 It is now time, though, for Member Statements, and I recognize a member from Niagara Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Vaccines are the light at the end of a very long tunnel, but in my community in Niagara, the vaccine rollout has been rife with confusion due to the actions of this government. We still have no answers on the diverted shipment of 5,000 Moderna vaccines away from Niagara. I've heard from countless constituents from all age groups who were told conflicting information for the provincial booking portal and had difficulty booking their appointments. The province earmarked selected areas for priority access to COVID-19 vaccines, but people across the province were confused when some of the areas with higher case numbers were not selected. Niagara Region's Medical Officer of Health in an interview with TVO stated that they were not consulted and that they did not even receive detail on how the hotspots were selected. Ontario's own science table stated that they did not determine the actual postal codes that the government would ultimately prioritize in its vaccine strategy. Welland, a city in my riding, has the highest case count per capita in Niagara. The Mayor, the CAO, and the Fire Chief have written to the Premier, respectfully and urgently requesting additional shipments of vaccines to protect our community. Premier, it is imperative that you review the data, listen to the science, and get vaccines into Niagara and communicate clearly so that we can get them into the arms of our citizens as quickly as possible. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Stormont Dundas, Sotlanda. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to shine a light on the goodwill and generosity shown by so many individuals and volunteer groups in my riding in Stormont Dundas in South Hungary. When we talk of Ontario spirit, they have shown its true meaning with their innovative ideas and they're giving their time to their communities. These acts of goodwill truly make a difference for so many, especially those who have difficulty getting out during this pandemic. The Optimist Club of Cornwall hosted a drive-thru parade in Halloween and Christmas. Cars lined up for over three hours to get through. The volunteer virus departments and community organizations organized Santa Claus parades and drive-thrus in Finch, Winchester and Chrysler. On an individual basis, neighbors picked up groceries and prescriptions for those who were unable to get out and shop. Others have shown face masks for friends and neighbors when they couldn't find them in the stores. There are also the volunteers who take our long-term care residents out for a stroll in their wheelchairs to the local for the Friday luncheon. And the same spirit, Mrs. Louise Valentine of Cornwall, notice of the Premier was constantly having to remove and replace this mask during his daily updates. So to make it easier, she made a number of mask holds and asked me to hand deliver them personally. Mr. Speaker, all over Ontario, but especially in Stormont Dundas in South Hungary, volunteers are stepping up to make life better for the communities. Thank you. Thank you. Member statements, the member for Kiwet and Nong. Hi, good morning, Speaker Miigwetch. Earlier this month, we learned the cost of policing at Land-Back Lane and Six Nations 3D territory. Between July 2020 and January 2021, Ontario spent $16 million on policing the Haudenosaunee people at Land-Back Lane. Speaker, that could have been all avoided. The nation has repeatedly called on Ontario to engage in a peace-proof process that would build a true nation-to-nation relationship. But this call was answered with racist and colonial violence from the OPP in Ontario. And the invitation to the Premier to visit Land-Back Lane has been unanswered since day one. Now the Haudenosaunee Confederacy at the Grand River has put in place a moratorium on development on the Haudenosaunee track. They have said, and I quote, our children are relying on us to protect them. This is a sacred responsibility that every Haudenosaunee person must uphold in no one, not Canada, not Ontario, and certainly no municipality has any right to interfere with our right to protect the lands and the waters that belong to our children. End quote. The council has said they understand that they share the lands and agreed to uphold the agreements between the people that live in peace, friendship, and trust. Mr. Speaker, it's time for Ontario to uphold the treaties. Miigwech. Thank you. Member Statements. The member for Prairie Salon must open. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I had the opportunity to join the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry for an exciting virtual announcement. We announced that our government will fund 16 projects that resulted from the good work of the Muskoka Watershed Advisory Council, sorry, group. The government has entered into funding agreements with the district of Muskoka for 15 projects and the Town of Bracebridge for one project. We are investing $4.25 million in these projects to address three main issues. The first is a long-term goal of creating an integrated watershed management strategy for the Muskoka Watershed. The second is addressing flood medication in the shorter term, and the third is ensuring the health of the watershed and water quality. These projects have all come from the 19 recommendations made by the Muskoka Watershed Advisory Group. I want to take a moment again to thank the members of this group for their hard work and dedication to ensuring the health and the future of the Muskoka Watershed. Thankfully, this spring has not brought flooding or high water within the Muskoka Watershed, but after significant flooding three times in the past decade, water levels is an annual worry for many residents. That's why I'm pleased to see funding for a number of projects that float focus on flood mitigation. Many of these projects will involve a great deal of community involvement in cold saltations and in more formal roles within the community roundtable and task force. I hope that residents who are interested in protecting our beautiful lakes and rivers and wetlands will get involved with these projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements. The Member for Algoma, Manitoulou. Thank you, Speaker, and I've been in my seat over the last couple of months listening to this government make statements as far as misleading a disservice towards the opposition when they're raising the concerns that have been raised by many healthcare professionals across this province and community leaders in regards to bringing in paid sick days. We know that the federal sickness wage replacement program can only be accessed if a worker contracts COVID-19 and cannot be used to cover vaccination appointments. This is a fact. This government has been steadfast with their position claiming that the federal program answers all the needs of workers across this province. Recently, I've heard some backtracking coming from the House Leader, coming from the Minister of Health yesterday during an interview, coming from the Minister of Labor. I hope, and these are giving me signs that this government will be supporting our opposition motion that we will be bringing this afternoon in regards to focusing on bringing vaccination to essential workers and bringing in paid sick days to workers across this province this afternoon. Speaker, it is my hope that we will finally see this done by this government. We heard from many municipal leaders across this province. We have heard from the experts at the table what I'm asking this government and pleading with this government support the vaccination of a sectional workers and this afternoon you have the opportunity to bring in paid sick days. The House to make their comments through the chair. The next member's statement, the member for Ottawa State. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And we all got a bit of an April surprise today. And I do have to say walking to Queen's Park this morning was really quite peaceful and beautiful. The place looked great. It was very healing. And nature always finds a way of giving us what we need. So we have to give nature what it needs. April 22nd is Earth Day. It's a celebration of the world's largest environmental movement. In fact, every day is Earth Day. And it's up to all of us together to protect our planet. Climate change is the greatest challenge for our generation. It is vital that we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. And I was proud to be part of a government that understood this and introduced a plan to reduce our carbon footprint. This government has gone in the opposite direction. They entered the cap and trade program and put nothing in its place. They asked the environmental commissioner. They gutted conservation authorities. They passed legislation allowing a minister to pave over wetland to build a warehouse. And now they want to spend billions of dollars on a highway through protected lands that nobody wants. Speaker, good environmental policy is good economic policy. And to quote Ernest Hemingway, the earth is a fine place and it's worth fighting for. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Kitchener Conestoga. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And earlier this week, I was pleased to share some exciting news with Kitchener Conestoga and all of Waterloo Region. As of yesterday, everyone 40 and older is now eligible to get the AstraZeneca vaccine at participating pharmacies and through certain primary care physicians. COVID-19 has touched nearly every aspect of our lives and has presented challenges that no one could have predicted, Mr. Speaker. But we are getting closer to defeating this deadly virus. And the best way to do that is through vaccines. Let me be clear, all of the vaccines that Health Canada has approved for use in Ontario are safe and effective. Vaccines are the best way to protect your health and the health of those around you. And your first choice for a vaccine should be the first one that is available to you. There are over 50 pharmacies across Waterloo Region offering the AstraZeneca shot in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Breslau, New Hamburg, Baden and Almyra. And if you live in Breslau or the surrounding area, this Saturday, Waterloo Region nurse practitioner led clinic is also holding a vaccination clinic at Breslau Commons Pharmacy. These nurses