Fedeli fires back at Bartolucci

Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli wrote the following open letter in response to recent news release by Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci:

"Northerners who read Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci’s sad attempt to disguise his bungled efforts regarding his planned fire sale of the ONTC (“Bartolucci challenges northern MPPs on ONTC facts” — published by BayToday on July 19, 2012) surely share my disappointment with his comments.

I seem to be correcting the minister on a lot of facts surrounding the ONTC these days, so allow me to correct him on a couple more.

First, he stated at no time did I ask him to stop divestment of the ONTC during our meetings.

The minister fails to mention that at the outset of each meeting he stated that if I was there to talk about not divesting, then the meeting was over.

It’s hardly the way to encourage an open dialogue — but as we’ve seen in recent months, Minister Bartolucci isn’t interested in engaging Northerners at all.

Second, the minister states I have not questioned him at Queen’s Park about the decision.

That is false.

I have submitted several written Order Paper Questions to the minister, through the clerk, in the Legislature.

Asking questions of this minister during Question Period is a waste of time, as anyone who has ever watched will attest.

My Order Paper Question route is the way to go as the minister is required to submit his answers in writing.

As a result of asking those questions through the Legislature, I have proven there are no savings to be had from the minister’s ONTC fire sale, and it’s clear the minister really has no plan to proceed and is improvising Northern policy on the fly.

Unlike Mr. Bartolucci, my party and I have taken the time to go to Northern communities and listen to the concerns and needs of the stakeholders.

Sadly, he and Premier Dalton McGuinty pander to the lowest common denominator — they lie and deceive because people in this day and age expect politicians to do just that.

They exploit that belief.

And they’re happy to use the 1,000 workers at Ontario Northland as pawns to create political strife in

Northern Ontario, which does in fact, extend outside Sudbury.

Northerners deserve better than this minister and better than this government."