 It's now time for Member Statements, the Member from Wellington, Halton Hills. Mr. Speaker, the promise of the future in Ontario calls us to pursue excellence in post-secondary education, leading to good career track job opportunities for graduates, and a stronger innovation-based economy for the province. This goal requires partnership and vision. That's why we were so excited to hear the government's commitment to build a new university campus in Halton. I was glad to be in attendance when the announcement was made last Wednesday in Milton. Wilford Laurier University's President, Max Blau, says a university campus will strengthen and complement the town of Milton's vision of a diversified workforce to drive economic prosperity and meet the evolving needs of Ontario's economy. Region of Halton Chair Gary Carr, who spoke at the announcement, has provided strong, effective leadership on regional council in support of this proposal. Mayors Gord Krantz and Rick Burnett have also been vocal advocates, and we thank them as well. As members will recall, in recent months I've been publicly urging the government to approve Laurier's proposal for a new Milton campus to give our students another post-secondary education option close to home. While the Minister announced a call for proposals for this coming January, she did not indicate any timeframe for when the new campus will be completed and open for students. We all know this is a long-term project and it won't be built overnight, but surely Milton residents and Laurier's supporters deserve to know the government's timetable for completion of the new campus. I urge the Minister to announce this publicly and soon. Let's work together to build the promise of the future in Ontario. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for their members, students, members from Niagara Falls. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to let everyone in this house know about an 18-year-old girl from our riding who is a hero and inspiration. She just loves to run. Her hero's name is Julianne Miske. Julianne was born with a very rare genetic disorder which caused her to suffer through multiple surgeries and infections. Joe and Bernadette are her incredible parents. Just a few years ago, she realized she had a passion, a passion for running and run she has. With the help of her coach, her Niagara Falls City Councilor and teacher at St. Mike's, Victor Pierangelo, who runs these races beside Julianne, she has gone on to be a four-time Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association pair cross-country champion and also a three-time offset track and field champion. Her latest victory came at Sasa last Thursday. Mr. Speaker, just six weeks ago, Julianne discovered she had a rare form of bone cancer in her jaw. She is going through chemo and will have to have a bone from her calf transplant into her jaw. It's tough when someone has to battle cancer, letting someone so young and with so much talent. On Thursday, the students at St. Mike's Catholic High School were there with Julianne cross the finish line, wearing her number 320. The students all came to support her. They were there chanting Julianne's name and holding signs that said, you can do it or mind over matter or simply be strong. We are all so proud to say that not only did Julianne run at Sasa last Thursday, but this Saturday should be running again at OFSSAA in Port Colburn. Well Julianne, we all know that you will do it again because you are so strong and we are all so proud to have you here with us today. We wish you all the best, have fun on Saturday and we'll be running with you in spirit. Thank you. Member statements. Member from St. Catherine's. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Before I commence the statement I would like to join with the member for Niagara Falls and all members and wishing her the very very best. This is a real story of courage and I thank you for your indulgence along me as one of the members to join with the member for Niagara Falls and those wonderful tributes. Okay. I am pleased to rise in legislature today to recognize our collective efforts to protect water, farmland and nature in Ontario. I applaud the government for committing to grow the green belt by adding 21 urban river valleys and seven coastal wetlands. This commitment builds on the work of previous governments and protecting the old ridges, moraine and Niagara's carpets. Ensuring the sources of our water and food are protected is truly something on which we can all agree no matter what party we represent. Today I stand here in support of the 26,000 Ontarians and 120 organizations who are calling on all parties to protect our water supplies by growing the green belt. We have letters to support from Niagara to Northumberland, Simcoe to Wellington and from every community in the greater Golden Horseshoe. We have support from ratepayers, associations, agricultural groups, youth groups, environmental organizations and others. They're asking for a science-based expansion, the green belt to include a blue belt of vulnerable water supplies and features. The blue belt would protect drinking water supplies for millions of residents and support our economic powerhouse, Ontario's farmers and grape growers. It would also make our region more resilient to extreme weather and climate change. The green belt is already overwhelmingly popular. More than 90% of Ontarians agree with it. This popular groundswell shows that now is the right time to grow the green belt. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Further members, same as the member from Halliburton Fourth Lakes Project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize the amazing work of members of 53 police services across Canada, most of them in Ontario, who recently conducted Operation Northern Spotlight. This important multi-jurisdictional effort, which crossed provincial and international borders, targeted the sex trade and in particular human sex trafficking. As noted in the official report, during coordinating investigations over a six-day period, police charged 47 people with over 78 offences. Police were also able to ensure the safety of 20 people who had been working in the sex trade as a minor or against their will, including some as young as 14 years old and most of them under 19. The evil of human sex trafficking is in our neighbourhoods, it's in every corner of Ontario, which has been recognized as a major hub of human sex trafficking in Canada. As I travel across our province, I find myself speaking with former victims who felt like they had no hope of escaping this invisible chain of modern-day slavery. We must continue to do everything in our power to support our police officers and victim service organisations as they deal with this scourge. Once again, I want to express my gratitude for the dedication of our police services involved in Operation Northern Spotlight. They brought much-needed attention to the issue of human sex trafficking. More importantly, they saved 20 young people from the clutches of brutal thugs who will hopefully face the full force of justice in our courts. Well, thank you, Mr Speaker, and let me set this up for you. So imagine the Elliott Lakes gentlemen's knitting challenge that's the setting. So we have a new business that's opened up by Maya Puno in Elliott Lakes. She's opened up the knitting room, promoting