Today I stand in this House to reflect on the incredible life of my friend and mentor the fearless, courageous and one-of-a-kind Hazel McCallion. With the passing of Hurricane Hazel, Mississauga, Ontario and Canada have lost a visionary, a trailblazer, a mover and shaker and a force of nature. Today, I join thousands of Canadians in mourning her passing and send my sympathies to the McCallion family who are currently grieving the loss of their mother and grandmother.

Hazel was a remarkable lady who held many titles, including politician, businesswoman, athlete and one of Canada’s and the world’s longest-serving mayors. She was known as Hurricane Hazel because of her fearless political stance. During her tenure as mayor of Mississauga, from 1978 to 2014, Hazel McCallion oversaw the city’s development from a bedroom town to the sixth largest in Canada. She led the charge to transform Mississauga from farmland into a thriving world-class city with its own identity. As the member from Mississauga Centre, I am delighted that the city became well-known for its robust economy, flourishing diversity and first-class public services under her leadership.

She was a tenacious teammate who had a powerful political influence that helped Mississauga grow into a thriving metropolis. We were friends, not just political colleagues. Her energy was as bright as ever, and I was delighted to just have had the opportunity to have her at my wedding.

She would always say, “Do your homework,” and “Every day is a great day,” before going to sleep, and I strive to do well and bring flourishing ideas to Mississauga Centre as Hazel McCallion had. She will be remembered as a pioneer who inspired us all with her political career and community involvement, but above all, I will cherish her as a close friend and confidant. Her legacy will live on forever. Rest in peace, dear Hazel.

Speaker, it’s good to see you and good to see all of my colleagues in the House today.

It’s my pleasure to rise in the House today to speak about an exciting development in my riding of Brantford–Brant. As you all know, Brantford is no stranger to hockey, being the birthplace of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky. We have a deep and successful tradition with the sport.

It was recently announced that the Hamilton Bulldogs will be relocating to Brantford for a minimum of three years as their home arena undergoes major renovations. Rebranded as the Brantford Bulldogs, this OHL team will bring a re-energized level of hockey excitement to the area. Their new home will be the Brantford and District Civic Centre, which will undergo some much-needed upgrades as a result of this venture.

Attending today—I don’t know if they’re all here yet in the gallery, but I am grateful to Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis, as well as councillors Rose Sicoli, Richard Carpenter, Mandy Samwell, Gino Caputo, John Sless, Greg Martin, Dan McCreary and key staff; also, members of the senior leadership team of the Bulldogs organization, Jeff Elia and Peggy Chapman. Without unanimous council approval we would not be here today. Thank you to you all.

As the Brantford Bulldogs take the ice for the 2023-24 season, I am confident the residents of Brantford–Brant will welcome them with enthusiasm and support, as we have seen the unprecedented interest in season’s ticket sales and reservations. Go, Brantford Bulldogs!

Speaker, I am truly honoured to rise today to pay tribute to the late Honourable David C. Onley, who served faithfully as the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 2007 to 2014. Mr. Onley was, among many other things, the first provincial Lieutenant Governor with a physical disability and the second-longest serving since Confederation, a father, a grandfather, a husband, a change-maker, a broadcaster, a public servant and an advocate.

I’d again like to welcome Mr. Onley’s wonderful family: his wife Ruth Ann and Robert his son who are joining us here today. Thank you for being here.

David Onley is remembered as one of the most extraordinary figures in Ontario’s rich political history. He contracted polio at the age of three, which made walking a mammoth task. As his family shared with us recently at his funeral, that also left him with a lifetime of pain. Yet when he was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor, he walked up the stairs in front of us today and sat in the Speaker’s chair. That determination and grit transcended to all areas of David’s life. When David saw closed doors, he opened them, and when they couldn’t be opened, he made sure they were made accessible—not just temporarily, not just for him, but for everyone who passed through after him.

Former Toronto mayor David Crombie and I were speaking recently about Mr. Onley, and he reminded me of his son’s reflection at his father’s disability and desire to live a full life. He said, “He lived a life of courage every day,” something we should all aspire to.

