Council petitions province for ONTC, provincial parks

North Bay City Council announced this week they would be once again taking their concerns over the lack of investment and foresight into the region to Southern Ontario.

Spearheaded by Councillor Mac Bain, a social media campaign is being created to inform the public about the poor management and treatment of this area of the province was announced.

“We've had enough,” Bain says.

Bain, citing the province with over 90 percent of its voting power in Southern Ontario, says everyone needs to know about what has been going on to the infrastructure with the Ontario government in the North Bay and region.

The petitions, which can be found at the front desk of City Hall, deals with many specific issues, including the ONTC divestment and its lack of direct communication from the province.

“The fact is that they haven't adequately dealt with the municipalities that are being affected by the divestment,” says Bain.

There is also a second petition regarding the closure of nine provincial parks in Northern Ontario, a move, Bain says, was made without proper consultation with the affected communities prior to the announcement.

“So, we're asking the Minister of Northern Development and Mines to have conversations with the affected communities,” says Bain.

This task is now further complicated as Ontario's legislature is now closed and public opinion of the current government is of less concern now that Queen's Park won't be operating again until February.

Many feel perhaps McGuinty's resignation was in part due to the pressure the region placed after seeing its infrastructure and century old train system axed by the Ontario Government.

Now more than ever, it's important that the concerns of the ONTC get heard and hopefully re-examined as the new government reforms itself in the near future, perhaps through election.

For the time being, the concern that the North and North Bay is being ignored by the provincial government is even more important as people and parties reform exactly whom and what political stripes forms the provincial powers.

“We think that the petitions are a worthwhile endeavor to let the Province know that we're not happy with their decisions,” Bain says.