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Northern Ontario Separation and Alienation

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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Concerns of Northern [Ontario] cities outlined to province – by Benjamin Aubé (Timmins Daily Press – September 18, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Like the black flies of spring or the relentless nights of winter, leaders in Northern Ontario are making it clear to the government they’re not going anywhere soon.

Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren was among the five Northern Ontario Large Urban Mayors (NOLUM) who met with eight provincial Liberal ministers at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario meeting in late-August.

At that meeting, the five NOLUM leaders – representing Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay – presented a document titled Linking Municipalities and the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario.

Laughren hailed it as “historic” in its depth, explaining it outlines six distinct focal points Northern Ontario representatives will be pressuring the government on over the coming years.

“Anything we put in here was related to the Growth Plan, and it’s our ideas to how the government can push the Growth Plan forward that we believe that provide a benefit not only to those five communities, but of all Northern Ontario,” said Laughren at Monday’s city council meeting.

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Familes of Sudbury miners speak of loss – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Star – September 18, 2013)

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

After his younger brother Jordan Fram was killed in a was killed in a run of muck in the Stobie Mine in 2011, Jesse Fram continued to call his phone for months, just so he could hear Jordan’s voice when he was prompted to leave a message.

Fram was amongst several family members who gave emotional victim impact statements in a Greater Sudbury courtroom Tuesday.

Jordan’s employer, Vale Canada Limited, pleaded guilty to three charges under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act in relation to the events that lead to his death.

The last time Wendy Fram spoke to her youngest son, she told him to be safe before he left for work. That night, on June 8, 2011, Jordan Fram, 26, and Jason Chenier, 35, were crushed by 350 tons of muck at the 3,000-foot level of the Stobie Mine.

Vale was fined $350,000 for each of the three counts, which were related to a failure to take reasonable precautions to prevent water accumulation in the mine. That failure caused the run of muck that killed Fram and Chenier. The total fine of $1.050 million was the largest ever awarded in Ontario for a health and safety prosecution.

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Group fights for passenger trains – by PJ Wilson (North Bay Nugget – August 20, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

Canada’s National Dream may have been derailed by politicians, but a grassroots organization is trying to get it back on track.

The Northern and Eastern Ontario Rail Network (NEORN) was launched at the Discovery North Bay Museum – the former CP Rail station – Monday in North Bay to not only unite rail supporters in the province, but to try to revive Ontario Northland’s Northlander passenger service.

“Rail service is in trouble in this country,” Peter Miasek, president of Transport Action Ontario, the umbrella organization, said to a small crowd of supporters.

In all the Group of Eight countries, Canada is the only nation that is not investing heavily in rail service, Miasek said. “Even in the United States, (President Barack) Obama is investing heavily in Amtrak” passenger train service, Miasek said.

The federal and provincial governments, he said, are trying to sink rail freight service through subsidies to the trucking industry, while “on the passenger rail side, the situation is even more dire.”

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Where’s Canada’s national highway? – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (August 12, 2013)

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

Among the many things for which U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower will be remembered is spear-heading one of the best road networks in the world. You can drive a BMW sports sedan as fast as you dare on Germany’s renowned autobahn — and possibly get killed doing it — but the American interstate highway system has few rivals in terms of size, overall road quality and connectivity.

Eisenhower can’t take all the credit. But he’s often the one cited for having the vision, which likely germinated during his Second World War tour in Europe as the Allies’ top commander.

The five-star general obviously realized that an interstate highway system could come in handy in terms of ensuring a country’s defence, although the system inevitably benefited the country’s tourism and commerce more than mounting a war effort.

Canadian snowbirds who make the long drive to Miami Beach in just three days can thank Dwight D. Eisenhower.
It seems rather astonishing, then, that in a country as geographically vast as ours there is no Eisenhower-equivalent cast in the imagination of Canadians when it comes to the post-Second World War development of highways.

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Calls for spring bear hunt resume – by Bryan Meadows (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – August 8, 2013)

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

A Thunder Bay-based conservation group is calling for a return of the spring bear hunt after a city man was attacked by a black bear in Sandbar Provincial Park on the weekend.

The Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen’s Alliance says that hunting bears in the spring would help the animals develop a greater fear of humans, and not consider them as food.

Executive director John Kaplanis said Wednesday that “NOSA is extremely worried that while the Ministry of Natural Resources is well aware of the increase in aggressive bear activity and predatory type bear attacks on humans, little is being done to regulate this sort of bear behaviour.

