 Now we have member statements and the first member statement goes to the member from Kingston and the islands Thank you so much speaker I'd like to stand and take a moment today to congratulate the Kingston front and athletics and Addington United Way I'm delighted to stand and tell the house that the United Way of KFL and a Blue pass is three point six million dollar goal raising three point eight million dollars in the 2021 campaign This incredible milestone and testament to the critical and is a testament to the critical work that the KFL and a United Way does under the steadfast leadership of President CEO Bhavna Varma in 2020 when things shut down the community needs didn't disappear and for many they actually increased and the United Way moved Nimbly to support agencies and meet emerging needs They made sure kids who relied on school lunch programs got those same lunches at home They supported low-income seniors facing an increased cost of living during the pandemic They increased support because of demand for counseling and supports for sexual assault and domestic violence as the months past the KFL And a united way has spearheaded collaboration amongst agencies Experts and all levels of government helping the community Navigate the concurrent crises of the pandemic and an opioid epidemic facing Kingston's most vulnerable populations They've been instrumental in Kingston's situational response team and spearheaded the homelessness collective impact committee at a time when frontline Staff were working flat out to make sure Kingston's donians were okay during the pandemic to Bhavna and the United Way team Thank you for everything that you do The next member statement the member from Scarborough Asian court Good morning, mr. Speaker It is my great honor to stand up here today at this August house To pay tribute to an outstanding resident of the Scarborough a gentleman who is a statement Mentor community leader a beloved father grandfather and devoted Husband mr. Speaker. I am speaking about none other than the minister of seniors and accessibility Who celebrated his 30 years of public service on December 1st? He was first elected to the Metro Toronto Council in 1991 Since then he continues to serve his constituency diligently with passion and vigor People love the Scarborough North member because they know they can trust him and they can count on him to defend their interest His devotion to his community and the people of the Scarborough is legendary He will not leave a stone unturned to help the most vulnerable in our society It is a distinct privilege for me to know Minister Joe and work with him as a campaign volunteer and as a colleague in this Legislator, I have learned so much from his humble soul His dedication and commitment for the betterment of our province and country is inspiring and trendsetting Congratulations to the minister on this milestone. I wish him health Happiness and many more years of service to the people of the Scarborough and Ontario. Thank you Thank you. The next member statement the member for Windsor West Thank you, Speaker I rise today to wish my constituents in Windsor West as well as all Ontarians a happy holiday season as many of us Will gather with family and friends over the next few weeks. I want to remind everyone to celebrate safely We must ensure that we continue to social distance and keep our gatherings small this year as we all get through this pandemic together All of us must follow the public health directives to ensure a great holiday season I want to recognize the many individuals in this province that will be unable to have a joyous holiday celebration as they face Financial hardship well with this government's refusal to provide livable social assistance rates or wages Many people are struggling to afford housing or food let alone holiday gifts and celebrations I want to thank the folks at the Windsor youth center the downtown mission the salvation army of Windsor the hiatus house The welcome center shelter the unemployed health center and many other local community organizations That have stepped up to help the residents in Windsor during the holidays and beyond this year Food banks shelters and outreach groups will see a rise in need as more families seek assistance this year If you have the availability and means I ask that you consider donating to local organizations and sharing your holiday chair with Those that need it the most this year. I had the pleasure of participating in the annual Windsor Santa Claus parade this past Saturday It was wonderful to connect with the residents of Windsor Essex and celebrate alongside my community I wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season and a prosperous new year The next member statement the member for Markham Thornhill Thank You mr. Speaker in October our government launched the official COVID-19 QR code and the made in Ontario verification app verified Ontario these tools are an easier more secure and Convenient way for individuals to provide proof of vaccination and for businesses and organizations to verify vaccine certificates Were required to do so on October 27th and 28th My office organized a help desk at Moffill Mall to help Markham Union will Constituents download their QR code directly to their phones