will be using their day off, Mr. Speaker, to get vaccines into as many arms as possible. So please, if you are eligible, visit ontario.ca slash pharmacy COVID vaccine to book your shot today. There is a light at the end of this very long tunnel, Speaker. And the more people who roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, the sooner we can turn the corner. Thank you very much. Thank you. Member statements? Member for Toronto, Dan Ford. Speaker, thank you very much. I stand to recognize and thank Stuart Horkshank. Stuart is retired this month as the Executive Director of Don Valley Legal Community Legal Services. It started out as staff lawyer at East Toronto Community Legal Services, was Executive Director there and then Executive Director of the merged unit. I want to thank Stuart for all the work he did to protect tenants. For a number of years now, we've been dealing with renovations in my writing. People would find out that their landlord had sold their building and a new speculative landlord came in, intimidating people, harassing them in some instances, trying to bribe them to get them out because they knew they could make a fortune. Stuart made himself available to those tenants. If it was a Sunday morning meeting in somebody's living room, if it was a Tuesday evening in a parking lot behind the building, if it was in a room in a recreation centre. He came, he brought legal knowledge, he calmed people down, and he gave them the tools they needed to fight and protect themselves. He did an extraordinary job. And I want to thank him on behalf of my writing in front of Danforth for all he did to help protect people's homes and make their lives better. Thank you, Stuart Corkshank. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you, Speaker, and good morning. I rise today to thank this House for passing my motion 155 to establish a Holocaust Memorial by unanimous consent on Monday morning. Thank you. As we did not have the opportunity to debate this motion through the usual process, I just want to put a few words about the motion on record. Motion 155 states that the Legislative Assembly of Ontario will, in broad consultation and direct engagement with Ontario's Jewish community, establish a Holocaust Memorial on the grounds of the Assembly no later than 2025. Earlier this month we marked Yom HaShawa, the Holocaust Memorial Day, which is Israel's official day of commemoration for the 6 million who perished at the hands of the Nazi regime. Yom HaShawa, of course, is widely observed outside Israel as well, both by the Jewish community and others. In years past, these commemorations would happen in person, and I have attended many of them at synagogues in and near my riding, and I recall outdoor ceremonies at Mel Lastman Square as well. Last year and this year, many of those commemorations went virtual. But make no mistake, there will come a time when we can gather together in person once again to mark this tragedy, and I think a permanent memorial on the grounds of the Legislature will establish an excellent place for those gatherings to take place in the future, an excellent place for us to remember and reflect on the horrors of the past, and an excellent place to affirm never again. Member statements? The Member for Northumberland, Peterborough South. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, it's an honour to rise in the house today. This past year has been incredibly difficult on the people of Ontario as governments across Canada and across the globe battle the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the health and well-being of their citizens. I want to take a special moment to highlight the remarkable work of our small businesses, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, these small businesses are the lifeblood, the backbone of our economy, the lifeblood of small communities like mine. But, Speaker, this pandemic has not been equitably felt by everyone, and it's been harder on many of our small businesses. Speaker, it's hard being a small business at the best of time. But I think to my friend George from Olympus Burger, who I spoke with the other night, who's pivoted, who's pivoted well with Takeout and who stood tall, offering gift cards to support other small businesses in our community. I think to Jess Dodd, new owner of the Beamish in Port Hope, in what should have been the most exciting summer of her life, but has instead been navigating the pandemic. Salon owners like Ben in Newcastle, whose stories will forever be etched in my mind, Reno, Ferrari and Cooper, Gina Boyd and Brighton, Sharp's Food Market in Campbellford, who had an army of volunteers delivering food to the most needy. Rob from Wrap It Up and Go in Norwood, who dealt with the tragic passing of his dad, but is pivoted to continue to grow that business. Mr. Speaker, this member statement isn't about the supports. This member statement is about them. The work that they do in our community, the selfless attitude, the get up and go attitude every day, the backbone of our economy. I thank you. I appreciate the work you're doing, and we all in this place and in this country owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. That concludes our member statements this morning.