 Member statements. Member for Waterloo. Thank you very much. It's a privilege to share some hopeful news with legislators today. Over the past year, House of Friendship and their partner, the Inner City Health Alliance, developed a new shelter care system that integrates healthcare and other supports into a 24-7 shelter. The pandemic provided an opportunity to pilot and accelerate this innovative shelter care system in a local hotel of the Radisson. The results speak for themselves. No positive COVID cases among those experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region. Incident reports are down by 40%, meaning they are less reliant on emergency services. Overdose rates are down by over 50%, despite increasing the number of people served. 75% reduction in EMS calls improved mental health supports for 40% to 50% of the men who experienced active psychosis. 18 individuals were housed between March and July, and none have returned back to the shelter system. To quote House of Friendship, the people staying with us are more well than they've been in years and progressing much more quickly towards permanent housing, addiction treatment, and healthcare supports. In just a few months, Waterloo Region's shelter care system has proven that we can end homelessness. And I hope that this is just the beginning of their transformative work. It can and it should serve as a model going forward for this entire legislature. Our thanks to the Inner City Alliance and House of Friendship for demonstrating such compassionate leadership. Thank you. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Chatham Kent-Leemington. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased and honored to arise today to pay tribute to a good friend of mine. 83 years ago, he came into the world, and he left us on August 19th, 2020. He was known as Mr. Wheatley. And as you know, Speaker, Wheatley is also known as the fresh water fish capital of the world. Yes, Larry Allen McDonald left us. He left our community. But he left a huge mark on his community of Wheatley. I remember many years ago, I actually, he was a JC, he was a charter member of the Wheatley JCs. And he participated in an international JC hockey tournament that I had organized in Chatham. And as it turned out, it was Wheatley versus Chatham. The score was tied 3-3, and Larry came barreling down on the right wing. He had his winger in the slot, and he let a quick shot go. And that puck went above the goalie's glove and into the net, the winning goal. I remember it well, Speaker. I was that goalie. I remember that very, very well. But Larry, you know, he's going to be sadly missed by his wife Sandy and his children, Mike, Julie, and Duff, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. But he'll not only be missed by his family, he will be greatly missed by his community. Larry McDonald, you left big shoes to fill. May you rest in peace. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for London West. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of Oak Ridge, a quiet residential neighborhood in my riding of London West. The Oak Ridge COVID-19 Assessment Centre, one of London's two centres, opened on March 15th in the Oak Ridge Arena. It is directly across from Riverside Public School and within a kilometre of two other elementary schools operating Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. Last week, I spoke in this House about the horrendously long line-ups experienced by Londoners waiting for COVID tests, line-ups that are putting vulnerable people at risk and could deter those who need tests from getting tested. At the Oak Ridge Assessment Centre, cars are lined up around the block from early morning, creating safety hazards for children walking to school and making it difficult for school buses to turn into the school. Residents fear that a child will almost certainly be hit. On weekends, only the Carling Assessment Centre is open, and yesterday it reached capacity less than two hours after opening its doors. Speaker, London urgently needs more assessment centres, extended hours, more staffing and more public health resources to respond to local testing needs. The provincial command table and ultimately the Minister of Health has the ability to direct these changes. Members and the people of Oak Ridge deserve to have these critical testing issues addressed now. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements. The Member for Durham. Thank you, Speaker. On September 11th, I had the pleasure of joining my Durham MPP colleagues in Pickering, including the Member for Pickering Uxbridge and President of the Treasury Board, to announce our government's investing $300,000 in the Durham Region Police Service's HALT project, so that the Human Trafficking Unit can continue to fight the horrific and heinous crime of human trafficking and support the victims of it. This funding was made possible through the Proceeds of Crime Frontline Leasing Grant. Speaker, this grant repurposes the funds from the guns, the cash, the property confiscated from criminals to support victims of sex trafficking in Durham. This project will do several things. It will add a second Crisis Intervention Counselor to the Human Trafficking Unit in a collaborative strategy that's been developed right in Durham to identify