 It's now time for Member Statements. The Member for University Rosedale. Thank you, Speaker. Last month, the Ontario Divisional Court struck down the Premier's Student Choice Initiative. The Court found fault with the government's clear interference in colleges and universities. The Student Choice Initiative had a huge impact on services in my writing because University of Toronto is in University Rosedale. The student newspaper, The Varsity, the campus radio station, Downtown Legal Services, LGBT Out, the oldest LGBTQ student organization in Canada, Bike Chain, the Student Refugee Programme and the Food Bank and the Student Union. The very existence of all these services was threatened by the Student Choice Initiative. It came as a relief when the Court struck it down in a unanimous decision. But now this government is appealing that decision. We don't know how much this appeal will cost Ontarians and legal fees or on what legal grounds the government will use to justify it. But what we do know is that this appeal is another power grab by a Premier who wants to silence any opposition. It is time to stand up for students and for colleges and universities. That is what I intend to do. And for those who believe in true student choice and student democracy, I encourage you to do the same. Contact this Premier and ask them to back down and stop the appeal. Thank you. Next we have a member for Northumberland, Peter Burroughs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our government is delivering on our commitment to end hallway health care and deliver a more integrated patient-centered public health care system. It was on our to have Minister Elliott, our Minister of Health, in my writing on Friday to announce that Ontario Health Team Northumberland was approved as one of the first 24 Ontario Health Teams in the province. I offer my congratulations to OHT Northumberland on their tremendous success and also congratulate Peter Burroughs and Durham Ontario Health Teams as well. To put the achievement of OHT Northumberland into context, the County of Northumberland has 85,000 residents, which I believe means that this OHT will be one of the smallest in Ontario and will be a leader in the implementation of successful model of care in small-town rural Ontario. I'd like to thank members of the team, including Alderville First Nation, Campbell for Memorial Hospital, Northumberland Hills Hospital, Community Care Northumberland, Community Health Centers of Northumberland, all three of our family health teams, Lakeview, Northumberland Trent Hills, Northumberland County, Rebound Child and Youth Services, and the Bridge Hospice. In addition to patient and caregiver representatives K. Jackson and Scott McPherson and primary healthcare physicians Dr. Fraser Cameron, Dr. Aaron Pepper and Dr. Phil Stratford. 97% of primary care physicians in Northumberland County have signed on as members of the OHT, Mr. Speaker. This is going to be a legacy piece for our government and the beginning of what will be better patient-centered care in Northumberland County. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements to Member for Nickel Belt. Thank you, Speaker. Last night in Pennsylvania, USA, the prestigious Jefferson Awards were presented. The Jefferson Awards Foundation is North America's longest standing and most prestigious organization dedicated to celebrating public service. It was created by Jacqueline Onassis, Kennedy Onassis, sorry, while they were working to establish the Nobel Prize for Public and Community Service. Well, last night, Mr. Alex Patterson, a resident of Nickel Belt, the proud recipient of the 2019 Jefferson Award for Public Service. Mr. Patterson has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of our hospital for over 15 years. You see, Speaker, 15 years ago his baby was born. His baby was sick and had to be flown out to London to be cared for because Sudbury, none of the hospital in Sudbury had the equipment necessary to care for his son. Well, Mr. Patterson decided to change this and he has, over those 15 years, raised millions of dollars to buy equipment so that Sudbury can care for the babies and what his family went through, nobody else in Northern Ontario would have to go through. He was nominated for the Jefferson Award by his union, United Steelworker Local 6500, from which he has been an active member. I want to personally thank Mr. Patterson for everything he has done for our community and for our hospital. Alex, I'm really, really proud of you. You deserve the Patterson Award and many more. Thank you. The member for Stormont, Dundas, Sotan, Harry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just after my arrival here at Queensborough Park in 2011, I received an e-mail titled The Other November of the 11th. It was an invitation to lay a wreath on the anniversary of the Battle of Chrysler's Farm. 206 years ago on November the 10th, 1813, the night was cold and raining. The Americans were camped by Cook's Tavern. On the other side, our side was parked at Chrysler's Farm. Despite the odds and numbers, Lieutenant Colonel Morrison decided that they would not pull back, but rather fight. The weather was gray and damp with a cold, east wind blowing. Picket firing at 8 a.m. raised the alarm. The British gun boats moved into position. The Americans made their move but Morrison and troops were ready. The Battle of Chrysler's Farm had commenced. 