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Northern Ontario Politics

Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) gets facelift – by Leith Dunick (tbnewswatch.com – October 18, 2013)

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Mayor Keith Hobbs says changes to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation are the start of a new era of economic prosperity in the North.

Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey said he’s optimistic the revamped focus will make it easier for communities and businesses to weave their way through the application process. On Friday Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle said the enhancements to five NOHFC programs were made with the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario in mind.

Gravelle said the new plan, which tailors itself to strategic economic infrastructure, community capacity building, innovation, northern business opportunity and includes a revamped Northern Ontario internship program, was also built with the guidance of community and business leaders in the region.

“We felt it was very timely for us to look at the priorities in the Northern Ontario Growth plan and to see whether or not the programs that were in place fit the priorities that were identified in the Growth plan,” Gravelle said.

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Orazietti squares off with [environmental commissioner] watchdog – by Elaine Della-Mattia (Sault Star – October 17, 2013)

http://www.saultstar.com/

Ontario’s environmental watchdog issued a warning that the province has changed legislation that will see its natural resources exploited – something Sault MPP and Minister of Natural Resources David Orazietti argues vehemently against. Environmental commissioner Gord Miller states in his annual report that provincial government cutbacks announced during the spring budget will result in the Ministry of Natural Resources having less power to protect Ontario’s resources. 
Instead, the powers will be delegated to private companies, which in turn could lead to exploitation of Crown land, wildlife and natural resources, the report states.

He referred to Ontario’s far north as turning into the “wild west,” particularly with the potential development around the Ring of Fire, expected to be the province’s most promising mineral development of chromite and warns that major industrial activities can proceed with few checks.

He also criticized the government for a lack of an action plan to deal with invasive species like the Asian carp and emerald ash borer.

But Orazietti counters that Miller has misinterpreted the rules and that the new power for private companies only deals with minor changes on issues like dredging permits and the removal of vegetation that only has minimal environmental impact.

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Ontario MNR gets failing grade – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (October 11, 2013)

Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

WHEN Ontario’s Liberal government considered the mounting budget deficit and how to keep it from further damaging the province’s economy and its regions, it called in an expert. Respected former banker Don Drummond was asked to provide a detailed analysis of government spending and recommendations on how to save money.

The Drummond report became Ontario’s budgetary blueprint going forward, as they say. Now the other shoe has dropped.
Not many Ontario citizens disagreed with the general nature of this independent advice. No department was spared at least a detailed examination and most were ordered to provide minor and not-so-minor scenarios to reduce spending.

Education escaped the knife and some arbitrated contract settlements excepted a general wage freeze. But for the most part tough love was felt government-wide. Ontario would pretty much cut spending across the board and thus responsibly recover from the recession that took such a toll, south to north.

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Ontario jobs driven to Quebec – by John R. Hunt (North Bay Nugget – October 12, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

This has been a very badly kept secret. Ontario has been losing thousands of man-hours of work and natural resources worth thousands and probably millions of dollars. Highway 11 is being pounded daily by a flotilla of trucks and in both Latchford and Temagami there have been concerns about pedestrian and traffic safety.

It is known that the trucks are carrying mine concentrates from Sudbury to be refined in Noranda, Que.

There appears to have been a total news blackout. One might have expected the unions to be howling and protesting. But little or nothing has hit the headlines. Perhaps everyone is scared of the big mining companies.

All this may change Thursday evening when the Latchford town council will consider resolutions directed to Ontario government departments. They will point out that Hwy. 11 is the town’s Main Street. The heavy traffic is wearing down the recently renovated pavement and that the trucks often appear to be traveling in convoys of eight to nine vehicles which makes life very difficult for pedestrians and automobile drivers.

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Northern Summit vital for growth – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – October 8, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Northern Ontario is facing numerous challenges which impact our potential for economic development.

Given the price being fetched by mining commodities (anyone remember 15 years ago when the price of gold was under $300 an ounce?) and the likely resurgence of the lumber industry in the coming years, — due to the predicted rebound of the U.S. housing market — Northern Ontario has the potential to be booming.

This is why it is vital for the provincial government to come to the table for a Northern Summit, as requested collectively by the mayors from the North’s largest cities.

In the summer, Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren was involved with a group of Northern mayors to present a new document — Northern Priorities — to the premier and cabinet ministers. Northern Priorities attempts to assist the government in linking municipalities with its Northern Growth Plan.

“We had asked in our document within 90 days of our presentation, which was mid-August, to have a Northern Summit,” Laughren said. “They were very receptive … (and) would try to have this summit and their participation would be before Jan. 1.”

