 therefore it's time for members statements the member from Bruce Gray own sound thank you very much mr. Speaker of your stats Outdoor education continues to be an important component of environmental education in my great writing of Bruce Gray own sound And so I rise in the house today to pay tribute to the group of forward-looking local educators who made this happen 45 years ago When they rallied around their idea that children would benefit from a far greater exposure to nature in 1973 They turn their belief into action by persuading the then education board to purchase a 320 acre farm near all of it Which at the time consistent of an old farmhouse and a great barn and frontage on two lakes? This brilliant decision is why two thousand students continue to have the opportunity to experience the great outdoors Surrounded by UNESCO biosphere reserve each year in my writing since its creation 45 years ago The Blue Water Outdoor Education Center is today recognized as foremost in the province Of course the program would not have been possible without the people behind the Blue Water Outdoor Education Foundation The Foundation created a trust with the sole objective of sustainable child environmental education in the outdoors Thanks to them we have new dining and sleeping accommodations as well as a fully fledged observatory in conjunction with the local astronomical society Most importantly the Outdoor Center's sustainability into the future cannot be secured without the support of the Blue Water District School Board With more children spending time in front of the screens. They average 50 hours each week Outdoor education programs are more important than ever as when they get it to unplug and connect with nature and learn to care for the environment I invite the members to join me in congratulating my community in the 45th anniversary of the Blue Water Outdoor Education program And encouraging local school board to support the program and to ensure and to ensure this valuable resource is sustainable I would like to thank all of the board of directors past present and future and all the people who financially support this wonderful program Thank you so much Thank you for the member statement from Toronto Danforth. Thank you speaker speaker I have a request to the minister of government and service sorry minister of government and consumer services for action a Relatively new condo building in my riding at 1190 Dundas Street East has severe elevator concerns and a lack of service from Otis elevators Their latest set of elevator problems began in November of 2017 one elevator had issues requiring repair and Repair was attempted but failed The residents of the condo were promised repairs in January that was moved to February March April They have three elevators speaker two go to the 12th floor one only goes to the ninth floor The second 12th floor elevator was taken out of service around Easter Condo was without both 12th floor elevators for about a week The minister knows that legislation is coming But people with elevators in their buildings need assistance now Otis gives a time frame for repairs and repeatedly fails to meet their deadlines The big four elevator companies have a monopoly But can't seem to keep parts in stock and have issues with relatively new devices People have a right to the services that they pay for And they need to have the government backing them Speaker i'm asking the minister to contact Otis today and demand that they put things right. Thank you speaker Who for their member statements the member from mississauga errandale Thank you, mr. Speaker As you are aware, I have decided not to seek reelection And 15 years have passed much quicker than I could have ever expected Mr. Speaker MPPs are generally offered an opportunity to make a maiden statement when they are newly elected Unfortunately, I missed that opportunity In turn my statement this afternoon will serve both as my maiden as a as well as my last statement in the house Since being elected in 2003 The wonderful colleagues at the legislature have humbled me Who have devoted themselves to our province and its success They deserve our very sincere gratitude I'm especially thankful to our former leader and premier Dalton McGuinty For providing me with an opportunity of lifetime To serve in the interior cabinet for a better part of 10 years This was a great learning experience and a personal highlight During my time in cabinet. I had the pleasure of working with the extremely dedicated members Of our executive council Including of a current premier As well as the staff of various ministries My own staff provided me with solid advice and inspiration every single day No matter what challenges we faced I was always supremely confident in their abilities And impressed with their tireless enthusiasm To each and every staff member that have had the honor that I have had the honor of working with I will forever be indebted As my first foray into public service I was fortunate to serve as a board member of the Crad Valley hospital And oversee the finances and business operation of the field district school board It is there that I became aware of how critically underfunded our schools and hospitals were And this became a driving force for me in my four election campaigns Of all that our government has accomplished in the last four terms I am most proud of the progressive work that has been done in the arenas of education and health care To increase funding for our most in need schools and hospitals Mr. Speaker, it has been a true honor And a privilege To represent my constituents as their elected representatives For four consecutive terms I want to thank each and every one of them for their support guidance and constructive feedback Most importantly My very sincere thanks to my family and especially my late parents As none of us can do this job without the encouragement of our loved ones Words cannot describe the pride I feel in having raised two wonderful daughters Who were born and raised in this province And have worked hard to achieve success in their professional and personal pursuits I would also like to thank my wife for their steadfast for her steadfast and unwavering support We have a new addition in our family My adorable grandson Who I look forward to spending time with after June 7th To my fellow MPPs Current and former thank you for supporting teaching and challenging me It has been a pleasure working alongside with you Thank you, Mr. Speaker as well for your dedication and outstanding service to Interior and our legislature I concur with the lot of the observations that you have recently made about the changing role of MPPs Partizanship often clouds about season making and thinking The best ideas however no matter where they come from should be incorporated into our policies Let me take this final moment to