 Thank you. It's now time for Member Stavis, the member from Huron, Bruce. Mr. Speaker, and congratulations to the Minister. But today I'd like to stand at the House and say thank you. Thank you to everyone from Huron, Bruce, and constituents across the province who took time to raise their voice with regards to the municipal land transfer tax to tell the Liberals they were wrong. We have heard a lot about the municipal land transfer tax in the Legislature over the last few weeks, and during question period today, it was announced that the government has decided to backtrack on yet another one of their directives. You know what? They make ill-conceived decisions, and then they react to public outcries by retracting. And I have to congratulate my colleague from Leeds, Grenville. He has done an outstanding job championing the opportunity for people to raise their voice to say no to this government. Well, I am happy that the Liberals actually listen to us and that in the sense that they do not intend to expand the municipal land transfer tax. I hope they will listen to some of other concerns Ontarians have voiced regarding the cost of home ownership as well. Ontarians continue to pay some of the highest rates in North America for hydro. As a result of yet again, Liberal governments failed Green Energy initiatives, especially the Green Energy Plan. And I have to say that I need to encourage more people to stand up and say no to this Liberal government. Again, I applaud my colleague from Leeds, Grenville. Steve Clark is right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I would be pleased to stand in this Legislature today and talk about what happened in our community on this past Sunday. When you think about a Sunday afternoon, it's often a time to spend with family or friends, perhaps doing laundry, getting ready for the week that's coming. And Sunday is often a day for rest and relaxation. However, this past Sunday, 150 members of my community chose to spend their afternoon at a town hall in Whitby to voice their opposition to this Liberal government short-sighted sell-off of Hydro One. The reason they were compelled to do this, Mr. Speaker, is because it was the only opportunity that they have had to make their voices heard. Earlier this year, this government decided to end a century of public hydro in our province. They did this without giving Ontarians the opportunity to have their say. It seems that this government isn't interested, but we wanted to give them that chance. So on Sunday, we heard from neighbours, activists, local businesses and community leaders from Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington, Port Perry, Ajax and Pickering from across Durham region, all of whom stood up to share why they believe the sell-off must be stopped. They stopped about rising hydro rates, debt repayment, lost revenues and the fear that this is just the first of many assets on the government's chopping block. They joined eight provincial watchdogs, 82% of Ontarians and 185 municipalities that have all called on this government to stop this sale. That's what we saw in Durham on Sunday, the desire to be heard. We asked that this government listen to what the public has to say. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On October 31st, I was delighted to attend Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics Open House in Etobicoke Lakeshore for some family-friendly fun and a tour of their factory. Manager Tim Main was on hand to welcome Lush's neighbours to the facility and showcase some of their products and manufacturing processes. This global company has its main North American manufacturing facility in Etobicoke Lakeshore. They export their products all over North America and beyond, and they have created many jobs making innovative and sustainable products. Environmental and social stewardship are critical elements and the business decisions are made by this company on a daily basis. They remain committed to becoming more sustainable even as the company grows. They use as little packaging as possible in their shops and offering many products that can be purchased without any packaging at all. They monitor their use of water in factories and are working to reduce consumption of freshwater resources. The Etobicoke Lakeshore plant uses fresh products, many sourced in Ontario, such as fruit, honey, mint. They source products from other local companies like fairgrounds, coffee, for example. This is another one of the most popular products and this is another example of an Ontario-based manufacturer creating world-leading products and succeeding in international markets and creating good jobs in Ontario. They're also a great community partner supporting a number of local initiatives. Thank you. Further statements from Leeds Grenville? Thanks, Speaker. There are so many reasons Ontarians should visit my riding of Leeds Grenville and the world-famous Thousand Islands. You can add one more to the list. Recently, the Thousand Islands Duty-Free Shop near Ivy Lea was voted Canada's best restroom in a competition organized by Sintis Canada. That's right. When it comes to answering nature's call from coast to coast, they're number one. Obviously, Speaker, we're all flushed with pride back home. It's a real honour for owners, Heather Howard and her son, Jeff Butler, whose incredible commitment to customer service never misses the mark. They redesigned their facilities last year and customers have been raving ever since. The men's room treats visitors to a rustic setting, reminiscent of an upscale hunting or fishing camp. And for the ladies, it's all about luxury and glamour with brilliant red sinks and plenty of polished granite. Of course, without a focus on keeping things clean, all the efforts of redesigning the facilities would have gone down the drain. But Heather and Jeff's staff is always Johnny on the spot and the hard work keeping the facilities tidy has earned praise on both sides of the border. That's no easy feat considering 1,500 people can flow through those washrooms on a busy summer day. So if you're travelling to Eastern Ontario over the holidays and need some relief, be sure to visit Ivy League and the Thousand Islands Duty Free. Whether you need to powder your nose or just pick up some great deals, you won't go away disappointed. Thank you, Speaker. Members, Davids, the members from Algoma, Manitouan. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I always like to rise in my place and talk positively about my writing. However, there's a community in my writing that has a huge black cloud over it and has a community of horn pain. They are going through so much turmoil and emotions right now where 146 people are really concerned with the future and with the upcoming Christmas season. They are terrified of the impacts of a potential job loss and that their local mill, Halville Strewd, along with the Becker Codgin plant might be closed down for a very long and an extended period of time. A lot of discussions have happened with myself, with the Minister of Energy and the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, the Mayor, along with the proponents of the plant, and these need to continue, but we really need some action. My phone has been inundated with calls from concerned people out of horn pain and I read this one on behalf of a community member, Mrs. Stephanie Berubeilook. All is in your hands of the provincial government, Hydro One and the OPA. I am relying on you and your counterparts to help us. We have already lost so much. We cannot lose any more and remain in horn pain. We are relying on you as our MPP to help gather these parties, open the lines of communication and assist with holding OPA and Hydro One accountable for their promises they've made and we need. Horn pain is a ghost town and the family will be left in a cold. We need to be on your conscience. I couldn't, especially when there is a solution right in front of us. I want to help this community. I will strike, I will fight, I will bite to make sure that we get a deal for how those two. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's very fitting that I rise in the House to tell you about a campaign that is spreading kindness and goodwill in my riding of Burlington. Mr. Speaker, today is Giving Tuesday and a group of 10 charitable organizations are helping to raise awareness about the power and the impact it has in our community. Collective Hearts Burlington is made up of the Burlington Performing Arts Center, the Burlington Community Foundation, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Carpenter Hospice, the YMCA of Hamilton Burlington Bramford, Joseph Brandt Hospital Foundation, the United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton, the Houghton Women's Place, Community Living Burlington and the Art Gallery of Burlington. From supporting our most vulnerable, caring for the sick, showcasing local arts and culture and making residents about our natural environment, the organizations that make up Collective Hearts each contribute in their own way to making Burlington the special community it is. In addition to these remarkable organizations, Burlington is also made up of some pretty amazing people, and I have witnessed their generosity firsthand. After the August 2014 flood, neighbors and strangers alike opened their hearts to those whose homes were destroyed, offering a hand with cleanup, delivering homemade food, even offering door-to-door laundry service. Most recently, Burlingtonians have come together to support the settlement of Syrian refugees. Mobilizing resources and service, our community is working to ensure these newcomers that they have all they need to start their new lives in Canada. Mr. Speaker, with the holidays just around the corner, it's important to remember those who are less fortunate in our communities and across our province. Starting today, Collective Hearts and Burlington residents will participate in Giving Tuesday, a social media campaign, and I ask all members of this House to do the same. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in the House today to recognize a very deserving constituent from my riding at Perry Sound, Muskoka. Recently, Sandra Halsworth of Gravenhurst was recognized with the Trillium Gift of Life Champion award. Among the many criteria for consideration on being recognized with this award include someone who exhibits leadership qualities that resulted in notable contributions to the cause of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Takes action to help raise awareness of organ, tissue donation and transplantation. Provides community leadership in building a culture of donation and is a visible champion in the community. I can't think of a better way to describe Sandra. Since being the recipient of a liver transplant in 1997, she has been a volunteer and tremendous advocate for the cancer initiative. Along with her work in her community, Sandra has competed at the Canadian, American and World Transplant Games. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, Sandra, on this tremendous award. I know that we are a few months away from the annual donor month, April, but as we spend time with our families during the season of giving, I would ask people to take the time to go online to www.beadowner.ca to verify their organ donor card and sign up to the gift of life. Thank you very much. Thank you for the member's statements. The member from Kingston and the Islands. With three top notch post-secondary institutions in my riding, we are fortunate to have a large student population. And their ingenuity, passion and dedication never cease to amaze me. Today it is my pleasure to congratulate St. Lawrence College School of Business Marketing students from Kingston's campus on winning the top awards at the 2015 Canadian Marketing Association Awards on November 27th. Silver winners all in third year marketing, Caleb Hoard, Shauna Soquel, Nicholas Coulter, Cara Reynolds, and bronze winners all graduates, Nathan Jenkins, Paula Goslin, Annalise Berman and Maria Batista completed against both colleges and universities nationwide in the largest and most prestigious marketing event in Canada. In our increasingly global competitive marketplace with numerous communication outlets to get the message to a target audience, effective marketing practices hold incredible value for our business community. Marketing strategies can drive sales, build brand recognition and consumer loyalty. And this business success translates into jobs and economic growth for our communities and our province. Congratulations once again to both St. Lawrence College teams on this well-deserved achievement. Merci beaucoup. Miigwech. Thank you for their member statements. The member from Sudbury. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'm very honoured to rise today and be able to speak on this day, World AIDS Day. We've come a long way since AIDS was first diagnosed back in the 1980s. If you look at last year's we've had over 2,000 HIV cases reported in Canada which represents a decrease about 1.5% from 2013 and that's the lowest number of cases reported to the public public health agency of Canada since 1985 Mr. Speaker. So we're doing great things but still there are 71,000 people that are living with HIV in this country. Aboriginal people make up about 12% of those individuals and estimated that 25% of people living with HIV don't know it. So Mr. Speaker I'd like to acknowledge the access AIDS Centre in Sudbury who's been doing great work on awareness for individuals not only in my community but around the province and I know many of us here are wearing our red ribbons today and I think that's so important for me it leans a little bit more Mr. Speaker. On September 6, 1991 I lost my oldest brother to complications of AIDS and he was a very strong man someone I'm very proud to have loved and called my brother and instilled a lot of values in me about making sure that we continue to advocate to make sure that someday we can find a cure for this disease. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I thank all members for their statements.