 Before I invite the members to make their statements, I beg to inform the House that the following document has been tabled, a report entitled Housing and Homelessness Programs in Ontario from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario. Member Statements. Member for London North Centre. Speaker, in the few weeks I've served as the Ontario NDP's critic for government services and consumer protection, I've heard countless stories about lives ruined because of Terrians' neglect in protecting consumers. Daniel Brown Emery, whom we tragically lost on January 1st of this year, is one of them. When Dan purchased a new house in 2007, it came with a government-backed warranty. Protection consumers should be able to trust and depend upon. Dan's nightmare began when the house's foundation leaked and black mold became a constant enemy. Dan tried to get help again and again from Terian, but he was ignored. With massive black mold patches, standing water in his basement and Terian not fulfilling its mandate, Dan's bank refused to renew his mortgage. He lost over $270,000 and ended up homeless. Why was this consumer not protected? How could this happen in Ontario? Only after possible public shaming did Terian offer Dan a paltry sum, forcing him to sign a nondisclosure agreement to hide their neglect. Dan's story is far too common in Ontario's speaker. I'm here to remind this government that their own agency, Terian, is its job to protect consumers like Dan, not work for big developers and builders. Consumers deserve authentic oversight and someone who is there for them on the worst days of their lives. Although Dan can no longer raise his voice, I will continue to champion the rights of consumers so that Dan's tragic story is never repeated again. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements and Member for Milton. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today and recognize the Milton Rotary Club. As we all know, Rotary members are dedicated volunteers who provide humanitarian services in communities throughout Ontario and worldwide. On Saturday, April 10th, the Rotary Club in Milton and other local partners like Sustainable Milton will be hosting a virtual Milton Youth Summit. This is a first youth summit, Mr. Speaker, and we would love to see this become an annual event going forward. With the theme of this event being tomorrow's leader today, this free program for youth aged 12 to 14 will offer leadership skills, development and mentorship, as well as offer awareness of community service and environmental education. Those interested are strongly encouraged to sign up through the Milton Rotary website. As a proud father of three, Mr. Speaker, I know how important it is to support our youth. So I thank all the Rotarians in Milton and other local key partners for their tremendous work in our community each and every day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next Member Statement, the Member for Toronto Centre. Thank you so much, Speaker. I rise this morning to share a story of my constituent, Maloud, and his family. 15 years ago, Maloud and his wife, Romila, moved into a one bedroom apartment with the support of a rent subsidy. They were happy. The apartment that they were placed in met their needs and they started their life together as a young couple. But fast forward to today and they are still in that same one bedroom apartment. Only now they have three children between the ages of three and seven. Their eldest has ADHD and is truly struggling to have his needs met in this small apartment. The family was already struggling before COVID-19 hit. Obviously, as you can imagine, with the whole family now at home, the situation is becoming really unsustainable. Maloud has done everything he can to advocate for his family, but has been told that the waitlist to move to a larger unit is 12 years long. Speaker Maloud's family needs a larger apartment to accommodate this young couple and their three children and 12 years is far too long for them to wait. Their eldest child, Speaker, will be 19, a legal adult by the time that this under housed family will be placed in an adequately sized unit. Maloud and Romila have countless friends and neighbors who are in identical situations. Speaker, we need investments in affordable housing and we needed them 15 years ago. In what world is a 12 year wait for affordable housing appropriate? I'm proud to stand with families like Maloud's and so many others in calling for investments that don't leave families languishing in under housed units for decades. Thank you. Next Member Statement, the Member for Peterborough, Northup. Thank you, Speaker. On October 21st, I introduced Bill 220, the Murray Waits on Community Service Award. We debated the bill at second reading on October 26th, where it received unanimous support from all members present. The bill would create an award honoring Murray Waitung, a second World War veteran from Curve Lake. The bill would also tell the story to future generations of how Canada mistreated many First Nations veterans who served four years or more away from their communities and their families. Speaker, on the morning of February 26th, Mr. Waitung quietly passed away. He was an inspiration to generations of people, not only in the community of Curve Lake, but also throughout Peterborough County. Although he was a quiet man, he has left a lasting legacy like no other person I've ever known. He always found the good in every situation and could always be seen with a smile. I have to relay this one story because it makes me chuckle every time I think of it. During the court case that would eventually settle the Williams Treaty, Mr. Waitung spent an entire day testifying. And whenever he was asked a question about his deputation from 20 years earlier, he would go into a monologue about one of his well-known stories, never speaking directly to his deputation. Afterwards, he was asked by a family member why he did that, and his response was, our lawyer told me not to talk about it. The Crown Attorney thought he was senile when in reality he simply outwitted the Crown. Chi Miigwech, Mr. Waitung. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Brampton Center. I had the opportunity to attend the Provincial Advocacy Issues Forum hosted by the Brampton Board of Trade, and we were able to connect with businesses across our city as I have been able to do and listen to their concerns. And many of those businesses raised serious concerns about the lack of supports from this provincial government to help them get through COVID-19, Speaker. And it wasn't just at the Provincial Advocacy Issues Forum that we heard those concerns echoed. I actually met with Tracy from Scented Lair who creates essential oils in our city, and she said she's struggling to ensure that her Main Street business can continue to operate throughout this pandemic. It's not just Tracy, it's also Sean from the Knowledge bookstore who said that while he's had a bump in sales in the summer, now he's seeing a lull in revenues and he's not sure if he's going to be able to sustain his business. I also heard from Man Sharan and Tejbir who are operating in the taxi and limo industry speaker, and they have indicated that they don't even actually qualify for the small business relief program put on by this government. And many businesses are actually saying that they're not getting the support that they need, and it's not just their business that is suffering, Speaker. These small business owners are the backbone of our local economy. They help contribute to our city. And it's not just their business that's suffering, it's actually their livelihoods. As Tejbir indicates, he still has bills to pay even if his business is not functioning. That's brokerage fees, GTAA dues, license fee renewals, Speaker. Businesses in our community need this government to step up and actually provide them the direct supports they need so that they don't lose their livelihoods and their homes. Thank you. The next member's statement, the member for Ottawa South. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to say a few words about Developmental Service Workers here in Ontario. You know, there's a lot of talk about personal support workers during this pandemic. Developmental Service Workers across this province have been there in group homes and in the community supporting people living with developmental disabilities, the most vulnerable among us. And I just want to say thank you on behalf of everyone in this legislature, all Ontarians, for the work that you've done to keep people safe, the people you serve, the people you care for. Keep them safe in this pandemic. We owe a debt to you, and I want to thank you very much. And I also hope that the government will continue the pandemic pay beyond this year and make it permanent for Developmental Service Workers in Ontario. Speaker, I do want to say thank you and goodbye to a staff member who's been with me actually longer than I've been a member. He worked for me in the constituency office when I worked for Dalton McGinty. And that's Fadi El Mazer. He's leaving working with me after nine years. I'm going to have a little hiatus for about a year. But he's been a really big part of our office. A lot of support to me. He's like a son to me. And he helped improve my Arabic, which is very important in Ottawa South. So Fadi, shukran. Member Statements. The member for Chatham-Cantleamington, the Speaker. As many of you know, I'm from the great writing of Chatham-Cantleamington. The greenhouse capital of Ontario, if not North America, where we grow the finest local produce such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, mushrooms and the list goes on so that Ontarians can enjoy these affordable locally grown, delicious produce in stores across the province. Now in order that we can meet the demands of these delicious items there are thousands of acres of greenhouses which don't run themselves. They require a large labour force. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, these growers find it very difficult to secure local help. So with the help of the federal government who has implemented programs to bring in temporary foreign workers growing worker demands are being met. Ontario is looking at bringing in 22,000 workers this year. By the end of April, we will expect to have at least half of them here. As you can imagine, keeping this many workers safe, especially during a pandemic, is a challenge. But today I would like to acknowledge two of my colleagues, Minister McNaughton who has ramped up the Ministry of Labour Inspections and Minister Hardiman who has put on many programs and procedures in place. With the efforts of these two ministries and everyone else, we wouldn't be able to ensure these foreign workers and the communities where they live are being cared for with food, shelter, clothing and being kept safe from the spread of COVID-19. Safety and meeting the growing demand of fresh local produce is critical. So Speaker, personally, I know how much this means to my communities, both from a health and economic perspective. Thank you, growers and workers for all you continue to do during this unprecedented time of worker shortages and COVID-19. Thank you, Speaker. The next Member of State, Mr. Member for Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to address the most important issue in Niagara today, access to vaccines. We have not been spared the pain and tragedy of COVID-19 brings to our community. COVID took the lives of nearly 400 people in Niagara. A loved one in our community dying every 3.5 hours at its peak. However, this