Good morning. Let us pray.

Prières.

As a representative of one of the largest agriculture-producing areas in Ontario with over 4,000 farm families, it’s an honour to rise in this place to recognize the 25th Ontario Agriculture Week.

Speaker, 25 years ago, MPP Bert Johnson established Ontario Agriculture Week through a private member’s public bill. MPP Johnson represented the riding of Perth–Middlesex from 1995 to 2003. We all owe our thanks to MPP Johnson for this important week in recognition of our agriculture sector.

Year after year, farm families work through changing seasons and market fluctuations to ensure that our province is fed and well-nourished. Every day, farmers and agriculture workers across this province wake up before the sun rises to grow and prepare the food that we enjoy at our kitchen tables.

Our government is focused on supporting Ontario’s agriculture sector and strengthening our food supply chain. Our government has set an ambitious goal to increase the amount of food grown and produced in the province of Ontario by 30% by 2032. By doing so, we’ll create more good-paying jobs in agriculture and the food industry.

We can never thank our farmers and agricultural workers enough for the vital work they do to keep our province fed. They are the reason Ontario exports over $19 billion in agri-food products per year. These are among the many reasons why our government will always support Ontario’s growing and thriving agricultural sector.

I’m excited to rise today to highlight an exciting celebration that is returning to my riding of Oakville. Culture Days provides the opportunity to explore with local artists, share in cultural events, and celebrate Oakville’s lakeside charm. From September 22 to October 15, our community comes alive with an array of arts and culture in nearly 100 events.

At last year’s Culture Days 2022, the town of Oakville was ranked number one in the participating communities listing. The town was recognized and earned the top spot in Canada.

This year, get ready to immerse yourself and explore the nearly 100 local events, such as the return of the World of Threads Festival; hearing singers, songwriters and inspirational speakers; celebrating Indigenous heritage and culture; enjoying live shows with community musical performers such as the Yuan Yin Group and the Halton Region Chinese Canadian Association; discovering history at the Oakville Museum and learning about Oakville’s role in the Underground Railroad; and much, much more.

Speaker, I have to take this opportunity to acknowledge that Culture Days in Oakville and across Ontario is thanks to support by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Supporting our local artists allows them to thrive and showcase their talents.

As we approach the final stretch of Oakville’s Culture Days, I would like to invite everybody to celebrate, learn, and enjoy this festival together.

And happy Thanksgiving to all the members of the Legislature and all the staff here today.

One of my jobs and the joys of being an MPP is to share with this House from time to time how things are going in Etobicoke–Lakeshore. Jobs are up, unemployment is down, small new businesses are sprouting everywhere. There’s a sense of optimism in the air. And it’s due in no small part to the kindness and community spirit of my constituents, from every background and walk of life, who contribute so much to the rich tapestry of Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

First, I would like to congratulate the Kingsway BIA, who organized the 25th anniversary of Taste of the Kingsway, a multi-ethnic event which has become the largest street festival in my riding.

Second, I would like to congratulate the staff and volunteers at Franklin Horner Community Centre for once again organizing Extravaganza, which encourages local residents to come out and meet their neighbours, participate in family-oriented activities, and enjoy musical performances.

On the Long Branch side: There is an enthusiastic group of volunteers from the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association who organized their fifth annual Tree Fest, which introduces planting for kids, interactive booths on the importance of trees in our ecosystem, and more.

I must add that one of the most notable experiences I had lately was held in King City, where I went to visit Dog Tales. As a mother of two rescue dogs myself, my heart melted. I want to thank the owners for their work.

Just a reminder: If you’re going to adopt a pet, make sure you make it their forever home.

Make sure everybody has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

The government allotted $10 million for dementia support, including respite care for families, but not a single dollar of this commitment has ever been spent.

The recent report on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act stated that without a significant change in direction, the Ford government would fail to make Ontario fully accessible by 2025—however, rather than increasing efforts to meet the needs of Ontarians with disabilities, the budget for this ministry has been cut by $50 million.

The Ford government also shot down my bill to create an advocate for older adults as an independent officer of the Legislature; however, creating an independent advocate remains one of the primary recommendations of seniors’ organizations across the province, including RTOERO, which represents 80,000 retirees from the education sector.

With such a large gap between rhetoric and what is actually being done, the Ford government is gaslighting older adults and people with disabilities. This needs to change.

I am calling on the government to create an independent advocate to address the needs of older adults, guarantee the funding needed to make Ontario fully accessible, and get those dollars out the door to support dementia services.

On behalf of the official opposition, I would like to take a moment to recognize Agriculture Week in Ontario.

The agri-food industry makes a $47-billion contribution to this province. There are over 800,000 people employed in the agri-food industry, but the foundation of that industry is the farm families who actually grow the food that we eat. That’s what this whole province is built on. Whether you grow cucumbers in a greenhouse or corn or soybeans in a field, there’s a special feeling when you see those seeds come up from the ground, when you see the risk that you are taking, you feel it—you feel each time you watch them grow.

Now it’s harvest time, and the farmers are harvesting their crops. And that’s a special feeling—when you harvest a crop, when you pull into a field and you see what’s coming off.

But there are also times when your crop fails, when you’re calving a cow and your best cow dies or her calf dies. The fact that they keep going with those challenges—that’s what makes a farmer.

That’s why we’re so proud to be farmers, and that’s why we recognize farmers and their families today, in Agriculture Week. Our whole province is built on their backs.

