The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
A Progressive Conservative government in Ontario under Tim Hudak would shift policy heavily towards development in the North, but it is questionable whether this would play out as explained in his newest white paper: Paths to Prosperity — A Champion for Northern Jobs and Resources.
Much of what’s contained isn’t a surprise.
Hudak would try to expedite development of the Ring of Fire by speeding up construction of an all-season transport ring; he would aim to permit 10 mines over the next five years, give First Nations a portion of mining royalties and stumpage fees, stop the sell-off of the ONTC, give the North more say in how its lands are used, reel in the power of conservation authorities, repeal the Far North Act and scale back the power of the Endangered Species Act by placing the final decision of what species are added to the list in the hands of a cabinet minister.
There are also plans for more inexpensive power, modernizing the trail system and changing the Highway Traffic Act to accommodate off-road recreational vehicles.
A lot of this would be music to the ears of northerners, if we were a monolithic bunch; but we’re not. Northern environmentalists will fight some of these changes, in part by enlisting the support of their counterparts in the vote-rich south. Altering oversight of endangered species and repealing the FNA would be a messy fight that Hudak would need a majority to win.
Speeding up development of an access route to the Ring of Fire is easier said than done. The two main companies involved are fighting with each other in court. One wants a road, the other rail. And negotiations with First Nations won’t go faster by decree.
Placing a single minister in charge of development of the Ring of Fire sounds great, but there are at least five current or former high-level politicians heading or advising the various interests. Will a sixth fix everything?
And approving permits for 10 mines is great, but that process is just one of many considerations mining companies face when they decide to build, not the least of which is the economic climate and whether they have the money to proceed.
Directing some mining royalties and stumpage fees to First Nations is understandable, but isn’t that what negotiating Impact Benefit Agreements is about? Would these royalties be on top of an IBA, or just formalizing what would be expected? And what of current mining communities, would they see some royalties directed their way? Many of them provide services for off-reserve First Nations members.
Passenger train service for the ONTC is dead, and it’s not clear what Hudak sees for the agency’s future, but the Liberals are sending strong signals that they’ll stop the sale of the remaining service, as well.
And doesn’t making conservation authorities’ decisions appealable to the OMB move final decision-making from one government-appointed body to another? But then, OMB members are appointed by the province, so Tory appointees might see things differently.
One of Hudak’s most interesting policies that would meet with almost universal support in the North is transfer of final decisions over land-use policies to a “representative panel” of northerners composed of people from municipalities, First Nations and other various experts.
If such a panel could function, given the inherent competing interests, it would be a neat way of shielding the North from decisions made in Queen’s Park to please pressure groups based in southern Ontario. But could such a diverse panel form a consensus on key issues?
Hudak’s policies for the North are a departure from the more right wing agenda in his bigger picture plans and they should spark good debate. Northerners should pay attention to what he has to say. brian.macleod@sunmedia.ca
For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.thesudburystar.com/2013/09/28/pov-hudaks-plan-for-the-north-worthy-of-good-debate