It is my pleasure today to rise to congratulate Home Hardware as they mark 60 years of serving communities across Canada. In fact, the Premier recently joined me to visit their headquarters in St. Jacob’s—after we picked up apple fritters from the farmers’ market, of course.

So how did that single store in St. Jacob’s grow to become a national symbol? Well, here’s how. They kept their commitment to help build their communities with helpful advice, quality products and great customer service.

“This milestone is a testament to over six decades of dedication and hard work by our dealers and team members across the country,” said Kevin Macnab, president and CEO of Home Hardware Stores Ltd.

Since opening in St. Jacob’s, they now have more than 1,000 stores providing good jobs across the country. It’s hard to picture small towns in Ontario without a Home Hardware. They have become a part of the fabric of our community and country. Home Hardware is consistently chosen as one of Canada’s top employers and received the honour from Forbes again in 2024.

Congratulations on 60 years and thank you for the positive contributions to our community, Ontario and Canada.

It is of course with great pride that I rise today, and for the first time in franchise history, the Wellesley AppleJacks are the Schmalz Cup champions. Wellesley willed their way to the Ontario Junior C championship with a 3-to-2 win over the Clarington Eagles earlier this month.

Noah Bender, a rookie goalie for the AppleJacks, was named tournament MVP.

Congratulations to coach Ryan Gerber and the rest of the staff, and of course, their great leadership.

Thank you for the players, fans, volunteers and sponsors that made this historic season possible.

They had a heroes’ welcome in Wellesley earlier this week, complete with a fire truck escort through the streets for their championship parade.

We have a lot to celebrate in Wellesley as we are set to open a new and improved Wellesley arena next year. The community centre will feature a hockey rink, two soccer pitches, spaces for a youth drop-in centre and seniors’ centre, a walking track and a gymnasium. The province is contributing over $16 million to the roughly $22-million facility. We got the arena built together, but you guys got us a banner to raise.

Speaker, I have one question for you: How do you like them AppleJacks?