“The concern is that black bears are learning to regard humans as prey, much the same as other vulnerable prey sources such as moose calves,” he said.

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ONTC solution must be built collaboratively – by Peter Politis (Timmins Daily Press – July 30, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Peter Politis is the Mayor of the Town of Cochrane.

TIMMINS – In the latest CTV news piece around the Minister’s Advisory Committee on the ONTC, I again found myself feeling less than inspired about the future of this critical northern asset.

While the employees and families of the operation continue to express their desire to work with the province and the committee, the province strangely continues to be less than receptive.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle’s response to the employees, who are basically saying they understand that unusual changes are needed to the role employees play in the future of the ONTC, is to say thanks but you need to speak directly to the employer about that not me, or the committee.

Curiously though, Gravelle’s own ministry keeps telling the employees and the ONTC, their direction from the minister is to keep divesting and until that changes there is nothing to talk about.

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ONTC divestment could be costly for communities – by Lenny Carpenter (Wawatay News – July 18, 2013)

http://wawataynews.ca/

The Ontario government’s plans to sell off services of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) could lead to higher costs for members of the James Bay communities, according to Mushkegowuk Deputy Grand Chief Leo Friday.

Last year, the province announced it would be divesting the government-owned transportation commission after citing stagnant ridership and increasing costs to its bus and train services that operate mostly in northeastern Ontario.

One of those services in the Polar Bear Express train, which runs between Moosonee and Cochrane and serves as a vital link between the James Bay coast and the rest of Ontario.

Since 2003, the province increased funding by 274 per cent to subsidize the Polar Bear Express, a subsidy that averages to about $400 per passenger. If the province continues with its divestment plan to sell the train services to a private corporation, Friday believes the people of James Bay will face the most financial impact.

“The minute the other company operates that train, they will jack up the rates and it’s not going to run every day – maybe once or twice a week because of the cutbacks,” Friday said.

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Fedeli provides new documents – by Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles (North Bay Nugget – July 16, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

This is an aerial view of Ontario Northland Railway yards in North Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli provided new documents to Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk to consider in her special report on the sale of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.

Fedeli said the Auditor General’s report is expected to be released by the end of this summer.

“Ministry of Finance documents from January of this year that I’ve unearthed through the Justice Committee’s investigation into the gas plant scandal prove what I’ve maintained from day one – that the Liberal fire sale will achieve no savings,” he said Tuesday.

“In fact, it could cost Ontario taxpayers $1 billion more than the Liberals said it would in their budget last year.” Fedeli said the government was steadfast is telling the public the sale of the ONTC would save taxpayers $260 million. “They weren’t listening to us, but their numbers were wrong,” he said. “We asked the Auditor General to get involved and prove who is right.

“There’s no hesitation, our numbers are right. I wanna ask how can this government go through with this sale? The budget will have to be changed and why would a party sell something to lose a billion dollars?”

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[Ring of Fire] Influence moves northwest with cabinet shuffle – by Darren MacDonald (Sudbury Northern Life – July 15, 2013)

http://www.northernlife.ca/

The appointment of Kenora MP Greg Rickford as minister responsible for FedNor and the Ring of Fire is another sign of the importance upper levels of government place on developing the major chromite discovery.

And Dick Destefano, executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Services Association, says it’s a sign of the growing political influence of northwestern Ontario.

Rickford replaces Parry Sound-Muskoka MP Tony Clement in a major cabinet shuffle that was unveiled Monday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on his twitter account. In all, Harper added eight new faces to his cabinet of 39 ministers, the largest federal cabinet since Brian Mulroney’s government in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Rickford’s appointment comes months after Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne named Thunder Bay MPP Michael Gravelle as minister of Northern Development and Mines, replacing longtime Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, who is retiring.

Both appointments reflect new realities in Northern Ontario, Destefano said. “The focus is not on northeastern Ontario at all, it’s on northwestern Ontario and the Ring of Fire and it’s potential value,” he said. “From a political point of view, it’s seen as the area where the next major development is going to take place in Ontario.”

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How will Northern [Ontario] Policy Institute make a difference? – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (July 8, 2013)

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

Two former White House policy wonks who specialize in budgets wrote recently that they were “flabbergasted by how blindly” governments spend money. Their analysis showed that often in government very little time is devoted to finding out if programs actually work or accomplish anything.

Surprised? Well, here’s what Peter Orszag and John Bridgeland have to say in this month’s Atlantic magazine: “Less than $1 out of every $100 is backed by even the most basic evidence that the money is being spent wisely.”

