 It's now time for member statements. The member for Hummer River, Black Creek. Thank you, Speaker. On Friday, November 15th, as I drove to an evening event, there was a constant sound of helicopters overhead. The fire trucks were speeding from all directions towards the heart of my community. My friend and local advocate, Suzele Munoz, called me and gave me the terrible news. There was a five-alarm fire at 235 Gosford Boulevard. Over 100 firefighters battled the blaze and saved hundreds of lives with the help of other first responders, while many city agencies in the Red Cross attended to the displaced residents who were temporarily sheltered in TTC buses. Toronto Mayor John Tory and local city councilor Anthony Peruzza were on site that night and brought the entire weight of the city behind them to help, promptly opening the Driftwood Community Center for Residents. The next morning, we were all deeply saddened to hear that a tenant had perished in the fire. I thank everyone who helped the tenants of 235 Gosford, including York University, who opened its doors. The Toronto Public and Catholic District School Boards and their school communities, the Angel Foundation, the Ghanian Canadian community and their Consul General, the FMTA, Acorn, Jane and Finch Community Legal Services, the Christian Center Church, JFAP, Black Creek Community Health Center, HACCO, the Grand Ravine Italian Seniors, and many caring individuals and groups from our community and beyond. But as I joined the shock residents that night on the buses, many spoke about their fears of the future. It is now clear that many will be unable to return to their unit for a long time, meaning many will once again have to find a new rental unit in a Toronto market where the average rent is over $2,000. The hard life of Toronto's tenants continues to get harder and the government must listen to tenants and not just big landlord builders and developers. The tenants of 235 Gosford will continue to need our help and we must be there for them in their time of need. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member statements? The member for Mississauga, Erin Mills. Switch it. Mr. Speaker, can I switch by statement to his... Member statements? I'll recognize the member for Kitchener, Conestoga. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday we began debate on a package of proposed changes to the standing orders of this legislature. The proposed changes accomplished many things, including allowing the speaker to accommodate members with disabilities. Mr. Speaker, if a member in this legislature has a disability which prevents them from following the normal rules of the House, that member requires the special unanimous consent of the entire chamber. If a member is confined to a wheelchair and cannot stand to vote, they must ask permission of the legislature to be able to do something as basic as voting. Mr. Speaker, it's time that the legislature modernize its rules so those with disabilities may have the same opportunities as all other members. The proposed changes to the standing orders would allow the independent members to more actively participate and will also help to enhance the quality of debate. I call on every member in this legislature to consider the motion before the House and support the thoughtful and productive changes it provides. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member for St. Catherine's. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to celebrate a very St. Catherine story about a people-run program to fight homelessness called Out of the Cold. It is a story spanning decades with hundreds and hundreds of volunteers in St. Catherine's building something amazing together. Out of the Cold started in 1996 from a pilot project at Queen Street Baptist Church. The goal was to provide a hot meal and a bed to people facing poverty, hunger, and homelessness during the winter months. Out of the Cold began as a 100% volunteer effort funded 100% by donations. I want to thank all the amazing teams, all the amazing host churches, all the amazing community groups, and all the amazing volunteers across St. Catherine's that do so much for their programs. Yet, I think this government owes them something. The fact is, Out of the Cold started in 1996 as a temporary solution for a permanent problem. However, we all want to work towards not having this program necessary anymore. St. Catherine's is a community that stepped up to the plate to solve a problem and has done it for years without proper funding. People in St. Catherine's and Niagara do their part. We need this government to do theirs. So we need two things to happen. A comprehensive review on the antiquated CHPI funding to Niagara that is widely outdated and St. Catherine's community needs more support from this government for permanent support of housing. Thank you to the volunteers. You have done your part. Now we need this government to do their part and help St. Catherine's help others that are in need. Thank you, member statements, the member for Scarborough Center. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am elated to rise and speak about a very special young lady, my beautiful daughter, Cressida. As we won't be sitting on her actual birthday, I thought today would be a fitting day to pay tribute to her as it is her 10-month birthday. On January 28th, 2019, my life and Cressida's daddy Patrick's life changed forever. She came into the world just after midnight and immediately made very good use of her lungs, a foreshadowing, if you will, on how vocal and expressive she would prove to be. The nurse taught us both how to change a diaper. Yes, it was a first for us and we took our little bundle home. Cressida immediately took to her youth surroundings and felt comfortable sleeping through the night until about the four-month mark when we found out what other parents were complaining about when they talked about that dreaded sleep regression and we realized just how lucky we had been those first few months. From day one, she's been the happiest baby we've ever met and an energetic little monkey. I wish I had a quarter of her energy. It's great. Even when she has felt the need to express her distaste or frustration with something, she has behaved like a perfect angel with strangers and public and let us have it in private. The consummate political baby, her dad calls her. Today, she is speed crawling and cruising everywhere, throwing new words at us every day, biting mommy pretty vigorously with those two front teeth, kicking daddy all night long, eating anything and everything, especially enjoying hand-peeled grapes, which is quite the luxury, let me tell you, and bringing us more joy than we could have ever have imagined. Cressida, Yana Lizo Power, your dad and I are the two luckiest humans in the world because we get to be your parents. Thank you for being the sassy, smart, dramatic, beautiful, hilarious little ham that you are. We love you so much and we know that you'll excel at everything that comes your way, including your promotion to Big Sister come this February. Happy almost birthday, baby girl. Woo! Thank you, member for Brampton East. As we are about to enter 2020, let's look back at the track record of this conservative government. After more than a year and a half of this conservative government, Bramptonians are still struggling. We are struggling with a healthcare crisis where thousands of people are being treated in an overcrowded and underfunded hospital. And instead of helping Brampton, this conservative government has voted against investing in Brampton's healthcare multiple times. This conservative government has killed our city's dream of having a university when they canceled it and students are still struggling in hours of commute and the added financial cost of having to visit an attendee university outside of our city. And after over a year and a half, we have seen this conservative government continue to approve increases to our car insurance rates as Bramptonians pay some of the highest rates in this country. I have said it before and I will say it again, this conservative government doesn't care about Brampton. Now, this conservative government doesn't care about Brampton but the NDP is committed to fighting for our city. We know that Brampton deserves better. We deserve access to healthcare with dignity and that means investing in our city and that means building an additional hospital in our city. We need a city where students can live and learn and that means bringing a university to Brampton and we need to stop billion-dollar insurance companies from gouging Bramptonians and we're going to fight to bring down car insurance rates. That's the kind of city that we deserve and that's the kind of city that we and the NDP are committed to fighting for. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. The member for Scarborough Agent Court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On November 20th, I was heartbroken to learn that a Google search result for Scarborough yields a picture of dilapidated building. As the NDP for Scarborough Agent Court and long-time resident of our beautiful community, I was shocked and dismayed that a Google algorithm would depict our vibrant, diverse and welcoming community in such a state of disrepair. In fact, Scarborough is home to the Toronto Zoo, Vimy Oaks Farm, Scarborough Bluffs and other major attractions and heritage sites. Scarborough is one of the most diverse places in Ontario. Scarborough is a place where the world is living harmoniously in one place. This is why we chose to work, live and raise family in our community. Mr. Speaker, as the NDP for Scarborough Agent Court and representative of a sizable number of Scarborough residents, I am calling upon Google and its parent company, Alphabet Inc., to apologize to Scarborough and the residents of our community for depicting their home as a rundown and tired place. I was disheartened yesterday with the half-hearted measure that Google made to rectify their mistake. By publishing a bright multicolored tribute to Scarborough, Google is not acknowledging the hurtful way they have portrayed Scarborough to the world. Nothing short of outright apology will elevate the pain Google has inflicted on the people of Scarborough. Thank you. Thank you. Member Stevens, the member for Toronto, Dan Ford. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, I rise today to call for the Premier to fire the Minister of Energy. He's an embarrassment to the province and clearly not capable of carrying out his duties as a minister. If a minister stood up and said he thought that the moon landings were a fake, he or she would be seen as an embarrassment. The same thing if here... I'm going to recognize the government host leader on a point of order. I'm hearing a member opposite use a member statement to attack a minister of the Crown. I cannot imagine that that is anywhere appropriate use of a member statement. And I'd ask that the member not only withdraw, but apologize to the House and to the Minister. It is a valid point of order because there are standing orders that prohibit members attacking other members. And from what the member for Toronto, Dan Ford has said so far, I believe it's an attack on another member. I'm going to ask him to withdraw and rephrase the balance of a statement if he chooses to continue. To the member to withdraw. Withdraw. May I have the clock start over again because all my time was used up. I'm prepared to listen to the member. As I said, I'm not going to give you 90 seconds. Please go ahead, finish your statement. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, I think it's incumbent on the Premier of this province to stand up for science and for fact. And when a member quotes a conspiracy theory website to try and discredit appropriate action on climate crisis or on energy, then the Premier is required to act. If, in fact, in this House, a conspiracy around the moon landings was used as a reason for a particular course of government action, everyone would see that that was an embarrassment to this province. If, in fact, someone... Thank you, thank you. Order. Order. Order. Member statements. The member from Mississauga East Cook School. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I have the honour of highlighting the accomplishments of the DEMM, an organisation for youth in Mississauga. The DEMM is a local organisation that partners with youth to create an inclusive community where all are welcome, valued and respected. Over 20 years ago, the founders of the DEMM, Michael Clark and Bill Crawford, found research indicating that 60 to 80% of the youth that became street youth in the inner city came from middle... Order. Order. Order. I apologise to the member from Mississauga East Cook School for interrupting him. Please continue with your statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Found research indicating that 60 to 80% of the youth that became street youth in the inner city came from middle class or better homes in the suburbs or small towns like Mississauga. In July 1995, they opened a drop-in centre to address this persistent problem. It was named the DEMM Youth Drop-In in the hopes that building relationships with youth while they were still at home would serve a function like a DEMM stopping the flow of youth from Mississauga to becoming homeless or on the streets of Toronto. The DEMM currently has two locations in Mississauga, one of which is in my riding. This past week, I was invited to the DEMM's open house to recognise their executive director, Carol Reese. Carol has worked at the DEMM for 20 years and contributed to thousands of youth finding a place where they can belong, connect and lead. The DEMM is a recipient of an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant. I'm very proud of the work that DEMM does for the community. I want to thank DEMM for their dedication and service to the Mississauga community. I cannot wait to see the great work the organisation will do in the future and hope to attend many more events held by DEMM. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements. Member for Mississauga, Erin Mills. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognise that this month marked the Diabetes Awareness Month. And Thursday, November 14th, is the World Diabetes Day. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the diabetes epidemic is growing each year. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes affects millions of Canadians and their families each year. Every six minutes, another person in Ontario is diagnosed with diabetes and approximately 4.4 million people in our province have diabetes or pre-diabetes. And this number is expected to grow by 29% over the next 10 years. It is important that all Ontarians be aware of diabetes and speak to their healthcare professionals, particularly if they are at risk. Mr. Speaker, our government is doing our part to support Ontarians who may be living with diabetes through the founding of various diabetes education and support programs across the province, as well as ensuring that people with diabetes have access to the appropriate medications, supplies and technologies through our publicly funded programs. Our government recently made this decision to publicly fund an innovative flash GoloCo's monitoring system from Abbott through the ODB is an excellent example of our ongoing commitment to supporting the people from Ontario. And as a technology specialist and advocate, I am calling on all innovators, companies and associations of diabetes to continue growing the technology to make it better, cheaper and make it accessible to all Ontarians. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. That concludes our member's statements for this afternoon.