open my very best wishes to my colleagues Who are running in the upcoming election And thank the others And there are quite a few of them who have chosen to step down for their years of contribution to our great province No matter the outcome on june the 7th Let us keep in mind That our common goals remain the same To continue battering our province for all interiors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker Very short maiden speech, but that's okay Further member statements the member from Perth Wellington Thank you speaker speaker last week our local junior b team the list will cyclones made history by winning the southern cup Last tuesday may the first the cyclones became the greater ontario junior hockey league champions This is the team's first provincial title They won four to one against the caledonia Corvairs in front of a full house at the steve kerb memorial complex in list wool The next day the boy celebrated with a parade through town talk about hometown hockey pride Under the team coach jason brooks the cyclones have had an amazing journey Key to their success hard work from every player As coach brooks told the stratford beacon herald. It's a special group. I really can't explain it They had a bond the last two seasons like i've never seen in a team before The cyclones also won the cherry cup last year and this year Whole lancic who has been with the team for three seasons said the cherry cup meant so much to us last year And I think the difference was this year It didn't feel like we were done when we had won it. It was a quick night And we were right back to work In other words, whatever we achieve, there's always room to improve Always room to work harder and even do better That's a great lesson for all of us. Mr. Speaker. This is what teamwork is all about dedication and striving for excellence. Thank you speaker Further member statements to member from nicklebelt Thank you. Speaker. I rise today to talk about privatization of public services and its effect It's having on communities in the northeast including in my writing of nicklebelt. The liberal government decided to sell off the cell service and Internet connectivity service to the private sector in my writing. It was to bell Well now bell is threatening to remove its equipment This would leave the community of foliet in the hive in whole lake and surrounding businesses outfitters cottages And people traveling through the area on highway one on one without cell service or the internet To quote the president of fine land contracting mr. René Blanchette And I quote I have 25 full-time employees plus another 25 full-time subcontractors and truckers who use who use these services daily The loss of these services put our safety in jeopardy and we cannot function properly if these services are terminated by bell canada Speaker business needs stability to operate But in Kathleen wins ontario they can lose the tool they need in the blink of an eye The people of ontario paid to have the tower build mr. Speaker in the name of increased access for people of the north However It's about to turn on us and we're about to lose it I'd like to quote from the chairman of the crtc. Jean Pierre Blair who states Access to broadband internet service is vital and essential to life and success That's essential to the life and success of the businesses the students the senior and all residents of foliet in Ivan whole lake Thank you speaker. Thank you Well, thank you, mr. Speaker I I rise today to speak as mpp for scarborough center for the final time in this ontario legislature To some that might be sad to others They may be happy. There's some smiles. They see in that legislature To this day, mr. Speaker I I find it hard to believe that this scrappy little kid from scarborough Somehow made it here and was able to survive in this place For 15 years after serving for nine years on toronto city council as a as a counselor from scarborough I almost find it unbelievable that that that I could have achieved this kind of a privilege And I have been privileged to serve for over a decade in in cabinet in the cabinet of two great Great ontario premiers former premier adult maginti and of course Premier Kathleen win Really that it's been the honor of my life to serve under their leadership and observe firsthand The incredible commitment and passion that both of those individuals have had for making life better for ontarians Mr. Speaker, it's been an honor to serve with you Someone who I consider to be one of the most accomplished speakers that I've observed and I've been in this business for 30 years I was here during the petersen days Mr. Speaker, you've done a phenomenal job keeping decorum in this place your love of this place I think comes through in the work that you've done and you've done a great service to the people of ontario Keeping the legislature relevant Thank you And I guess I'll stop there Keep going he likely like he wants me to keep going but mr. Speaker more more more than anything at all I want to thank you for your friendship. You and I go way back You were very much your words of wisdom to me in my early days in particular I think really helped me get through those early days. So for that sir, I thank you very very much I want to thank the hundreds of of staff members that I've had the privilege to have on my own direct staff And it's hard to believe that after seven portfolios that you have so many and often young people come through Your offices. I think one of the best privileges that we have Is to mentor some of those young people and regardless of which side of the legislature you're on You've all seen that talent come through and and to me that gives me hope for a future more than anything else So I want to thank them I've been blown away By the level of talent that some of these these young people that have have worked for us all over the years have Have shown I want to thank the officers of the of the legislature here today And all the thousands of public servants that I've had the privilege to work with They do a phenomenal job for our province and they also make life pleasant for us here There are times when the hours get long But the folks here they share those hours with us And I want to thank you for making life not only bearable but enjoyable for all of the members here I want to of course thank my wife crystal my sons kennedy and jordan my parents my family For understanding how important this work has been to me through the years and never ever complaining While my responsibilities often took me away from them or my attention wasn't there When it should have been because my mind was on what we're doing here rather than what it probably should have been at home Finally as I take my leave I want to thank all of my colleagues all the MPPs here in the legislature from all sides of the house One of the things