Mr. Speaker, as the member of parliament for Oak Ridges, I would like to take this opportunity before the House rises to thank several people for their interest in my riding's namesake, the Oak Ridges moraine. It is a 160 kilometre stretch of rolling hills that acts as a giant sponge. It absorbs, filters and releases water and acts as the headwaters for over 30 rivers. It is the home to wildlife and rare species of plants and is a treasure in the greater Toronto area.
At the same time, it is under severe development pressures, which can see a great portion of the moraine paved over with little idea of the effect it would have.
So a big thank you to my colleagues in the GTA, in particular the member for Davenport for his statement and the member for Victoria, the Minister of the Environment, all those who attended the clean water summit of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust which focused on the moraine, the Geological Survey of Canada, and especially all the members of grassroots organizations who have given a great amount of time and energy to make sure that we recognize the importance of the Oak Ridges moraine.