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Northern Ontario Separation and Alienation

NEWS RELEASE: HUDAK PLANS TO GET NORTHERN ONTARIO WORKING AGAIN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 25, 2012

TIMMINS – The North faces unique economic challenges and pressures, but this region has extraordinary and exciting potential, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak said today during a speech to the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.

“Today, Northern Ontario has a jobs crisis,” Hudak said. “This region’s unemployment rate is nearly twelve per cent – well above the provincial average at nearly eight per cent,” Hudak said.

“Big mills and small businesses are plagued by alarming energy costs. Some have even closed their doors permanently,” Hudak added. 

“The McGuinty Liberals won’t listen. They think they know what’s best for the North. They don’t understand that the North’s success can’t be driven from the special interests’ office in Toronto.” 

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Northern Ontario is to Southern Ontario is as Canada is to the United States – Well, almost… – by Livio Di Matteo (Northern Economist Blog – January 17, 2012)

Livio Di Matteo is Professor of Economics at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Visit his new Economics Blog “Northern Economist” at http://ldimatte.shawwebspace.ca/

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent comment that he does not want the future of the Northern Gateway pipeline to be decided by “certain” people in the United States who would like Canada to be one giant national park was remarkable in its parallels to the economic development situation in Northern Ontario. 

In the case of the Northern Gateway, along with opposition from environmental groups and some First Nations in Alberta and British Columbia, a number of U.S. based environmental groups accompanied by some Hollywood celebrities have voiced opposition to the plan.  In Northern Ontario, there have been complaints that the Far North Act and the Endangered Species Act will hinder northern development because of the wish of environmental groups in southern Ontario to turn the north into a vast provincial park.

The parallels are intriguing.  The relationship between Northern Ontario and the south is remarkably similar to that between Canada and the United Canada.  Relative to the United States, Canada is natural resource intensive and sparsely populated. 

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[Quebec Plan Nord] Is More Talk the Right Prescription for Northern Ontario? – by Livio Di Matteo (Northern Economist Blog – January 19, 2012)

Livio Di Matteo is Professor of Economics at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Visit his new Economics Blog “Northern Economist” at http://ldimatte.shawwebspace.ca/

Media reports on the visit yesterday by Quebec based consultants who worked on Quebec’s Plan Nord appear to have emphasized their prescription for more planning and discussion.  The Plan Nord is the Quebec government’s parallel to our own Northern Growth Plan and their plan to develop their own north with anticipated investments of 80 billion dollars and the creation of as many as 20,000 jobs. 

The Mayor of Greenstone was quoted as saying the time for talk had passed and some direct action was needed by the province in getting things going.  On the other hand, according to a report on TBNewswatch:

A pair of Quebec-based consultants, however, have suggested what’s needed is more talk.  It’s worked in Quebec, said Yvan Loubier, a senior consultant for National Public Relations in Quebec City, who has worked with both governments and communities in Northern Quebec to help facilitate a 25-year plan for economic salvation in an area hard hit by many of the same concerns afflicting Northern Ontario, particularly First Nations communities. It didn’t come easily, at least not at first.

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Government Subsidies and Economic Development: Is the End Near for the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund? – by Livio Di Matteo – (November 19, 2011)

Livio Di Matteo is Professor of Economics at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Visit his new Economics Blog “Northern Economist” at http://ldimatte.shawwebspace.ca/

In the art of politics, timing is everything.  My curiosity was certainly piqued earlier in the week when a story in the Ottawa Citizen reported that Ontario’s premier Dalton McGuinty was hinting that he was ready for a major policy reversal regarding the practice of provincial government grants and subsidies for business.  According to the story, he was listening “to all the arguments” on these grants which have been referred to as corporate welfare.

In many respects, this would be a remarkable turn around given the Ontario Liberals campaigned on the strength of their economic strategy – a strategy of government investment in green energy in particular as a job creation program.  There have been enormous subsidies to producers of wind and solar energy in the form of generous prices for the electricity generated.  As well, there is the money in the regional development funds such as the Eastern Ontario Development Fund and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Why the sudden shift?  It turns out the Ottawa Citizen has apparently been investigating stories that the Eastern Ontario Development Fund has been favouring businesses in Liberal ridings since the fund was established. 

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Mapping out a united vision for [Ontario] Northerners – by North Bay Mayor Al McDonald (September 28, 2011)

North Bay Mayor Al McDonald made this speech to Greater Sudbury City Council, Sept. 28, about mapping out a united vision for Northerners:

Bon soir. Good evening.

Your Worship and Members of Council:

On behalf of the citizens of North Bay, it is my pleasure to bring greetings and, in the spirit of friendship, thank you for this opportunity to address you this evening. I would also like to thank you for hosting the Northern Ontario Business Awards last night. Your city was a welcoming host and your community was showcased in a positive light.

On a personal note, I would like to thank all of you for your time, energy, and commitment for your dedication to public service. It is never easy and it is always tougher on our families as we have to give up a lot of family time with the demands of the job. So, I would like to thank your family members as well. It is interesting that we as elected officials get more credit than we deserve at times but get much more blame as well. I have the greatest respect for those individuals successful or not, for putting their names on a ballot. Thank you for serving.

