Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Report continued from volume A.

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Private Members’ Public Business

Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la Semaine de reconnaissance du secteur sans but lucratif

Mrs. Wai moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 285, An Act to proclaim Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week / Projet de loi 285, Loi proclamant la Semaine de reconnaissance du secteur sans but lucratif.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Pursuant to standing order 101, the member has 12 minutes for her presentation. At the end of the 12-minute opening remarks, the debate will proceed with members of the various parties speaking in rotation. You may recognize members while seated. Each recognized party is allotted 12 minutes, and independent members are allotted five minutes in total to debate this item of business.

I will now turn it over to the member from Richmond Hill.

Mrs. Daisy Wai: It is a distinct honour for me to have the opportunity to speak today on my private member’s bill, Bill 285, An Act to proclaim Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week. It is a celebration of our invisible champions: the non-profit and charitable organization professionals in our communities. This bill aims to recognize and appreciate the dedicated service of workers in Ontario’s non-profit sector. If passed, this bill will proclaim the third week of October each year as Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week.

This special designation will provide all Ontarians with a week-long opportunity to express their gratitude and encouragement to the non-profit workers who have impacted many lives and who play vital roles in building our communities.

Mr. Speaker, Ontario’s non-profit sector is composed of organizations and charities that operate for our collective social benefit. The professionals who devote themselves to this sector are among the most reliable and enthusiastic workers in our province. They are driven by vision and mission, and carry out their responsibilities with a deep sense of pride, passion and persistence. They are, Mr. Speaker, our invisible champions.

The non-profit sector stands upon the noble principle of community service. I feel so very privileged today to speak on this topic because, in doing so, it reminded me of the journey and experiences that have led me to where I am today.

I began serving my community as a teenager in Hong Kong, and my passion to serve only grew stronger when I arrived in Canada, now nearly 40 years ago. Although I worked in the business sector, I constantly felt a deep desire to do something more meaningful and to give back to my community. I continued to serve a cancer support group and support parents with special-needs children.

This desire came to life when I was on maternity leave after giving birth to my fourth child. At the time, I was presented with the option to either go back to my job or spearhead the establishment of a Chinese Christian newspaper called Herald Monthly. As the vice-president of an advertising agency, my job would have provided me with the financial stability we needed for our family. Instead, I decided to take on the responsibility of building up a new non-profit organization that would serve the Chinese Canadian community.

Despite the immense sacrifices I had to make in order to build this organization, it became one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. It brings me great joy to know that the Herald Monthly continues to have a positive impact on so many lives. Today, the organization employs six staff and produces 35,000 printed copies in Canada east and 25,000 in Canada west. It has also developed an online version, as well as audio and video programs. It is becoming one of the most-respected Chinese media in Canada.

This is not only my story; this is the story for countless non-profit workers who seek meaningful work and a fulfilled life. It is the story of the unnamed and unseen men and women who give without expecting something in return, who do what is good and just, and who are always honourable in their services. Despite being well educated and skilled in their fields, they sacrifice monetary gains for the betterment of collective society. For that, Mr. Speaker, they deserve our unreserved appreciation.

Non-profit organizations are all around us, and their work impacts all of our daily lives, even though we may not notice it. They are “a major contributor to economic growth, innovation and job creation.” Their “one million professionals, driven by their mission, are experts in delivering social, economic and environmental solutions,” especially to the local community. “They enrich our quality of life by promoting mental and physical health, social equity, education, the arts, sports and recreation, the environment, child development, senior care and much more. They serve millions of Ontarians every year in every corner of the province.

“Their work is indispensable and heroic, but unlike police, firefighters and medical personnel, it is all too often invisible.... Their public service deserves to be recognized and honoured.”

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to also bring attention to the significant impact the non-profit sector has on jobs and on our economy. Ontario’s non-profits employ more than one million workers, of which 600,000 are full-time workers. These jobs contribute to 2.6% of Ontario’s overall GDP, which is more than $50 billion in economic impact. Another important fact to note is that 45% of the income earned by non-profit organizations is done so through sponsorship and fundraising. By recognizing and appreciating them through an appreciation week, we will be strengthening their credibility and thus enable them to be more self-reliant.