My team and I had a great time assisting our constituents and responding to their inquiries regarding the QR code As of December 3rd the QR code has reached over 1.53 million downloads Mr. Speaker our province is making steady progress with COVID-19 vaccine rolled out with over 87% of Ontarians 12 plus fully vaccinated and the eligibility for the booster shot expand for individuals 850 and over For additional high-risk individuals with confirmed cases of Omicron variants in Ontario I urge all Ontarians to remain vigilant Let's continue to follow public health and workplace safety measures together. We will get through the pandemic. Thank you, mr. Speaker Thank you very much speaker I rise to a congratulated group of students speaker from Sinclair College, but also the University of Windsor who recently competed in a business development competition That was the brainchild of local resident Richard Petty Richard as many know as the former President of Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment and is now a resident of Amesburg of the cherished resident who's done so much in economic development growth and vitalization of Of our community so Richard put up a $10,000 prize $5,000 and also working with the the berry and Stephanie Zuckerman Foundation to create a $10,000 prize for business students at Sinclair College and the University of Windsor to come up with real-world solutions to support the downtown Expressel cafe and their revitalization that is owned by Rimo and Renee de more so a group of students From Sinclair College won the $10,000. I want to give them a shout out Trevor Romeri Bethany Del Monte Samantha Hulinsky Shen Chen and nor Al Cara Gully They are the grand prize winners, but we all win when we Harness the power of local students talent innovation Initiative and incentivize them to be problem-solvers in our community speaker The all this to say that we've got great local economic development in our small communities I urge everyone over the holidays to visit and support these businesses Shop local get to downtown Amesburg and all the wonderful hamlets in Essex County And ever to ever each and every one in the house and all across Ontario Merry Christmas. Happy New Year's. We wish you well. Thank you The next member statement, I believe the member for Guelph. Good morning speaker This morning in response to request. I made the financial accountability officer Released an alarming report on the financial risks and costs that the climate crisis will have on public Infrastructure the cost of increased rainfall and heat on our schools our recreation centers and other public buildings I called for this report because we need to be honest with the people of Ontario About the cost of the climate crisis We need to be honest with people about the cost to adapt and we need to be clear About the importance of crushing climate pollution to reduce these costs the report was very clear The cost of inaction far exceeds the cost of climate action the impact of extreme Rainfall and heat will cost public buildings alone an additional six billion dollars this decade and on top of that an additional 116 billion dollars this century if we don't crush climate pollution and speaker this was only for public buildings and Only for a limited number of risks, which didn't include things like flooding So speaker we have a moral and fiscal Responsibility to act on the climate crisis now We simply cannot waste billions on infrastructure that will supercharge sprawl Pollution climate risk and climate costs we need to act now Thank you next member statement the member for Brampton West Thank you, Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker December 6th mark the national day of remembrance and action on violence against women It's it has been over 30 years since the truly heartbreaking echo polytechnic massacre has taken place The national day of remembrance and action on violence against women is about remembering those who have experienced gender-based violence And those who we have lost to it on December 6 1989 a shooter entered an entering class at polytechnic Montreal and Opened fire killing 14 young women this attack was led by vicious sexist and Missing misogyny intent and no women should ever feel threatened or being fear of their safety at any public institution Such as school or the workplace because they're women as We mourn the lives of those lost We must reaffirm our commitment to fight the misogynistic and sexist fueled hatred that led to this tragic event in Canada and around the world women are still victims of unacceptable gender-based violence It is our duty to address this gender-based violence as it is absolutely has no place in our society I encourage everyone to educate themselves and their loved ones on violence against women and to speak up and take action Against potentially harmful behavior We must do everything in our capabilities to empower women and and the negative social constructs that belittle our sisters Mothers and daughters. Thank you, Mr. Speaker member statements the member of St. Catherine's Protecting our loved ones and ensuring our seniors receive the care They deserve is that the center of everything that I have been motivated by these past few years? You see each Christmas