 Therefore it is time for members statements the member from Halliburton, Cortholex Brock Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on behalf of my constituents in Halliburton, Cortholex Brock on the issue of long-term care Just recently I received 500 letters from Faust Manor about the crisis in our long-term care system There is underfunding for beds under staffing in homes, and I am frustrated that the people are continuing to suffer In June we recognize the 32nd anniversary of seniors month And I am disappointed that our families have suffered 13 long years of inaction There are 24,000 seniors without access to a nursing bed The wait list will skyrocket to 50,000 in the next six years in Halliburton, Cortholex Brock alone There's 800 over 800 on the wait list and in Peterborough area. There's over 2700 on their wait list 30,000 beds have yet to be rebuilt to modern standards and the government has yet to commit to funding the building of any new beds I've been calling on the government to release the capacity study to rebuild outdated beds and nursing homes and add beds and eliminate the shamefully long wait list The ongoing shortfalls are direct result of this Liberal government's incompetence Squandering 11.4 billion every year just to service the death they built That money would represent enough to cover the cost of hiring extra nurses and personal support workers providing additional Four hours of care and address every person on the wait list In fact, it would be enough to fund our entire long-term care system three times over the needs of our elderly patients and caregivers Must become a priority for this government. The time for action is now Speakers my sad duty to report to you that we lost a member of Tocumse town council last weekend Counselor Mike Roar was just 45 He'd only been on council for a couple of years, but he had been a political activist a Community builder and a good friend for a long long time. I Guess I first met Michael in 1995. He was 23 He was a conservative candidate Running against the liberal by the name of Dwight Duncan. I Guess we all know who won that race Another loss in 1999 despite doubling his votes. Let you know what speaker? Mike was such a great guy had such an engaging and charismatic personality that he and Dwight became good friends and remained so I Used to bring Michael in as a conservative or a Canadian alliance analyst on my political panel at CBC Windsor As a reporter I covered him in dozens of local stories He was a commercial real estate appraiser when he was 28 He was the youngest ever appointee to Ontario's assessment review board Opposition members roasted him because of his political connections But speaker connections were what Mike Roar was all about the matter wherever he went with whomever he met He was always upbeat. I always had a smile or a joke. He brightened your day. He really was Larger than life But at his core Mike was a family man Made in those blended and extended families Mike was the center of the universe my condolences to D Daughters Hannah and Grace and son Michael Kids your dad was a very special person when we're gonna miss him, too Thank you, Mr. Speaker June is Italian Heritage Month in Ontario a time to highlight the Contributions of Italian Canadians to our society. This is the sixth year that heritage Italian heritage month activities Will be carried out in Ontario the festivities were kicked off last Sunday at the Italian National Day event at Casa Loma Renamed Castello Italia for the day, which the premier myself and many other MPPs attended together with about 4,500 people Tomorrow June 2nd Italians around the world including Ontario will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of Italian Republic Day on June 2nd and 3rd 1946 Italian citizens were called to vote in a referendum to choose which form of government Their country should adopt they chose the Republic over monarchy This was also the first occasion in which Italian women were allowed to vote for a national political election Mr. Speaker for many years. We have been hosting an Italian flag raising here at Queen's Park this year We will be celebrating on June 10th I would like to take this opportunity to thank the minister responsible for seniors Mario Sergio who together with two members of the opposition parties introduced the Italian Heritage Month Act in 2010 through this act the province of Ontario Recognizes the important contributions Italian immigrants have made in building Ontario's communities in the economical Political social and cultural achievements of Italian Canadians throughout our province Italian heritage month is an opportunity to remember To celebrate and educate future generations about Ontario's rich history Thank you for the members and the member from Prince Edward Hastings Thank you speaker I come from a region with a big heart and never was that more evident than over the past couple of weeks when Canada's needed the People of the Quinty region we've stepped up for Canada and when the people of Fort McMurray needed us We packed for Fort Mac the people of my region have donated over $130,000 to the people of Fort Mac since the wildfires started But they also took it a step further. It was my honor to work with Max Haggerty of ITS transport Joe Chinook Furball's choice and the Belleville and Prince Edward County fire departments to pack a big rig with supplies for the people who made it out Of Fort McMurray, but are stuck at camps in northern Alberta in towns like Redwater and Bonneville wandering lake and slave lake Not everybody made it to Edmonton or Calgary and those who didn't were in desperate need of supplies We made our goal to fill a big rig with 26 skids of food baby supplies toiletries pet supplies and other essentials We got 29 and for two weeks volunteers man the old Electrolab warehouse in Belleville and received thousands of items to send to the folks Who lost everything in the fires? I can't thank them all, but I'm going to try Susan Smith Carol and Dennis Hubble Gord and Twyla Adams Lisa MacLennan, Laurie Massacott Matt Helm and Ryan Turcott and the guys at the Belleville fire department Stephanie and Carlos from Furball's choice who got this whole effort started Finally the people who opened their wallets and reached into their pockets just a little deeper every time they visited a local grocery store And now that kindness is on its way out west mr. Speaker I was told this morning that that transport truck is headed west through Thunder Bay on its way to Alberta We thank everybody for the efforts and pack the Fort Mac. Thank you Member statements from London West Beaker I rise today on behalf of the NDP caucus to recognize the hundreds of injured workers and their families and allies Who have come from across the province to rally here at Queens Park? Just as they have done every June 1st for more than 30 years in particular as MPP