 It's now time for members statements to the member from Wipi Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to congratulate the town of Wipi on being designated a bicycle-friendly community by the Chair of the Road Cycling Coalition. Speaker, this designation highlights the great work of the Towns Committee on Active Transportation and Safe Roads. Formed in 2016, the committee is comprised of community members, town staff, and the Mayor of Wipi, Don Mitchell. Speaker, a core component of the committee's mandate was the development of a plan for cycling and leisure trails that allow commuters to get to work, families to enjoy paths and trails comfortably, and to link the waterfront with Brooklyn, Ashburn and Myrtle Station. Speaker, the town of Wipi was presented with a formal award during the April 2017 Ontario Bike Summit, hosted by Chair of the Road. So, Speaker, congratulations once again to Mayor Mitchell, His Town Council, and the other members of Wipi's Committee on Active Transportation and Safe Roads for their accomplishments. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. On Friday, March 31st, I joined with Londoners to celebrate the launch of ANOVA, an agency formed through the merger of Women's Community House, our local women's shelter, and Sexual Assault Centre London. ANOVA was born of the idea that integration and coordination will provide better services for survivors of gender-based violence by offering a single point of access for survivors to heal from the trauma and rebuild their lives. I want to congratulate the boards of both agencies for having the vision and the tenacity to take this unique and innovative step, as well as ANOVA's Executive Director Kate Wiggins and Community Programs Director Jane McGregor, who come to ANOVA from the merged agencies. By launching ANOVA, my community is demonstrating the kind of leadership this government has failed to show. In 2011, domestic violence coordinating committees came together across Ontario to call for a much more integrated and cohesive approach to violence against women and for the removal of barriers that prevent coordination on the ground. Building a bigger wave, the initiative formed at that meeting noted that government funding and program delivery has separated the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault and created a false dichotomy between service providers and within coordinating committees. Yet to date, little has happened in response. Speaker, ANOVA is an exciting and pathbreaking initiative that will bring us closer to an Ontario that is free of gender-based violence regardless of where the violence occurs or who the perpetrator was. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for the member from Kitchener Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Recently in my writing of Kitchener Centre, I hosted a community town hall with the title Demystifying Islam. It took place in a meeting room at the Kitchener Farmers Market and it was open to the public. After the tragic events in Quebec City in which six men were shot and killed while praying in a mosque, Islamic members of my community reached out to share their desire of addressing Islamophobia and the perceptions that fuel fear and discrimination. Our special guest that day was Fawzia Mazhar, who chairs the Coalition of Muslim Women in Kitchener Waterloo. She answered many questions from the audience and here's a sample of what people asked that day. If Islam is a religion of love, why are there some members who carry out acts of violence in the name of Islam? Should newcomers be subjected to a Canadian values test and are Muslim women oppressed? Well, Fawzia answered all of these questions very thoughtfully and very respectfully. Our Mayor, Barry Verbanovic, was in the audience and he stressed that it is the many diverse voices in Kitchener that make our community unique and vibrant. Speaker, diversity is an important cornerstone of Ontario's culture and heritage. What we heard that day is that each and every one of us has a responsibility to speak up against prejudice and racism. I want to thank everyone who attended our town hall and especially I want to thank members of my staff for planning such a successful event. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise in the house today to speak out against rural school closures. In my writing, Honey Harbor Public School is under review. In October the Board recommended that the school close and students attend Glen Orchard Public School an hour-long bus ride away. Or parents can apply to have their children attend school in Victoria Harbor, which is closer, but in a different school board, it's in Simcoe County School Board. One mother has concerns that her child, who is finally receiving speech therapy through the school, would now be back at the bottom of the list of the wait list at a Simcoe County School. Representatives of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario raised another issue with me this week. What about those children who have behavioural challenges? Does the government have a plan to accommodate them on an hour-long bus ride? Last week upwards of 70 people attended a public meeting in the small community of Port Severn to have their voices heard before a decision is made about Honey Harbor Public School later this month. The minister's planned consultations with rural communities sounds promising. It is my hope that those consultations are genuine and prevent the closure of more rural schools. Let's hope it's not too late for Honey Harbor Public School as it was for our Lady of Mercy Catholic School. I urge the government to put a moratorium on rural school closures until the consultation is complete and they have addressed the unique needs of rural communities. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. It's a privilege to stand up today and talk about some young women from my community who came to Queens Park yesterday. I have been meeting with 12 students from our Lady of Lords Elementary in Waterloo over the last six months as part of the girls government program. It's available to all MPPs from all parties set up by Equal Voice championed by our own member from Parkdale High Park. It's an educational program that encourages girls to become politically engaged and teaches them how to become advocates about the issues that matter to them. These girls chose to advocate on gender equity issues and in particular sexual harassment and gender-based violence. I was so proud of them during their press conference yesterday afternoon when they talked about how sexual harassment and gender-based violence has had an impact on their lives. They spoke candidly about their own experiences at school and it was powerful to witness. They were very courageous. These young women spoke about the need for more public education and school-based campaigns on sexual violence and harassment to challenge the myths and misconceptions about social constructs like masculinity and femininity. The gender wage gap which we addressed earlier this week on Pay Equity Day exists in part because of entrenched gender norms. We need to teach the next generation of girls to challenge the expectations that constrain women. The girls in my program told me their experience has made them realize that their voices matter. They called it life-changing. Their voices do matter, Mr. Speaker. And I challenge every MPP in this house to engage the girls' government program and make equity a reality for everyone in the province. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about a most significant time in the Jewish year. It's the time of Passover, Pesa, and Hebrew. This Passover started on Monday, April 10th, and goes right to the 18th. And it's an eight-date festival which commemorates the emancipation of all Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. The story of Passover, the telling of the Israeli people escaping slavery in ancient Egypt, and starting a free life is inspiring and has been the motivation behind many songs, prayers, and sermons. The idea that the future can be better and that the past or present is one that we as humans find fundamentally inspirational. On Monday night, I was walking my daughter's dog through the neighborhood, and it was so wonderful, Mr. Speaker. The windows were open because it was a nice warm night. And you can see the Jewish families celebrating their Seder meal. They were singing, they were laughing. It was sort of a very, very refreshing thing to see that families enjoying this historical week of Passover and doing it right here in our wonderful province made me feel good, made me feel very proud of living in Canada. And I want to thank the Pages who are celebrating Passover today with some of the world's best cheesecake from Moises on Bathurst Street and Milk and Honey. Moise, you're the best cheesecake maker this side of Tel Aviv. God bless. Thank you for the member status and the member from Bruce Gray, Owen South. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Having just returned last evening with my friend and Kitchener Conestoga MPP Michael Harris from my journey to Vimy Ridge and with the feeling still heavy in my heart and fresh in my mind, I rise to share some of this humbling experience with my good colleagues in the house and those watching at home. I once read that soldiers graves are the greatest preachers of peace. At Vimy, where I walked the fields of craters where 100 years ago our soldiers fought and died and where our 3598 brave Canadian men now lay peacefully, their places marked out in tidy and purpley space rows, I recalled that quote and felt an overwhelming sense of Canadian pride with a solemn yet grateful heart. Having observed in reverence the sight of the thousands of Canadian armed forces boots dotted over the ridge, I was reminded of how places like Vimy profoundly shaped the way we think about the sacrifices of those who gave their life so we could enjoy the peace, democracy and liberty we cherish in the greatest country in the world that we call home. The site of this towering monument on this infamous ridge, along with the soldiers boots, was also a stark reminder of our continued struggle for peace around the world and that we must remain ever diligent in carrying the torch handed to us. With Canadian soldiers, men and women continuing to serve around the world against a constant background of danger, it is important to remember the past. I am a believer that how we remember