 Member statements. I recognize the member for Toronto-St. Pauls. Perez Lopez died by suicide at the age of 16 this year. He was a child in my community. He loved his family, his friends, guitar, books, dinosaurs, science club at the ROM, and he loved music. He earned his second degree black belt by the time he was 12. He was happy. At home learning war saw all down. He began to fall academically in classes he loved, and when he was in school none of his friends were in his cohort. Isolation, loneliness, anxiety, loss of routine, missed milestones, and a growing sense of doom and gloom captured him. Our local hospitals have seen unprecedented spikes during the pandemic in kids' mental health crises and attempts at self-harm. Sadly some are successful. Government listening to science, telling families the full story last year, and delivering families a solid safe schools plan might have meant a different ending for Sao'ol this year. I'm going to end with the lyrics from a song called Tears of a Clown by Iron Maiden, one of Sao'ol's favourite bands. The song was dedicated to renowned actor Robin Williams and Sao'ol's parents Marcella and Sao'ol Sr. dedicated it to their son, their only child. All looks well on the outside, underneath the solemn truth. There's something that Sao'ol has died. Tomorrow comes, tomorrow goes, but the cloud remains the same. Wonder why he's feeling down. Tears up the clown. Marcella is watching this morning. Marcella, I'm very sorry for your loss. Thank you very much. Member statements? The Member for Mississauga Centre. Thank you, Speaker. I'm thrilled to share with this House news of a major Métis project in North Bay, the Métis Nation of Ontario Legacy Preservation Project. This project will create the first ever Métis Times capsule, preserving Métis culture, history and way of life for generations to come. Monsieur le Président. Mr. Speaker, our hearts are broken with the discovery of 215 children that are in a farm or residential school in Kamloops. So initiatives such as this one are even more important to protect and help cultures, histories of the First Nations. The Métis Nation was formed in 1943 by Tony Baku, with a vision to have an organisation that's independent, to have more self-determination for the Métis of Ontario. During his presidency, he fought to recognise the Métis people and their rights. The MNO-Ontario Framework Agreement was signed, recognising the unique history and way of life for Métis people in Ontario. Since then, MNO has continued to advance Métis rights with governments, including the historic 2019 signing of the self-government agreement between Canada and MNO. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the time capsule will be on November 16th of this year, which commemorates the annual recognition of Louis Riel Day. This gives us all an opportunity to learn more about the Métis community, culture and citizens. Merci, thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I rise today to discuss an ongoing issue facing our community in Niagara, MRI wait times. For several years, we've been waiting with its governments to ensure Niagara received adequate funding to ensure the people in our community can receive an MRI in a reasonable timeframe. Under the previous government, we were successful in passing a motion, ultimately securing funding to drastically reduce the wait times. Unfortunately, Niagara is facing the same problem again. Right now, only 6% of Niagara residents, as compared to 46% of Ontario residents, have received their MRI within the provincial benchmark of 28 days. The current wait times for MRIs in Niagara is 255 days. Provincial average is 114. There are currently 5,000 Niagara residents waiting for MRIs at Niagara Health. Fortunately, through the hard work of Niagara Health Foundation, general support of Tom Rankin, a Rankin construction, Niagara Health was able to secure a new MRI machine. This is wonderful news for our community and further example of community-minded nature of many Niagara businesses like Rankin. While this is great news, we know that Niagara Health will need the necessary funding to ensure they can run 16 hours per day, 7 days a week to help ease the backlog of cases. We are calling on this government to approve the request of annual funding, reduce our wait times, and ensure the people of Niagara have quality health care. No one in Niagara, anywhere in this province, should be waiting 255 days for an MRI. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next member's statement, the member for Burlington. Speaker, in June, the Northern Hemisphere celebrates the summer solstice, the day with the most hours of light. The summer solstice serves as a reminder that we all have infinite opportunities every day to bring light into the lives of those around us. In celebrating Pride Month and the vital role of two SLGBTQ plus communities in our province, we can also reflect on our continued commitment and responsibility to create a more inclusive environment. Speaker, when we hear about symbols of pride being stolen, vandalized, or not being displayed, we know that we still have a long way to go. June is also National Indigenous History Month, a time to honour and celebrate the traditions, heritage, and