 It is now time for Member Statements, and I recognize the Member for York, Southwestern. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand today to share my deep concern about the proposed changes to the Conservation Authorities Act and Planning Act in Schedule 6, Bill 229. I have heard from many people and neighbourhood organisations in my writing of York, Southwestern, raising the same alarm that these changes will weaken and reduce the powers of conservation authorities. Here in York, Southwestern, I have been urging all three levels of government for action around the persistent and devastating flooding we have had to endure for years. The last year, this during the peak of spring flooding, this government cut funding for flood protection and now conservation authorities are being sidelined with the potential result of development on wetlands and flamed plains. Residents seeking flood mitigation relief in the Black Creek, Rockcliffe area of York, Southwestern are rightfully concerned that those sensitive flood plains and wetland will not be respected. Removing the Toronto and regional conservation authorities from planning process is reckless and short-sighted, Mr. Speaker, for a recipe for disaster. Mr. Speaker, I condemn this government's priority that time and again puts developers' interests over communities' environmental interests. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Ottawa, West, and the PM. Thank you, Speaker. It is my pleasure to rise today to recognise two individuals, two small business owners, who have made countless contributions to our community. Russ and Janet Arthurs have been successful small business owners in Ottawa since 2005. They have been proud owners of a number of trade secret stores, including in my riding, and they recently became partners at a Boston Pizza in Nepean. Despite getting into the restaurant business right at the start of the COVID pandemic, they have managed to increase sales and have continued to give back to their community. Perhaps most notably are their pizza donations to frontline healthcare workers at the Queensway Carleton Intensive Care Unit, as well as the Riviera Longfield Manor Long-Term Care Home. Their trade secret stores have sponsored numerous events like the Barhaven Santa Claus Parade, the Run for Rogers House, and have collected and distributed over 6,000 gently used hair appliances to Ottawa area women's shelters under the Eastern Ontario Resource Centre. Trade Secrets has also sponsored a number of sports teams across Ottawa. And beyond this, the Arthurs family has personally donated fresh farm produce from their farm over the years to numerous food cupboards. I could go on, Mr. Speaker, for many minutes listing all of their contributions, but all this to say thank you to Russ and Janet Arthurs for everything you do to make Ottawa a better place, and I encourage everyone to go out and support local small businesses like these. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Windsor to come see. Good morning, Speaker. I'm sad to report we just lost a legendary track and field coach. Dennis Farrell was only 67. He was the coach of the track and field teams at the University of Windsor for nearly 30 years. He turned those Windsor Lancers into a track and field powerhouse. They won 25 Canadian Championships, 46 Ontario Conference titles. Dennis Farrell was named as either a Canadian or a conference coach of the year 65 times. He was the head coach of Canada's World University Games in 1989 and was a team coach on four other occasions. In 2005, Dennis was the head coach of Canada's Pan-American junior team, and they won the highest medal count in the event's history. Twice, he served as the head coach of Canada's Maccabee Games team. He's been named to the Tilsonburg Sports Hall of Fame. He's enshrined in the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame, and he's been inducted into the Athletics Ontario Hall of Fame. His nickname was Big Dog, and he's received a Petro-Canada Coaching Award of Excellence and has been awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The University of Windsor renamed our indoor sports facility as Farrell Field. Speaker, we once were neighbors. Our kids went to grade school together when the Farrells moved to Windsor from Tilsonburg. He had suffered with a rarity generative brain disease for the past several years. Dennis Farrell was a humble man, Speaker, and despite his many accomplishments, he certainly left his mark on University Athletics in Ontario, Canada, and beyond, and our community will miss him greatly. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Burlington. Thank you so much, Speaker. Speaker volunteers are the heart of our communities. Throughout the global pandemic, volunteers in Burlington and all across Ontario are making a difference by providing support and relief. There are so many people in Burlington and Halton Region who are coming together to do extraordinary things to ensure no one is left behind. Like Kristin McIntosh, a volunteer with the African Caribbean Council of Halton, and Karen Hill and Sherry Wiccans-Jones, who volunteer with the Compass Society. The Joseph Brand Hospital Foundation certainly appreciates the efforts of Anne and Ethan Cruz and Angelo Palletta. Using the power of the Internet to bring people together are Renee Schuster, who started the Burlington DADS group, and Dawn McKeckern, who started Project Kindness. Bob Morally drives the Food for Life Band, and Beverly Taylor does so many things at the Burlington Food Bank. And at the Halton Children's Aid Society, Joanne Lewis, Kathy Evans, and James Hooten are helping children and youth. Just to name a few. We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give from Winston Churchill. Thank you to all the Burlington volunteers who are stepping up and making a difference. Thanks so much, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Toronto Centre. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today in support of the Haudenosaunee of Six Nations. The Haudenosaunee people of Six Nations live within the Haldeman Tract, six miles from either side of the Grand River. This land was granted to them as thanks for siding with the British during the American Revolution. Canada and Ontario would not exist as we are today without the allyship of the Haudenosaunee. Less than five percent of the Haldeman Tract now remains for the use and enjoyment of the Haudenosaunee. Now, as Haudenosaunee land defenders occupy a construction site on their own lands, this government is allowing the OPP to threaten, criminalize, and forcibly remove Indigenous people who are simply exerting their treaty rights. 36 people, including journalists, activists, artists, and community members have been arrested in connection to 1492. The police interventions at the 1492 land-back lane camp have seen Haudenosaunee people forcibly removed from their homelands, shot with rubber bullets, tasered, criminalized, and litigated with civil suits alleging damages of $20 million. Speaker, these arrests must stop. Criminalizing Indigenous people for this government's failure to adequately address the long-standing concerns of the Haudenosaunee is not just. In a province and a country that says it is committed to reconciliation, this is shameful. I echo the calls of the land defenders at the 1492 land-back lane camp, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, and the Six Nations Elected Council for a moratorium on development and an end to police violence to allow for a respectful nation-to-nation approach to resolving this historic land claim. Thank you very much. The Member for Oakville North Burlington. Good morning, Speaker. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of joining friends at the Vashno Devi Temple in my community of Oakville North Burlington for a celebration of Hindu Heritage Month. While the COVID-19 pandemic this year, the event was held virtually and included a wonderful performance by dancers as part of our virtual celebration. In Ontario, Hindu Heritage Month was unanimously passed into law by the legislature four years ago, and it recognizes the contributions of our Hindu Ontario community. November is also the month in which we celebrate Diwali, the festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Hindu Canadians began to settle in Ontario more than 100 years ago, originating from many countries around the world, and the community is part of the rich tapestry of cultures that make up our great province. They have excelled in every field in our province, science, medicine, business, law, education, politics, and so many more. I'm also proud to serve with Hindu members of this legislature, which are part of a diverse government caucus and others at Queens Park. This month is a time for Hindu Ontarians and all of us to remember their culture and traditions and to mark their significant contributions to our province. I'd also like to thank Senhal and Mansi Katari and all of the volunteers, members, and friends who organized this wonderful celebration. The next statement, the member for Don Valley West. Speaker, this is the last opportunity. I'll have to make a member statement before the holiday season. And although it's early, I want to take a moment to wish the people of Don Valley West and the people of Ontario all the very best in this difficult time. COVID has changed so much about our lives. It has changed our relationship to each other and to our family members. It has changed our interactions with our communities. It has changed our ability to celebrate, mourn, and comfort one another. It continues to challenge us to be patient, to listen to the leaders and experts who are themselves struggling to find the best paths forward. What COVID has not changed is our need for light and darkness. In fact, it has heightened our need to find rays of hope and optimism on an otherwise pretty bleak horizon. The stories behind Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Diwali, and Christmas are all celebrations of victory, thanksgiving, harvest, and literally the birth of hope in the form of a baby. We celebrate these milestones at the darkest time of our year and the cold when we're most in need of warmth. This time of year, more than any other, we crave cozy moments and the people we love. We try to reach out to people in need at a time when loneliness and need are an even greater burden. And this year, we have to find ways to do all of that and still be separate from one another. We can put this in context and we can remember that in comparison with so many others in the world, we're blessed to live in this country and that context is important. But it can't completely take away the sadness of missing our family and friends. Loving each other this year is different and still. I wish each and every one of you all the warmth and joy that you can find. Member Statements. The Member for Richmond Hill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My mother-in-law was admitted into a retirement home last April. My husband took early retirement to take care of her, visiting her