 Thank you. It's now time for Member Statements, the Member from Dufferin, Caledon. I ask all members to join me in recognizing October 5th to 11th as National Family Week. Families are the heart and soul of our communities across the province. If you think of your victories in life, in business and indeed in politics, many of us appreciate and acknowledge the important roles our mothers and fathers have played in our successes. I know for me I am most proud of the fact that I am a mom. The Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs say that families are the natural place for children to grow and reach their potential. I want to thank the many organizations, staff and volunteers who support families across Ontario, including the Dufferin Parent Child Centre, the Dufferin Early Years Centre, and the Peel Family Education Centre. Every child deserves to be part of a loving family. They are first and foremost the most important support system for the majority of children. They are there to help guide a child through the good and bad times of life, and to help each child reach their full potential through instilling values that will guide them throughout their lives. Families are also the first opportunity for children to interact with others and help install the necessary social skills that are needed throughout life. A family is a community within a community that teach each and every one of us the importance of nurturing our community. Family is also a place where everyone can learn something from one another. Whether you are a parent, an uncle, an aunt, a brother, a sister, a grandparent, we all learn from each other. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, I hope that everyone will have an opportunity to spend time with their loved ones and be thankful for your family. Thank you. Further Member Stevens, the Member from Canora, Rainey River. Thank you, Speaker. Recognizing that inaccessible and unaffordable healthy food in the North is a contributing factor to higher rates of chronic diseases and food insecurity, the Government of Manitoba just announced a pilot project to reduce the high costs of healthy food staples in 10 remote First Nation and Northern communities. A firm, affordable food in remote Manitoba, is a retail subsidy program designed to help reduce shipping costs over and above the paltry subsidy offered by Nutrition North Canada. Presently of the 25 far North communities in Canora Rainey River alone, only 11 communities receive some form of subsidy from Nutrition North Canada with most receiving a meager 5 cents a kilogram reduction of shipping costs leaving healthy foods out of reach for Northerners. But rather than point the finger at the federal government and wait for it to fix the problem, Premier Selinger took a leadership role and created a program to help Northern Manitobans. I'm proud of the work that New Democrats are doing to help improve health outcomes for Northerners and other provinces and believe more can be done by this Liberal government to look after Northern Ontarians. I am once again calling on Premier Wynn to develop a strategy to help Northerners, regardless of what the federal government does or does not do. It is incumbent upon our provincial government to step up and look after all of our citizens within our borders. Other provinces are leading by example and showing that it should and can be done. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today and talk about Halton's kickoff to Ontario Agriculture Week. The event was held at Country Heritage Park, one of our region's hidden gems. And we were delighted to have the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Jeff Leal, with us. The event, entitled Future of Food and Farming Forum, 2441 brought agriculture business leaders, stakeholders and government officials together to discuss trends that will dramatically transform our food and farming landscape. It was an important event for our community, Mr. Speaker, not just because it helped kick off AgriWeek, but because the agricultural sector plays an invaluable role in Halton. It is one of the pillars of our economy, providing stable, meaningful employment for workers. And it is a celebrated foundation of our region's history and development. At Country Heritage Park, they even offer educational field trips for students in grades K to 8 to come and learn about various agricultural practices, histories and the importance of farming. Mr. Speaker, the Food and Farming Forum was a chance to bring key people together to discuss important issues and celebrate the role that agriculture plays in our region. We are proud of our heritage, Mr. Speaker, and I'm pleased that through actions like AgriWeek, this province is reminded of the importance that agriculture plays in our lives. Thank you. Further... Mr. Speaker, the member from York Central. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to draw attention to emotion. That was recently adopted by the town of Innisfil in my riding of York Simcoe. Mr. Speaker, the town of Innisfil has expressed its concern regarding the rising electricity rates and the impact this has on Ontario's manufacturing sector, agricultural sector, tourism, and most of all, families. The town of Innisfil endorsed this motion, which was brought forward by the town of New Tecumseh and the township of Stormont. Voters in Ontario are worried about the liberal fire sale of Hydro One that will result in increases to their already-too-high hydro bills, making Ontario a more and more unaffordable place to live, work, and raise a family. Ontario's ever-rising electricity rates hinder the ability of businesses to compete on a level playing field with other jurisdiction and therefore kills jobs. Mr. Speaker, Ontario has among the highest electricity rates in North America. If that is not enough, rates are expected to rise 42 percent between 2013 and 2018. The financial burden this will continue to place on seniors, families, and businesses cannot be understated. Voters in Ontario know that selling Hydro One is a short-sighted move. It is a shame that this premier is moving forward without listening to thousands. Thank you for the member's language. A member from Windsor to come see. Speaker, there's a small fundraising group in Windsor and Essex County called the Do Good Divas. They've been raising money for local health care initiatives for the past nine years. The Do Good Divas have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the local hospitals, our regional cancer care center, even the Jump Start program, which provides nutritional breakfast for our school kids. Speaker, the Canada South Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals has just named the Do Good Divas as this year's outstanding philanthropic group. They'll be honored at an awards luncheon on the 5th of November. The Divas host an annual fundraiser called Diva Delights, A Girl's Night Out in Hamburg, Heaven. 