 Now it is time for Member Statements. Member Statements. I recognize the Member from Kiwetnau. Miigwech, Speaker. Anchnabemun, along with Kree, and Imitatak, Mkhma, and Dene, are a handful of indigenous languages that are not currently endangered. Right now they are listed as vulnerable according to the United Nations Language Assessment Criteria. According to Anchnabemun language Keeper Shirley Williams, we need to be doing more for indigenous language education. In her words, she says, the residential school system almost destroyed the Anchnabemun language, the Anchnabemun ways of learning. If we are going to move past the harms of the residential school system and towards reconciliation, indigenous languages need to be supported and we need to write and speak in the language as much as we can. We need to respect and accept each other's dialect and encourage each other to learn and speak the language. We need to love our Anchnabemun language no matter how it's said because we all belong because the Creator gave us our languages. So, Miigwech. I recognize the member from Ottawa West Nippian. Thank you, Speaker. During the last session of parliament I rose to speak about efforts to raise money for Ottawa's police service dog program. I am pleased to rise today to provide an update on the progress of some of the new Puffy recruits that were sponsored in memory of Detective Constable Bruno Gondron. Labrador Retriever siblings named Blue and Liberty have recently turned six months old. They are both making great strides in their training as they get more comfortable in public situations and learn to stay calm while meeting new friends. The training is facilitated by national service dogs in Cambridge, Ontario who have previously donated a facility dog named Canine West to the Ottawa Police Service. The memorial fundraiser covered the cost of training these puppies who could one day go on to help children with autism, veterans or first responders with PTSD or help at police stations or courthouses like Canine West. One of the program's modos is that each dog has their own unique path to greatness. Best of luck to Blue and Liberty as they continue down that path. Member Stateman, I recognize you as one of the co-founders of Mothers of Peace. Thank you. Gun violence is reaching epidemic proportions. A few weeks ago I joined my community for a march to end gun violence. It was organized by several groups including Mothers for Peace which is a local community group that helps mothers who have lost children to gun violence. Local leaders like Saree Ibrahim and the community have been taken too soon or touched by gun violence in their lives. Many of them are young people who deserve to feel safe as they grow up in their community. Most recently we've lost Thane Murray who was a beloved youth worker in Regent Park and his loss had a tremendous impact particularly on the young people in the neighborhood. People are reeling and they're asking why after years of promises from the government to respond to this crisis why these reckless killings are still happening. People are rightly concerned about the impact that hearing gunshots right outside their homes and losing friends and losing mentors about the impact that that's having on children in our community. No child should have to live through that trauma. All levels of government must step up and tackle the root cause of gun violence today. We need substantial investments and resources and opportunities for youth, mental health supports and anti-poverty measures like improvements to affordable housing and education. It's time for governments to listen and our communities to take real action to end gun violence. Thank you. Thank you. Member statement I recognize the member from Mississauga Erin Mills. Thank you Madam Speaker. Just this week I spoke about the government's dedication to upgrading the infrastructure uphealed even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together with the Minister of Infrastructure I recently had the pleasure to announce more than $45 million in provincial funding to support the reconstruction of South Common Community Center and library in my writing Mississauga Erin Mills. When I was elected to represent our community Madam Speaker, I made a promise to every single connoisseur it was to listen to their concerns and advocate for the progress of Mississauga Erin Mills and I believe announcements like this are the perfect example of the promise being kept. The South Common Community Center had been essential to the lives of many in our community from our youth to our seniors and all in between and it has been a cornerstone of Mississauga Erin Mills. This fund will be used to build a new community center that will have indoor and outdoor fitness spaces and equity center and a new gymnasium. This historic investment will help me improve the well-being of the connoisseurs that I represent for decades to come. By investing in local projects here in Mississauga and across the province our government is helping to strengthen and protect communities, create jobs and contribute to our province economic recovery and growth. As COVID-19 pandemic has clearly highlighted investment in the health and well-being of Ontario are more critical than ever and our Baliant Vaccination Program is helping to protect Ontario from COVID-19 we are working to secure the right for each of our youth in our province. Thank you very much. Members statements, I recognize the member from Hamilton West and Caster Dundas. Madam Speaker, Monday's thrown speech offered absolutely nothing new to help Ontarians and for families of children with autism the message was loud and clear. Our government's underfunding and lack of support for children with autism will continue. This government promised to eliminate the autism program waitlist shamefully it has ballooned to 49,000 kids under their watch. Families are left in despair. We all saw a national news Stacey Kennedy who was forced to camp out in front of Premier Ford's constituency office to try and get answers for her son Sam. In my writing of Dundas the Ned Oborsky's and their little daughter Zoe are facing a devastating wait for services instead of help from this government they are left on their own. As Zoe's mom Mary says you're using your Visa card instead of your health card and Hamilton mother Nancy who fought for her twins to access therapy after going to debt to pay for speech therapy. She says I've watched countless families in our community be forced to end therapy prematurely with no plan and no hope we live in constant fear. It is way past time for the government to fix this atrocious mess so on behalf of all these kids and their families I implore Minister Smith and Premier Ford to stop leaving tens of thousands of kids behind stop leaving them languishing on waitlist and provide the support that they desperately need now. Thank you. Member statements. I recognize the member from Guelph. Good morning Speaker and thank you. Yesterday I tabled a motion to declare a housing affordability and climate emergency. It is a matter of time for the government to be too connected and critically important issues the government actually failed to even mention them in the throne speech. We must immediately recognize these issues for what they are. Emergencies that require urgent action. Speaker I invite the government to work across party lines to implement policies