 It's now time for Member's Statements. Member for Toronto Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. With the flooding here in Muskoka and Ottawa, across eastern Canada, and the devastating cyclones in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, it's clear that climate change is not going to let out. Our society faces grave risks, and people are already losing their property, and in many cases, losing their lives. Conservative governments attack on any substantial climate action, the wasting of $30 million to fight the federal climate plan in court. Their ill-conceived plan to force gas stickers on gas pumps shows that in the end, this government has no concern for this issue. There is climate action we can take. I'm working with my colleagues on measures to stop climate change, including bringing in a private member's bill to prevent fracking in Ontario, given the increasing natural gas leaks that are heating up our world. I was pleased to support the climate strikers when they had their demonstration here last week, as I have been since last fall. Speaker, I know that people are concerned about climate change, about its impact on their lives, and what they can do. I urge everyone, if you can do nothing else, at least come and stand with the students as they fight for our future. Thank you. Member Statements to Member for Kitchener, South Hesbler. Thank you, Speaker. Supporting veterans and members of the military has long been a passion of mine and my eldest daughter, Sarah. In grade three, she started speaking to her class about the importance of military service and eventually helped to organize her school's Remembrance Day services, including arranging fundraisers for veterans to come and speak to her peers. We are often looking for new ways to reach out and support, as Sarah calls them, our nation's heroes. A few weeks ago in my writing of Kitchener, South Hesbler, the Ontario Personal Support Workers Association, held their sixth annual conference at Conestoga College. It included a special focus on how PSWs can best support military veterans who have operational stress injuries. I had the honour of attending the keynote address by Tim Laidler and Alex Hwang from the University of British Columbia. Tim, who is a retired corporal in the Canadian Armed Forces, worked with UBC to create the national organization, the Veterans Transition Network. He came to Kitchener from B.C. to talk to the PSWs about how they are uniquely positioned to support military veterans. He explained to the PSWs the military culture our soldiers become accustomed to and just how vital it is to help them break their silence and get at their stories by breaking through their feelings of sometimes shame and isolation. Not only did his presentation bring more awareness and understanding to myself, but many of the PSWs in attendance said they are now feeling more confident in supporting veterans and they're looking forward to learning more from the team at UBC in the future. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Brampton Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Last week I had the absolute pleasure of attending the premiere screening of a film, actually a short series on the CBC Gem, entitled The 410, which actually was shot, written and directed in Brampton. It was a great delight to be able to see shots of our community, but also stories of our community being shared around trucking and trucking industry. So it was a great experience. But, Mr. Speaker, I really want to highlight how much art and culture we have in the city of Brampton and, in particular, my riding of Brampton Centre. Actually, Brampton is home to some very notable artists and sort of creators, like Ruby Kaur, who's actually a New York best-selling author. We also have Alicia Cara, who hails from Brampton, and a Grammy award-winning singer. We also have Michael Cera, you know, so many others, including director X, Alan Thicke, all hailing from Brampton, who all believe that arts and culture do contribute to our economy. Actually, Mr. Speaker, the creative economy contributes $54.6 billion to our provincial GDP. That's quite a staggering number. And so it's astonishing to me that this government would choose to cut funding to arts programs and support that is so needed to help develop those creative economies. We learned through the budget that this government is cutting actually $5 million from the base funding of the Ontario Arts Council. They're also cutting the funding to the Ontario Music Fund from $15 million to $7 million. So, Mr. Speaker, I wonder where the next generation of artists are going to get the support they need to help contribute to the economic growth that we know that the creative industries do here in our province. Thank you very much. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Berry Innisfree. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last month, I participated in a two-hour Zumba Thon at the Innisfel YMCA in support of their fifth, their fifth annual Move to Give. Move to Give is a fundraiser run by the YMCA, Simcoma Skoka, to raise money through a wide variety of physical activities and for a wide variety of physical activities. Through these different events, the YMCA had a goal to raise $100,000 in support of the Y's efforts to build healthy communities. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to announce that not only did they hit their goal, but they doubled it through the eight-location participation in this fundraiser. The YMCA raised a grand total. Wait for it, Mr. Speaker. $201,000. I would like to congratulate all those involved with organizing and, of course, everyone who came out to Move and to Give. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for St. Catharines. Mr. Speaker, thank you. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge that today, May 8th, is the 74th anniversary of the Battle of Atlantic. The Battle of Atlantic was the longest military engagement of the Second World War, lasting almost five years. The Canadian Merchant Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force played a vital role in the Allied efforts. Today we recognize the more than 4,600 courageous Canadians that lost their lives at sea during those years. On Sunday, May 5th, I had the privilege of attending a beautiful memorial ceremony held at the Naval Hall in Niagara on the lake. I was honored to recite the official naval poem, remembering Canada's fallen heroes who sacrificed themselves for our freedom, fair winds and calm seas. Lastly, I would like to wish all the mothers of the great province an early Happy Mother's Day. The work, dedication, unconditional love and sacrifices we exhibit as mothers is often gone unrecognized. Mother's Day is a time to pay respect and say thank you to the woman who do it all. So special thank you to my mother. I'd love you and I love and appreciate all that you do and have done for me and continue to do. Happy Special First Mother's Day to my daughter, Charlotte, my daughter-in-law, Sarah, a very Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in Ontario. Celebrate this weekend. You most definitely deserve it. Happy Mother's Day. Member Statements, the Member for Don Valley West. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to seek unanimous consent to make a statement in the place of my colleague from Ottawa South. Valley West is seeking the anemones consent of the House to make a statement in place of the member for Ottawa South. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Last night in my community of Don Valley West I had the privilege of acknowledging over 30 community volunteers at my annual volunteer appreciation event. These fine people give their time and their love to the organizations and the people in their neighbourhoods. Just a few examples. Talha Malik has worked with youth in Flemingdon Park coaching cricket, mentoring young leaders. Susan Lipchuk has been a master gardener at the Toronto Botanical Gardens in the area. Yukiko Ichihara, Esther Abassai and Isabel Murambua have helped hundreds of tenants to understand their rights and take action against unresponsive landlords. In every community across this province there are unsung heroes who deserve our thanks. They work quietly and steadily every single day. Some of them are spending hours every week looking after an aging or ill family member. Some of them are delivering meals and support to newcomers digging community gardens raising money to help people in need through churches, mosques, synagogues and temples. Volunteering in hospitals are helping out with the neighbour's kids after school. Thank you to each one of you. The 30 plus award recipients in Don Valley West are part of a very large army of volunteers who make our community stronger. You are the heart of our society. Thank you to all volunteers for your work and compassion. You are at the heart of our society. Thank you very much. Member Stevens, Member for Oakville North, Hurlington. Speaker, our government knows that as we open Ontario up for business, building affordable housing, growing our economy and creating jobs we must do so in a sustainable way. As a society we need to think globally while acting locally. People in my riding deserve to control how we regulate and manage our unique environmental needs. That is why last week I was pleased to join with residents in my community of Oakville North Burlington and Oakville Green to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Week. My volunteers and I started an Arbor View park in Oakville and finished in Tansley Woods Park in Burlington for a community trash pickup. Later in the week we all planted trees native to the Halton region enhancing its biodiversity while helping to improve water quality in the regional watershed. We need more grassroots events such as this which can help climate change. We need to help Ontario businesses do better for our environment. Our government is investing $400 million into an emissions reduction fund to encourage private investments in clean technologies to help our province achieve an additional 8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. What we do not need is a federally imposed carbon tax that kills jobs increases costs on goods and services and takes more money out of the hands of hard working Ontarians. Thank you. Thank you. Member statements to Member for Davenport. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Today in my riding of Davenport General Mercer Junior Public School are able to learn on a full stomach thanks to the student nutrition program. At Stella Maris Catholic School kids are protected from communicable diseases thanks to the school immunization program and over at the Davenport Perth Community Health Centre people are benefitting from diabetes prevention programs. This morning people felt confident dropping off their kids at childcare centres in my community because those centres passed the city's inspection program. Every day millions of people are kept safe and healthy thanks to public health programs and the workers, agencies and volunteers who deliver them but these programs and hundreds of others in Davenport are at risk. In the wake of this government's massive cuts to Toronto Public Health $1 billion will be cut over the next 10 years compromising everything from food inspection to newborn screening, vaccine distribution and sexual health clinics. It is said that for every dollar public health our overall healthcare system saves $16 but this is about more than dollars and cents. Lives in my community and in communities across Ontario are quite literally at risk. I'm calling on all members of this house to stand up for their constituents and join Ontario's mayors 12 boards of health nurses, pediatricians, school boards and everyday citizens who are calling on the government to reverse these cuts. Thank you. Thank you. The member for Chatham Kent Leamington. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I was honored this past Saturday to address the Blenheim Youth Centre a safe place for area students to hang out with friends and engage in many fun-filled activities. This past weekend they celebrated their 13th year and it was nice to see the group's founder Jay Denour as well as their executive director Ms. Emily Robert and volunteers. They were all gathered to accept new grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation totaling $244,100. And these grants will do wonders in expanding the great work that the Centre does. This work includes youth in our community who face barriers to become more positively engaged in the community by getting youth more engaged by facilitating volunteering, youth-led programming and representing the youth population within the community. A key initiative of the Blenheim Youth Centre is the Youth Action Team consisting of four local high school youth and six elementary students. These youth will be the core team of leaders influencing the remaining youth who utilize the Blenheim Youth Centre's facilities and volunteering opportunities by providing programming for youth these participants gain a sense of respect and belonging. They also learn to engage in positive social behaviors, spend more time volunteering in areas of interest to them and become more aware of local resources and opportunities. Speaker, I cannot think of a more worthy recipient of these two Trillium grants and I wish the Blenheim Youth Centre continued success and on a side note I'd like to wish my wife of 42 years Diane happy anniversary. Member statements Member for Ottawa West Nippian Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker, yesterday the world lost a true champion Jean Vanier, the beloved founder of L'Arche, passed away at the age of 90. He leaves behind an enormous legacy. Vanier's story is known to many. In 1964 he invited two individuals with intellectual disabilities into his home. From there was born an idea that grew into a movement. Vanier recognized that sharing life with individuals with developmental disabilities was not a burden but instead something that could have a profoundly positive impact on anyone. You can learn much from sharing a life and a space with a person with a developmental disability. I often say that hearing my brother laugh or seeing him smile is one of the most joyful experiences that one can have because it's born of a truly pure innocence and happiness. Jean Vanier recognized this as well and he sought to spread the word. Today there are close to 150 L'Arche communities around the world in 35 countries and 5 continents. In these communities individuals with developmental disabilities and others come together for a shared experience to learn from one another. While we mourn his loss today, I remain inspired by the legacy that Mr. Vanier left behind and I encourage everyone to take the time to get to know an individual with a developmental disability. I know that they will find their lives immeasurably enriched by the experience. Thank you Mr. Speaker. That concludes our member statements for this afternoon. Reports by committees.