Dear editor:

Firstly, let me say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! While the legislature only sat for six weeks this session I did my best to get as much work done for our community as possible.

In this session I introduced legislation to have OHIP join eight other provinces in finally covering the cost of PSA testing for men. When caught early, the survivability rate of prostate cancer is 100 per cent – when caught late it plummets to 28 per cent.

In Ontario, this life saving test should be covered by your OHIP card and not your credit card.

I was proud to stand alongside Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Maya Webster, age 7, and Niagara Falls resident Ava Emerson, age 8. These kids are at the forefront of the movement to ensure that every man, woman and child has access to the same lifesaving devices that they have access to.

These devices have meant that they no longer spend countless nights in the hospital, reducing the pressure on our hospital system and improving their quality of life. Beyond that, we also worked to ensure the Thorold tunnel remained open to two-way traffic this winter and continued our ongoing efforts to address serious health and safety concerns in workplaces across Ontario.

I would never have been able to accomplish so much this session without the hard work of residents just like you. I look forward to seeing everyone this Christmas break at our many community events, but in case I don’t, I want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

MPP Wayne Gates

Niagara Falls riding