I take a great deal of pride in Is the fact that while I did my job as a loyal and committed liberal MPP and and minister I was never truly a person that that was partisan in nature I always believed that and I know I I could be partisan in this place when I was told to be or when I had to be But you always knew that I had respect for every single member in this legislature All of you worked very hard to get here All of you Deserved to be here. All of you are working extremely hard on behalf of the people of ontario And I want you to know that I've always valued that I've respected The members in this legislature on all sides of the legislature will always do that to me Of all the things I've had the privilege to Participate in serving with each and every one of you has been the privilege of my life And I want to thank you for that and I want to wish all of you Well in the next election campaign and thank you for all the years of service that each and every one of you is given as well Thank you, mr. Speaker I was going to let you go on for another 10 minutes if you were going to speak about me In a good way bill Further members statements the member from here on bruce. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker First of all, it's a pleasure to stand today and congratulate all the retiring MPPs And most importantly thank them and their family for the public service that they have invested in ontario We won't forget what you've done to stand up on behalf of your constituents sincerely. Thank you And I'd also like to take this moment to talk to the constituents of here in bruce because I thank them for bringing their concerns to my attention so I could act on their behalf For instance speaker my motion to create more agri-food awareness in terms of the amazing careers that are out there Is something that I feel so passionate about in 2015 We had unanimous consent to move forward on this initiative But unfortunately I attended an agm for eggscape last week And it was reported that there's been very little action to this date high school majors There's been work done check mark on that But we still have to work on making sure people are aware of the amazing jobs that exist in the agri-food industry I'd also like to Raise awareness about a motion I just introduced last week that has gotten a lot of legs And it's with regards to improving access for service dogs that are in training to support autistic children Deanna alan you've been an amazing advocate. Thank you for that And speaker my bill that I introduced earlier this year on great lakes awareness day Is now on the radar of the great lakes legislative caucus and our colleagues on the american borders of our great lakes Are now thinking about taking june 7th on and as an awareness day as well So and lastly, I'd like to thank the government for picking up on my motion Putting ticks on the mop with the report that you came out with last week The very first person I met in here in bruce was doris sanders. She's a survivor of lime. We can't do enough Thank you for taking my motion into consideration. Thank you speaker Thank you For the member statements member from kinkston in the islands. Thank you. Mr. Speaker I am thrilled to rise today in honor of the final member statement of the 41st parliament As I reflect on this term. I've had the privilege of delivering 74 member statements that were dedicated to causes events stories and people who matter a great deal to me Mr. Speaker each and every sentence second And moment counts it is in the public record forever We should never take this for granted We should also do our best to ensure that the words that we bring forward delivered with are delivered with respect And dignity and unfortunately as we know this does not always happen Mr. Speaker the nature of politics is such that discourse and debate is necessary However, it is important to represent every constituent in the province for the sole reason of improving their lives That is what what politics is all about after all for me I have a special place in my heart for kinkston in the islands kinkston is a place where history and innovation thrive It is home to canada's top hospitals And we will soon see the new addition of a third crossing a dream for many in kinkston in the islands That has been a dream for 50 years. Thanks to our government's investment of 60 60 million dollars As well 500 million dollar investment in the kinkston health science centers Which is another area that needed renovation in some cases for 50 years Kinkston is a place where people care about each other and work tirelessly to make their community a better place for all This has and will continue to be the source of my daily inspiration In closing, mr. Speaker. It's been a pleasure to work with you. You have been such an inspiration I thank you for your service to ontario. I knew I had to say that to get a few extra seconds in And in closing it has been an honor to work with each and every one of you on all sides of this house for this term Particularly our clerks table as well. Thank you so much to all of you. Good luck. Thank you. Merci beaucoup Thank you Further members team is the member from perry salamis coca. Thank you, mr. Speaker And is this maybe the last time I will speak while you are in the chair? Let me take this opportunity to thank you for your service and wish you the best in your retirement if it is retirement I rise today to welcome the federation of northern ontarian municipalities to the great riding of perry sound mescocca Starting on wednesday Phenom will be holding their annual conference at the stocky center right at the harbor in perry sound The theme of this conference is leading the way through innovation Capascasing mayor and phenom president al-spachek and his team have put together a very good agenda including speakers on Forestry the ring of fire Transportation economic development and many other important issues facing northern ontario communities Despite the great agenda I do hope the delegates find some time to get out and explore all that perry sound an area has to offer There are great shops in the downtown just a short walk from the stock center and plenty of good restaurants as well On another municipal organization note I want to congratulate brace bridge mayor graden smith on being elected chair of the ontario small urban municipalities organization Mayor smith has been a great advocate for our community and for equal services in towns across ontario One only needs to look at the presentation He made to this standing committee on finance and economic affairs during the pre budget Consultations earlier this year about the need to review and change the funding formula for medium-sized hospitals in ontario Congratulations to mayor smith on your new position. Thank you I thank all members for their statements especially