The work done by the non-profit sector has become more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their responsibilities are already demanding in normal times, but this past year, they have gone above and beyond their limits to continue to deliver critical supports and assistance to the most vulnerable in our communities. Now, more than ever, they need our support and encouragement. While navigating the complex challenges of operating under such strenuous circumstances, they have managed to help those who are suffering from isolation and loneliness to find purpose and meaning in their lives.

Yes, the work has doubled, but the donations have diminished tremendously, I would have to say, because of this pandemic. A CEO of one of the organizations shared with me that she had the worry that she only got funds for two more months of operation. I really feel for them. They need our donations, but at the same time, our appreciation will also go a long way in encouraging them.

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To all the professionals in the non-profit sector, you truly have been instrumental in helping our communities stay positive and hopeful during such a dark period. I would say thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week will help ignite the passion and the performance of workers who are understandably exhausted and feeling burnt-out. It will help boost the morale of organizations and charities that have been forced to downsize and lay off employees. Our simple gesture of solidarity can be a source of strength and persistence for these unseen warriors.

With this appreciation week, we want to demonstrate to the next generation’s youth that the non-profit sector is really valued. We want our province’s youth to know that they can fulfill their own passion to help and also help others in joining this sector and contribute to the growth of our province. We also want to encourage Ontarians to volunteer, to donate and to foster impactful change in their own communities.

The non-profit sector has helped build our province. Now it is our turn to build them up.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I must recognize the leadership of some of the province-leading non-profit-sector advocates and associations: the United Way, the Bhayana Family Foundation and the Ontario Nonprofit Network. They share my sentiments, and they have been a shining light in the sector. They have been working very hard together with me on this bill. Many of the non-profit organizations are very excited as soon as they hear about this, that we’re going to recognize them, and I can see their responses are overwhelming.

I’m really excited by this, and I am happy I am putting forward this bill. May I invite all members to commit together to create this distinct opportunity, a week of appreciation to celebrate our invisible champions and the positive, invaluable impact that they have in communities across Ontario.

During the week of recognition, we hope to have a flag-raising ceremony at Queen’s Park that will bring together non-profit professionals and leaders from every walk of life. We will encourage members to go to your own community and express your appreciation to the non-profit organizations. Together, we will celebrate and we will encourage them.

I hope the members of this House will join me in this effort and support this bill. Thank you very much.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I’m pleased to say a few words as we’re discussing and debating the private member’s motion, the Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week Act, brought forward from the member opposite. I appreciated her personal story about how she has been involved in the non-profit sector, which I think many of us in this room have been, whether it’s volunteering, whether it’s part of a not-for-profit. We recognize the value, maybe because we have done the work ourselves, but more likely, with all of us in this House—we work on a regular basis with those agencies and not-for-profits that do unbelievable work. I would say “immeasurable” work, but it is certainly work that can be fairly compensated, because, Speaker, it is not-for-profit, but it’s not for free. This is with many of these agencies that come knocking for funding, for project–based funding, time and time again, when we know they’ve been around a lot longer than we have doing that work that we would like to see.

More than appreciation—though I’m glad to take the opportunity to do that today—we do want to see money coming from this government in a government bill that ensures they don’t have to keep begging. We know the work they do matters. We see it every day. We depend on it. As a Legislature, we’re so grateful for the work they do, because it means government programs don’t have to, right? They do it. They’re hands-on there in the communities. They keep people safe. They help people build their best lives and help keep people fed. They’re cornerstones of our great communities.

I have a shelter in my community—it’s actually called Cornerstone, as I say that word—but they deserve recognition for so much more. We’ve seen, unfortunately, that this government has indeed slashed support for non-profits. They’ve cut $15 million from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which went to community groups. We’ve seen them be abandoned during this pandemic. The Ontario Nonprofit Network has warned that one in five non-profits were on the verge of shutting down for good because of a lack of funding during the pandemic.

I’ll say, Speaker, as we’ve been talking about small business supports, that the Ontario NDP believes that they should also have those supports through the Save Main Street program: the small business grants, offering support to their workers, paid sick days and so much more, because they are folks who do have a paycheque and do this work. They need that support.

