 time for Members' Statements. Member for Kingston and the Islands. Thank you Speaker. I stand today to express a deep gratitude to the 200,000 teachers and education workers who stood on picket lines across Ontario on Friday to protect the quality of public education in this province. Teachers changed my life. They listened, they inspired, and they taught. Throughout our public education system, I would have never had the opportunity to stand in this chamber and deliver this message. Public education is the great equalizer and we can never back away from our commitment to it. Not only must the government reverse their cuts, they must provide the in-classroom support and funding that has been asked for through years of liberal and conservative governments. I want to thank the parents and the families who express their support with honks, with food, with letters and emails to our office. One letter from Deborah Redd, my children are part of the Limestone District School Board. I would like you to know that I am behind teachers all the way. I believe we need smaller class sizes and the cuts need to stop. We need the educational support in our schools for our children to succeed. And I want education workers to know, in the face of these reckless cuts, this attack on a generation by the Ford government, the Ontario NDP parents and students stand with you. Pull after pull, letter after letter, conversation after conversation, you are on the right side of history. Thank you. The Member for Burlington. Thank you so much, Speaker. On February 10, it was my tremendous honour to host a gathering of vibrant and varied perspectives from across Burlington and Hulton Region as part of my annual pre-budget consultation. We heard a remarkable range of ideas and generous expertise shared from key decision-makers in education, healthcare, business and local-based charitable organisations. From the education sector, I was pleased to welcome leaders from the Burlington Public Library, Hulton Catholic District School Board, Hulton Children's Aid Society, Hulton District School Board, Hulton Industry Education Council, Learning Disabilities, Hulton Hamilton, McMaster University, Mohawk College, Sheridan College and Woodview Mental Health and Autism Speaker. From the healthcare sector, we had leaders from Bethany Residence, Carpenter Hospice, Hamilton Health Sciences, Home Care Ontario and Joseph Brandt Hospital. From the environmental business and non-profit sectors, we had leaders from the Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington Bingo Connection, Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Green, Canadian Federation of University Women, Hulton Environmental Network and the Hamilton Hulton and Burlington Grant Regional Tourism Association. I am deeply grateful to all who made time to share their ideas and insights with me, Speaker. The session sparked a lot of powerful conversation and a number of recommendations that I've shared with the Ministry of Finance. Thanks so much. Thank you very much. Next, we have the member for Scarborough, South West. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Thursday night, I had the honour of joining a beautiful gathering in Toronto's Bangla Town near Janforth and Victoria Park to recognize International Mother Language Day. Around the world, February 21st or Equushe February, is a celebration of linguistic and cultural diversity and multiculturalism. It is also a moment to reflect on the sacrifices that have been made to preserve our unique cultural identities. The roots of IMLD are in Bangladesh with the 1952 language movement in Dhaka, where students took to the streets to demand their right to speak their mother language and faced terrible violence in response. Many lost their lives in order to preserve the cultural heritage of the Bangla language. In Ontario, the movement to protect language rights is critical, especially as we stand with our Indigenous communities and Francophones, who continue to face increasing threat to their mother languages. For all of us, language is a part of our identity, a part of our development, a part of our culture. It connects us to our roots and it helps us understand the world around us. Speaker, I want to thank all the dedicated organisers of Toronto's Bangla the Canadian community who put the midnight vigil together. For many years in the freezing cold, our community is stronger because of their dedication and grassroot leadership. This year, work will finally begin in building a permanent IMLD monument in Dantonia Park and we're grateful for the hard work and vision of the organisation for Toronto IMLD monument in making this long-held goal a reality. Thank you very much. Thank you. First statements, the member for Barry Innisfair. Mr. Speaker, I'm honoured and humbled to recognise Will Dwyer, a resident from the riding of the Attorney General, the honourable member for Barry Springwater Oro Medante. Will Dwyer is a 94-year-old World War II veteran who served for 25 years in the military. At the age of 60, he began volunteering at the Royal Victoria Hospital. For nine years, he volunteered with