 We are going to be moving to Member's Statements. So I will ask Member's Statements. I recognize the Member for Kitchener, South Heskiller. My favorite social media program platform is definitely Instagram. It's a kinder and more gentler place than others. I wanted to shout out a story that I've been following on Instagram. It's called Project Hope. Project Hope was started by two Toronto police officers, Farzad Ghorpe and Mustafa Papadzai. Both of them are immigrants to Canada from Iran and from Afghanistan. In August of 2021, when Officer Papadzai saw Afghan refugees trying to get on a plane, he started Project Hope to gather supplies for those arriving in Canada. So this is a humble beginning. Since its inception, they've gathered over $425,000 worth of supplies for Afghan refugees. But on February 10th, when the earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, they again put out a call for donations of brand new baby supplies, first aid supplies, blankets, clothing, et cetera. By the last day of the drive, February 28th, they had gathered over $120,000 of donations of brand new items. Thanks to their work, their dedication, and countless hours spent by Toronto police officers across the city, those donations have been gathered up and are on their way. And I want to thank both of those gentlemen for their incredible work. I recognize the members of Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. Ontario Place was opened in 1971 to showcase and celebrate the beauty of this province and to allow easy access to our waterfront for everyone to enjoy. Now the foreign government wants to hand over this historic and valuable public space to a foreign developer, the Therma Group, who plans to turn it into a private water park and spa. The Premier wants to give the developer $650 million public dollars as a subsidy for this private spa at Ontario Place. This makes zero sense. How does this serve the interests of Ontarians? For less than half the amount that government could refurbish Ontario Place into a world-class park destination. The Premier wants to spend $450 million public dollars for a 2000-spot underground parking lot to support this private spa when the Ontario line is going to have a stop right at Ontario Place. How is this value for money for Ontarians? It's no surprise the foreign government is doing all of this with no public consultation, transparency, or regard for heritage. Even the City of Toronto was not included in any discussions about the future of Ontario Place. By giving away precious public waterfront space, this government is showing total operational incompetence, a complete lack of imagination on how to revitalize these valuable assets and downright disregard for public lands. Ontario Place belongs to the people, not to Premier Ford. Brother statements to recognize the member for Windsor to come see. Speaker, it is with a great pleasure today that I rise to recognize two transformative school projects underway right now in Windsor and in to come see. Two weeks ago, the member for Perth Wellington traveled to Windsor to celebrate the opening of the new Catholic Central Secondary School. When the project is completed, Catholic Central will finally have some amenities we all take for granted in school, like having an outdoor sports field. Right now, it doesn't have one. Seven consecutive funding asks the province for the project were turned down by the previous Liberal government until funding was conditionally approved in 2016. Our government in comparison got the job done by approving the extra $7 million on top of the $26 million for the building so that the students could learn at a suitable site, steps away from beautiful Jackson Park. In my own neighborhood, DMEagle Public School has long served as the pride and joy of St. Clair Beach, where proudly stands today overlooking the historic Beach Grove Golf and Country Club. Under the previous Liberal government, the school was on track to join the many school closures that we've experienced in the town of Tecumseh and was planned to be re-established outside of our municipal limits. But in 2021, Minister Leche approved additional funding of $3.3 million to keep it, just one block west of the existing school on top of the $25.7 million previously approved. I'm proud to say it is our government that finished the job. Speaker, I want to recognize and thank the Ontario government for finally ending the roadblocks and delays in counter for these projects and for ensuring that Windsor and Tecumseh students and their families have access to a quality learning environment close to home. Thank you. Members statements? The member for Ottawa West, McKeon. Thank you, Speaker. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as the saying goes, and yet this government is underfunding vital community supports and services that keep people out of the hospital. 