I have a letter here from a not-for-profit, Community Care Durham. She says:

“As a friend and supporter of Community Care Durham ... I am writing you personally to express concerns regarding the last provincial budget.... I see first-hand the importance of enabling seniors to remain in their homes. There has never been a better time than now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to be safe at home.

“So you can imagine my concern over the recently released provincial budget, which excluded any help for the home and community support sector. For the first time in nearly a decade, the provincial government has failed to recognize the critical role our sector plays in providing needed care for almost a million Ontarians.”

It’s a long letter, Speaker. She goes on to say:

“Compounding this missed opportunity,” Community Care Durham “has had neither new funding from the government in base infrastructure nor an inflationary annual increase to its budget in more than a decade.” Their work continues to grow. Their workload continues to grow. The caring never stops, but the resources are drying up.

Speaker, we know that, coming out the other side of this pandemic, we’re going to need to appreciate, to support and to recognize, and that recovery has to be funded. That is something that I—I appreciate the member opposite, and I want to have this conversation. Frankly, if we have an appreciation week, the broader community will understand who does what and how to, indeed, support them. So I appreciate the chance to highlight some of them; we can never list all of them, but we’re glad for the work that they do. We do appreciate them and we hope to support them in every way that we can.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate? The member from Ottawa—

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: West–Nepean.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Ottawa West–Nepean. Thank you.

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: There we go. Thank you, Speaker.

I’d like to start by thanking the member for Richmond Hill for bringing forward this bill today, the Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week Act. We all in this chamber, I think, know and recognize that the member from Richmond Hill has an enormous heart and a very warm spirit, and this is just another piece of evidence on that, as she seeks to rally all of us together behind this important cause: to thank the men and women who have been working tirelessly in our not-for-profit sector, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, and who are such valuable members of our community fabric. And so, to the member for Richmond Hill, thank you so much.

Now, of course, this bill, Speaker, would establish a recognition week in the month of October. The month of October is always a little bit of a sombre month for me, and there’s a connection to this bill here today. The month of October is when Ottawa lost a really great community champion, a friend of mine, a mentor: the late, great Max Keeping. Max was the CTV Ottawa anchor for a number of years, but he was far more than that. Max was a man who pulled together all of Ottawa’s best instincts to tackle some of our most significant challenges. I was very fortunate, Speaker, that Max took me under his wing at a young age and really taught me the value of community service.

So often, we would see Ottawa come behind some of these really significant challenges; whether it was a raft of terrible youth suicides in the 2010s or a need to support our children’s hospital, Max rallied that not-for-profit sector around those challenges. So I think it’s very fitting that October will be the month that we recognize and celebrate those not-for-profits who have done so much for our communities. As we’ve been going through the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve stopped and reflected quite often, Speaker, that I think Max is smiling down at everyone across the city of Ottawa, because everyone in Ottawa has rallied together to tackle the pandemic head on.

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I’ve been really fortunate, Speaker, to be the provincial representative at United Way East Ontario’s community response table, which has been bringing together on a monthly basis around 100 community agencies, not-for-profits, around one virtual table to tackle some of the pressing issues, whether they be food insecurity, support for new Canadians, support for Indigenous Canadians. Whatever that challenge might be, those not-for-profits have pulled together to tackle them.

Speaker, as I wrap up my time today, I just want to say to each and every one of the not-for-profits right across Ontario but particularly in my home of Ottawa: Thank you for everything you do. We could not do it without you. We appreciate it, and through this bill today, we want to show our collective appreciation as the Legislature of Ontario. And to borrow a phrase that the late Max Keeping always used to use, thanks for all you do.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Mr. Chris Glover: It’s a pleasure to rise in the House to support this bill to establish Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week. We absolutely need to support the not-for-profits. They fill our communities with art and theatre. They give voice to those whose voices aren’t heard. They promote social enterprises and small businesses, and they help feed and care for the most vulnerable in our communities.

In my riding of Spadina–Fort York, I’m very privileged to have a number of phenomenal theatres, including Factory Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Soulpepper Theatre, and I want to give a shout-out to the Spur-of-the-Moment Shakespeare Collective, which performs for front-line workers and patients in hospitals. Their program right now is based on the quote from Henry V, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends....” Even during the pandemic, they’re now doing virtual performances for patients and front-line workers in hospital.