trafficked persons and connect them to social services. It's a multi-disciplinary approach to support human trafficking survivors, including a trauma-informed approach with trained social workers and survivors. It will allow the unit to implement a new component in this fight against human trafficking locally, a full-day annual symposium aimed at helping youth identify the signs and stop exploitation before it begins. You can check out the latest updates at stopht.com. Together, Speaker, if we keep going and don't give up, we will see the dying days of this awful crime and indeed halt it. Thank you. The next member's statement, the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. Today I rise on behalf of small businesses in Davenport who've been hit hard by COVID-19. Despite pleas for help from business owners and calls from the official opposition to provide immediate supports, it took months for the federal and provincial government to deliver rent relief and protection from eviction. Now with case counts quickly rising and the threat of another emergency lockdown looming, those businesses are looking for urgent help. The little Portugal undone DAS BIA, along with 80 other BIAs across the GTA, wrote to the Premier, the Prime Minister, and other elected representatives over the weekend to make their case. They're calling for the Secra Rent Assistance Program to be retired and replaced with one that actually works and doesn't depend on the whims of commercial landlords. They want the federal wage subsidy to be continued through 2021 so they can keep people on the payroll. They're calling for grants to help small businesses transition to online sales and alternative services as well as to help cover the high cost of maintaining strict health protocols. Speaker, many of these calls echo exactly what new Democrats in the official opposition have been calling for from the beginning in our Save Main Street plan. It's time the government took heed of what these small independent businesses are telling them and act. I call on the government to bring forward a robust second wave plan before we lose even more of our vital neighbourhood businesses. Member statements? Member for Simkel Gray. Thank you, Speaker. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and I stand this morning to recognize the heroic efforts of a young constituent of mine who goes above and beyond every year to demonstrate his appreciation for the life-saving care he received as a child. Raymond Hardesty of Stainer was born with a rare blood disorder. By the time he was four, he developed leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. Fortunately, a donor was found. Raymond is now employed at Dairy Queen and is living an active adult life. Each year, since 2008, he has participated in his employer's Miracle Balloon fundraiser. Going door-to-door and attending social events to sell the balloons, he had raised more than $60,000 for Sick Kids Hospital and the Children's Miracle Network. This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and because Raymond has little or no immune system, he had to find another way to get back, so he launched a bottle drive. With help from community members and the Lions Club and donations from Collingwood Stainer and Musagha Beach, Mr. Hardesty was able to raise an additional $16,000. That brings his total to more than $77,000. Raymond Hardesty is making a genuine difference in the lives of young Ontarians who need our support. It's a privilege to know him, and I'm proud to have him as a constituent and friend. I'd also like to acknowledge Raymond's parents, Marion Steve and his sister Lisa, for their unwavering support of Raymond's many worthwhile endeavors. Congratulations, Raymond. Member Statements. Member for Atopical Lakeshore. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, everyone. I'd actually like to talk about a couple of front-line heroes in Atopical Lakeshore. I've had the opportunity to visit Jim and Marina, Maria's no-friels grocery store in my riding on the residents on Islington Avenue, right down the street from my constituency office. Jim and Maria have gone above and beyond to make sure that their staff and their customers remain safe. When I toured their facility, they had the sanitization right at the door, Lysol wipes for everybody when they walked in. But one thing that was really important is their staff were confident to go to work every day, which allows us as customers to feel safe when we're shopping. So I want to thank Jim and Maria for keeping our community safe. Another company I'd like to talk about today is our staples. Staples Canada. Minister Leche, our Minister of Education, joined me for their back-to-school program. And what they did is they wanted to make sure that their customers remained safe as well, and they put together an outside curbside pickup for customers so they can actually call in their order, drive in and pick up their products with no contact. I want to thank David Boone, who is the CEO, and John DeFranco for sharing their time with myself and the Minister and showing us how they can keep our parents and our loved ones safe when they shop. And I want to thank Jim, Maria, David, and John for creating great jobs in Atopical Lakeshore. And I would just want to encourage everyone to shop