 It is now time for members' statements. I recognize the member for Sarnia Lampton. Thank you, Speaker. It's an honour to rise once again in the Ontario legislature. I'd like to take this opportunity to share more good news with the legislature on an important investment by this government in Sarnia Lampton. Mr. Speaker, on February the 9th, I was honoured to join several members, including the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, to announce an investment of $4.5 million to increase access to pediatric services for children and youth in southwestern Ontario. This important investment included $964,000 in new annual funding for Pathways Health Centre for Children in My Writing of Sarnia Lampton. This government is ensuring children and youth in every corner of the province have quick and convenient access to high quality and convenient care. In fact, this government has increased the annualized funding to Pathways Health Centre for Children in Sarnia by more than $2.6 million since 2022. This is further evidence that our government has committed to reducing weightlifts, improving access to care and improving the quality of life for children and their families in Sarnia Lampton. I want to thank the government and the Minister of Health for continuing to make these important investments in Sarnia Lampton. Thank you, Speaker, and I look forward to sharing more great news with you in the future. Thank you. Thank you. Member Stamels, the Member for Toronto Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Yesterday in Ontario, we celebrated Family Day, a provincial holiday recognized by legislation in this very chamber. Today, I want to recognize another day of significance, Chosen Family Day, which is coming up in two days on February 22nd. On Chosen Family Day, Speaker, we would recognize all Ontarians who have created families outside of traditional and legal definitions. Chosen families are particularly common in queer and trans communities. We have historically high rates of separation from our birth families when they won't accept us for living our authentic selves. We turn to elders in our community for life-saving support when our own families reject us. This is how I survive, Speaker, after coming out to my own parents at age 16. People of many cultures and diverse social backgrounds create Chosen families. Children and foster care. Veterans, the elderly, injured, the sick, receiving care. Immigrants and refugees often come together when families of origin are unsafe, far away, unavailable to support them and simply don't understand. In collaboration with Friends of Ruby, a queer and trans youth shelter, last year I introduced my private member's bill, the Chosen Family Day Act, which would make February 22nd Chosen Family Day on Ontario. This will send a strong and loving message, Speaker, to all Chosen families that they are valued and that they are just as significant as traditional families of origin. Let's honour them together. Thank you, Speaker. Member's statements. The Member for Bradford Branch. Good morning, Speaker, and thank you. It feels good to be back. Colleagues, it's good to see you all. Last Thursday I had the honour of joining the Member from England and Lawrence in the parliamentary assistance of the Ministry of Health in announcing that the Grand River Community Health Clinic in Brantford will receive $1.7 million. The Six Nations of the Grand River Family Health Team will receive $1.8 million. And Dada Dwayne Aboriginal Health Centre will receive $264,700. This combined $3.8 million investment will allow over 14,000 new patients to be connected to primary health care in the province of Ontario and in my writing. These annualised investments will allow primary care teams to connect people to a range of health professionals, including doctors, nurse practitioners, registers and practical nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and dieticians, among others. Timely access to primary care helps people stay healthier for longer with faster diagnosis and treatment while relieving pressures on the emergency department and walking clinics. These investments into the Brantford branch community are keeping in line with our government's other historic investments to expand medical schools and take down barriers so highly skilled medical professionals can practice in the province of Ontario. I am proud to represent a government that prioritises the health of Ontarians and is working to provide 98% of the province with primary care over the course of the next few years. I will continue to advocate for the resiliency of Brantford branch and will keep working to ensure that Ontario's primary care system is more robust, public and accessible than ever. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Member Statements. The Member for Toronto, St Paul's. The year is 2024 and intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, violence against women is still an epidemic. It is still a public health issue and yet the Conservatives refuse to declare this formally across Ontario and this legislature. Intimate partner violence and femicide is on the rise. 68 of the 86 recommendations from the Renfrew in Questfall under provincial jurisdiction and many could easily be implemented by this government. Yet despite our calls, this government refuses to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. I stand here again demanding that the Conservative Government declare it an epidemic. It is an epidemic that disproportionately impacts women and girls, trans and non-binary people, women with disabilities, Black women, Indigenous women, women experiencing homelessness, under housed women, immigrant, refugee and non-status women. Violence is socially and economically debilitating. Survivors are spoken and it's time they listen. This week on February 21st and 22nd, Skills for Change from my St Paul's community will host our third annual Together Against Violence Symposium where hundreds of us will gather to talk about solutions to gender-based violence. Speaker, for over 40 years they've been doing this work in our community but I stand here today to say our community leaders cannot do this alone. The first step to solving a problem is naming it. I beg of this government to name intimate partner violence, name gender-based violence, name violence against women, what it is. And that speaker is an epidemic. Thank you. Thank you, Member Statements. The Member for Mississauga Lakeshore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday was family day and in my riding in Mississauga Lakeshore, my team and I held their annual free skate at the Clarkson Arena. We had an incredible turnout of over 150 people including many young families and children who enjoyed the hot chocolate and the mini hockey sticks and pox. But most importantly, community events like this give us an opportunity to meet constituents and listen to their concerns. Deborah and several others were concerned with the rising cost of living, especially the rising federal carbon tax. And I want to thank Premier Ford and Minister of Finance for joining us last week at the Pioneer Gas Station in Port Credit to announce an important measure to protect against any future carbon tax. I got my first job at that station when I was 16 pumping gas and propane. At the time, the price of gas was $0.33 per litre. Within the next six years, the federal carbon tax is scheduled to rise to more than $0.37 per litre, more than the price of gas when I had my first job there. But as I said, yesterday was family day. Over the weekend, my father-in-law, Giuseppe Dillena, passed away with his family at his side. Giuseppe was a successful entrepreneur, but his family was what he was most proud of. He was a dedicated