a lot of yarn, fibre, and the opportunity to learn new skills. And to help her out, I challenged the editor of The Standard, which was Kevin McChefrey. I challenged Elnos, representative William Elliott, and I challenged the Mayor, Dan Marchazzella, and I also challenged the Elliott Lake Fire Chief, John Thomas. And you know what? They answered my call, Mr Speaker. They came in and William Elliott came in with the extra auntie. He said, why don't you guys all put in $100 a piece and the winner gets to allocate that was dollars towards a worthy cause in Elliott Lake? Well, we all got together, Mr Speaker, and let me tell you, you had a bunch of burly boys tied up in yarn, making a scarf, and having a lot of fun doing it. We didn't have a problem doing it. As a matter of fact, I just delivered my final product to our leader, Andrea Vorowath, yesterday, and she is wearing it quite proudly. You know who the winner is at the end of the day, Mr Speaker? The Elliott Lake Food Bank. The Elliott Lake Food Bank received the funds that were raised throughout the day. Over $700 was raised during the day. And for the individuals that came to the event, they all contributed a non-perishable food item. It's a fantastic event. Step out of your comfort zone, knit a scarf, help your food banks. It's a lot of fun. Thank you for the members' statements, the members of Mrs. Sagar Brandt himself. Mr Speaker, this past Sunday I was pleased to attend the 18th Phoenix Ball, which is hosted each year by the Miss Sagar Board of Chinese Professionals and Businesses, known as the CPB. This year's charity ball has attracted over 450 patrons from throughout the GTA, including many from my own diverse riding of Miss Sagar Brandt himself. Since 1999, in fact, this organization and its foundation have raised over $2 million for worthy causes. This year, proceeds will go to the E-Hong Centre for Geriatric Care in my riding. I would like to thank for its years of charitable work, as well as its presentation of an important business community in the region. I also thank the CPB board members, past and present, for their public spirit, vision and compassion for others. Mr Speaker, they are, as individuals and in our organization, wonderful examples of active business leadership in the community. Thank you, CPB, for your great work, keep up the good work. I'm very proud of you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Further members' statements? The member from Kitchener, Conestoga. Yes, as we join with our veterans, our heroes, to recognize the passage of the Remembrance Week Act here at Queen's Park. I wanted to take the opportunity to also recognize all of those who work so hard all year long to honor our military men and women in ceremonies, dinners and get-togethers throughout Waterloo Region. And while Remembrance Week gives us an annual opportunity to thank our past and present members of our armed forces, most importantly, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, it's the work of those unrecognized volunteers from our area halls, churches, temples and legions that ensure those opportunities are shared across the area in our community. Speaker, there are so many who work tirelessly to provide the stages on which residents from across Waterloo Region are able to say thank you, that I want to say a big thank you to them. Thank you to those working to pull together events on Saturday when Remembrance Services will take place at New Dundee Public School, followed by the New Hamburg 19th Annual Veterans Appreciation Dinner, later in the evening over at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 532, put on by the Ladies Auxury. Also, thanks to the volunteers working on Sunday's Linnwood Remembrance Service and the Elmira Remembrance Day parade put on by the Elmira Legion Branch 469. Thank you to all those participating in our local Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony to remember Canadian war heroes and Canadian sacrifices while celebrating the Sikh tradition of military service. And thank you to the many volunteers throughout our region who will be busy preparing November 11th ceremonies in New Hamburg, Elmira, Kitchener and Waterloo. Thank you for your service that allows us to thank all of our veterans for theirs. And thank you too. Thank you for your understanding as a member from Nickel Belt. Thank you, Speaker. After almost 70 years of marriage, Jesse and Clarence have now been separated by what I call our Heartless Long-Term Care System. You see, Speaker, for the last eight years, they both live at the Shalom Gardens, a retirement home in Grinsby, and they believe that they would move to the Shalom Manor on site if they ever needed long-term care. How wrong can two good people be? In August, Clarence fell and his need changes. He got admitted into Shalom Manor close to his wife. His wife could not cope anymore in the retirement home and the family chose to put her in the nursing home with her husband. The problem is the CCAC said you have to put at least four choices on your application. Well, sure enough, Jesse was sent to a nursing home in St. Catherine away from her husband. Since August, the family have pleaded with everybody who would listen to them to bring her mom and dad back together at Shalom Manor. Spousal reunification comes after crisis. The long-term care system in their community is in crisis all the time. The chances of Jesse and Clarence to be reunited is zero because they will always be crisis ahead of them. This is wrong. The system has to be changed. The minister must intervene and make sure that those two people are allowed to live their lives together like they did 70 years ago when they said yes to marriage. They're not the first one to go through this. It has to change. It has to change now. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I want to express my thanks to the member from Simple Gray who asked the member from Parkdale High Park and myself to join him on an act to proclaim Remembrance Week. I feel very honored to have joined him on this bill. And in this house, we're at our best when we give expression. We come together to give expression to those things that are important to all of us, to all the people that we serve and certainly remembering those who have served and continually serve us is one of those things. Now, when we remember, we remember family and families. I want to give a very brief story about the uncle my wife Linda never knew. So Robert Ainsley Kavanaugh, the brother of Yvonne Hooper, then Yvonne Kavanaugh, enlisted underage for the Second World War. He served as a Navy commando, naval seaman in and was killed at the end. And my mother-in-law Yvonne, who's 96, I'm going to get in trouble for saying that now because she hears this, remembers his he is alive in her heart and she's done a lot to keep that there for 96 years. We recognize that in our family by our granddaughter Sloane having the second name Ainsley. And what I want to say is that many families are touched. We're all touched by these acts of sacrifice and continuing acts of sacrifice that people are making. And that I hope that next week, in Remembrance Week, we all have an opportunity to reflect on the importance of that. Thank you very much. I thank all members for their statements. I beg to inform the House following a report was tabled, the 2015-16 annual report of the ombudsman-