 There isn't quite enough time to get into further debate this morning, so we'll head into member statements member statements The member for Ajax In this chamber already knows February is black history month in Ajax and across Ontario Celebrating the many contributions of Ontario's black community is going to continue throughout the month of February as The MPP for Ajax I'm proud that our town is home to the largest black community per capita in Canada with more than 16% of the population identifying as black on Saturday February 6th Durham black history month hosted its annual black history month celebration this year is entitled feast of black excellence Hosted again this year by co-chairs Esther Ford and Dane Lawrence the virtual event honored Sandra's foresight from Durham Community Action Group with the prestigious mediba award This year's event featured talented musicians poets and performers including some from Nigeria Jamaica Trinidad and Senegal and was truly a window on what this community adds to our rich tapestry The performances were not only inspiring but they gave myself and others attending the ability to see firsthand the talented young people We have across Ajax and across Durham Tonight I look forward to attending the women's multicultural resource center black history month event hosted by another brilliant Esther Esther and Oyo and her team who do so much to support our community 365 days of the year as we continue to celebrate this month I want to thank all of those who have diligently and accidentally produced fabulous events for this year's black history month He very much member statements The member for Spadina for York Mr. Speaker Last night I was out delivering some polysporan with pain relief to a gentleman who lives under a bridge And he's been living under that bridge for years It's part of a program that I've been volunteering with that's delivered more than 20,000 food and care packages during the pandemic The irony is that he was able to go to the hospital He has the the polysporan was for gout and frostbite in his foot He's able to because we have a public health care system He's able to go to the hospital and he went there last week and they send him home and send him home They send him back to under his bridge and then they they said come back. They made an appointment with a plastic surgeon The irony is that he we can give him an appointment because we have a public health care system Thanks to Tommy Douglas. We can give him an appointment with a plastic surgeon, but we can't give him housing He's got frostbite and he's suffering under a bridge and there are 10,000 people in the city of Toronto who are doing without a Supportive housing that need housing and the federal government and the municipal government has set up a plan to build 3,000 units or 2,000 units this year The government level that's missing is the provincial level the government the provincial government is not supporting that plan To build instant like a supportive housing in 2021 That's what we need you to do to end the suffering of people like the gentleman who's under the bridge Please support this plan to build supportive housing during this pandemic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker Thank you next we have the member for Barry in his film. Thank you speaker today I would like to shine light on a volunteer group ladies of the lake a Dynamic organic grassroots organization made up of a hundred warm and friendly women Who are bringing people and government together to keep Lake Simcoe clean? Most of them live in the lake Simcoe watershed Some live along the shoreline others came from the farming community the majority of these ladies are in their 50s 60s and even 70s, but Age will not define them for their age is where in their positive spirit and their drive Will more so define them these ladies of the lake Made a daring debut with a 2006 ladies the lake calendar the calendar that captured the beauty and spirit of Lake Simcoe The huge success of this first project made ladies of the lake Into a household name throughout the watershed and brought public awareness to the state of Lake Simcoe And they have continued to raise awareness over the years Today I'd like to honor the memory of local change maker Simcoe County Mary Jane Brinko's who recently unfortunately passed away on January 29th at the age of 77 Mary Jane was one of the original ladies the lake her energy and her tireless efforts to protect Lake Simcoe and raise awareness of issues Affecting its health and leave it wonderful for legacies to come and her advocacy was tremendous I send my sincere condolences to Mary Jane's family And I'm so honored that I was able to call her a friend and learn from an incredible mentor Next we have the member for Oshawa Thank you very much speaker I want to tell you about Donna a woman who's almost 60 with declining health Donna has been on the housing wait list in Durham for five years Donna's on disability and Canada pension and has $1,300 a month, which cannot afford market rent She is fortunate to be in a place today She can't afford unlike most people desperate for housing the problem is that her doctor says that her declining health will mean She can't stay where she is for much longer. She won't be able to do the stairs She won't be safe in her own home MPPs in this room know all too well that people cannot find housing that is safe or affordable Donna wants to know how much longer she will be on the wait