Northern Ontario Politics – Page 38

Bartolucci’s is to keep mine production in Ontario – by Mike Whitehouse (Sudbury Star – March 7, 2012)

March 8, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper. mike.whitehouse@sunmedia.ca

The expectations First Nations groups have about the fabulous wealth the Ring of Fire represents are welcome, Ontario’s minister of Northern Development and Mines says. But the government’s focus, first and foremost, is keeping ferrochrome production in Ontario, Rick Bartolucci said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Chief Eli Moonias, of Marten Falls First Nation, and Chief Sonny Gagnon, of Aroland First Nation, outlined to the Ontario government their position on mining development in their territory. High among their expectations is that Ring of Fire minerals extracted within First Nation territories are processed and refined in those territories.

The Ring of Fire mineral deposit is located within First Nations homelands in Northern Ontario. There are more than 35,000 staked mining claims in the area, the majority in the Ring of Fire area, which holds chromite and precious minerals.

Ontario staggers under burden of fiscal federalism – by Matthew Mendelsohn (Toronto Star – March 7, 2012)

March 7, 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.

Matthew Mendelsohn is director of the Mowat Centre at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto.

The Drummond report’s chapter on “Intergovernmental Relations” has received little attention so far. That needs to change. The chapter provides a devastating, evidence-based case that lays a lot of the blame for Ontario’s fiscal woes on the steps of the federal government.

When Premier Dalton McGuinty complained on Monday about federal decisions that are having a disproportionate effect on Ontario, he actually had the evidence on his side.

Chapter 20 of Don Drummond’s report begins by noting that in 2009-10, Ontario, with 39 per cent of the Canadian population, contributed 39 per cent to federal revenues, but benefited from only 34 per cent of federal spending — a gap worth about $12.3 billion or 2.1 per cent of Ontario’s GDP. The report concludes that this — among other factors — demonstrates the “perverse structure of Canadian fiscal federalism.”

Bisson fears ONR will derail – by Kyle Gennings (Timmins Daily Press – March 6, 2012)

March 7, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Drummond Report calls for privatization

Since 1902, the Ontario Northland Railway has been providing transportation, supplies and a life link to the countless communities that dot the Northern reaches of the province.

Recently, the government commissioned a report to assess the provincial deficit, make suggestions for cost cutting and provide a five-year fiscal plan. The result was the Drummond Report.

The report raises a number of issues for Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson, the most prominent being the future of Ontario Northland.

“The problem is that when the government commissioned Drummond to make his report, they essentially said to him, ‘you can only look at the expenditures side of the budget sheet, you cannot look at the revenue side,’” he said. “How do you balance a budget a if you don’t look at the revenue side?”

[Northern Ontario] Cities seek share in mine tax revenues – by The Daily Press (Timmins Daily Press – March 5, 2012)

March 5, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Municipal leaders in Northern Ontario seek a better deal when it comes to sharing the tax revenues generated by the mining industry.

A delegation from the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) met with Minister of Northern Development and Mines Rick Bartolucci recently. FONOM representatives also met with Yasir Naqvi, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Finance to discuss key Northern issues at the Ontario Good Roads/Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference held in Toronto.

FONOM president Al Spacek, mayor of Kapuskasing, and vice-president Tom Laughren, mayor of Timmins, made a presentation on mining revenue sharing.

“We heard the minister saying that it is this government’s priority to keep the province a prime place for mining companies to explore and have a very favourable investment climate,” Spacek said. “He’s willing to work with us, so we will continue to work on this with our municipal counterparts in the Northwest, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, as well as First Nations’ organizations.

[Ontario] Northern Committee passes vote – by Kyle Gennings (Timmins Daily Press – March 3, 2012)

March 3, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

First step in giving a voice to Northern Ontario

Thursday marked the turning point in history for Northern Ontario that was promised by MPP Gilles Bisson (NDP — Timmins-James Bay) earlier this week.

The motion to create a Northern Committee was passed readily at Queen’s Park via voice vote despite concerns over snags and party politics voiced by NDP House Leader Bisson.

“We’re really happy that it passed,” he said. “There was some concern that The Conservatives would be voting against the motion. “I don’t think that anyone wanted to be seen on the record as voting against it, so they allowed it to pass through voice vote.”

The voice vote allowed MPPs to vote freely on the motion without being held to task by their respective political parities.