the past determines how we will shape our future. I was humbled to share this appreciation with 25,000 fellow Canadians who paid homage to our forefathers' contributions and brave sacrifices in the First World War and what many believe was the birth of our nation at Vimy. And that we stood there on those hollowed grounds, shoulder to shoulder, with some of our war veterans, the Chief of Defence for Canadian Forces General Vance, members of the Royal Canadian Legion, members of the Vimy Foundation and True Patriot Love Foundation and some 15,000 students from across Canada, including Mr. Ryan, McMahon, and students from the Olonsound District Secondary School made this homage special and a memory that I will never forget. I had goosebumps during the ceremony and especially when we sang our Canadian national anthem. I am honoured and humbled to have attended this sacred ceremony and to receive my pilgrimage medal. I shall wear it on April 9th and also on November 11th annually as my way of showing my respect to the brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice and our veterans who were able to return home proud in their victory. As retired Chief of Defence and Passionate Patriot General Rick Hillier shared, every Canadian should make this pilgrimage to Vimy to honour our valiant heroes and truly appreciate our history and how fortunate we are to be Canadians. I shall wear my pride with honour every day, General, and salute you and every man and woman who wear their armed forces uniform, lest we forget. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. I apologize for losing track of the clock. I forgot the member from Brampton Springdale. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish everyone a happy Visakhi and sick heritage month. Visakhi marks the sick new year and commemorates the formation of the Kalsa month of warriors under Guru Gobind Singhji in 1699. It is additionally a spring harvest festival for the Sikhs. Sikhism is a major world religion that traces its origins back to the 15th century in what is now known today as Punjab. Sikhism was started as a social revolution by the first Guru, Guru Nanak Devji, who laid the foundation of a distinct and unique monesthetic faith based on the principles of equality and social justice. Sikhism espouses the values of admiration of the creator, harmony, sharing, honest earning, and help of fellow mankind. Sikhism traces its roots here in Canada to the early 19th century. In Ontario and throughout Canada, family and friends gather today at Gurudwaras and participate in Nagar Geetans across the province to celebrate Visakhi. In Ontario, we speak many languages and embrace every culture and have links to every part of the world. The Sikh community has enhanced our society on many levels. Many flag-raising ceremonies have been held throughout the province and many of which I have attended, including right here outside the legislature, on Parliament Hill, in Brampton, and at Toronto City Hall, just to name a few. Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone celebrating a very happy and joyous Visakhi and a happy Sikh Heritage Month. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the member, famous member from Wellington, Halton Hills. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transportation announced earlier this week a request for qualifications to design, build, and finance what they're calling the Highway 401 Expansion Project. Highway 401, we're told, will be widened between the Credit River and Mississauga to Regional Road 25 in Milton, adding new lanes to relieve significant traffic congestion, which occurs in both directions many times through the day. What the government overlooked, however, when they were patting themselves on the back on Monday, was the significant role played by the town of Halton Hills Mayor, Council, and staff in encouraging a widening of the 401 as a preferred option to other projects that were being considered as part of the GTA West corridor study. Having expressed strong opposition to what the Ministry called alternative 4-3 and working with local residents in the region of Halton, the town engaged the respected engineering firm Hatch-Mott-McDonald to do a study which concluded that widening of the 401 would be a better option than building a new highway along the alternative 4-3 route. As Halton Hills MPP, I supported the town's position and repeatedly advocated for it at Queens Park, making this issue our number one legislative priority in the fall of 2011. Some questions remain unanswered by the government's announcement on Monday. When will the shovels be in the ground to initiate the project? When will it be completed? Is this finally the end of the GTA West corridor study after 10 years of uncertainty for local communities and residents? If not, what's happening with it? Will the government be turning the HOV lanes that they're promising into toll lanes? Can they guarantee that they will not charge tolls in the future? I urge the Minister to answer these important and relevant questions and publicly acknowledge the role the town of Halton Hills played in the idea to widen the 401. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I take all members for those statements.