extended periods of time on three separate occasions? Why have children across this province been denied access to sports, dance and other forms of physical activity? This government has continued to implement draconian measures on the people of Ontario for over a year and has failed to educate Ontarians on modifiable risk factors such as the benefits of physical activity and vitamin D supplementation. I am asking this government to open gyms now and to let our children return to play. Thank you. Member statements. The member for Peterborough Gortha. Thank you speaker. I'd like to share a snapshot of the excellent work being done at the by the health care heroes at cable regional health center. Most people in Ontario won't know about PRHC but my regional hospital has performed in truly incredible ways during COVID-19. Not only have the 3,500 staff and physicians been tirelessly caring for people in our community, they've also been pulling out all of the stops to support a team Ontario approach. Since January, PRHC has accepted more than 40 transfer patients from GTA hospitals. This week they've increased their critical care capacity to 48 ICU beds standing ready to save more lives. Their vaccine clinic for some of the highest risk populations has been described as the happiest place on earth by those who've come. And that's not normally a phrase you hear when someone jabs you in the arm with a needle. Speaker, I have to share this story from Tuesday. A person waiting to take someone home from the vaccination clinic experienced a life threatening event. The nurses in the clinic responded immediately and saved that individual's life then went on to vaccinate more than 500 people so that no appointments were cancelled. The staff and physicians at PRHC are passionate about what they do about the people they care for and have been absolute heroes throughout this pandemic. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to all the staff at PRHC. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Brampton North. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'd like to talk about the negative impacts of the Highway Traffic Act on the dump truck industry. The owner operators and small business owners are facing illogical and unreasonable costs from $25,000 to $40,000 in the dump truck industry. The industry is mostly comprised of owner operators and small businesses and this issue affects the whole industry. It does not make sense for these dump truck drivers to retrofit their 15 year old plus trucks that are on the end of their life spans with such high costs to only get a few more years out of them. This would lead to these trucks being decommissioned and would result in more harm for the environment. Instead, Mr Speaker, we should allow them to operate especially when our construction industry and economy need more dump trucks to continue operating in the midst of a pandemic. The other truck industries like concrete trucks and bulk fuel trailers have received extensions of 20 to 25 years from the MTO, that the MTO is ignoring these dump truck drivers, not even providing adequate reasoning for this. I'm once again asking, as we have before, to allow tri-axial dump trucks manufactured before July 2011 to operate their lifespan without these restrictions. This would allow the owner operators and small business operators without paying $40,000 to retrofit their old trucks. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Milton. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, season of the Great Canadian Baking Show has wrapped up and although I wouldn't usually be following this show so intently, this year was extra special for my great writing of Milton. This year, we watched as Milton's own Rufficott beat out nine other bakers for the title of Canada's best baker. Rufficott put forward some of the most mouthwatering dishes I've ever seen during the eight-week competition. Speaker, I'm proud to represent a community that has such a flourishing talent and although in the middle of a pandemic have been able to cheer on Miltonians like Rufficott while they achieve new heights. Mr Speaker, in one of her interviews during the competition, Rufficott credited her unique and award-winning flavors to her mother's kitchen back in Nigeria. This achievement was made possible through hundreds of hours of dedication and support and I imagine a few taste tests along the way. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Rufficott and all of those who support her throughout this competition. Milton is proud of you and we look forward to watching you as you continue to succeed in years to come. I know my colleagues will join me today in congratulating Rufficott. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you. Next member statement, the member for Niagara West. Thank you very much Speaker and I rise today to acknowledge and thank the hardworking members of the Niagara Regional Public Health Unit as well as Niagara Health for the incredible work that they have been doing to ensure that residents in Niagara are able to access COVID-19 vaccines. From Dr. Mustafa Hurji to Linguero of Niagara Health, we've seen the incredible commitment of the healthcare workers across Niagara. Speaker, we've seen over 119,000 vaccinations given in Niagara. That's over 22 and a half percent of the population, a percentage that is above the provincial average. Speaker, it's so important that we continue to encourage people to be able to go out, get their vaccines at many of the locations that are across Niagara. Just last week I had the opportunity to announce an additional 19 pharmacies that are rolling out across the region. That's in addition to the 22 pharmacies that were rolled out the week prior. That's 41 locations to access a COVID-19 vaccine in the region of Niagara Speaker. That, of course, is in addition to the 11 sites that we're seeing rolling out across the region as well as the Seymour Hanna site, which of course the Premier visited to thank the remarkable frontline work who are doing important work there. Speaker, as we await more supply from the federal government, our government is committed to ensure that each and every community in Ontario receives equitable access to important vaccinations. That's why in Niagara I'm proud to say that we have an average that is above the provincial average of our vaccinations rollout. That's over 22 and a half percent, 119,000 vaccinations, and more are coming very soon. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. That concludes our member statements, and I've been informed that the Leader of the Opposition has a point of order she wishes to raise. Thanks very much, Speaker. I seek unanimous consent for the House to observe a moment of silence for the 221 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 since April the 1st. Opposition is seeking unanimous consent of the House to observe a moment of silence for the 221 Ontarians who succumbed to COVID-19 since April 1st. Agreed? Agreed. Agreed. I'll ask members to please that. Thank you very much. Members may take