 The member from Renfrew and Nipissing Pembroke for member statements. Kraft Hockeyville is back and the 10 finalists have been named. Cobbden in my writing is one of them. Cobbden is the community as my friend the late Harold Dobbs used to say was without a doubt the center of the universe. The Hockeyville committee has made the most compelling case for why Cobbden and its astrolabe arena should be named Kraft Hockeyville 2017. You can view the video at KHV2017.ca Cobbden is a wonderful community with a population of about 1,000 situated on Highway 17 between Pembroke and Renfrew. It is near Cobbden where Samuel de Champlain lost his astrolabe while exploring the Ottawa River. It was lost until 1867 when it was found near what is now appropriately named Astrolabe Lake. It's also the home of Mussie, the mysterious monster of Muscratt Lake. Perhaps less famous than the Loch Ness Monster, the legend of Mussie is no less fascinating. Numerous sightings have been made but unfortunately no photographic evidence is available. I urge you to get up there and see if you can capture an image of Mussie yourself. Voting will take place on March the 12th and 13th. I urge every member of this legislature to inform their staff, constituents and friends and support Cobbden for the title of Kraft Hockeyville. Vote early and vote often. I want to congratulate and thank Chris Plow, Jerry McIntyre, Ted Barron and the Ottawa Valley Thunder as well as Matt LeMay, the videographer for putting together Cobbden's bill. Bid. I also want to congratulate and thank the communities of Pembroke, Renfrew, Deep River, Beechburg and Matawoska Valley for also submitting bids. You'll have another opportunity next year. Thank you. I got to stop swimming in that lake. I'm scaring people. Member Stave, it's the member from Tomiskimi Cochrane. Speaker, I'd like you to take this opportunity to talk for a few minutes about a small firm of my riding. One of my neighbors actually, Leasewood Products. Leasewood Products takes shavings and puts them in bags. Shavings from our local planning mill puts them in bags and they're distributed throughout Ontario to horse farms and other people. And it's a family business. Bruce helped his kids out, helped Andrea and Jason. And it's a thriving little business. But it has the problems that other businesses in the province share and in the riding. And I'd like to explain one of them. So in 2008, this little business started up and they used 9,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. And the bill was $984.51. In 2016, they used 12,000 kilowatts. So that's a third of an increase because they employ more people. It's a growing little business. But the bill, $5,282. Now, what the Leases want to know and what we want to know is why should it's an intergenerational business. But now it seems with this new liberal program that the second and third and fourth generations are going to be paying for it. And they don't even know if they're going to get the discount speaker. They need some answers. Thank you. Thank you for your memories. Stanis, the member from Durham. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to share with you an inspiring story about Jacob Ralson, a young boy who resides in Oshawa. At the age of only eight, eight years old, Jacob was diagnosed with severe inflammatory bowel disease. Later changed to Crohn's. After undergoing several hospital visits, Jacob approaches mother with a wish to create child-friendly treatment rooms at the hospital for sick children. Jacob's overall goal is to update the outpatient treatment room so that children can have a comforting and an uplifted environment that promotes healing. He plans to install iPads to each treatment chair, bringing bubble tube machines for some of the younger children, and also purchase light covers to replace the harsh lights with pictures of the sky. Mr. Speaker, Jacob's efforts have been absolutely incredible. I am proud to share that he has raised $30,182 out of his $60,000 goal towards this project. In addition, he continues to bring the community together through his front-raising initiative. In December, I had the pleasure of attending Jacob's 13th birthday Bonanza celebration with a drop-in event open to the public. Jacob hadn't had a birthday party in three years because of it. He was so sick. It was amazing to see everyone come together for such a great cause. Despite all of the health complications and treatments, he deals with on a daily basis. Jacob is determined to make a difference in our society. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank Jacob for being an inspiration to us all. Please join me in further congratulating Jacob Ralston and his outstanding effort. I'm pleased to make an effort to come and say hi to this incredible young man. Jacob is in the house. Thank you, Jacob. Further member statements? The member from Lambton, Kent, Middlesex. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today we're celebrating International Women's Day, and I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the invaluable work being done by the Women's Rural Resource Centre in Strathroy. Their dedicated team supports women who are living with violence in their lives. They help not only to keep these women and their children safe, but also to equip them to make good decisions for themselves and their families. Recently, they have expanded their programming to include family and children's counseling, advocacy work, and food security. In honor of International Women's Day, the Women's Rural Resource Centre will hold an open house on Friday, and I would encourage anyone in the community to attend. This will be an opportunity to learn more about their excellent work and to meet their wonderful staff, volunteers, and community partners. Visitors will also learn about their community garden, which flourishes under the theme the unstoppable garden. For those of us who are familiar with this organization, we know that the work they do runs year-round. But on this day in particular, for the essential work of Strathroy's Women's Rural Resource Centre, I wish to sincerely thank and congratulate their Board of Directors, Executive Director Corey Allison, their staff, and volunteers. Thank you. Thank you. Further member statements? The member from Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. The work of interpreters, literacy instructors, audiologists, and speech language pathologist is vital to people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and all those that access the