SUDBURY - The Ontario government is supporting the North's future physicians by matching the largest single private donation announced to date to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) Bursary Fund, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci announced today.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) is investing $500,000, equaling a contribution announced today by Inco Limited.

"I am pleased that Inco is reinvesting in Northern Ontario in this very significant and meaningful way," Bartolucci said. "By matching this generous support for the bursary fund, we are marking a Million Dollar Monday for the future of northern medicine."

In an initiative announced last year, the NOHFC is matching eligible donations to the bursary fund up to a total of $5 million. The fund will help students from northern, rural and remote communities defray the costs associated with attending medical school and help them avoid significant debt at the end of their medical undergraduate training.

"The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is an important part of our effort to improve access to health care in the North, and our government is proud to be able to help young people attend," said George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. "By training doctors in the North, we will be able to will keep these doctors in northern communities. Residents of these communities will benefit from doctors who understand their needs."

"Inco continues setting high standards in good corporate citizenship," said Bartolucci.  "Inco's contribution to the bursary fund reflects the spirit of optimism and cooperation shining throughout the North with respect to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine."

This NOHFC project is part of the government's Northern Prosperity Plan for building stronger northern communities. The Northern Prosperity Plan has four pillars: Strengthening the North and its Communities; Listening to and Serving Northerners Better; Competing Globally; and Providing Opportunities for All.