 I'm sorry to interrupt the member, but seeing the time of the clock, it is now time for a member's statements. I recognize the member from the Schegelwald-James Bay. Thank you. Madame la Président, I rise in the House today to announce, and once again, the demand is governed to act on driver shortage, the brutal insurance costs, and rules. The small trucking businesses are facing here on Ontario. Madame la Président, aucun petit entreprise ne peut survivre. No small businesses can survive with an increase of 132% for auto insurance. They cannot obtain the necessary document. When the provincial government refuses to act, they will be pressed. To address the driver shortage and the increase in insurance costs affecting owner operators, they are to mandate insurance and fleet to provide drivers with letter of experience upon a request to review the insurance rules and risk classification and to reevaluate the current truck driver's training, standard, and costs. Members of the government's side have called truck drivers operators hero, and rightly so. But it is now time that they walk the walk, and immediately support these essential small family-owned businesses and drivers before they all close shop. Il est temps que les bottines suivent les babines. J'espère vraiment que les membres du gouvernement appuient. I really hope that the member of government will support my motion. Thank you, Madame la Président. Member of statements, I recognize the member from Mississauga, Erin Mills. Thank you, Madame la Président. I'm glad to say that I received my first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the UFT Mississauga Canvas UTM in my riding of Mississauga Erin Mills. I'm very grateful to our frontline heroes who are working round the clock to vaccinate Ontarians. I encourage all Ontarians, please book the first vaccine that is offered to you. Madame Speaker, our province announced this morning five million doses, administrative. This is a milestone. I congratulate the government for that. I would like also to highlight how these governments are prioritizing hot spot communities. In Peel region, for example, we have allocated over 400,000 vaccine in May alone once the shipments arrive from the federal government. As a result, Peel region will be one of the highest daily rate of doses allocated in the province. As we expand the number of fix-it and Bob-up clinics where two of them are in my riding Mississauga Erin Mills, these clinics are vital to our rapid vaccination drive, and we are continuing to increase our vaccination capacity in Peel to over 120,000 residents per day. Starting tomorrow, residents aged 18 and over in hot spot post-op codes will be able to get vaccinated at Beelvax Bob-ups. I would like to take the opportunity to wish all Muslims celebrating Ramadan, Ramadan Kareem and Eid Mubarak. Finally, I would like to express my warm wishes to all Orthodox Christians celebrating Easter. I wish all of you happy Easter. Christ is risen. Indeed, He is risen. Thank you. Members statements? I recognize the member from Scarborough South Park. Speaker, for the longest time, my community in Scarborough identified as a hot spot did not have enough vaccines or any mobile or pop-up clinics to vaccinate our community. When we finally did, the supply was almost insultingly low. When raising these issues, I heard from politicians about hesitancy in communities like mine amongst low-income, new immigrants-racialized communities. Speaker, I spent the past two weeks with our dedicated Scarborough and East Toronto health teams on the ground with pop-up clinics serving Scarborough Southwest, and what we saw was not vaccine hesitancy, it was vaccine inequity. At our first local clinic, we saw people camp out overnight. Muslim community members who were fasting had their Suhoor or Sehri in those lines stayed overnight simply so they could have a chance at this life-saving shot. We heard from single mother who spent money burying back and forth just between pop-up so she could still get a shot and were asked to go home. We heard from families who organized childcare or took time off from their work unpaid to wait in lines and then were asked to go home. Speaker, the need for vaccine in high-risk communities like Scarborough is disproportionately higher than the amount we have been given. We understand both health teams have been able to host bigger clinics with even bigger turnouts, but there are still parts of Scarborough that have not been able to have any single clinics because our supplies are still inequitable. So I continue to ask the government for equitable access to vaccines for the people of Scarborough so our community members don't have to camp out overnight simply to have a chance at protecting themselves from this deadly disease. Thank you, Speaker. Members, thank you. I recognize them ever from Brampton West. Thank you, Speaker. It is an honour to speak on sick heritage in the specious month of April when we celebrate the birthday of Calza. This gives us a chance to know about the glorious history and the significant role the sick community has played in Canada and a great opportunity for us to become even more of a proud multicultural country. Canada is a diverse land filled with diverse cultures, diverse traditions and festivals. This system is the value every Canadian stand by. The month of April is special for six Christians, Hindus and Muslims as members of different faiths are celebrating several festivals in Canada and around the world, including those festivals that are celebrated in different states predominantly in India like Visakhhi, Vishu, Easter, Yogudi, Ramadan, Chaitra Navratri, Varusha Parupu, Gudipadva, Chetichan, Navre, Sajibu Chirioba, Bihu, Navvarsha, Nepal and more. It is this diversity that makes us so distinct and rich and we must see this as an opportunity to enrich ourselves, fight against stereotypes and to unite more and more every day. As a faith rooted in love, this is what Sikhism stands for, upholding the equality of women and men and denouncing any discrimination of gender, race, caste, creed or colour. Happy Sick Heritage Month. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Member Statement. I recognize a member from Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. Hundreds of thousands of people have had their surgeries cancelled or indefinitely postponed and it's not just elective surgeries, it's critical surgeries for life-threatening conditions like heart surgeries and cancer surgeries. Can you imagine people do not have access to essential cancer care right now? In Ontario we have a backlog of 245,000 medical procedures. A lot of people are hurting, they are in pain and not knowing when or if they will receive treatment and all makes things worse. So it's not just a physical health impact, it's mental health impact too. COVID-19 is the top priority right now as it should be. But our care does not stop there. We've been calling for a real plan from the Ford government and we have not heard or seen anything. It's likely we will go from one health care crisis to another. The Premier as the head of the government must tell us how he plans to deal with it. You have to know how to juggle more than one ball. It's a tough job, of course it is. You're leading 14 million people in Ontario, it's not a joke. But I want to remind the Premier, you asked for the job. The people of Ontario gave you the job. Now tell us, tell people because they need to know what you plan to do. Member of State Lands, I recognize the member from Ottawa South. Thank you Speaker. When I was two I lived at Ottawa's juvenile detention centre. My dad Jack was an officer for the family court at the time and that's where we lived. Helping kids who were struggling was always very important to him. That's why when I heard that the government is going to be closing this Friday the SIL app centre in Oakville, I thought of him. The SIL app centre provides specialized mental health treatment for kids, primarily black, indigenous and racialized kids. Many of the youth receiving treatment have multiple mental and physical needs. They are supported by an interdisciplinary team including social workers, health professionals and therapists. The closure comes at a time when we know mental health issues among our youth are rising in this province and the immediate impact of this closure will be increased suicides and hospitalizations at a time when we know that our hospitals are overwhelmed. Many of these kids are in the justice system just because their actions are as a result of their untreated mental illness. Students across the province are asking the Premier to keep this program open and transfer it to the Ministry of Health. Speaker my dad never gave up on kids or anyone else for that matter so Premier we can't give up on these kids. Thank you. The next Member Statement, the Member for Mississauga Streetsville. Thank you Speaker and good morning. Today I would like to talk a little about my writing of Mississauga Streetsville and the reader of Peel. As we all know the situation related to COVID is extremely difficult for everyone across Peel, Ontario and around the world. When it comes to making decisions which affect all Ontarians, balancing health and safety with sustaining our businesses, rolling out our vaccines, prioritizing communities and people within those communities well it is critical that we take all possibilities into consideration. A large number of essential workers, multi-generational families and many new comers to Canada call Mississauga and the Region of Peel home. We have a very vibrant, caring and hardworking community however COVID has taken its toll on all of us. Premier Ford's push to secure our borders and limit flights into Ontario has taken too long by the federal government allowing not just the original COVID to enter Ontario but now we have the variants of concern raging through affecting those of all ages. Hospital ICUs are filling up with younger people, some of who are on ventilators and unfortunately some who do not make it. Speaker, the Premier also pushed the federal government to enhance the Canada recovery sickness benefit. Well Minister of Labour announced a programme for paid sick leave. If passed it will reimburse the employer for up to $200 per day for up to three days per employee. This allows those who do not feel well or need time to take care of a loved one the opportunity to stay home. I ask that all members of this House support our government on this initiative so that we can implement paid sick days as soon as possible. Thank you Speaker. Thank you. The next member's statement, the member for London North Centre. Speaker, yesterday was the day of mourning, a day where we remember workers killed or injured on the job. This day has become even more important during the pandemic as our essential workers aren't just putting themselves in danger. They're also exposing their families to COVID-19 as well. That's why so many workers throughout the province have been pushing