This morning, I would like to show much-deserved recognition to a member from my riding. I was introduced to Carolyn Karle during my campaign, and I am proud to now call her a friend. Carolyn founded the DEK Foundation, named after her daughter, Dayna Elizabeth Karle, who she unfortunately lost to a devastating drug overdose. Dayna was only 31 years old when she succumbed to her disease. Dayna is described by friends and loved ones as an energetic, vibrant and beautiful soul. When Dayna started to face mental health challenges, it became unmanageable, and she was unable to get access to the resources she needed to fight it.

Carolyn and I both agree that drug addiction can happen to anyone. There is no discrimination when it comes to issues with mental health and addiction, and it truly affects all walks of life. Carolyn was able to turn this devastating loss into strength, and she works tirelessly in the foundation she started to help those struggling with addiction. Carolyn was recently recognized by her community and received Thunder Bay’s 2023 respect. Award.

The DEK foundation provides necessities to those struggling from mental health and addictions, giving them the needed love and support they deserve. I’d like to thank Carolyn for her relentless work, and I look forward to working closely with her to end the stigma and to build a secure foundation of support systems for the constituents of Thunder Bay and region. Thank you, Carolyn.

I want to thank my colleague from the great riding of Sault Ste. Marie for that question. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government prioritized revamping the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. programs to help increase economic development and promote job creation in the north. I’ve seen just how beneficial these programs have been for the workers and business owners in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan, and it is even more encouraging to see the types of investments that the NOHFC is leveraging. We continue to take every opportunity to engage with northern municipal leaders, Indigenous partners, non-profits and businesses to seek feedback on how we can modernize our NOHFC programs and better respond to the unique needs of the north.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. now has a renewed and refocused set of programs that will help contribute to build strong, resilient communities and create an environment where businesses can thrive, grow and create good jobs. I look forward to what the NOHFC and our government accomplishes in the future.

Thanks to the multiple streams available under the revamped NOHFC, we are creating new career pathways for people in the north.

This is the time of year when university students start looking for summer jobs. Many hope that there will be opportunities for them back in their hometowns, and we are investing in internship opportunities to help people stay connected locally. These internships have high success rates of job retention in the future and help people create new connections and opportunities locally.

Since the beginning of the new year, we announced nearly $1.5 million of investments in internships in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan. Thanks to the NOHFC, the film industry in Thunder Bay is seeing the creation of four internship programs: Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to hire four research assistant interns and a human resources intern; Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute to hire three research assistant interns; Atikokan General Hospital to hire a rehabilitation aide; and the Museum of Atikokan to hire a curatorial and archivist assistant intern—

No, I don’t believe this.

Of course it is.