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Time to give the [Ontario] Far North its own federal voice – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – October 3, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

The landscape of federal politics is about to change, but the Boundary Commission is missing the boat when it comes to making real change to bring better representation to all Canadians.

Ontario is to get 15 new federal seats, as part of the once-a-decade adjustments made based on census data. Quebec will get three more seats, while Alberta and B.C. add six each. It’s not the numbers that are troublesome but the way they are distributed.

The growth of Ontario’s population, from 11,410,046 in 2001 to 12,856,821 in 2011 means the province’s number of ridings will increase to 121 from the 106 seats. That accounts for half the total expansion of the House, which is to go to 338 from 308.

Most new seats will go to the urban centres in southern Ontario, while in the North, the proposed new riding of Timmins-Cochrane-James Bay will grow even larger in area and population.

This means NDP MP Charlie Angus, will have an even larger territory to manage. As Angus said, the riding of Timmins-James Bay is already larger than Great Britain.

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North [Ontario] kicked in the groin again – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – September 28, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Talk about timing. Just one day before the McGuinty Liberal government was set to pull the plug on the Northlander train, it delivered another kick in the groin to this region.

On Thursday, the government announced it is cancelling overnight stays at 10 provincial parks beginning next year.

Six of those 10 parks – Ivanhoe Lake in Foleyet, Greenwater in Cochrane, Rene Brunelle in Kapuskasing, Fushimi Lake kin Hearst, The Shoals in Chapleau and Tidewater in Moosonee – happen to be in or around Cochrane District.

The government, in its desire to “modernize its business”, suggested these parks are being converted to day-use-only because they have low visitation rates.  Are we talking about the same parks here?

Surely, anyone who has sought to go camping at Ivanhoe Lake or Rene Brunelle would not describe them as underutilized. If anything, they are among the most popular provincial parks in this region. With the choice of provincial park camp sites in this area virtually narrowed down, good luck getting a camping spot at Kettle Lakes next summer.

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Boozy temperance tales [Timmins history] – by Karen Bachmann (Timmins Daily Press – September 28, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Karen Bachmann is the director/curator of the Timmins Museum and a local author.

TIMMINS – Hope you enjoy the quick snapshot of life in Timmins in 1917. To begin with, change seems to have been the order of the day as the Tisdale Council was swept out of office and replaced with an entirely new slate.

Sylvester Kennedy won what was described as a “landslide” – a 37 vote majority, over the incumbent E. Dickson. The campaign was described as “vigourous.” Cards, flyers and “counter-irritants” were freely used by all those running. The public benefited from hearing the politicians’ views at no less than three public debates held in Moneta, Schumacher and South Porcupine.

To everyone’s relief however, after the ballots had been counted and the results were known, both the new mayor and the retiring one celebrated together and pledged to continue to work for the betterment of the community.

That’s what I call a breath of fresh air! As for local politics in Timmins, no election was held as three men running for council positions and one running for mayor pulled out before election day. Apparently, it had been discussed amongst all the candidates that this was the best course of action for the community.

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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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Cage Call: Artist explores lost [mining] histories – by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – September 22, 2012)

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

When photographer Louie Palu set out to learn more about mining, his plan was to spend one month at a mine in Kirkland Lake. That was in 1991. Instead, 12 years, two provinces and thousands of photos later, the project came to an end.

“My dad told me about Kirkland Lake,” Palu said, speaking on the phone. “He was working up there. He’s not a miner. He was just working with some mining people.

“I’ve always been interested in these underrepresented histories and stories, especially sociopolitical ones. Suddenly from Kirkland Lake I got to Timmins, then Sudbury, Val d’Or and (Rouyn)-Noranda. There were all these sort of lost histories, these really important lost histories. I just felt like this story needed to be told.”

Since then, he’s been telling the story through two books and his photos, which have been put on display at art galleries and shows all over the world, including Sweden, France and the United States.

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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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Tar and feathers suitable for [Ontario] premier and minister – by Mac Dysart (Timmins Daily Press – September 7, 2012)

 The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – If these were the days of the old western frontier, these men, after being rounded up by the posse, would probably have been dealt the most severe consequences of the old western judicial system for their complete disregard, humiliation and disrespect to country and fellow man. I am speaking of no one other than Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, and Dalton McGuilty. (excuse the pun in spelling.)
 
