 It is now time for Member Statements. The Member for Spadina, Fort York. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I was at a meeting in my area for Waterfront for All, and Waterfront for All is an organization, an umbrella organization that includes 30 groups, business improvement areas, neighborhood associations. It's an extensive group and they cover the area, the Toronto Waterfront, all the way from Etobicoke to Scarborough. And they base their work on the David Cromby Commission from a couple of decades ago. And David Cromby laid out principles for the revitalization of Toronto's Waterfront. And these principles included that it be clean, that it be green, that it be open, accessible, connected and affordable. And last week we had a presentation, and it was an ambitious presentation. They were talking about how do we make Toronto's Waterfront one of the top 10 in the world. And we had a presentation on the different waterfronts around the world, and they talked about, you know, green space, and they gave the example of Chicago. They talked about access to water, and they talked about the beaches in Rio de Janeiro. They talked about clean water, and they talked about Stockholm, and apparently in Stockholm you can swim along the waterfront in any place because the water's clean enough. And so the question is how do we create this kind of hub and this kind of waterfront in Toronto? And we're looking at, you know, one of the advantages or one of the things that's coming up really quickly is Ontario Place. And Ontario Place is a crown jewel in Toronto's Waterfront. And the process is going to make the outcome. And so we're asking for a public consultation to decide what will happen with Ontario Place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements, the Member for Stormont, Dundas, South Glen, Gary. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to celebrate the life of Les Krakchen, a family man who is still giving to his community. He inspired us to do our very best. As a businessman, he transferred his single person greater contractor position into one of the biggest transportation firms in my riding in Stormont, Dundas, South Glen, Gary, and Eastern Ontario and Ontario as a whole. Les and his staff at Krakchen Construction lived up to Les's motto, do your level best, over thousands of kilometres of roads. A greater operator, Les was drawn to the riding from Paris, Ontario in 1956, when he mortgaged his future to buy a secondhand grader and help build the seawater. After his completion, Les stayed in Morrisburg, expanding construction into earth, excavation, paving, aggregate supply, bridge building, and highway means. Les's devotion to his business and community was duly recognized with awards for Canada's best managed company, best employer and safest employer, and in 2007 was inducted into the Ontario Road Builders Association Hall of Fame. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation tapped Krakchen Construction as paver of the year in 2014. He mirrored his community's success by giving much back to his community, among his pursuits was the creation of the Krakchenk mural on the side of the Morrisburg Public School, support for his church, St. James Anglican, and co-organizer of Old Homeward. To commemorate Krakchenk's 50th anniversary, Les built and donated the Krakchenk Amplifier to the Morrisburg Waterfront. So on behalf of my constituents, I offer my condolences to his wife of almost 62 years, Barney, and their children, Lori, Steve, and Lynn, and their families. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements to Member for Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to the day to talk about some new information that the Ford government released to the public last Friday afternoon, about four o'clock, and that is their decision to halt the delivery process of GO train stations from Grinsby to Niagara Falls. Mr. Speaker, let me give you and the Premier a little history. The fight to bring GO train to Niagara Falls by 2023 is a fight that united the entire Niagara community. It came from the grass roots, and it united every municipality, every level of government we had thought, every party. Now the PCs were the last ones to the game, but they were the last ones to sport GO train coming to Niagara Falls, but they got there. So now the residents see this government putting another delay. Before we even talk about what the stations might look like, this government needs to stand up and make one thing perfectly clear. Can the residents of Niagara Falls still expect GO train in 2023, yes or no? Four years now, we've been fighting to bring the train sooner, hoping to get commitment to get there by 2021. Mr. Speaker, the GO train will provide jobs, boost tourism, allow residents to live in Niagara and work in Hamilton and Toronto. It will take cars off the QEW, be great for the environment. The people of Niagara Falls deserve to know the GO train is coming sooner, not later. I'm asking the government to be clear and to commit publicly that they are honoring the wishes of the residents of Niagara and bring the GO train directly to Niagara Falls on the same timeline. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member's statements. The member for Mississauga Lakeshore. Mr. Speaker, I rise here today to congratulate Ford Motor Company for 65 years of business in Oakville's plant. Since the plant first opened in 1953, it challenges the region forever, supporting our local economy, creating thousands of jobs, including my own. As many of you know, before I worked for Premier Ford, I worked for Ford Canada in Oakville for 31 years, most recently as a vehicle auditor. In total, 4,500 Ontario's work for Ford Motor Company in Oakville. It has established a very great economy for the manufacturing industry. For every job in Oakville, nine other jobs are spin off of that corporation. I'd like to thank the Oakville chapter for the professional engineers of Ontario for inviting me to return to the plant recently. This time as an MPP with my colleagues from Oakville and Oakville North Burlington. During our tour, we had the opportunity to meet many of my old friends in the plant. I was thinking of them again a week later, when we got the news from GM and Oshawa. Mr. Speaker, having worked in the automotive industry for 31 years, I know how devastating this decision is, not just for GM workers, but for their families and all of Oshawa. Our Premier and our government stands with all of us, and however we can. I'd also like to thank other firms, including Bruce Power, for reaching out to provide new opportunities for skilled workers impacted by this closure. I know that moving forward, our new government will work to ensure that Ontario is open for business in the auto manufacturing. And once again, congratulations to Ford Canada for 65 years in Oakville. Thank you, Member Statements, and Member for Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. Last week, I tabled my private members' bill, the NOAA and Gregory Act. The bill aims to address one of the most pressing issues that people with developmental disabilities and their families face. Many people may not know, but when young people with developmental disabilities turn 18, they transition from youth supports to adult supports. Speaker, this is not a simple transition. There are thousands of Ontarians and their families that dread their 18th birthday. Because after someone is cut off of youth supports, the adult support doesn't kick in right away. Instead, you are forced to languish on a government waitlist, and it can take years. My bill tackles this issue head-on. It would extend the delivery of government youth supports to people with developmental disabilities after they turn 18, until the point at which their government adult supports come into effect. It ensures that no one falls into this gap. I named this bill, the NOAA and Gregory Act, after two young men from Windsor Essex who have developmental disabilities. Both NOAA Hallou and Gregory Rushalow have incredible mums who are fierce advocates for them and their needs. It's thanks to Michelle and Mary Beth that I became so passionate about this issue. NOAA, Gregory, and thousands of others like them deserve to have full, healthy, happy lives. And that can only happen when their caregivers are fully supported, too. I urge every member of this legislature to vote for this important bill, which would ensure a better quality of life for those with developmental disabilities and their families. Thank you very much. Member Statements to member for Ottawa, Vanier. Merci Monsieur le Président. Today is International Day for Persons with Disabilities. As we celebrate the inclusive nature of our society and the obstacles that still are there for many people with disability. I want to speak about the importance of a strong human rights framework for people with disabilities and for many other people in Ontario. Individuals with disabilities account for 15% of our population and 40% of people over the age of 65. They need a human rights framework to help them access and ensure their equitable access to services. A human rights tribunal was actually instrumental in ensuring that the rights that they currently enjoyed were being pronounced. The tribunal for the human rights tribunal was essential for a number of groups in our society, women, religious minorities, and members of the Jewish community. Even though Muslims account for only 4.6 of their population, they are entitled to human rights protection. And I am very concerned that what I've seen on the human rights tribunals framework is that there are some adjudicators that have lost their job and there's less and less adjudicators. So I urge the government, if you're going to fire human rights adjudicators, please replace them quickly. We cannot afford to have a human rights tribunal that cannot respond to the needs of all Ontarians. Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much. Member Statements. The member for Chatham-Kent, Leamington. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to commend the excellent work being done on my writing of Chatham-Kent, Leamington by the Children's Treatment Center of Chatham-Kent. Mr. Speaker, the life of every child has value, and the programs offered by the Children's Treatment Center works wonders in helping children from birth to age 18 actualize their value and potential. They help our communities know and realize that a child with special needs gives far more to their family and community than they take. When a family has a child diagnosed with a disability, it can seem like there is a mountain ahead of them. Without proper information and supports, they can easily fall into despair. This problem is exasperated, Mr. Speaker, when the supports that are out there do not complement each other, turning life into a long to-do list chasing down desperate and unconnected services. And that is where the Children's Treatment Center of Chatham-Kent and similar groups step in. They ensure that all services and supports of a family with a disabled child needs are in one location, locally administered for differing local needs and emphasizing