 It is time for Member Statements, the Member for Renfrew and Nipissy. Thank you, Speaker. I'm here to welcome members of the Canadian Propane Association to the Legislature for their Propane Day at Queen's Park. Much has been said recently about the efforts of so many to work with the natural gas industry to support its expansion in rural Ontario. We've been supportive of that expansion, but let's talk about propane, another clean-burning gas which is of primary importance, particularly to those in rural Ontario. The propane industry supports either directly or indirectly almost 3,000 workers here in Ontario. Many of the over 125 propane businesses are family-owned with deep ties to their community. That is certainly the case in my neck of the woods. These businesses have made significant investments, building the infrastructure to serve their customers as effectively as possible. As we all work together to reduce our carbon emissions, the contribution that propane can make should not be overlooked. When looking at alternatives to oil-burning furnaces, the rational alternative in many cases is propane. Areas of my riding with many beautiful lakes surrounded by seasonal homes and cottages where there is no prospect of natural gas expansion, expansion anytime in the near future are obvious candidates for conversion to propane, as many already have. As we move to make our environment cleaner with less carbon, we shouldn't create an unlevel playing field and limit the choice of consumers. Propane should be counted on as a clean alternative and should not be disadvantaged by any programs that the government would advance. A cleaner environment, consumer choice. I think we can all support that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. I'm proud to rise today as the MVP for Windsor West and education critic for the new Democratic caucus to talk about education in Ontario. One of the first steps to quality education is actually getting our children to and from schools safely and on time. Unfortunately, parents in much of Ontario are nearing the fourth week that they faced uncertainty getting their child to school and have experienced major delays as a result of a school bus driver shortage. Speaker, when children can't even get to school, you know that education in this province is reaching a tipping point. While the Minister of Education seems content to monitor the issue, there is much that she could have done to prevent this issue in the first place. I wrote to the Minister about this issue in July and drivers say there is a shortage almost every year. Speaker, school bus drivers are the lowest paid transit workers in the province, especially when you factor in the unpaid work that they are expected to perform, yet they are charged with perhaps the greatest responsibility transporting our children to and from school each day. These drivers have a passion for education and a commitment to student safety. It's time we have a school transportation procurement process that works for our drivers and families in Ontario. It's time we have a process that ensures our students will get to school on time and boards won't be left scrambling in the first weeks of school to fill the gaps. In order to do that, we need this government and the Minister of Education to stop skirting responsibility and act to improve student transportation in Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is an honour for me to rise today to recognise TransCare Community Support Services. TransCare is a charitable and accredited organisation located in my riding of Scarborough Aging Court that has been serving the Scarborough residents since 1976. They provide home and community support services to seniors and adults with disabilities. On September 30th, TransCare will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. This recognised community-based organisation continues to provide quality home care services, home care products, health and wellness programmes to keep seniors healthy, active and safe in the community. I would like to recognise and thank Odette Maharaj, the Executive Director of TransCare, her Board of Directors, staff and volunteers for their significant milestone and I look forward to participating this Friday's anniversary celebration of this wonderful community-based organisation. Mr. Speaker, Scarborough Aging Court residents are very fortunate to have TransCare as an active, accessible partner in their community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for their member's statements, the member from Farnhill. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just came from Freedom Day 2016, which was celebrated at Dundas Square with over 3,500 students from around the GTA, hosted by Canadian friends of Simon Wiesenthal and I was there with Police Chief Saunders, Abhi Ben-Lolo from Simon Wiesenthal organisation and a good friend and a big supporter of Simon Wiesenthal is Alan Gribbeth was there as well. Councillor James Pasternakin was very exciting. I'm inviting everybody to join next year. Tomorrow is Sobeys Kosher Market's Ribbon Cutting because they've newly renovated this real hub of the community in Thornhill. It's the largest kosher market in all of Canada. Right in my riding, I welcome everybody to come visit on Clark Avenue and tomorrow they are donating $2,500 a community donation to Danny. It's an organisation developing and nurturing independence. I've spoken about it and given statements here on it as well. And it's to help adults in the Jewish community with disabilities as well as other communities are involved. And it's a real hub and a real iconic experience so I invite everybody to come and see. On Friday morning, more about food, the Consul General of Israel, Galip Baram and J. Broad Bar of Mazan, Canada are donating a lot of food, 6,800 breakfasts to York Region students in the spirit of learning and it's part of the Rosh Hashan experience which is not just to feed your family but to feed your community and those in need as well. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Further members? Thank you Mr. Member from Algoma Manitoulin. Thank you Mr. Speaker. This year constituents across Algoma Manitoulin have noted a definite increase in the number of human-black bearer interactions and growing. People are fearful for letting their children out to play. Many seniors also fear to venture into their backyards, parks or sidewalks as some feel especially vulnerable given their physical limitations. Frustration mounts at the lack of them in our assistance and the non-existent bear-wise program. Education, Speaker, is just not enough. We have heard time and time again that the bears are eating off people's back doors all night, all day, tearing down doors, damaging property and people even finding bear droppings on the roofs of their home. Have you ever had a bear on the roof of your home Mr. Speaker? Have you ever been caught in your driveway between a mother bear and her cub? Calls to the ministry have proven to be ineffective in response such as properly store your garbage, clean your barbeque called the OPP. But wait, don't worry, the bears are more interested in eating the acorns and apples in your backyard than they are from hurting your family. Have you ever been in a bear's eye sight? Citizens are being forced to take action. They have had no choice but to resort to what I refer to as a 3S rule, shoot, shovel and shut up. And when they do, the reality of what they have to do to protect their homes, their livestock, their loved ones, they are treated like criminals. Minister McGarry, welcome to your new role. Listen, learn and take action now. Members, same as the members from Eddie and some more. Thank you today, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay tribute to one of the founding fathers of the modern state of Israel. I know Jews all over my writing, all over Canada, Jews in Israel, Christians, Muslims, everyone has lost a true friend of peace. Shimon Perez passed away at 93 years of age. He was an incredible advocate for peace. He was an incredible builder of the state of Israel. He served in the Knesset for 47 years, three times as Prime Minister, President. He was the winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1994. I know the Premier was fortunate to meet with him last May in her visit to Israel. I personally met with this incredible giant of a man in Tel Aviv. I met him here in Toronto. I don't think I've ever met a more impressive man who led the world in the search for peace in the Middle East. Shimon Perez will never be forgotten. And as President Obama said, a light has gone out. But the hope he gave us will burn forever. Tobah Rabah, rest in peace, Shimon Perez. Shalom, Mr. President. Thank you. Further members, State Mets, the member from Kitchener, Conest, Tolber. Well, thank you, Speaker. Speaker, as many have heard, there was some big news coming from the digital technology company in Warloo that put the smart into smartphones. And while we understand we are seeing the impacts of new economic realities hitting home with the discontinuation of handset hardware development, I am pleased to report that Blackberry devices will remain alive. Yes, well and providing the most secure workspace, it has built its reputation on for years to come. Well, it's true that Blackberry leadership and secure device software will become the company's main focus. Reports of the death of the much loved and utilised Blackberry handset to quote Mark Twain, are greatly exaggerated. That's right. You'll still be able to browse, text, tweet, and talk to your new latest priv, Detect 50 and soon to be Detect 60 or pass for it as the technology leader fully leverage third parties to develop hardware and distribute and support the Blackberry handset brand. So despite what you may have heard, there will continue to be Blackberry branded devices and Blackberry will continue to design, develop and manage the software running on those devices to ensure that they continue to be the world's most secure Android smartphone. As we know, with more security approvals than any other, the most secure workspace has long been provided by Blackberry. That's why leaders and governments around the world use nothing but their trusted Blackberry. And that's why they will continue to use it for years to come. Thank you. And the Canadian-made one. For the member of statements, the member from Nicobelt. Nicobelt? Thank you, Speaker. Did you know that between September 26th and October 1st, the 108 members of the Association of Ontario Health Centers are celebrating community, health and well-being week. The theme this year is shift the conversation. The week is all about starting a new conversation about health and healthcare in Ontario. Treating illness is important, but Ontario needs to do a much better job at preventing people from getting sick in the first place. The need is urgent. Diabetes rates are on the rise, the likelihood of depression is growing, and according to the Canadian Index of Well-Being, the level at which we rate our health status is failing. So what does that mean for Ontario Health System? Well, it needs to do a much better job at responding to non-medical factor of harming health and well-being. We should prioritise the 5% of the people who make up two-thirds of health care expenditure. Who are they, Speaker? Well, they are people who live in poverty, hungry, socially or geographically isolated. The health system transformation needs to adopt a wider focus. It needs to shift from treatment to disease prevention. That means the patient's first bill needs to achieve a better balance by fixing the focus from treating patients when they are sick to keeping people and community healthy. Happy community health and well-being week to everyone. And remember, now is the time to shift the conversations from patients first to people and community first. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Member from Kitchener Center. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to share some news with you and members of this House on a local hospital in Kitchener Waterloo St. Mary's Hospital, and it's some good news. So earlier this year, a group of cardiologists came to visit me at my constituency office, which is just down the street from St. Mary's. These doctors wanted to talk about improving cardiac care services in our community. They offered details on how the program operates, how they wanted to see wait times improve. Their overall goal is to better serve heart patients in Kitchener Waterloo and surrounding areas. Mr. Speaker, it's said that St. Mary's is a medium-sized hospital that punches way above its weight. I also heard from the hospital president. His name is Don Shilton. He advocated for an electrophysiology suite that would expand cardiac services. So I took their concerns to our health minister, Dr. Erkoskens, and to senior policy staff within the ministry. And after a few conversations, I was delighted when the minister signed off on approving this new catheter lab. In the summer, he came to visit St. Mary's and made the official announcement to fund this new $7 million facility. So this is going to be a great asset to Kitchener Waterloo and surrounding areas. As our community grows and it is growing and as we're aging, knowing that we can provide this kind of specialized care means that people in my community don't have to drive to Toronto or to London to get this kind of treatment. I want to thank the minister for supporting my community and I commend all the health care workers who work so hard, who are dedicated in Kitchener Waterloo. Thank you. I thank all members for their statements. A point of order from the member from... I beg your indulgence because unfortunately I was not born with eyes in the back of my head. But if I could introduce two folks they met with today, Greg McCammus, and from my riding of rent through Nipissing Pembroke, Donovan Welk, here today with the Canadian Propane Association. I do have eyes in the back of my head. I thank all members for their statements as now...