holiday I traveled to about 35 senior centers and long-term care homes across St. Catherine's bringing a poissette to mark the holidays but also just to check in this month I was pleased to have Attended so many homes already Tabor Manor Garden City Manor hide-a-hoff and many many more It is a pleasure to make these visits and talk to the PSWs the RPNs the RNs and all of the health care staff that have stood strong through this pandemic We too often hear the words from this conservative government about getting the shovels in the ground and yet report after report Like the one last week shows that the government is not doing what it can to fix long-term care They're fast enough money unspent promises that show little commitment today outside of press conferences and news releases After decades of inaction by the previous governments Speaker it is not enough to fix long-term care and ensure our seniors get the quality of care They need for 2025 or 2028 they need it now and we can do that So I am reporting back from my visits to these homes from this our seniors that built our province from the staff That are still working so hard to make this system work today They deserve actions with equal urgency not promises that may never deliver real actions The next member statement The member for Ren Free Nipissing Pembert. Thank you speaker Last Friday I had a fascinating visit to the Algonquin radio observatory my hosts Caroline Roberts and Brendan Queen Quine of Toth Technology gave me an absolutely amazing tour of the facility as well as explaining in layman's terms Some of the unique and specialized services they are providing to clients while most people probably aren't aware of its existence The arrow continues to perform critical scientific work And it's happening right here in our backyard on Lake Travair in Algonquin Park in addition to being informed of its scientific Capabilities, I also had the really special experience of examining the guest book from May 1970 and Finding it in it the signatures of Morris Hamilton MPP rent-for-north and my father Paul Jakobusky who was then the MPP for rent-for-self It certainly would have been the latest cutting-edge technology at that time What's significant is that it remains vital today over 50 years later on another note My wife and I attended the Santa Claus Parade in Petawawa where there were literally thousands of people Lining the streets the parade was great The floats were amazing But was the most exciting for Vic and I was the number of young children waiting anxiously for St. Nicholas himself Petawawa being home to the largest army base in the country brings with it the wonder of all those young families In keeping with that spirit I want to wish everyone here in the chamber and all across this great country a blessed and merry Christmas and the very best in 2022 That concludes our member statements for this morning I'm very pleased to inform the house that Paige Isabella Sermon from the riding of beaches East York is to is one of today's page captains And we have with us today at Queen's Park her mother Sarah Cahill welcome to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario And I would like to ask for the attention of the house at this time One of our table clerks in Parliamentary Council is going to be retiring at the end of this month Peter Sipinek has worked at the Legislative Assembly for over 32 years Peter began his career as a procedural clerk in 1989 and went on to the position of a procedural research clerk After a brief succumb in at the office of the integrity commissioner as a research consultant Peter returned to the Legislative Assembly and has resumed his post as procedural research clerk and then as table research clerk He has been in the role of Parliamentary Council since 2014 and was appointed to the table in 2020 on a personal note I have always valued and appreciated Peter's professionalism and his knowledge of parliamentary practice and procedure Relying often on his sage advice and understanding of Parliament as I attempt to preside over this assembly His family is here with us today in the Speaker's Gallery his wife Jillian Lynn Davies and his sons Jasper and Josh Peter thank you for your exemplary service to Ontario's Parliament and enjoy your well-deserved retirement Thank you Understand the government host leader has a point of order Thank You mr. Speaker mr. Speaker if you seek it you'll find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements and remembrance for the late Dr. Betty M. Stevenson with five minutes allotted to Her Majesty's loyal opposition Five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to Her Majesty's government German host leader is seeking the unanimous consent of the house to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Dr. Betty Stevenson with five minutes allotted to Her Majesty's loyal opposition Five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to Her Majesty's government agreed? Agreed. I recognize the member for Davenport. Thank you, Speaker. First of all, I want to say how truly honored I am to have the opportunity and the privilege of speaking here in the legislature as we mark the passing of Dr. Betty Stevenson. There are certainly few others who have blazed more trails than