I thank the member from Sarnia–Lambton for his decades of advocacy. He’s a great colleague to work with, and I appreciate him very much.

On the heels of the Beef Farmers of Ontario’s AGM and the great speech from the Minister of Agriculture, I was there to remind the beef farmers of our unequivocal support for beef farming in northern Ontario. This is a growing agri-food sector. We have lots of examples to draw from. I mentioned the Penokean Hills co-operative, a group comprised of northern producers who sell and market beef products to build a finishing yard at the old Thessalon airport, responding for locally grown food. I also reminded them of an investment for the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association out in my riding of Kenora–Rainy River. To the tune of almost a million dollars, the Premier and I announced an investment for their sales barn, which turns more than $10 million of beef sales a year out in the beautiful beginning of the Prairies. They were pleased, and they understood that our government stands poised to support agri-food in northern Ontario and its supply chain.

We know that northern Ontario can be the next big frontier for agri-food production in Ontario.