Speaker, it is an absolute pleasure of mine to welcome WoodGreen community services, who serve close to 40,000 people each year across 40 different locations, with over 75 programs and services that tackle the social determinants of health. We have here with us today Ansley Dawson, Qazi Hasan, Sarah Ibrahim, Eric Mariglia, Alexandra Goth, Sonya Goldman, Naureen Choudhry, Talia Fine, Amenah Abusara, Amanda Hadida and Danielle Maillet. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Speaker, it is an honour to rise today, as a representative for the good people of Scarborough Southwest, to pay my respects to the late member of provincial Parliament for Scarborough West, Jim Brown, a hard-working public servant and a local representative who has shown commitment and leadership for the community that I now have the privilege of representing.

I would like to take a moment to welcome the late MPP Jim Brown’s family to Queen’s Park as we pay our respects and tribute to his life and work: Magdalene Bethune; his daughter Rosie Boileau; son-in-law Billy Boileau; grandchildren William and Elizabeth. Welcome to Queen’s Park. I’m sure you’re very proud of the work that Jim Brown has done. To Liam and Lily, I am most assured that it is incredibly special to be able to visit the chamber where your grandfather proudly and diligently served his community.

I have always said that, regardless of party lines, what unites us—every single one of us sitting in the chamber today, everyone who has come before us and everyone who will have these seats in the years to come—is our commitment and dedication to our community. We’re all here with the shared goal of delivering for the people who put their trust in us. Mr. Brown proudly served as an MPP for his riding, which is also where he lived with his family and passed away peacefully. He represented what was then known as Scarborough West and is now part of Scarborough Southwest.

Mr. Brown has made great contributions to his community and our province, both in and out of political office. He was a spirited businessman with a knack for entrepreneurship, a founding member of the Toronto Sun—one of the most widely distributed newspapers in the city—and a strong supporter of encouraging youth involvement in sports. As a passionate Maple Leafs fan, Mr. Brown was heavily involved in local hockey initiatives, especially ones that created opportunities for girls to get involved in the sport. He coached, sponsored and led many leagues. He was a strong believer that girls could play the sport just as well as the boys, and always advocated for equality in sports.

Mr. Brown was a hard-working, enthusiastic and diligent MPP, and was well regarded by his colleagues, regardless of party lines. Even though I never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Brown, I know that we would have been able to share some great stories about serving this great community full of vibrant and welcoming neighbourhoods. I know Jim and I may not have agreed on many things, but I am certain that we would have enjoyed talking about our shared passion to build a better future for the hard-working people of Scarborough.

So let us all together take this moment to thank and remember the late Jim Brown for his contributions to our community and this Legislature during his time as a member of provincial Parliament for Scarborough West and beyond.