Let’s get North [Ontario] growing – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (March 1, 2012)

March 1, 2012

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

CRISIS management is hardly the best way to govern. But it does focus leadership on the narrow necessities instead of the big picture it likes to ponder. Ontario’s descent into economic purgatory has caused its government to consider the cost and effectiveness of every program inside every ministry as its grapples with a $16-billion annual budget deficit.

Ahead of this month’s budget, there are scenarios being played out at Queen’s Park that would shock many Ontarians. There is no way around some of the revisions that are coming, so prepare to be shocked.

Queen’s Park tends to look outward from its downtown Toronto edifice at two-thirds of the jurisdiction about which some in its employ have no idea. They’re not really sure where Thunder Bay is (let alone Terrace Bay), just that it’s far away.

Got a dog in that fight [Ring of Fire Economic Potential] – by David Robinson (Northern Ontario Business – February 27, 2012)

February 29, 2012

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

There is a battle going on for a big chunk of Northern Ontario. On one side is the global economy, desperate for minerals, desperate to minimize costs and leave behind as little as possible. On the other side are a handful of Northern communities hoping to leapfrog from being a 19th-century fur colony to being a highly educated, highly productive, self-governing 21st century society.

It is a David and Goliath struggle over how the value of Northern resources will be shared. And we have a dog in the fight, as they say in the southern U.S. We really need the Indians to win this one.

There are two selfish reasons to support the people of the Far North as they struggle to get some control of development in the region. The first is elementary economics. The more value stays in the Far North, the more will stay in the rest of the North.

Lobbying pays off, mayor says – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – February 29, 2012)

February 29, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Minister to alter Abitibi River Forest restrictions

A three-day lobby effort is proving worthwhile for Timmins and Northeastern Ontario.

Mayor Tom Laughren wrapped up his trip to the Ontario Good Roads Association convention in Toronto on Tuesday. He had an opportunity to meet with two more cabinet ministers and their representatives prior to returning North.

“Timmins issues have been very well received,” Laughren reported in a phone interview from the OGRA meetings.

Earlier in the week, Laughren had a session with Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Kathleen Wynne. He followed that up on Tuesday by meeting with MPP Mario Sergio (Liberal — York West), the parliamentary assistant to Wynne.

One Timmins-specific topic the mayor brought to the attention of the ministry was the city’s housing shortage.

Isolationism looks ugly on McGuinty – by Christina Blizzard (London Free Press – February 29, 2012)

February 29, 2012

http://www.lfpress.com/

Why did mining giant Xstrata move its smelter from Timmins
to Quebec? Because the price of electricity in that province
is a fraction of what we pay here….Bay St. was built on
resources like oil, mining and forestry….His latte-loving
lackeys are wrecking rural Ontario with their ruinous green
energy policies… (Christina Blizzard – Toronto Sun)

QMI Agency

Contrary to what Premier Dalton McGuinty said this week, this province has plenty of fossil fuel.

If a giant meteor crashed into his cabinet room today, crushing the dinosaurs there, a million years from now you could sink a well to their fossilized remains and pump out enough Ontario crude to finally pay for all those high-priced programs McGuinty has foisted on us.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak accused McGuinty of “playing a game of envy” and “pulling other provinces down” Tuesday, slamming McGuinty’s refusal to back Alberta Premier Alison Redford in her request that this province get more vocal in its support of oilsands development.

Proposed MPP committee could help with northern alienation – (CBC Sudbury News – February 28, 2012)

February 28, 2012

http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/

Stan Sudol, a long-time mining issues writer, said
a special legislative body isn’t the answer and
suggested there’s already enough representation
both federally and provincially.

“We shouldn’t need to do this,” Sudol said. “We have
two prominent northerners — Rick Bartolucci from
Northern Development and Mines and Claude Gravelle
from Natural Resources — who are the chief voices
of northern Ontario at the cabinet table.”

Timiskaming-Cochrane New Democrat MPP John Vanthof hopes minority government will help give life to motion

The issue of northern alienation is being raised once again in Queen’s Park.

Timiskaming-Cochrane New Democrat MPP John Vanthof is calling on MPPs to support a bill that would create a new legislative committee comprised of just northern MPPs.

Timiskaming-Cochrane New Democrat MPP John VanthofVanthof said, although this isn’t the first time MPPs have expressed concern about northern alienation, he said this time is different. He said he is counting on the reality of a minority government to make things better for the north.

