My community of Sault Ste. Marie has endured quite a lot over the course of the last six weeks or so—as many of you know, recent events. It has been a very, very difficult and trying time.

On September 5 of this year, Constable Orrette Robinson, a Soo police officer, was killed in a traffic accident.

The very next day, on September 6, Mikayla Ouellet was involved in a traffic accident. She was 27 years old. She passed, along with her unborn child.

On September 7, the very next day, a horrific stabbing incident occurred. An individual took the life of 22-year-old Taylor Marshall in a horrible stabbing incident, and then he proceeded to our boardwalk, where he attempted to murder another.

The community as a whole did not know how things could get any harder. We are a small city of just about 75,000 people. Those three days felt like the worst three days we could have imagined.

Then, October 23 happened: Angie Sweeney was murdered—41 years old. Then, the individual proceeded to the residence of his ex-partner, where he proceeded to shoot her and shoot his three children and then himself. We held a vigil last week on Friday. We had about 1,000 people arrive, including Angie’s father. Our community is mourning. Our community needs to heal. Our community did an exceptional job of coming together in solidarity to attempt to heal. I want to thank everyone here for all of their kind words that I’ve received to date. We appreciate that you’ve been thinking about us. It’s something that has been helpful.

I know I’m over time here, Mr. Speaker, but I want to quote the words of Shirley Marshall. She had me read a letter. She was the mother of Taylor. She said, “Sault Ste. Marie: small city, big heart.” We really are that community. Then, the father of Angie Sweeney spoke at the event and said that in times like this, it’s everybody’s love that’s making it easier to get through. So please share that love. Continue to share that love. It doesn’t cost a thing. It’s free.

Applause.

Last week, on October 23, four people, including three children aged six, seven and 12, were fatally shot in Sault Ste. Marie. Police are calling the shootings a result of intimate partner violence. The Premier called the news “gut-wrenching,” but his words ring hollow when he refuses to even act on the first recommendation of the Renfrew inquest, which is to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.

I’ll give the Premier one more chance today to stand with survivors. Will the Premier support cities and their public health officials by finally declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic?

Speaker, we need to talk about how intimate partner violence harms and kills children as they live with their mothers. On average, a woman is killed by an intimate partner every six days in Canada, and as of September 30, there have been 46 femicides in Ontario alone, and that number has now become higher. The Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative has found at least 30 children are killed annually in Canada by one of their parents.

Speaker, the clock is running out. When will the Premier finally take action to protect children and their mothers by declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic?

Interjections.