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NEWS RELEASE: [Liberal] MAURO TO INTRODUCE BILL FOR RETURN OF ONTARIO’S SPRING BEAR HUNT

October 8th, 2013

(Queen’s Park) – Today, Bill Mauro, MPP Thunder Bay-Atikokan, introduced a Private Member’s Bill that, if passed, will bring about the return of Ontario’s Spring Bear Hunt.

The bill would introduce an open season from April 15th to June 15th.

The re-introduction of the hunt would:
• Reduce the likelihood that aggressive bear activity will result in physical harm or death to people in Ontario;
• Help protect crops and livestock;
• Reduce bears’ impact on bees — between the years 2000 and 2008, black bears reportedly destroyed over 4,000 beehives/colonies;
• Boost Northern Ontario’s moose population by reducing the number of moose calves killed by bears;
• Increase tourist activity in Northern Ontario.

Mauro has indicated that he is open to the introduction of measures that would reduce the likelihood that female bears are killed during a Spring Bear Hunt.

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[Ontario] PC’s conclusions inaccurate: Fraser Institute – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Star – October 3, 2013)

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

The Tories said Ontario fell from the top mining jurisdiction in the world in 2000 to 17th in 2012, but that information isn’t accurate, according to the right-wing think tank that authored the survey the PCs cited.

In its white paper report on Northern jobs and resources, the Conservatives cited findings from the Fraser Institute’s Survey of Mining Companies 2012-13 to make the assessment of Ontario’s global status in mining. But Ken Green, the Fraser Institute’s senior director of natural resources studies, said in an email the Conservative white paper report “does not conform to the findings of our survey.”

The Fraser Institute survey contained two main indices: the Policy Potential Index and the Current Mineral Potential Index. It did not include an overall global mining ranking, as was implied in the Conservative white paper.

Norm Miller, Conservative MPP for Parry-Sound Muskoka, and the party’s critic for Northern Development and Mines, confirmed the party’s report was referring specifically to the Fraser Report’s Current Mineral Potential Index. Ontario was the first of 35 jurisdictions in the index in 2000, but fell to 17th out of 96 jurisdictions in 2012.

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Minister says MPP spouts ‘unhelpful rhetoric’ – by Michael Gravelle (Timmins Daily Press – October 2, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Over the past five months I have worked with my Minister’s Advisory Committee and we have gained a better appreciation for the current operations of each ONTC business line and the realities of the public sector working in a competitive marketplace.

We have had a number of important discussions to date and our work is ongoing. I am convinced, as are members of the committee, that the status quo is no longer an option. It is disappointing that Mr. Fedeli (MPP Vic Fedeli, PC — Nipissing) continues to claim costs to taxpayers when in fact no decisions have been made on the future of this important asset.

It is in the interests of his constituents, ONTC employees, and all Northerners that Mr. Fedeli move away from his unhelpful rhetoric and actually make a useful contribution to this conversation.

In order to provide an accurate representation, the ONTC business case reviewed all of the financial issues facing the ONTC. The numbers shared by Mr. Fedeli would see absolutely no job retention and shows no consideration for the socio-economic development needs of the region.

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PoV: Responsibility for black bear management belongs to MNR – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – October 2, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

The battle for Northern Ontario is heating up, even though a provincial election has yet to be called. A trio of Northern Progressive Conservative candidates were pushing pro-North policies at the party’s recent convention. One component of the proposed policy — which has not yet been endorsed by the party –would be to allow municipalities to reinstate the spring bear hunt in their areas.

If the Tories form the next government and legislate this change, it would reverse a decision made by the Mike Harris-led Conservatives in 1999 to cancel the spring bear hunt. The decision came after the Tories caved in to animal rights groups, which threatened a major advertising blitz in eight key swing ridings shortly before an election.

“When the spring bear hunt was removed, it was done for political reasons after a large lobby by southern special interest groups,” said Steve Black, Tory candidate for Timmins-James Bay. “A misguided campaign was launched to convince people that ending the hunt was the right thing to do.”

This proposal came on the heels of the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association supporting a similar resolution being presented to the provincial government.

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What’s with the bears [northern Ontario]? – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (October 1, 2013)

Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

ANOTHER bear attack; another call for resumption of the spring bear hunt; another defence of bears that are baited by shooters sitting in tree stands. It’s been 14 years since Ontario banned spring hunting for bears hungry after winter hibernation. In that time there have been a remarkable number of bear attacks on humans.

Is there a direct connection? Hunting advocates insist it is obvious while the Ministry of Natural Resources points to variations in natural food sources and carelessness by humans increasingly living or travelling in the forest.

