Mr. Speaker, Mark DeMontis is one of Canada's leading accessibility strategists. As the chief accessibility officer at The Substance Group, he helps organizations to harness the potential of the eight million Canadians with disabilities. He has a unique perspective as someone who has experienced life both with and without sight and has over 15 years' experience making brands and organizations more accessible for consumers and workers with disabilities.
After losing his NHL dream unexpectedly at the age of 17 from sudden sight loss, Mark established Canadian Blind Hockey, which offers programming and competitions for Canadians who are blind and partially sighted of all ages. He has also in-line skated over 8,000 kilometres across Canada to raise money for the cause. I am thrilled that Canadian Blind Hockey was a recipient of our government's community sport for all initiative, supporting physical activity and recreation at the grassroots level right across Canada.
His story has been featured on Hockey Night in Canada, CTV's W5 and TSN's Breaking Down Barriers. He is a recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, and this week he was named one of three finalists for the 2024 NHL Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award. I could not agree more. He deserves it.