 It is now time for Member Statements to Member from Oxford. Mr. Speaker, there are people who are willing to put their values and beliefs before their own safety. People like veterans who fought to protect our way of life, our freedom and our democracy. People who have made the ultimate sacrifice like Tyler William Todd from Oxford. Last week that sacrifice was made close to home when an unarmed soldier was shot guarding our National War Memorial. You can never repay the debt that we owe these soldiers, but we should show them respect in every way that we can. Tomorrow, the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign begins. People will wear poppies to show their respect and thank our veterans. But even though the veterans fought for our democracy, we as MPPs are not supposed to have poppy donation boxes in our office. Mr. Speaker, the public comes to our office for help accessing their government to speak about their concerns and their complaints. They should be a place where they could show their respect for the veterans who fought and ensured they had those rights. Last week I introduced the bill to allow MPPs to have poppy boxes in their office. To ensure we can accomplish this before Remembrance Day, in a few minutes I will be moving a unanimous consent motion asking that the legislature declare that MPPs are allowed to have poppy box donations in their offices. I thank the three house leaders for their support and I hope that all members will join me in showing our respect and thanks to our veterans. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to acknowledge the Essex Regional Conservation Foundation Super Santa Run. Amosburg's annual Super Santa Run is to be held this year on November 15th. Participants are asked to run or walk along a 5 kilometre route starting in downtown Amosburg. This event is a fun event for the whole family in addition to promoting healthy and active living. It is a great way to kick off the holiday season. Runners are being asked to meet on Sunday November 15th at 5pm at the Navy Yard Park and upon arrival participants will receive a free 5 piece Santa suit to wear during the run including jacket pants, belts, beard and a Santa hat. Last year there were more than 350 runners. The cost is $35 per adult and $20 for children. The Essex Region Conservation Foundation was established as a charitable public foundation in 1977 with a vital goal to receive and maintain funds for charitable educational conservation and heritage purposes related to the conservation and restoration of natural heritage resources in the Essex region. The foundation supports the Essex Region Conservation Authority by raising funds required to reforest and green the Essex Region, protect those significant natural areas that remain and preserve our natural and cultural heritage. They also restore wetlands and increase green connections through acquiring and developing trails. All the funds raised go to the Essex Region Conservation Foundation on their trail on campaign to complete the Essex Amosburg Greenway. Speaker, I wish them a great run and Merry Christmas to all the runners that are going to be participating. Thank you very much. Thank you. Member Stavins, the member from Mrs. Sarva Streetsville. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, it's my pleasure today not merely to recognize one of my political mentors, but the retiring Chair, Peele Region in the Members West Gallery, Mr. Amil Kolb. Now Mr. Kolb is going to be taking his leave after this immediately past provincial election. And I'd just like members and all of those watching to know what a wonderful contribution Amil Kolb has made to the development of the three dynamic municipalities that make up Peele Region. Certainly, Mississauga, where I'm from, the city of Brampton and the town of Caledon, which is where Amil hails from. Amil has guided the region appeal and its three dynamic fast-growing cities for well more than a generation and has really seen Peele Region and its municipalities from being almost rural municipalities to being the fastest growing part of Canada today. We were very proud of Amil Kolb's accomplishments as the Chair of Peele Region. He's worked very, very well and very effectively in his understated and professional manner with the City Councils of Caledon, Brampton and Mississauga. The harmony that we've seen in the way our municipalities have developed is in many ways a testimony to the fine leadership provided to Mississauga, to Brampton and to Caledon by Amil Kolb. Good luck Amil. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Stavitz, the member from Dufford, Caledon. Thank you Speaker. I also am honored to recognize one, Caledon and the Region Appeals Outstanding Public Servants, Amil Kolb, who's retiring after 50 years of public service. Amil began his career in 1964 when he sat as a member of the Albion Township Planning Board. In 1970 he was elected as a Peele County Counselor and served until 1973 when he took a seat at the Peele Region for the town of Caledon. He continued to serve in that role until being elected Mayor in 1985 and since 1991 he has served as Chair of the Region Appeal. In fact Amil has served as a member of the Peele Police Services Board so long that he is known across Canada as the Godfather of Police Board Governance, but in a good way. For everyone who knows Amil you will know that there isn't a public building or an organization in the Region Appeal that he cannot tell you a story of how it began, who was involved to get it started and often who you had to lobby to get it done. That must be the hallmark of great public service. Have a great memory and never make an enemy. So on behalf of the residents of Dufferin Caledon and the Ontario Legislature I'd like to thank you Amil Kolb for your commitment to public service and to the Region Appeal. Your 50 years of dedication to Peele is incredible and your many contributions to the Region unforgettable. Thank you. We thank you for your service and thank you. Welcome. Member Stamis, the member from Hamilton East Tony Creek. Thank you Speaker. This afternoon we will once again debate second reading of the bill to protect child performers in the live and recorded entertainment industries. Currently this protection is left to the push and pull of contract negotiations. Speaker, what child safety issues could negotiators be forced to give up other than pressing contract issues? We have a chance just 10 and a half months ago to do it right to become a leader in child performer protection, but some MPPs fell into the abyss of political game playing with child safety. We went through an intense process last year with ACTRA, Equity, the Producers and the Minister of Labor and the staff as well as the committee session that brought forward some adopted amendments. We did our due diligence and we worked well