 it's now time for members statements the member from Forne Hill. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'm very pleased to welcome Ari Moghimi and Agent Cormier because Ari was actually kind of my host he invited me to come to a Persian gala that took place last week and it was called the Simurgala and Simurg is if I may Mr. Speaker show picture it's a bird that stands for unity and not just unity within the Persian community but unity between all the different communities in my very diverse riding of Forne Hill as well as all the different communities that we have here in Ontario and we all know Mr. Speaker that it's the holiday season and we all want to work together to learn about each other's cultures learn about you know the different holidays and the different customs but also make some good friends and cherish memories within the community. One of the very great recipients that received awards that night is somebody that I've gotten to know very well Amitabrizi and he started out as a chemical and petrochemical engineer in Iran earned a master's degree in 1969 and he didn't realize that in the coming years he would be a very integral part of the Iranian community here in Canada. Mr. Tabrizzi is currently the president and founder of the Paria Trillion Foundation the first Iranian community center in Canada and it's in my riding of Forne Hill how lucky are we. So I want to say congratulations to all the recipients specifically my very dear friend Amit and we're looking forward to many more events at the Paria Center. Thank you for the number of states the number from Benelig or Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I'm rising today to discuss a very serious matter of systemic racism that exists and that has shown to exist in the York Region Public School Board. Earlier this year we came to learn how a principal in this region made some very Islamophobic comments on social media they are very clear it was all across social media. Parents complained about it but the board did nothing and the principal remained in a school making parents and their children feel unwelcome and unsafe because of the climate that was created by these anti-Muslim these Islamophobic comments. In fact other members of the community came forward members of the black community came forward and said listen we've also experienced anti-black racism and as a member of an ethnic community of a racialized community of an equity-seeking community we need to show solidarity with all community members seeking to be treated with justice and fairness. Schools particularly need to be places where people are safe those students only make up a small percentage of our population they make up 100% of our future we need to ensure that schools are safe and that school boards understand they implement policies that protect people against any sort of prejudice any sort of bigotry. Right now people in the York Region are feeling unwelcome and they feel unsafe they feel disrespected this government has an obligation and a responsibility to ensure that no further acts of prejudice of racism of bigotry can continue in this region we need to ensure that there is strong leadership so their students have a strong and safe place to learn. Thank you speaker I am pleased to rise today and to bring attention to a very important development in the Township of Skugag. Recently local council gave conditional approval to the Lake Skugag Stewart project to improve health and wellness of the lake. The goal of the project is threefold develop a naturally engineered wetland and naturally act as stormwater treatment area build an additional accessible shoreline walkway featuring a new iconic bridge structure educational signage and connections to existing trails connecting the beach area to Palmer Park which which is a point near vast independent grocers. Dredge a large acreage of Lake Skugag to improve the health of the lake and surrounding shoreline increasing recognition recreational usage improve aesthetics and provide economic environmental recreational and social benefit to Skugag Township. Picturesque Lake Skugag is a top attraction in beautiful downtown Port Perry and I'm very thankful for the work the lake stewards have done and will continue to do to improve the lake. Special thanks to Barbara, Bill, Rob, Bobby and the rest of the team for their commitment to their community and I do appreciate very much the work they're doing and they will continue to do. Thank you Speaker. Thank you for the members. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Falls View Casino Resort and Casino Niagara have made Niagara Falls a premier gaming destination in Canada and it's important for Niagara that the areas to resort casinos continue to flourish. In fact the Niagara Falls City Council has unanimously three times called upon the Ministry of Finance through the Ontario Lottering Gaming Corporation to immediately include Niagara's two resort casinos in its modernization plans. However the OLG did not consult the City of Niagara Falls when they published the request for pre-qualifications and request for proposals regarding the modernization process and the City of Niagara Falls was not engaged by OLG to discuss the details of the RFPQ and was only notified the day before its release and the RFPQ stresses a model that is strictly based upon revenue generation. The RFPQ is not designed to retain and create new gaming or spin-off jobs, encourage investment and serve as a catalyst for economic development which is contrary to the City's expressed goals and objectives. Therefore the government should ensure the City's goals and objectives are considered and the City should be treated as a key partner in this process. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member statements from Hamilton Mountain. Thank you Speaker. I rise again to plead on behalf of Justin Massadi a 17 year old from Hamilton battling an extremely rare form of brain cancer. Unable to get effective treatment in Ontario Justin is receiving alternative treatment in Mexico. To date OHIP has refused to cover the cost of this treatment. Justin and his family are in desperate need of assistance from this government. As requested the minister now has the request payment of out-of-office health service form signed by Justin's doctor and I am asking the minister of health and long-term care again to help. Two days ago I presented petitions in the legislature signed by over 2,000 people. Today I will be presenting another 1,400. Speaker these signatures were collected in just a few days reflecting the depth of concern felt by our community. This evening a fundraiser is being held at St. Thomas More School at 1045 Upper Paradise starting at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the live music baked goods and silent auction. That's what our community is doing but Justin needs this government to step up to the plate. Again I ask the minister of health and long-term care to fund the transportation and medical costs for Justin Misati on compassionate grounds. Thank you very much. Thank you for the member statement. Well thank you speaker. Twas the last day before Christmas and all through the house the members were stirring to get home to their spouse. Their constits were hopeful from media glare that promises made would eventually be their house duty committees and stakeholder receptions all done with the land to no one's objections. Premier win answering questions with care assuring that green energy will soon be everywhere. And Patrick Brown all snug as his bed with visions of by-elections dancing in his head. And speaker will tell you if you're naughty or nice come to order he'll say but only just twice. So come Lou and Harinder, Jagmeet and Joe Dixon Del Duca knows well our highways need fixing and crumbs left from Santa once resting on plates now caught in the stashes of Percy and Gates. And as the house rises all with great smiles as Santa's sleigh is secured with loyalty air miles. So when the house rises I'll let out a big cheer that Tory's filler bustering is done for the year. Speaker I would like to wish every member of the house a very memory on Merry Christmas Happy Holidays and Happy New Year Safe Year 2017. Thank you. Thank you Speaker I rise to speak about employment Ontario. Last week the utter general confirmed the government's inability to confidently and successfully encourage job creation. And Speaker the government spends more than one billion dollars a year on skills development programs without knowing what the jobs of today and tomorrow are. Speaker many of the other generals findings were deeply troubling. The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development does not collect or analyze regional information on Ontario's labour force. Only 38% are finding full-time employment through the Employment Services Program and fewer than half of those who begin an apprenticeship program completed. It's even more worrying Speaker when you note that youth unemployment in Ontario remains well above the national average. Yet the government appears more interested in flashy headlines than ensuring Ontarians are prepared for the workforce. Speaker will continue to hold the government accountable for Ontario's growing skills gap because it's time for this government to take real action and stop graduating people for yesterday's jobs. Thank you for the number. Thank you for the number. I raised in the chamber to to highlight all the work done in my in my writing. I participated in a breakfast community which is a real tradition in Vanier in my writing. One more time the event achieved is funding objectives. As I wish to highlight how important it is to participate in the activities of the community. I wish to congratulate everyone, the chef, the cooks, the sponsors who were responsible for the organization of this of the event and is and is and the president and all the team of the community services center and this center is very important for the area. I wish to recognize all who make through their labor and commitment Ottawa Vanier the place that it is. It was truly wonderful to see all sectors businesses schools various organizations from all communities coming together to celebrate their community and their social engagement. Thanks for everything. It's a great neighborhood and with a great future. We're back and we're hiring was the message at a recent flag raising ceremony at the gigantic steelworks in Nantico. A little over a year ago the reforged Stelco began a process of reestablishing itself as an independent Canadian steel company at both Nantico and Hamilton. Employing more than 2,200 people under President Michael McCabe these fully integrated industry leading facilities are among the most safe environmentally progressive and productive steel plants in the world. We also returned to the 1929 Stelco dog bone logo which represents the initial stage of reforming a steel bar then is now the restored logo was proudly stamped on military equipment destined for the front lines of World War II. I'll point out the very tip of the tallest free stranding structure in the Western Hemisphere is proudly made a Stelco Steel. Commission 1980 the Lake Erie works employees 1,400 people unionized employees are steel workers local 8782 8782 B under President Bill Ferguson Lake Erie works as a coke battery blast furnace two steel making vessels a twin strand slab caster hot strip mail and three pickling lines 6,600 acres zone industrial with a 1.2 kilometer Lake Erie dock handling St. Lawrence Seaway Dimension ships thank you speaker thank you I thank all members for their statements it's not