Now it's time for statements by members, the member from Nipissing. Thank you and good afternoon, Speaker. As a former mayor of the City of North Bay, it was clear to me that decisions made here at Queen's Park aren't always in the best interest of northerners and aren't made with a northern perspective being considered in the process. Northern interests are commonly ignored in favour of others, or at least they have been by this government. I've spoken many times on this and given many examples of how this has been the case, from the Far North Act to the cancellation of the Northlander to the Ring of Fire. The government should do more to institutionalise the impact on Northern Ontario on decisions made at Queen's Park. That's why I'm thrilled that this is clearly recognised in the PC party's People's Guarantee. It states that, quote, Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs will ensure that the voice of Northern Ontario was brought to every decision made here at Queen's Park by requiring every cabinet submission to include a Northern Ontario assessment. I like to call it, Speaker, shining a Northern lens on all issues debated here at Queen's Park. Speaker, this is real change that works for Ontario and it's real change that will work for the North. Here, here. Thank you. Further member statements? The member from Oshawa. Thank you. Today marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On December 6th, 1989, 14 women were killed at Le Cal Polytechnique in Montreal. The shooters separated the women from the men, calling them feminist to slaughter. They were murdered for being women. They were students who were going against the grain and pursuing goals in a field that wasn't typical for women. They were paving the way and their stories got stopped violently. I hope the girls in today's classrooms understand their value and believe they can take on the world and make it better. But our children are growing up with violence. Our children grow up surrounded by degrading and gender-based violent media and see violence at home, in schools and in the community. We should worry that they might think that violence is normal or inevitable. Common cases of sexual violence and social systems have encouraged women to start movements using the hashtags, been raped, never reported, not okay, and me too. Women should not expect to be assaulted on our campuses, to be harassed in the workplace or to be exploited in traffic. Our Indigenous sisters should not expect to die and disappear. Girls should not grow up expecting to be objectified and minimized or assaulted. Women should report and expect to be believed. Our Muslim sisters should not have to fear for their safety and no woman should be in danger for making decisions about her clothing, future, family, or her body. In the global context of power, fear, hate, male dominance, and government-sanctioned misogyny, women and girls are vulnerable. On December 6th, we mourn, but each day we must unite to ensure that women and girls can become what they deserve, dare, and dream to be. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. For the member's statement, the member from Ottawa South. Ottawa Vanier. Ottawa Vanier. Mr. President, co-operatives, our instruments of economic development that give a chance for the week to unite in order to self-produce and create, generally, contribute to the society. 1,300 co-op businesses in Ontario that contribute $6 billion annually and employ 50,000 full-time employees. It's also a movement of over 49,000 volunteers. Co-operative operate in a variety of sectors, from financial to housing, agriculture, child care, brewing, energy, arts, media, and funeral homes, to name just a few. The co-operative sector is very important for a fact of course, and it gives a chance for the minority to keep on uniting and develop. It continues to contribute to all of Ontario. Since I was born in a small apartment on top of a case popular, the co-op movement is very close to my heart. Later, I will be tabling a private member's bill to continue to support the expansion of the co-op movement in Ontario and to level the playing field to ensure that every co-op can fulfill its member's dreams, ambition, and aspiration. Celebrate the co-operative movement in Ontario and let's wish it a long life. Thank you. Thank you very much, Speaker, and I would like to join my colleague from Oshawa with sediments about today, December 6th. It is a somber day for girls, women, and entire families as we remember the tragedy of the Montreal Massacre, a local polytechnic. On this day in 1989, 14 young women were gunned down for the only reason of being a woman. Each of these 14 young girls were engineering students. They were sisters, cousins, teammates, and daughters. They all had brilliant minds ready to flourish. I'm proud to say that today in here in Bruce, citizens gathered in Port Elgin to participate in a vigil organized by the Southport Canadian Federation of University Women. This local event has taken place every year for the past 26 years, and it is just one of the many vigils happening across the province today and across Canada. I want to take this opportunity to recognize every single girl and woman who has faced or continues to face gender violence every day. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the thousands of missing and murdered indigenous women across Ontario and Canada, all of the victims of family violence, and all of those who have been forever changed by sexual violence. I believe in the value of empowering young women to accomplish anything they can set their minds to, and I ask you all to reflect and stand with me and together say that violence of women will not be tolerated. Today, and most importantly every day, we must talk about how we are going to continue to move forward and create a world where all genders can confidently thrive. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Further member Savits, the member from Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. Since this is my last statement before the holidays, I'd like to talk about the spirit of giving today, because that's what the holidays are all about. This holiday season, Ontarians will be thinking about what the wind liberals have given to them this year. They'll be thinking about the 300% hike to their hydro bills, and the $4.5 million salary the liberals gave the CEO of Hydro One. Soon the liberals will be giving us prepaid hydro meters, a gift that keeps on giving to the shareholders of Hydro One, that is. Ontarians will have to keep plugging that meter because when it runs empty and the power goes off, there's going to be a lot of families, seniors, and vulnerable people left in the cold. Speaker, conservatives definitely aren't knowing for their given spirit. They plan to take $6.1 billion out of fundamental services and agencies, though they haven't told us which ones yet. And of course, they're going to leave the liberal hydro scheme as it is, a lump of coal in everyone's stocking. Speaker, new Democrats