Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the town of Wallaceburg and the dedicated community groups who are working together to clean up the Sydenham River.
On Saturday I was on hand when scuba divers entered the river in the centre of town to remove unwanted items. The clean-up project came about because of a very unfortunate accident. A year ago a young boy tragically drowned in the river as he was caught in some underwater debris.
My constituents and I praise the Wallaceburg Rotary Club, president Jim Tumelty and councillor Chip Gordon as they combined their efforts with the local police, firefighters, power squadron, volunteer divers, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 18 and the Environment Club from Wallaceburg District Secondary School. Together they are improving the safety of the river. Their hard work and enthusiasm are to be commended.