I’d like to thank Abdi Batun and the entire board of directors of Scarborough Somaliland Community Association in my riding of Scarborough Centre for inviting me to their ribbon-cutting opening ceremony on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

The Scarborough Somaliland Community Association is committed to addressing the unique needs of the Somali community, including youth, seniors and people with disabilities, as well as supporting new Somali immigrants and refugees transitioning to life in Canada through provision of culturally and linguistically relevant educational, training and mentorship services.

Cultural community organizations are community champions and play a pivotal role in meeting the short-term settlement and the long-term integration needs of many immigrants and refugees. As we look to these skilled immigrants to fill our labour shortage and grow our economy, I continue to support and advocate for cultural organizations in Scarborough Centre and across the province. Thank you for your countless contributions to Ontario’s social, economic, community and political fabric.

Our government’s commitment under the leadership of the Premier and the Minister of Health to improve the quality of health care in Scarborough has begun to pay off. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the groundbreaking of the Northpine diagnostic imaging department at the Scarborough Health Network’s general hospital. The people of Scarborough have been waiting for 20 years for this state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging unit. I would like to commend the Scarborough Health Network team for this important achievement.

This is the first of many groundbreaking projects in Scarborough–Agincourt and Scarborough. Other health-related capital infrastructure projects, such as the brand new Birchmount Grace hospital and the Bridletowne dialysis centre, are in the various stages of the planning and approval process.

In addition to health infrastructure projects and the allocation of thousands of long-term-care beds, our government is backing the opening of the new Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. This school will serve local communities in Scarborough by graduating physicians, nurses, PSWs, physical therapists and other life sciences professionals.

Scarborough is not the forgotten borough anymore. Scarborough is getting the attention it deserves.