 It is now time for Member's Statements, the Member for University of Rosedale. Thank you, Speaker. I recently received a letter from Rosedale High School of the Arts, one of the many excellent high schools in my constituency. The letter was written by students at the school and was about the Ford government's cuts to education. Attached to the letter were 16 pages of handwritten signatures, nearly 400 students signed their support. I'd like to share some of their words here. The Ontario government's changes to education threaten the learning experiences of students across the province. These changes have been implemented under the impression that all students learn the same way. It is not fair to assume that all students will benefit from going back to basics or from learning online. The Ontario government is depriving students of excelling in courses that they are passionate about. It is also unjust that students are encouraged to attend post-secondary institutions upon graduation, but are being denied the necessary loans and grants that will get them there. Here's how the letter ends. We are writing to you to speak out against the changes as our education is what determines our future. Speaker, the passion and dedication of young people in my community is an inspiration. Our students know that education is the key to their future. They've said so right here. It's a shame the Ford government doesn't agree. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements. The Member for Aurora Oak Ridge's Richmond Hill. Thank you. Well, thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, yesterday was the Yazidi New Year, also known as Ceresal. It's with great pleasure and privilege to rise and wish the Yazidi community in Ontario and all over the world a happy New Year. Ceresal, which literally translates to Head of the Year or Beginning of the Year, is celebrated on the first Wednesday after April 14th. This day is also known as Charchambasaur or Red Wednesday. This rich and historical celebration dates back 6,769 years, Speaker, and it centers around fertility and renewal. Every aspect of this auspicious event is a symbolization of the history of the story of creation, immortality, death, rebirth, and incarnation in the renewed cycle of life and fertility. The Yazidi community all across Ontario and all over the world began their celebration of this ancient tradition on Tuesday evening. During this festive period, celebrants dress in colorful clothing and decorate their homes and communal areas with bright colors and symbols of fertility and renewal. This sacred day is not only viewed as the beginning of a new calendar year, but it also time when the body and the spirit are also renewed. Speaker, last night I joined Sheikh Mirza and other members of the Yazidi community in Richmond Hill as they celebrated their arrival of the new year. I had an absolutely fantastic time. Once again, I would like to thank the Yazidi community for inviting me and I wish them all a happy new year full of joy, healthy, and prosperous. Sada Salam. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, on April 1st, managers at the neighborhood group in Beaches East York woke up to a cruel joke. Out of the blue, they received a memo to let them know that the Youth Job Link Program funded by Employment Ontario had been abruptly canceled effective immediately. This meant the immediate loss of a frontline worker whose job it was to help young people figure out how to get their first jobs, grow their job search skills, and plan a career. She was working with a caseload of 50 youth. This frontline worker lost her job with no notice, it just evaporated. On Friday she had a job, on Monday she didn't. Think about the cruelty of the process for a moment. For months, the neighborhood group asked their contacts at Employment Ontario about the status of the program. For months they were met with silence, then suddenly the notice that it wasn't going to be coming. Meanwhile, the neighborhood group is left to pay lay-off termination and notice period costs. The Premier campaigned on a promise that no one would lose a job, then that no frontline worker would lose a job. I would like the Premier to look into the eyes of the woman who lost her job on the 1st of April and admit that he has failed to meet that promise, and into the eyes of the youth whose path to employment just got that much harder. All across Ontario, 300 youth job link frontline workers learned via equally cruel processes just how empty the Premier's promises were. That's not okay, Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. The member for Willowdale. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Tuesday at 1.30 in the afternoon, my community of Willowdale will fall silent to mark a difficult anniversary. A year ago on a sunny April 23rd, the first truly warm day of the year, Willowdale suffered a tragedy none of us could ever have imagined. A man intending to cause harm and terrorize our community drove a rented van up onto the sidewalks of one of the city's busiest streets, ending the lives of 10 people and injuring 16 others. Like many of us, like many of my neighbors, this event shook me to my very core. We were scared. We had been attacked in our home on the streets we walked every single day. It was a terrible reminder that even in an amazingly diverse neighborhood, a loving and supportive community, we can be vulnerable to unimaginable hate. There is no place for such hate in Ontario. But in this most terrible moment, our community came together. We stood up against those who sought to divide us. Within moments, everyday heroes in my community leapt into action. They delivered first aid. They gave each other shelter and comfort, and they reached out to strangers to let them know that they were not alone. This is what makes Willowdale special. This is what makes Willowdale so great. Mr. Speaker, this morning we rose for a moment of silence, and I want to thank my colleagues on all sides of the House. And while I believe it's important, Mr. Speaker, to mark this day, to take a moment to also remember we must act. We must continue to be everyday heroes, to comfort our friends, to stand up against intolerance and hate, and to bring our communities together. Mr. Speaker, we must. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements. The Member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. The Ford Conservative government's 30% cut to legal aid funding is discriminatory, xenophobic, possibly unconstitutional, and a blatant attack on the rights of people already pushed to the margins of society. Legal aid is accessed by the most vulnerable to ensure their rights are upheld and that people gain a sense of security and dignity. People such as low income tenants and seniors facing illegal eviction from big landlords, domestic violence survivors, workers fighting workplace discrimination, and people being cut off social assistance. Studies show that every dollar retracted from legal aid leads to a three to five dollar increase in areas of government expenditure, such as homelessness, health, family breakdown, and incarceration. Eligibility for legal aid was already so low. A single mother working a minimum wage job 40 hours a week already doesn't qualify for legal aid certificate. This government has also seized all funding for immigration and refugee issues. This means Canadian citizens and permanent residents seeking to reunite with their spouses or migrants and refugees in immigration detention will get no help. Refugees fleeing situations of serious harm will get no help and could be deported and face persecution, maybe even death. We are not a province that believes only the rich should have access to due process. We are appalled that this government thinks so. We call on this government to reverse their decision and ensure Ontario is a place where everyone has access to a fair legal process. Cuts to legal aid means that this government is making Ontario a place to grow inequality and oppression. Thank you. Thank you. The member for Scarborough Guildwood. Thank you, Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to present a member's statement on behalf of member from Simcoe Gray. Member for Scarborough Guildwood is seeking unanimous consent of the House to make a statement on behalf of the member for Simcoe Gray agreed? No. Heard a no. Member's statements. The member for Berry Springwater. Oral by Dante. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about Jason Hellman, an exceptional young man in my riding of Berry Springwater or Medante and Berry Innisfil. He's known throughout the area. He's a pillar of our community. He's an avid volunteer and active fundraiser, a special Olympian and a man of many talents. Well, Jason has volunteered for a number of different causes that Terry Fox run is the closest to his heart. For the past three years, Jason has run his own community fundraiser called Razors of Hope. Every year, Jason raises money from within the community and holds a headshaving event. He shaves his own head in support of the Terry Fox run. Last year, Jason raised over $5,000 on his own. He's hoping to beat that goal this year. Jason embodies what it means to be a good citizen. He is kind, he's caring, and he always puts others ahead of himself. Thank you to Jason for all your hard work supporting our community and inspiring local youth to follow in your footsteps. On May 11th, he'll be doing his event at Berry City Hall. Please join me in wishing him success as he begins another year fundraising for a great cause. Member Statements, the member for Flamborough-Glanbrook. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about yet another multi-million-dollar private sector investment in the city of Hamilton and more specifically in my riding of Flamborough-Glanbrook. On April 9th, Striker Canada celebrated the opening of its new headquarters in Watertown, a nearly $100 million commitment. This 130,000 square foot building will be the new home of their corporate offices and operations employing over 200 people. This move allows Striker to consolidate all aspects of their business under one roof. Striker is a world leader when it comes to medical technology and equipment. They offer innovative products and services in several areas, including orthopedics and neuro technology that helps to improve patient and hospital outcomes. For years, Striker Canada has had a huge impact on the way health care is delivered in the city of Hamilton. For example, they supply hydraulic stretchers found in all Hamilton ambulances. Striker is also the company that built a robot that is used by surgeons at St. Joe's Health Care in Hamilton to perform the first ever partial knee replacement surgery in Canada. And I'm thrilled to see companies that use 21st century technology and innovation like Striker call Hamilton home and expand their operations in our very own backyard. Once again, Speaker, I would like to congratulate Striker on the opening of their new headquarters in Watertown. And I wish them all the best as they continue to create state-of-the-art technology in our health care system. Thank you. Member Statements, Member for Brampton East. Thank you, Speaker. The Conservatives' cuts to education hurt both students and teachers. Schools across Brampton are already chronically overcrowded. These cuts will take things from bad to worse for our students' quality of education. These cuts have a real impact in our city. Peel will see over 360 teachers lose their job. Over the past few days, my office has been flooded with phone calls from teachers who have just learned that come September they will be out of a job. Teachers like Preeti, she's a young mother. She's been working tirelessly to be a teacher. For more than seven years she's been doing post-secondary education and volunteering. Finally last year she landed a permanent position only to learn on Tuesday that that permanent job is now gone come September. A job she cared about that she was passionate about. She made investments in her life because of this job. And now she doesn't know how to manage the upcoming year financially. And despite losing her own job and being put in such a precarious situation when I talked to her she was more concerned about the students and their education. She already has 27 kids in her class and she finds it hard to manage. The other classes in her school have as much as 28 to 30 kids in their class. Under these conservative cuts that class size is bound to grow. Teacher deserves better, students deserve better. We need to build a society where we strengthen education, support our teachers and provide them opportunities for our students not tear down their future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member's statements. Is it a point of order? Member for Scarborough-Gilwood standing but I don't believe you're entitled to do a Member's statement today. Anonymous consent to present in Toronto a year ago. Member for Scarborough-Gilwood is seeking unanimous consent of the House to make a statement in recognition of the lives that were lost one year ago. Agreed? Agreed? No, there's a no. There's still time for one more Member's statement from the government side. Member's statements. Member for Scarborough-Gilwood. Seeking unanimous consent of the House to present a Member's statement to commemorate the lives that were lost, the 10 lives that were lost. Not to grant at this time. Reports by committees.