New minister for Northern Ontario visits

He’s not making any promises, but Joe Comuzzi says North Bay’s application for a federal grant to help with the water filtration plant is being re-visited.

Comuzzi, the Minister of State for Northern Ontario, was in the city Monday visiting the local FedNor office.

He also met with Mayor Vic Fedeli, deputy mayor Peter Chirico and city administrator Dave Linkie to talk about funding for the filtration plant.

“The application is in and it’s going to be looked at again,” Comuzzi said.

“I can’t commit, but I think it’s going to receive high priority.”

There were no cheques to deliver this visit, his first to North Bay as minister, but Comuzzi, the MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, said he was on a fact-finding mission more than anything else.

“There are so many issues of consequence that affect North Bay and that’s what we talked about,” Comuzzi said.

“Things like the water and sewage issue, the health issue with the hospital and the sewer line that has to be brought up, which is infrastructure, some additional funding for heath care, and the children’s treatment centre, the waterfront, all of those issues.”

Comuzzi was also asked about the loss of the Timiskaming-Cochrane federal riding, which will be merged with Nipissing.

He said he didn’t “feel good about it” and wants to know if Northern Ontario’s declining population had anything to do with the loss of the riding.

“If so we have to find out why we have a decreasing population and how we can keep our people here. I think that’s first and foremost,” Comuzzi said.

“The reality is we don’t have the population at this particular time. Whether it’s because it’s decreasing in the north or increasing in the south, well I haven’t seen the facts to substantiate one or the other, but I still don’t feel very good about it.”

____________________________________________________________

PHOTO Joe Comuzzi, Minister of State for Northern Ontario, visited North Bay Monday to talk to local politicians and stop in at the local FedNor office.
Photo by Phil Novak