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McGuinty needs a Leafs sweater [Northern Ontario alienation] – by Len Gillis (Timmins Times – March 29, 2012)

http://www.timminstimes.com/

Provincial Liberals need some intellectual Viagra

It is almost beyond comprehension how the Queen’s Park Liberals can consistently make decisions that are so clearly against the interests of Northern Ontario.

Over the years, Northerners have become accustomed to being ignored by southern politicians. As bad as that was, at least when the North was ignored, it meant we were being left alone.

It’s much worse now. Queen’s Park is imposing policies and changes on the North that defy reason. Things such as the changes to The Mining Act, The Far North Act and the Endangered Species Act fly in the face of reality. Some of it borders on junk science.

The decision announced last Friday that Queen’s Park is selling off Ontario Northland assets is another example of how that government is out of touch.

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Nothing for the North [Ontario] – by Mark Prior (Timmins Daily Press – March 27, 2012)

Northern leaders have little good to say about the provincial budget

Still stinging from the announcement that Ontario Northland will be axed, political leaders were hoping to hear some good news for the North in Tuesday’s provincial government. They didn’t get it. Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren wasn’t impressed with the latest budget.

“Personally, I’m very disappointed,” Laughren said. “There doesn’t appear to be anything in there to have an affect on the municipalities, but I look at it from a Northern Ontario perspective. “There is so much opportunity for growth and mining, yet the provincial government can’t get their act together to make that happen.”

Laughren expressed frustration. He doesn’t believe the government is taking advantage of opportunities available with resource-based industries. Plus, the North is still in shock with the recent decision to divest the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.

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Timmins disappointed and angry at Premier Dalton McGuinty – by Len Gillis lgillis (Timmins Times – March 27, 2012)

 http://www.timminstimes.com/

City council lashes out in response to decision to sell Ontario Northland

Mayor Tom Laughren and several Timmins city councilors expressed dismay and disappointment Monday night with Premier Dalton McGuinty and senior ministers at Queen’s Park in light of the announcement last Friday that the Ontario Government plans to sell off the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC).

Their anger comes in view of the fact that the mayor and several councilors were in Toronto just a few weeks ago to meet with the premier and several cabinet ministers at the annual meeting of the Ontario Good Roads Association.

That is one of the few times in the year when municipal councilors get face time with the Premier and the cabinet to discuss vital issues for the North.

“There was no hint at anytime in our meeting with Minister Bartolucci, or formerly Minister Gravelle, that anything like this was being considered,” Laughren told council Monday night.

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Solid Gold reports progress in [Wahgoshig First Nation] dispute – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – March 23, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Some headway is being made in efforts to resolve a conflict between Solid Gold Resources Corporation and Wahgoshig First Nation.

“The government has made certain offers, which I won’t go into at the moment, to accommodate the First Nation,” Darryl Stretch, president of Solid Gold, told The Daily Press Thursday. “The very fact that the government has made some offer of accommodation inspires me just a little, tiny bit. Because it’s always been our position that the government must stand between us and the (First Nation) government.”

Stretch said all along, regional First Nation leaders have been asserting their communities are led by an autonomous government.

If that is to be the case, Stretch added, “then I don’t quite understand why my government would be insisting I go and enter agreement with their government. It just doesn’t make sense.”

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

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[Northern Ontario] Cities seek share in mine tax revenues – by The Daily Press (Timmins Daily Press – 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.

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[Ontario] Northern Committee passes vote – by Kyle Gennings (Timmins Daily Press – 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.

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Lobbying pays off, mayor says – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – 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.

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MPP calls for new Northern committee – by The Daily Press (Timmins Daily Press – 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.

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Speaking up for the North – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – 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.

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First Nations becoming major economic players – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – February 24, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

GDP from Aboriginal communities larger than some provinces

These are “exciting times” for business opportunities in First Nation communities, a gathering of chiefs, business leaders and economic development officials in Timmins were told Thursday.

Clint Davis, president and chief executive of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, cited several factors that have aligned enabling First Nation communities to become major economic players, if they play their cards right.

It seemed fitting that Davis would be speaking about growing economic development opportunities for First Nations as the keynote speaker at an event hosted by the CreeWest Limited Partnership. CreeWest is a Moose Factory-based charter airline service that arose from the economic opportunities created by the start-up of De Beers Canada’s Victor Mine in Attawapiskat six years ago.

It is widely known First Nation communities are the fastest growing demographic in the country.

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

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Southerners need to learn of folly of caribou plan – Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – 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.

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NEOMA vows to fight caribou policy – by Wayne Snider (Timmins Daily Press – February 17, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Municipal leaders from across Northeastern Ontario are turning up the heat on the provincial government over its caribou protection plan. And if the mountain refuses to come to Mohammed, then Mohammed will go to the mountain. Ideally, they are hoping for visits both ways.

Thursday in Timmins, members of the North Eastern Ontario Municipal Association (NEOMA) had a lengthy discussion about beefing up its lobby effort. Plans include holding a special lobby day as a group in Queen’s Park, possibly hiring a professional lobbyist or consultant to help with ongoing efforts, and even calling out provincial leaders to visit the Northeast.

Timmins Coun. Mike Doody said he would like to see Premier Dalton McGuinty and others come North to see first hand the impact government policy has on their communities.

“Why can’t we call a Northern Summit?” Doody asked. “The premier has never been to Timmins or visited NEOMA. But not just the premier, we need the leaders from all the parties here so we can tell them where we stand on these issues.”

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MPP [Gilles Bisson] says swap with feds would help First Nations – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – February 3, 2012)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Growing dissatisfaction with Ottawa’s management of schools on First Nations has spurred growing support for the province taking over the responsibility, says MPP Gilles Bisson (NDP — Timmins-James Bay).

“When it comes to education (on reserves), the current federal education system is a complete failure,” said Bisson, a long-time advocate for the idea. “Kids who finish Grade 12 (on First Nations) are at a level that is three to four years behind their counterparts outside of the reserve system.

“When I first started raising this issue, most people on reserve would have disagreed with me. Now, I would say there is a majority of people who are saying this is not a bad idea.”

Bisson said he has been sharing his thoughts on the issues with chiefs, band council members and First Nation education authorities throughout the region.

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