Northern College graduates 650 students across Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Haileybury and Moosonee ceremonies

Northern College graduated 650 students as part of its Class of 2026 during five ceremonies held over three weeks in Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Haileybury and Moosonee.

The annual convocations bring together graduates from across the college’s four Northeast Ontario campuses and include the presentation of the Governor General’s Academic Medal and student awards, according to a June 15 statement from the college.

The Class of 2026 was the college’s 59th graduating class.

Lonnie Bouvier received Northern College’s 2026 Governor General’s Award, which Ontario colleges issue each year to the graduating student with the highest grade-point average for the academic year. Bouvier maintained a 96.456 GPA while completing the Social Service Worker diploma, the college said.

Northern College and its Foundation issued 211 awards totaling $197,425 to the Class of 2026, according to the statement.

In the same release, Northern College President and CEO Mitch Dumas said convocation marks “the culmination of so much hard work, dedication and focus” for students.

The college also highlighted donor Tim Verrier, described as a Northern College graduate from Matachewan who first enrolled at the Northern Ontario Institute of Technology in Kirkland Lake in 1964. The statement said Verrier later founded Veronics Instruments, a company that develops process instrumentation equipment for the nuclear, petrochemical and semi-conductor industries.

Graduate totals were not broken down by campus.