Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all residents of the city of Port Colborne in my riding of Erie—Lincoln for that city's recognition as being one of the best in Ontario in which to raise a family. This municipality of 19,000 people has the smallest proportion of children falling through the cracks, according to health and academic measures.
A recent article from The Globe and Mail confirmed that Port Colborne has “the highest proportion of students meeting or exceeding provincial standards in mathematics, reading and writing”. In fact, over 97% of our grade 3 students are at or above the provincial standard for reading.
Port Colborne has a “woven-ness”, a strong sense of belonging, where young and old work together for common goals, where people look out for their neighbours and where one does not have to look far to find a helping hand. Port Colborne residents are Canadians in the true sense of the word. It is a caring and sharing community.