 Therefore, it's time for Member Sabance, the member from Whitby, Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker, and I'm pleased to speak about the age-friendly community program in the town of Whitby. As the age town of Whitby residents are seeking opportunities to stay active in their communities and in the local economy. They're committed long-term residents contributing their time, energy and wealth of experience to local projects and community organizations. To recognize this contribution, I'm very pleased to highlight and support the launch of the town of Whitby's age-friendly community plan on June 1st. Clearly, a community that works for seniors works for everyone, Speaker. Ideally, all members of the community should be engaged in exploring age-friendly policies as many features that benefit seniors can also benefit other groups in our communities. The time is right, Speaker, to move these age-friendly ideas and practices out into the broader community. It's good for people and it's good for business. My best wishes, Speaker, to the town of Whitby's staff and council for a successful launch of Whitby's age-friendly community plan. Thank you, Speaker. Member Sabance, the member from Windsor-DeCumseh. I want to thank you, Speaker, for coming up with what I think is a great idea. Now, we in this house all know you've never taken a drink in your life. I guess the old-fashioned term for that would be that you are a teetotaler. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But nine days ago, you hosted a whiskey-tasting competition. You are introducing a speaker's choice of whiskey to the legislative dining room. You've done something similar before. You've had us select the Ontario wines that are served, both red and white, and the craft beers that are available for the year of the competition. Now, we'll have a whiskey. That is, shall I say, born and bred here in Ontario, distilled and bottled from Ontario grains. And there were many fine brands from which to choose. I know I sampled them all. It was a tough choice. But Speaker, as you know, the whiskey that was chosen, the speaker's whiskey will be that will be featured here in Queen's Park as chosen by the members from all across Ontario is a drum roll, please. From the writing of Windsor-DeCumseh, none other than J.P. Wiser's Legacy. So a shout out to Spirits Canada, Jan Westcott and Michael Barrington for walking us through the finer points of sampling those tiny little portions. Speaker, thank you for doing this, for promoting Ontario's distilled spirits. We've been making whiskey, good whiskey, great whiskey in Windsor-DeCumseh since 1858, nearly 160 years. Now, thanks to you, one of our great brands, and we do have many, will be the featured whiskey of the year here at the Ontario Legislature. On behalf of my constituents in Windsor-DeCumseh, thank you for doing this and congratulations again to J.P. Wiser's Legacy brand, the speaker's whiskey of the year. A way of explanation, the fact that he mentioned something about me, I let him go over time. Anyway, the member from Brampton, Springdale. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a previous school board trustee, I understand the importance of Ontario's unprecedented investments in education and I understand that we have pushed the high school graduation rates to a historic new high, as many more students than ever before are obtaining a high school diploma and gaining the skills and experience that are required for the jobs of tomorrow. The 2017 budget includes an additional investment of $6.4 billion over three years in Ontario's education system, which reflects the government's commitment to help learners reach their full potential by supporting them right from full-day kindergarten through to post-secondary education and beyond. In 2016, the five-year graduation rate province-wide increased to 86.5%, up more than 18 percentage points compared to 2004's rate of 68%. The number of students graduating in four years continues to grow and is now 79.6%, an increase of more than 23 percentage points since 2004. In the region of Peel, we also had great graduation rates. At the Peel District School Board, the four-year graduation rate was 81.3% and a five-year graduation rate of 87.7%. At Dufferin Peel Catholic Board, the graduation rates were a four-year graduation rate of 88.6% and a five-year graduation rate of 92.8%. We're proud of all the work that we've put into education and I know this is one of the reasons that I wanted to be here in the legislature because of our government's commitment to education right from your early years to your post-secondary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Inadequate funding and a lack of a real plan is hurting long-term care across Ontario, but Niagara Region has been hit particularly hard because of our large and growing senior population. Nearly one in five Niagara residents are 65 years of age and deserve to know that they will be able to receive timely and prompt care if and when they need it. Right now, the provincial waitlist for long-term care facilities stands at over 27,000 individuals. 