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 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.

I’d like to introduce Lucia Alonzi, a page from the great riding of Mississauga Centre.

Thank you for your great work.

Coming up on October 12, it will be World Sight Day as showcased by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. This year’s campaign focus is to bring attention to the importance of eye care in the workplace.

As a practising optometrist—I remember vividly, like it happened yesterday—I was working at the Saginaw Valley Special Needs Vision Clinic. A mother brought in her little two- or three-year-old non-verbal daughter. I was fortunate as the little girl sat still enough for me to determine that she had a very, very strong prescription. I can remember taking a little trial frame and putting these lenses in it, and as we put it on her face, she dropped the little toy that she was holding up right in front of her on the floor and looked around the room, seeing for the first time. That was one of the single most gratifying experiences and, as it turned out, one of many to come in my field of medicine.

Our government is committed to improving access to glaucoma and cataract care across our province, and our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, has signed the first agreement with optometry in over 30 years.

Colleagues, the hashtag this year is #LoveYourEyes—they are the only set you will ever have.

Point of order: the member for Carleton.

Welcome back, Jean-Marc.

From the riding of Burlington, I’d like to introduce Jenny Choi and James Tiong. Jenny and James are the parents of today’s page captain Clara Tiong.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The annual Panda football game was played this weekend, with the University of Ottawa beating Carleton in a thriller.

I would like to acknowledge that the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Neil Lumsden, an Ottawa Gee-Gees legend as a fullback and kicker, still holds the Panda Game scoring record with 25 points in one game and 61 career points.

My constituency assistant, John Jeffrey Morris, who played for the Carleton Ravens and holds the Panda Game record for longest punt and longest kickoff, informed me that Minister Lumsden is the greatest player in the history of Canadian university football.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Good morning, page captain for Beaches–East York, James Gillespie—with family members Barbara, Adam and Leah Gillespie and Gillian Stevie here in the gallery.

Let’s welcome them today.

Today the page captain, I believe, is Bella. Her parents, Bill and Daisy, are in the gallery somewhere, and I just wanted to welcome them to Queen’s Park.