husband, a father and a no-no, who touched the lives of many. And he will be truly missed by everyone. Thank you. Member statements? Member for London, Fanshawe. Thank you, Speaker. Early this month, we saw a major win for workers in Ontario as the Premier and his government lost their appeal on Bill 124. The courts upheld what we all knew this legislation was unconstitutional. Rather than admit that they were wrong, this government has wasted time and money fighting against the very people he claims to care about. People he once called heroes. This government works in the shadows, making insider deals and taking care of their own while the people of Ontario struggle to survive. It takes massive demonstrations, relentless pressure, court rulings and public shaming for them to make the right decision. Bill 124, the green belt, hiding mandate letters, they know what they're doing is wrong. It's why they sneak language into their own legislation that absolves them from legal accountability. The callousness and uncaring of this government are an affront to democracy. While the Ford government has fighting public workers right to fair compensation in the courts, we've watched our health care system decay. We've watched nurses leave on the profession en masse. We've watched patients suffer the consequences of this government's poor decisions. I take heart, though. I trust the people of Ontario. I believe in them and their ability to see through this government's taglines and slogans and see the real truth. The Bill 124 result is a reminder that when the people of Ontario unite and stand up against this government injustices, we win. And this government should do well to remember that it is the people of Ontario who hold the power, not them. Member Statements, the Member for Thunder Bay Atacocan. Thank you, Speaker. It's great to see you again. I'm very proud to rise today in recognition of our forestry, bio-economy and mining industry leaders in the Thunder Bay and Northern Region. On January 30th, Tom Ratz of Resolute and Chris Walton of CRIBE partnered to host the Forestry and Bio-Economy Opportunity Roadmap Roundtable followed by the Ontario's Forestry and Bio-Economy Workshop. 80 representatives of these sectors participated in the day's events, including our Indigenous partners and stakeholders who have contributed significantly to modernization efforts. We were all extremely grateful that Minister Graydon Smith was able to join us in Thunder Bay. The themes for prosperity, examination, including the topics of collaboration, innovation, embracing the global economy and staying focused. Decarbonization for remote locations using energy systems solutions and decarbonization with the forest bio-economy for the mining sector were also matters explored. In closing, on behalf of our stakeholders and partners, I'd like to extend our sincere gratitude to Premier Ford and Minister Graydon Smith for their investments to the critical research projects that will enable the future sustainability of our forestry and bio-economy sector. Now, we will work together to optimize value creation and synergies and move from research to production and market. I look forward to our next steps and action items. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements, the Member for Orleans. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It's great to be back at the legislature. Every February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and festivities that honour the legacy of Black people in Canada and their communities. In Orleans, we are fortunate to benefit from the diversity that a vibrant Black community has and the leadership that its members offer us. The Global Community Alliance is a community-based organization established with a mission to bring members of various communities together to organize and facilitate events and highlight that diversity and inclusion, to recognize the efforts of individuals, associations, businesses and others who are making a difference within our diverse community. This year, Global Community Alliance is celebrating its 12th annual Gala and award ceremony in recognition of Black History Month. The brainchild of Orleans residents, Kelly and Yomi Pratt, this annual event brings to a close the Black History Month celebrations in the nation's capital. Over the past 12 years, the Gala has been one of the most sought-after events in Ottawa's social calendar, and this year's Gala is the first since the pandemic promises to be no different. Proceeds will be donated to the Children at Risk Association, an Ottawa-based community organization that provides services and programs to families of children diagnosed with autism and with autism. I'm very much looking forward to attending the event this weekend. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Ajax. Good morning, Speaker. Today I rise to highlight Black History Month. It serves as a reminder of an enduring contributions of Black Canadians to the fabric of our nation. Among these, the legacy of Lincoln Alexander shines brightly, a symbol of resilience, leadership and transformative change. As the first Black Member of Parliament, the first Black Federal Cabinet Minister, and the 24th Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, he shattered racial barriers, blazing a trail for generations to come, a story of triumph over adversity. His bus here in the legislature stands as a monument of learning, reflection and action in pursuit of a more inclusive and equitable society. That is why I am thrilled about our government's decision to incorporate mandatory Black history learning into our curriculum. Black history into our curriculum, we acknowledge that it is not separate from Canadian history, but an integral part of it. It is a history of resilience, creativity and perseverance in the face of immense challenges, a history that encircles our collective understanding of who we are as Canadian. We applaud the tireless effort of all the organizations and individuals who have championed Black history education in the past, and those that have carried the flame of informing and educating our stories. Together, let us forge ahead, united in our commitment to a future where diversity is embraced and celebrated. Member Statements, the Member for Kitchener South-Hespler. Thank you, Speaker. It's probably no secret from some of my statements that I'm an advocate of policing and a lover of social media. Thank you. And a little known fact about me. I did my undergrad in philosophy, but it was specifically focusing on Islamic golden age philosophy and theology and historical lens. And I never thought all of those things would come together, but they did. Early on in my journey of being an MPP, I was on Instagram and I ended up connecting with the Toronto Police Officer where we were talking about school resource officers. And our friendship since then has developed significantly. My friend Farhan Ali, who is present here, is a Muslim officer. And his insight became incredibly important to me as an MPP representing a very diverse riding with a lot of newcomers to Canada. And he was a wonderful source for me. I'm also, as you know, a big advocate of community policing, which is about building those relationships early on. So what I'm very pleased to be commemorating today is Farhan has joined with Constable Harun Siddiqui, who was primarily our first Muslim liaison officer. Together the two of them are now part of a new operation, a new organization spearheaded by Officer Dempew of the Toronto Police Service to really maintain those relationships, to foster current relationships and build new ones in the Muslim community. It's an absolutely wonderful initiative. And also I wanted to celebrate good friends of mine. Thank you so much.