MPP JOURNAL for the week of September 17, 2021

Remembering the Tragedy of September 11, 2021

The tragedy of last week underscored for me how intertwined our lives are with our neighbours to the south. There are few among us who did not have a terrible moment of wondering where friends, family members or work acquaintances were as we heard the devastating news coming out of New York and Washington. Words cannot express my sympathy for those who are still searching for relatives and friends. My prayers are with you and your loved ones. I am in the process of organizing a book of condolences for residents to pass on their condolences to the American people on their loss. I will provide you with further details as they become available.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is assisting with the search for missing Canadians. If you need information, please call 1-800-387-3124.

I would like to recap what the Province of Ontario has done to date in support of our American neighbours during this time of tragedy. Premier Mike Harris announced last week that the province has mobilized all available resources, and is ready to give whatever assistance it can after last week's terrorist attacks.

Dr. James Young, head of Emergency Measures Ontario (EMO) has been in regular contact with his equivalent in New York City, and has already been dispatched with a team of experts to New York City to assist their emergency personnel in the forensic identification of victims.

We also realize that there has been has been a tremendous outpouring of aid from people across our province. People want to help in anyway they can. I was impressed at the number of businesses and individuals who called my office on Tuesday to offer their homes to travelers stranded at Pearson International Airport because of the re-routing of flights. As the Premier said last week the two best ways to demonstrate our support are to provide financial donations and to give blood.

Financial donations can be made with a credit card by calling the Red Cross at 1-800-418-1111. Cheques should be payable to Canadian Red Cross U.S. Tragedy.

This past Friday the Premier of Ontario and the Prime Minister of Canada declared a National Day of Mourning in the Province of Ontario and across Canada. In respect of that, I closed my Community Office and cancelled my appearances at all public events I was a attending on behalf of the constituents of Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey.

The Canadian Blood Services has also arranged for a blood donor clinic for individuals wishing to donate blood. There will be a clinic held at the Orangeville Baptist Church, on Hwy 10, just North of Orangeville on Wednesday September 19 from 12:30pm - 7:30pm. If you would like to get further details, or call for other locations and dates, please call 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283).

If you are a health professional and interested in offering your assistance, please call
1-888-668-4636. Emergency Measures Ontario is also taking names of anyone wishing to volunteer in the recovery efforts. The phone number for Emergency Measures Ontario is 1-866-671-7778.

Please be patient when calling any of these phone numbers, as the volume of calls they are receiving is understandably beyond what could ever be anticipated.

I closing, I know I speak for all residents of this riding in expressing my deepest sympathy for the loss of life and with it, the loss of a way of life we all cherished and will clearly miss.

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