 In 1015, it is now time for Member's Statements. Recognize the Member from Ishigawa James Bay. As a Franco-Intarian, I am very honored today to celebrate the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. It's a day to celebrate together the strength of our cultural community. Today, unfortunately, we will not be able to gather. We will not be able to celebrate the 20th edition of our festival in Quebec. The pandemic also allowed us to understand that if we don't pay attention, our rights will be forgotten. In three months, we realized that we had consultations only in English, and Francophones were not able to understand those information in the language of their choice. Franco-Intarians are not part of the campaigns of the government. Our Prime Minister is saying not right now, when a journalist is trying to talk to him in French, and also the award, one of the cultural awards was done with that award in French. We shall celebrate our diversity. We have to pay attention so that our rights are still respected. And we obtain those rights through fight and resistance. So, happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day to everybody. Member's Statements. Member for Stormont Dandasek, Lungary. Thank you, Speaker. On March 14th this year, Lungary County lost a great sports and community volunteer. Mike De Prado touched many of the people in this community. Mike served as the Alexander Parks and Recreation Director from 1973 to 1999. But he began his community work in his college days when he coached the high school football team in Ottawa. After returning home, Mike coached the Alexander Clippers and the Carnation Fast Teams for 10 years in Lady Softball, Broomball, and Spuns Park teams for over 20 years. With three children in tow, we took on coaching of the Alexandria Minor Hockey Association and the girls' AA hockey in Cornwall. Mike found time to volunteer with his local chapter of Special Olympics, President of the Glengarry Soccer League, President of the Minor Hockey Association of Alexandria, and President of the Ottawa and District Minor Hockey Association. Somehow, Mike still found time to run a successful farm with a long-standing member and President of the Alexandria Lions Club, Chairman of the Heart and Stroke for Alexandria, Board Member of the Glengarry Community Living, Chairman of the Alexandria District Chamber of Commerce, and most recently President of the Alexandria Junior B. Glens, and Counselor for North Glengarry Township. So if you were involved in local sports, you knew Mike. And during my time in the Glengarry Border League and the Sharlane Minor Hockey and Sharlane Minor Soccer Association, I was privileged to work with him, witnessing first-hand his ability to bring people closer together. Mike was named Volunteer of the Year in 1992 and by the Lions Club of Alexandria, and honored with the Queens Jubilee Medal in 2003 and inducted in the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. Mike, your family, your community, and Eastern Ontario will miss you. May you rest in peace, my friend. Thank you. Member statements, the member for Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. CUPI Ontario and SEIU are celebrating today, June 24th, as Developmental Service Worker Appreciation Day. Opsu members have celebrated Developmental Service Appreciation Week as well. This is a special opportunity for all of us to recognize the crucial contributions of workers in the developmental services sector who are supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And on behalf of myself and my entire NDP caucus, I want to say thank you to the Developmental Service workers that are out there doing incredibly hard work on a good day, let alone during a pandemic. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have been an afterthought in government decision-making for years, whether it's the decades-long wait list for supportive housing, ODSP rates that keep people in poverty, or the consistent underfunding of Developmental Service agencies, both liberal and conservative governments have put people with disabilities last. The workers who support these individuals day in and day out are not being compensated or treated fairly for their invaluable work they do. They work long hours, often in multiple part-time, low-wage jobs. They are burnt out and particularly during this pandemic, many feel neglected. The Premier Fair failed to make PPE widely available in congregate living settings, which compromised the safety of people with disabilities and support workers alike. We saw a horrifying situation at Participation House in Markham where dozens of workers became sick and could no longer work. So when the outbreak began among the residents, they were short-staffed. Tragically, Speaker, people died. We cannot repeat these mistakes. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the crucial workers who support them deserve so much better. I am once again urging this government to make this a priority, not an afterthought, and invest in a truly inclusive and accessible province for all. Thank you, the member for Burlington. Thank you so much, speakers. Last night, I joined the Burlington Chamber of Commerce virtually for their 2020 Business Excellence Awards. I was so proud of everyone last night with their willingness for change. I want to congratulate this year's winners, Burlington Green, James John from Guaranteed Removals, Fully Promoted, Burlington Rubicon Safety, National Tire Distributors, ATS Scientific, Fern Hill School, Endress and Houser Canada, Park, Market and Refillery, Bozak Orthodontist, who did my teeth 49 years ago, Cargo Tech, Hunter Amenities and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 60. I also presented a surprise award, the Heritage Award, and I was honored to do so to Dawn Smith of Smith's Funeral Home. This family-owned business has been in Burlington for over 100 years and has been operated by the Smith family since 1938. It takes a village to raise a child. That's why I'm excited to join Janice Robinson and the incredible team of Halton's Children's Aid tonight in recognizing nine outstanding children, youth, board, members and staff. With Canada Day just around the corner, I'm definitely looking forward to the host of Canada's largest rib host, the Burlington Lakeshore Rotary Clubs, first ever drive-through rib fest on July 1st at the Burlington Central Mall. Speaker, I will be busy between now and then doing countless deliveries of hundreds of my free Canadian flag yard sign as well. Thank you so much, Speaker. Next member's statement, the member for Ottawa Center. Thank you, Speaker. Last week, Ottawa lost an angel who left us to be with the angels. His name was Abel Mengestab. He was 20 years old. He was a third-year student at Carleton University. By age 20, Abel had co-chaired the Carleton University NDP Club. He'd served as president of the NDP Riding Association. He even managed campaigns in the PN Speaker. Abel also made history. As a proud black youth, he helped elect Ralston King, Ottawa's first black municipal councillor. He took long bus rides from Nippian to make that happen, and he did the same for us in Ottawa Center. Abel had a gift, Speaker, you can't teach. He was a happy warrior, just like Jack Layton. It's hard to find a photo of Abel without his trademark wide smile and glowing eyes. Jillo Riley, our 2018 campaign manager, said, I want my son to be just like Abel, positive, dedicated, and full of life. George Alcoura, the president of the NDP in Ottawa of Enye, said, while the rest of us grew more salty, Abel, you were always there to find reasons to keep your smile on. At times like this, Speaker, it's hard to smile. Those who knew Abel in Ottawa and elsewhere are devastated, but for inspiration, Speaker, I turn to Romans 818, scripture that Abel once posted to his own Facebook page. For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy of the glory that will be compared to be revealed in all of us. Rest in power, Abel. We love you. Member Stevens, the member for Ottawa South. Merci, Monsieur le Président. Je vous souhaite. Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to wish all of you a very happy St. John Baptist. We're very proud to celebrate with our neighbors. Today is a very important date to celebrate the Franco- Ontarian community. The Franco- Ontarians have a history of more than 400 years and a heritage that we're proud to have in our province. Ontario has the strongest Francophone community in the country. And the French population adds a lot of value to our province. I am proud to belong to a party that introduced the law on French services, recognized the Franco- Ontarian flag and created a commissioner for French services. Our party will continue to defend the rights of the Franco- Ontarians. The celebration will be different this year. I hope that you will be able to celebrate with your relatives. Happy St. John Baptist Day, and thank you. Thank you, Nessie. Next, we have the member for Paris-Saint-Moscowca. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the past few weeks, I've been pleased to take part in the Finance Committee hearings into the impacts of COVID-19 on the tourism sector. As many of you know, my wife and I ran a resort on Lake-Moscowca for 30 years. We definitely had some challenging times, but never anything like this. I feel for the tourism operators who really don't know what to expect this year. The committee heard from 140 presenters, including marketing groups, unions, industry associations, tourism operators, from large convention centers to family-run camps. I'm proud that our government has responded to many of the suggestions that were made. We passed a moratorium on commercial evictions to encourage commercial landlords to apply for the Ontario-Canada Commercial Emergency Rent Assistance Program. We made it easier for restaurants to create and expand a patio by waiving the need for a new license. I'm seeing new and expanded patios at many restaurants in Paris-Saint-Moscowca. For example, that little place by the lights in Huntsville has created a patio and Tresso Brewery in Paris-Saint has greatly expanded their patio. Patios also require municipal approval, and I know many municipalities are also waiving the fees, and I encourage all municipalities to do so. I will continue to advocate for those tourism operators who have yet been allowed to operate, including tourboats like the Island Queen in Paris-Saint and the Lady-Moscowca in Bracebridge, and attractions like Santa's Village. It's a huge relief that much of the tourism and hospitality sector has been allowed to reopen, but even open, these operators and their employees are facing a very uncertain future. That's why it's so important that Ontarians support their local tourism and hospitality businesses this summer. Shop local, eat local, play local, and vacation local. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have the member for Kiwet Nome. Miigwech speaker, I rise today to speak about Indigenous History Month. This Indigenous History Month, I want to speak on that genocide committed against our communities by Canadian colonial powers. The wounds of colonialism are not healed and live today in the systemic racism that tears our communities apart and violates our human rights. I'm tired of the government's lip servers always promising but not delivering. From my standpoint, there is no reconciliation without justice. How can there be reconciliation when governments has not reduced the number of Indigenous children in the child welfare system, has not reduced the number of Indigenous peoples incarcerated, has not improved food security in the remote and isolated communities, has not properly funded mental health services to meet our needs to lessen the suicide crisis among our people, has not provided plain drinking water and housing in our communities. It seems that we are in a different Ontario. That's why I have said that reconciliation is dead and it was dying and that governments are killing it. It is beyond the time to recognize the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples to consider our voices as rights holders in these territories and to stop excluding us from the policy making processes. And this month, in all months, I recognize the strength, resilience, and hope of all Indigenous people in Ontario. Mr. Miigwetch. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Perth Wellington. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, for Ontario's long-term care homes, COVID-19 was a time of incredible difficulty and continues to be. Tragically, some homes have failed. We've all heard it and we need to fix it but we don't hear as much about the homes and staff who, despite everything, rose to the challenge. In Perth Wellington, several homes went into outbreak. Hillside Manor, Greenwood Court, Royal Terrace and Strathcona. They are no longer an outbreak. For that, we can thank staff and administration, people who worked long hours away from their families, people who pushed themselves working way beyond their job description, people who accepted the risk, not knowing how much PPE was left or whether they might come down with COVID. People who kept coming back to work day after day, I want to thank them at every home in Perth Wellington. The rest of us will never fully know their contributions. I also want to thank the people and businesses who donated PPE, food or finances, but there's more that we can do to help. For many families unable to visit loved ones is being a long, tough road. We want to visit them, they want to see us too. As homes begin reopening to visitors, let's respect the staff and follow the rules. They're in place for a reason to keep staff safe and residents safe and to keep COVID out. Now is not the time to let our guard down, but now is the time for patience, understanding and kindness. It's the least we can offer. Thank you, Speaker. Member Statements, member for Flamborough, Glenbrook. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm pleased to rise today to applaud the City of Hamilton, local business owners and restaurateurs and Council for their efforts to reopen business. City Council has unanimously approved many temporary shared outdoor dining districts in public spaces throughout the city, throughout the summer and throughout the fall. It was an idea put forward by entrepreneur, Jason Cassis. Since the COVID crisis began, Cassis has seen opportunities where others have seen obstacles. Hamilton's small business community has envisioned restaurants expanding capacity by creating patios and piazzas on public spaces, including sidewalks, parking lots and roadways. Restaurants and bistros along King William Street have expanded seating capacity onto the roadway. 32 similar projects are being developed in Hamilton. And although some establishments were denied the opportunity to open due to their proximity to homes, 70 restaurants have received permits so far. Permit fees have been waived and permits have been fast tracked. Restaurants have been allowed to extend their liquor licenses into public spaces. And this is another example of our government reducing red tape. I'm proud to say that Hamilton has taken the lead on the outdoor dining idea and other communities are now following suit. They allow for expanded capacity while complying with physical distancing regulations. For many, outdoor dining could mean the difference between a successful summer season or closure. And I'm proud to say that the Hamilton hospitality industry has taken the premiere up on his challenge to be creative and innovative during the COVID crisis and they are doing so successfully. Thank you very much. That concludes our member's statements for this morning. And I would like to...