fundamentally oppose the privatization of our hydro system, and we want to embody the right kind of giving spirit this holiday season. We want to give those prepaid meters back to the liberals and give Hydro One back to the people of Ontario where it rightly belongs, and we have a plan to do just that. Thank you for your member, Seniors, to member from Scarborough Aging Court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise in the House to remember Maureen Prince-Lew, an extraordinary constituent of Scarborough Aging Court and an outstanding advocate for the people of Scarborough. Maureen passed away on December the 2nd at the age of 79. Maureen was an exceptional voice for the people of her community, not because of political tack or strategy, but because she worked tirelessly for change, no matter the political price. As a private citizen, Maureen successfully lobbied for the city of Scarborough into building a water retention pond to mitigate extreme flooding. Her persistence made her an ideal candidate for city councillor in Scarborough, a post she hold for 10 years, Mr. Speaker. She also represents Scarborough on the Metro Toronto Council and serve as deputy chair. Maureen is most noteworthy for her work as a chair of the Metro Toronto Police Services Board. She recognized the changing landscape of Toronto and the necessity of police force that mirrors and respects this community. In the words of the former Metro Chairman and MP Alan Tongs, Maureen quote was wasn't standing up to hear herself talk. She was up there to deliver a message and her message was usually one of inclusiveness and strengthening a sense of community and of quote. Mr. Speaker, we need more politician like Maureen. Scarborough Aging Court will miss Maureen and look fondly on her work as a strong advocate for her community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the member statements, the member from Sault Ste. Marie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pet scanners are a diagnostic tool that allows doctors to be able to better diagnose various problems such as cancer, heart illnesses, and neurological diseases. Currently in my riding in Sault Ste. Marie, there is no pet scanner available. In fact, between Northern Ontario and North Eastern Ontario, there is no pet scanners. If somebody needs a pet scan, if they're diagnosed for that, they have to travel all the way to the GTA. And in order for them to travel to the GTA, they stop the clock. The minister will come to order. The minister is warned. I find it disheartening that I have to stand during statements. And there is a tradition in this place that statements are for your ridings. And they should stay that way. The member may continue. Thank you, Speaker. So in Sault Ste. Marie, we do not have a pet scanner. And when somebody needs to get a pet scan done, they need to travel all the way to the GTA to be able to get that much needed tool. The sad reality is that for a community like Sault Ste. Marie to get to the GTA, you're getting in your car, you're driving eight hours in order to get that much needed diagnostic tool. And the harsh reality is you're driving alone. You're going about this whole process on your own without the comfort of your friends and your family members nearby. And sometimes you're receiving extremely devastating news when you get to where you're going. And you have to endure that alone without the comfort of your family and your friends. Sault Ste. Marie needs a pet scanner now. I am very happy that in the People's Guarantee, the PC caucus has agreed and has committed to ensuring that a pet scanner, a mobile pet scanner will be available in Northern Ontario, will be available in Sault Ste. Thank you. You're here. And that is a great. Thank you. It's a member statement. It's a member from Kingston in the islands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in the House today to speak about how instrumental local news and newspapers are to communities across the province. Regardless of community size, local news is an important source of information that creates jobs in even the smallest of communities. In my riding of Kingston in the islands, we are lucky to have many sources that deliver local, regional and national news to Kingstonians. I am truly honoured to be joined by the reporter Steph Crozier from Kingston Week Standard, one of Canada's oldest daily newspapers. Local papers cover everything from the latest City Council meeting to classified to national news, providing Ontarians with information most relevant to them and their communities. Not only is it important to advise them of events in their towns and cities, it's a way to share community stories, issues, history and information. Reporters who work on these stories often know the people that they are interviewing, which adds further depth to the stories that they tell. However, it's becoming clear that this industry is changing. In Kingston in the islands, two local papers, the Kingston Heritage and Frontenac Gazette, both face uncertain futures in our community. Unfortunately, these changes led to closures, job losses and the shuttering of newspapers and dailies in our province. Mr. Speaker, this is a statement which is a tribute to our local newspapers across the province and the staff and the reporters who work within them. Support your local newspapers. Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to support the application by Huntsville's Fairburn Nursing Home for 20 additional beds. Fairburn currently has 76 beds and a waiting list of 143. Across the province, there are more than 32,000 Ontarians waiting for long-term care beds. Seniors waiting for spaces in long-term care put pressure on our entire health care system. Many are forced to stay an alternative level of care beds in hospital while they wait for long-term care or for home care. We all know that hospital overcrowding is an issue province-wide. Recently, at West Prairie Sound Health Center, 21 of the 70 acute care beds were occupied by patients waiting for long-term care or home care, and the story is similar at other hospitals in the area. At 76 beds, Fairburn is a smaller nursing home and has applied for this additional capacity in order to ensure its financial sustainability. Without this expansion, there is concern that Fairburn may be forced to close. The community is behind this expansion, both the town of Huntsville and the district of Muskoka have committed to invest in the redevelopment. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is holding a public meeting next Tuesday, December 12th at Huntsville Public Library. Unfortunately, I am unable to be there, as I will be here at the legislature speaker. I reiterate my support for Fairburn's proposal, encourage the minister to approve this expansion and encourage residents of Huntsville to attend the public meeting to communicate the need for more long-term care beds in the area. Thank you. Thank you. I can call members for their statements. It's...


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