Premier Doug Ford is expressing gratitude to fellow politicians and the public following his mother's death and says the family is following her final wishes of celebrating life.
"We're doing alright as my mom went through this battle, she always said, don't be sad," he said Thursday.
Known as the rock of the family, Diane Ford passed away at the age of 85 after her battle from cancer, prompting tributes from across the political aisle.
"We're so grateful for calls from Andrea Horwath or the prime minister and I'm very grateful and I told him that," he said. "That's the way it should be."
A public visitation is being held Thursday afternoon, with the funeral on Saturday.
The premier often spoke to his mother once and sometimes twice a day and said the last month and a half of her life were the most difficult days.
"Mom was unconscious, they had her pretty drugged up and it's sad watching somebody go through that pain," he said.
In the days after her death, the family is focusing on her generosity, such as inviting people into her home to stay for extended periods of times and the many charities she took part in.
"We had four kids in the house, but there was always six or seven living there somehow all the time," he said.
As for the general outpouring of support, Ford says it's been greatly appreciated by the family.
"It's just incredible, I've heard so many stories I didn't even know about, even from my own staff, how she touched their lives in different ways," he said.
And she had a message for him before her condition worsened.
"Don't be said, go fix the province and I couldn't help but break out laughing when she said that," he said. "That's my mom."