list And it is hard to have to tell someone that people are waiting decades to get into housing There are at least 7,000 households on the wait list in Durham region and COVID is making things so much worse folks on ODSP and OW have Have so little money to live on that they are forced if they can find shelter to accept substandard unsafe and often unsavory Conditions we know that many folks right now are forced to work when they should be staying home due to illness or advice from their doctors They go to work because they don't have paid sick days and they can't afford to lose their wages Or they won't be able to pay their rent Speaker while evictions may be backlogged for the moment the arrears that folks and families are facing are insurmountable People who live in poverty cannot imagine how they can climb out of this mess without direct financial rent support from this government a Government that is sitting on billions. I won't give any of it up, especially to vulnerable people if this premier is really for the people He sure as heck isn't for the poor ones. Thank you speaker The next member statement member for Durham Well, thank you speaker, and it's a pleasure to rise to speak about a health care town hall I recently hosted in Durham, and I'm going to adjust taking my mask off so you can hear me a bit more clearly Healthcare continues to be the issue that's top of mind for my constituents in Durham and in particular questions around the COVID-19 vaccine That's why on January 14th I hosted a virtual town hall and I was pleased to host Dr. Robert Kyle our commissioner and medical officer of health for Durham region and Dr. Tony stone chief of staff at Lake Ridge health for a virtual question and answer for constituents in the Durham riding Not surprisingly, there was much anticipation And participation and most of the questions centered around the effectiveness and safety of the different COVID-19 Vaccines and the plan for distribution of the federally approved vaccines to Durham's most vulnerable I'm pleased to report speaker that since the town hall with the impressive leadership in Durham We're one of the first regions in the province to offer both doses of the vaccine to all residents in long-term care homes That was achieved on February 7th I want to thank our local leadership team the COVID-19 vaccine steering table That have been expertly planning and implementing the COVID vaccine distribution and administration For Durham residents according to the provincial ethical framework local needs and vaccine Availability for the latest updates on vaccine distribution. Please visit durham.ca Coronavirus, thank you speaker Thanks Next we'll do the member for York Center Thank you speaker most of the province has been in lockdown since Thanksgiving But cases cases cases the only thing that seems to matter continue to climb on December 25th The day before the stay-at-home order Ontario's total case count was a hundred and sixty seven thousand total cases today Almost two months later the total count of Ontario's cases is two hundred ninety five thousand almost double Just think in the two months since the stay-at-home order We got almost as many COVID cases as we did in the entire nine months prior You would think that with all these cases cases cases that the dire predictions of the COVID command table would wreak havoc on all of us But no not even close not much has changed ICU occupancy remains flat like every other time the modeling is wrong by three to five times But seniors continue to die in group homes because the government is unable to institute Infection protocol and control because it can't fix staff in shortages or bend agency staff almost 80% of all deaths are in group living settings That's a tragedy. We must admit that's a medical reality that the government is trying to spin because it's not about how many cases of COVID it's who gets COVID you see locking all of us down doesn't do anything The government keeps blaming community spread on what is happening in group homes to destruct from its own failure All it takes is one worker one agency worker who goes from one home to another and brings COVID The problem is not healthy people the problem is government that can fix long-term care But blames us and locks us down instead protect long-term care protect the frail elderly You're not saving any lives by locking us down instead. You're locking down healthy people and you're making them sick Thank You mr. Speaker Next we have the member for Parkdale High Park Speaker people in Parkdale High Park and across this province are fed up with the Ford government and continues to make decisions for the benefit Of the developer friends rather than for the public good People want development that is in the interest of our communities development that promotes affordable housing community benefits and environmental Sustainability take for example highway 413 it will pave over 2,000 acres of prime farmland cut through almost a hundred waterways and sheds only 30 seconds off of an average commute The government is willing to spend six billion dollars on this project and ignore the vocal opposition of effective municipalities Wealthy developers who have donated thousands to the PC party stand to make millions building Developing all along the route the Duffins Creek wetland is another example with a provincially significant Designation it is one of the most important wetlands in this province The government has issued a ministerial zoning