The provincial government has issued its latest set of potential solutions for the economic recovery of northwestern Ontario in the form of a sprawling report, which ranges from forestry to governance.
“This is definitely a roadmap for the economic future of northwestern Ontario, and even for Northern Ontario as a whole, to some extent,” says Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle.
“It’s going to be a very helpful tool as we go forward.”
The document, entitled “Northwestern Ontario: Preparing for Change,” was helmed by Dr. Robert Rosehart, who was appointed as the Northwestern Ontario Economic Facilitator last spring. In his report, Rosehart included 47 recommendations derived from 120 meetings with a broad range of regional interests, including 20 meetings with First Nations leaders.
As forestry woes have taken a particular harsh toll on the northwest, the topic figures prominently in what people have come to know as the Rosehart Report. These include familiar ideas such as a major reform of the forest tenure system, where allocation of wood supply would be decided upon by a group of users and stakeholders, including First Nations.
Newer ideas are also present, such as the formation of an arm’s-length Forest Industry Secretariat within the Ministry of Natural Resources. This secretariat would act as a champion for forestry, Rosehart suggests, and could be tasked with creating a cluster similar to the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council. It would also develop and promote forest products in new markets while pursuing new value-added products.
This idea is in line with Rosehart's recommendation to establish a Northwestern Ontario Policy Institute within the region. The mandate would be to analyze local data and develop regional policy advice for the province. He also suggests the creation of a “Northern Desk” within each provincial ministry to provide regional champions.
“Some of these things, like the Northern Desk, can make a big difference without costing a lot of money,” says Rosehart, a former president of Thunder Bay’s Lakehead University. “It may take a bit of organization to make it happen, but it’s relatively low-cost and represents a pragmatic approach.”
Rosehart highlights the report’s strong focus on Aboriginal issues, and pinpoints two recommendations as having the biggest potential for long-term growth; the construction of all-weather access roads throughout the province’s Far North, and stronger provincial involvement in First Nation community schools. Given the growth of the Aboriginal population and the strong role the people stand to play in the years to come, it is crucial to provide better education and infrastruc-ture access, he says.
“These two, over the next 50 years, represent the best chance for a positive impact in the North,” Rosehart says.
Energy and mining, meanwhile, receive much quieter mentions in the report. While it addresses the potential challenges of instituting a regional energy pricing scheme, the actual recommendations instead involve the continuation of demand response and energy rebate programs. It also touches on the development of enough regional power to replace the cessation of coal-fired plants by 2014.
With regards to mineral exploration, the report recommends a major five-year geoscience and geophysical mapping initiative be pursued throughout all of Northern Ontario, under the Ontario Geological Survey division.
To help resolve some of the conflicts between First Nations and mineral exploration firms and other resource-focused companies, a “significant” regional office of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs (MAA) is suggested for Sioux Lookout or Thunder Bay. What’s more, the MAA should also create a special Relationship/Partnership Fund to help First Nations develop capacity and become better involved in future developments, the report recommends.
While the report’s subject matter spans both several large-scale issues, solutions are also offered for smaller, more specific problems.
For example, the report recommends that the province work with the Thunder Bay Economic Development Corporation to develop a one- to three-year plan to bring new economic opportunities to the city. It also includes suggestions for the Ministry of Research and Innovation to provide mentorship to Thunder Bay’s Bombardier plant to help pinpoint new research initiatives and funding partnerships.
The document has already had some impact, with some of its recommendations having been implemented in the recently announced provincial budget. These include the acceleration of business education tax rate cuts in the North, bringing the tax cuts announced in last year’s budget into effect in three years, rather than seven.
Gravelle says the report’s encouragement of further four-laning provincial highways also factored into the government’s decision to increase funding for the Northern Ontario Highways Program from $468 million to $557 million.
The document will have a lasting impact, Gravelle says. His ministerial team will meet in the coming weeks to determine which recommendations are feasible through short-, medium- and long-term approaches.
He also anticipates using the report as a tool in the development of the Northern Ontario Growth Plan, an initiative announced by the province last year which will map out long-term strategies for the region.
“As the minister, I recognize that I have to drive this,” he says. “I believe the premier expects it of me, and I expect it from myself.”
