 Member Statements, the Member for Scarborough, Southwest. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, I continue to hear from families whose loved ones in their 80s or 90s are homebound and still have no answers from this government regarding when they can get vaccinated. My constituent, Mary Fitzpatrick, has been caring for her father, Thomas, who is 97 years old. He is almost blind, has diabetes, congestive heart failure, kidney disease and is unable to walk. This family spent weeks on the phone trying to get answers from Lynn TPH to the Ministry of Health. And just recently, Thomas finally got his vaccine. Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table suggests that there are 75,000 homebound Ontarians aged 65 and up, out of which 12,000 of them live in Scarborough. Many have been isolated from their families and caregivers for months and months. Speaker, these people are suffering severely from physical and mental health deterioration. All of these individuals were eligible in phase one of the vaccination rollout, yet they're still waiting. After months of calling this on this government, we're finally entering a phase of stable supply and getting more needles into arms. Pop-ups in Scarborough have been administering close to 10,000 doses a week and we now finally have more vaccine supply. But the government's vaccine rollout plan is continuing to leave people behind. Speaker, we need to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all vulnerable population and that means having a strategy for those homebound community members eagerly waiting to get vaccinated. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements. The Member for Sarnia-Lampton. Thank you, Speaker. It's a privilege to rise in the House today and speak once again about a very important subject for the people of Ontario, Line 5. In just a few short days, we will arrive at the May 12th deadline to shut down Line 5 imposed by the Governor of Michigan. Line 5 is a critical piece of energy infrastructure that helps heat homes and businesses and provides the light crew to our refineries in Ontario, Quebec, Michigan and Ohio, turn into more than 6,000 products from medicine and vitamins to eyeglasses, phones, computers, cars, bicycles, cleaning products and solar panels. Line 5 helps to make it possible. Forcing the shutdown of Line 5 will create an energy shortage that will lead to a spike in energy and fuel prices at a vulnerable time for the people of Ontario, Quebec and the Great Lakes regions by disrupting the supply of crude oil to 10 regional refineries. The trucks and trains that will be added to roads and railways to try to make up this difference will add to congestion and compete with agriculture and other products while increasing safety risks and emissions. In March, members of this legislature voted in support of recognizing that natural resources like oil and gas are responsible for thousands of jobs in Ontario and energy pipelines like Line 5 are the safest way to move energy resources. As the May 12th deadline quickly approaches, I urge each member of this legislature and all residents of Ontario in fact to watching at home to call on the Government of Canada to use every tool at this disposal to secure our inner security and keep Line 5 open. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Beaches East York. Thank you, Speaker. The vaccine rollout in Ontario has been chaotic and horribly inequitable. In Beaches East York, there are hotspots postal codes that are still not on the provincial list, even though Toronto Public Health and Michael Garen Hospital know that they are hotspots and have been treating them that way since the beginning of the pandemic. The riding has some of the deepest pockets of poverty in the city. Communities of essential workers who struggle to get vaccinated because the only way the hospital can deliver vaccines is by a first-come, first-served pop-ups that depend on people lining up for hours. Beaches and East Yorkers who don't live in hotspot areas are also frustrated at this point, enraged by the rollout and at the fact that the government paid General Hillier $20,000 a month to leave us with this disaster. Many people don't have the time or internet savvy to spend hours following volunteer Twitter accounts to track the elusive vaccine. If you don't have a car so you can drop everything and drive across the city to some pop-up that happens to have extra slots, if you don't know someone who knows someone who can get you hooked up, you're out of luck. Getting a vaccine when the city of Toronto is still on fire with COVID should not feel like hunting tickets to a sold-out concert. It shouldn't feel like the Hunger Games. Lives depend upon the government getting this right. It's high time the Premier fixed it. Thank you. The next Member Statement, the Member for Whitby. Well, thank you, Speaker. Last Wednesday, Ontario's Fire Marshal announced a groundbreaking partnership with Wounded Warriors Canada that will provide a clinically-facilitated digital mental health program titled Core Trauma Concept to Ontario's Fire Services. Funding for this program was received through the Government's Mental Health and Addictions Fund. Speaker, Core Trauma Concept introduces important trauma fundamentals by providing culturally-appropriate education and training to enhance the resiliency of trauma-exposed organisations such as Ontario's Fire Services. Speaker, Wounded Warriors Canada, which is situated in my riding, and I would like to thank them for their continued leadership providing new and innovative mental health programming for our veterans, first responders and their families. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. This is National Nursing Week, and as we all know, nurses do incredible work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. They are educated, skilled and compassionate people. During the pandemic, they've gone above and beyond what is reasonable to expect from any person. They are burnt out, underappreciated, and many nurses are leaving a career they love, but can't physically, emotionally or mentally carry out any more. And, Speaker, I thought it was fitting that on National Nursing Week that I share thoughts directly from Burgette Mbegva, who is an ICU nurse. Burgette wrote, as she took her last breath, I held her hand gently, stroked through her curly hair, as tears rolled down my cheeks and around my tightly fitted N95 mask. Her family couldn't be with her in that moment. I was her family and her nurse. Nurses Week reminds me of the many times we've had to play the role of family and nurse to a dying patient. The heartbreaking moment of holding an iPad as we cried with families watching their loved ones die. On how committed we are to our patients despite inequitable policies constantly working against us. We show up despite being exhausted, overworked and underpaid. Today, we mourn our patients and nurses who've lost their lives to COVID-19. We remember our fallen colleagues as we advocate for safer work conditions, vaccination for nurses and all frontline workers, mental health support, and the elimination of Bill 124. There is no Nurses Week without equitable policy for nurses. There is no Nurses Week without adequate, permanent, universal, 10-page sick days. Speaker, the theme for Nurses Week is we answer the call. This new thing week, let's listen to nurses and answer their call. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Cambridge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. It's been 14 long months of flip-flop decisions and gas sliding from this government led by Premier Ford. Every lockdown, every restriction, every decision with regards to COVID-19 has apparently been because the government was listening to the doctors following the science and the advice of their science table. Well, Speaker, two days ago on May 8, it was reported that the Canadian Pediatric Society is calling on this government to quote immediately reopen outdoor recreation spaces, saying the closure is having devastating effects on children and youth amid the COVID-19 pandemic end quote. They cite a study led by sick kids, which showed 70% of Ontario children aged 6 to 18 years of age reported deterioration in their mental health. I quote from the letter from the CPS. Social isolation is by far the biggest predictor of poor mental health for children and it is completely preventable end quote. Dr. Isaac Bogotch agrees that closing recreational activities does not make sense. He says quote, the science is clear, outdoor transmission is extremely rare end quote. Dr. David Fissman, a physician on the Premier's own science table, has said that you're taking away the safe options for people. I don't know what science the Premier is following when he made the decision to close tennis courts, baseball diamonds, golf courses and soccer fields, but the Premier needs to reopen our outdoor recreation spaces and let our children get back to school. Member Statements, the member for Brantford Brandt. Good morning, Speaker. I rise in the House today to reflect on May 4, International Firefighters Day. Worldwide, we took a moment to remember and acknowledge those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty and for the countless men and women working daily to protect us. Today, I wish to recognize the dedication of our firefighters, both career and volunteer here in Ontario and in my writing of Brantford Brandt. These past 15 months have added an additional layer of stress to the work of these first responders and I commend them for their dedication to our communities. As a volunteer firefighter, I witness firsthand the bravery and commitment of my colleagues. Often, we see life at its worst, whether that be the destruction of property by the ravages of fire or the tragedy of an accident. To run into a burning building when everyone else is running out requires selflessness and here we also need to take a moment to recognize the families and friends of our firefighters who know the daily risks but surround them with their support and love. The firefighters creed so accurately sums up the values by which these men and women live. I shall sell my life dearly to my enemy, fire, but give it freely to rescue those in peril with God's help. Let our appreciation for the work they do be expressed throughout the year. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Sudbury. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, the Ontario Newspaper Award celebrates excellence in journalism among newspapers outside of Toronto. And I'm proud to report that Sudbury Star reporter, Mary Catherine Key in December 11th article, Trafficked and Examination of Human Trafficking in Greater Sudbury, has earned her Ontario Newspaper Award for Beat Reporting. I'm going to share a portion of this excellent article. Human trafficking happens everywhere, including Greater Sudbury. It's more common than we think and it affects all stratospheres of society. On a slow night, Wendy, it's not a real name, says she would meet with at least five men. A lot of them had wedding rings on, she says. I met with lawyers, doctors, police officers, all sorts of higher ups who wouldn't think would be into this underground world. But there are a lot of shocking people you come across. And there are those at the lower end of the scale, but for the most part, it's professional men. Wendy was shuffled between cities, she says it was known as touring. She went from Sudbury to Timmins, then Berry, Orangeville, Mississauga, Toronto, Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie. And Wendy asked that a real name would not be used, and of course, Mary Catherine complied. There was a no-brainer once you hear what she endured. And you too would understand why she wishes to remain anonymous. Speaker is the MPP for Sudbury. I want to thank Sudbury Star reporter, Mary Catherine Keyin, for putting a local spotlight on the province-wide scourge of human trafficking. I invite all members of this House to read the article and also challenge the conservative government to ensure there's adequate funding for affordable housing, transitional housing, legal aid support, and for all programs that provide immediate and long-term support and aid to people being trafficked. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Member for Perry, Salma Skoka. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay tribute to an amazing woman who has dedicated the last 25 years to ensuring palliative patients are as comfortable as possible and their families receive the support they need all right in Muskoka. Sandra Winspear retired as Executive Director of Hospice Muskoka as of April 30th. After watching her grandmother pass away in a war-grooming hospital, Sandra devoted her life to redefining how we look at end-of-life care and became the driving force behind Hospice Muskoka. Working with the Andy Potts Foundation and the community as a whole, Sandra oversaw the building and opening of Andy's House, a beautiful hospice in Port Carly. After years of fundraising and construction, Andy's House opened last year. The opening was one of the last public events I attended before the pandemic hit. Sandra also started conversations about end-of-life care and about grieving. When she saw our community didn't have a lot of supports for grieving families, she created a support group for people dealing with the death of a loved one. Sandra didn't retire until she had found the right person to take over her position. Hospice Muskoka is in great hands under the direction of Donna Kearney. Donna has been working at Hospice Muskoka since last August in the position of Nurse Practitioner and Director of Care. On behalf of everyone who Sandra has supported and all the residents of Perry Sound Muskoka, I want to thank Sandra for all her work and wish her well in her retirement. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Willowdale. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. Yesterday on Mother's Day, I, like many Ontarians, celebrated Mother's Day in my community, including with my own mom by dropping off a gift for her. Of course, for the second year in a row, because of this pandemic, Mother's Day looked a little bit different. And I know it's hard for many people not to be able to give their mom a hug because it's been very hard for me, too. My mom has always been my biggest supporter and the heart of our family, and she's the most incredible woman that I know. As an immigrant and an entrepreneur and an educator for over 20 years, she gave everything she had to me, my younger sister, my younger brother, and her community, and every opportunity to me and my siblings. My mom still turns on the Legislative Assembly channel every day to watch me in the house, and I know because I often get text messages telling me to fix my hair or sit up straight, but I am so incredibly lucky to have her cheering me on. And although I don't say it enough, I'm really proud of her, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, I had the privilege of delivering carnations to mothers and grandmothers living in retirement homes in Bullodale, and although this year I could only drop them off at the door, I hope they brought a smile to the incredible women who quite literally raised our community. So this morning I want to take a moment to thank my mom, Sandy, and all of the mothers in Ontario for everything that they do to recognize their tireless work in keeping their families and communities safe, healthy, and happy. We need more moms in this world, and on Mother's Day and every day, we should be thankful for these amazing women. So no matter how you celebrated yesterday in your household or by Zoom, I hope you know how special you are. And mom, I can't wait to give you a big hug soon. Thank you. That concludes our member's statements this morning. The government house leader has informed me that he has a point of order that he wishes to raise. Thank you, Speaker. I believe if you seek it, you'll find unanimous consent for members to wear a purple ribbon in honour of World Lupus Day. Government house leader is seeking unanimous consent of the House to allow members to wear a purple ribbon in honour of World Lupus Day. Agreed? Agreed.