This petition was spearheaded by Jennifer Bugden in Munster, along with a number of other parents. It’s called “Petition in Support of Reopening Munster Elementary School.” It has over 700 signatures so far, Madam Speaker. The petition reads as follows:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) made the decision to close Munster Elementary School in 2015 due to low enrolment, and a significant factor causing low enrolment was the OCDSB’s failure to offer early French immersion programs; and

“Whereas the closure of Munster Elementary School in 2015 has had a detrimental impact on the education and overall well-being of children in Munster Hamlet, Ottawa, and many community members have witnessed the hardships that Munster Hamlet’s children face on a daily basis due to the closure of Munster Elementary School, including but not limited to enduring long bus rides averaging 45 minutes each way; and

“Whereas reopening Munster Elementary School would significantly reduce travel time for Munster Hamlet’s children, allowing them to spend more time on their studies, extracurricular activities, and quality time with their friends and families; and

“Whereas the reopening of Munster Elementary School would foster a stronger sense of community among parents, students, educators and community organizations and would provide opportunities for local engagement and collaboration in shaping the educational experience of Munster Hamlet’s children; and

“Whereas by reopening Munster Elementary School, Munster Hamlet’s children would receive the individual attention they need to thrive academically in a local setting; and

“Whereas a thriving local school has positive economic implications for the entire community, attracting families looking to settle in an area with strong educational infrastructure and contributing to increased property values; and

“Whereas the OCDSB has no interest in reopening Munster Elementary School and is preventing public use by the community for other local events, in order to make the case that the facility is unused and must be sold to a private entity to be used for non-educational purposes;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“That the Minister of Education direct the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board to either provide a plan to reopen Munster Elementary School or, if the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board refuses to reopen Munster Elementary School, to make use of section 194 of the Education Act, R.S.O 1990, to allow other school boards,” for example, French and Catholic, “to purchase the property so that they can reopen the empty school in Munster Hamlet, Ottawa.”

I proudly affix my signature to this petition and will be giving it to page James, who, by the way, is from Carleton.

This petition is “Pass Anti-Scab Labour Legislation.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the use of replacement workers undermines workers’ collective power, unnecessarily prolongs labour disputes, and removes the essential power that the withdrawal of labour is supposed to give workers to help end a dispute, that is, the ability to apply economic pressure;

“Whereas the use of scab labour contributes to higher-conflict picket lines, jeopardizes workplace safety, destabilizes normalized labour relations between workers and their employers and removes the employer incentive to negotiate and settle fair contracts; and

“Whereas strong and fair anti-scab legislation will help lead to shorter labour disputes, safer workplaces, and less hostile picket lines;

“Whereas similar legislation has been introduced in British Columbia and Quebec with no increases to the number of strike or lockout days;

“Whereas Ontario had anti-scab legislation under an NDP government, that was unfortunately ripped away from workers by the Harris Conservatives;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To prohibit employers from using replacement labour for the duration of any legal strike or lockout, except for very limited use to undertake essential maintenance work to protect the safety and integrity of the workplace;

“To prohibit employers from using both external and internal replacement workers;

“To include significant financial penalties for employers who defy the anti-scab legislation; and

“To support Ontario’s workers and pass anti-scab labour legislation, like the Ontario NDP Bill 90, the Anti-Scab Labour Act, 2023.”

I absolutely agree with this and am signing it and thinking of every ACTRA member in Toronto–St. Paul’s.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the” Conservative “government cancelled rent control on units built after November 2018;

“Whereas the cost to rent a home has never been higher;

“Whereas people are being forced to leave their communities because decent, affordable homes are increasingly out of reach;

“Whereas the rent control for all units act, 2022, will ensure tenants are not gouged on rent each year;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to protect tenants from predatory rent increases and pass the NDP rent control for all units act today to ensure renters can live in safe and affordable homes.”

I couldn’t agree more with this, especially as tenants in St. Paul’s are hit by apartments with no rent controls.

I have a very apropos petition to present today, entitled “Health Care is Not for Sale.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontarians get health care based on their needs, not their ability to pay;

“Whereas the Ford government wants to privatize our health care system;

“Whereas privatization will bleed nurses, doctors and PSWs out of our public hospitals and will download costs to patients;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately stop all plans to privatize Ontario’s health care system, and fix the crisis in health care by:

“—repealing Bill 124 to help recruit, retain, return and respect health care workers with better pay and better working conditions;

“—licensing tens of thousands of internationally educated nurses and other health care professionals already in Ontario; and

“—funding and fully utilizing public operating rooms.”

I fully support this petition, affix my signature, and will send it to the table with page Sofia.

Mr. Piccini moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 79, An Act to amend various statutes with respect to employment and labour and other matters / Projet de loi 79, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne l’emploi, le travail et d’autres questions.