this government for permanent paid sick days. Over a year into this pandemic the government has told workers they can have three and only three days, Speaker. Three days is barely enough for the flu season, let alone a disease as dangerous and contagious as COVID. We all know COVID knocks you out for more than three days. Alex Kopacz, an Olympic gold medalist in my riding, a mountain of a guy was laid low by COVID-19. I'm glad he's now recovering at home and I wish his family all the best, but it shows it can happen to any of us. Even if you just suspect that you have COVID, getting a test and waiting for the results can take several days. Under the government's program workers will still be forced to go to work sick or forced to give up wages they need to pay rent. We must ensure that no worker is in that situation. That's why I'm calling for the government to make these paid sick days permanent and to provide additional government funded sick days during a pandemic so we can give workers a full chance at recovery. Thank you. Member for Scarborough, Rouge Park. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to highlight another example of Ontario spirit in my riding of Scarborough Rouge Park to the house. I rise today to recognize a new initiator from an outstanding community leader from West Rouge, Coach John. Coach John organizes West Rouge basketball, a community group that focuses on mentorship and giving children of all ages and girls access to sports at an early age. Outside of sports, Coach John also helps youth in his community achieve their full potential through his mentoring and programming run at schools and community centers which have now moved virtually. I recently joined Coach John and West Rouge basketball virtually as he launches his new program, Spies, which is named at providing more opportunities for youth in the community. The program will also help youth engage, find their voice, and their passion and grow as leaders in the communities in our riding. Community leaders like Coach John are true pillars of support for our communities with their outstanding desire to give back and help others and equip future leaders of tomorrow with the tools for success. Coach John's new initiative truly represent the Ontario spirit. Thank you for what you do for Scarborough Rouge Park, Coach John. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next member's statement, the member for Oakville North, Burlington. Thank you, Speaker. Just a few days after we marked National Volunteer Week, we are reminded that volunteers are vital in our communities and never more so than during this last year. Oakville Meals on Wheels has been in our community for 45 years and its volunteers provide nutritious hot meals to seniors and people with disabilities in my community. I've been proud to honor many of their volunteers with the Oakville North Burlington Spirit Award over the last year. And here are some of these dedicated volunteers with Meals on Wheels. Most of them have been with the charity more than a few years and who don't miss a single day delivering hot meals during COVID-19. Kimberly Bassett-Sunaga, Yolaine Bolieu Matieu, Janet Charette, Marion Cumming, Mary Ludemarco, Frank Duffy, Janet Fisher, Bob French, Robin Jepso, Joe Jostiak, Steve Kelly, Sally Kilburn, Kathy Lever, Brian McGuire, Janney Northcote, Karen May Mary Penn, Dolores Saunders, Joyce C., David C., Jill Sindel, Wayne Steven, Sonia Thomas, Gloria Tomlinson, Monica Watson, Lynn Wilson. Each of them represents the best of Ontario and the Oakville Spirit. And I want to conclude by recognizing Fitsie James, who has delivered 32,000 hot meals in her 39-year volunteer career. Thank you, Fitsie. And thank you to every volunteer who has gone above and beyond in this last year. I know that Oakville Meals on Wheels will be serving our community for many years to come. Thank you. The Leader of the Opposition, I understand, has a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to bring forward a motion to pass Bill 239. The paid sick days bill brought forward by the member from London West and implement paid sick days legislation in keeping with the recommendations of the Premier Science Table to help protect workers across Ontario from COVID-19 so no one has to make the difficult choice between staying home when sick and being able to pay the bills. Before that, I seek unanimous consent to bring forward a motion to pass Bill 239, the paid sick days bill standing in the name of the member for London West. Agreed? No. Third and no. Second point of order. Thanks so much, Speaker. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the House to observe a moment of silence for the 199 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 over the past week. The Leader of the Opposition is seeking the unanimous consent of the House for a moment of silence in remembrance of the 199 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 in the last week. Agreed? Agreed. Agreed. Members, please rise. Thank you very much. Members, please take their seats. The Government House Leader, who has a point of order. Thank you very much, Speaker. It has come to my attention that our esteemed Deputy Clerk, Trevor Day, has recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of his 40th birthday. And I wonder if the House would join me in congratulating this wonderful public servant on achieving such a great milestone. That request for unanimous consent was endorsed by the House. Happy birthday, Trevor. Thank you.