4,850 are on waiting lists in the Niagara Region alone. On average, only 96 beds become available each month. That means even if no one else puts themselves on our local waitlists, it would take almost four years for the current list to be cleared. Looking at the direction we're heading in, I may have to put my name on a list soon just to get in. The problem is compounded by staff to resident ratios that are too low. I know the Minister of Health has been made aware of this by concerned municipal representatives who have requested enhanced funding for long-term care facilities and an increase in the number of personal support workers. The government has literally squandered billions in a long litany of scandal and waste. Why won't it provide the compassionate care for our seniors who need and deserve it? They contributed to the betterment of our communities for a lifetime, and now we in this House have the duty to look after them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I hope that the government will take action on long-term care soon. Very good. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It's rare that we get the opportunity to thank those teachers in our community for decades of service, but today I get the chance to thank Savia Wong, who has announced his retirement from Waterloo-Oxford District School, where he has created a sense of community as the head librarian. He is well-known and respected teacher in the region, a world traveler and a cancer survivor. Savia has received awards for excellence in teaching most recently, the David Broman Award in 2016, but the greatest praise he has received is from his students. Ash Bear, a recent graduate, says, Mr. Wong is the heart of Waterloo-Oxford. He takes being a high school librarian to the next level by creating a space that allows people to connect, be themselves, and feel valued. He teaches students to feel pride in their school community and imagine what their own impact will be after graduation. Mr. Wong was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, and our W.O. community rallied around him with the Stay Strong, Stay Wong theme at the Relay for Life that year. It's inspiring to see him enjoying life to the fullest. Former W.O. principal, Ed Dote, shared that Savia is one of the finest educators I've had the opportunity to work with. He's always there for people, students, staff, and graduates, a vast source of wisdom and encouragement for all. He has been a teacher for 32 years, and he has made a difference in the lives of students. We wish him well in the next chapter, and we look forward to square dancing at his retirement party on June 17th. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. One of the members famous, the member from Ottawa South. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Bladder Cancer Canada is celebrating its second annual Bladder Cancer Awareness Campaign throughout the month of May. It is an opportunity to thank the dedicated volunteer team across the country and bring public attention to this disease. Speaker, in the gallery today we have David Gutman, one of the founders of Bladder Cancer Canada, as well as Paul Ungerman. Both of them are Bladder Cancer survivors. Speaker, there were over 80,000 Canadians living with Bladder Cancer today. Close to 9,000 patients will be diagnosed with this form of cancer this year. Bladder Cancer is the fifth most prevalent cancer in Canada, fourth for men and twelfth for women. Bladder Cancer Canada is dedicated to providing the highest quality patient care, raising public awareness of the disease and advancing life-saving research. Bladder Cancer Canada hosts an annual awareness walks across the country in September. To get involved, visit their website BladderCancerCanada.org and look for their awareness hashtag Yellow Helps on Twitter. On behalf of the caucus, I want to thank Bladder Cancer for doing the work they're doing to find a cure for this disease. Thank you very much. Thank you, Speaker. I stand to congratulate the newly crowned Ontario junior B hockey champs, the Almyra Sugar Kings. Well, the ice-covered road to the Sutherland Cup was a long one after earning themselves a wildcard playoff birth. The Almyra Sugar Kings determination and hard work was rewarded earlier this month in Game 5 of a hard fought series versus London. And even that was a nail-biter as London closed within one goal in the third before the Kings finally pulled away netting two more from Mitch Hoschler and Jake Brown while goalie Jonathan Reinhart stood on his head for a 4-1 final tally to seal the deal and hoist the cup. Congratulations as well to the London Nationals for their hard work and effort over the season that saw them finally fall just short. Speaker, the Sugar Kings victory is a fitting end to a stellar and final year at the helm for head coach Ty Connell who along with celebrating the Sutherland Cup honors announced he's stepping down to spend time with his wife and children and we wish him of course all the best. I want to congratulate the fans, the community, the volunteers throughout the season that put time and effort into every game, every home game, get on the bus, travel to away games to help cheer on their local team and I want to of course thank all the players, coaches, staff of the Almyra Sugar Kings for a banner championship year earning their crown as the best Sugar-Bee hockey team in Ontario and Sutherland Cup winners. Congratulations to the Almyra Sugar Kings. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. For the members' statements the member from Kitchener Centre. Thank you, Speaker. I would like to ask you a question. What would you do if you saw a child drowning? Well, thanks to quick action of Sean and Michael Sullivan of Waterloo a child was rescued and this week the Sullivan's were recognized by Waterloo Regional Police with bravery awards. Here's what happened. A group of my volunteers were gathered at Victoria Park for a picnic. Sean is my riding association president. After a few hours it began drizzling so we started to pack up when Michael, who was 10 at the time alerted us to a child just a few metres away struggling in the park lake. The boy was slipping underwater then bobbing back up again and then back under. It was happening in a matter of seconds. I shouted out, he's drowning and that's when Sean took action by jumping into the lake and grabbing the child. Meantime I dialed 911 on my cell phone and former NPP John Malloy who was also there at the picnic he reached in over the rocky embankment to pull out the boy. We wrapped the boy in a towel and waited for emergency crews to arrive. The young boy's family then appeared their newcomers to Canada and the house. This is a refugee transition home that's across the street. The mom was very distraught and through broken English we managed to understand that the boy is autistic and sometimes he wanders off. Speaker, I am so proud of both Sean and Michael for their quick action and that they saved the day and they both very much deserve this award for their heroic actions. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. At a time in our retail economy of large box stores and uncertain business conditions due to rising costs and the change in rural and small town demographics a small business located in Glencove has been serving its customers for well over 100 years. In 1910 E Mayhew and Son opened on Main Street as a retailer of ladies' fashions menswear and children's clothing. Over the years the store has been visited by a loyal clientele from miles around. Standing across the street from the historic and restored Grand Trunk Railway Station Mayhew store maintains its characteristic late Victorian facade and inside their displays of memorabilia from generations of business. Beneath this show of history Mayhew's is an up-to-date business they've been both the recipients of a Better Business Award in 2005 and Communities in Bloom recognition. The owner Alan Mayhew represents the fourth generation of his family to direct the successful operation. He has recently announced the closing of this landmark business as he and his wife Linda wish to retire. Mr. Speaker I wish to recognize one of the notable and successful family businesses in Lampton Kent Middlesex since 1910 E Mayhew and Son. Thank you. Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker this morning I introduced Cahill Heron and his mother Farah Heron who were here to join me for lunch and I had said that Cahill was a student of Joseph Brandt Public School however he is a grade 8 student at William G. Miller Junior Public School I just want to welcome them here they're on their tour of Queens Park. I'm nice and calm earlier this morning before question period I made a mistake and I wish to I wish I wish to acknowledge the member from Leeds Grenville when he indicated concern on a point of order after I made my ruling that I used words that I should not have used if I had paid after review I realized the member did make a statement that he accepted the ruling and I made other comments that I should not have made the member from Leeds Grenville however I will then say that his warning stands because I used no less than five times where I asked the member to be seated that's too bad I I apologize to the member from Leeds Grenville the point of order from the President of the Treasury Board Thank you very much Speaker the message from the Honourable George R. Strafi the Administrator of Ontario signed by his own hand there you go the Administrator of the Province of Ontario transmits estimates of certain sums required for the services of the province of the year ending 31st March 2018 recommends them to the legislative assembly Toronto May 15th 2017 the point of order the member from Niagara West Glenbrook I wish to acknowledge in the members gallery today we have Steve Van der Klip who is in my brother's bridal party it's great to have him here today with the physicians for our concern for conscious protections very special that introduced twice that's good therefore it is now I thank all members for their comments it is now time for reports by committees the member from the Lampton Kent Middlesex Speaker I beg leave to present