1,000 women come out to support this unique event that features purses donated by celebrities, designers, retailers, and generous individuals. There's a silent option of more than 300 handbags, as well as a live option of celebrity items. And this year's event is on the 29th of October at the Kubota Club in Windsor. The highlight will be autographed handbags from Canadian recording artist Diana Crawl, CTV's Marilyn Dennis, Canadian Olympic medalist Clara Hughes, and Nashville star Carrie Underwood. Once again, Bill Walker, the member from Bruce Gray Owen Sound, will be on hand as the auctioneer of these celebrity handbag donations. I'll be the emcee along with Jim Crichton, the local news anchor at her CTV station. So, Speaker, allow me to congratulate all of the Do Good Divas. They are a group of about 40 active volunteers and a few diva dudes as well. Yes, Speaker, I am a diva dude. My wife, Gil Simcoe, is the founder and president of the Do Good Divas. She and Lucy Fanson, Vicki Granger, and Lindsay Lovacchi make up the executive. Together, they're doing good deeds for the health of our community and keep up the good work. And congratulations on being named the philanthropic group of the year. Thank you, Speaker. You're welcome, dude. Member Stevens, the member from New Market Aurora. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate this opportunity to tell the House about an important milestone in my writing of New Market Aurora. Speaker, it was in the early 1960s when the women of BEDA Sigma Phi sorority founded the Aurora Seniors Association. Back then, 75 seniors were members. Today, more than 1,400 seniors are active members of the association. Absolutely. I'm biased, Mr. Speaker, but I think it's the best senior centre in Ontario, certainly in Canada. I will proudly admit, senior, that having reached a certain age myself, I was able to join the association and I've been warmly welcomed and enjoy Wednesday lunches. And one day I look forward to using the well-equipped woodworking shop. Yes, I know it's shocking that I have reached a certain age, but I'm happy to say that I'm there. At the age of... Well, no, I'm not going to tell you my age. Speaker, on Sunday, September 28th, the Aurora Seniors Association celebrated the 10th anniversary of its new home. But, Speaker, the Aurora Seniors Association just isn't an inward-looking group. It's also active in fundraising for groups like food banks, chats, operations, smile, and the Children's Wish Foundation. In fact, last year, Mr. Speaker, the volunteers prepared over 150 holiday gift baskets for less fortunate. And I'd like to thank the past and current dedicated board members of the Aurora Seniors Association and the town of Aurora for its leadership and continued support. Thank you to everyone who makes that center such a success. Thank you. Member Stavis, member of the Sarnia Lambda. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand today to help raise awareness for a very important health issue in our province. Pediatric, autoimmune, neuro-psychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections known by the acronym PANDAS and Pediatric Acute Onset Neuro-Psychiatric Syndrome, also known as PANDs. Serious illnesses are affecting the lives of young children across Ontario. The PANDAS slash PANDS term refers to the sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder, ticks, anxiety, depression, irritability, and regressive behavior in children that cannot be explained by any other neurological or medical disorder but that often occur following a strep infection. Unfortunately, PANDAS slash PANDS is often misdiagnosed and untreated due to the lack of awareness by the public and the medical community itself. The treatment for PANDAS PANDS vary by the needs of the child but they do exist and may be as common as antibiotic or anti-inflammatory in medications, but the condition must first be diagnosed correctly. Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that there be a greater public awareness of this serious children's health issue and more must be done to increase the support for families dealing with the challenge of PANDAS and PANDS at the local, provincial, and national level. Mr. Speaker, October 9th is the International Day of Awareness for the illnesses of PANDAS PANDS. I encourage all members of this legislature to take time tomorrow and learn more about PANDAS PANDS and its impact on their communities. Please visit www.pandapansontario.org for more information on this important issue. Thank you. Thank you for the members, the members from Aging to Mars. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to recognize my constituent Eric who is in the legislature today and he is here with his friend John Telch. David is a young entrepreneur who is the founder and president of Nation Leagues. Nation Leagues operates recreational sports leagues all across the Toronto area and caters to people of all ages. One of the favorite sports that they play in this league is dodgeball, Mr. Speaker. Particularly, David is committed to ensuring that working professionals with hectic schedules have a fun and easily accessible means of playing sport and engaging in healthy activity at the same time support local charitable causes. David is consistently organizing charitable sports tournaments for adults. Unique to other charitable tournaments, Nation Leagues encourages teams to select their own charity of choice. The winners of Nation Leagues tournaments rather than receiving awards see the tournament proceeds go to the end of their choosing. Nation Leagues is proud to have partnered and supported dozens of charities. David and Nation Leagues wanted even more to benefit communities through sport. As a result, David had begun plans to run after school programs in our schools. And it's a priority for David basically to give the youth a chance to be healthy and at the same time raise some money for charity. And perhaps we should arrange a dodgeball game between the government and the two opposition parties. There is the challenge Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The further member is the member from Mississauga Streetsville. Thank you very much Speaker. Tonight is the final dinner serving for the sixth annual Taste of Streetsville fine dining promotion and fundraiser for Trillium Health Partners. Hosted by the Streetsville BIA, the Taste of Streetsville ran from September the 10th through to tonight, October the 8th. Diners enjoyed a three course fixed price menu for just $30. A dozen of our local restaurants Andiamo, Cagnes, Cantina, Mexicana, Chuchilanes, Irish Pub, Enzo's, Jingtai, the Franklin House, Giorgio's, Goodfellas, Gradenbar and Grill, Mondello Ristorante and Saucy laid out their best to thank the patrons, show their fair to new diners and raise money for our hospital. Proceeds from every meal during the annual Taste of Streetsville are donated to the redevelopment of the emergency department at Credit Valley Hospital. I toured the emergency department this past summer to personally see the need for the redesigned space to maximize and better manage patient flow and to create separate specialized treatment areas for pediatrics and for seniors. It's all over this Friday, October the 8th. There's still a night to enjoy the world's finest food in the heart of Historic Streetsville. Thank you to our local restauranteurs for your help at the hospital emergency department and for your best dishes once again this year. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. And I thank all members for their statements and it's now time