 And it's now time for members' statements. And for the first statement, I turn to the member from Niagara Center. Thank you, Speaker. People in my riding of Niagara Center are concerned about the future of their eye care. After decades of underfunding, optometrists and their patients are suffering. In Ontario, the government only covers an average of 55% of the cost of an OHIP-insured visit, the lowest rate in Canada. Now, as of September 1st, OHIP-covered eye exams are at risk. Georgina from Welland is a kindergarten teacher. She's seen countless young students struggle to learn until they received an eye exam and it became apparent they needed glasses. Georgina said, quote, their parents are often struggling financially, do not have extra funds to pay for an eye exam or glasses. I have spent money from my own pocket to purchase glasses or replace broken or lost glasses for my students. Georgina's mother is a senior on a very fixed income. In her regular eye exam, her eye doctor observed that her retina had detached. Without this intervention, her mother might have lost her sight completely. Georgina is not alone in her concern. Countless seniors have reached out to my office worried about the future of their eye care. Speaker, eye care is healthcare. I urge this government to provide the financial supports necessary for optometrists to continue to keep their doors open and provide OHIP-covered eye examinations. Thank you. My next member's statement, the member from Markham, Thorn Hill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand here with the heavy heart and heart-wrenching memories of Tamil who perished during the last stage of the brutal war in Munli Vaikal in May 2009. This is a very emotional moment for the Tamils, including myself, having been brought up in Venni region during my early childhood. Today marked the 12th year of Tamil genocide, a number of days. Bishop Joseph Rajapu, a passionate human rights advocate and respected religious leader, who recently passed away, witnessed Sri Lankan armed forces, suppressed over 147,000 people, including women and children. Mr. Speaker, the war ended 12 years ago. Injustice turned to them. It still remained unfulfilled today. Sadly, until now, United Nations has set up the mechanism for independent international investigation. There's no roadmap to end the ongoing operation on Ilam Tamil. We urge the Canadian government to involve with the United Nations to end this. Through Bill 104, we are seeing the new hope and our voice have been heard. Thank you to the member of Ontario Parliament for passing this bill. Mr. Speaker, we pay them my deepest respect for those who have lost their life. I understand and share the pain of those who have lost their loved ones. Our prayers go out to them, and their memories live with us. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you. The next member of statement, the member from Mashua. Thank you, Speaker. One of the first things my office staff checks each day is who is eligible for vaccines. There's so much new information, and it is a challenge for anyone to keep up. When we know that there are appointments available, my office circles back to people who have reached out for help to get them to try again to book appointments. We've been very glad to do the vital work of helping neighbours get vaccinated. Speaker, since the beginning, health units have had to figure out things for themselves. Because while the province is responsible for the distribution of vaccines, they have not shown organized leadership and what we have is a patchwork system of programs across the province. None of the government announcements have come with more people or more funding. And if the government really wants to focus on these hotspots and divert vaccines to them, then they need to provide the needed support to make sure they can get a lot of people vaccinated in those hotspots. When the province announced their list of hotspots, many were surprised by how many priority areas were missing. Oshawa has been missing. The Durham Health Department has found that the L1L neighbourhood in North Oshawa has the lowest vaccination rates in Durham region and a high rate of COVID transmission. Beginning May 17th, it has been deemed by public health to be a local hotspot, and people who live or work in L1L will be able to book vaccine appointments. I am glad more people will be vaccinated, but South Oshawa also needs special consideration. The health department has told me we support vaccine prioritization in South Oshawa, along with other areas in Oshawa. I know that the health department was not given the opportunity to recommend areas to the province for hotspots. Well, Speaker, I am recommending Oshawa neighbourhoods now to this government. Let's ensure folks that need protecting can have access to vaccines. Thank you. Thank you very much. The Member for Flamborough Glandon. Good morning. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my gratitude to our pandemic heroes. These men and women, boys and girls come from all walks of life. Ontarians who have stepped up to support their communities and help their neighbours weather the storm. This spring, I will be hosting a virtual awards ceremony to recognize and honour some of these outstanding individuals in my riding of Flamborough Glandon. The award recipients have been nominated by members of the community who have observed or been touched by their efforts. These inspiring individuals include Kevin Keat, a dedicated volunteer at Glandon Community Services, who with his positive spirit has delivered meals to isolated residents. A group of women known as the St. James United Church mask makers who have created over 4,000 masks and donated proceeds of the effort to organisations that support the community. These small army of volunteers at the Food with Grace Water Down Food Bank who have gone above and beyond to collect and distribute donations to those in need. And John Gadot, the head custodian at St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School in Binbrook who has been the first line of defence against the virus keeping the school clean and staff and students safe. As we persevere in our efforts to bend the curve once and for all, let the sacrifices of these and countless other pandemic heroes remind us all of our responsibility to do our part just a little while longer. Thank you very much. Next we have the member for Windsor to come see. Morning Speaker, down my way during nursing week we honour an outstanding individual who has served the community through excellence in delivering patient care. Because of COVID-19 for the second year the dedication of each and every nurse in Windsor in Essex County is being recognised. The local president of our RNAO chapter is Crystal Hepburn. She says this year the award recognises the extreme dedication, loyalty and hard work that all of our nurses are providing to ensure our community continues to be safe and healthy during this pandemic. As a symbol of their service to our community there will be a dedicated bench in Leamington Seacliff Park to recognise the valuable contribution of the nurses in Windsor and Essex County. The nurses have already established a similar bench in Windsor's Jackson Park and at the Health and Wellness Centre in Amersburg. Our nurses have been recognising one of their own since 2008. The Nurse of the Year Award carries the name and honours the contribution of a former president of the ONA, Lois Fairley. She spent her career as a nurse and head nurse looking after patients at her former Salvation Army Grace Hospital. Speaker, as you know this year's theme to Nursing Week is still standing, still proud. A theme that reflects the challenges that nurses have withstood throughout this pandemic and the remarkable resilience and dedication. During this pandemic nurses have worked hard each and every day and night, every single shift month after month. They are exhausted yet they have persevered and continue to care for all of us in need. The courage, professionalism and compassion they display is humbling. Nurses are loved, trusted, respected and appreciated by their patients and by all of the people in Ontario and in this house, our provincial parliament. Thank you Speaker. Thank you. Member statements? Member for Carlton. Mr. Speaker, my statement today Mr. Speaker is about a constituent of mine named Mike Namisberry who I had the pleasure of speaking with on March 18, 2021. Mike started out with a dream to become the premier freestyle skier in the world and he was well on his way to achieving it. For well over a decade Mike competed at the highest levels in Canada and internationally, winning dozens of championships including world cups as well as Canadian, European and British skiing titles. Mike was reaching the pinnacle of his world class skiing career when his entire world changed. A tragic accident in 1985 left him a quadriplegic. The round the world challenge is a six month, 40,000 kilometer 20 country journey to raise awareness and funds for enabling technologies which will improve the freedom, independence and acceptance of people with disabilities especially those with spinal cord injuries. In March 2001 Mike became the first quadriplegic to independently drive his heavily modified truck around the world completing the round the world challenge. In March 2021 Mike celebrated the 20th anniversary of this project with a virtual tour around the planet retracing his tour and highlighting the accomplishments of two decades ago. More importantly it compared where the world was then to where it is now. To find out more about Mike and the challenge you can visit www.roundtheworldchallenge.com Thank you. Thank you. The member for Hamilton East, Stoney Creek. Good morning Mr. Speaker. It's been a very difficult year for our kids so this morning I rise to recognize the strength and the resilience of the children and youth in Ontario. After more than a year of disruption and online learning doesn't work students are frustrated and falling behind and some are just not showing up. Parents and educators are exhausted trying so hard to make it work. 70% of teachers surveyed worried the kids won't catch up academically yet we can continue to see this government flatlining education funding and now proposing a hybrid model of learning for next year but without additional funding. Tragically we are seeing the devastating impact of social isolation on children's health and well-being. Bruce Squires, the president of McMaster Children's Hospital reports that the number of youth being admitted after a suicide attempt has tripled this year. An Ontario soccer survey found that without youth soccer 40% of respondents reported feeling anxiety, stress and worried while 20% noted depression. Mr. Speaker our kids are not okay and we need to start listening to them. Students are calling on the Ontario government to allow COVID safe outdoor graduation ceremonies. Kids are pleading to allow the Ontario government to open outdoor recreation facilities to boost physical and mental health. The premier just teased that summer camps will be open but so far has provided no details. Kids don't need to be held in suspense. They don't need more empty words without a plan. We must act to prioritize the mental health of Ontario's three million children and youth now. Thank you Mr. Speaker. The next member statement the member for Scarborough Guildwin. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Today May 18th marks the 12th anniversary of the Malibu Ican genocide. This is a day when Tamils in Canada and around the world will join together in remembering the end of the 25 year long civil war that claims the lives of thousands of innocent civilians on both sides. As Tamils commemorate those who were lost it is also important to acknowledge the process of rebuilding which is ongoing today. Today also reflects on the pain and the suffering of this atrocity. It is also apparent that significant steps have been taken towards the preservation and expansion of the cultural heritage of Tamil people including here in Ontario. In this house we unanimously passed the member of Scarborough Rouge Parks Bill 104 which dedicates a week of educating about genocides so we never repeat it again. Notably a campaign to establish a chair in Tamil studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough the first of its kind in Canada has reached its 3 million philanthropic goal. More than 3800 donors contributed to the grassroots campaign which was spearheaded by the Canadian Tamil Congress and Tamil chair Inc. in 2018. Tamil is among the world's seven classical languages and it reflects a rich cultural heritage that spans more than 2,000 years. The east part of Toronto is home to the largest concentration of Tamil people outside of the Indian subcontinent. I am inspired by the strong ties of kinship shared between members of the Tamil Canadian community and the dedication Tamil show to improving the lives of their neighbours. As a member of provincial parliament for Scarborough Guildwood I truly appreciate the strength and perseverance of the Tamil Canadian communities across Ontario and I stand here and join with all of you in wishing them a happy and prosperous future. The next statement, the member for Peterborough Corp. Speaker yesterday was international day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. Today I'd like to introduce you to a very good friend of mine, Rose Powers. Rose is an absolute force for good in our community. I first met her when we were both involved in hockey in Peterborough. Rose was the president of the Peterborough Girls Hockey Association and at the time I was director of player development and she helped me immensely with a number of projects like the under the lock tournament and hockey game Canada. She has a reputation that if you want something done well you enlist Rose's help. Speaker, Rose has a project that she's been working on for the last couple of years and it's one that everyone needs to know about. It's called sport or rainbow. The concept is really simple. You take the pledge and you sport a rainbow sticker to show that you are the winner. Speaker, here's the pledge. By sporting a rainbow I understand that all athletes, coaches and competitors deserve to participate in sport free of judgment. I will help by speaking up against hateful speech and actions in my sport because it's more than just the game. Speaker, I proudly took the pledge when Rose first started it and I encourage everyone to go to the pledge and get behind this fantastic initiative because as Rose says, it's more than just the game. The next member's statement, the member for Northumberland, Peter Broadside. Speaker, today I rise to highlight the phenomenal work being done from Northumberland Manufacturers Association and a recent virtual career fair that they held. The special thank you to the phenomenal team Fred, Darla, Melissa and Peter Broadside. The fair was an industry-led event to recruit college, university and high school graduates looking at a rewarding career in manufacturing. The purpose of event was to hire new talent, open new connections and relationships, learn and promote internships, apprenticeships and to continue to build relationships between industry and post-secondary institutions. The event included a keynote speaker who gave a virtual plant tour on careers in manufacturing and speaker, it was directed towards students in my community. The event had 27 manufacturers in attendance, 170 graduates, six post-secondary schools, high school speaker, this was truly a remarkable event. I'm told students have already been in for internship interviews, students have been asked to come in and many are well on their way to a rewarding career in manufacturing. I also know that teachers are now in direct contact with manufacturers in our community building these important linkages is critical speaker. Speaker, this event, along with MIRMO's recent expansion to Campbellford, hiring now to growing their company to over 100 employees with well-paying jobs like machine operators, drafters and engineering personnel shows that manufacturing in Northumberland is alive and well speaker. Speaker I want to thank the remarkable team at NMA, thank you for the work you do and thank you to all the manufacturers in Northumberland. Thank you very much. That concludes our member statements for this morning.