 We are a minute or so early for a Member's Statements, but with your permission, we can move the agenda long-rate into Member's Statements, and we'll move to the Member from Meshkegawak James Payne. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk of the outbreak of COVID in the long-term care in Kappus case. The outbreak only ended on the 24th of February. Despite constant appeals to this government to act in a proactive manner, we saw a lot of problems and that caused 16 lives in the community. Of the resident in this home died, 90% of the resident, 19 staff, contracted the virus. Families were broken by the lack of measures, by the absence of clear and transparent communication. I've heard frontline workers cry for help because they were scared and overwhelmed. I've heard from families whose loved ones did not get the baths for days and days that did not get medication or food for hours. And yet, time and again, we were told staffing levels were stable, the situation was under control, that it was business as usual. That was far from being true. Before I finish, I want to thank the frontline workers, health care partners in the region and the community in general for their dedication, their solidarity during a difficult outbreak. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next Member's statement, the Member for Perth Wellington. Good. The Speaker, today I want to mention two of our most accomplished community leaders. And Perth Wellington there are leading the effort to keep the rest of us healthy. And today, the day after International Women's Day, I should mention, they just happen to be women. Dr. Nicola Mercer is Medical Officer of Health for Wellington Duffing Wealth Public Health. The publication of Municipal World just recognized her with the Women of Influence and Local Government Award. A well-deserved honor. They noted that Dr. Mercer was the first medical officer to mandate face coverings indoors. She took some heat, but others soon followed her lead. In a dark time, Dr. Mercer chooses to focus on the positive. The article states that the positive focus is something she has relied on throughout her medical career. After all, she went to a medical school at a time when other women were few and far between. My constituents are fortunate to have Dr. Mercer's positive, forward-thinking leadership in a time like this. The second public servant I want to acknowledge today is Dr. Miriam Klassen, Medical Officer of Health for here in Perth Public Health. I've known Dr. Klassen for many years. I don't think she's taken a day off since this pandemic started. When asked where she finds passion for her career, Dr. Klassen responded, you can really make changes. You can really make changes for an entire generation. They didn't ask for a pandemic. They didn't ask for papers every day. They didn't ask for papers every day. We need them and we thank them. Thank you, Speaker. Member statements? Member for London Fanshawe. Thank you, Speaker. It's been two years since this government essentially blew up the Ontario Autism Program. And since then, the wait list for OAP has ballooned to 42,000 kids and continues to have children age out of qualifying for autism program. The children who have been receiving care have suffered a reduction in services, clinics have closed and families are at their wits and hoping that their interim funding won't run out. It's been over a month since the Ford government announced the revamped OAP. And we still have more questions and answers. The Minister touts that this is a needs-based program but can't confirm that it will be clinicians and not bureaucrats that will get the final word. There's no confirmation on the appeals process, no specific strategy for Northern Ontario, indigenous and racialized folks, no mention of adults with autism. The Ministry of Community and Social Services called together an advisory panel only to ignore its recommendations. There has been a bottleneck of kids without access to programming for years. These age caps will not meet their needs. This is a problem this government created and yet refuses to solve it. Every parent of a child with autism will tell you that every day matters. I have spoken to these families and many of those meetings and in tears. Parents are forced to remortgage their homes, go further into debt, work multiple jobs, travel for hours to make sure their kids get the therapies they need. They've been going above and beyond to do their part. It's time for the government to step up and to commit to a truly needs-based model that leaves no kid behind. Families depend on you getting this right now. Thank you. Member statements. Member for Ajax. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledging International Women's Day, which we celebrated yesterday, and the strong women that make Ajax and Durham the great place that it is today. As the Minister of Children and Women's Issues acknowledged in her statement yesterday, I would also like to thank the women in this legislature who do serve their communities, the people of Ontario and Canada so well. Turning to my community, Mr. Speaker, since its founding, women have played an important role in Ajax. During the Second World War, Defence Industries International was a munitions complex in what is now Ajax and employed thousands of women from across Canada. These women, or bomb girls, as they became popularly known, were young women who worked for years, producing heavy artillery shells, anti-aircraft ammunition that helped Canada and the Allied Forces win the Second World War. In 1947, following the war, DIL's site gave birth to the community of Ajax. It's a place that so many people call home today. I'm proud to have been present in September of 2018 when Tim Schmaltz's Mormon monument that pays tribute to the efforts and contributions of the bomb girls was unveiled at Pat Bailey Square. Louise Johnson, who will be celebrating her 100th birthday this June, was at the ceremony and she helped spare her the commissioning of the installation and the monument that tribute all women in Canada's work. Mr. Speaker, the contributions of women in my community have never stopped over the years and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of them and women across Canada for the contributions that they make to making our country and our province great. Next member's statement, the member for Kitchener Center. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week, while the government prepared an awareness bill on sickle cell in Thalassemia, I was contacted by Reverend Regina Ward Provost. Regina wrote, I'm dealing with some serious systemic racism to the point where I'm being weaned off of my pain meds as a sickle cell patient. When I called Regina, she explained that she was struggling. She was on ODSP and during the pandemic she had fallen behind in her bills and her rent. Without healthcare professionals understanding what to look for to diagnose sickle cell, Regina had been misdiagnosed time and time again. But in May 2019, she met a doctor who understood her illness and for two years, she participated in a specialized clinic to help her manage her pain. And then a visit to a hospital in St. Catherine's changed everything. She was deemed a drug seeker. They didn't believe the intensity of her pain and they placed a call to the clinic. She was banned from accessing any services from the program. Regina is palliative now. And even as she walks this leg of her sickle cell journey, she is fighting for the sickle cell protocol that was developed by experts and people with sickle cell to be made mandatory for all hospitals across the province. The Liberals didn't implement it and now conservatives are making posters. Posters will not save Regina or others who are suffering these indignities in our healthcare system. But you know what will help, Mr. Speaker? The immediate implementation of the sickle cell protocol across all of our hospitals. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Flamborough Glenbrook. Thank you and good morning, Mr. Speaker. I want to take some time this morning to brag about my hometown of Hamilton's popularity with movie and television producers. Last year alone, 32 film and television companies brought their productions to Hamilton. And this year, that trend continues with about half a dozen shoots already in production. Broadcasts and streaming giants such as Netflix, CBS, Lifetime and Disney have chosen Hamilton for their products. For example, the very popular and my favorite series, The Handmaid's Tale, has been shooting scenes for its fourth season at Hutch's Beach Boulevard landmark. In fact, Hamilton landmarks attract attention from many, many producers. The superhero show, The Umbrella Academy, has been shooting at Dundurn Castle, Leuna Station, Gage Park, Ottawa Street, and Diamonds Farm Market in my riding of Flamborough Glenbrook. The crime drama, In the Dark, was filming at the Hamilton Airport in January. And the Netflix fantasy Slumberland is filming at Mohawk College. The director of that production, Francis Lawrence, also directed The Hunger Games. Hamilton has a thriving film industry. A massive, multi-million dollar studio is set to open this year inside an old manufacturing site. Aeon Studio Group is planning a 14-acre film and television production hub. It's a Hollywood North Dream. Hamilton is the third largest film cluster in Canada, employing thousands of people. I'm so proud. Thank you. Thank you. Member statements? The member for Kiwetnaw. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Since February 1, 2021, I have been to fly in First Nations across Kiwetnaw to support the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. There was a vaccine hesitancy in some First Nations and its members. There was hesitancy because First Nations people have never been in front of the line when it comes to services like health care. We're always in the back of the line, Mr. Speaker. But most of our communities, because most of our communities do not have access to full-time doctors, clinics, pharmacies, or even clean running water. I knew I had to help because people were unsure that the vaccine was safe and that it must be taken to protect the health of our families, our languages, and our way of life. It took many people to make the vaccine rollout in our communities happen. Miigwech through the vaccine teams and especially those in our communities who made sure everyone was on the list to be vaccinated and that