I would like to welcome Jule. Jule is a company in my riding of Scarborough Centre that is among the leaders in the designing, manufacturing, installing and supporting of battery-backed EV level 3 chargers both in Canada and the United States.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Jule’s two co-founders, Carmine Pizzurro and Himanshu Sudan, who are guests today in the gallery. Welcome to your House.

I recently toured Jule with Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. Jule attracts top business and engineering students from across Ontario universities, including Scarborough—people driven to help create commercially viable energy solutions to accelerate our transition to a sustainable world. It gave me great pleasure to meet some of Jule’s summer students who were returning back to school and their studies this fall. I commend Jule’s founders for devoting their time and resources in the development of these young minds.

Thank you, Jule, for your leadership and contributions to Scarborough Centre and Ontario’s economy.

I’ve always taken my seat and given credit where credit is due, but I will hold this government to account where needed.

First, Highway 129: I want to give credit to the Ministry of Transportation service provider for the work they did on the Thessalon-Chapleau Highway 129.

However, on Highways 519 into Dubreuilville, 631 into Hornepayne, 614 into Manitouwadge—since when has it become a standard operating procedure to put in warning cones in roadside washouts? Are we waiting for the snow to fall in order to fill these potholes and these washouts?

When we travel now on Highway 638 into Echo Bay, Leeburn and Sylvan Valley—in Echo Bay, there is a place that they refer to as the “Echo Bay car wash.” Since when has it become a standard operating process to accept water that’s going over our highways and our roads?

On Highways 542 and 540: The resurfacing that has been happening on Manitoulin Island is horrendous by this government and the service provider that is there—lengthy periods of time when there is no work that is being done, machines that are being parked on the roadside, the pulverizing is breaking cars down.

The claims that are being put forward by the community members who are travelling on these roads are basically reimbursed nil and none.

You have to do better. There has to be some accountability, and this government must start overseeing the work that is being done by contractors on our highways.

Speaker, over the summer months, I attended many events, meetings and round tables in my riding of Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston, connecting with residents and organizations and hearing what is most important to them. Health care and housing continue to be top of mind, and this government is listening, with just over $5.8 million in funding for upgrades and repairs to hospitals in my riding—including Perth and Smiths Falls as well as Carleton Place and Almonte—plus an additional $820,000 to address emergency department pressures.

Last month, I was pleased to join Minister Calandra for the groundbreaking ceremony of the brand new, 128-bed Broadview nursing home in my hometown of Smiths Falls. This is part of this government’s $6.4-billion commitment to build more than 58,000 new and reconditioned beds in this province.

In July, I was honoured to be part of the opening of Lanark county’s newest five-unit community housing building.

And I look forward to the spring of 2024, when Carebridge Community Support is scheduled to open another affordable housing project within my riding.

Mr. Speaker, my sincere thanks to Minister Parsa and Minister Calandra for joining me this summer for round-table discussions—real conversations about how we can remove barriers and improve access to services.

I look forward to welcoming Minister Gill next week to discuss streamlining productivity and efficiencies with stakeholders and businesses in Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston.

It was a productive summer.

It’s my pleasure to welcome Alliston resident Joy Webster to the House today. She’s a great resident of Simcoe–Grey, and it’s my pleasure to introduce her.

I’d like to acknowledge that today’s page captain is Tristan Joseph from the wonderful riding of Spadina–Fort York, and his parents, Odessa and Harry Joseph, are also in the audience today.

I’d also like to welcome Save the Minden ER to the House—including Patrick Porzuczek, Ken Trinka, Helen Trinka, Aidan Johnston, Joyce Webster, Kimberly Perry, and Cathy Mauro.

I want to wish a special greeting to a good friend of mine, Terrence Bishundayal. I’ve known him since he was in high school. His advocacy for students with disabilities led to the TDSB having a truly accessible washroom on the ground floor of their main office building, and also to the creation of a wheelchair ramp to the front door of Martingrove Collegiate in Etobicoke.

Welcome to the House.

I want to welcome to Queen’s Park this morning Julie-Anne Gill from the town of Port Perry within my riding of Durham—a very skilled mediator, solving disputes peacefully and effectively.

A point of order, Mr. Speaker: I want to take this opportunity to wish a happy birthday to the great member from Whitby, Mr. Lorne Coe, who is celebrating his 47th birthday today.

Applause.

I’m so grateful to have my team from the constituency office here. They are doing all the great work on the front lines. I want to welcome Lana Barkan, Mandana Hezar, Debbie Davidson, Priscilla Danson, and Katherine Chabot.

I also want to welcome the good people from Perimeter Institute to Queen’s Park this morning. We had an amazing reception—thank you so much—with full representation from all parties, which is truly a sign of the respect that this institute has in the province of Ontario.

I want to wish my 13-year-old—she’s 13 now—daughter Nayomi a very happy birthday. I know you’re going to be watching this.

I have the pleasure to welcome my good friend Jason Grossman and his better half, Miriam Sussan, to the Legislature of Ontario. Welcome.

I have the great pleasure to introduce some great friends from the ridings of Parry Sound–Muskoka and Burlington: Sandra St. Germain, Fred St. Germain, Craig St. Germain, and Sandy Lane.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I would like to welcome my great volunteer and supporter Kenny Neville to the Ontario Legislature.