Mr. Onley lived a life dedicated to service and continually fought to make this province work for the disabled. He once remarked that accessibility was, “much, much more than just the curb cuts and wheelchair parking spots and automatic doors and ramps.... It’s that which enables people to achieve their full potential.” He shared the joy in the passing of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and was dedicated to using every tool he had to sound the alarm when he felt the province was lagging in fulfilling its legal obligations, and in 2018 he was asked to do the official AODA review.

I was speaking with disability advocate Sarah Jama yesterday—she’s a disability justice advocate who, yes, is running for a seat in this House—and I couldn’t help but ask her what stood out for her about the legacy of David Onley, as somebody who is a disability justice advocate and also a person who uses a mobility device. She said she felt it incumbent on all of us not to let his incredible work pass with him. She says, “We owe him and the millions of disabled people in this province the implementation of every single one of his 2019 recommendations.” Tough words—and she’ll have tougher words too, but I leave her to bring them to this place. And I would say that, if she were to take her seat among us here, or the next person who sits here with a physical disability, she will have been well served by the path that he forged.

I want to share, Speaker, that I was honoured to attend Mr. Onley’s funeral just a few weeks ago. It was an extraordinary event. It was held in the very church where Mr. Onley and his wife Ruth Ann met and was attended by a who’s who of leaders of all levels of government, past and present; former colleagues in the media; of course, his beloved family; but also hundreds and hundreds of disability advocates, people with disabilities.

I spoke yesterday with Anthony Hylton, his chief of staff when he was Lieutenant Governor, about the time and effort necessary to ensure that that church and service would be truly accessible for this occasion: larger font in the programs, an area for people in mobility devices, the book of condolences had to be accessible to everyone, programs in Braille, screens with captioning and on and on.

Mr. Hylton called David Onley “one of the greatest people I ever met”—and he’s met pretty great people—and he shared that he would receive a call from Mr. Onley every January 30, the anniversary of the day he asked him to be his chief of staff, becoming the first Black person to fill this role anywhere in Canada.

Anthony Hylton also remarked that Mr. Onley was a deeply religious man. His family and his pastor talked about this throughout their service. It was fitting, then, that his coffin was led out of the church by his pastor, now himself needing a mobility device, on David’s scooter.

As Mr. Onley had said often, most people are one fall or one accident away from really understanding how inaccessible places were for him. He lives on in his immortalized words in Hansard, in the results he achieved for the people of Ontario and in the lives and memories of his loving family and the friends who had the pleasure of knowing him. Thank you for sharing him with our province.

Back to the Premier—I really hope the Premier himself will answer the question that my colleague just posed.

Look, I think one of the biggest things we can do in politics sometimes—and it’s not easy—is to admit when we’re wrong, and we now have a federal commission that said a few embarrassing things about this government. It said that the Solicitor General said, in response to the public safety minister requesting a meeting, “You’re not my effing boss.” That was act number one.

The mayor of Ottawa asked the Premier, “Will you please come to these meetings with your political colleagues?”, and the Premier said, “It’s not worth my time.”

And then, to add insult to injury, when Justice Rouleau asked this government, asked the Premier, asked then-Solicitor General Jones to come to Ottawa to appear before the commission, they invoked parliamentary privilege and ran and hid.

Now is your opportunity to turn the page. It’s our first day back. Acknowledge you made a mistake. Apologize to the people of Ottawa.

Thank you, Speaker. Despite the circumstance, I rise with a smile on my face because I’m going to speak about one of the hardest-working community figures in my region of Windsor–Essex, Michael Ray.

Mike was a professional leader, leaving no ambiguity at all as to where he stood on a given issue. Mike set the bar high. From a young age onward, he stayed well dressed, with suit and tie. Even though he grew up in Hamilton and attended Western University, deep down Michael was always a Windsorite at heart. He observed, early on, the corollary of community benefits with strong, local political representation.

Our community was blessed to first gain Mike when he arrived at Essex District High School as a memorable business and economics teacher, widely respected amongst his peers.

While he loved teaching, a passion for law drew Mike in. He graduated from the University of Windsor law school in 1972, worked at the city of Windsor, and, in 1974, was appointed as the director of Legal Assistance of Windsor.

In 1980, Mike was elected to serve on city council on a platform that observed that the corporation could no longer be left in the hands of councillors who exhibited a lack of care or concern for the public interest, an unwillingness or incapacity to attend diligently to council business, or a disregard for the type of behaviour and conduct the public is entitled to expect from its elected officials. This said it all about Mike: high standards, high ethics, and high decorum.