local, shop safe, and shop with confidence. Before I recognize the next member, I'm going to ask all members to keep their private conversations as quiet as possible so as to allow the member who has the floor to be heard. Member Statements. The Member for Sudbury. Thank you, Speaker. Today, I want to talk about the mess the Conservatives created while reopening schools with their broken plan. My Sudbury Community Office received calls from numerous constituents who are concerned about the reopening speaker. The calls are not just coming from concerned parents, they're also coming from bus drivers. We had a bus driver call at our office last Tuesday until she was driving a bus with 43 elementary students first thing in the morning. Then she turns around and picks up a second group of 52 high school students. Speaker, this bus driver has no time to sanitize between the two pickups. His concern for the safety of the students and for herself. Another concerned father called us about his frustration and growing concern for his children's education. It's very close to its family and they have immune compromised members who are high risk of contracting COVID-19 and so they decided to homeschool their six children. Their son who's currently in grade 12 has been in cadets for several years now and he has dreams of attending the Royal Military College when he graduates. However, Speaker, this son and his family are worried that without the proper support for math he may fall behind and not make the cut to the RMC, which will effectively crush his dreams. He's worked so hard over the first three years. His parents have spoken with his teachers and school boards. They all want to see him succeed. Everyone has done their part as much as they can. Everyone with the exception of the conservative government. These are just two of the many examples of Siberians who want a meaningful back to school plan to protect their children's health and their children's futures. Speaker, it's frustrating that the government is refusing to take leadership on the issue that matters the most to the people of this province. Thank you. Member statements. The member for Mississauga, Malton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, due to my background in engineering, I'm always fascinated with the manufacturing facilities. Last week I had the opportunity to visit and congratulate Paul Chana and Avion Technologies in my writing of Mississauga, Malton for completing 25 years. Avion, which means airplane in Spanish, is a leading supplier of high quality gears and precision components for the aerospace and defense industry. An excellent example of strong potential and impact of aerospace industry in Ontario's economy. Ontario is the home of many global aerospace success stories. Bombardier, global series of business jet. Dash eight series of turboprop commercial aircraft, diamond aircraft, Canada arm two, and Dexter are some of the examples. 93% of the aerospace manufacturers are in fact exporters. Ontario is also a world-renowned cluster for landing gears. Three out of four companies. I mean three out of four companies that makes complete landing gear system across the globe for commercial aircraft are here in Ontario. In 2018 alone, the aerospace industry contributed 13 billion dollars and 89,500 jobs in Canadian economy. And as we all know, during COVID-19 with the decrease in air travel demand, the aerospace industry has hit drastically and needed to retool themselves. Through this statement, I'd like to ensure aerospace companies that your government is here to work with you and support you. Through Canada Ontario Job Grant, it provides 10,000 in government support per person for training costs. Finally, I'd like to say thank you aerospace companies in Mrs. Saga Malton for your contribution to the growth of our community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Member statements, the Member for Haldeman Norfolk. Thank you, Speaker. This week marks the 100th anniversary of National Forest Week. It's a time to recognize the forest sector's incredible contribution to our economy, especially rural, northern and indigenous communities. Over 18 billion dollars worth of revenues generated every year and employs 147,000 men and women directly and indirectly. In southwestern Ontario, where my riding is located, there are over 5,400 jobs in forestry. A renewed focus to keep this industry vibrant and sustainable means more good-paying jobs and economic growth for generations to come. Speaker, there's more than 71 million hectares of forest across the province and these diverse forests are renowned internationally for being managed sustainably and obviously managed by very hardworking people. Every year almost 73 million trees are planted and over 2 million seeds are spread through aerial seeding, especially now with materials to make personal protective equipment like surgical masks and gowns and hygiene products coming from the forest sector. It's more important than ever to keep Ontario's forest healthy and productive. So I offer a hearty thank you for everybody that works in the industry. Thanks to our Minister of Natural Resources and our parliamentary assistant, Mike Harris Jr. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. That concludes our member's statements for this morning.