every day until COVID hits. We cannot visit her, which is challenging for us, but we understand. We cannot spread the virus to anyone in the building. The nurses, caregivers, PSWs are very patient and caring to all the seniors and they arrange Skype calls for us to meet with our mother virtually. They also arrange window visits and even organize a special birthday celebration for us to surprise her. Recently, we have arranged weekly onsite COVID tests and full-gear PPE for us to visit her in person. I cannot thank enough to each of the frontline workers, admin staff, PSWs and the hospital team for taking such great care of seniors. The retirement home she is staying is very proud to announce their home is COVID-free. In fact, many retirement homes are like this one. Clean and well managed. Let's encourage them and show our appreciation while working on others that need support. Let's continue to be careful and keep COVID out of our long-term care homes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements. The Member for Scarborough Southwest. Back in March, I joined tenants who are struggling to pay their rent, calling on this government for rent relief. I joined small landlords who are struggling with their mortgages asking this premier for support. But instead, this government rammed through a harmful piece of legislation, Bill 184, which not only ignored the plea of tenants and small landlords, but rather made it easier for big corporate landlords to evict people out of their homes. Throughout the months, we saw the premier stood in front of cameras and told people to just stay home. Yet did nothing to support people who lost their income and were falling behind on their rent. Residents in apartment buildings like Teasdale and Barnhill Apartments in my riding of Scarborough Southwest have been fighting for their homes for months. Now, after nine months, almost a year really, we are in the middle of yet another lockdown in Ontario and with Ontarians who have lost their income and on the brink of losing their homes. And this premier once again stood in front of cameras, Mr. Speaker, and told people to just stay home. Mr. Speaker, tenants across this province are being dragged to court for what is being called an eviction blitz, online hearings riddled with technical and technological accessibility challenges. There are about 50 evictions scheduled this week. How can this government in good conscious think that it is enough to tell people to just stay home with zero regard for the people who lost their income and now risk losing their homes in the middle of a lockdown? It is out of touch and it is cruel. Yesterday at Dentonia Park, I stood with residents who are facing the threat of eviction calling on this government to end this cruelty. We're watching the very heart of this province. It's people and businesses perished during the course of a pandemic because this government felt that it was more important to protect the interests of big corporate landlords than to prevent mass homelessness. The Ford government needs to act right now. Their lack of action in the beginning of the pandemic has put people in a desperate state, but it's never too late to do the right thing. So I'm begging this government to step up and provide relief for the people that desperately need it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Very much. The next statement, the member for Scarborough Center. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Over one and a half million people here in Ontario are living with diabetes, a number that is fully expected to continue to rise. A 20 year old in Canada now has a 50% chance of being diagnosed with diabetes in their lifetime. People living with diabetes must make changes every day in order to manage their condition. They must do things like watching what they eat, monitoring their blood sugar, pricking their fingers and taking insulin injections. Luckily, over the years, research and technology has made their lives a little bit easier. Last year, Ontario started providing a flash glucose monitoring system, Freestyle Libre, for insulin using patients. This system is a game changer. It allows patients to scan their glucose levels with a swipe of their phones rather than a finger It's ease of use has many benefits for both patients and our healthcare system. Easier and more frequent testing enables better self management, improved quality of life, reduced hospitalizations and fewer health complications overall. Speaker, there will always be more we can do to bolster better patient outcomes, particularly as more Ontarians are diagnosed with diabetes. But today I stand in this house proud of the important investments our government has made in order to help patients better manage their condition. Mr. Speaker, Ontario has proven to be a leader in diabetes care in Canada. Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin by Sir Frederick Banting right here in Ontario. And last year, our government supported flash glucose monitoring systems in order to make life easier for Ontarians with diabetes. And Mr. Speaker, this year during the very challenging times that COVID has brought us, access to these monitoring systems has proved to be critical as it has enabled virtual care for those living with diabetes. Research and technology in Ontario has always been on the cutting edge. For Diabetes Awareness Month, let's celebrate these breakthroughs and continue supporting everyone in Ontario living with diabetes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Member statements? That's it.