that create a massive infrastructure for urban boundaries to reduce sprawl and permanently protect prime farmland and wetlands. The lands that feed us and protect us from flooding. I once again call on the government to cancel highway 413. Instead of building highways that supercharge sprawl and pollution we need to build livable communities where we can walk, bike and take a transit ride to work, shop and earn. And we need to eliminate homelessness by funding the permanent supportive housing projects proposed for wealth and in communities across Ontario. Speaker it is clear we can grow our economy and improve people's lives if we have the political will to take on the housing affordability crisis and the climate emergency. Speaker Thank you. Speaker I want to express how proud I am of our government for taking urgent action to provide coverage for a life-saving drug for cystic fibrosis patients. Trikafta is the latest and most effective treatment for CF and because of our health minister's rapid response it is now covered under our publicly funded drug program. With the rise of clearing all the federal regulatory hurdles our health minister initiated funding. CF patients and their families have fought tirelessly for access to Trikafta. One of those advocates is Tammy Strong who I introduced in the legislature prior to the pandemic. Tammy and her husband have two daughters, Michaela and Madison who both struggle with cystic fibrosis. Tammy sent me an email shortly after the pandemic to say that her family is celebrating this decision. She thanked our health minister for moving at lightning speed to fund a drug that will improve the lives of Michaela and Madison and the 1500 other individuals in Ontario who live with CF every day. Tammy says this drug will literally change her daughter's lives. It will give them a future. But it comes with a hefty price tag $300,000 per year and their daughters first heard that the drug was approved. They were reduced to tears because of the immediate action taken by our health minister CF patients now have access to a drug that will ensure they will live longer and healthier lives and have a brighter future. Thank you member statements member for data. I want to talk about class sizes I want to urge this government to once and for all our kids in our classrooms at 26 weeks Ontario schools were closed longer than any other jurisdiction last year and that's because this government took a piecemeal plan that put savings and saving money ahead of the safety and well being of our kids as bad as it was. We and all the families out there had hopes that the government would learn from last year's lessons and apply them today but turns out that was wishful thinking every single day I hear from families across this great province whose children are in classes that are larger than they were pre-pandemic leaving absolutely no room to safely distance and less time for one-on-one support and in the Toronto Catholic District School Board speaker students have been forced to combine into super sized classes to meet ministry funding restrictions resulting in teacher layoffs at parent protests in the streets emotion is going to the board tonight it's going to call for immediate funding assistance from the ministry to help reduce those class sizes in hotspot areas so today on behalf of students of parents education workers across this province I am calling on the Premier and the Minister of Education to stop cutting funding for our schools lower class sizes and invest in keeping our kids safe Member Statements Member for Oakville North I am pleased to rise in the House today to mark the 61st anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus on October 1 since becoming independent the people of Cyprus have worked hard to build their country's economy and have seen their democracy flourish Cyprus is a member of the European Union working together with other European countries building peace and prosperity across the continent yet Cyprus remains painfully divided with the northern part of the island organized as a separate state recognized only by Turkey I had the opportunity to visit Cyprus before the pandemic and I saw the division of the country but also how people in an independent Cyprus have built a thriving nation as they hope to one day see their island reunited we honour the Canadian peacekeepers who sacrificed to maintain the peace in Cyprus and the 29 who lost their lives Cyprus is a fellow member of the Commonwealth of Nations and has established its high commission to Canada under his Excellency Dr. Vasilius Filippu Cypriot Canadians have made and continue to make a tremendous contribution to our country and province to our culture and our prosperity the Cypriot Federation of Canada is a leader in the community we extend our province's gratitude to all who share this great heritage and whose accomplishments, struggles to solidify Ontario's position as a province renowned for our commitment to tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism to all the people of Cyprus and to those of Cypriot descent here in Canada may we join together in honouring this anniversary for a Cyprus that will always remain free and independent Thank you very much Member Statements, the Member for Scarborough Agent Court Thank you For a long time Scarborough has been ignored and left behind Due to the hard work and the commitment of the government's Scarborough caucus members this has been changed Scarborough is finally getting the attention and the care it deserves Our government is laser focused on improving the quality of life for our residents On July 28th I joined my Scarborough colleagues at the Birchmont Hospital in Scarborough Agent Court to announce the investment of $26,832,000 to SHN under the Ontario Financial Stability and Relief Fund This is in addition to the $4,718,000 under the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund These fundings will help SHN to provide high quality care to the residents of the Scarborough Agent Court is my top priority Our government will leave no stone unturn to provide first care health care to residents of Ontario The renovation of the current $11,000 square feet emergency department at the Birchmont Hospital and expanding it by $14,000 square feet is another substantial commitment to enhance the Scarborough Agent Court residents health community and health hub after 12 years of delay is one more evidence that I am committed to help turn the tide and arrest the need of Scarborough Agent Court I am proud to have participated in the July 28th funding announcement to help SHN recover from the financial demands COVID-19 imposed. Finally the best is yet to come for the resident of Scarborough Agent Court and the Scarborough Thank you very much That concludes our member's statements for this morning The Leader of the Opposition has a point of order Thank you very much Speaker This morning I seek unanimous consent for the House to observe a moment of silence for the 959 Ontarians who succumbed to COVID-19 since we last paid tribute to victims of the pandemic on June 3rd 2021 Leader of the Opposition is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to observe a moment of silence for the 959 Ontarians who succumbed to COVID-19 since we last paid tribute to victims of the pandemic on June 3rd 2021 Agreed Members will please rise Thank you very much Members will please take their seats