 Member's statements. Nye's the member for Hamilton. Mountain. Hamilton, Mountain. Thank you, Speaker. I'm honored to stand today to speak in support of the thousands of people in our province who live below the poverty line. The people who are unable to make ends meet, who use foodpanks, struggle to pay the hydro and the rent, while some live in shelters or even tents. These are the same people who will be impacted by this government's latest announcement. Yesterday, the minister announced the raise that was expected will now be cut in half to 1.5%. The basic income pilot program will now wind down, and recipients who were benefiting will now find themselves put back into extreme poverty that they once knew. Hamilton was one of the communities that was chosen for the pilot. 1,000 Hamiltonians were benefiting from the increased income. People were starting to flourish and had an opportunity to feel a bit of a safety net. Their testimonials speak of life-changing experiences, of having food in the fridge, of being able to purchase a walker. This announcement will have devastating effects for those who will no longer be able to afford the apartment that they have just rented or no longer have the extra to buy a gift or clothing for their loved ones or themselves. Imagine thinking you will finally no longer have to go to the food bank only to have it ripped out from underneath you with the stroke of a blue pen. The PCs promise to see the pilot program through. Promise made, promise broken. Member Statements, the member for Oakville North Burlington. Thank you, Speaker. On August the 2nd, 1918, 100 years ago tomorrow, a misunderstanding between a war veteran and the Greek-Canadian owner of the White City Cafe on Young Street triggered the largest riot this city has ever seen. Because of Greece's late entry into World War I, there was a sentiment that Greek-Canadians didn't support the war effort. In fact, hundreds of young Greek-Canadian men eligible to fight did so alongside our forces. And yet, an anger fueled by nationalistic fervour took over. As many as 50,000 returned soldiers and Torontonians took to the streets over three days, rioting and destroying businesses owned by Greek-Canadians. Ultimately, the militia was called in to restore peace. The armistice soon overshadowed the riots and they were quickly forgotten. The racism against Greek-Canadians in 1918 may surprise many of us today. 100 years later, our Greek community is an integral part of the Canadian multicultural life with a historic district, the Danforth, known for its phylloxenia, the word for hospitality in Greek. To those who proudly support Hellenic heritage and to fill Hellenes on all sides of the legislature, I invite you to join us tomorrow at Toronto City Hall at noon to celebrate and recognize the contribution of Greek-Canadians to Toronto. Thank you. Thank you, Member Statements. The Member for Sudbury. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm proud to rise today to speak about United Way Suntrade, Northeastern Ontario, or UWC NEO. Our United Way began in Sudbury in 1982, Mr. Speaker. Through initiative by President Ron McDonald from the Steelworkers Local 6500. And over the past 26 years, the United Way has worked in partnership with the community to change lives and to provide opportunities for a brighter future. Sudbury's United Way has also expanded over the past few years to become a regional organization covering a huge area of Northeastern Ontario, including the districts of Cochrane, Greater Sudbury, Nipissing, Perry Sound, Manitoulin and Temiskaming. And I'm proud to report that to date, over $45 million has been raised and reinvested to create opportunities that build strong communities, to help our kids be all they can be, and to move people from poverty to possibility, all while ensuring that the money that is raised locally stays locally. I'd like to highlight one recent example of how the United Way has helped our community in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker. Following a recent break in which caused up to $20,000 in vandalism damages, UWC and EO, so United Way committed $10,000 in emergency funding towards Meals on Wheels to support the organization as they recover and move forward, and Meals on Wheels, Mr. Speaker, is an organization that provides affordable food for the community brought to the homes. And this is just one example of the great people and organizations that are throughout Sudbury, and I look forward to sharing more stories like this one in the future. Thank you, Member Stateless, the Member for Perth, Wellington. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, on July 24th was no ordinary Sunday afternoon at the Arthur Tim Hortons. Employees discovered fire, and 30 firefighters were soon arrived at the scene. No one was injured. Wellington North Fire Service Chief Dave Gilbo was quoted, staff did an excellent job, followed all procedures, got everybody out. But this was no simple fire. Chief Gilbo wrote to me, the fire started in the sailing cavity. It had been burning for some time before staff noticed smoke. The occupants were totally unaware the fire was burning above their heads. At first firefighters could not have known the building was made of truss and lightweight construction. Chief Gilbo explains, our firefighters did an excellent job of containing and extinguishing the fire. However, we believe we were within moments of roof collapse. We were not aware that the roof trusses were lightweight. There was no way of knowing. There could have been serious injuries or loss of life. Here's the point, Speaker. Firefighters need to know which buildings contain truss and lightweight construction. When fires break out, they need to know how to attack it. And they need us to pass the Ray and Walder Act, which would clearly identify affected buildings. My private members bill passed second reading unanimously, but the previous government didn't follow through. I look forward to discussing this life-saving legislation with our new Minister of Community Safety. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements, the Member for Brampton North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is a very significant day. Today is Emancipation Day. It is a commemoration of the Slavery Abolition Act, which ended slavery in the British Empire and thus also in Canada back in 1834. It is also a day that is personal to me. My ancestors came here from Virginia back in 1903 to make a better life for themselves. And it's also the reason why many others come here to Ontario today. Thus, it was truly an important step when the 2008 government passed a private members bill designating Emancipation Day on August the 1st. However, there's still a lot of work to be done. While we talk about Black History Month and all the success stories, and while we talk about things like caribana, which of course is this Saturday, and many other achievements with the Black community, members have made possible. The reality is that more work needs to be done and the work is not over yet. As a new Democrat, we acknowledge the reality of anti-Black racism, including the systemic discrimination and implicit bias that negatively impacts the everyday life of many members of Ontario's Black community. Now the fact that I was the first person today in this house to acknowledge that Emancipation Day is a little depressing to me. It was a struggle then and it continues to be a struggle now for the Black community. This is why I believe today is an important day, not just for one group, but for all of us to understand Black history and the reality of Black people here in Ontario and across the country. Thank you very much. Member Statements and Member for Guelph. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to acknowledge the vital work of the Guelph Community Health Centre. As everyone in this house knows, Ontario's overdose crisis is far reaching and unfortunately my community in Guelph is not immune. Locally our mortality rate for overdoses has tripled over the past three years. In recent weeks, health alerts have gone out across our community, warning of spikes and deaths due to fentanyl-laced heroin. Mr. Speaker, lives are being lost. These are our neighbours and their lives matter, which is why I'm so proud of the fact that leaders at the Guelph Community Health Centre have responded and acted by putting forward an overdose prevention site. I personally toured the site just two weeks ago. Nurses and peers in the community are seeing up to 30 visitors a day. Staff work hard to connect people to health services and to treatment. They are saving lives. So Mr. Speaker, I encourage the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to review the evidence and hear the stories of people using these sites. As a matter of fact, I invite the Minister to tour the site with me. During the Minister's review, I ask her to reflect on the importance of harm reduction in saving people's lives. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Simcoe North. College Republic Live and Burles Creek Event Centre is a prepare for the 2018 Boots and Hearts Music Festival. 40,000-plus country music lovers will call Oro Medante home as they arrive for the August 9th to 12th festival. This is Canada's largest camping and country music festival and also one of the largest in North America, featuring country music stars from all around the world. Located in beautiful Oro Medante, Burles Creek spans over 580 acres to form Canada's largest outdoor concert venue. Since purchasing the event grounds in 2014, Republic Live has continually improved infrastructure on the property to accommodate two world-class music festivals, Boots and Hearts and Way Home Music and Arts Festival. The investment in Burles Creek represents the largest tourism related privately-funded investment in Ontario in the last several decades. Republic Live takes great pride to produce safe, responsible, experiential events that are enjoyed by Oro Medante and Simcoe County residents, as well as national and international guests. Republic Live has a policy of hiring and recruiting local staff, suppliers, volunteers first, and these efforts are paying off. According to a 2016 Economic Impact Study conducted by Republic Live and RTO 7, in 2015 alone, 133 Simcoe County businesses were contracted for Boots and Hearts and Way Home with total contract values of 3 million. Additionally, during the same year, both festivals brought 34 million to Simcoe County's GDP and created 584 jobs. I applaud Republic Live for their outstanding work and I encourage all music lovers to attend one of these festivals. Member Statements, the Member for Toronto, St. Paul's. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, recognised in Ontario since 2008, is Emancipation Day, a day to acknowledge the 1834 abolishment of slavery in the British Empire. I want to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your seminal role in making this happen. A day that embodies both ancestors and our own freedoms and hopes of democracy for peoples of African descent. We cannot allow the business of government to let us lax on our commitments to freedom and democracy. The Ford government's attack on our democracy through its devious backroom deals and power-hungry municipal meddling is an affront to Ontarian's rights. Many of the hopeful candidates are themselves progressive black, racialised, diverse women candidates. What message does this send? Premier Doug Ford's desire to slash City Council virtually in half will directly slash the opportunities of many of these voices. Voices progress Toronto, women win TO and Operation Black Vote Canada, among others, have doggedly helped lift up and rise up. I cannot ignore the anti-black, anti-woman, anti-progressive consequences of this government's oppressive agenda to forcibly suppress voices and representation of those historically and contemporarily most marginalised. Thank you. Next member's statement. Member for Mississauga Mall. Every day I feel that we here in Canada take many things for granted that enable us to live a free life full of opportunities. On the contrast, I would like to share with the heavy heart that there are many places in this world where people are living in fear and uncertainty. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to talk about Hindus and Sikhs of Afghanistan. Once a population of over 300,000, now less than 1,000, these residents are living an unthinkable life. They're unable to leave their homes freely for the fear of attack and harassment. Children are unable to attend their school. To the extent these people are unable to effectively cremate their loved ones, even funeral processions are ground for targeted attacks. Police and the government officials are unable to do anything and the list of hardship goes on. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to acknowledge two champions, the late MLA, Manmeet Singh Bhullar and the current MP, Garnet Genius, both from Alberta, who have helped these religious minorities. Through this statement, I would like to extend my help to these champions and also like to appeal to everyone else who is listening, join us in this noble cause and let's support everyone who is working to improve the lives of any, I repeat, any religious minorities in dire need of help. Together, let's work to build a better world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements. Member for Mississauga Centre. Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to mark the 74th anniversary of the Warsaw uprising. On this day in 1944, after five years of brutal occupation by Nazi Germany, the Polish Home Army launched the largest underground military-resistant effort of World War II. For 63 days, they fought against a stronger and better equipped Nazi occupation force with very little support. While the uprising managed to make gains, the Nazis demolished over 85% of the city, 200,000 people died and in the end, Poland lost its freedom once more, this time facing decades of occupation by the Soviet Union. Thankfully, the spirit of resistance that motivated the Warsaw uprising helped Poland regain its independence once and for all in 1989. Since then, each year on August 1st, the city of Warsaw comes to a complete stop to mark Gojinawo, or WR, in remembrance. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to be a Scouts leader at ZHR Polish Scouts of Canada where I learned of the youth who played a monumental role in the uprising. The grey ranks, or Szare Szaregi, were an underground Scouting Association whose youths paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Many Polish veterans who fought in the uprising and alongside Western Allies found refuge here in Ontario. I'd like to recognize the Polish Combatants Association of Canada and several of these veterans. Thank you, Antoni Gruszenko, Richard Opitz, Aleksander Bogdan, Miradje Duszycka, Maria Nowicka and Stanisław Sadowski. Your bravery will never be forgotten. Chwała bohaterom. Thank you.