1600 U.S. troops under Gerald John Boyd against 600 British and local militias under Colonel J.W. Morrison. It was a bloody day for the Americans. 107 killed, 237 wounded, and about 100 captured. Our side suffered 22 killed, 148 wounded, with nine missing. One of the biggest battles of the war was over. And as friends of Chrysler's Farm, the battlefield would like to say, it was the battle that saved Canada. The victory in the war of 1812 was crucial in preventing the capture of Montreal by U.S. forces. The services of the militias, the Stormont Dundas, and Glengarry counties deserved to be honored in a place in history for they fought and bled for their country. To honor those who fought so bravely that day, Stormont Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders have been awarded the battle honors of Chrysler's Farm on the soon to arrive regimental colors. Thank you. The member for Toronto Central. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to highlight the lack of oversight in Ontario over the use of above-the-guide line rent increases, and specifically, how tenants get those rent reductions that they are legally entitled to when these temporary rent increases expire. Speaker, an above-the-guide rent increase, or AGI, is a temporary rent increase that a landlord can apply to the landlord tenant board for, usually for significant maintenance on a building. Landlords are able to pass on the expense of those repairs to their tenants and raise the rent above the regulated amount. But when these orders expire, tenants are owed a reduction on their rent correspondingly. But, Speaker, this is not as easy as it sounds to get these reductions implemented. I spoke with a tenant living at 2515 Bathurst Street in Eglinton, Lawrence, who didn't receive any notice from her landlord that her AGI had expired. She was proactive, though, and reminded her landlord then notified other tenants in the building but was still in the dark about how to apply these reductions. To make matters worse, Speaker, tenants were getting conflicting information from the landlord and from the landlord tenant board. Some tenants were told by the landlord that the reduction didn't take effect because the government hadn't ordered it. Others called the landlord tenant board and were told to apply the rent reduction in increments, and yet others were told to apply the rent reduction in full. These tenants are just trying to get what they are legally owed, and no one will even give them a straight answer. The Liberals failed to create a streamlined process to protect tenants from paying more rent than they owe, and now the Conservative government is letting a broken system continue to fail renters. I urge this government to fix this broken system. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements. Member for Lanark, Frontenac, Kingston. Thank you very much, Speaker. Last week, a new book was published by a well-known rural Ontario journalist. The author's name is Ian Cumming, and he hails from eastern Ontario's Glengarry County. The book is a compilation of short stories of the many colourful characters Ian has encountered throughout his decades of travel through the back roads, farms, and fields of Ontario. The book's name is Rural Rascals, Cock Wombles, and Legends. I know that many of my colleagues and friends read Ian Cumming's weekly columns in the Ontario Farmer. I'm also sure that they would enjoy this compilation of Ian's greatest hits. Speaker, I trust you will enjoy reading the copy I left with you, and I have also presented a copy to the Legislative Library. For those who wish to get their own copy, or maybe looking to find a great Christmas gift, feel free to contact Ian. And Speaker, with the much improved form in the House this session. It appears we have a Cock Wombles-free zone here in the Legislature. So once again, congratulations to Ian Cumming, and his book Rural Rascals, Cock Wombles, and Legends. And through you, Speaker, may I wish everyone in this House and whose listening a very merry Christmas. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Perth Wellington. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Reg and Liz and Samus of the Township of Mapledon. Recently they received the Green Legacy Agriculture Award of Excellence. This award recognizes agricultural producers who have demonstrated strong environmental leadership by promoting the value of trees on farms and reexamining their farm practices to engage in up-to-date methods that support good land stewardship. Speaker, Reg and Liz have done just that. In the last 40 years, Reg and Liz have planted over 25,000 trees on the farm properties they own. They have shown firsthand the rural tree planting plays in improving farm operations, including protecting soil and waterways, preventing runoff and livestock from contaminating water, and increasing crop yields. As Liz said, it is each farmer's