order to pave over the wetland Ignoring the vocal opposition of conservation authorities the Ajax town council Williams Treaties first nations and tens of thousands of Ontarians across this province Again a developer who donated thousands to the PC party will build a warehouse for a casino development This is Ford's Ontario a dream for wealthy developers, but a nightmare for regular people. We deserve better So I remind all members that we refer to each other by a ministerial title or the name of our writings Not by a surname Member statements the member for a Chatham Kent Leamington Thank you very much mr. Speaker. You know first of all I want to start off in a very happy note on Valentine's Day a new life appeared my granddaughter Shiloh Manette was born weighing seven pounds Thank you proud parents of my daughter Brooke and her husband Steven they're all doing well But our granddaughter is not our first grandchild my wife Diane and I now have five grandkids with the ratio now being boys three girls too But I remember my oldest son Jeff and his wife Leslie they have three children as well Like his dad they have two boys Calvin and Nathan and a daughter Samantha who by the way was born the next day Following her papa's birthday. I immediately said she deserves to have her own special date not one shared with me And my son Chris as a little boy Phoenix who was full of life and loves his action figures My fun with him is when I do the theme song from Batman And he yells out Batman But you know when your only daughter who I affectionately call my baby girl gives birth for the very first time It's very different seems I was often in communication with it You know that dad being dad, but when I saw my daughter the next day after giving birth We both shared tears of joy. I was so grateful for yet another beautiful baby girl So yes, I now have two baby girls when I saw Shiloh. I must admit it was love at first sight I was reminded of what her great-great-grandma Woolworth would say whenever there was a birth in the family make sure the baby has ten fingers and ten toes Speaker life is precious and I know That being a papa is had I known that being a papa was going to be so much fun I would have been nicer to their parents Thank you. Thank you very much Member statements the member for st. Catherine. Thank you speaker and congratulations to the member across In st. Catherine's and across Niagara I have been in communication with our mental health community partners even though these meetings are separate I've been hearing the same thing over and over again It's the same message from Sean Bayless at past own mental health Tanya low But Jillian's place Terry Bruce that Tammy Demons and Tammy Demons in Communities Francis Hall worth from United Way Niagara and from many many more They want help from myself from my colleagues Sitting beside me. They want help from the Colleagues across the aisle and from the broader community to amplify that people should be Continuing to access mental health supports and should not wait until the pandemic is over Their concern is that people are moving away from seeking help It would create a tidal wave of needs for services after the pandemic right now We have an increase in domestic violence. The stress of the pandemic is creating more instances of mental health more drug use and more deaths Doubling in Niagara last year But no one needs a report to know that people are hurting as isolation loss of income and the prospect of a lifetime of Operating a business is being threatened right now. These organizations need everyone to know They are still there. They are still open and doing what they do our mental health resources Need to connect with more people We need to help amplify that message in every way we can. Thank you Thank you very much Next member statement the member for Milton Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mrs. Speaker I am proud to announce that metro links released their initial business case for a new go station in my riding of Milton on Tolefalgar Road. This is a great first step towards expanding transit options in my riding of Milton The business case shows that's new station could eventually serve a daily ridership of nearly 2,000 passengers providing more convenient travel options and improve accessibility For travelers along the Milton go line as a result the station on Tolefalgar Road Would provide Milton with much needed mobility choices helping our community move seamlessly around Milton and the Gtha Milton no secret. Mr. Speaker is one of the fastest growing community in The province not just the country That's why we are increasing parking at the current Milton go station by an additional 800 spaces and adding a new station on Tolefalgar Road These are examples of a strong action being taken to improve improved go services in my community of Milton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker Thank you very much. I've been advised that the member for York Southwest and they have a point of order I seek unanimous consent to immediately pass the private members motion 135 Calling on the forward government to implement a covert 19 equity strategy for racialized Communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic members seeking unanimous consent to immediately pass private members motion 135 calling on the government to implement a COVID-19 equity strategy for racialized communities disproportionately affected by the government agreed heard and all