for London West I want to acknowledge the London and District injured workers group and to give a special shout out to the friends I made last Friday who stopped in London during the second annual justice for injured workers rise These four cyclists began their journey in Windsor on May 25th and arrived in Toronto today as a means of raising awareness Of injured workers fight for fair and just compensation Since November 2015 they have been supported in that fight by the OFL and more than 20 healthcare Professionals who have come forward to expose the WSIB's shameful treatment of injured workers and to urge a formal Investigation by the Ontario Ombudsman these medical experts have confirmed that the WSIB is denying legitimate claims Forcing workers to return to work too soon cutting benefits and Revictimizing the very workers it is supposed to protect Speaker any Ontarian with knowledge of what the WSIB is doing to injured workers should contact the ombudsman now if the liberals won't listen to Injured workers and healthcare professionals. Maybe they will listen to the ombudsman. Thank you speaker Thank you further member status the member from Cambridge. Thank you speaker This past Sunday Batman Spider-Man and Wonder Woman ran in a 30th annual rotary classic superhero run in Cambridge This run is called the superhero run not just because that people dress up as super heroes But because what this organization does is truly heroic All of the proceeds of the fun run are donated to the local kids ability center for a child development branch Which provides services for children with physical communication or developmental disabilities? These services are vital to many of my families in Waterloo region Services like speech therapy physical therapy and supports for children with Developmental disabilities and it was a perfect day to attend such a great event Although it was hot running in superhero masks There was both a 2.5 and a 5k run tons of entertainment for the little ones including a bouncy castle face paint etc and there were prizes for the top child fundraisers and the top boy and girl each one a brand new Bicycle for their support of kids ability Linda Kenny executive director of kids ability and her staff were delighted and Celebrated the great turnout of over 400 runners and the over $30,000 raised I want to thank both the Waterloo region police chief Brian Larkin this year's honorary chair as Well as Kristen Dantzen and Dawn Daggett who were co-chairs for the Rotary Classic super hero run for there and all their Volunteer efforts in organizing this year's event. Thank you Thank you very much mr. Speaker I would like to recognize today as the beginning of the Portuguese history and heritage month in Ontario During the month of June we embrace the Portuguese culture and heritage through many joyous festivals and celebrations on June 10th We also celebrate Portugal day or Dia Camus where where we commemorate the death of Louis D. Camus who passed away in 1580 Louis is considered what Portugal's greatest poet as he wrote about his the historic Portuguese explorers who traveled to North America and Canada from as early as the 15th century 2016 also marks the 515th anniversary of the arrival of the Portuguese explorers in Canada The vibrant Portuguese community has contributed so much to the growth and development of our province from the 15th century and onwards And it continues to excel in our society today for instance Hailing from the great riding of Dufferin Caledon is Woolwich Dairy a proud Portuguese family by the name of Dutra Drew the best goat cheese in Ontario and across Canada and as a result they had a positive impact on the Ontario dairy industry throughout rural Ontario and That's just one example of many But I encourage all Ontarians to join the celebrations and festivities so that they too can experience Portugal's vibrant culture and I've already started to do so I had the opportunity to visit the Portuguese Pioneer Museum in Toronto a couple of weeks ago and We need to embrace their heritage and the success that they're growing in the spirit of their culture in Ontario And next week we celebrate with the flag raising. I hope to see you all there Thank you, Mr. Speaker It is a privilege to share good news from my great riding of Miss Saga Bempton South the Ministry of Tourism Culture and support has announced that four of my constituents will receive Funding through the quest for gold program which each year helps to support athletes success Athletes bring pride to our community and serve as examples of what can be achieved through courage and determination And by setting the bar for our personal goals high Through this they are inspirational to all of us the quest for gold program will help these young people to afford the cost of training and competing in ice hockey rugby curling and basketball events at the provincial national and international level Event as they even as they pursue non-athletic careers. I would like to congratulate Courtney birchard Dishon Bovan Brenda Halloway and Jamal Jones for their hard work diligence success and for being a great example To our youth. We are proud of you. We will be watching for you and best of luck in your supporting and a worse Thank You. Mr. Speaker Thank You. Mr. Speaker. I'm so pleased to rise today to say thank you to constable Grant do quies Who recently retired after 30 years of service with the Greater Sudbury police services? Mr. Speaker constable do quies started his career in policing as the services first first Nations officer Constable do quies worked as a plain clothes officer On patrol in the tactical unit and as the Aboriginal liaison officer, mr. Speaker But does it that wasn't all that he did mr. Speaker He was Instrumental in creating the Aboriginal liaison unit with the Greater Sudbury police service which at the time mr. Speaker I believe was one of only three in the entire province Mr. Speaker constable do quies also helped establish the muck wall police ride-along program The program was named after the bear and the protection that the bear gives Since 2005 Hundreds of students in Sudbury and Greater Sudbury spent the day riding on patrol with officers Learning about the role a police officer plays in our community and building trust But he wasn't done there mr. Speaker. He sought on several committees including the multicultural and multiracial relations Aboriginal homelessness and gang resistance strategy committee as well as the missing and murdered Indigenous women committee in my community of Sudbury mr. Speaker and also that mr. Speaker Grant do quies constable grant decrease was a great hockey player I had to play against them a few times and with that I'm sure you'll have a lot of time to spend with his family and play a little bit more hockey So thank you grant for your service. Thank you mr. Speaker Thank you. I thank all members for their statements