 It is now time for a Member's Statements. A Member for Kitchener Centre. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Dear Government, every year winter comes and this year is no exception. The official opposition is student at this house fighting for a real poverty reduction strategy, telling you stories of people living rough, needing homes, needing help, of being left in the cold, literally. Last week in Kitchener Centre, the Working Centre, the House of Friendship and St. Mary's Church came together to ensure that shelter was available for those who needed it when the cold snap hit. What were you doing? Where were you when the cold hit? My community ensured that 100 people had shelter from the cold every night last week because the region of Waterloo's overflow shelter spaces were not available until November 25th. And with this government's cuts to municipalities, my community is and will remain in crisis after that date. I love and appreciate the community members who came together to address this crisis, but relying on municipalities to fund overflow shelters is not a solution. The people of Kitchener Centre need an affordable and a supportive housing strategy. We need a poverty reduction strategy. We need a government that does more than make superficial announcements. Like your gas pump stickers, your Band-Aid solutions aren't sticking. Do better, Ontario's watching. Member Statements. A Member for Tobacco Lakeshore. Thank you Mr. Speaker. On November the 14th, I was pleased to be part of a special fundraising event in my riding put on by our local riding association. The women's habitat is a 25 bed shelter for women who are fleeing violence. It has been in operation since 1978, and they are leaders in making sure that women and children fleeing domestic violence or the fear of violence have a safe place to stay. The work they do in the community providing support, counseling and advocacy for women is second to none. They offer a wide variety of programming for both women and children including shelter services, outreach services and have many other resources. Collectively, shelter staff speak 18 different languages to ensure that the language is not a barrier for anyone receiving service. Over 50 people participated in this event where they were asked to bring bedding and other brand new linens to help decorate the bedrooms of our local shelter. The event was held at Kool Brewery and we want to have a special thank you to Bobby Cracocas from Kool Brewery and company and all those who worked hard and volunteered to make this event such a success. November is domestic violence prevention month and violence against women transcends class, culture, race and ethnicity. I would like to commend women's habitat for the work they do and encourage all members to reach out and offer to help shelters in their ridings. They do life-saving work and they all need our support. Thank you. Member Statements. The member for Niagara Center. Thank you, Speaker. This past summer the Labor Movement lost a dedicated teacher, mentor and advocate in Audrey Makai. A journalism graduate of Connoisseur College, Waterloo, Audrey began her professional life as an intern for the Creative Arts Festival in Hamilton where she developed her skills in organization, promotion and communication. In keeping with her labor sensibilities, Audrey moved on to a lifelong career in the labor movement. For many years she worked for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union where she developed many bonds of friendship with colleagues and rooted her future path. Her subsequent years working for the Service Employees International Union, SEIU Healthcare, where I met her 20 years ago, allowed her to follow her calling to stand up for the rights and protection of people. Always the activist, Audrey's passion for education and women's rights drew the gratitude and admiration of many. A fearless fighter, Audrey was the best advocate to have by your side whether professionally or personally, to which many of those who grieve for passing can attest. Audrey taught leadership and steward training to healthcare workers and had a profound impact on the workers she came in contact with. She loved empowering young women. As a sister and aunt, sister-in-law, cousin, niece, colleague and as a friend, Audrey will be deeply missed. She had a distinctive style and intelligence and optimism and a raw sense of humor that always put things into perspective. Audrey was a colleague, a campaign manager and a friend of mine. Those who knew her will have the privilege of feeling her impact on their lives for years to come. May she rest in peace. Thank you. Member Statements, Member for Whitby. Thank you, Speaker. You'll know that many seniors face challenges accessing programs and services that support their safety, mental and physical health and well-being. That's why I'm pleased that the government is investing more than $77,000 to help seniors in Durham region stay active and socially connected. Of the total funding, Speaker, 25,000 is part of the seniors community grant program, which is providing $3 million to support more than 260 projects to benefit seniors in communities across the province. Now, Senior, more than $52,000 is being provided to the Whitby Seniors Activity Center as part of a $14.1 million investment to support more than 300 seniors active living center programs in Ontario. Speaker, these investments are great news for seniors and their families in Durham region. The support will go a long way in helping to keep seniors in Whitby active and socially connected, which has tremendous health benefits. Seniors will also have an opportunity, Speaker, to take part in activities and build social connections that they may not otherwise be able to do without this government support. Speaker, until remains committed, absolutely committed to protecting what matters most to seniors and their families. Thank you, Speaker. Member for Nickel Belt. Thank you, Speaker. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of Outfitters for my writings. Times are tough for these small businesses. Outfitters offer lodging, food, boats, and all the necessities for anglers and hunters. In my writing, many are water access only. They love what they do. They choose to live and do business in the bush with all the creatures that live out their way. But this government decision are putting this survival at risk. If you look at the Moose population, it seems that all that the government can do when the population decline is to cut the tag allocation. Everyone knows that the tag allocation is what makes or breaks an outfitter. There are other ways to protect these beautiful animals. For instance, last year, 14 Moose were killed on a stretch of a few kilometres of railroad track. Is the government doing anything to protect them? Nothing. We already have quite a bit of snow in my writing. How long before the carnage starts again this year? I can tell you that 14 Moose tags allocation would make a lot of Outfitters very happy. Why not look at the length of the season? Other provinces do it, not Ontario. Promote the Outfitters? Ontario government won't do that either. But what they do do is increase the price of a road sign from $153 to $480. This is a 300% increased speaker. When the government makes decisions that puts people out of business, they should take some responsibility and offer compensation. Or as one Outfitter said, who gives them the right to take our tags away and we should be compensated. I agree, Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements. Member for Scarborough, Guildwood. Thank you, Speaker. It's a privilege to rise in the House today and to recognise important work that YouthLink does to support at-risk youth in Scarborough. This past June, I had the honour of attending the grand opening of the new YouthLink shelter on Warden Avenue. It is the first and only youth shelter of its kind in Toronto, and I'm thrilled that it is accessible in Scarborough, providing both emergency beds and long-term beds for youth transitioning out of the foster care system. YouthLink is helping young adults prepare for the next phase of their lives by providing counselling, teaching, skills like cooking, baking and budgeting, and helping youth access education and training opportunities and providing assistance for finding permanent housing. These supports are unique to YouthLink's shelter and advance the long-term well-being of their clients so that they can get a good start in life. The City of Toronto has reported an average of 2.2 deaths per week of people experiencing homelessness in 2019. While the city is in the midst of a homelessness crisis, it is a real shame that under this government that we have stopped counting the number of homeless people on our streets in this province. This data is needed and required. YouthLink is providing 10 emergency beds and 41 transitional beds along with resources to help break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. As our temperatures drop, up to 51 young people will have a safe and healthy place to sleep this winter. Speaker, I want to thank Janice Hayes, Evan Back, the entire YouthLink team, the volunteers and donors who have made a real difference in the lives of so many young people who need it. Thank you. Member statements? Member for Thorne Hill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm pleased to rise and make a statement about an inspiring journey to keep the thoughts and stories of our Canadian veterans alive. Karen Hunter from Guelph is here today, and she's the daughter of a Canadian World War II veteran who served in the Netherlands. Inspired by her father's warm memory that he gave her on his 80th birthday, Karen hopes to rally 200 descendants of these Dutch liberators like herself to walk in their father's footsteps in May 2020. The event will commemorate Canada's liberation of the Netherlands 75 years ago. The group will walk 60 kilometres of the research routes of the Canadian troops in what they're calling platoons with professional guides. They will hold candlelight vigils and flower ceremonies at Canadian War Cemetery and monuments. They will also celebrate the veteran's legacy of freedom and friendship with the Dutch at Liberation Festivals. They will eat from mesquits, plant maple seedlings and dedicate a memory box. The highlight will be their walk into Hethelieu Palace in Appeljourn, where they will be met by Princess Margaret of the Netherlands. Karen believes that it's now up to these veterans descendants the next generation to carry the torch of remembrance for them. Information about the event can be found on the website in our FathersFootsteps.com. They can also be found on Facebook in our Fathers Footsteps. Join the World War II Dutch pilgrimage and Twitter at www... Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. That's amazing. Member Statements, the Member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today as a mother of a newborn to discuss a topic that is all too often overlooked, maternal mental health. The physical recovery of childbirth is already difficult, but the process of postpartum mental health recovery is equally harrowing. Mothers must try to heal physically and mentally from their childbirth. While enduring sleepless nights and managing the exhausting day-to-day of newborn care. But there is so much more pressure than that. Somewhere right now, a mother is feeling a deep sense of failure as someone admonishes her for feeding her baby from a bottle. What they don't know is that she already wept at the checkout line when she bought her formula for her hungry baby after struggling and failing to breastfeed. Somewhere right now, a mother of a newborn to breastfeed. Somewhere right now, a mother is desperately trying to keep up with the mental load of household. Ensuring her safety and wellness for family, remembering birthdays, school events, dentist appointments, helping aging family members, maybe while working a full-time job. Those around her don't realize she's been ignoring her own health issues for months. Mothers often bear the judgment from others for every choice they make for their child. It takes a village to raise their child, and yet in today's world, we often find ourselves parenting in isolation. Community can be a luxury that many mothers don't have the time or resource to seek. What community we do find may be cruel and judgmental. Maternal mental health cannot be a luxury. To all mothers out there, I want to say, I know you're doing your best. Remind yourself what your child or children already know. You're the best mama in the whole world. Thank you very much. Member's statements. The member for Brampton West. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. November 14th each year is marked as World Diabetes Day, which is the primary global awareness campaign focusing on diabetes mellitus worldwide. Diabetes is the major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and lower limb amputation. Over 425 million people are currently living with diabetes, and most of these cases are due to diabetes, which is largely preventable through regular physical activity, a healthy and balanced diet, and the promotion of healthy living environments. It is important to note that one in two people currently living with diabetes are undiagnosed, therefore early diagnosis through regular screening and treatment for complications are key to prevent the complications of diabetes and achieve healthy outcomes. All families are potentially affected by diabetes, and so awareness of the symptoms and risk factors for all types of diabetes are vital to help detected early. However, some statistics show that less than one in four family members have access to diabetes education programs. It is important that families must be provided with the education, resources, and environments to live a healthy lifestyle because family support in diabetes care has been shown to have a substantial effect in improving health outcomes for people with diabetes. And this could reduce the emotional impact of the disease that can result in a negative quality of life. Let's spread awareness for diabetes to combat this silent killer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements, member for Burlington. Thank you so much, Speaker. November 11, 2019 marked the 100th anniversary of the first Remembrance Day across the Commonwealth. Today, Remembrance Day provides an opportunity to remember and remember veterans from the First and Second World Wars, the wars in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo, and more recent conflicts like the war in Afghanistan, Speaker. Operations enduring freedom, the Libyan Civil War and the ongoing battle against ISIS. In Burlington, the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 60, led a unique project that honoured our local veterans by placing banners with the names and pictures of veterans on the light stands along Grant Street. These banners were held for veterans at Billings Court and Grant Long-Term Care Facility. This tradition began 25 years ago in partnership between the Burlington MPP Cam Jackson and Bill Reed, formerly known as the Singing Veteran. For the last 31 years, commuters from Applebee Go Station have heard Bill singing wartime songs while pinning on their poppy speaker. On Sunday, the Burlington Cadets began their overnight vigil at the Burlington Center Taft to remember the men and women who fought for the values and freedoms of the United States of America. This was followed by a touching ceremony led by our Branch 60 Legion at the Center Taft at Burlington City Hall. It was heartwarming to see so many people out to remember the sacrifices in Burlington and Burlington. It was an honor to be part of this ceremony. It was an honor to be part of this ceremony. It was an honor to be part of this ceremony. It was an honor to be part of this ceremony. It was a honor to be part of this ceremony. I had never heard of this ceremony. It was very exciting to see so many people out to remember the sacrifices and veterans made in service to our country. The Halton Navy Veterans Association held a lunch that was absolutely delicious as well. To me, veterans are our heroes. They were the ordinary people who do extraordinary things to veterans. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Reports by committees.