 I'd like to celebrate today the remarkable achievements of a young woman from Ellis Township in Perth County named Amanda Broadhagen. Amanda has recently joined the team at the Roll Voice, a magazine printed in Blythe that covers news in Huron Perth, Bruce Gray, Wellington and Oxford counties. Prior to joining the publication, she had the opportunity to participate in a mentorship program with the Cattleman's Young Leaders Program, where she was paired with Saskatchewan MLA Dr. Lauren Hubworth. In an article she said, that is thanks to this experience that she felt compelled to share how mentorship has helped give her a leg up in the agricultural industry, and incidentally it has become a passion of hers. And it was this passion that generated recognition for her and she was selected as one of nine women across the country and the only one from rural Canada to be featured in a go-get featured contest run by Fido and Flare Magazine. She had her first photo shoot and she's featured online with the magazine. And she also shared her dream of working with an agricultural women's network to establish a mentorship program for women. And the speaker might recall that when the Commonwealth Women's Parliamentarians hosted their outreach program in Ontario in 2015, Amanda was one of the people who participated. And I'd like to thank in some small way we helped inspire her as well. Amanda's experience is growing up on her family's beef cattle farm, coupled with her youthful perspective on local issues and passion for helping and inspiring others will make her a wonderful addition to the publication's roster of freelance writers. Congratulations Amanda. I do remember and yes indeed you should take credit. The member from Hamilton, Stony Creek on statements. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise to address an issue that has been eating away at me for quite a while now. The Ministry of Community Services Amendment Act, also known as Bill 6. This is a good piece of legislation is going to create an evidence-based research commission that would make recommendations to our government on what Ontario social assistance rate should be year to year and in each region. This is an effective way to deal with poverty. This bill has come before this house many times and each time it's been passed by flying colors and second reading. The last time this happened Premier Wynn even stood up with her Liberal colleagues and applauded it. The Liberals have had plenty of opportunity to pass this bill since then. They are letting the bill sit preventing it from going before committee hoping that it's going to wither and die. It's ironic that the advocate of a similar bill was Liberal Ted McMeacon. There are many strong advocacy groups in my writing and the city of Hamilton have fought tooth and nail to see Bill 6 pass. The Hamilton round table for poverty reduction. The Hamilton organization for poverty elimination. The campaign for adequate welfare and disability benefits. And the advocacy committee for Bill 6 throughout the province. I commend them for their dedication speaker. I hope that the Liberals won't let their efforts go for not. I stand in this house today not with a question speaker but a request of the government. Don't let impoverished Ontarians continue to suffer. Do the right thing and bring Bill 6 forward. Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker and I'd like to say a few words about Anglis Devlin who passed away in Ottawa last week. And I have to say I've only known Agnes for about two years. I got to meet her at Altavista Manor where my in-laws live and I'm there quite frequently visiting. And I got to know her over two years. And what I found and what I found actually in the words. Wonderful words that I found the Ottawa citizens morning are some things about Agnes that I didn't know that she was a woman of great strength, love and faith, a wonderful mother, not only to her old children but also to many others. Always ready to expand the family dinner to include someone who might be alone. Agnes lived by the maxim not all of us can do great things but we can all do small things with great love. She was always there to answer the call whenever there was a need that she became aware of. Her great love guided her action. She was a tireless worker for the poor. And she did great things. The most enduring was as a founding member and volunteer of the Shepherds of Good Hope where she remained a committed volunteer for 25 years. The Agnes Devlin Volunteer Award of which she was the first recipient continues to be awarded by the Shepherds of Good Hope. She was renowned for her ability to turn the food that was available into a great meal. Agnes lived a full life and I will miss her. Whenever I went to visit Alta Vista Manor, I'd say hi Agnes how you doing? And she said not too bad how are you love consistently and I'm gonna miss that. And you know Agnes raised up the people around her with her deep faith, her devotion, her charity. So to Agnes' children and their families and need all those who are grieving the loss, a life filled with kindness both great and small is something to celebrate. Thank you very much Mr. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. On Thursday September 14th the Strathroy Middlesex Hospital Alliance held its fifth annual busting out event raising funds for new diagnostic equipment in SMHA's breast assessment program. The key to this program is that local women may receive breast cancer diagnosis treatment and even reconstruct reconstructive surgery at their local hospital. Because of this early assessment program doctors have been able to detect and diagnose one new unsuspected case of breast cancer per week. SMHA surgeons have committed to seeing new patients within 14 days of diagnosis. Finally thanks to the efforts of the local community the breast assessment program has fundraised for all new diagnostic equipment. Over the last four years more than $116,000 has been raised at busting out for breast cancer services in the many communities surrounding Strathroy. Congratulations to all those involved in this worthy local cause and to all who have made generous contributions. Thank you. Thank you. Other members statements the member from Toronto Danforth. Speaker thank you I rise to address the impact of regional express rail on my community. A rail line cuts diagonally across my riding and currently Metrolinx is planning to increase all-day commuter traffic on the line very substantially. Summer of 2016 I canvassed from one end of the line to the other in my riding to let people know what was happening and to hear their concerns. I welcome the investment in transit and the upgrade to electrified trains from diesel and so do most of my constituents. At the same time the communities that run alongside the rail are very concerned about the increase in noise and vibration as well as the potential large-scale loss of trees along the length of the line that provide a visual screen. Trains that now pass people's homes every 15 minutes will be passing their homes every two to three minutes. This will have a substantial impact. Again people know that action has to be taken to address congestion but they also believe they should be treated fairly and that there needs to be substantial investment to reduce the impact on their homes. I'll be convening a meeting with my constituents next Wednesday October 4th at the Ralph Thornton Centre starting at 7 p.m. to discuss the issues and to provide an opportunity for my constituents to question representatives from Metrolinx. The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change will shortly be reviewing the Metrolinx application. I ask him to do all he can to address my constituents concerns. Thank you. Thank you for the member's statements. The member from Brampton Springdale. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise today to talk about a leading channel with fantastic multicultural programming that's available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Punjab TV is celebrating two years serving the community across the greater Toronto area and around the world broadcasting on various platforms. Punjab TV offers the latest news and current affairs programming in Punjabi from Punjab, India and Canada with studios in Armetsar, Jolander, Moga and Chandigarh in India and Toronto and Canada. The 24-7 channel is available on iOS Apple at Android stores also on Bell and Rogers. With local international news and total entertainment including music, comedies, movies, game shows and many many more. Punjab TV provides high quality Punjabi informative programming with news, documentaries and discussions on local issues and talks and talk shows through its exclusive content relationships with leading content providers in India and North America. I want to congratulate my good friends Jesse Sarai and Prince Santu and all the host and staff and volunteers of Punjab TV as they celebrate their second anniversary. This year they also hosted their free second Canada Day celebration with thousands of people in attendance at the Bramley Go station. This is an event that they will continue to host over the years and continue to grow. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate them on their success in such a short period of time. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member of Students, the member from Leeds Grenville. Speaker, when a crisis happens in my riding, victim services of Leeds Grenville is there 24-7 to help people on the worst day of their lives. But today these workers are themselves in a crisis, one created by this government's chronic underfunding. Speaker, the role of victim services isn't limited to the first few hours of any incident. They're mandated to provide ongoing support. This includes developing safety plans for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking. Yet base funding from the Attorney General only covers initial contact. And even then, funding is totally inadequate as it's based on 849 new victims. Here's the problem, Speaker. Last year they had 1,175 new victims. They're on pace this year to be close to 2,000. You can imagine how this affects their staff. The stress of doing the impossible day after day has them overwhelmed. And I fear some may be at the breaking point. The Attorney General knows this because the board wrote the ministry a year ago to warn, and I quote, the impact this situation is having on our staff's mental health and our ability to continue service delivery in a rural environment. Shamely, it took over eight months to get a response that glossed over the crisis by describing the dramatic increase in cases as good news. That's unacceptable. It's time the Attorney General answered the plea of victim services in my riding by increasing funding to match the reality they face. Thank you. Member from Trinity, Spadina. Thank you, Speaker. Last winter I had the pleasure to attend a mass dinner at HMCS for York in my riding of Trinity, Spadina, where I was invited to their Canadian Leaders at Sea program. I rise today to thank both Lieutenant Commander Craig Rubeshar and Vice Admiral Ron Roy, Ron Roy and the Royal Canadian Navy for this rare opportunity to learn more about our naval forces. Canadian's Navy has approached traditions since its founding in 1910. In the Battle of Atlantic, the Navy completed 25,343 crossings and Canada lost 24 ships and 1,797 sailors, unfortunately. It was these supplies that helped change the outcome of the war. Currently, a new fleet of ships are being built to replace the old frigates. These ships will improve the fleet's ability to perform their duties while promoting economic growth across Canada. Our Navy may not be the biggest in size, but its sailors' professionalism, skill and passion is second to none in the world. In Commodore Skerpin's awards, I challenge you to find one sailor who doesn't love his or her job. Speaker, I'd like to tell you a brief story. While on the tour, I asked a young bomb disposal specialist, why would you choose a such dangerous job? He said, well, sir, I'm good at it, and someone has to do it. I encourage the House to join me in recognizing our sailor's bravery, commitment and sacrifice in protecting us and what Canada stands for. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Further member statements? The member from Bruce Gray on sound. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise to say a few words on this most solemn occasion. After 11 successful years of the world's most famous weather prognosticating groundhog, Wyrton Willie passed away in his home in Wyrton on Saturday, September 16. Willie was 13, but he lived three times longer than your average groundhog. As a former coordinator of the Groundhog Day Festival, I can attest to the fact that our community has been so fortunate to have Willie, a unique albino prognosticator like no other. So to Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney fill, Nova Scotia's Shubhanakini Sam, Balzac Billy, the Prairie prognosticator, and all the other Willie wannabes, I have to say sorry, but none of you stack up to our Wyrton Willie. Mr. Speaker, this has been a rough couple of months for the South Bruce Peninsula community. Willie's passing comes just one month after the passing of the founder of the Wyrton Willie Festival, the iconic Mack MacKenzie, who together with the help of many dedicated volunteers and sponsors, made February 2nd a major family festival for the town of Wyrton. Since it started in 1956, the Groundhog Day Festival has been helping fill local hotels, restaurants, and shops, and help support the economy of our entire region. Thousands of visitors have come annually to see if Willie will see a shadow and forecast six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Willie has put Wyrton on the worldwide tourism map. In Willie's honour, the community will be holding a state funeral with speeches and celebration of his life in Saturday, September 30th at 11 a.m. in Wyrton's Blue Water Park. But without a shout of a doubt, the community of Wyrton and South Bruce Peninsula will be ready for next year's Groundhog Day. In fact, there's a word that Willie's two-year-old understudy will assume the starting role representing Wyrton as the world's foremost weather prognosticator. I invite all members to join us in Wyrton on February 2nd, 2018, and meet Willie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm tempted, but I'm not going to say it. I thank all members for their statements.