The fight to have Metrolinx withdraw the Go Refurbishment Contract from Quebec’s Canadian Allied Diesel (CAD) is far from over. The ground swell of support from municipal councils, chambers of commerce and unions up and down the north eastern corridor continues to grow.
Today at North Bay City Hall mayor Al McDonald, with the full backing of city council, told over a hundred ONTC employees and city leaders that he is asking the tough questions and leaving no stone unturned. Once again he called on Premier Dalton McGuinty to intervene and do right by the men and women of the ONTC and for the tax payers of Ontario.
“The ONTC is an important employer not just in North Bay but all northeastern Ontario. Significant groups are now united to overturn this flawed process,” he said in his speech .
“Everyone has expressed concerns as to accountability for this contract and its process. Just about every Mayor and Council in Northeastern Ontario, almost every town, city and economic groups including regional Chamber of Commerce organizations, economic development corporations have passed or now are passing resolutions against the awarding of this contract.”
“We are all expressing grave concerns as to the creditability of the process of the awarding of this contract by a crown corporation.”
“We have heard from the public and they are at a complete loss at the blatant disregard for Ontario taxpayers and the government’s own disregard for its citizens in Northeastern Ontario. How can 500,000 people be wrong?”
McDonald went on to tell the hundred plus ONTC staff who took an unpaid hour off and turned out to City Hall that the city stands with, beside and behind the ONTC with unwavering support.
“We claw and scratch to find jobs, business and industry to create opportunities for our citizens to succeed every single day. The government with one stroke of the pen wipes out 100’s. We have sent letters, resolutions and left messages for the Premier, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. We have only heard back from Minister Gravelle and Minister Smith.”
“Today we question this flawed process and seek answers to our questions. We would publicly like to share these questions and hopefully get answers.”
Echoing the mayor’s concerns was North Bay and Area Chamber of Commerce Vice President Derek Shogren. He says he wanted to take the opportunity to tell the workers that they are not alone and that this decision impacts everyone in the community.
At the same time Shogren said he is fed up with this government pushing the blame onto arms-length agencies for bad decisions.
“The province needs to keep jobs in the province.”
“And you get tired of hearing about again these arms-length agencies and the tender process was fair and these different things to basically let the province off the hook. It’s time for them to step up and keep these jobs in North Bay and northern Ontario.”
Meanwhile CAW Local 103 Vice President Andy Mitchell told the crowd that he has filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get gather all documentation to get to the bottom of what has gone on in the process of awarding this contract.
He says the whole thing stinks and with no contact from the premier’s office to this point he is holding out hope that they have heard the call from northern Ontario and is reviewing the issue now.
“I don’t know how to take it,” says Mitchell.
“Do you take it as a positive that they’re debating the issue … cause I know Monique was supposed to get back to me too and she hasn’t. And (if) they weren’t going to change the decision you’d think they’d call you back right away.”
“Or are they hiding and hopefully it is not the later. Hopefully they’re going to pull up their socks and say listen this does stink.”
“With all these inconsistencies going on and with this sale of CAD and when we find out the people on the Metrolinx board requested to have an onsite visit at CAD before they awarded and they were overruled it stinks.”
Mitchell says if they stand a chance on getting this award overturned it will take everyone getting behind the movement and that means the public not just sending letters to the Premier’s Office, but also turning up the heat by calling all MPPs offices and have family and friends doing the exact same thing.
Shop representative Pierre Boileau says the morale of staff has moved from despair to fight back mode. He says the fact that the community and all of northern Ontario rallying behind the workers is fuelling their fire to take on the government.
“This gives us hope,” he says.
“That we have the backing of the community it gives us hope and strength and unity and hopefully we can change the government’s decision.”
Boileau says if he had McGuinty’s ear he would tell him to answer the letters and calls in regard to this issue.
“This is a Liberal community and if he wants his votes he better step up to the plate.”
Meanwhile, former North Bay mayor and provincial Conservative candidate Vic Fedeli says he doesn’t feel this will be an election issue as this is an issue that needs to be fixed immediately and October is a long way off.
“This needs to be fixed right now,” he says.
“Metrolinx is the Ontario Northland of the south they run the rails they run the buses in southern Ontario, Ontario Northland runs it in the north, they’re sister companies, they’re both owned by the province of Ontario they’re paid by the same tax payer -- this is a decision in my opinion that the Premier could snap his fingers today and say enough let’s just fix this.”
“And not because we need to be patted on the head, that we’re good guys in northern Ontario not for that reason, but for the reason that the net cost to the province is about $6-million to send these jobs to Quebec.”