Which us brings to Ontario’s newly-created Northern Policy Institute, which announced last week the appointment of a Halifax-based policy wonk as its first president. The hiring of Charles Cirtwill, an experienced analyst with degrees in public administration and law, promises to bring a fresh perspective to the well-known structural problems that hinder the North’s economy.

NPI, which is getting off the ground with a $5-million provincial stipend, is to have offices at Thunder Bay’s Lakehead University and Sudbury’s Laurentian. Cirtwill starts his new position in September.

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Hail to the New Province of ‘Noront’ [Northern Ontario separation] – by Joe Lascelles (Highgrader – Summer 2013)

http://www.highgradermagazine.com/

HighGrader Magazine 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.

Having been raped, robbed, screwed over from the beginning of Confederation, the Northern region of Ontario has had enough and we will not take it anymore. We will no longer let those feudal lords (Southern Ontario politicians) dictate how much they will leave Northerners to eat as they carry away our resources, all to fatten the coffers and the members of Government, to be spent almost exclusively in Southern Ontario.

For years, decisions for Northern Ontario have been made in Toronto by Southern politicians who, it might be said, have not bothered to even come to see how we live, see what we do for entertainment and how deep and numerous our potholes are. Southern Ontarians take as truth the Stompin’ Tom Connors ditty that Sudbury women play Bingo and the men all get stinko on a Sudbury Saturday night.

For all they think of us, most Northerners now have oil stoves to heat up our igloos. We can now cook up our seal blubber before eating it. Timmins? That’s really the North Pole isn’t it? Cochrane? Oh yes, they know something of Cochrane because they have polar bears roaming around the Esquimo village.

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Politis lobbying for Spring Bear Hunt return – by Benjamin Aubé (Timmins Daily Press – June 21, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Another week, another close-call with a curious black bear. A woman in Sudbury was among the latest to report such an encounter this week, rushing the children she was watching over indoors after spotting a stray bear cub roaming the neighbourhood.

It has become a theme in cities across Northern Ontario for a number of years. Many are pointing to the Ontario government’s 1999 cancellation of the Spring Bear Hunt, saying it’s no coincidence bear sightings within city limits seem to keep increasing more than a decade later.

Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis, the Progressive Conservative candidate for Temiskaming-Cochrane riding in the next provincial election, spoke to The Daily Press about the issue. He said something needs to be done soon.

“I’ve been doing a lobby effort to change the way wildlife is managed here in the area, particularly larger animals like bears, which can be fatal to people,” said Politis. “The Spring Bear Hunt is definitely part of that.

“It’s a part of the problem, I really believe that. It’s not the solution, and it’s not the issue causing the problem by itself, but certainly a well-managed hunt is part of creating balance in the ecosystem.

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Premier open to options with ONTC – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – June 20, 2013)

http://www.timminspress.com/

TIMMINS – Premier Kathleen Wynne says her government is open to other options surrounding the sell-off of the ONTC. She said it is important to listen to industry, municipalities and other stakeholders before a final decision is made.

During a phone interview Thursday with The Daily Press, Wynne said her government is listening to all stakeholders regarding the privatization of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. She said this is one of the reasons a special stakeholders committee was struck with Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle at the table.

“The minister is in conversation with all of that right now. He has said quite distinctly that complete divestiture is not the only option,” Wynne said. “We need to take a step back and work with those community voices.

“One of my concerns when I was Minister of Community Affairs and Housing, when I attended the FONOM (Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities) conference a couple of years ago, I was very concerned there was not local voices in the whole discussions around the ONTC and so we’ve changed that. So that’s the work the minister is doing right now with his advisory group.”

The Premier explained the government must look at the big picture before any more parts of the ONTC are let go.

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[North Bay Vic Fedeli’s]’Bombshell’ a dud – by Gord Young (North Bay Nugget – June 1, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

The province has estimated divestment of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission could cost as much as $790 million.

And while Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli is suggesting the information is a smoking gun that shows the sell off can no longer proceed, the Liberals, New Democrats and ONTC unions are all accusing him of political rhetoric.

“He promised a bombshell and it’s a dud,” said Brian Kelly, a spokesman for the General Chairperson’s Association, representing unionized workers at the ONTC. Kelly said the it’s “old news” that there are huge costs tied to divestment – something ONTC unions have claimed from the outset.

“We have been saying that from Day 1,” said Kelly, suggesting Fedeli’s announcement Friday revealing the potential liabilities associated with divestment does nothing to fuel efforts to protect ONTC jobs and services.

He said the province appears to have already shifted its position, with Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle announcing options other than divestment are now being considered.

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