Northern leaders keep up ONTC fight – by Kyle Gennings (Timmins Daily Press – November 21, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – The fight continues for the ONTC.

Kapuskasing Mayor and Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) president Al Spacek spent Monday in Toronto meeting with Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci, fighting for a game changer that never came.

“We reiterated our concerns about the lack of information and transparency about the ongoing divestiture process,” he said. “I also communicated to him and his senior staff that we are hearing the same concerns from industry, a lot of time has gone by now and we still don’t have a comfort level with what the process is and where they are at with it.”

This lack of transparency regarding the sale has been a concern from the outset of the issue. Despite numerous pleas from FONOM representatives, Spacek said Bartolucci and his staff, along with the provincial cabinet, have not been forthcoming with information.

“His response continues to be the same, the divestiture is going ahead and did not directly address our concerns about transparency,” said Spacek. “Our reaction with this government has been one of much legislation and policy that has been very detrimental to the North.

“That legislation and policy was developed without the consultation of the people most effected by it, Northerners.”

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‘Pause’ ONTC divestment: Murray – by Dave Dale (North Bay Nugget – November 19, 2012)

http://www.nugget.ca/

NORTH BAY – Big city Liberal politician Glen Murray said Northern Ontario is the key to the province’s future and should be run by a regional authority.

And Murray, who is seeking to replace out-going Premier Dalton McGuinty as the Grit party leader, said they should “pause” the divestment of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission until regional priorities are set.

“I’d put the pause button on ONTC decisions,” he said while in North Bay, Sunday. “We should not be making these one off decisions.”

Murray is stumping for Liberal Party membership support and visited Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury pitching his campaign platform. Tax cuts for the middle class and small business, no-money-down university or college and Northern Ontario autonomy.

“The north needs it’s own voice,” he said, noting it’s a resource-rich region with residents, business owners and community leaders with a stake in its success.

Murray said the shape of the authority could be decided by referendum — whether a general northern government or separate regional government n the northeast and northwest.

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Scenes from a Carriage Dream (Ontario Northland Railroad] – by Dan Hokstad (North Bay Nugget – November 17, 2012)

http://www.nugget.ca/

Dan Hokstad is a teacher and author of The Sacred Ash. On the web: www.danhokstad.com

Railroads run through our city like arteries, and they have always been the lifelines of North Bay: the heart of a community built “north of the bay.” Knowing that people traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific or from the Great Lakes to James Bay, and that they passed through our neck of the woods, was like being joyously coupled with the rest of the world. As a child in bed, drifting off to sleep, the resonating train whistles that reached your window would stir enough images of adventures to fill a thousand dreams.

The sheer excitement and anticipation of standing at the C.P.R. Station downtown, waiting to welcome family home or board a train yourself, was blissful happiness. On more than one occasion, I journeyed east; truth be told, I often rode (somewhat surreptitiously) with the conductor in the baggage car. The exhilaration and danger of standing in a freight car, with the door wide open as the Ottawa valley rumbled by, was thrilling and unforgettable.

And, as I helped sort the luggage and packages, he told me tales. One was about the legendary strength of Bonfield native Ernie Foisy. Ernie could single-handedly lift a rail line; he would often tuck a ten-spot under it, and then advise the latest brakeman that it was his to keep – if he could get it. None ever could.

Boarding the train at the C.N. Station on Fraser Street was just as enthralling. For many, it was the anticipation of the Northlander and a spiritual trip north through the Canadian Shield. For me, it meant a direct link to Toronto.

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Province wants union’s business plan – by Gord Young (North Bay Nugget – November 9, 2012)

http://www.nugget.ca/

The province is willing to consider a ports authority proposal aimed at revitalizing the ONTC as part of its divestment process, says a spokeswoman for Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci.

Laura Blondeau confirmed Thursday the General Chairperson’s Association (CGA), which represents unionized employees at the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, recently met with Bartolucci to discuss the proposal, which calls for the transfer of the Ontario Northland Railway and other ONTC assets to a new ports authority that would be operated under the Canada Marine Act.

Blondeau said the CGA was advised to put together a business plan and participate in the procurement process by submitting the proposal to Infrastructure Ontario. GCA spokesman Brian Stevens could not be reached Thursday for comment.

A request for pre-qualifications closed late last month for the purchase of Ontera, the telecommunications arm of the ONTC and the first division of the Crown agency that’s up for sale.

The province has said there is significant interest in Ontera. And the next step in the process, the issuing of a request for proposals, could come later this month.

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No cash for new [Ring of Fire railroad] line – province – by PJ Wilson (North Bay Nugget – October 28, 2012)

http://www.nugget.ca/

The province doesn’t have the money to build a rail link connecting the Ontario Northland line to the Ring of Fire region, says to a spokeswoman for Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci.

Laura Blondeau said Friday neither she nor Bartolucci have seen anything from the General Chairperson’s Association about its proposal for a “new deal” to revitalize the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission which was announced last week.

“We have asked to see the proposal, and they have sent us the press release they issued and communications products, but we don’t really know the plan or how it will be implemented,” Blondeau said.