together. I am hopeful that with some new faces and new party positions that we can again work all together, but this time we need to get through third reading and to Royal Ascent. We need to ensure that the best protection for child performance, we have the chance to show that we can and will work for the best interests of Ontarians of child performers, not just our own political agendas. I look forward to all party support to bring Bill 17 protecting child performers quickly into the committee agenda, then to third reading and Royal Ascent. Thank you. Thank you. Member Senus and Member for Cambridge. Thank you, Speaker. I stand today in this House to pay tribute to two long-serving politicians retiring from their roles as regional councillors in my writing of Cambridge. Claudette Miller was elected as Mayor of Preston in 1970 in a time where women politicians were not as commonly seen as today. After Preston Gault and Hespeler amalgamated into Cambridge in 1973, she was elected as the first Mayor of the City of Cambridge. In 2003 she was elected as regional councillor and she went on to be re-elected in 2006 and 2010. At the broader municipal level, Claudette served on the Ontario Municipal Board from 1987 to 1992. Jane Brewer was elected in 1978 as Ward Alderman to Cambridge City Council. She was elected Mayor of Cambridge in 1988 until year 2000 when she was elected as the regional council for Cambridge, serving a combined 32 years on Waterloo Regional Council. Speaker, she decided not to seek re-election and she recently turned 90 years old. These two extraordinary women, both role models for women in politics, are now retired and I know that the City of Cambridge and all the constituents will join me in thanking them for their many years of exemplary public service. Thank you. Thank you, Member Senus and Member for Niagara West, Glenbrook. Thank you, Speaker. When my riding, the old riding Niagara South merged with the riding of Lincoln back in 1999, I did what a lot of members did and made efforts to know some of the leaders in that community. And one couple particularly, Art and Vel Fleming, I had to get them to see. Business leaders, leaders in philanthropy, they were conservatives, but they kind of knew what was happening in town. And they had that one true value that we all admire in people. Well, they told you not what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. Over the years, Deb and I were blessed to have their friendship. Got to know them quite well. Every Christmas, Val would send out a letter to all those on her list. Nice picture of the family, the kids, the grandkids, the great-grandkids, catch us by their adventures, but sadly this year, Art won't be there. And in his 91st year, just short of his 91st birthday, Art Fleming passed away. This was one of the leading citizens in Beamsville on this most respected and beloved individuals. A man who was born and raised his family and passed away in the same piece of land that's been in the family since 1926, built Fleming chicks from the largest employers in town and then gave back far, far more to the community. Bringing up the Art and Val, Fleming Fund, the Niagara Community Foundation, strong in their Christian faith, passed on their kids' values of hard work, community service, and the love they had for each other was incredible to the whole that their family functions. Now Art passed away watching over his grandkids with great pride, incredible love. Today, Speaker, I want to salute an extraordinary and historic figure in Beamsville, Ontario, Art Fleming. We're going to miss him. Thank you. Thank you. Member Stevens. Member from Newmarket, Aurora. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity to bring good news from my writing of Newmarket, Aurora, specifically about the 70th anniversary of the Aurora Lions Club, which we celebrated this past weekend with a special dinner. Seventy years of contribution to the community is certainly something to be proud of, and it clearly demonstrates of Aurora Lion members live up to the international club's motto we serve. In Aurora, the Lions have been among our volunteer leaders. There are a number of local Lion projects that stand out for me, the Lions Park, the original town park band shell, funding for our public library, the Christmas basket program that still continues. And for those fortunate enough to have tasted them, no one can forget hot pancakes served with fresh maple syrup at the sugaring off at Shepherd's Bush. Lions serve, indeed, in this case, thousands of pancakes each year. The Lions have also been a big part of providing visually challenged people with wonderful guide dogs, two of which attended last Saturday's dinner, accompanied by their guardians. Mr. Speaker, I was also impressed to learn that the Aurora Lions sponsor nearly 500 vision tests for young Aurora school children each year and continue to collect glasses for overseas use. This is in keeping with the club's strong focus on vision. Going forward, the club is growing to meet the demands of the next 70 years. Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to stand here today to thank all who serve and have served in the Aurora Lions Club, and I'm proud to say that the Lions still roar loudly and are a wonderful community of Aurora. Thank you. Thank you. A member from Halton? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of stomping by Rattlesnake Point conservation area in Halton. Now, one of the most beautiful places in southern Ontario. And I was greeted by hundreds of school children exploring our local forest. They were everywhere, hiking down trails, sitting in circles around fire pits and gathering in groups intense. It was all part of the annual Forest Festival put on by Conservation Halton. Now, this festival is unique. It offers 24 interactive curriculum-linked outdoor activities to educate local students about the importance of respecting and appreciating our local wildlife and environment. And they learn about everything from the composition of the dirt under their feet to the impact of sunlight on our tall trees. It's a fantastic opportunity for kids to learn and explore our natural environment. And thanks to the 300 volunteers and organizers who tirelessly devoted their time and energy, it was an incredible success. This year, 1,400 great six and seven students took part in the week-long event, along with countless others. During my visit, I was taken on a tour of the grounds and I saw firsthand some of the innovative activities taking place. I strolled through the forest, even carried a corn snake. Believe me, that's something I'll never forget. And I talked with instructors. By educating our young people about the environment, the Forest Festival will hopefully inspire generations of environmentally conscious kids to safeguard our natural spaces. Thanks. Thank you.