services of the Canadian Hearing Society. When families rallied at Queen's Park to save provincial schools for the deaf, Canadian Hearing Society interpreters were among those who worked tirelessly to ensure that no one went without service. They played a key role in raising awareness on this important issue. Each and every day, workers at the Canadian Hearing Society play a vital role to so many in Windsor and throughout Ontario. It's time we valued their important contributions to the people of this province. Four years without a contract is four years too long. It's time for CHS to return to the bargaining table and provide workers at the Canadian Hearing Society with the respect that they deserve. Thank you, Speaker. Good job. Further member statements? The member from Kingston and the Islands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a great pleasure to rise this afternoon to speak on International Women's Day. As a mother to three daughters, I'm proud of the work that our government is doing to demonstrate that young women in Ontario can do anything they set their minds to. Roughly 2,400 years ago, Plato wrote about women in the Republic and said that they had the right to first access. And why is that important at that time or even now for that matter? Because he recognized the power of the woman through her ability to give birth and her decision about that life and whether or not she was going to nurture it. And while there is no doubt that we have come a long way since then, have we come far enough? I would expect not. Many Indigenous cultures and First Nations group recognize the power of women and revere them through their ability to give birth. Mr. Speaker, my wish on this International Women's Day is that each one of us succeeds in building up our communities in such a way that we all advance, protect and nurture women and in the province as a whole. We need to create an Ontario where no woman or girl needs to live in fear. An Ontario where girls know their rights and feel a sense of hope about their futures. We need to look around and each one of us needs to lift the lives of other women along the way. Every single one of us is responsible. Let us carry forward the determination and goodwill for women on this International Women's Day until this time next year. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Member. Stay with us, the Member from Nipissing. Thank you and good afternoon Speaker. I rise today to offer congratulations and appreciation to Lucio Pavone, Chippewa Secondary Schools Principal. Mr. Pavone was recently awarded the Canada Central Region National Principle of Music Award. This award recognizes the efforts made by principals in support of music education in schools across Canada. Lucio's passion and dedication coupled with his love for music and education made him the clear choice for the award. His vision and collaboration with teachers at Chippewa Secondary resulted in the expansion of the school's music department. As part of the award, Chippewa Secondary School will be receiving $1,500 to go towards their music program. This money will help ensure the ongoing development and growth of an essential part of the education process. Speaker, on a personal note, Lucio's mother, Lena, made our wedding cake 30 years ago. His father, Pepe, is a lifelong supporter of the Italian club, the DeVidi club in North Bay. And I again would like to congratulate and thank Lucio Pavone for his dedication and devotion to his students and the continued success of the school's music program. Thank you. So the Member of Students, the Member from Etobicole Lakeshore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as we celebrate International Women's Day here in Ontario, I'd like to recognize the important work of the Canadian Federation of University Women, CFUW, and their Etobicole branch. CFUW Etobicole was established in 1952 with only 10 members, and today they boast a membership of over 300. Together, this group of exceptional women is working to raise awareness of social issues. I recently had the opportunity to attend one of CFUW's events. The Valentine's Stop the Violence Breakfast with the Honourable DePico Damerla, Minister of Seniors Affairs. Minister Damerla remarked on the important work groups like CFUW do to promote women's issues and especially issues surrounding women's seniors. At this event, the keynote speaker was Judith Wall, the Executive Director of Advocacy for the Elderly, who talked to us about the risks that women seniors face and the specific factors that are at play and how we can fight them. On this very important International Women's Day, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank women like Judith Wall for their ongoing advocacy for women and women seniors, and of course CFUW Etobicole for bringing strong women together to affect change in our community. And the beneficiary of this year's event was Ernestine Women's Shelter in Etobicole that also does spectacular work day in, day out, helping women in need in our community. Thank you. Further members? Statements to Member Stormont Dundas and South Glengarry. Thank you, Speaker. Proud to rise on behalf of my constituents, Stormont Dundas and Glengarry, for the work they've done over the last six months on the school closure issue. I look around at some of the other writings. It immediately rallied our community against this unfair closure of 12 schools that historically have been in place, some of them before the 1800s. And these are really a big part of the school. When I look at the stats, as far as replies back to the board, we were head and shoulders above the neighboring writings and in return. Replies of over close to a thousand where other schools are in the 30 range. So really brought the community together. They worked together, basically, neighbor to neighbor to look at a plan that the government could have put in for us and to stop the the close. Not at all. I mean, we're not arguing that some of the schools do have an issue and maybe have to be closed, but especially the high schools. They are the heart of the community. If I look at that, just to my own with the Williamstown fair, we need the high schools to provide the volunteers not only of tomorrow, but of today. The current programs where they come in, they dedicate hours, and generally they turn into not only great citizens, but great volunteers of tomorrow. So I want to commend my community. Thank you. Very welcome. Thank you. I want to thank all members for their statements and therefore.