Here in Northern Ontario, we enjoy a quality of life unparalleled to other places in the world. We have parks, green spaces, wildlife, colleges and universities, festivals, arts, culture, theatre, safe communities, and focus on families.

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[Northern Ontario history] Building Highway 11 – by Gregory Reynolds (Highgrader Magazine – Late Fall, 2011 issue)

This column was originally published in the Late Summer, 2011 issue of Highgrader Magazine which is committed to serve the interests of northerners by bringing the issues, concerns and culture of the north to the world through the writings and art of award-winning journalists as well as talented freelance artists, writers and photographers.

When northerners are not talking about the weather, they complain about the sorry state of many of the highways in Northern Ontario. They look with envy at the first-class highways and byways in the south and talk bitterly about Highway 17 being a death trap and think Highway 144 between Sudbury and Timmins should have a sign saying: “Drive at your own risk and only in daylight. Large trucks, moose and bears have the right of way.”

Still, the North does have a few highways that are no longer part way between cow paths and obstacle courses and residents do manage to get about.

It was not always so and the story of the Yonge Street extension that became today’s Highway 11 could be the history of any major traffic route in the North. While the money for highways came from the south, northerners built their own roads, prisoners, farmers and bush workers between seasons, the poor and those on the welfare rolls.

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Crisis on the [James Bay] coast – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – November 1, 2011)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

State of emergency declared

With a housing shortage forcing residents to live in tents and cold November winds beginning to blow off James Bay, communities on the coast have collectively declared a state of emergency.

“There is definitely something terribly wrong” when billions of dollars in revenue is being generated from mining while “the citizens of this rich land continue to face daily hardships with decent housing, education, health care and a high rate of suicide,” said Mushkegowuk Deputy Grand Chief Leo Friday.

“This is not right and something has to be done.” There are families, he added, living in “tent-frame structures, wooden storage sheds, hazardous and condemned homes.” Friday said he is aware of five families in Attawapiskat that have been living in a tent for more than a year now while three families in Kashechewan and another two in Fort Albany have been living in sheds.

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No ‘major-minority’ [Gilles Bisson – Ontario politics] – by Ryan Lux (Timmins Daily Press – October 15, 2011)

The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

Re-elected MPP warns Liberals not to ‘govern like Harper did’

Ontario’s minority Parliament won’t be steamrolled like the opposition parties were in the House of Commons under Stephen Harper, said Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson at a press conference Friday. Bisson, recently appointed NDP house leader, held the conference to send a message to Premier Dalton McGuinty.

“Mr. McGuinty’s trying to pretend this is isn’t a minority Parliament,” said Bisson. “He’s saying he has a major-minority and that he’ll govern like Harper did. But Ontario is not Canada.”

Bisson noted that with only two parties in opposition, the Liberals won’t be able to divide and conquer the way the federal Conservatives did in Ottawa. Moreover, he said there’s a long tradition of non-partisan co-operation by the opposing parties at Queen’s Park that McGuinty must take into account.

Like it or not, McGuinty will have to court votes from opposition members in order to pass legislation.

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The Divided [Ontario] North – by Livio Di Matteo (October 10, 2011)

Livio Di Matteo is Professor of Economics at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Visit his new Economics Blog “Northern Economist” at http://ldimatte.shawwebspace.ca/

One of the most interesting results of the October 6th provincial election is the urban rural divide in Ontario – a divide that also characterizes the North.  The GTA is mainly Liberal red with a few NDP exceptions and the Ottawa area is largely Liberal. A glance at the Toronto Star’s election map paints the North as a sea of orange with islands of red in Sudbury and the Sault – and somewhat larger swaths in Thunder Bay-Superior North and Thunder Bay Atikokan. 

Those two ridings, however are dominated by Thunder Bay which makes them mainly urban. As for the Near North, Muskoka-Parry Sound and Nipissing, they are both Progressive Conservative but are more traditional rural areas that have been long-time areas of conservative support.

What might this mean?  For the two major Ontario political parties, their leaderships will need to get to work devising strategies to bring in their respective alienated voters.  For the Liberals, whose policies in Green Energy and knowledge and health sector economy investments are seen as primarily urban policies, they will need to craft policies that appeal to rural voters. 

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NEWS RELEASE: NAN WILL CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR A POSITIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

For the web’s largest database of articles on the Ring of Fire mining camp, please go to: Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Friday October 7, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THUNDER BAY, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy congratulates Premier Dalton McGuinty and will continue to strive for a positive working relationship with the returning official government of Ontario and bring forward the issues affecting the people of Nishnawbe Aski.

“NAN is mandated to work with all political parties and all levels and therefore we will continue to push for meaningful dialogue with the elected officials of Ontario,” said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy.

Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals managed to secure a third straight mandate, but fell just shy of a third straight majority. The Liberals had won 53 ridings, one short of the 54 needed for a majority. The Liberals had captured 37.6 per cent of the popular vote, with the Progressive Conservatives close behind at 35.4 per cent. NDP support was at 22.7 per cent.

