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GCA responds to Bartolucci's letter

ONTC General Chairperson’s Association News Release ******************** The GCA would like to respond to Minister Bartolucci's recent letter to the editor in your paper about the ONTC.
ONTC General Chairperson’s Association
News Release

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The GCA would like to respond to Minister Bartolucci's recent letter to the editor in your paper about the ONTC.

In this article the Minister spoke of his government's support of the ONTC in comparison to the other 2 Ontario Political parties and sites his government' record of financial support. First off Minister Bartolucci forgets to remind people that his party and the PC's have something in common they both support the fire sale of Ontario Northland. Minister Bartolucci then goes about to chastise NDP Leader Andrea Horwath for her admission that she did not want to spark an election over a "regional issue' (ONTC). But he forgets to state his government was willing to go to the polls over this one issue. In our opinion this shows the Minister and his government's disdain for Northerners and Northern issues is so great that his party would risk an election over the ONTC instead of finding a solution.



If the "regional issue" Ms. Horwath was defending was in Kitchener, London, Windsor, Ottawa or Toronto, we wonder if his government would have had the same approach? Probably not.



Minister Bartoliucci then tries to highlight his government's financial commitment to the ONTC as well as his Governments supposed search for solutions to the ONTC file.



Minister Bartolucci's ONTC numbers includes pension solvency costs, cost to acquire Sault PUC, Polar Bear Express coach refurbishment and other capital cost to maintain and build rail and telecommunication infrastructures. In his financial numbers Minister Bartolucci evens added the cost of paying off a line a credit the ONTC had to take out to purchase new rail freight locomotives. Unlike southern Ontario's GO Transit where the Premier gladly holds a photo op to demonstrate his government commitment to Toronto by paying for new GO Transit locomotives the North's rail infrastructure had to borrow money to secure the same type of equipment. The McGuinty Government seems to have a double standard when dealing with Ontarians, in the south the government will give GO Transit the money for the purchase of Rail equipment but in the North for the same equipment requirements the ONTC has to borrow the money.



As well Minister Bartolucci again fails to recall that in 2003 the Unions at Ontario Northland spelled out in great detail what needed to be done to restructure and make the ONTC a more efficient business. The Minister's response was to thank us for our suggestions, then returned to his office in Toronto and continued to run the ONTC in the same fashion his government now finds so offensive. Ultimately the Minister and his Government were responsible for the way the ONTC was ran and if they were unhappy in the way it was being managed then you would think that they would have done something about it. But no they didn't. Ultimately Minister Bartolucci and his Government are responsible for the poor "Business Model" as he calls it at Ontario Northland.



The Minister continues to get the facts wrong as well on Passenger train ridership at the ONTC both the Polar Bear Express and the Northlander passenger ridership were up. The Minister should be aware of a report which states that our ridership is better than that of VIA. The Muskoka region was crying for enhanced Northlander passenger train service not no service. This on equipment his government would not upgrade nor modernize. Just think what the ridership would be with a real investment in equipment for both the Polar Bear Express and Northlander passenger train. People will recall that during last summer's Metrolinx debacle in which the McGuinty Government approved a 127 GO Transit Passenger Coach Refurbishment contract to a Montreal based firm instead of Ontario Northland it allocated $10 Million to refurbish the 50 year old Polar Bear Express Passenger train equipment. They said this showed their commitment to the ONTC and the North. That money was not spent and had to be returned to the Mr. Bartolucci's Ministry at its insistence after the coaches were found to be structurally unsound. The ONTC asked the Ministry to be allowed to use that $10 Million to purchase newer equipment to be refurbished in the North Bay shop facilities of Ontario Northland. But that request was refused. Some commitment.



The Minister continues to spew the $400 a person cost to move people on the Northlander. As the Union stated in April if we had a real, integrated and comprehensive rail passenger service in the province through an Agency like Metrolinx which runs GO Transit. When the riders and cost of moving people on the Northlander were included with GO Transit's, the cost of moving a passenger by rail for the Ontario Government would be $5.23 per person, a hell of a deal. But the Minister who is supposed to represent the North continues to play the McGuinty politics of division. He tries to compare a service in the greater Toronto area to the Northlander service in the northeast of the province, the demographics, distance and geography are completely different. But the need for the service is not. Why is the McGuinty government treating northerners different than southerners? Why is it an investment in the south and in the north it is called a subsidy?



Minister Bartlucci's government now tries to purport that the fire sale of Ontario Northland is in the best interest of the North. He states this after his government made the divestiture announcement without prior consultation with stakeholders, communities, customers and employees.



He then purports that this divestment will be done in a fair, open and transparent fashion. If that is the case then why did Minister Bartolucci's deputy Minister deny the GCA access through a freedom of information request for the mandate and directive of the new Bartolucci appointed ONTC transition board? Minister if you have nothing to hide why deny the GCA access to this vital piece of information. Is it because the North will finally be able to see that the fire sale of Ontario Northland is just that a fire sale. No commitment to services, communities or to jobs.



Minister Bartolucci enough is enough quit playing politics. If you truly care about the north you should resign your portfolio and join with the rest of the North in opposition to your government's total abandonment of the North.

Brian Kelly
GCA Spokesperson

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