job to evaluate their own farm and find solutions that benefit both the environment and their operation. The Samus have also been strong active leaders within the community as well. Partnering with the local Scouts and Guides, they are inspiring the next generation of tree planters and instilling on our youth the importance of environmental stewardship. Congratulations to Reg and Liz for this much-deserved recognition and for the years of service to agriculture in Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member for Algoma, Manitoula. Well, thank you, Speaker. And today being our last date, tomorrow we're rising. We're all going to go back home. This is my last opportunity to wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I want to tell people in Algoma, in the Manitoula, happy Merry Christmas. Be careful when you drive on our roads. Let the House know that, you know, 2019 was a tough year for the Member for Algoma, Manitoula. I've lost a hero, a Santa, and I've lost my girl. And I lost my hero in... Eddie LeFrançois. He was an ALS champion, tireless, and did things that was never expected of that man. Joe Glougli, a resident of Elliott Lake for a very long time in his last few days, in a few months he was living in Gore Bay, was the best Santa that we had ever seen. And Emily Rose Richet, my girlfriend. She was my girl. I said goodbye to her yesterday. The reason why I say this is I want everybody back home to not do like I did. Not what ifs and should-ofs and could-ofs. If you think you want to drop by to say hi to someone, do it. Don't wait, because you never know when they're going to be taken away from you. Bury your quarrels. Forget that fight with your brother, your sister, your aunt, your uncle. It's Christmas time. It's time to love. And it's time to enjoy and embrace. Have a merry Christmas. I'll go in the manatee. And everybody across the square. Member Statements, the member from Niagara West. Thank you very much, Speaker. I rise in the house today to share how our government has been working towards road safety across the province of Ontario and in Niagara West, at a particularly busy intersection in the town of Grimsby. A street configuration known for accidents, the Grimsby Diamond, a stretch of on-and-off ramps from QEW to Christie, Ontario, and Maple Streets in Grimsby has poor sightlines of confusing signage. Growing levels of traffic have contributed to a number of accidents in the Diamond, and local residents and municipal leaders have been calling for enhanced safety measures. As my predecessor, Tim Houdak, wrote in 2016 as an opposition member, the number of traffic accidents at this intersection continues to go up, with all with some degree of property damage, many with personal injury, and in one case, a fatality. Urgent action is required to ensure another fatal accident does not occur in this place. Speaker, I'm proud to say that working with the Minister of Transportation and her staff has brought results from my riding of Niagara West. Our government has taken action. The Ministry of Transportation has agreed to install red flashers on each of the five un-signalized intersections. As well, MTO traffic specialists will be meeting with the town of Grimsby staff before Christmas to discuss the benefits and logistics of reconfiguring the lane markings on the street crossings at this intersection. It's just one more example of how our government is ready to listen to local concerns and put the interests of the people of the province first. And I'm proud to assure the people of Niagara West that I will continue to fight for local issues and find resolutions that help the people of our beautiful riding. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. The member for Kitchener Conestoga. Well, thank you, Speaker. I rise today to congratulate everyone here in the House. Working together since this legislature returned to sitting in October, we have accomplished a number of very important things for the people in the province of Ontario. First and foremost, I want to congratulate the Minister of Finance on the fall economic statement delivered November 6th. In that statement, we learned that Ontario is actually beating its targets for deficit reduction and revenue generation, Mr. Speaker. And because of those successes, we have been able to invest $1.3 billion into important programs. But that's not all, Mr. Speaker. In the sitting of this House, we invited all parties to work with us to update the standing orders by which this parliament operates. The new standing orders will allow this assembly to work even harder with the ability to call more night sittings, Mr. Speaker. These changes will modernize the rules of the legislature, enhance debate, and increase opportunities for all MPPs to engage in the legislative process. And I am pleased to note that when this House returns in February, we will honor our nation's heritage and traditions. Following prayers on the first sitting Monday of each month, the Canadian national anthem and the royal anthem, Mr. Speaker, will be sung in this chamber. God save the Queen. Thank you very much. That concludes the time for Member Statements.