Dr. Stevenson. She opened so many doors for women in politics, in medicine. Her story is extraordinary and her achievements are many. First female minister of labor in Ontario history. First female minister of education in Ontario history. First female minister of colleges and universities in Ontario history. First female minister of finance in Ontario history. First female president of the Ontario Medical Association. First female president of the Canadian Medical Association. And on top of that, she delivered about 5,000 babies. As Steve Pakin has written, she was a force of nature. That forceful personality dated back to her childhood. When she was five, she wanted to start school, but school didn't start till six. So she hectered her parents until they caved in and gave up. It was also at five that Dr. Betty decided that she was going to be a doctor. At that time, people were telling her women don't become doctors. They become nurses because there were no women doctors, but she wasn't going to put up with that. Yes, there are. She would respond. I don't know any, but I think they're there. By 1941, Dr. Betty became the only girl in her high school graduating class at Earl Hague Secondary to go on to university. She wanted to go straight into school for her chosen profession. Again, she decided already on medicine, but the rules at the University of Toronto were that you had to be 18 to enroll at med schools, and she didn't have the $680 tuition. So what did she do? She camped outside the Dean's office of the University of Toronto Medical School, insisting on being admitted one year early at 17. She impressed the Dean so much that not only did he let her in, he helped arrange coverage of her tuition. It's pretty clear that nobody was going to succeed in opposing Dr. Betty from even those earliest days, and when she married another med student, Alan, she told him she intended to have six children, and indeed, they did. Four boys, two girls. In 1962, Dr. Betty was now also the first female board member of the OMA, and by 1970, it's first female president. She famously crossed swords with Pierre Trudeau as part of the Canadian Medical Association Special Committee when she tried to have abortion removed from the criminal code. Trudeau confirmed he'd do so, but then at some point changed his mind, and when new legislation was introduced, abortion remained illegal. Dr. Stevenson was furious. She later talked about how she confronted Trudeau at an event about his broken promises. She said he would just deny that he'd ever made the commitment, but from her story of those interactions, it made it pretty clear that she wasn't backing down. Sadly, it wasn't until 1988 when the Supreme Court ruled abortion law unconstitutional that she got her way. When she was elected as a conservative to the Ontario Legislature in 1975, Bill Davis didn't waste much time making her the Minister of Labor. He thought her background as a doctor would help in some of the health and safety law reforms that were underway. Later juggling the education and colleges and universities roles, her workload increased, and so did the opposition to some of her positions. One day at a speech at the University of Waterloo defending tuition increases, a student protester shoved a lemon meringue pie in her face. She cleaned herself up, carried on, but when she went to York University for her next address, she came prepared. You'll see that at this time I have come with my own pie, she said, placing it on the lectern, and I'm pretty good aim. Betty's cutting edge leadership as Minister influenced many educators' work hugely. Dave Cook, former Minister of Education reminds me that as Minister of Education Colleges and Universities from 1978 to 1985, she established the secondary education review project and introduced a new blueprint for Ontario's secondary schools. She was also responsible for establishing the Bovee Commission on post-secondary funding in Ontario and introduced legislation establishing a program for funding for special education to serve vulnerable students better. Dave also shared how she used to love sitting in the legislative dining room talking with the interns, inspiring so many of them. Dave even appointed her to the board that oversaw the setup and design of EQAO when he was Minister and he talks with great admiration about her control of the files as Minister, her great interjections in the legislature, and her contribution to public education. She made it clear to Dave that she wouldn't be messing around if she joined that board. Indeed, her only question to him when he asked her to sit on the board was, is this a political maneuver or is this about real public policy? And only when Dave assured her it was the latter, did she agree to serve. He says to me, Betty was a warm and caring person, tough as nails in question period, but a really caring person who loved kids and public education. Richard Johnston, an MPP with Betty and the first chair of EQAO, has set his first and favourite memory of many was when she was so ticked off with a line of questioning from Dave Cook in Social Development Committee discussion of the education budget that she actually poured water from a water jug on him. Needless to say, the three of them remained fast friends. I'm going