I also want to give a shout-out to the Shadowland Theatre, and Anne Barber and Brad Harley, who have been running it since 1984—just a shout-out to their Moving House program, which is online. If you Google “Shadowland Theatre,” you can find their project. It’s a theatre that happens in the streets, with stilt walkers who are wonderfully and colourfully dressed. It pits the home versus three adversities, three characters representing adversity, including climate change and the pandemic—those kinds of adversities. Eventually, the community comes together to defeat the adversities and save the home. The moral of the story is that the love and community spirit will get us through this, which I think is an important moral to keep in mind during this pandemic.

I want to give a shout-out to 401 Richmond. It’s an incredible place. It’s an old industrial building, and it’s the home to over 140 artists, cultural producers, social innovators, microenterprises, galleries, festivals and shops. I want to give a special shout-out to the Tangled Art Gallery within 401 Richmond, where I’ve seen many wonderful displays of art by artists with disabilities. When we’re talking about giving voice to those whose voices aren’t heard, Tangled Art Gallery gives an opportunity to hear the voices of artists with disabilities.

I want to give a shout-out to the Centre for Social Innovation, which supports 3,000 social enterprises to amplify their work and to make them successful through community and collaboration.

I want to give a shout-out to our business improvement areas, including those along Queen Street, which are launching right now a virtual tour of Queen Street, because it is the hippest street in the world.

I want to give a shout-out to our neighbourhood and residents’ associations, including the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, which, through its advocacy, has helped to save the heritage buildings and the Foundry.

I want to thank all of the agencies that are helping to feed and care for the most vulnerable through this pandemic: Seeds of Hope and its director, Kim Curry, which helps homeless people across the city; the Fort York Food Bank and its director, Devi Arasanayagam. I want to thank the Parkdale food bank and Kitty Raman Costa, its director; and The Lighthouse food bank.

I want to thank all of the founders and the volunteers with the mutual aid programs that have been developed to help people through this pandemic, including Project FoodChain and Spadina-Fort York Community Care Program, Liberty Village CARES, the Bike Brigade, ALAB and ESN.

I want to give a shout-out to all of the agencies in Toronto that support those without homes, including the Toronto Shelter Network, Homes First Society, the Fred Victor society, the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness, Sanctuary Toronto.

And I want to encourage this government not just to celebrate all of the wonderful work that these non-profits do; I want you to support them. One of the ways that you can support them would be by reversing the $15-million cut to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, because its funding helps to support many of the agencies that I just mentioned.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Mr. Billy Pang: I want to start by thanking the member from Richmond Hill for bringing to us this PMB that, if passed, will proclaim the third week of October in each year as Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week.

The events of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought many challenges, and everyone has been impacted in many and different ways. We often speak about our heroes in our health care sector, but during this unprecedented time, it is also our non-profit organizations and their dedicated members and volunteers that are stepping up more than ever to support our communities and most vulnerable. Whether it is promoting mental health or offering free mentorship programs, their public service should continue to be spotlighted, because they, too, are our front-line heroes.

In addition to the effects that the non-profit sector has on people’s daily lives, it is also important to recognize the major contributions these organizations have toward our province’s economy, with more than 58,000 registered charities and organizations that contribute to an extraordinary $50 billion in economic impact in our province’s economy. In addition to that, Ontario’s non-profit sector plays a major contribution in job creation and opportunities, with this sector alone employing more than one million workers.

In addition to the role this bill will play toward uplifting and increasing a sense of pride to the organizations and their members, I believe this bill will also play a supportive role to raise organizations’ social profile and enable them to fundraise and continue to remain largely self-reliant.

Aside from my role as an MPP, I also am a volunteer for a global relief organization, World Vision. For over three decades, I’ve had the pleasure of working together with others to organize fundraising events in my local community, including World Vision’s Markham–Unionville: Walk for Clean Water fundraising event last year. In combination with four teams, we fundraised over $10,000 to support clean water projects for kids in the Menkao region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Experiencing it first-hand, I can say that being part of a non-profit organization, whether the individual is a volunteer or staff, is truly a rewarding experience, and its contributing impact to our province both socially and economically should continue to be celebrated. I want to thank the member for bringing forward this dedicated and meaningful PMB that will do just that.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: I, too, would like to thank the member from Richmond Hill for this bill. The not-for-profit sector is near and dear to my heart. I worked there for many years. I’m proud to say that I worked for the Social Planning and Research Council for many years, and this is a fantastic organization that for almost 60 years has been working to improve the quality of life for every Hamiltonian. I was proud to have worked there.

