 It is now time for Members of Statement. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate a constituent of mine, Dr. Mike Toth, on becoming the new President of the Ontario Medical Association. Dr. Toth brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in his role, representing Ontario's 28,000 doctors. Dr. Toth is a family physician who lives and has practiced for the past 30 years in Elmer, a small town in my riding of Algin, Middlesex, London. In addition to his busy schedule, Dr. Toth is the Medical Director of Long-Term Care Facility and a member of the Medical Advisory Committee at the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital. As a family physician in a small town, Dr. Toth has had the privilege of treating a range of ages and a variety of ailments. His youngest patients are newborns, while his oldest patients are over 100 years old. He is extremely proud to represent his colleagues as President of the Ontario Medical Association. Dr. Toth will be the 134th President of the OMA as he takes over from Dr. Ved Tandon, whom we thank for his service. Mr. Speaker, I know that Dr. Toth is excited about the ear-head. In addition to his many OMA-focused initiatives, he would like to see this government come back to the table to work with doctors to continue to provide the health care system that Ontarians deserve and want. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Ontario PC Party of Ontario, my colleagues and especially my constituents from Elgin, Middlesex, London, we'd like to wish Dr. Toth all the best in his new role. We are proud of him and congratulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member of Statements. Member from Tomiskimi Cochran. Thank you, Speaker. I would like to take this time to inform the House of a tragedy that happened in my riding on the weekend. On Sunday, May 24, 2015, a tragedy struck at the St. Andrews Goldfield Hold Mine near Matheson, Ontario. Alexi DeLare Vincent was fatally injured in an underground rail accident and Alexi was only 22. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, her friends and her co-workers at the Hold Mine. Alexi lived in the village of Virginia Town, where the entire community is mourning the loss of one of their own. And the people of Virginia Town and the surrounding towns of Kirkland Lake and Larder Lake, the Wongashik First Nation, Matheson, they have a rich mining heritage. But they also know, they well know the dangers of working in a mine. Miners are proud. We have miners here and miners are proud, are proud people. And hopefully we are, we are looking for what's the results of the investigation because mining has become very much safer. But with each accident, we look to hopefully improve the safety, to have less and less accidents and hopefully someday eliminate fatalities. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Alexi's family this afternoon. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Member Stavitz, a member from Halton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to rise today and speak about a very special event that took place in Toronto earlier this month. Recently, I joined Mayor John Tory, the Consul General of South Africa, the Nelson Mandela Legacy Committee and students from Nelson Mandela Park Public School to rededicate a stretch of University Avenue as Nelson Mandela Boulevard. For those of you who may not know, the naming of the street has important roots. In 1990, a few months after it had been released from prison, Mandela led a march along University Avenue from City Hall to Queens Park. He gave a passionate speech in front of thousands of people. The timing of this naming ceremony coincided with the anniversary of Mandela's installation as President of South Africa in 1994. Mr. Speaker, it was inspiring to see so many people of different backgrounds and ages gathered together to honour one of my personal heroes. It was also touching to hear students from Nelson Mandela Park Public School share some of their stories about the impact that Mandela has had on their lives. Mr. Speaker, we have made great strides in promoting diversity in Ontario. We must continue to work together to eradicate discrimination and inequality in all of its forms. This ceremony was a powerful reminder of the achievements of a great man and of our commitment to building a more inclusive society. Together, we will all walk on Nelson Mandela Boulevard and make this a stronger province for all of us. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Last year, I had the solemn privilege of taking part in a whole lot more commemoration events to honour the victims of the famine in Ukraine. It was recognized as a genocidal famine by Canada and 70 other governments worldwide. The horrendous crime against humanity happened 83 years ago when Joseph Stalin and his henchmen orchestrated severe rationing and seized all grain and finally locked borders to stop starving Ukrainians from searching for food elsewhere. I have read that during that year, 17 people were dying per minute, with one-third of them being children. Although we may never be able to exact the true loss of life of the Holodomor, it is estimated that total demographic losses could stand as high as 10 million people. Mr. Speaker, I also want to recognize you for your work and efforts in bringing awareness about the Holodomor to Queen's Park, as well as the many MPPs from all three parties for their support in shedding light on this forgotten chapter in world history. We are now tasked with ensuring our young generation is educated and informed about the mistakes of the past and let these mistakes be their reminder of the need to always remain vigilant in defence of freedom and human rights. On behalf of our 350,000 Ukrainian friends and the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress, I ask the House to stand here today to commemorate the Holodomor to continue to honour the victims of this horrific tragedy and to remember those who survived. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to address the issue of carding. Carding is the procedure or the process by where police officers stop individuals, question them and collect that information. Often these individuals, in fact, most often these individuals are not under a specific investigation, they are not arrested nor are they eventually charged. This is simply an attempt to collect information. In fact, what makes such a horrible process is that it targets racialized people. A 2013 report indicated that of all the people carded in Toronto, 25% of the people were black, even though black people only make up 8.5%. This is a specific targeting of racialized people. The Law Union points out that both black and brown people are specifically targeted and they are made to feel unwelcome in society. Desmond Cole wrote a very telling article and shared his experiences being stopped numerous times and how that impacts one sense of feeling and belonging in society and how it negatively impacts that. I myself have experienced carding, I've been stopped numerous times and I assure you I was not doing anything wrong whatsoever. I was stopped while I was riding my bike, I was stopped while walking down the street. It is a practice that the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has denounced and demanded its end. I stand here today in the House requesting and calling on this government to put forward a provincial policy on this practice, to end this practice. This is a violation not only of our human rights, of our charter rights, but our fundamental freedoms and it's something that must be ended. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to stand in this House today and thank and recognize outstanding citizens of my community of Burlington. On May 14th, I had the pleasure to attend the Burlington's Best Awards an annual celebration in my riding to honor our community's most outstanding citizens. This year's awards featured seven winners from among 22 nominees. All were extraordinary, but I'd like to highlight in particular the contributions of this year's Citizen of the Year, Ron Foxcroft. Best known as the inventor of the Fox 40, Peelis Whistle, Ron is a prominent local entrepreneur and philanthropist. More recently, he's become known to many as the man who mobilized Burlington after last year's devastating flood. On August 4th, 2014, in a matter of hours, 200 millimetres of rain fell on our city. Thousands of families were left looking for help as they tried to salvage their belongings, clean up the mess and repair their homes and their lives, and all over 3,000 homes were impacted. It was Ron's genuine compassion and dedication to his community that compelled him to say yes. When asked by Burlington Community Foundation CEO Colleen Mahalland to chair the Burlington Flood Disaster Relief Committee, a role to which he devoted over 650 hours of volunteer time. Within a hundred days, Ron was instrumental in raising $905,000 from the community for families in need. I'm proud to say that this amount was matched two to one by the Ontario government. As a result, a total of $2.7 million was made available to support flood victims and their families. Acting as a key spokesperson for the campaign, Ron played a major role in keeping flood relief efforts going in the media. Throughout the months it followed, but he did not stop there. He picked up the phone and persuaded donors to contribute, and he led a committee of dedicated volunteers who helped adjudicate and process hundreds of claims. It was a privilege to work alongside Ron during Burlington's time of crisis in need. Our community is richer because of him and all of the volunteers and folks nominated. Our city is stronger because of all of them. My sincere congratulations to Ron and all the winners and nominees of this year's Burlington's Best Awards. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member Stevens, the member from Holman, wonderful. Speaker, at any given night, the population of the Royal Hamlet of La Salette has nearly doubled as children, teens and adults gather at the pit. The pit is a basement where local martial arts coaches Mike Hill and Greg Rockefeller are creating active, strong competitors through kickboxing. Their equipment is used, it's minimal, yet they effectively train. For some it's a place to escape the school yard bully, deal with anxiety in a safe, positive environment. For others it's a place to get the adrenaline pumping and discover new muscles. Regardless, students leave the pit proud and simply can't wait to return. My executive assistant, Bobby Ann, is one of those students. She calls the pit home and other students her family. Recently a group of these students of various ages entered the World Karate and Kickboxing Commission Provincial Qualifiers. As a result, the pit earned the right to compete over the holiday weekend at the Nationals in Ottawa. This group brought back gold, silver and bronze. Next stop is Orlando in November for the World Championships. In order to now compete globally, they need better equipment, uniforms and some help with travel expenses. Speakers, this is truly a story of the little engine that could and I would ask anyone inspired by these accomplishments to help them get to Orlando to represent Canada on the world stage. Thank you. Member Samus, the member from Newmarket, Aurora. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today representing my writing of Newmarket, Aurora, to recognize May as National Hemochromatosis Awareness Month. Hemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder affecting one in 300 Canadians. That's about 40,000 Ontarians. Hemochromatosis causes the body to store excess iron, which can become toxic. This national awareness month provides a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of this common disorder, which is frequently not diagnosed. People with hemochromatosis absorb four times more iron from their daily diet than the average person. The body cannot rid itself of this extra iron and accumulates over time in critical organs and joints. Left untreated, too much iron can increase the risk of diabetes, heart problems, liver cirrhosis, depression, infertility, cancer and other conditions. Too much iron can be fatal. Despite hemochromatosis being the most common genetic disorder in Canada, few people or doctors know about it. The good news is treatment is relatively simple, rarely requires drugs and involves monitoring iron levels through routine blood testing and donating blood on a regular basis. The new technologies such as an app Iron Tracker make it easy for people with hemochromatosis to monitor their health. It is often downloaded from the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society website thousands of times and is being used by people in 38 countries around the world. Generating awareness in Ontario about the importance of screening for early detection is crucial to ensuring early diagnosis and effective treatment. Awareness is the cure. Thank you. Members, the member from the Tobacco Center. Thank you, Speaker. We have a number of guests from the Ukrainian-Canadian community here today, and I'd like to speak about the whole of D'Amore. Mr. Speaker, the whole of D'Amore was a genocide that occurred in 1932 and 1933 in Ukraine. It was perpetrated by Joseph Stalin when he closed Ukraine's borders, confiscated grain, and did so to destroy the Ukrainian population that was opposed to his rule. That sought the same freedom and independence that the people of Ukraine are fighting for today. During that time, Mr. Speaker, 17 people per minute, 1,000 per hour and 25,000 per day were dying of famine. The world was silent and millions died as a result. In the gallery today, we have two survivors of the whole of D'Amore, and my grandmother was a survivor of the whole of D'Amore, and she once told me that she hoped that the victims of the whole of D'Amore would not only be remembered, but honoured. Honoured means not just remembering and commemorating, but learning from our mistakes as a global community and taking the steps to make sure something like this never happens again. And that is why it is so important that young people in Ontario learn about the whole of D'Amore, and that's why I'm so proud to stand here today, with leaders of the Ukrainian-Canadian community who worked towards that goal for so long, with you, Mr. Speaker, and other members of the legislature who co-sponsored a bill to recognise the whole of D'Amore, and with our Premier and our Minister of Education who have ensured that the whole of D'Amore will be in the Ontario curriculum so that every young person learns about the whole of D'Amore. Today, Mr. Speaker, I hope we take this opportunity to commemorate and remember, but also redouble our efforts to ensure that a tragedy like this, a tragedy like the one that's happening in Ukraine right now, never happens again. Let us do, as my grandmother would have asked, as all the survivors and victims would ask if they were here today, let us remember the victims. Let us commemorate the victims. Let us honour them.