the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund and for 24 years, the Parkinson's Society. His numerous awards include the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Order of the Spirit Catcher. But in 1980, cancer took Will's 22-year-old nephew, the same type of cancer that took Terry Fox the following year. Watching Terry Fox's determination inspired Will Dwyer to participate in the first-ever Terry Fox run in Barry in 1981. Will has battled cancer himself. He lost two of his children to cancer and lost his mother, who was only 51 years old. Through determination, Will Dwyer set a goal to raise $1 million for the Terry Fox Foundation. Last fall, Will surpassed his goal through his hard work and dedication, perseverance and knocking on more doors than anyone in this chamber. Now, Will has set himself a new goal to raise another $1 million to fight against cancer. On behalf of MPP Doug Downey, the community of Barry and the people across Ontario, Mr. Will Dwyer, thank you. Today, for the first time since I became an MPP for Kuwait, the British National Anthem, God Save the Queen, was sung here in the chamber. For me, the singing of God Save the Queen is a celebration of Ontario's colonial past. As settlers of this province, there are people in this house that may want to sing the anthem that celebrates violence, oppression and discrimination carried out by the British Empire. But for me, as a First Nations person, I will not celebrate colonialism. Colonialism and racism remain the foundation that the buildings and the institutions of this province and country were built on. Because of this, the truth and reconciliation demands improved relations between the federal and the provincial governments of Canada and Indigenous nations. The report highlights the need for public education on the injustices done to Indigenous peoples throughout Canada's history. I see the revival of God Save the Queen in this house as a step backwards, a shift from modern reconciliation to a past that celebrated the colonialism that sought destruction of cultures, languages and communities. For me, singing God Save the Queen is a celebration of a hurtful and violent colonial past. I cannot be part of it. It's immediate for listening. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to encourage all members of this house to support my private members resolution this Thursday, February 27. The resolution asks the government to immediately approve the redevelopments and construction of both the Collingwood General Marine Hospital and Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston. I've raised this matter several times over many years. To remind members of the real need for these projects, I recently sent a letter to all MPPs that included a list of some of the serious deficiencies at each hospital. The problems stem from the fact that these are old buildings, their systems are outdated and they're simply out of space. These are hospitals that have had virtually nothing done to them since they were built 50 and 60 years ago. I would also like to point out that during my 30 years as an MPP, all of the hospitals surrounding my riding have either been extensively redeveloped or had new builds. Owen Sound received a new hospital. Barry has had two new hospitals built and has just submitted plans for a third hospital. A new hospital has been built in Orangeville. Midland Hospital has had extensive upgrades and Newmarket has had several hundreds of millions of dollars of upgrades over the past 30 years. Mr. Speaker, I'm thankful to the government for mentioning both the Alliston and Collingwood hospitals in last year's Ontario budget and P3 market update. Today, Stevenson Memorial Hospital has received stage one approval and was given the green light to move to stage two and the Collingwood Hospital is still waiting to hear from the government on their stage one submission. The hospitals need to get moving to the next stage as a redevelopment and I encourage all members to support my resolution on it. Thank you very much. The member for Aurora Oak Ridges, Richmond Hill. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, you sure are proud to say that the number of participants at the coldest night of the year increased, which was great for us. It's a pleasure to rise today to bring attention to this very important event, Mr. Speaker, that occurred in my riding this past weekend. As I said, the coldest of the year, Walkathon, that took place this past Saturday in Richmond Hill and in various towns, cities and provinces across Canada. Speaker, this annual Walkathon is organized every year to bring awareness to the terrible plight of homelessness and to raise funds for the building and maintenance of shelter spaces for those in need. As I said, Speaker, once again, I'd like to reiterate that I'm proud to say that thanks to all the participants and the organizers, participation had doubled from last year and this Walkathon surpassed its goal by raising over $50,000 in support of much-needed shelter spaces in York Region. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mosaic Interfaith, Rahana Somar, and all the volunteers that made this event possible, and I urge everyone to get involved there and support this great initiative. Thank you, Speaker. Member Statements. Member for Sudbury. Thank you, Speaker. It's my pleasure today to tell you about the Apollo restaurant in Sudbury. This March, the Apollo will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Sudbury, and there's not a Sudburyan or a person from Nickel Belt who hasn't heard of the Apollo. It's a synonymous with Sudbury's finest Greek dining, but it wasn't always known for Greek food. In the early 70s before we had heard of Tim Hortons in Sudbury, the Apollo was one of Sudbury's favorite early morning coffee shops. It was a family restaurant with a variety of foods that never seemed to close. From breakfast, lunch, supper to late-night snacks, you could find Tula Secularis or her late husband George at the Apollo. It opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 2 a.m. the next morning. Both Tula and George came from small villages in southern Greece. They met in Sudbury. They fell in love with each other. They fell in love with our city, and we've all benefited from it ever since. The Apollo speaker is a definition of a small business that continues to grow. It was renovated in the 80s, and then again, renovated in the 70s, then further expanded in the 80s because of the growing demand, and over the time the Apollo began to shift to a more Greek menu. About a decade ago, the restaurant also began selling olive oil, but not just any of all of oil, olive oil that came from Tula's family farming in the southeast of Sparta. This olive oil is so popular that it's not uncommon to run out of stock. And in 2018, the Apollo opened Tula's Market, featuring Greek food products that Tula personally likes to serve or cook with. The success of a restaurant like the Apollo is people like Tula and her late husband George. In a recent interview, she summed it up best when she said, it's not about the money, it's about the people. Thank you, Steve. Your statements, the member for Haldeman Norfolk. Thank you, Speaker. It's Invasive Species Awareness Week in Ontario, and each day of the week focuses on a different aspect of invasive species prevention, monitoring, and control. Many resources are available to learn about how invasive species are spread through horticulture boating, for example, and good ways to stop it. So many community groups across Ontario have been successful in preventing the spread of invasive species and reducing damage to community control projects and volunteer surveying efforts. Invasive can harm biodiversity of an ecosystem, which affects the beauty of our environment, the wildlife within it, and our livelihoods by disrupting farming, tourism, sustainable use of our natural resources. In my writing, Fragmites has been a major threat over the years. This invasive plant infests our wetlands and pushes out native species. In recent years, community groups have taken action to stop the spread and the big lake-eerie marshes down at Long Point and Turkey Point. And this is a great example of local communities and government working hand-in-hand to address this common threat. Our government has taken steps to propose the addition of 13 new plants and animals to be added to the list of invasive species. In 2019, 2020, Ontario invested over $2 million to support research, monitoring, and management of invasive species across our province. God save the queen. Member Statements, the Member for York Centre. Thank you, Speaker. I have some very exciting news to share with the House. Branson Hospital is a medium-sized healthcare facility located at the corner of Finchham Bathurst in my writing of York Centre. It has been a pillar of the North York community for 50 years. Unfortunately, with few and intermittent healthcare services, Branson has been underutilized for the past two decades. In June 2018, just a week before our election, under the watch of the previous Liberal government, Branson's urgent care centre was shut down, leaving the building largely empty and putting the remainder of the few healthcare services offered in Branson at risk. Since before my election, I advocated for the return of healthcare services to Branson. This is the most important file in my constituency as North York has one of the lowest rates of beds per capita in the province. I'm thrilled to share that last Thursday, February 20th, Minister of Health and I announced the development of a new reactivation care centre at Branson Hospital. The RCC will consist of 130 new inpatient beds. It will be completed in winter 2021 and operated by North York General Hospital. This investment in Branson will provide much-needed relief to the people of North York while leveraging an existing healthcare asset. It will be an anchor tenant, enabling the entire facility to remain open and be a huge step in ending hallway healthcare in the GTA and the province of Ontario. On behalf of the people of York Centre and North York, I'm sincerely grateful to the Premier, the Minister of Health and our entire government. Thank you so very much. That concludes our member statements.