She said her office is looking to meet with them next week to discuss the proposal that would keep the ONTC alive, but stressed the province does not have the money to extend the track to the Ring of Fire, a remote area without rail lines, all-season roads, electricity or communications networks west of Moosonee.

The proposal was put forward by the GCA, which represents employees of the ONTC, which called for ownership of the Crown corporation to be transferred to a new ports authority which would be operated under the Canada Marine Act.

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ONTC unions pitch plan [Ring of Fire railroad] – by Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles (North Bay Nugget – October 19, 2012)

http://www.nugget.ca/

The General Chairperson’s Association is asking the province to consider a proposal that would revitalize Ontario Northland and keep hundreds of workers employed.

The plan was unveiled Friday at North Bay city hall in front of Ontario Northland Transportation Commission employees, CEO Paul Goulet, politicians and CAW Local 103 president Brian Kelly.

Brian Stevens of the General Chairperson’s Association, representing unionized ONTC employees, called the proposal “economically sustainable” and said it would provide a new future for Northern Ontario.

“Not only will we save transportation services and hundreds of existing jobs in the North, but our plan will also create thousands more jobs by providing access to the Ring of Fire,” he said following the announcement.

The proposal includes transferring ownership of the provincial Crown corporation to a new ports authority under the federal Canada Marine Act. The first step in that process was recently completed with the creation of the James Bay and Lowlands Ports Trustee Corp., which would become a port authority if approved by the federal government. The corporation has already had discussions regarding the proposal with First Nations in the James Bay Lowlands, ONTC unions and Ring of Fire claim holder Canada Chrome Corp.

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Railroad proposed for Ring of Fire – by MM+D Staff (Materials, Management and Distribution Magazine – October 19, 2012)

 http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/distribution-and-transportation/news

NORTH BAY, Ontario—There may be a new railroad in northern Ontario, if a proposal being put before the federal and provincial governments is adopted.

The plan, which was unveiled by the General Chairperson’s Association, the organization which represents unionized employees at Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), proposes that the assets and ownership of ONTC, a provincial agency that operates more than 1,100km of track and provides passenger and freight rail, bus and telecommunications services to northeast Ontario communities like North Bay, Cochrane and Moosonee, be turned over to a newly created ports authority, The James Bay and Lowlands Ports Trustee Corporation, which operates under the Canada Marine Act.

The plan was developed in response to the Ontario government’s March 23, 2012 decision to divest the ONTC, which was followed by the shutdown of ONTC’s Northlander passenger train service on September 28, 2012.

Under the new ownership, ONTC operations would be evaluated for economic sustainability, and where needed, improved and financially strengthened. In addition, a new Ring of Fire rail line would be designed and built in order to transport the thousands of tonnes per day of chromite, nickel and other minerals being mined in the James Bay Lowlands.

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Northlander employees bring anger to Sudbury – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Star – October 6, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Ontario Northland employees were outside Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci’s downtown office Friday to protest the cancellation of the Northlander passenger rail service Sept. 28.

“People are angry,” said Brian Kelly, spokesperson for the General Chairperson’s Association, the umbrella group that represents all of Northland’s unions. “They’re venting. We’ve had a lot of people quit and people retire because they just don’t think there’s a future.”

The Northlander had carried passengers from Toronto to Cochrane for more than 100 years. Passengers who don’t want to fork over extra money for flights will have to rely on Ontario Northland’s bus service for the same trip.

Bartolucci, who is also Ontario’s Minister of Northern Development and Mines, said the government could not continue to subsidize the passenger train service while use remained “stagnant.” In 2003, 329,000 people used the rail service, he said. That declined to 321,000 last year.

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End of the line for Northlander – by Kyle Gennings (Timmins Daily Press – September 28, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – The morning mist was still burning off when The Northlander pulled away from the Cochrane Train Station early Friday morning, departing as it has for the past 36 years, bound for Toronto’s Union Station. This trip however, had a very different significance.

It was the last trek south that The Northlander would make. The last day that it would serve as the main passenger artery from the Northeast to the south. The last day that it would provide its legendary comfort, ease of use and reliability.

Friday was the latest nail in the coffin of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission and its rail passengers service in the North.

“This is a very sad day,” said Black River-Matheson Mayor Mike Milinkovich. The Matheson station was a key link for Timmins residents. It’s where the shuttle bus would take passengers bound for the Northlander.

“This train has been in operation under one name or another for 105 years, now that legacy is at risk,” he said. Despite the fact that as far as the McGuinty government is concerned, this is the trains last trip down the rails, northern Mayors like Milinkovich aren’t throwing in the towel just yet.

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MPP to McGuinty: Keep rail freight division – by Staff (North Bay Nugget – September 24, 2012)

http://www.nugget.ca/

The provincial government should retain Ontario Northland’s rail freight division, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli said in a letter hand-delivered to Premier Dalton McGuinty’s office.

At the same time, Fedeli said, Northern Development Minister Rick Bartolucci should be replaced, while responsibility for the ONTC is shifted to the Ministry of Transportation.

Fedeli said the recommendations are a result of months of study which found the government will achieve no savings through its “ONTC fire sale.”