government diverted life-saving Moderna vaccines from Niagara. To this day, the government will not tell Niagara where those vaccines went. Just last week, the Health Minister tried to convince us that Niagara received what it was promised. And the government House Leader said at no time was Niagara shortchanged of any vaccines. He followed that by accusing me, public health, frontline healthcare here of spreading false allegations. Speaker, Niagara Health Medical Advisory Committee, a group of local doctors, urged in an open letter to the Premier to divide Niagara with their fair share of vaccines. They called for fairness to protect the lives of people in Niagara. Our medical officer of health and that group of local doctors have confirmed that they were told they would receive 5,500 donated doses. But on January 5th, it was diverted. Still to this day, they don't know why or where they went. We have empty freezers ready for Moderna vaccines. This government may think we will stop asking questions or speaking up or saying get in our fair share of vaccines. But it's not accurate. We will not be silent. I continue to stand with our public health medical experts seeking fairness and answers while I'm standing up for my community. Let's be clear. No matter how this government tries to rewrite history, Niagara did not get its fair share of vaccines and lives were lost because of it. Thank you. Can I ask the member to withdraw? Withdraw. The next member statement, the member for Durham. Thank you, Speaker. I rise to update the House on the much anticipated expansion of palliative care services for patients and families in Durham Region at Oak Ridge's Hospice in Port Perry. Back in November 2019, I was extremely proud to join the Minister of Health in Port Perry to announce an expanded plan for the first hospice in Durham Region, increasing the plan from five beds to an eight-bed hospice. At that time, we also announced an additional $600,000 in capital funding to support construction of the additional beds, bringing the capital investment up to $1.6 million. And Speaker, I have great news. The new 12,500 square foot eight-bed facility is finally ready to open this spring. I want to acknowledge a few people and congratulate Brent Farr, who was recently named Executive Director. Michelle Betlem, the new Fund Development and Communications Coordinator. And for their long-standing contributions, I want to thank Betty Hodgins, the Project Manager of Operations. Dr. Steve Russell, who will now be the first medical director. Dr. Steven Gray, who will now be Board Chair, as well as Board Members Gail, Guimont, Kevin Morgan, and Dave Sadoe. The hospice will actually be named Morgan and Sadoe House in honor of these legacy donors. And finally, I want to thank Anne Wright, the Capital Campaign Chair and the Minister of Health for her unwavering support. Thank you, Speaker. The next member's statement, the member for Perth Wellington. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise and deliver this statement on behalf of my friend, the Associate Minister of Energy and MPP for Bruce Gray, Owen Sound, who announced last Friday the construction of the new state-of-the-art hospital in his riding. And he says, Mr. Speaker, as an advocate for the new Markdale Hospital since the day I was elected, I'm proud to share that this project is fully approved and construction is underway. The Ontario government is investing $53 million to build a modern four-bed hospital with a 24-7 emergency department, one palliative care bed, and access to clinical laboratory and diagnostic imaging services. I thank the local community who has rallied behind this project for 20 long years while raising over $7 million in its support. I thank the Gray-Bruce Health Services and the Foundation teams past and present for their leadership over the years. I also thank Mayor Paul McQueen and councils past and present for their perseverance over the years. And finally, I thank my predecessor, Bill Murdoch, who himself advocated for years, and I believe he had at least two health ministers from the previous government visit Markdale to help promote this project. It took two bills and two decades to get the Markdale Hospital project approved. But it was Premier Ford and Minister Elliott who delivered on their promise. This is the best news my constituents have been waiting for, and we are extremely excited for the future of healthcare in our region and look forward to celebrating with the community as soon as it's safe to do so. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you very much. That concludes our member's statements for this morning. I understand the Leader of the Opposition may have a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. I have a point of order. I seek unanimous consent for the House to observe a moment of silence to pay tribute to the 98 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 over the past week. Leader of the Opposition is seeking the unanimous consent of the House for the House to observe a moment of silence to pay tribute to the 98 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 over the past week. Agreed? Agreed. Agreed. I'll ask the members to rise. Thank you very much. Members may take their seats. I ask the unanimous consent of this House to bring forward a motion to call on the Conservative Government to immediately implement paid sick days to protect workers in Brampton and in Ontario and ensure that they don't have to choose between going to work sick or paying the bills. Member for Brampton East is seeking unanimous consent of the House to bring forward a motion requiring the Government to implement paid sick days legislation to help protect workers in Brampton and across Ontario from COVID-19. Agreed? Agreed. I'll ask the members to rise.