I want to thank the member for that very important question, but most importantly, for being a volunteer firefighter in his riding.

Mr. Speaker, firefighters truly are often the first responders to emergencies. They are true heroes, and I want everyone to know that our government appreciates their service.

That’s why I was proud to be in Mississauga yesterday with our Premier, the Solicitor General, members of our caucus, and Greg Horton, the president of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, to announce $700,000 in funding to support training for professional and volunteer firefighters. It includes funding for new courses in auto extraction, boating and water safety, and elevator rescue. This funding will also support training that provides firefighters with safety and survival training for dangerous situations that can occur on the job, such as becoming lost, trapped or injured.

Speaker, we will always make sure that our firefighters have the tools and resources they need.

Our firefighters are heroes who put their lives on the line every single day for all of us. When others run out of burning buildings, they are running into them.

That is why our government made sure to expand WSIB eligibility for firefighters battling thyroid and pancreatic cancer, and we made it retroactive to January 1, 1960. By expanding the list of presumptive cancers to now include thyroid and pancreatic conditions, our firefighters will get faster access to compensation and other benefits, ultimately supporting their recovery. These changes will apply to any firefighter, whether they’re full-time, volunteer or part-time, as well as firefighters employed by First Nations band councils and fire investigators.

We will always stand shoulder to shoulder with our firefighters and fire departments and our heroes who are on the front lines every day serving all of us.