to wrap up by sharing something that Joan Green, who for many in this province is really a titan in education and she gave the eulogy at Betty's funeral and was kind enough to share some memories with me as well. She told me that once she left office, Betty continued to forge new paths in public service and focus on education in one form or another whether in the service of the province's children or in support of medical research and the continuous learning of those in healthcare. Joan also shared that Dr. Betty's father's advice was as follows, always leave the place you are in better than you found it. How many, many places and how many, many people have benefited because Betty took that advice to heart. Thank you, Dr. Stevenson, to her family and friends and may she rest in peace. Thank you. Member for Scarborough Gilding. Thank you, Speaker. Well, my friend Joan Green would tell many stories about Dr. Betty Stevens and she even wrote about her in a chapter in her book, Northern Lights Outstanding Canadian Women. So I'm absolutely thrilled to rise in this house and speak about Dr. Betty Stevens, trailblazer, founder and leader in medicine and politics. Born in July, on July 31st, 1924, she was the daughter of Carl and Mildred, wife of Dr. G. Allen Pengali, mother of six, a grandmother and great-grandmother to numerous children. Her story is one that reminds us that we as women can do anything that we want to, and we do have the power to make fundamental change and make our province better than we found it. She is known for breaking doors and shattering ceilings throughout her life and her career. Dr. Stevenson fought to get where she was at a very early age. Her pathway to education began with badgering her father to go to school until he enrolled her at an early age of five. She began kindergarten one year ahead of the recommended age at the time. In her words, it was clear to me that persistence paid off when the cause was worthy. After she finished high school, she went on to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a doctor at the University of Toronto, once again breaking those doors that were challenging her. She did not know any women who were doctors, but she believed that they were out there. She went on to be a pioneer in medicine, including as a founding member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, holding various roles there, including president of the medical staff. She also served as president of the Ontario Medical Association and president of the Canadian Medical Association. She held Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau to his word as a staunch advocate for removing abortion from the criminal code. Dr. Stevenson never planned to run for office. Her predecessor called her three times to seek the nomination in her writing, and each time she refused. When Premier Bill Davis asked her to run, it was her family who finally persuaded her to seek the nomination for the person that she was, someone who was loyal to her word, full of integrity and generosity, and someone they knew would make a remarkable difference in public life. And indeed, she did. As the first female Minister of Labor Education, Colleges and Universities Finance, Chair of Management Board of Cabinet, and Deputy Premier. She also facilitated the passage of Bill 82, the Special Education Act, to assist the needs of vulnerable children, and she chaired Ontario's Innovation Trust and Ontario Cancer Institute. Dr. Stevenson was also a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario, and in 2013, she was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. In 2002, I got to meet Dr. Betty Stevenson at a luncheon for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Sheridan College in Oakville. It was there that I sat beside Dr. Stevenson, enraptured by her many stories and the passion that she had for education. Thank you, Dr. Stevenson, for inspiring so many as you broke and shattered those glass ceilings. You were a woman who was always ahead of her time. Our province is indeed a better place than you found it in innumerable ways because you chose to serve the public here in Ontario. Thank you. The Member for Guelph. Thank you, Speaker. I'm honored today to rise and pay tribute to Dr. Betty Stevenson, a true trailblazer, and by all accounts, a force of nature. I'm not going to repeat the many accomplishments that my colleagues have outlined, but I will have to say that Premier Davis, when he appointed Dr. Stevenson as Minister of Labor, the first woman to hold that position, he gave her many reasons why, but one of them was that my staff recommended against it and how right the Premier was and how wrong his staff was because Dr. Stevenson was an extraordinary cabinet minister known for her sharp wit and her ability to answer questions quickly. In response to one question about a pulp and paper strike in Northern Ontario, she said, the answer to your questions are yes, no, and perhaps, and in that order. That was it. Not the kind of response you oftentimes hear today in question, period. Dr. Stevenson was a trailblazing doctor, a model MPP, and Ontario is a better province because of her service. And I want to thank Dr. Stevenson's family for sharing us, sharing her with us. Thank