MPP calls for new Northern committee – by The Daily Press (Timmins Daily Press – February 28, 2012)

February 28, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

MPP John Vanthof (NDP — Timiskaming-Cochrane) tabled a motion in the Ontario Legislature on Monday calling for the creation of a new legislative committee that would be made up of Northern MPPs.

“For too long, the Ontario Legislature hasn’t responded to the issues and challenges facing the North,” said Vanthof. “This new standing committee would ensure that Northern Ontario MPPs have a say on decisions affecting the North.”

Under Vanthof’s proposal, MPPs from every Northern riding would be a member of this new committee and would have the power to examine legislation that directly impacts Northern Ontario, investigate issues of importance to northern Ontario, solicit input from citizens, and make recommendations to the legislature and government.

Speaking up for the North – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – February 28, 2012)

February 28, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Mayor Tom Laughren meeting with provincial cabinet ministers in Toronto

Mayor Tom Laughren is wearing many hats this week as he meets with some of the most influential politicians in Ontario.

In addition to representing the City of Timmins, Laughren is also getting in face time for the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM), the North Eastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) and the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) this week. The mayor is meeting with numerous provincial cabinet ministers and MPPs at the Ontario Good Roads Association convention in Toronto.

Laughren attended meetings Sunday and Monday, and has more lined up before heading home Tuesday. “It’s been very positive so far,” Laughren said in a phone interview Monday. “There has been a real willingness from ministers to listen.

“They’ve been very supportive and understanding of some of the situations we face.” So far Laughren has met with Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Kathleen Wynne, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci, and Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle.

Northern leaders frustrated by Queen’s Park ignoring Northern concerns – by Len Gillis (Timmins Times – February 22, 2012)

February 23, 2012

http://www.timminstimes.com/ lgillis@timminstimes.com

Some suggest inviting Premier McGuinty to a Northern Ontario summit

Northeastern Ontario’s municipal leaders, our elected voices across the North, are worried that their voices are falling on deaf ears at the higher levels of government.

The problem is so bad that Northern leaders are discussing whether to pool their money to hire professional lobbyists to speak out on behalf of the North at Queen’s Park.

The issue was debated at length this past week when the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) held its Winter-Spring meeting at the McIntyre auditorium.

The key concern is whether government is listening to Northern municipalities on such issues as severely limited logging in the Abitibi River Forest and the perceived need to protect caribou habitat. In both cases, the municipalities are worried that southern Ontario policies are being imposed on Northern Ontario without regard to the economic realities of the north.

Southerners need to learn of folly of caribou plan – Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – February 22, 2012)

February 22, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper. Wayne Snider is the paper’s city editor.

Time is at hand for NEOMA to step up lobbying efforts

It’s great to see that our leaders in Northern Ontario are switching into overdrive when it comes to lobbying. Members of the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) have a special subcomittee set up to look at ways to get the North’s voice heard in the corridors of power at Queen’s Park.

The most pressing issue right now is the caribou protection plan, pushed through by the government under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

If the plan goes through as currently structured, 65% of the Abitibi River forest will be off limits to industry within the next 20 years.

That means wood allocation for forest companies would drop significantly, leading to the closure of many regional operations.

NEOMA — which is comprised of mayors and council members from municipalities across the Northeast — realizes this would be a catastrophic blow to the region’s economy, creating massive job losses and jeopardizing not only the standard of living but the Northern lifestyle.

Ontario can no longer hide from taxes, restraint – by Jeffrey Simpson (Globe and Mail – February 17, 2012)

February 17, 2012

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

“There are only hard answers and difficult solutions.” So said Don Drummond and his three fellow commissioners about reforming Ontario’s health-care system. They could have used the same words for the entire government of Ontario.

Ontario’s problem is not that it has big government, per se. If you want to see that, on a per capita basis, head to Alberta or Quebec. As the commission correctly noted, “Ontario runs one of the lowest-cost provincial governments in Canada relative to its GDP and has done so for decades.”

Ontario is at or near the bottom in funding universities. The health-care system is not the most expensive in Canada; the welfare rates are not the most generous. It doesn’t offer $7-a-day daycare, as in Quebec.

No, Ontario’s problem is that the size of its government doesn’t fit its revenues, and hasn’t for a long time. Those revenues have been hit by the slow, steady erosion of Ontario’s competitive position, in the face of which governments kept adding spending for which there were insufficient revenues.