culture of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across Ontario and Canada. This year, as we reflect on the strengths and resiliency of Canada's Indigenous people, we also honour the 215 Indigenous children who lost their lives at the former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. Speaker, we can honour these children and their families by committing to the calls for action outlined in the 2015 report by the Federal Government's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. And as Ontario's Minister of Indigenous Affairs and earlier this week, we can also support the investigation of former residential school grounds here in Ontario. June is a month of celebration and light, and many opportunities to help make things so much better. Thank you, Speaker. Member for York South West. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm honoured today to rise and give voice to the York South West Youth Council. These young leaders have been deeply engaged in amplifying the voices of youth in our community. The Council has recently focused on education and mental health-related issues. The Youth Council is very concerned with youth unemployment and are calling on the renewal of Canada Emergency Student Benefit. The Council states that my coat as a summer inches closer and also continues to primarily provide loans to students whose work opportunities continue to either be cancelled or few in number due to lockdowns and public health measures. The lack of support has left many students having to choose between their education and their wellbeing. A renewal of CESP programme can support students during these extremely percussive times and could help prevent them from facing unstable housing, food insecurity and dropping out of education. The long-time costs related to these struggles will be much greater to our students, our community and to Canadian society. I thank the York South West Youth Council for their continued hard work and input and encourage other members to form their own Youth Council and help empower young people and amplify their voices. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you. The next Member's statement, the Member for York Centre. Thank you, Speaker. As we rise for the summer, I'd like to speak directly to Ontarians. I know how hard it is for so many of you. With everyone's mental health and peril, business closed, towns and cities are dying. I hear from so many of you and I feel you so much. So I invite you to think and focus for a minute. In the dark days of fall and winter, we didn't know what the world was going to look like. We couldn't speak or express skepticism about what the government was doing or what the experts were saying on TV. We had so much fears about the future of our democracy. But now our voices are heard loud and clear and we're pushing back and we will not allow for freedoms to be eroded. And we'll peacefully defend our children, our lives and livelihoods because we're smarter and kinder. The people who work in this chamber, they're afraid of us right now. They're afraid of you. Because a year from now, if you choose so, you'll get to fire all of them. But here's what's important right now. It's not just about coming out of lockdown. It's the terms by which we come out of lockdown and open Ontario. And the only terms acceptable are a complete return to normal. If other countries and provinces can do it, then so can we. And we will not negotiate. We must demand that our way of life is restored and full. They're scrambling right now in this building because they already pushed them back. Now we have to insist on how this ends. A full return to normal is non-negotiable, and so the future is bright because we'll accept nothing less. Thank you. The next member's statement, the member for Mississauga East Cooksville. Thank you, Speaker. For months now, Ontario has been calling on the federal government to secure our borders against emerging variants of concern. Our requests have fallen on deaf ears as the Prime Minister and his caucus refused to acknowledge the serious matter. Earlier this week, the St. Catherine's Standard reported, and I quote, province-wide in recent days, the B-1617 variant has been found in 322 cases, up from 45 a few weeks ago. Speaker, the B-1617 variant is the one currently ravaging India with tens of thousands dead and a healthcare system on the brink of collapse. Obviously, Speaker, these variants cannot swim, nor do they have wings to fly. The Prime Minister of Canada has failed this province and all Canadians by not securing our borders against these deadly variants of COVID-19. The last thing Ontario needs right now is a fourth wave to set back all the progress we all have made collectively this year. I encourage everyone to reach out to their federal representatives and call for securing our borders now before it is too late. Thank you, Speaker. Member for York Centre will come to order. The next Member's statement, the Member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. My child's in grade one, but she essentially has missed grade one. Such an important year. The teachers have done an incredible job, and we as parents have done our best while juggling our own jobs. But it's not