the clinics were ready to go. I'd like to do a shout-out to Orange and Dr. Humor Tian and all the doctors and the nurses who came up north, many for the first time, Mr. Speaker, to vaccinate the people. It is a relief to know that we've completed phase one. The vaccination, however, cannot roll out to replace the vast disparities to health care access for the people that people face. But Operation Remote Immunity is a move in the right directions. Miigwech. Thank you very much. The next member's statement, the member for Guelph. Morning, Speaker. This weekend I had the honour of speaking at a protest march against the government's plans to destroy the Lower Duffins Creek wetland. It is clear that people do not want wetlands paved over. They don't want their homes and businesses threatened by flooding. They want their drinking water and the Great Lakes protected. People are disgusted by the government's lack, utter lack of concern for the environment. They are asking why the Premier and the MPP for Pickering are not listening to their concerns. Why the government is taking such extreme measures to overturn decades of planning laws and environmental protections to benefit a deep-ocketed developer? Why the government has failed in its duty to consult the Mississaugas of the Skugog Island First Nation? Just yesterday the government released, put out a release on the Ontario flooding strategy, which clearly points out the importance of maintaining existing wetlands to protect us from flooding. So why is the minister forcing the TRCA to issue a development permit by March 12th to destroy a wetland against all evidence? I'm strongly urging the government to listen to the people, to listen to the people who want this MZO revoked, to listen to the people who want Duffins Creek protected, to listen to the people who don't want their homes and businesses put at risk due to flooding. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Chatham, Kent Leamington. Thank you very much, Speaker. 100 years. You know, a lot can happen in 100 years. And less than 100 years ago, you know, we witnessed the invention of the TV, the Great Depression, Prohibition World War II, putting the first man on the moon, a nuclear arms race, the expansion of the internet, cell phones, self-driving cars. It's incredible. Now imagine if you were alive to see all of that. That will be the case for 99-year-old Marion Sonnen from my writing of Chatham, Kent Leamington. On Sunday morning, February 28th, Marion was excited to receive her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the John D. Bradley Center. Marion now lives by herself at the Chatham Retirement Resort, having lost her husband August, Augie Sonnen. They were married for 75 years, and she lost him about four years ago. She is excited to be able to see her grand and great-grandchildren more often now as she will be more protected during the pandemic. Marion will be turning 100 on April 5th. This isn't Marion's first pandemic, though. When she was young, she and her family were alive during the third wave of the Spanish flu outbreak, to which she, her brother, and sisters all contracted the virus. Sadly, her two-year-old brother passed away from it, but she and her sisters all survived. The pandemic has been tough on all. We've seen the impacts it is starting to have on people's mental health, especially our older citizens. We are working hard to roll out the vaccines, and we're able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If Marion can do it, we all can do it. We are strong together, and we'll all be celebrating when we can return to our new normal. Member Statements. The member for Ottawa, Wes McKean. Thank you, Speaker. It's a pleasure to rise today to recognize the great work being done by the Elder Care Foundation of Ottawa. In 2008, at the age of 34, Adam Nighy created the Elder Care Foundation to enhance the quality of life of our seniors in nonprofit, long-term care homes. Adam was motivated to establish Elder Care after witnessing his grandmother's experience. He wanted to address a number of issues facing seniors, like his grandmother, including lack of stimulating activity, issues of isolation, and poor equipment in homes. He felt compelled to make a difference. Adam lives in Qualicum, in my riding of Ottawa, Wes McKean, and his wife Jessica and two daughters, Talia and Eliora, all have worked together to establish this foundation and do some tremendous work. The charity now provides funds for the 13 nonprofit long-term care homes in Ottawa, two of which are situated in Ottawa, Wes McKean. They have raised approximately $1 million so far. In 2020, Adam needed to step back due to work demands, and a new chair was voted in, Orianna Trumbetti. Together with Linda Garcia and Dan Sakely, they are continuing the good work of the Elder Care Foundation. Retired board member Betty Hope Gittins recently celebrated her 80th birthday. To mark the occasion, she organized Betty's Walk, an 800-kilometer walk of the Camino de Santiago, where she raised $200,000 for elder care. To all the supporters of Ottawa's Elder Care Foundation, thank you for all you do to make life better for our seniors. Thank you very much. That concludes our member's statements for this morning.