 Therefore, it's time for a member's statements. Member from Kitchener, Conest, Overton. Yes, thank you, Speaker. Speaker, one week after the Ministry of Health finally announced a strategy to address the explosion of fentanyl and opiate-related deaths on our streets, you saw five more overdoses in the Warler region. Regional police and public health officials are issuing warnings to stem the loss of life, tragically taking its toll on individuals and families alike. And while the government is taking first steps to address the issue on a more comprehensive basis, the rapid acceleration of heartbreaking loss due to an opiate-fentanyl overdose calls for immediate and equally accelerated response. Speaker, in April, the Warler Region Crime Prevention Council signed on to a letter to the Premier indicating, quote, a surge in opiate-related overdoses is anticipated this year, with one death every 14 hours in Ontario due to opiate overdose and new overdoses making headlines on a weekly basis. I submit that prediction is now becoming a reality. While our Warler Region Police are warning users of the risks, their warnings are moot without comprehensive government strategy to address the killer quickly and head-on. With fatalities mounting in jurisdictions like BC declaring a public health emergency, we look for further recognition of the fatal impact of opiates here in the province of Ontario. Each day that passes as we await that recognition and details on the upcoming Federal Provincial National Opiate Summit in November means more lives, law speaker. For those impacted families in the Warler Region and beyond, I ask that this government listen to the call of health and law enforcement professionals and treat this clear health crisis with the urgency that it serves. Thank you. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen from Kitchener Waterloo. Thank you very much. Over the weekend, I attended Rock to Stop Human Trafficking, a fundraising event organised by women in my community who have been championing this issue for years. Tamia Najee, a courageous survivor of human trafficking, has dedicated her life's work to advocate for a future where young women are not exploited and abused right here in Ontario. Tamia's organisation Walk With Me Victim Services was chronically underfunded and under-resourced and was forced to close its doors on August 15, 2015. Tamia and her supporters are now fundraising to provide a five-day retreat in Warler Region where survivors of human trafficking can relearn life skills and be supported by community leaders within a safe environment. It is upsetting that in 2016, we are still holding bake sales and work barbecues to fund raise for a cause that is a matter of life and death. The Liberal government has promised money, but organisations within my community of Kitchener Waterloo have seen very minimal funding increases that will barely cover the needs of one survivor, let alone address the problem holistically. We should not let the sex trade stigma prevent action. No one chooses to be trafficked. To quote Tamia, they say that the sex trade is the oldest profession, but in reality, it is the oldest form of oppression. When will this Liberal government live up to their promise and property fund, frontline community organisations? We have the leadership, now we need the investment in education, in prevention and survivor support today. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, it's the member from the Chocolate Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, quality healthcare is critical to the people in my community in Etobicoke Centre, and so striving for better access, better quality and better value for money is what we need to do to ensure that the care that we need will be there where and when we need it. And that is why I'm proud to share news about some successes and developments related to key health projects that I've been working on on behalf of my constituents in Etobicoke Centre. My predecessor as MPP, Donna Cansfield, worked tirelessly over many years to improve the quality of healthcare in our community. Among the many causes that Donna took on, she advocated for the expansion of Etobicoke General Hospital and for additional support for the Dorothy Lee Hospice. Since my election to government, I've continued her advocacy. And earlier this year, Speaker, I had the pleasure of standing with Minister Hoskins as he announced that the Government of Ontario would be investing $358 million to expand Etobicoke General Hospital. Expansion includes a large state-of-the-art emergency department, a new intensive care unit, a new maternal newborn unit, a new ambulatory procedures unit. I'm also pleased to share that the Dorothy Lee Hospice, which serves our community, received additional funding of $15,000 per bed from the Government of Ontario this year to provide patients with greater access to community-based palliative care and end-of-life care. Very important. Mr. Speaker, these investments will make a significant difference for people in my community of Etobicoke Centre, but I will not stop there, Speaker. I will continue to be an advocate to ensure that we provide the people of Etobicoke Centre and the people of Ontario with the accessible, consistent and quality care that they need and that they deserve. Here, here. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. The Member of State, the Member from Elgin, Middlesex, Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to highlight a local campaign coordinated by the London Abuse Women's Centre called Shine the Light on Women's Abuse. Spousal abuse has been consistently identified as one of the most common forms of violence against women in Canada. Women are four times more likely to be victims of violence in a relationship. In fact, 83% of all victims are women and 42% of them are physically harmed. These statistics are heartbreaking. And I fully support the Shine the Light on Women Abuse campaign that has been launched officially on November 1st. This campaign is aimed at helping communities across Ontario raise awareness of men's violence against women by turning cities purple throughout the month of November. This year marks the seventh year of the Shine the Light on Women Abuse campaign. The colour purple is chosen because it is symbol of courage, survival and honour and is now recognized as the worldwide symbol for the fight to end women's abuse. Last week, I wrote to all members of the legislature to invite them to join me in wearing purple on November 15th to show our support for this great initiative. Each year, the London Women's Abuse Centre honours two women that have shared experienced abuse. This year's Shine the Light campaign honours murder victim Paula Galant from Glacier Bay, Nova Scotia and abuse survivor Mary Meadows, a constituent of mine from St. Thomas. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mary Meadows for her courage and strength and publicly speaking out about her past and joining forces with the London Women's Abuse Centre to share her past experience and encourage other women to do the same. I also want to give a special thanks to Meagan Walker, Executive Director of the London Abuse Women's Centre and of course all the employees and volunteers who are putting this campaign together and for all the work they do day in and day out to support women in our community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the number of students, the member from Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week, I was proud to be with my community at the Fortary Race Track for the final day of the 119th season of racing. 2016 at the Fortary Track was incredibly successful thanks to fans across the province and the U.S. The hard work of the dedicated track staff, the horse people, support from the town of Fort Erie and the sound management of Jim Teebert and his team. The track sought 10% in attendance increase and its off track waging rose 20%. What is more impressive is that the Fort Erie wagering per purse is now higher than any track in Canada. In fact, the track had $1 million betting days this year more than ever. The Prince of Wells event broke the 2 million, broke attendance and betting records of $2 million. And since 2011, wagering per horse has risen 87%. Mr. Speaker, the community in Fort Erie and across Niagara deserve to be recognized for what they have done here and a success story. The track was facing closure and they came together to save 1,000 jobs there. They said no to the liberal plan to close one of the most historic parts of our town. Now we need work together to ensure the track has a successful future. The Fort Erie track must have a seat on the board of the new alliance that will set up to govern horse racing. The horse people who rely on the track need to have the confidence that their investment won't go to waste. The Fort Erie race track is one of only two thoroughbred tracks in Ontario and the oldest track in the province. Let's recognize how important the track is to the province by giving them a seat on the board when the future of horse racing in Ontario is decided. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today is World Polio Day. This day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against polio myelitis. Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but there are safe and effective vaccines. Polio can be prevented through immunizations. Through the efforts of Rotary Clubs International, polio worldwide has been reduced by 99.9%. Today, there are 30 confirmed global cases of polio, Mr. Speaker. World Polio Chair in Rotary District 7070, Jennifer Boyle, stated, quote, polio is on a verge of becoming a second disease to have been successfully eradicated from the world. We must ensure that this becomes a reality, end of quote. Annually, Rotary Clubs across Ontario have raised thousands of dollars to eradicate polio worldwide. I want to recognize, Mr. Speaker, Rotary Club Toronto Don Mills for raising $500,000 support Rotary International End Polio Campaign. This past June, the president, Rafiq Jujian, and fellow Rotarian Jennifer Boyle on Ryan Fogarty climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for the cause, achieving their goal with two-to-one match campaign by the Government of Canada and Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation. Mr. Speaker, as I conclude my remarks, I'd like to thank all Ontarians, especially the Rotarians in District 7070, for their continuous effort to support towards eradicating polio worldwide. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I remember the statements, the member from Blues Polio and Sound. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise to recognize an Olensound area classic rock-style singer and songwriter who was chosen as a soul Canadian with his own feature track on Double Take, a tribute to Frankie Miller that was released earlier this month. Steve Dickinson sings, when it's rocking, on a 19-track tribute album to esteemed Scottish vocalist, Frankie Miller, along with international all-star cast of Bonnie Tyler, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Joe Walsh, Huey Lewis, and Kid Rock, among others. The gifted Dickinson will also become the new frontman for Frankie Miller's band, Full House, which is going into her again as it marks the 40th anniversary of the band. While some members may never have heard of Frankie Miller, they may want to know he has written songs for artists like Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Ray Charles, and The Traveling Willberies. He has also collaborated with rock legends co-writing Thin Lizzie's Still in Love with the late Phil Linnet and was a big influence on others like Bob Seeger. I commend and sing Steve's praises for being part of this meaningful project. Proceeds from the CD are being donated to the Nordhoff-Robbins Music Therapy Charity and assist Miller in his recovery following a brain hemorrhage 22 years ago. Steve is very well-known in music circles and briskly on sound, playing with a wide variety of bands. And yet surprisingly, he is one of Ontario's best-kept secrets. I invite all members to hear it for themselves at stevedickinson.ca and appreciate Steve's style that has been described as rock and rural. Please join me in congratulating Steve and wishing him the best in many, many more years of success in the music industry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All right. It's not rap, but I listen to it. The member from Nickel Belt. Thank you, Speaker. Today I rise on behalf of students and parents in Nickel Belt to draw attention to the loss of provincial revenues that caused the Rainbow District School Board to start the process of closing or consolidating 12 rural schools. Rural school closure means long bus rides. Student in Nickel Belt will leave home before sunrise and return after sunset. Today, a group of parents from Larchwood Public School in Dowling, one of the schools scheduled for closing, are simulating the long morning ride by following the bus that travels from Geneva Lake all the way to Champsford Composite School. They want to draw attention to the long commute and protest the school closure that will make this problem even worse. Imagine, Speaker, a four and a half year old child in transit for three hours. That means more time on the bus than learning. They get exhausted. Rural students are tired. They cannot take part in extracurricular activity or take an after-school job in their community not to mention the safety risk on our winter roads. Rural school closure affects businesses as well. But it's telly your independent grocer employs many students in Lively District Secondary School. Once the school is closed, so are the jobs for these young people. Then the snowball effect starts. School closure means the community has a hard time retaining family then attracting new one, which puts the viability of local businesses like the grocery store at risk. The message is simple. Minister, keep our rural schools open. Thank you for the member's name and the member for the Beachers East York. Well, thank you, Speaker. I'd like to talk a little bit today about real Olympic athletes. But I'd like to begin by thanking Premier Nguyen and Minister McMahon for hosting a wonderful reception this afternoon as well as our special guest, Kurt Harnett, FECTA MISSION, Team Canada, Cristina Valleys, Olympic athlete and Robbie Weldon, a Paralympic athlete for their words of celebration. As the MPP for Beachers East York, I would also like to acknowledge the performance and the presence of the athletes from my riding, Penny Oleksiak, Crystal Emanuel and Victoria Nolan. Thank you for your dedication and for your athletic experience and excellence. You're a credit to the beach. Special congratulations to Penny Oleksiak who won historic four medals in women's swimming and a world record and 100 meter freestyle. The Premier and I had a wonderful opportunity of marching in a parade, celebrating her and other athletes this summer. Mr. Speaker, in 2015-16, Quest for Gold provided funding to 1,326 athletes from across Ontario. 119 Ontario Olympic athletes, 45 Paralympic athletes received direct funding from our Ministry of Tourism, Cultural and Sport through Quest for Gold. Athletes received funding through an objective ranking process and received up to $7,500 per year. And since 2006, Quest for Gold has supported over 5,000 Ontario athletes. Our Ontario athletes' success builds on their history of sports eclipses in the province in partnerships with municipalities and federal government. We showed the world the best at the Canadian hospitality diversity in our games, the Pan Am Games. The athletes filled for games was completed on time and under budget. It came along with sports venues which are now used on a repetitive basis all across Ontario. Thank you so much for the great work the athletes have done in Ontario. Thank all members for their statements.