One of the things that the Social Planning and Research Council works to address is food insecurity. We all have people going hungry in our communities. That is unacceptable, but most distressing of all is that kids go to school hungry. One of the programs that was supported by the Social Planning and Research Council was a student nutrition program called Tastebuds. We all know the importance of nutrition for kids. It’s important not only for their well-being but it is important for their outcomes in school. This is a fantastic program to make sure kids have access to healthy food.

Food4Kids is another fantastic program in Hamilton that makes sure kids go home on the weekend with backpacks full of healthy food.

The need was great before COVID hit, but now, the need is greater than ever. Kids are expected to go to school hungry due to the financial hardship that their families are facing. They may have lost their jobs. They may have lost their small businesses. According to the Breakfast Club of Canada, one in three children is at risk of going to school hungry this year. That’s an unbelievable statistic.

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We know many not-for-profits are on the verge of collapse, just like small businesses. They’re just not getting the support that they need from this government to do the fantastic work they do. It needs to be said in this House that the Ford government slashed support for not-for-profits, including cutting $15 million from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. I know that was a source of revenue for the social planning council. It was important to us. But despite the lack of support for the not-for-profits, they always step up to the plate. They are really, truly, the embodiment of the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. They always seem to be able to provide.

I’d just like to say that we all know seniors have suffered so much during this pandemic, and so many agencies have been working to support seniors in our community. Jewish family services has a kosher food bank. Monthly, they provide 400 meals to low-income seniors. Ancaster Community Services has a Shopping 4 Seniors program to make sure that homebound seniors are able to get groceries delivered. Dundas Community Services continues their Meals on Wheels program, delivering meals to seniors, again, who need our help.

We also can’t forget our Legions. Legions play such an important role, connecting our veterans and connecting communities, and they need our help more than ever, because their donation and fundraising opportunities have been really constrained during COVID. The Dundas Legion Valley City Branch 36 has a Friday night perogy night, which I participate in. I highly recommend it.

We just need to know that this government needs our help. While I support the idea of a not-for-profit-sector appreciation week, they need real supports. They need to have funding. They need to have employees who have access to paid sick days. They need wage enhancements. The idea and the words of a not-for-profit-sector appreciation week are fantastic, but it’s going to take more than words to fill the fridges and stomachs of people in our communities that are being served by these front-line not-for-profit organizations in all of our communities, including in Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: I’m also pleased to join the debate on Bill 285 and thank my colleague from Richmond Hill for introducing this bill to us today.

Non-profits are part of the lifeblood that holds Ontarians together: one million committed volunteers and staff right across our province, helping people in need, helping protect our environment and organizing our amateur sports. Non-profits preserve our culture in museums and galleries. They celebrate the many diverse cultures of Ontario through art, music and dance. They make life better for millions of people in our province, and it is fitting that this Legislature should honour their contributions.

I know of many such organizations and charities in my own community that do make a difference:

—food banks and providers such as the Salvation Army, the Burlington Food Bank, Food for Life and Food4Kids that provide nutritious food for families in need;

—Meals on Wheels in Oakville, whose volunteers deliver hot meals to seniors and have been doing so for 45 years;

—those who protect our most vulnerable, such as the Halton Children’s Aid Society and Halton Women’s Place;

—environmental groups such as Oakvillegreen, BurlingtonGreen and the Halton Environmental Network that not only promote the environment but take direct action at the local level and encourage us to think globally and act locally;

—planting trees and rain gardens, preserving watercourses and picking up litter in our parks;

—our local museums and galleries and sporting leagues that organize soccer, hockey or baseball;

—the many not-for-profits that work through our religious institutions, our temples, mosques and churches;

—the food programs for seniors at St. Luke’s Anglican Church and programs run by organizations such as the Vaishno Devi Temple, the Halton Sikh Cultural Association and the Dar Foundation; and

—the work done by cultural groups such as the Oakville Chinese Network.