The latest incident occurred Sunday near Peterborough. A 53-year-old woman is recovering after being attacked and mauled by a bear while walking her dogs on a trail. The dogs were also injured when they came to the woman’s rescue.

Bear attacks, including many fatalities, have increased with North American population growth and recreational intrusion into the wilderness. Most of the deadly attacks — 86 per cent — have occurred since 1960. In more than a third of those cases, improperly stored food or garbage likely attracted hungry bears. Which leaves almost two-thirds of cases unexplained.

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Northern MLA’s: Lead now or leave [northern Ontario stainless steel] – by David Robinson (Northern Ontario Business – October 2013)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business  provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.  

Dave Robinson is an economist with the Institute for Northern Ontario Research and Development at Laurentian University.drobinson@laurentian.ca 

Northern MP’s have come to a time of reckoning. They hold the balance of power in Ontario. The five NDPers and one conservative can change the North. In the next few months we get to see if they have the vision and the guts to act.

The provincial legislature has 107 members. There are 50 Liberals. Any four Northern members can make a deal with Catherine Wynne: Give us one really big win for the north and we’ll give you one more year of power.

There are several policies that are worth breaking party lines for. Leaving resource revenues in the north, creating a regional government, control of Ontario Northland and northern transportation policy, and especially the big one, creating a stainless steel industry for the North based on the Ring of Fire.

If Northern MLA’s deliver any one of these changes they will be heros. They will own their election seats for the next 100 years. If they don’t even try, northerners should throw the toothless pussycats out. They will have thrown away the North’s future.

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PoV: Hudak’s plan for the North worthy of good debate – by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – September 28, 2013)

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.

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Derailing passenger train to Ontario north costly blunder – by Christina Blizzard (Toronto Sun – September 27, 2013)

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/home.html

TORONTO — Think of it as Northern Ontario’s very own $1-billion gas plant boondoggle. Except it’s not about moving generating plants.

It’s about the way former premier Dalton McGuinty and his finance minister, Dwight Duncan, shut down Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), once a vital link for communities like North Bay, Cochrane and Timmins.

(While the end of the line was Marathon, a bus took passengers on to Timmins.) Abruptly last year, the government shut down the rail link from Toronto, leaving in place only the Polar Bear Express from Cochrane to Moosonee.

The last train rattled out of Union Station last September and since then Nipissing Tory MPP Vic Fedeli has been asking questions about the government’s figures.

Announcing the shutdown, Duncan claimed it would save $265 million. Documents made public along with the gas plant material put the lie to that, Fedeli says. “If they go ahead with the full sale, it will cost the treasury $790 million. That’s a $1-billion gap from saving $265 to costing $790 million,” he told me.

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Tories consider return of spring hunt – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – September 26, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – The provincial party that cancelled the spring black bear hunt is now considering including its reinstatement as a campaign promise. At the Progressive Conservative policy convention held in London this past weekend, Tory delegates voted in favour of having its policy team consider the hunt’s reinstatement as part of the party’s next platform.

The motion was put jointly forward by three Northern Tory candidates including Steve Black of Timmins-James Bay riding and Peter Politis of Timiskaming-Cochrane. The other delegate was Randy Nickel of Kenora-Rainy River.

“Three Northern associations recommended the spring black bear hunt be reinstated mostly due to the dangerous shift in bear behavior,” Black told The Daily Press. “That was a large focus. We discussed what’s transpired in Cochrane this year, the fact bears are now seen entering homes and the increased bear-human interactions.”

The idea would be reinstate a spring hunt in which only male black bears would be targeted, mirroring the policy of the previous hunt before it was cancelled.

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Southern Ontario should fix own problems – by John R. Hunt (North Bay Nugget – September 17, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

I sometimes wish Vic Fedeli would stop doing it. Every time the MPP for Nipissing exposes another Liberal plot to rip off the taxpayers to pay for Dalton McGuinty’s follies my blood pressure goes sky high.

For some strange reason he also brings back memories of rabbit hunting on Boxing Day. In many parts of England it was the custom for farmhands to down tools the day after Christmas after the cows were milked. Then armed with ferrets and nets they pursued the elusive bunnies.

Most farm labourers had a pet ferret and when they went to a pub for a drink they often carried it in a vest pocket. When they lined up at a bar for a drink tiny ferret heads with black eyes and pointed noses peered out of pockets to enjoy the proceedings.

The English countryside was divided into fields by hedges growing on banks of earth into which the rabbits tunneled and built their nests. The hunters dropped nets over the exits after putting a ferret inside.

There were bumps and squeaks. The rabbits exploded into the nets and were converted into rabbit stew to supplement wartime rations.

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