the same. For such a formative year, it's a huge loss with lasting impact. And so many parents feel the same way about their children. That's what this past school year has been. And now we're near the end of the school year. All I'm thinking is, we cannot repeat this mess. We must get it right to the next school year. So things need to start now. The planning, the consultations, the upgrades to ventilation systems. Everything needs to happen now so that come September, schools can reopen safely. For the past year, this government has made announcements that give people zero information or clarity, or said one thing one day and the complete opposite the next. Like right now, first you say schools will reopen before the economy, and now it's reopened economy before the schools, and yet we still don't know what's really on your mind. This government seems to be unable to make decisions. Yes, decisions have consequences, but not making decisions also has consequences, and the consequences of your inability to lead and provide leadership have cost us. Not just in dollars, but in terms of people's present and future. The Conservatives love to brand themselves as business people, executives making decisions effectively, efficiently. While judging by what's going on right now, it's clearly a myth. You have time now, three months, an entire quarter, until the next school year. So come quarter and you better have something to show for it. Or you would have missed your quarter. And when you miss again and again, you get fired. Member statements. The Member for Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you, Speaker. June is ALS Awareness Month in Canada. MEO Trophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, is a terminal disease of progressive paralysis that eventually leads to the loss of the ability to move, speak, and breathe. This disease can move with startling swiftness. Four out of five people die within two to five years of their diagnosis. Over time, as the brain's connection with the muscles of the body breaks down, someone living with ALS will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow, and eventually breathe. There is no cure for ALS and few treatment options available for the 1,000 Ontarians living with this devastating disease. On June 20, supporters of the ALS Society of Canada will rally together for the virtual Walk to End ALS in communities across Ontario. The Walk to End ALS helps raise the funds to enable people living with ALS to access services that lessen the burden of the disease and that ensure a strong pipeline of funding for Canadian ALS research. I want to extend my best wishes to the ALS community across Ontario participating in the June ALS Awareness Month and the Walk to End ALS, and I encourage everyone to learn more about the disease and to sign up for the Walk at www.als.ca or Walk to End ALS.ca. Thank you very much, Speaker. Thank you. The next Member's Statement, the Member for Mississauga, Markham. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week, my heart ached at reading the newspaper headline, 66-year-old senselessly killed during gas and dash theft in drumbo near Woodstock. Ms. Speaker, Stephen Madison was a loving father, grandfather and an outstanding citizen. Should this incident have happened in BC or Alberta, Mr. Speaker, this manslaughter could have been avoided. These provinces have gone ahead and made the payment of gas mandatory and have since then seen practically zero cases of gas and dash thefts. My bill 231 passed with unanimous consent in the House is advocating to make prepayment of gas mandatory so we can avoid similar tragedies going forward. We have received support letters from the Police Services, PAO, Police Services Boards, Rabba Fine Foods, Ontario Convenience Stores Association, Husky, Hasty Market, 7-Eleven and many more. Mr. Speaker, this incident unfortunately shows us that this is not an issue just in the urban areas. This is an issue that affects all Ontarians. So I want to say thank you to all of my colleagues for your support. Let me repeat, the death of Stephen Madigan was completely unavoidable. The time for action is now, so I implore all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to keep working together to ensure to bring safety and security for fellow Ontarians. Let's make prepayment a reality and say goodbye to such headlines forever. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. That concludes our member's statements for this morning. I beg to inform the House that we have laid upon the table the individual member's expenditures for the fiscal year 2020-2021. Member for Brampton East has informed me that he has a point of order that he wishes to raise, and I at least recognize him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to call for the unanimous consent of this House to observe a moment of silence to remember the countless six who were murdered by the Indian government in the June 1984 sick genocide, lest we forget. Member for Brampton East is seeking unanimous consent of the House for a moment's silence to observe and remember the victims of the sick genocide from 1984. Agreed? Agreed. Members will please rise. Thank you very much. Members will please take their seats.