 Hello everyone. It's always a pleasure to be back in Kitchener, especially when we have some great news to share. But before we begin, I want to thank Communitech's president and CEO, Ian Klugeman, for that warm welcome. Thank you for everything you do and to the whole team. It's always great to come back to Communitech. I also want to thank my colleagues, Government House Leader Chagger and Raj Saini, who are here with me today, along with Brian May and Marwan Tabara. And I want to give a big shout-out to our friends at the municipal level, Barry, Catherine, Dave and Karen. It's great to see you guys working as a team always there to be partners with us in the exciting developments for this region. So thank you for all of your leadership. When it comes to innovation, Canada is home to countless success stories. From the gaming industry to aerospace to artificial intelligence, Canadians are leading the way. We imagine and develop the technologies of the future in places like Waterloo, Ottawa or Montreal, which have become poles for innovation, poles that not only attract economic growth, but also investments and opportunities for people and their communities. When companies are established here, it means new jobs for workers, new clients, and new learning opportunities for students. Today, Canada is becoming a global leader in innovation, but it shouldn't surprise us. Canadians are among the most trained people in the world. Our colleges and universities are perfect environments to learn and innovate, whether you are a student or a researcher. And our entrepreneurs continue to make their companies grow at home, create jobs and strengthen our communities. We have all the right ingredients to lead the future, a future where technology and innovation are engines of prosperity. Now, Communitech knows this. In fact, you've been way ahead of the game for a long time. More than 20 years ago, you knew that this region had what it takes to become an innovation hub, so you set out to make what once seemed like a distant dream a reality. You've played an important role in helping local firms like Vigored, Geotab, and Bridget succeed. And today, you support a community of more than 1,400 companies, companies that grow and thrive because of your hard work. This is great news not only for the sector, but for the entire community. For small business owners looking for new solutions, for colleges and universities seeking new partnerships, for working people wanting to switch careers. When it comes to innovation, we can't afford to get complacent. Countries around the world are trying to earn a top spot in the new economy, and while Canadian innovators have given us a head start, we need to keep up the pace. Organisations like Communitech need a strong partner ready to support the important work you do. A partner that understands that growing more world-class companies is critical to the strength of our economy. So today, our government is stepping up. We will invest more than $50 million over five years to implement the new Scale-Up platform, which will bring together Ontario's three leading innovation hubs, Communitech here in Waterloo, Mars Innovation District in Toronto, and Invest Ottawa in the National Capital Region. Each of these hubs has its own way of doing things. They offer slightly different services and tools to their clients. Some are more focused on market access, while others help with things like finding the right talent or raising capital. They each have their own approach and their own expertise. With this new Scale-Up platform, we'll be leveraging their respective resources and strengths to help 30 tech companies in Southern Ontario grow and achieve revenues of $100 million or more by 2024. As one of the pillars of the overall Scale-Up platform, the Waterloo Region Scale-Up project will be led by Communitech and its partners at the University of Waterloo Velocity, the Waterloo Accelerator Centre, and Wilfrid Laurier University's Launchpad. These partners will offer various programs to get local companies to really take off. So say you just graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in engineering. You and a few of your former classmates have this great idea for a new product, but you're not sure how to build your business. Well, you can turn to something like the University of Waterloo's Velocity Garage and get business advice or coaching from people who have the right experience. The new Scale-Up platform will now give more startups the support they need to grow. Overall, we expect these investments to create 18,000 good, well-paying middle-class jobs, generate $11 billion in revenues, and attract more than $4 billion in investment. Today's announcement is good news not only for the 30 companies that will be chosen, but for the entire ecosystem of South Ontario's innovation. It's exactly the kind of investment that will help small companies to grow and become a giant in their industry in the coming years. My friends, Canada has a remarkable history of innovation and entrepreneurship. Time and again, Canadians have pushed the boundaries of what they thought possible and revolutionized the way we live, work, and think. And with smart, targeted investments like the one we're making today, we will together write the next chapter of this great story.