Mike notoriously worked the phones like no other. He took feedback as an opportunity to do better. His campaign billboard truly cemented the clarity that Mike was known for. It had Mike’s picture, saying, “Mike Ray Listens.” He would arrive in-person with flowers when someone he knew passed away. He picked up the phone and called the people he knew and cared about to check in on them. He found the time. Mike was your friend, and you didn’t have to pay a heavy cost to be his friend.

Mike had a particular interest in environmental integrity, sound urban planning, fiscal responsibility and access to justice. He represented those who were unable to represent themselves. He didn’t pursue judicial appointments; he believed in public service.

In 1987, Mike was elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Windsor-Walkerville, and here too he didn’t shy away from candour and colour. He went head to head with his own government on multiple occasions. He would never abandon his studiousness in understanding the implications of his government’s policies.

In 1990, Mike returned to Windsor full-time and continued his work helping people. He rejoined the community legal aid clinic and worked hard to give Windsor law students courtroom experience. And even with significant opposition, he was successful in his efforts and brought those who were initially skeptical about the curriculum involving courtroom time for students as expert presenters. For his efforts and distinction, Mike was selected for the University of Windsor Law’s 2021 Builders of Windsor Law Award.

In the words of his long-time colleague Marion Overholt, Mike Ray was a committed and tireless advocate. Throughout his career, he was never afraid to say what he thought and to do what was best. He championed clinic law practice, and his tenacity and commitment to this community never wavered. As the director of Legal Assistance of Windsor, he advocated for opportunities for students to provide essential legal services to low-income residents at a time when student clinics were a novel and sometimes controversial idea. Mike persevered and showed the profession that providing students with an opportunity to learn and apply practical skills, all while giving back to their communities, was an essential component of their legal education and professional development. And watching him in action, you knew Mike knew his material, and any organization that had Mike’s experience in hand was one that you knew was truly left in good hands.

In closing, I want to thank former MPP Dave Cooke, Jamie Henderson, Marion Overholt and Al Santing, who helped me tell Mike’s story today, and former Windsor mayor Eddie Francis for introducing us.

And to Lea, Tim, Dane, Stacey, Cole and Cathy, who have joined us today, thank you for sharing Mike with us.

I’d like to welcome Mike’s family to Queen’s Park today to hear all the beautiful stories about him. I hope they bring you some comfort.

I am honoured to stand before you today to pay tribute to Mr. Michael Charles Ray, known to most as Mike. He was a lawyer, an MPP, a son, a brother, a husband and a father. He is remembered by all of us in this chamber, his family, his friends and the people of Windsor, whom he so greatly served.

Ray attended the University of Western Ontario and OISE, receiving a teaching degree, and the University of Windsor, where he earned a law degree. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1973. He practised as a lawyer for years before making the jump to politics.

Mike and I actually have had similar political careers in that both of us got our starts as city councillors for eight years before making our way to the Pink Palace. Mike was a city councillor in Windsor, where he was an incredible advocate for his community and city. Former Windsor mayor John Millson said of Mike, “People voted for him because they believed in him, and he never wanted to let them down”—as you heard my colleagues say today. That is an example of why we all should be here—because our residents believe in us and because we should not let their needs down. Thank you for that, Mike. Thank you for being such a role model to us.

Mike was elected to the Ontario Legislature in the riding of Windsor–Walkerville on September 10, 1987, where he went on to serve until 1990. During this time, he acted as the Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole House. While he was only an MPP for a few years, his passion for politics in Windsor was his life’s work.

After his years in politics, Mike returned to law, working as lead regional counsel for the support and custody legal services branch of Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General. He also served on the boards of the Windsor Port Authority, Windsor Police Service, and YQG Windsor International Airport board. His guidance and foresight for the city and for the boards he served on was a positive force.

I thank you, Mike, for your hard work and your efforts, leading to positive change for our province and the city of Windsor, which you so passionately served and loved. Today and every day, you are fondly remembered here at Queen’s Park and in the minds of all the lives you’ve touched. Rest in peace, Michael Charles Ray.

Applause.