Skip to content

Dr. David Robinson

You probably don’t exist

You probably think you live in Northern Ontario. According to Statistics Canada there is no Northern Ontario, just Ontario. If you are attached to your identity as a citizen of Northern Ontario, you don’t exist.

Growth Plan better than it looks

There is little enthusiasm for the so-called Northern Growth Plan. Public comments are lukewarm.

Why the North doesn’t change.

The straw that breaks the camel's back is always a surprise. It is always a surprise when the worm turns. It was a surprise when a popular insurrection began in Egypt, even though we all knew that change had to come some day.

Elect me!

I am very pleased to accept the nomination for the position of First Minister for our new regional government. As first minister I will serve the people of Northern Ontario faithfully and, I hope, long.

The social capital of the North

Where would you go to find the social capital of the North? That depends on whether you are looking for a party or looking for the resources to make the North a better place to live. “Social Capital” is the Moby Dick of the social sciences.

Socialism in action?

Look at the kids you see on the street. They are your pension plan. Maybe you will be looking at one of my kids. My wife and I have made a huge investment in them. We home-schooled them, we took them to lessons, we helped them through university.

Good for the gander, good for the goose

Are you old enough to remember Van Morrison’s “Days Like This”? The song has a wonderful line about days when “all the parts of the puzzle start to look like they fit.

Let's help the South find itself

Northern Ontario would do much better if southern Ontario understood itself. We in the North need to help the south with its midlife crisis so the south can finally loosen the apron strings and let us develop.

Northern Ontario as a pop can

Single-industry towns only exist to supply an outside market. The U.S. Navy wants nickel? Build a nickel town. Chicago needs pine to rebuild after the Great Fire? Build logging towns.

When good people say bad things

I genuinely like politicians. The ones I know are all smart people with good people skills. Some of them even buy me lunch. It bothers me when a politician I like pushes a policy that I know is dumb.