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Dr. David Robinson

New forest framework: Roller skates for dinosaurs?

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.

Lost in the woods

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

This column is a Trojan Horse

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.
The Capital 'N' and the Great Eraser

The Capital 'N' and the Great Eraser

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.

From one fossil to another: put the kids in charge

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.
Warming up the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario

Warming up the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario

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.
Northern Growth Plan: stuck in the twilight zone

Northern Growth Plan: stuck in the twilight zone

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

Vote Elinor Ostrom for premier

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.
Dark horses and tenure reform

Dark horses and tenure reform

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.

Please Mr. Tax Man, let me sin no more

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.