 Seeing no further introductions, it's now time for a member's statements. The member from Alderman Orpho. Speaker, Christmas Spirit received a boost locally with the flip of a switch opening the town of Simkel's Christmas Panorama River of Lights, Ontario's original light festival. Magic and childhood fantasy blend with tradition, family, and multi-generational connectedness combined with hot chocolate and horse-drawn wagon rides. Volunteer crews have been working as they have for the past 60 years to set up the approximately 60 displays from the three little pigs to a red tractor to a plethora of Christmas related exhibits. The tales, the legends of our youth are brought to light every evening in a stunning sea of 300,000 lights loops through and around the trees. Besides bringing joy and a smile to the face of the young and young at heart, the exhibits attract many from afar boosting business and our winter tourism economy. Simkel's Panorama and all of our area Christmas parades, the concerts, remain iconic spectacles of this wonderful time of year. It's really a fanciful, thrown-together blend of the religious, the commercial, civic pride, and quite honestly, just plain fun. Here, here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about service dogs and the important role they play in Ontario. Children are being denied access to their school for their service dogs. Dogs that have, they have with them at all other times. They help relieve anxiety, provide them with safety and independence. That has to change, Speaker. We are joined by, today with, by Deanna Elaine for my riding of Hamilton Mountain. Deanna is 17 years old and she's been volunteering with autism dog services since she was 10. She came to Toronto today with Carlin, who she is training so that a child can get the full benefit of what Carlin has to offer. But she made that trip with trepidation because as a service dog in training, Carlin can be denied access at any time. The rules under the AODA for service dogs do not apply to dogs in training. Security here at Queen's Park understands that to be properly trained, service dogs must be exposed to exactly the same situation that they will encounter in their future lives. But there is nothing to ensure that elsewhere. Deanna is also an advocate. Thanks to her lobbying, Hamilton City Council passed a bylaw last May that ensures access for service dogs in training to all public facilities in our city. I urge this government to take action so that service dogs are fully accommodated. They bring incredible benefits to so many people and they deserve our support. Thank you very much. Thank you. I remember Samus, the member from Kingston and the Islands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At 5.30 this morning, I did a bit of grocery shopping at the local 24-hour store. Mr. Speaker, I left with more than I bargained for, but not in the usual sense. The store was primarily empty except for me, a few staff members and a man working behind the check out. As he was scanning my items, we made small talk and I learned how he had spent the last 12 hours serving his customers. Throughout the night, he was regularly visited by individuals with addictions to drugs and alcohol, people suffering from mental health problems and what is worse still, he feared for his safety. He was from Africa and working hard to have a good life here in Canada. All he wanted was to have a home of his own, but no matter how hard he'd worked, he can't get ahead. There are many others in the same situation who are living on a minimum wage trying to make ends meet. When he learned that I worked at Queen's Park, he thanked me for the recent increase in minimum wage. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of our government's commitment to ensuring the best future for all Ontario families and workers through Bill 148. As I left the store, I looked back at the man and I watched him greet his next customer. For once, I was pleased that I was leaving with more than I had shopped for. Thank you. Merci, Miigwech. Thank you for the member Samus, the member from Kitchener Conestole. Yes, thank you, Speaker. For the past 33 years at the beginning of December, as dusk falls in the town of New Hamburg, residents have gathered at the corner of Huron and Piel, streets of St. Carol's and St. Wellesley, Apple Cider. As they await the official lighting of the New Hamburg Tree of Light. And this Friday marks the 34th annual celebration. Kicking off with the New Hamburg Concert Band, of course, the lighting of the tree and new tree may I add, will soon eliminate the township thanks to the many Walmart businesses and community members who ensure that not one light goes dim. Speaker, for more than three decades, the New Hamburg Lioness and Lions Club have been working tirelessly throughout the year to make this event the success that it is. And for 34 years, they have raised over $300,000 to support projects within our community. Speaker, the Tree of Light event kicks off a series of Christmas parades, of course, in my riding this weekend. I'll be participating in the Almira, Baden and New Hamburg parades and following them throughout the month of December, Wellesley, St. Agatha, St. Clemente, and New Dundee will also be holding their annual Christmas parades each year. I look forward to attending and meeting many of my constituents who come out and brave the cold to come together and join in the Christmas holiday spirit. Of course, get a glimpse of Santa as well. Speaker, I'm always so impressed with how our communities come together with small budgets, but big hearts to make this time of year one of joy, happiness and togetherness for all those of all ages. That's what our communities are all about. It's what the Tree of Light celebration is about. And it's, of course, what Christmas is all about. Speaker, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Thank you. Thank you. For the member statements, the member from Nickel Belt. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to talk about the bill which create the Francophone University in Ontario. We thought it would be joy for us because I work on that file for many years. And today, I'm shameful. The government will bear this creation to enact other laws. The omnibus bill, nobody will remember all other universities in Ontario. The other bill, it's a tradition in Ontario that goes back to 1841 when Queen University was created in Kingston within 2008 when Algoma was created in 2008. Why was this bill was buried? We will not talk about some issues. For example, the Franco-Iterian will have a limited mandate with the limited program other than other programs, nursing and architecture. And the Francophone University will not be allowed to offer this program even though the demand exists. I don't know why liberals of Mrs. Nguyen are not able that all other government have done in Ontario to have our university with a unique bill to that effect. For the member statements, the member from Ottawa, Vanier. Yesterday, the federal government excused to LGBT communities and underscore the importance of all these groups everywhere in the world. I think it's also important to remember the heroes that were there and defended and protected these rights throughout the world. One of these women heroes is a former colleague of mine, a law professor named Nicole La Violette. She was a pioneer in the area of sexual and gender minority refugees. For 18 years, she trained members of the Immigration Refugee Board on how to adjudicate sexual and gender minority claims. She was also one of the key people who assisted the United Nations in developing guidelines to recognize LGBTQ refugees because it's hard to imagine, but at a point in time, gays and lesbians were not recognized as deserving to be considered as refugees. Now, she was able to advise the United Nations to develop the guidelines. Now, I want to say I am sad to say that my former colleague founded the Ottawa Capital Rainbow Refugee was the first one to sponsor a private sponsor of a refugee in Ottawa. Sadly, she died of cancer in 2015, so she was not there yesterday in Ottawa for the apology, but her partner, Lisa Ebert, was and she and other people continue to do the good work that Nicole had started. Capital Rainbow has now sponsored more than four dozen people so far. I just want to say thank you to Lisa and I want to say a la mémoire de Nicole, merci pour tout en fin. And to the memory of Nicole, thank you for all the work she's done. The spirit of Christmas is very much alive and nipissing with a host of seasonal events taking place to inspire the Yuletide cheer. I understand the North Bay Santa Claus parade was a huge hit as always. Speaker, I was here for the weekend votes, but this past Friday I did have the opportunity to take part in the annual downtown Christmas walk, which features the traditional tree lighting and showcases our downtown merchants. It was a great opportunity. Our office stays open late and I can tell you firsthand the cookies that my wife Patty, Ms. P, as she's called at home, offers up their well worth the visit to the office. The holiday season and nipissing also offers up some wonderful music entertainment. The Canadian Forces base North Bay Band just held its annual concert at the Capital Centre. Scholar Hall was packed for the third annual Christmas concert in support of the nipissing Serenity Hospice. Haley Fest is an annual one-night celebration of local children's school choirs in memory of Art and Doris Haley. It too, it takes place at the Capital Centre a week from tonight and the Ontario Northland Christmas train rolls into North Bay on Sunday evening and of course the volunteers with the North Bay Santa Fund are hard at work once again raising funds and tapping into the enormous generosity of our community to help those families less fortunate in our area, in our area. Speaker, I'm so proud that in nipissing the Christmas season is about spreading joy and good cheer and making a difference in our communities and don't forget your red kettles. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for their member's statements. Further member's statements? The member from Wellington, Halton Hills? Mr. Speaker, our official opposition caucus is united in enthusiastic endorsement of the People's Guarantee. What the Toronto Star calls a serious plan that will deserve serious consideration from voters. Included in this plan are strong statements about the need to protect and preserve our natural environment. Our caucus accepts the scientific consensus on climate change. The earth is warming and human activity is a significant contributing factor and we in Ontario need to do our part to reduce carbon emissions. Premier Wins government is for a cap and trade scheme that will ship 466 million taxpayer dollars to California. Our caucus categorically rejects that approach, but we also know that doing nothing is not an option. Why is this? The Trudeau government in Ottawa is mandating a carbon pricing benchmark. While no one likes or wants new taxes, all the provinces will need to respond. There is a better way for the people of Ontario. We say that every dollar collected in carbon price revenue should be returned to Ontario families and taxpayers in the form of corresponding tax relief as verified by the Auditor General. We also say that action needs to be taken to support initiatives which clean up our great lakes and reduce sewage going into our lakes and rivers. That is our leaders assurance to the people of Ontario, part of his people's guarantee. We commend this plan for positive change to the people of Ontario. We also need to protect our ground water for today and for future generations. That's why I continue to advocate for a science-based approach to considering applications for large scale permits to take water in Ontario and I'm starting to question why we don't have some kind of effective deposit return system for plastic single use beverage containers. Surely we can do better to improve the recycling rates of empty plastic bottles. Together let us embrace the promise of the future. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I thank all members for their comments. It's now time for reports by