Hi. I'm honoured to be here.
My name is Dennis Lendrum and I come from Espanola, Ontario. I'm the grandfather of a seven-year-old autistic child.
First of all, I'd like to thank the honourable Carol Hughes, the MP for Algoma--Manitoulin, for inviting me to speak today in the House of Commons. It's truly an honour.
I am a grandfather of five grandchildren, one of whom is seven years old. His name is Alex Bertrand. He was diagnosed five years ago as severely autistic and non-verbal. At that time, I didn't even know what the word “autism” meant.
I've worked in a pulp and paper mill in Espanola since 1981. I had two back surgeries and had to resign from that job in 1998. During that time, I've been a volunteer firefighter for 15 years. I'm also the volunteer president for the snowmobile club of the area.
I sit on a committee with the greater Sudbury Regional Police. I was part of a team that is working on creating a registry for wandering persons—that's not only for autistic wandering persons, but for anybody who may wander away from home. We have the attention of the provincial police. We're hoping this will soon become provincial and maybe even national.
Now all I ever speak about is autism. Social functions, meetings, media, all candidates meetings—wherever I can get in a word about autism, I'm going to do it. I've spoken to Carol Hughes many times, and I'm sure when she sees me coming she knows what I'm going to be talking about. We've met—