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Minority may mean Northern [Ontario] voice will be heard – by Ryan Lux (Timmins Daily Press – October 8, 2011)

 The Daily Press, the city of Timmins newspaper. Contact the writer at news@thedailypress.ca.

A minority Parliament might just be what it takes for the North to be heard in Queen’s Park, said Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren following Thursday’s provincial election which saw the Liberals win government for a third time.

“In a perfect world I would love to see the three parties roll up their sleeves and work together on the issues facing the North,” Laughren said. “That’s why people elect minority Parliaments, not because we want another election in 18 months time.”

While Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals were short only one seat from achieving an historic third-consecutive majority, Laughren is pinning his hopes that on issues facing the North, that the deciding vote incorporates a Northern voice.

“In many cases, Northern leaders have been going to all kinds of different sessions related to mining, endangered species and land use, and talking about the challenges and in many instances it does not appear that we’re being listened to,” Laughren told The Daily Press.

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We’ll listen to North, NDP leader promises – by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – October 5, 2011)

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

“I started (my campaign) in the North and I’m finishing it in the North.”

NDP leader Andrea Horwath greeted supporters with these words Tuesday, as she returned to Sudbury to drum up more support for NDP Northern Ontario candidates.

Horwath, along with Sudbury candidate Paul Loewenberg, Nickel Belt candidate France Gelinas, Sault Ste. Marie candidate Celia Ross, Timiskaming- Cochrane candidate John Vanthof, Nipissing candidate Henri Giroux and Algoma-Manitoulin candidate Michael Mantha, gathered at Loewenberg’s campaign office.

Throughout her speech, she stressed that the NDP will respect people living in the North. “For me, respect isn’t just about nice words. It’s listening and it’s action. People across the North have been telling me they’re fed up with being taken for granted and having no voice.

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Election Eve: Looking Ahead at Post-Election Northern Ontario – by Livio Di Matteo (October 4, 2011)

Livio Di Matteo is Professor of Economics at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Visit his new Economics Blog “Northern Economist” at http://ldimatte.shawwebspace.ca/

The time has comes to take stock of the implications for the North of the potential outcomes of the October 6th provincial election. According to the polls, it is a close race and the possibility of a minority government is high.  At the same time, polls do not always fully predict the outcome and much depends on the concentration of party support across the various ridings, as well as the actual voter turnout.  What can we expect the morning after?

Whatever party forms the government, expect to see the donning of sackcloth and ashes as it suddenly becomes apparent that the economy is on the verge of recession, the stock markets have dropped 20 percent and the province’s coffers are bare as a result of a massive deficit.  All those rosy revenue forecasts that were going to see the budget balanced by 2017 will now go out the window.  Expect to see announcements of government expenditure cuts, freezes and restructuring as well as the discussion of temporary “revenue enhancements.” A Liberal or NDP backed government will likely favor revenue enhancements over expenditure cuts while a Conservative government is more likely to favor cuts or restructuring.

Should the Liberals win another majority, it will be interpreted as a vindication for their program of policies, especially their job creation strategy focused on Green Energy.  As for the North, it means the Far North Act will stay in place.  For the North, a Liberal majority win will put it in an odd situation. 

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Seize [Ontario] North’s destiny – by Mike Whitehouse (Sudbury Star – September 29, 2011)

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

Canada and Ontario badly need Northern Ontario to succeed, North Bay Mayor Al McDonald says, and the North desperately needs leaders and leadership.

McDonald addressed City of Greater Sudbury council last night with an appeal to strike an accord of northern communities to promote common regional goals and interests.

The North is hampered by two syndromes, he said. First, cities and towns in the North are still dependent on handouts from provincial and federal governments — and, often, industries — for the most basic of needs. In this way, northern destinies are still controlled in Toronto and Ottawa, he said.

Second, Northern Ontario communities and businesses are competing in a global marketplace and not doing so together is disadvantaging all of them, he said. “We need a plan and a vision for Northern Ontario and we need it to be comprehensive and inclusive,” he said.

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New mines, new revenue for [Ontario] cities: Horwath – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – September 29, 2011)

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

“This is how (former Newfoundland premier) Danny Williams,
in fact Brian Tobin, even stood up for minerals and made
sure some of that processing was happening in their
jurisdiction. And I think that we can do that here in
Ontario.” (NDP Leader, Andrea Horwath)

If elected, the Ontario New Democrats promise to funnel taxes from new mines to the communities in which they are located.

As much as it would like to give a greater share of taxes from existing mines to their home communities, the NDP could not do it while working to balance the provincial budget by 2017-18, says Andrea Horwath.

The NDP wanted a policy on mines that would be “easily implementable,” said Horwath, and moves “immediately” toward sharing greater revenues from mining with municipalities.

Horwath spoke to The Sudbury Star via Skype on Wednesday afternoon from her campaign bus, while en route from Brampton to Hamilton. “We are facing, and everybody knows it, a bit of a challenge,” said Horwarth about the province’s $14-billion deficit.

“I would have liked to be able to change the existing mining taxes,” but it won’t be possible, she said. When asked if the New Democrats would return more mining revenue to communities when the budget is balanced, Horwath said the NDP would consider it.

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