John Richardson

[Automobile Industry, April 8th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate the Futaba Industrial Company Limited for making a new investment in the city of Stratford. With the recent signing of a land purchase deal the stage has been set for the manufacture of Toyota automobile parts and a newly constructed Stratford factory next year.

Located in Wright Business Park, this new facility amounts to a total investment of $31 million. At the onset of production 70 new employees will be hired to begin producing 33 different components of the top of the line Toyota Lexus RX300. These parts will be slated to supply the entire North American market.

This will be a new employer for the city of Stratford and expansions are planned for the future. The facility will amount to a win-win situation for the constituents of Perth--Middlesex. Initial production is expected to begin September 2003.

I congratulate the Futaba Industrial Company Limited on the proposed new facility.

[Breast Cancer, February 26th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise in the House today to congratulate the diverse group of energetic citizens from Stratford in the ready for a cure 2002 breast cancer dragon boat paddle.

This fundraising campaign began February 14 and will end July 26. It is the first time ever that a 40 foot dragon boat will make its way through the Rideau Canal. The ready for a cure campaign will be the longest dragon boat paddle in Canadian history. The journey will be physically enduring and the participants will paddle approximately 17 kilometres a day from Kingston to Ottawa in the summer. The group's goal is to raise $100,000 in support of breast cancer education, research and treatment.

We congratulate the cure fundraising campaign for taking the initiative to increase public awareness of the impact of breast cancer on the lives of Canadians. We offer best wishes to all participants in this historic event.

[Stratford Festival, December 10th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise in the House today to congratulate the Stratford Festival of Canada for having the second highest attendance rate in its history. A total of 614,226 tickets were sold during the 2001 season, making this year's attendance the second highest in the festival's history.

This is the second year in a row the festival has sold more than 600,000 tickets. Although the tragic events of September required the refunding of $40,000 of ticket sale money to patrons from the United States, this did not stop the Stratford Festival from earning a $2 million surplus. This surplus will go to the For All Time Endowment, a fund that supports festival innovations such as its new Canadian play development program and its Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training.

I wish to congratulate the Stratford Festival on an excellent 2001 season.

[Kim Everingham, November 29th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate Kim Everingham of Stratford, Ontario. Kim has recently been awarded a Wayne Gretzky-CNIB scholarship to continue her studies in sociology and psychology. The scholarship was presented to Kim by Canadian National Institute for the Blind district manager Sherry Malcho during the November 16 commencement at Northwestern Secondary School. It is one of only 15 of these scholarships which will be given out this year.

Although Kim has bilateral optic atrophy and is considered to be legally blind, she has chosen to maintain a positive outlook on her life. Kim has continued to set goals for herself and is presently attending university on a full time basis. She is able to use a computer and has special needs software to assist her in her studies. Kim, who holds a Honeywell scholarship, is determined to continue on to teacher's college after completing her degree.

I am extremely proud to congratulate Kim Everingham on her persistence in pursuing her dreams regardless of her visual impairment. She has set an example to many other young people, both those with and without disabilities.

[Ashley McNaughton, November 26th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate Ashley McNaughton of Arva, Ontario. Ashley has been chosen as a junior team Canada delegate for the spring 2002 economic mission to Mexico.

Junior team Canada is a uniquely Canadian program which has existed since 1991. The team is comprised of 15 youth members aged 16 to 24 who have been selected out of 500 applicants from across Canada.

In March 2002, Ashley and her teammates will attend a three day briefing in Ottawa, followed by a ten day mission to Mexico. During this time they will meet with business, education and government to identify opportunities for their sponsoring organizations.

As a former educator it always gives me great pleasure to witness the success of young people in my riding. The competition for the junior Canada team was extremely intense and Ashley has shown great dedication and determination by becoming one of the 15 delegates for 2002.

[Dana Canada Incorporated, October 4th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise in the House today to congratulate Dana Canada Incorporated for announcing the creation of 125 new jobs in the town of St. Marys, Ontario.

Dana Canada will be building a 140,000 square foot addition to its current automotive parts plant. This will be the second expansion for the growing St. Marys operation, with a 90,000 square foot addition to the truck parts manufacturing plant having been added last year. Dana Canada's new addition will be completed next summer and will house a new line of parts for the Ford Motor Company.

The addition of 125 new jobs is good news for the people of St. Marys, many of whom have been affected by layoffs resulting from two plant closings in nearby Stratford.

Congratulations to Dana Canada Incorporated for taking the initiative to provide these new jobs to the people of St. Marys. Best wishes to all new and present employees of Dana.

[Home Children of Canada, September 24th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to rise in the House to commemorate the Home Children of Canada. The role of these special children in building and shaping this great country of ours will never be forgotten.

On August 19 the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada dedicated a plaque commemorating Canada's Home Children to the Annie Macpherson Home at 51 Avon Street in Stratford.

While Home Children were sent to virtually every corner of Canada, this Stratford home played a crucial role by receiving between 7,000 and 8,000 children.

In late 19th century Britain, cyclical unemployment and chronic poverty had a profound impact on the urban industrial working class. Families were forced to surrender some or all of their children to orphanages and rescue homes. Many of these orphans were sent to Canada as Home Children.

The experience of these children has had a profound impact in helping to change social policy in areas such as child welfare, child labour and immigration. I am pleased to commemorate the Home Children of Canada and acknowledge its national significance.

[Terrorism, September 18th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday the people of Perth--Middlesex joined Canadians from coast to coast in a national day of mourning for the many thousands of victims in last week's monstrous terrorist attacks in the United States.

Some of the victims were Canadians. We grieve their loss just as we do for all families and victims involved in this cowardly act of terror. We also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the courageous men and women, including those from Canada who are risking their lives to rescue and treat survivors.

I would like to express gratitude to my constituents and all Canadians for their immediate outpouring of assistance offered in these crucial and critical times. I know that Canada will stand behind America and that it will offer whatever resources, aid, comfort and support that the Americans require.

Let it symbolize how as Canadians we stand proudly and defiantly alongside our American compatriots.

God bless Canada and America.

[Teaching Awards, May 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise in the House to congratulate Mrs. Carol Oriold, a teacher at Listowel District Secondary School in Listowel, Ontario. Mrs. Oriold has been selected from 215 nominations to receive a 2000-01 Prime Minister's award for teaching excellence and a certificate of achievement.

As a teacher of dramatic arts, Mrs. Oriold has inspired students and increased enrolment of classes from eight to fourteen. Many students have gone on to professional theatre schools and work in theatre.

The Black Door Theatre is another example of Mrs. Oriold's achievement. As the founder of the theatre, students work in co-operation with the audiovisual club, arts and technology students. The troupe has won more than 100 awards in the past 15 years.

Mrs. Oriold is an exceptional individual who has inspired students and has been an excellent role model. Congratulations to Carol Oriold.

[Robica Forman Tank Limited, April 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate Robica Forman Tank Limited of St. Marys, Ontario.

Robica Forman has landed one of the biggest contracts in its history, a $10 million contract to supply the Canadian military with 88 fuel delivery tanker trucks in the next two years.

Robica Forman will construct the six wheel drive 7000 litre refueler tankers that will be used at military bases in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.

Robica, a family owned business, has been operating since 1952. It specializes in petroleum and propane tank trucks, fire trucks and water tankers. There are 50 employees working for the company.

Robica's plants in St. Marys and Stratford will both benefit from this deal. In order to handle the additional work, Robica will expand its plant in St. Marys and hire an additional 12 to 15 new staff. I want to congratulate Bob Nothof and the staff at Robica.