Dr. David Robinson

This is not a trick question. What is the job of the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry (MNDMF)? The name of the ministry seems to say that it is responsible for three things. The first one is northern development.

The Growth Plan for Northern Ontario is based on a simple prediction. The majority of communities in Northern Ontario will continue to decline.

The year 1990 was the high point in development planning for the North. The most dramatic and successful initiatives came from a southerner, David Peterson. Peterson was elected in 1985.

How many teachers in Northern Ontario tell their students that the name of the region is spelled with a capital "N?" It isn't a trivial question. If teachers think "northern Ontario" is the correct spelling they are giving their students a signal.

Dear Michael Gravelle: Just having our own Facebook page doesn't magically turn old fogies like us into citizens of the 21st century. We have to learn to think like natives of the information age. And you and I are not doing too well, Michael.

It can’t be an accident that no one likes the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario. It took a lot of work to produce a document with so little content. The major result seems to be that more and more Northerners are talking about seceding from Ontario.

  Here in Ontario's Twilight Zone, words have strange meanings, plans are not plans, empty talk is bold action, growth is declining population.

Northern Ontario's forestry tenure system is broken. The province has finally admitted the fact and is reviewing the entire system. It is time for new leadership. That's why I nominate Elinor Ostrom for premier of Northern Ontario.

A “dark horse' is a horse that wins when the experts don’t think it is even in the running. Northern Ontario has a dark horse in a race that is not getting enough attention. The horse is called Community Forestry.

What would you think if someone told you that pensions encourage people to live too long? It sounds like a line from the popular British comedy series, “Yes, Prime Minister.