32 organizations that provide community supports in Ottawa and in Eastern Ontario are being forced to implement service cuts of up to 40% because of this government's refusal to provide adequate funding. They are being asked to respond to increased need while still operating on 2012 funding levels. The Old Forge Community Resource Centre in my writing of Ottawa West, McKeon is one of these organizations. They provide essential supports in care to seniors and adults with disabilities, allowing them to stay in their own homes longer and keeping them out of hospitals and long-term care facilities. Yet this government's refusal to support this important work means the Old Forge will be forced to cut up to 22% of their services this year. On Monday, 15 hospital CEOs in Eastern Ontario co-signed a letter to the Premier and the Minister of Health requesting adequate funding for the community support sector because they recognize these services keep people out of hospitals and get them home from the hospital sooner. An investment of just $7 million would mean these organizations can maintain their level of service. That's pocket change compared to what we spend on the hospital sector. I hope the Premier and Minister of Health will do the right thing and listen to the call to invest in these vital services. Thank you. Member Statements to member for Elgin Middlesex London. Thank you, Speaker. It is exciting to share some great news from London, Ontario with this house today. Like many communities in Ontario, London is experiencing a homelessness crisis. I'm proud to say that over the past three years, our government has invested nearly $4.4 billion in housing and homelessness support to our municipal and indigenous program partners. However, homelessness remains a pressing issue as we all know. In response to this crisis, over 260 citizens came together to make transformational change. They came from a range of sectors including health and social services, institutional healthcare, education, emergency services, business, economic development, city officials and staff from provincial and federal ministries. Throughout the last three months, a comprehensive whole of community systems response has been devised and approved by the municipal council with implementation that began immediately and keeping with the critical circumstances on our streets. Inspired this community-wide effort, a fund was created called fundforchange.ca initiated by one anonymous London family with an incredible, and I repeat, incredible gift of $25 million and an additional $5 million of matching funds inspired by the rest of the community to join this noble cause. Impressive indeed, speaker. I know, along with my colleagues from London and this legislature representing London, our forest city, hope that this magnificent philanthropic response supported with incredible financial support from the citizens of our city will prove to be a model that can be applied across Ontario and indeed across Canada. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Scarborough Southwest. Thank you very much, speaker. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to recognise an important proclamation. In Ontario, the month of March marks Bangladeshi Heritage Month. This month, we pay tribute to and celebrate the thriving, strong and vibrant Bangladeshi community in Ontario. March is a very special month for our community as March 26th commemorates Independence Day, the day that Bangladesh in 1971 declared independence from Pakistan. This declaration led to the beginning of a nine-month-long bloody war where many lives were sacrificed. Youths, intellectuals, men and women fought and sacrificed so much for an independent nation. After this period, known as the Liberation War, on December 16th, a new nation was born. Scarborough Southwest is home to an active Bangladeshi community speaker whose contributions to our communities across the province have been extraordinary. This is a community that gives light and hope to Scarborough with amazing talent, so many local businesses, food, arts and performances, as well as community leaders who continue to stand by their neighbours. I am looking forward to spending this month honouring our culture and heritage, remembering the history and enhancing the work and voices of our community here in our province as a Bangladeshi Canadian who has the honour of representing our incredible community. Speaker, I'm honoured to be a member of this amazing community and on behalf of our legislature, I know that I can wish all the Bangladeshis across Ontario and across Canada a happy Bangladeshi heritage month. Thank you very much. Member statements? The Member for Lanark, Frontenac, Kingston. Thank you, Speaker. I am pleased to rise in the House today to applaud this government's efforts to deliver integrated team-based models of care in Ontario. In these models, a team of healthcare professionals from various disciplines work together to address the patient's physical, mental and social well-being. Thanks to the leadership of Premier Ford and our Minister of Health, Aboriginal Health Access Centre's family health teams and community health centres are delivering quality care in an integrated and collaborative way throughout the province of Ontario. Residents of Lanark, Frontenac, Kingston are benefiting from the services of the Smith Falls Nurse Practitioner-led Clinic, Redal Community Health Services, a CHC model, ConnectWell Community Health, another CHC model and the Ottawa Valley Family Health Team. Recent provincial funding has enabled the Ottawa Valley Health Team to expand their services to residents of Mississippi Mills, Carleton Place and Beckwith, fastest growing community in Canada. This is the kind of efficient collaborative model that ultimately enhances physician recruitment in a highly competitive market. Our thanks again to Premier Ford, our Minister of Health and Parliamentary Assistance, the Member for Megalocon Lawrence and the Member from Newmarket, Aurora, for supporting an integrated approach to high quality care for patients at every level. The people of Lanark, Frontenac, Kingston, thank you for getting it done. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Kingston and the Islands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government can't be trusted to manage the economy. This is shortage of MTO ferry crews, services being disrupted and yet with Bill 124, this government has suppressed salaries below prevailing wages, so naturally ferries are losing workers. I'll start with paramedic service on Wolf Island, which was recently cut again in favour of paramedic crews based on the mainland. Residents were told that adding the new second ferry could compensate during emergencies. Now, not only has the new ferry been tied up for a year awaiting crew, and not only has the current service being disrupted by lack of crew, now MTO is saying, not surprisingly, that they have to break their promise of running the new ferry alongside the old ferry because, wait for it, there's a lack of crew. What's making the staffing shortage worse? This government has been suppressing wages with Bill 124. Workers have been sucked away to the private sector. This government has been hiring temporary crew from agencies to fill permanent positions and incurring much higher costs. Regular salaries are $23 an hour for deckhands, $38 an hour for a captain. My order paper question revealed that the Conservatives are paying $86 an hour for temporary workers at salaries, expenses, and also agency profits. This is the exact same pattern we've seen with nurses in Ontario. It's a pattern of economic mismanagement we cannot afford. Thank you very much. Member statements, the member for Markham Thornhill. Mr. Speaker, wanna come. New Year brings hope, optimism, and rejuvenation for all of us. As we move into the new year 2023, we renew our energies for the year with the fresh beginning for the festivities of Taipungal, Tamil Heritage, and Chinese Lunar New Year in my ethnically diverse riding in Markham Thornhill. Taipungal is a harvesting festival which can be considered as the Tamil New Year. It is also celebrated among 400,000 Tamil communities in Ontario and around the world. It is a festival that symbolizes thanking the truly the emblem of Tamil heritage. It is dedicated to Sun or Syrian and lifestyle. Mr. Speaker, Tamil language is one of the most oldest and classical language used in the modern times. It's spoken for 5,000 years in South Asia. Now, over 100 million people speak Tamil. I celebrated and organized many Taipungal events with my MPPs and colleagues with Markham Thornhill. Especially, my constituents and minister, Sivan Leche, who creates the occasion with his presence at Markham Theatre, close 200 students of a local talent, showcase their vibrant cultural performance. I thank the parents and teachers who train these young dancers. Mr. Speaker, I am fortunate to have a huge Asian community in my riding. We organize a Lunar New Celebration. Everyone loves the dragon dancers and delights as food. Shishia, Pungalow, Pungal. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member statements to the member for Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, last Saturday I was pleased to be joined by my wife Vicky, members of my staff and their families to participate in the Coldest Night of the Year walk in Pembroke. Coldest Night of the Year began in 2011 at two locations and has continued to grow to the point where 166 locations took part in 2022 with over 31,000 walkers. CNOI was instituted to give people a sense of what it would be like to experience wholenessness on the Coldest Night of the Year. As in the past, the Pembroke Walk was in support of The Grind, a non-profit organization that supports youth and adults who are marginalized and struggling to live a normal life. 256 walkers participated this year, raising over $105,000. I've seen firsthand the tremendous work that The Grind does locally and have been truly moved by the compassionate way in which they operate. It is a faith-based organization that accepts and supports all people regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual preference, or social status, providing non-judgmental support through their client services office and supporting agencies and programs. Having had the opportunity to visit The Grind myself on multiple occasions has given me a much greater understanding and perspective of the breadth of services it provides to support those who are homeless, marginalized, or at risk. Once again, our team of walkers, known as the ACPAC, we're proud to support this wonderful cause. And if you're in the area, I would encourage you to drop by The Grind yourself and see what wonderful things are taking place there. Thank you very much. That concludes our member's statements this morning.