Have we ever received a grant or a visit from Bart? Not that I know of! Have we ever seen McGuilty here? No!
 
These two men alone, especially Bart, a supposedly true northerner, since being appointed to this post by Dalton McGuilty, are doing more to ruin the structure of Northern Ontario than anyone in our history, and should and must, stand responsible for their actions of dissembling the Northeast Corridor of this province.
 
(Dr. David Suzuki fits into this category also, with his environmental issues, but that’s another story.) These actions should be declared an act against humanity, of which everyone must be held accountable, and these two are no exception to the rule.
 
The most eastern section of the North, including the Ontario Northland Railroad corridor, the very spinal system of the great North, does not fit into their vision as part of what we calls the North.

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Golden tour of Goldcorp – by Kyle Gennings (Timmins Daily Press – August 24, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – When most people think of industrial tours, they are often reminded of the story of Willy Wonka and the fabled golden ticket.
 
Standing outside of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce, with a ticket for the Goldcorp industrial tour, I laughed to myself about how true this golden ticket scenario was in my particular case. The humour carried me all the way to my seat and the less than comfortable school bus that would be our chauffeur for the afternoon.
 
“We will be touring the Dome open pit,” Nicole Charbonneau said as she addressed the bus load of people. “Then we will move out into the McIntyre, Conarium and Gillies reclamation sites, along with an overview of the Hollinger Pit preparations.”
 
Charbonneau, a environmental biologist for Goldcorp would be the guide for this three-hour golden tour. Her role in the management and continued development of the reclamation sites behind the McIntyre’s No. 11 headframe made her the perfect voice to speak on behalf of Goldcorp.

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Biodiversity initiative: Copper mine helps restore sturgeon population in Timmins river

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

Ontario Mining Association member Xstrata Copper Canada, Kidd Operations (Xstrata) through its financial and in-kind support of the Mattagami Sturgeon Restoration Project is giving new life to a fish species designated as of “special concern” by the province.  Indications are that Xstrata, in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Power Generation, Timmins Fur Council and Club Navigateur, is experiencing success in re-establishing the lake sturgeon population in a section of the Mattagami River watershed.

Lake sturgeons are descendants of a prehistoric fish going back to the Mesozoic Era (dinosaur age).  The fish appear to be much the same today as 100-million year old fossils, which have been found.   The Mattagami River flows north through Timmins into the James Bay drainage basin, which is part of the lake sturgeon habitat.

This fish, due to habitat loss and over fishing, had disappeared from a section of the Mattagami River between two hydro dams.  To help re-establish the species, 50 adult sturgeons were transferred back into this habitat in 2002.  Thirteen out of this original group of fish were marked with radio transmitters to monitor movement and potential spawning areas.

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ONTC sell-off sparks fighting words – by By Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – August 22, 2012)

 The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Municipal leaders across Northeastern Ontario are taking the gloves off to fight plans to derail Ontario Northland in September.
 
Kapuskasing Mayor Alan Spacek, president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) expressed “frustration and bitter disappointment” with the government’s handling of its divestiture plan for the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. He is pointing the finger squarely at Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci (Liberal — Sudbury).
 
“I received correspondence from the minister updating me on the divestment process that was to have been ‘transparent and done in a consultative manner with those affected,’” Spacek said. “As it turns out, we get called to a meeting to hear that something we thought we were to be consulted on is now a done deal.
 
“It’s become another late-in-the-week, trying-to-fly-below-radar announcement that otherwise wouldn’t stand up to either the smell test or to public scrutiny.” Spacek, who ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in Timmins-James Bay in the October 2011 provincial election, said the ruling Liberals broke their promise of transparency with ONTC privatization.

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Liberals fast-tracked end of Northlander: Bisson – by Chris Ribau (Timmins Daily Press – August 16, 2012)

 The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – The Liberals are being accused of fast-tracking a shutdown of the Northlander in hopes of derailing public efforts to save the service. After decades of serving Ontario’s northern communities, the Northlander train from Toronto to Cochrane will stop running after Sept. 28, the provincial government announced Thursday.
 
