 move right now into member statement. Thank you the member from Newmarket Aurora. Thank you. Thank you speaker. On Sunday October the 2nd I hosted my second annual community barbecue event for Newmarket Aurora at Newmarket's Riverwalk Palmans. It was an eventful afternoon and I was thrilled to see so many familiar faces while meeting some new ones too from our vibrant community. This event is more than just an opportunity to enjoy good food and fun activities. It is about bringing people together, fostering a sense of unity, building relationships and celebrating the diversity that makes my community so special. I thank all my community members who came out from the Chinese to the Francophones to the Black community members, the Jewish, the Muslim and the Christian community members to the members of the LGBTQ York Pride community. Thank you. And what do we all have in common? It is the desire to live together in peace, celebrating our differences while promoting a life of acceptance, kindness and compassion. I will continue to proudly serve my constituents and to listen, understand, connect, advocate for them and to work together for the betterment of my community. Thank you. Thank you Madam Speaker. Remember and stay as fast approaching and today in the House I'm proud to speak of a recent initiative to help future generations actively remember and honour the sacrifices of all Canadians who have served. This includes those who have served and the many who made the ultimate sacrifice in World Wars I and II, the Korean and Afghan wars and the many peacekeeping missions and to honour those who are serving or have served in Canada's armed forces. The Canadian Remembrance Torch Initiative was founded by Karen Hunter and the torch was designed and built by McMaster Engineering students. It was lit on Parliament Hill in September 2022. Its flame was flown by Air Canada to the Netherlands where Princess Margaret participated in a passing the torch to the next generation ceremony. Throughout 2023, the Canadian Remembrance Torch has participated in many high-profile events across Canada and in 2024, the torch will participate in D-Day's 80th anniversary commemorations at Juno Beach Centre in Normandy. Other initiatives of the Canadian Remembrance Torch include a Student Torch Bearers Program, a Faces to Names Initiative to create a digital archive of all Canadians who have died in war and peacekeeping missions and community events that take place each year. The Canadian Remembrance Torch will be passed on to future generations to help communities and students to remember and honour those who have served and are serving so we can live in peace and democracy. Thank you. Member from Hastings-Lennox-Addington. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, as winter approaches each morning across many areas in all of Ontario, people will wake up to fresh blankets of snow. By riding, the Hastings-Lennox-Addington is almost 200 kilometres north to south, more than three and a half hours driving time, and the snow hits more in the Manoos area than it does down on the shores at Bath and Desarano. And I know that most of my colleagues here in the legislature will be travelling a lot across their ridings across this great province. And so this message is for all of you and for all of our constituents. As we come into the colder season, we have a number of important community events coming up, Remembrance Day is around the corner, followed by a great number of Santa Claus parades and festivals of all types. I hope that everyone participating in these events enjoys themselves, but most importantly, I want to take this opportunity to remind people to get prepared. Winter can sneak up on you, so please make sure your car is ready, snow tires, full washer fluid, emergency kits. These are obvious and fairly easy to do, and while they might not be needed every time, they are so very important when they are needed. I would also please take a couple minutes to warm up the car and fully scrape off those windows. Those few moments can literally save a life. No matter where you live in Ontario, I hope this winter is filled with cold weather fun and safe arrivals home. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Madam Speaker. The cold season is upon us and it arrives more quickly in the north. I'm taking the floor today to call attention of all my colleagues of the problems that affect those in the north of the province, especially those who require use of highways 11 and 17 to get around. Many of you are not aware of the problems of the highways in the north. Let me just describe them. I live in capescasing about 8,500 people. We take our children to school every morning. We go to work or we go to our medical appointments. Most of you don't need to use the highway, except when you have to go on long trips. But if it's just a matter of using them to go to school or to go to work or to medical appointments, we need our highways. If you can take public transit or you can use local roads. But in capescasing, you always need the highway. We use the highways every day. And almost all the goods that crisscross our province also require the highways. And unfortunately, there's a terrible lack of attention given to highways. And with winter coming, we need solutions. We need laws to enhance highway security in Ontario. Thank you for your attention. The member for Markham Thornhill. After my private member bill 157 received royal assent in 2021. I am pleased to recognize Wednesday, November 15 as the second COPD every Wednesday in Ontario. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, OCOPD is a progressive but incurable lung disease characterized by narrowing of the airways that make breathing increasingly difficult as a disease version. I encourage everyone to advocate yourself on the risk of COPD and to be proactive in maintaining good lung health. So, Speaker, last week I had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremony for Upper Canada Child Care, New Child Care Center at Saint-Luc, Saint-René-Coupel Catholic Elementary School in my riding of Markham Thornhill alongside the Minister of Education. As a African proverb goes, it takes a village to raise a child and this case is truly does. The York Region Catholic Board, Upper Canada Child Care, dedicated staff, supportive parents, the Ontario government and the federal government have joined forces to provide essential care. Thank you to the Minister of Education and his leadership and to our government for investing $3.9 million in child care, Mr. Speaker, for making child care more affordable and accessible for Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member statements. The member for Niagara Center. Thank you, Speaker. This Saturday, November 4th in my riding, the Hope Center Open Arms Mission and the Salvation Army will come together for the 32nd annual Welland Food Drive. Residents and businesses able to donate are encouraged to give online or donate food at their doorstep. Once collected, donations are sorted at Club Richelieu. Welland is grappling with its worst food insecurity crisis in decades. Recently, John Braithwaite, CEO of the Hope Center, said more people than ever are facing food insecurity in our community with close to one in 10 Wellanders accessing our food bank in the past 12 months. Open Arms tells me they're projected to serve over 20,000 people this year. We're hearing this across Niagara Center. Port Cares and Port Coburn recently said their agency has seen its monthly food bank usage soar from over 1,700 people just 15 months ago to a record 2,900 now. Nearly one in seven Port Coburn residents with numbers continuing to escalate. Speaker, the demand and pressures placed on community food banks has never been greater, but I'm proud of how our community is responding. Folks in Welland who want to lend a helping hand can visit www.WellandFoodDrive.com or their Facebook page at Welland Food Drive to learn more. Those looking to volunteer are encouraged to reach out to one of the three food banks. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements. The Member for Orleans. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Education should be the great equalizer, not the great divider in Ontario. School should be a source of hope, not of fear. Mr. Speaker, I recently met with parents, teachers, teachers associations, and school boards, and one thing that they all said to me was that there has been a noticeable increase in classroom violence. A teacher from my writing recently wrote that from grade six down to kindergarten, classroom violence is present at every level. She has been punched in the face, bit, kicked, and hit numerous times by students. And while classroom violence has increased, the number of educational assistance has decreased. There's a lack of educational assistance, a lack of resources and programs for students with special needs, a lack of mental health supports, and overcrowded classrooms. This has all led to an increase in violence and disruptions in our schools, putting the safety and well-being of our students, our kids, and staff at risk. And this is absolutely unacceptable in a province as prosperous as Ontario. I'm calling on the government to reverse its cuts to education and invest that money to keep classrooms safe by hiring more educational assistance, reducing class sizes, expanding special education services, supporting mental health initiatives, and bringing character education back to our schools. Let's respect our students and our educators by keeping them safe in the classroom. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member statements? The Member for Burlington. Good morning Speaker. I'm happy to rise today to speak up about an upcoming event in my riding. The Goodwill Amity's 17th annual Power of Work Awards lunch is happening this Friday, November 3rd in Burlington. This is an action packed event filled with inspiring stories and valuable learning opportunities. At this event we'll come together to celebrate Power of Work Award winners, including two remarkable job seekers who have triumphed over adversity to achieve their employment goals, and also celebrate a local employer who has been unwavering in providing exceptional employment support and opportunities to job seekers in Halton. Work gives people a sense of hope, purpose, and confidence. This event is not just about recognition of leadership in our community, but it's also a chance to connect with friends, community members, and business leaders. Together we make a significant impact and provide a hand up to those facing barriers to employment right in our own community. Goodwill provides job seekers with access to free workshops, skills training, resume assistance, job search guidance, mental health resources, and basic needs support through Goodwill Amity's Employment Services in Burlington. So mark your calendars for November 3rd and be part of a lunch that not only fills your stomach, but also your heart. Thank you, Member Sabance, the Member for Stormont Dundas, South Glen Gary. Yes, we forget. This powerful phrase was first used in Rudyard Kipling's 1897 poem entitled Recessional and became linked with the Remembrance Day after the First World War. Lest we forget. This please serves as a reminder to all countries to never forget the sacrifices of those who have served in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations around the world. November 11th, a day we all come together to honour and commemorate those brave men and women who serve and have served our country in times of war. We wear a poppy to remember as a visual pledge to never forget those who have served and sacrificed. We wear our poppies to support and thank our veterans and members of the armed forces. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to attend three War Memorial Senataph Rededication ceremonies. I was fortunate to be present at the Los Villages Senataph Rededication and Self-Stormont, the Van Camp Senataph Rededication in North Dundas, and the Williamsburg Senataph Rededication in South Dundas. My Federal counterpart, MP Eric Duncan, Chair of a few committees who worked for over a year to raise money to refurbish and modernize the Millrush-Mullinette War Memorial at the Los Villages, the Williamsburg Senataph, as well as to raise funds to refurbish the Van Camp Senataph in North Dundas. These refurbished Senataphs will serve the next generation and ensure they remember the sacrifice. Thank you to our veterans for their service. Thank you for your bravery. Thank you for protecting our freedoms. Thank you for our sacrifice. Bless we forget. Thank you very much. Member's statements. The member for Eglinton Lawrence. In the days and weeks following October 7th, my office has received hundreds of messages from constituents expressing their gratitude towards our government for our support of Israel, our recognition of its inalienable right to defend itself and its citizens. A significant proportion of these messages are from constituents who have family members in Israel or are Israeli themselves. Almost everyone knows someone who has been killed or kidnapped. Others write and share concerns about what is happening in Canada, in Ontario and Toronto. People are concerned about the protests on our streets, in our schools and on our university campuses that glorify or promote terrorism by waving signs or flags of the Taliban or Hamas and calling for the gassing of Jews. They are shocked by people who rip down posters of the hostages, including infants as young as nine months old, that Hamas is still holding, and by those who continue to spread misinformation. On the eve of Remembrance Day, we appear to have forgotten what we once had learned. That is why I was delighted to join Minister Leche this morning in announcing that lessons on the Holocaust will be expanded in grade 10 history, mandatory September 2025, and will explicitly link the Holocaust to extreme political ideologies, including fascism, antisemitism in Canada in the 1930s and 40s, and the contemporary impacts of rising antisemitism. We cannot stand for the glorification of terrorism on our streets, and I and I'm sure all of my colleagues will do everything we can to prevent that. Thank you very much. That concludes our member statements for this morning.