you, Speaker. Next, we have the member for Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is great pleasure and an honor to pay tribute on behalf of the government to Dr. Betty Stevenson, who lived from 1924 to August 2019 and was, among other things, the member of Provincial Parliament for York Mills. For many, being elected as a member of Parliament is the highlight of their career. For Betty Stevenson, her 1975 election under Premier Bill Davis was merely another step in an amazing journey of accomplishment and firsts. Her accomplishments did not begin nor end through elected office and through her contributions to Ontario. As we have heard at the age of five, yes, five, Betty Stevenson knew that she wanted to be a doctor, but was disappointed when she was told she could only start school at six. It took me, frankly, until I was eight to decide I wanted to be a lawyer, and I thought that was pretty precocious, but she was there at five. So an amazing lady. People told her that women at this time become nurses, not doctors. But since her parents had told her that she could do anything that she wanted, a doctor it was. Starting in grade nine, she won awards for Elocution. In 1939, when she was in grade 12, when Hitler invaded Poland and started World War II, having read mine comf, she won her school's public speaking award, warning against the evils of Adolf Hitler. She was the only Fiamma graduate of her high school to go on to university. She wanted to go to U of T medical school, but was only 17, not 18 as required, and she did not have the tuition. So she waited outside of the Dean's office for hours. And not only did she get to go to medical school at 17, but she got the tuition waived. Clearly, no obstacle was going to stop Dr. Betty Stevenson. And this is the thing that I most admire about her and what I most want to say about her. She was feisty. She had an indomitable, invincible spirit, and her many accomplishments simply attest to that spirit. She graduated from medical school and was one of only 10 women in her class of 142. She became a doctor in 1946 and excelled as a leader in that field during her 40-year medical career. And we've heard some of those accomplishments, founding the College of Physicians and Surgeons, sorry, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, first chief of the family medicine department at Women's College Hospital, first woman to be elected to the board of the Ontario Medical Association. She served as the first president to the OMA, the first female president to the Canadian Medical Association, where she was also the first to go on a medical delegation to the People's Republic of China. Betty Stevenson's accomplishments in medicine alone make her life remarkable. However, she was not just a doctor. As I said, she became an MPP in 1975. And as in medicine, she broke barriers in politics, continuing to add to a long list of firsts in our province's history. In the government to Bill Davis, Dr. Stevenson served as the first female minister of labour, where she brought her skills in medicine to bear, helping to establish the division of health and safety. Later as the first female minister of education, colleges and universities, she took on some challenges. At one university, speaking about a tuition increase, as we have heard, a student protester put a pie in her face. The audience was aghast. But an undaunted Dr. Stevenson finished and at the next university she spoke at, as we have heard, she went to the podium killing her own pie. And she indicated to the audience that she was quite prepared to deploy it if needed, which thankfully it was not. In education, she established the first funding program for special education in the province of Ontario, way ahead of her time. Before ending her long and accomplished career in government, Betty Stevenson would serve as the first female treasurer of Ontario, as well as the first female deputy premier of Ontario under Premier Frank Miller. With such a long and illustrious career in two highly demanding fields, it's no surprise that she received many honours in her lifetime. And these included the highest honours a Canadian and Ontarian can receive with the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario. She was also honoured as Woman of the Year by Bene Breath. In addition to all of this, she had six children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, too many to name today. And when asked if she was a feminist, she replied, I am a humanist and if that happens to leave a few men behind, well, so be it. Dr. Betty Stevenson was a force to be reckoned with and Ontario was blessed to have her. As the only other Ontario Female Finance Minister, Janet Eckers said, quote, she could be tough without being nasty, firm without being stubborn, direct but always professional and you always knew where you stood with her. It was clear hers was a life well lived and well worth remembering. It was a life of duty, accomplishment and service to her community and her family. Her life is an inspiration to all Ontarians. Thanks to her family and to Dr. Betty Stevenson for having served us all so well. Thank you. I want to thank the members for those tributes. We all of us give thanks for the life and public service of Dr. Betty Stevenson.