Regular train service will continue until that date, and communities served by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) train will still be served by the bus service.
 
“This is a real bullshit announcement — and you can use that word, I don’t care,” MPP Gilles Bisson (NDP — Timmins-James Bay) told The Daily Press “The minister (Rick Bartolucci) told me last spring, because going back we’ve been trying to stop this privatization and keep the train running.

In my conversation with Mr. Bartolucci I asked him point black when do you expect to shut down the train if everything happens, he said it won’t happen until spring 2013.

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Minister offers North thousands of reasons to celebrate – by Kyle Gennings (Timmins Daily Press – August 14, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – A crowd gathered at the feet of the three founders of Timmins on Monday morning, welcoming James Moore, the federal Minister of Heritage and Official Languages, whose presence confirmed the significance of the three men to his back and the city they founded.
 
Moore formally confirmed the federal funding that made the three statues possible, thanking the community and its people for their significance in the forming of the North and its continued prosperity.
 
Moore and the Canadian Heritage Fund provided the centennial committee along with the Porcupine Prospectors and Developers Association with $90,000 to immortalize Jack Wilson, Sandy McIntyre and Benny Hollinger.
 
“The $90,000 was the original seed money for the three statues,” he said. “These are three men whose discovery, vision, hard work and commitment to their craft led ultimately to a city that is thriving here in Ontario.”

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Tory MPPs probe the North [Timmins] – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – August 10, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Two members of the provincial Tory caucus left Timmins with a better understanding of the issues impacting Northern Ontario.

Progressive Conservative MPPs Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka) and Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock) were in Timmins Friday on a fact-finding tour. The two politicians met with Mayor Tom Laughren, municipal and business leaders, toured Goldcorp’s operations and visited with local Ministry of Natural Resources staff. Miller is the Tory critic for Northern Development and Mines, while Scott is the critic for the MNR.

The duo also visited The Daily Press, where they discussed pressing issues for the North in an editorial board meeting.
Many Northerners feel they have lost their voice in Queen’s Park, as only 11 of 107 seats are based in Northern Ontario. While he doesn’t expect the region to ever gain more seats, Miller said it is the responsibility of government to consider the impact all legislation has on the North.

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[Timmins] Xstrata Copper seeks cost-saving suggestions [at Kidd Creek Mine] – by Liz Cowan (Northern Ontario Business – August 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.

Timmins 100th anniversary special

At Xstrata Copper’s Kidd Creek Mine in Timmins, employee suggestions for improvement have helped increase the life of the mine. Its 2020 Vision initiative focused on engaging employees in an effort to realize cost savings that might further extend operations.
 
About 25 per cent of its workforce was interviewed by colleagues and the resulting 1,800 ideas are being put to good use. “We consolidated and grouped the ideas and the good news was that a lot of the ideas were things we had already started to do and people didn’t know about yet, so we were on the right track,” said mine manager Tom Semadeni.
 
“These ideas validated where we were going.” When the Kidd Metallurgical site closed in late 2010, only some concentrator employees were left. “We realized we needed to help all the employees understand they were part of a new organization because the dynamic was that we had the mine here and the met site concentrator some distance away,” he said.

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The story of mining prospector Don McKinnon: SPECIAL TO THE TIMES – (Timmins Times – August 12, 2012)

http://www.timminstimes.com/

A close-up and personal look at a Timmins man who changed our mining history

ED’S NOTE: Following is a story on the life on Don McKinnon presented by a close friend of McKinnon and his family. McKinnon died Thursday.

The Canadian mining fraternity has lost one of the most successful prospectors from its ranks with the passing of Donald Duncan McKinnon. Just eight days before his 83rd birthday, Don passed away peacefully Aug. 9 at the Timmins and District Hospital surrounded by family and loved ones.

Born and raised in the Town of Cochrane, McKinnon had made his home in Timmins since 1956. The man with the heart of gold always loved the city with the heart of gold. This was his base as he prospected all over Canada from the High Arctic to the Maritimes and British Columbia. As well as in the United States.

He was much more than a prospector, however, as his interests ranged from municipal and provincial politics to the economy of Northern Ontario and the need to preserve the region’s special way of life.

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