I sometimes think Dalton McGuinty’s government has given up on Northern Ontario.
With record unemployment rates and with EI claims soaring in northern communities, you’d think the brain trust in the premier’s office would be trying to find new ways to bolster the ailing forestry and pulp and paper businesses.
But when you examine the evidence, that’s not the case.
As New Democratic leader Andrea Horwath pointed out in question period this week, the number of people receiving Employment Insurance in northern communities has risen by a staggering amount.
In Sault Ste. Marie, that number is up by 80%. In greater Sudbury, StatsCan figures show a 152% increase. In Thunder Bay, 42%.
Northern Development Minister Mike Gravelle responded by proudly reporting Thunder Bay is about to become the “Popsicle stick capital of the world.”
I’m sure it’s wonderful that Global Sticks is investing there, but popsicle sticks won’t lick the problems of the dying forestry and pulp and paper industries.
There’s a massive north-south divide in this province. You can see the frustration in politicians like Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson and Howard Hampton, from Kenora-Rainy River.
Forestry giant Tembec recently closed its pulp mill in Smooth Rock Falls — a one-industry town north of Timmins. Make that a no-industry town if the government doesn’t act.
A consortium has raised $50 million to build a multi-purpose plant on the Tembec site. They’ve got everything they need — except the wood allocation and the government is dragging its feet, even though the ministry has the authority to allocate timber rights.
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I was raised in Northern Ontario and it continues to boggle my mind that the region consistently elects NDP who can do nothing to further their interests. Why is that?
If they’re not voting NDP they’re voting Liberal - if voters in the North prefer supporting their local elites over having a job and their own money then nothing can be done for them, they can play Bingo with their ‘disability’ cheques up until the end.
More and more evidence that Premier McSlippery is a true teflon politician in that noting seems to stick or is it because the Tories have had ineffective leaders (up to now).
… allocate timber rights?
Don’t people realize how difficult this has become? Every cut-block allocation has become a battle often resulting in another taxpayer funded park. McGuinty is going into a short-running battle for hearts-and-minds; there’s not enough votes in the north for him to care about.
Maybe the 49th parallel should be politically extended to the Atlantic creating a new province? We can call it Sumavut.
Re: #4 — Thinking about a new province when I entered this post. People in Northern Ontario should start to think about it because it’s not a bad idea.
Toronto should be a province. It is bigger than about 5 provinces combined. The Greater Toronto Hamilton Area is a solid city, already about the size of Quebec and will soon be bigger.
The rest of Ontario has very different needs than GTHA. We should decentralize and leave more taxing powers for local needs. Get stronger candidates to represent local needs. The role of the Feds should be to ensure national mobility, from portable Health Care to national transportation.
Um … I was including northern Quebec in there; but I do prefer nomdeblog‘s version.
Lindsay, Federally the Liberals do not have a single rural seat West of New Brunswick … they simply do not understand rural. It’s too entrepreneurial for their central planning mentality.
I think Conservatives understand mega-urban but until recently have been terrible at communicating it. PMSH has done more funding for Toronto transit than whole eras of Liberal government, but voters don’t know it, because the Red Star doesn’t tell them. Communication is slowly changing for the better.
Really love that series, South Park knows mixing humor and ridicule to expose the taboo of society and is a recipe that works, then saw to it continue!