 Member Statements, I recognize the member from, let's see, Holder of the North Force, sorry. Thank you. A hundred years ago today, three young brothers from our area's Houghton Township were fighting in France as part of the Canadian Corps 14th Battalion. Within a matter of days, all three brothers would be dead. Bill West, age 20, and Arthur West, age 27, were killed on April 9th, 1917, during the Battle of Emmy Ridge. Their third remaining brother, Louis, West, age 21, would die September 7th from when he suffered at Emmy. A poem in the 1917 Simcoe Reformer tells us, and I quote, three brave brothers from Houghton went to fight the German foe, Arthur, Lou, and William West, while others would not go. And the poem goes on, Speaker. All told, 16 Norfolk boys were killed April 9th at Emmy Ridge and nine more in ensuing days at the Battle of Emmy. Over 625,000 Canadians answered the call to arms, an incredible turnout from a total population of 7.5 million people. By war's end, over 67,000 had been killed, 35,000 killed in action. It's an excellent book. It's titled Norfolk Remembers the Great War, authored by Grant Smith, and goes into great detail of what occurred during the First World War as photographs of every military person, local person who was killed during the Great War. Thank you. Thank you to the member of State of Smith from Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ontarians are impacted by cuts to almost every social program, health, social assistance, housing, education, legal aid, daycare, and more. The Stitching Our Own Social Safety Net project was organized by a group of low-income survivors and allies, some of whom are here, to take action. They stitched together a social safety net to put pressure on the government to restore our social programs. The 200-foot-long social safety net consists of art squares that represent social programs that are in need of more government funding. Following this project, the SSSN launched a postcard campaign to ask for support from Ontarians of these five demands in policy and budget decisions, restore social assistance rates to the levels they were prior to the Harris government cuts, raise the minimum wage, devote 1% of the Ontario budget to sustainable and affordable housing, fully-fundamental services for low-income people, and lower post-secondary fees. There are 1,700 postcards that have been signed by people across the province calling the government to take action. They call for a focus on social priorities in the budget and to the failure of the legislature to address the growing inequality. They have been delivered to the Premier. Houseling Community Homes is the lead organization. I'm proud. It's in my riding of Parkdale High Park. I hope that these good people are heard. And more to the point, I hope that the government responds. Thank you. Thank you. For the members, Steven Smith, the model itself. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, yesterday I had the privilege of participating in the launch of the Palliative Outreach Program hosted by Temple Israel. The public forum called Living and Dying with Dignity, Senator on Discussion about Advanced Care Planning and Volunteer-Based Palliative Care Outreach. Speaker, I was honored to join Senator Sharon Karsters and Dr. Paul Hacker, a Palliative Care physician on the panel yesterday. And I want to thank Pamela Kogan and Rabbi Moray for hosting this event. It was a very important event. Also in hand were Jim Ninja and Jackie Hulsman, former Mayor Jackie Hulsman, who are spearheading the Compassionate Communities Movement in Ottawa. And I want to thank them for their efforts as well, too. Speaker, I've long been guided by the firm belief that how we care for each other at the end of our life deserves the same kind of attention as we give to the beginning of life. People need access to quality end-of-life Palliative Care, and it's a responsibility of all of us, all of us in community, government, practitioners, and community, families, friends, volunteers. So I applaud this initiative, Speaker, and I encourage all citizens of Ottawa, all groups in Ottawa, to take a look at the Compassionate Community effort that's going forward and to join so that we can, in community, support each other. Thank you very much, Speaker. Thank you. Further members, thanks to the members from Perry Sound School. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm delighted to rise in this house today to recognize and congratulate the South Misscoca Cavalcade Bantam Bears on becoming all Ontario Provincial Champions. With the series tied 2-2, game five offered a winner-take-all scenario, and it was wonderful to see the community come out to the Bravesbridge Memorial Arena, support the team, and enjoy the fun competitive atmosphere. The Bears played a great game. They outshot their opponents 30 to 12, and with goals from Jack Linden and Dustin LaBelle, the Bears defeated the St. Mary's Rock to nothing. While achievements in sport should always be celebrated, sport is about the experience. The goaltender from the St. Mary's Rock played remarkably, and both of the teams should be proud of their efforts. Sport is more about more than winning and losing. It's about an athlete's development, lessons learned, and the lasting memories they share with teammates and friends. In addition to physical activity, participation in sports can help build self-esteem and confidence. It can motivate a young person to excel academically and learn the benefits of goal setting and preparation. People in our society are not always able to participate in sports like hockey because the cost is so expensive. We have to be careful to not allow the cost of organized sport to prevent people from participating. Otherwise, they will lose out on all the positive benefits and attributes that sport has to offer. I would like to thank the Bears' head coach, Dan Blum, and all the staff, volunteers, and parents who make it possible for young people to pursue their sporting goals. And congratulations to the Bears, our 2017 All-Intario Provincial Champion. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Chairman of the state and some members from London Fanshawe. I am pleased to rise today to speak about an important issue that is affecting many communities across the province. That is the Canadian Hearing Society strike. In my riding of London Fanshawe, critical services for more than 6,000 deaf and hard of hearing people in our community rely on vital services that the London workers offer. The workers in London are a component of 227 hearing society staffers across Ontario who went on strike on March 6, and their last contract expired four years ago. For the deaf and hard of hearing community, this job action feels like a second blow. After the Robarts School for the Deaf was placed on the chopping block by the Minister of Education only last year, parents and children and advocates rallied successfully to prevent the closures, but the fear among the deaf and the hard of hearing community hasn't subsided, given that about 40% of the striking workers are deaf. I, along with my NDP colleagues, have and will continue to show our support for the workers who have been on strike for weeks now. We will continue to stand with you in an effort to protect all vulnerable workers, get the fairness they are entitled to from their employers. I encourage everyone to stand up for the families and children in their community who rely on these vital services and help get these workers the job protections they deserve. Thank you, Speaker. For the member of State and the member from Barrie. Thank you, Speaker. My constituents in Barrie often express concern about paying for drive clean, but they're also worried about the long term consequences of carbon pollution. This is why many of them were very pleased to learn this past Saturday, April 1, that our government eliminated the $30 drive clean test fee on light duty vehicles, including most cars, vans, SUVs, and light trucks. This will save people money and make it easier for owners to ensure that their vehicles are running efficiently with minimum emissions. Removing these fees is not just part of our plan to make life more affordable, but also to make our province more livable. Ontario's drive clean program tests 2.3 million vehicles per year. And in doing so helps reduce emissions that cause smog and poor air quality, cutting emissions from vehicles by about one third each year. Since its introduction, the program for light duty vehicles has prevented approximately 400,000 tons of smog-causing pollutants from being released into the air that we breathe. Mr. Speaker, making drive clean testing more accessible reduces the burden on household budgets while continuing our commitment to build a clean and sustainable Ontario. In Martha's words, it's a good thing. Thank you for the member of State and the member from St. Colbrae. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the town of Collingwood and its citizens. By not completing the last leg of the new Highway 26 at the east end of town, the province is holding up job creation and economic development. Today I'm calling on the province to pay for and finish the five-laning into town and extend Sir Sanford Fleming Drive through to Highway 26, a move that will spur significant commercial development in the area. This development will result in the creation of more than 70 new jobs. The issue with the highway has been unsolved now for five years, and that's totally unacceptable. The mayor and council are at their wits end and so are members of the business community. They expect better from this government. I've written to the minister on several occasions about this matter, but apparently common courtesy has gone out the window as I can't seem to get a response. Enough is enough. The time for the government to finish the job is now. The people of Collingwood are watching and waiting, and they know there's an election just 15 months before the election. Thank you. Further member states, a member from Eglinton, lords. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to honor the passing of Judge Ted Armston in this House today. Judge Ted Armston was born in Timmins, Ontario, and eventually made his way to St. Pat's College in Ottawa and then was eventually practicing law and was appointed to the bench. Judge Armston was quite a remarkable individual because his motto was sometimes you have to close the books and open up your heart. He looked at each person before him in his court as a human being, especially those with mental illness. He presided over the mental health court at Old City Hall in Toronto, and that's an amazing place if you wanna see real life and real people. Anyways, he treated everyone with respect, dignity. He also served as chair of the Consent and Capacity Board, where again, he tried to help people that were going through difficult times. He was also the mental health chair of the commission in Canada, and he was an incredible individual who cared for every person that stood before him. And we sometimes hear negative things about judges, but this Judge Ted Armston was a humanitarian and a true lover of everyone that had problems. Ted, we are gonna miss you. God rest your soul. Thank you. We are members, status members from here on, Bruce. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Bridge draws near, and we see how clear Canada and our veterans and our citizens stand proudly, we must all pause and give reflect. I recall driving past the monument in France from afar and just marveling at its grandeur. I had the opportunity to visit years later an interactive museum in Ypres that absolutely highlighted the horrors of war, and we shall never forget what our Canadian soldiers did on our behalf. But most recently in December, my husband, Dennis Schiestel and our friends, Darren Schiestel, Cindy DeVos, Jim and Judy Gowlin, and Marilyn Runrich actually had the opportunity to visit Vimy Ridge. Our cabbie, when we arrived on the ridge, said, welcome to Canada. For those of you who don't know, in appreciation for all that was done, France gave Canada Vimy Ridge. And it was there I imagined what it felt like as I was in the tunnels, the dampness, the anxiety, the energy that those soldiers must have been feeling when they were told that the battle they expected on April 8th was delayed because of a late season snowstorm and that they had to stay in the darkness and think about their future there with their comrades awaiting battle. It is there where I saw the interactive centre that was first approved and worked on by our conservative friend, Erin O'Toole, come together. It was there in December I saw the sod laid where our Canadians will probably travel to later this week. I wish them safe travels and be proud. Thank you very much. Thank you. At this time. I do beg to form the House that in the name of Her Majesty, the Queen, Her Honour, the Lieutenant Governor has been pleased to assent to a certain bill in her office. The following is the title of the bill to which Her Honour did assent. An act to authorize the expenditure of certain amounts for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 2017. L'Hoi autorisant, l'utilisation de certaines sommes pour l'exercice de terminaux de la température. An act to authorise the expenditure of certain amounts for the fiscal year ending March 31st. For reports by committees.