a community experience. One of the most important things they do, Mr. Speaker, is working with school boards to fully integrate students with special needs, training staff and students alike in supporting the transition from earlier supports to a positive and safe learning environment, as mentioned in Bill 48. Our government for the people, champions, local organizations like the Children's Treatment Center of Chatham-Kent for the work they do in helping children with special needs integrate successfully into our schools and communities. Minister of Government and Consumer Services, on a point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to seek unanimous consent to be able to have the interpreter come inside the legislative chamber for this period through to the member's statements. Through ministerial statements and responses. Minister is seeking unanimous consent of the House to allow a signed language interpreter to come into the House between now and the end of ministerial statements and responses. Agreed? Agreed. Members' statements? The member for Nicolbal. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to recognize the 30th anniversary of Words World AIDS Day. Thanks to antiritroviral medication, HIV-AIDS has become a chronic disease managed by medication that allows people to live healthy lives. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, is a medication that prevents HIV infection. Unfortunately, for many of these medications are beyond their means. One, in Forontarian, isn't filling their prescription medication because they can't afford it. That's why the NDP believe in universal pharmacare. Regardless of their HIV status, people living with HIV still carry a troubling stigma. It's time for us, as legislators, to take action against this stigma. That's why today I'm introducing the following motion. That, in the opinion of this House, the government should involve people living with HIV in all decisions made across government that relates to the health, well-being and dignity of people living or affected with HIV. Encourage people living with HIV to start and stay on treatment and dismantle HIV's stigma on the community, clinical and personal levels by adopting the Ontario Accord and endorsing the undetectable equals on transmittable campaign, the you equal you campaign. It's time for this legislature to recognize the ongoing challenges people living with HIV are still facing today in Ontario in 2018. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Scarborough Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Presidents of Scarborough Centre and the surrounding area celebrated the future of healthcare in Scarborough with the official launch of the Scarborough Health Network. I was honored to attend this launch along with our Deputy Premier. The title of the Scarborough Health Network was chosen because it better reflects the incredible work and variety of surfaces offered across Scarborough by the former Scarborough and Rouge Hospital. Mr. Speaker, this hospital holds a very special place in my heart. I, like many Scarborough residents, have used this hospital on many occasions. Every time I step into the building, I'm flooded with memories. I grew up just minutes away from the hospital and it is where my family has gone for care throughout my life. Many families in our community are started at this hospital. Whether it is to mend bones, turn illness or address fears, the incredible staff here have always made all patients feel as comfortable as possible. Touring the network as an MPP has given me an even greater appreciation of the quality of care of the Scarborough Health Network. Not enough is being said about the recognition that they have received for being a centre of excellence in orthopedic surgery, cancer care and mental health. As an expecting mother, I'm also incredibly impressed with the advanced maternal and neonatal care being provided in their state-of-the-art birthing facilities. Our government is focused on building a healthcare system that puts the needs of Ontario patients first and I look forward to continuing to work with the Scarborough Health Network to maintain and deliver the outcomes that all Ontarians expect and deserve. Thank you very much. Member Statements, Member for Carleton. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm very honoured to speak here today. I'd like to thank the Catholic and public school boards in Carleton for everything that they're doing to support our children and our Francophone culture. In Carleton, approximately 2,800 students are enrolled in these schools and 2,400 attend French immersion classes. Today I'd like to focus on purely Francophone schools and to speak about the programs that they offer to their community and to their students. Programs such as sports at basketball and volleyball, improv programs, robotics programs, sustainable development programs, all of these schools also help their communities in a number of ways such as donations collections for families in need and for food banks for also for families in need. I'd also like to thank the public Catholic school, Saint-Jean Paul, the adopted family in order to provide them with a Christmas basket. It's these small gestures of kindness that remind me that I'm so proud to be part of the Francophone community. I'd also like to thank the schools in Carleton to do everything that they can to support the community and the families that live in that community. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes our time available for member statements this afternoon. Reports by committees.