Northwestern chamber of commerce delegates huddled in Sioux Lookout last week and emerged with a government to-do list of new and old resolutions.
Among the resolutions passed at the annual general meeting of the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce include that the Ontario government set aside a minimum of 26 million cubic metres of Crown fibre for industrial use each year. They want further assurances from Queen's Park that the controversial Endangered Species Act won't override current forest management planning processes.
The chambers also supported changes to the Ontario Building Code allowing the use of wood in the construction of mid-rise buildings.
To reduce uncertainty in mineral resource development, they want the province to come up with clearer definitions on the roles and obligations on duty to consult and accommodate First Nations
The delegates endorsed the expansion of power transmission capacity in the northwest, but want upgrades to some existing corridors and additional transmission stations to service Armstrong and the First Nation communities of Whitesand and Gull Bay.
They want the Ontario government to develop a plan and set aside money to four-lane the Trans-Canada Highway along the 11-17 stretch.
In one resolution, delegates gave tepid approval for northwestern Ontario being studied as a possible location for a nuclear waste repository.
The communities of Ear Falls, Ignace, Schreiber, Wawa and Nipigon have expressed varying degrees of interest in hosting an underground storage site.
On the political representation side, delegates want assurances that their voice will be heard in asking Ottawa to ensure that Northern Ontario has a minimum of 10 members of Parliament regardless of population.
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