It’s an honour to highlight the meaningful work done by all of these individuals and groups, for their selfless service.

During COVID, their work has been even more important, but it has also been a time when fundraising has been a challenge. That’s why our government has helped out. In March 2020, we invested $200 million in social services funding relief; $4 million for seniors community grants in June; and $83 million for the Ontario Trillium Foundation through the Resilient Communities Fund; $41 million more in December. These are just some of the investments made.

Our government knows how vital the work of non-profits is to people, and their work is even more vital during COVID-19. It’s important to honour the work of our non-profits and to remind all of us of the critical work they do to improve lives each and every day in Ontario.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Ms. Lindsey Park: My colleague for Oakville North–Burlington highlighted the many different avenues through which we’re supporting non-profits throughout this pandemic and beyond. And I want to highlight one more, which is the funding recently announced in the budget for faith-based and cultural organizations. That will be up to $50 million awarded across the province. So stay tuned for that.

It really is a pleasure to rise in support of my colleague the member for Richmond Hill and her private member’s bill, the Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week Act.

I want to remind everyone that “non-profits” means both charities and non-charities in the non-profit sector, so when you think of it that way, there’s an incredible number of organizations in our community this will apply to.

I did this in my first year in government: You can actually ask the legislative library to pull a list of charities and non-profits in your riding. It’s quite an extensive list. Some are more active than others, of course, that have been formed over the years. It’s an interesting exercise for any member in the Legislature, if they want to learn a bit more about their riding.

In the preamble of this bill, the work of the non-profit sector is described as “indispensable and heroic, but unlike police, firefighters and medical personnel, it is all too often invisible. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the remarkable contributions of the essential services provided by the non-profit sector, which relies on funding and volunteers. Their public service deserves to be recognized and honoured.” That’s why we’re here debating this today.

I do want to mention just a few in my riding with the time left. I think of the many that provide mental health supports and senior services, that support our veterans, that run our soup kitchens and charitable drives. I think of the hospital foundations—Bowmanville; Port Perry; Lakeridge Health, which is Whitby and Oshawa—Saint Vincent de Paul food bank and Feed the Need in Durham. These are all examples of organizations that have gone above and beyond to fill the gaps during this pandemic.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): The member from Richmond Hill now has two minutes for a reply.

Mrs. Daisy Wai: I would like to thank the members from Oshawa, Ottawa West–Nepean, Spadina–Fort York, Markham–Unionville, Oakville North–Burlington, and Durham. Thank you, all of you, for supporting this bill. It is really encouraging. I feel so excited about this and touched by this. Not only am I excited, I’m sure all the non-profit organizations, when they hear of the support from this Legislature, will be thrilled as well.

I also want to mention that our government sees the needs of different organizations, which is why I’m thankful that our member from Oakville North–Burlington has already mentioned all the funding that we have been giving to different organizations.

Actually, just recently, I myself have given different funding from the Trillium Foundation to at least three organizations in my riding of Richmond Hill.

As the parliamentary assistant for the Ministry for Seniors—we have been giving out different kinds of grants and funding to organizations that are working together with us, partnering with us, to care for seniors. This is one way that we can work together.

But what I really want us to do is to show appreciation, as well, when we can do it together—as one week of showing appreciation, raising the flag at Queen’s Park. I encourage each one of our members to go to your own community and appreciate them. I think this will go a long way. Of course, money is important because they need the funding in order to operate, but the showing of our appreciation means a lot to them. I thank you all for supporting this.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): The time provided for private members’ public business has expired.

Mrs. Wai has moved second reading of Bill 285, An Act to proclaim Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Second reading agreed to.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Pursuant to standing order 101(h), the bill is referred to the Committee of the Whole, unless you have a preference as to where you would like your bill to go.

Mrs. Daisy Wai: Can I have it go to private bills and regulations?

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): The member is referring the bill to private—

Mr. Deepak Anand: Regulations and private bills.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Regulations and private bills. There, we have the correct one. Is it the pleasure of the House that it goes there? Thank you very much.

And now, all matters related to private members’ public business having been completed, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 9 a.m.

The House adjourned at 1841.