“Based on what I’ve found and what I’ve heard, it’s clear . . . that Ontario Northland’s rail freight service is strategic infrastructure that is critical to economic development and private sector job creation in Northern Ontario,” Fedeli said in a media release Monday.

“That’s why the stakeholders believe the rail freight division must remain publicly owned. It should be treated the same way as highways and other essential services.”

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Sudden decision to drop rail service in [Ontario] North no surprise – by Wayne Snider (Sudbury Star – September 22, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

It should come as no great surprise that municipal leaders across Northeastern Ontario are hopping mad with the provincial government over the sell-off of the ONTC.

The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, which is publicly funded by the province, has been a key catalyst to industrial growth throughout the region. While disappointed with the decision to divest the ONTC, the real anger stems from how the issue has been handled by the government.

Leaders from Northeastern Ontario were promised by the ruling Liberals they would be consulted along the way, as things progressed. But late last month, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci suddenly announced Ontario Northland rail service would be shut down in September.

That prompted an angry response from the Federation of Northeastern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM), which represents 110 cities and towns across the region.

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Bartolucci should fend off calls for his resignation – by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – September 5, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci is right to reject calls for his resignation or retirement in favour of a byelection. He is facing a storm of controversy over the privatization of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, but Bartolucci’s track record more than compensates for the difficulties he’s facing on behalf of a government trying to deal with a $15 billion deficit.
 
Bartolucci has had a productive career — at least, productive for his riding. It is understandable that people in North Bay, Timmins and Kapuskasing are upset. They’re losing their train service in favour of expanded bus service. In North Bay, hundreds of jobs may be lost if whoever buys the ONTC closes the rail service centre.
 
But the North was never going to escape the austerity provisions of a Liberal government. And this was indeed a government decision, not just a decision by Bartolucci in his capacity as minister of Northern Development and Mines. Look at who is affected the most, and look at the McGuinty government’s track record in such decisions. When the Liberals cancelled six major hospital projects in the last budget, five of them were in Progressive Conservative ridings, including one in Tory leader Tim Hudak’s home riding.

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Hurricane makes tracks for minister [Bartolucci] – by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – August 30, 2012)

 The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Health Minister Deb Matthews isn’t the only Ontario Liberal cabinet minster under siege. Flying under that radar is a storm of pressure on Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci.
 
The Liberals’ decision in March to sell off the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission has put him in the eye of Hurricane North. The ONTC supplies bus and rail service to northeastern Ontario, and it runs a communications company that provides phone and Internet service.
 
The century-old agency was founded to facilitate the boom in mining and forestry, but times have changed, and Bartolucci says the $100-million annual subsidy, which means each passenger ride on the Northlander train is subsidized by $400, is no longer feasible when the government faces a $15-billion deficit.
 
Bus service will be contracted out so transportation to Toronto remains available, which is important for those who need access to health-care facilities in southern Ontario.

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[Ontario] North clearly not united – by John R. Hunt (Sudbury Star – August 22, 2012)

http://www.nugget.ca/

“When I think about it, strapping Bartolucci to the cow catcher might
be more fun than a flogging or getting him to resign. Can anyone help
arrange it?” (John R. Hunt – August 22, 2012)

A distinguished member of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce has advocated the immediate resignation of Rick Bartolucci. No doubt you have heard of this politician who enjoys a special place in the hearts of all North Bay citizens.
 
I would cheerfully advocate a public flogging knowing full well that it might make my readers chuckle, but it will never happen. 
Throwing verbal mud at Dalton McGuinty and his favourite Northern boy is great fun, but does not accomplish much.
 
This provincial government is amazing. It allowed the refinery at Timmins to close and send ore from the Kidd Creek mine to Quebec. Allowed is the wrong word. Ontario’s energy prices are so ridiculous the mining company had to do something.
 
Now the government is going to sell Ontera, which is the communications branch of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. It used to be the most profitable part of the Crown corporation.

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Ontario’s History from a train seat: my last nostalgic trip on the fabled northlander – by Ron Brown (Toronto Star – August 29, 2012)

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

Ron Brown is a Toronto-based freelance travel writer and author of several books including “The Top 115 Unusual Things to See in Ontario” recently featured on the Star’s “Summer Reading” page.

When the province’s Minister of Northern Development, Rick Bartolucci, shocked northeastern Ontario with the news that he was cancelling the fabled Northlander train, as a travel writer I realized that I needed to embark on one last ride. For the Northlander is to Ontario what VIA Rail’s popular Canadian is to the country. Both offer an unobstructed cross section of the geography and the history of our land.

And so it was on a sunny day in late August day that I lined up at Union Station’s Gate 19 to board a legend. That the line extended the entire length of the departure room gave lie to Premier McGuinty’s assertion that the Northlander is poorly used. Ahead of me were two senior ladies en route to Cochrane, the end of the line, who would never consider a cramped 12 hour bus ride, Mr. McGuinty’s alternative. Behind me stood two Mennonite couples, their religion eschewing the car.

Gliding out of the station’s dark train shed, the history and geography lessons begin. We pass Toronto’s rapidly changing inner industrial area, the revitalized Distillery District followed by the West Don Lands reclamation project.

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