With the Ontario PC policy convention one month away, Leader Patrick Brown promises that only Northern Ontario members can debate and vote on a number of regional specific policy resolutions.
“Ontario is a diverse province, but there is no region more unique than the North," Brown says in a news release. "That’s why I strongly believe that Northern Ontarians should have the final say on some of the major issues specific to the region,” said Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown.
There are 139 resolutions to be voted upon by party members, with 10 dedicated to Northern issues. This is the only region or group with special voting privileges in the policy convention.
“From boosting broadband access to improving local infrastructure, the north has challenges that unique to the rest of Ontario. I’ve always said that this great region and its people have incredible potential. I hope that this will be one step forward towards realizing it.”
List of Northern policy resolutions:
- R130. PC Party policy is to encourage farming in Northern Ontario by making crown land available, ensuring a fair and transparent process for applying to purchase crown land, and having staff in Northern Ontario dedicated to identifying the owners of privately held land that could be appropriate for farming (Sponsored by the Northern Affairs PAC with input from the Thunder Bay–Atikokan Ontario PC Riding Association).
- R131. PC Party policy is to find ways to encourage improved broadband access in Northern Ontario (Sponsored by the Northern Affairs PAC).
- R132. PC Party policy is to boost investment in Northern infrastructure and coordinate infrastructure planning with mining, Indigenous and northern interests (Sponsored by the Northern Affairs PAC with input from the Thunder Bay-Atikokan Ontario PC Riding Association).
- R133. The PC Party recognizes that Northern Ontario is very different from Southern Ontario and as such Ontario PC Party’s policy is to create a Northern panel to review legislation and policies affecting the North through a Northern lens (Sponsored by the Northern Affairs PAC with input from the Thunder Bay– Atikokan Ontario PC Riding Association).
- R134. The Ontario PC Party understands the importance of reliable public transportation among Northern communities and between Northern and Southern Ontario. PC Party policy is to immediately work with Northern rail experts to develop a plan to return a viable passenger rail system to the North (Sponsored by the Northern Affairs PAC).
- R135. PC Party policy is to work to economically empower First Nations and Métis communities, and promote economic development in the North. A PC Government will work with Indigenous communities to promote resource development in an environmentally sustainable manner and encourage partnerships between resource development companies and local Indigenous communities to ensure that communities benefit from any resource extraction (Sponsored by the Indigenous Affairs PAC with input from the Thunder Bay-Atikokan Ontario PC Riding Association).
- R136. PC Party policy is to work with Northern and Indigenous communities, to pursue agreement on a Resource Revenue Sharing (RRS) framework that will bring certainty to negotiations between Indigenous groups and resource/mining companies and benefit everyone involved (Sponsored by the Northern Affairs PAC with input from the Thunder Bay-Atikokan Ontario PC Riding Association).
- R137. PC Party policy is to work to expand all-season roads to remote communities in Northern Ontario (Sponsored by the Indigenous Affairs PAC)
- R138. PC Party Policy is to create an Ontario tourism strategy that encourages outdoor recreation and tourism, especially in Northern Ontario by ensuring resource access roads and trails remain open to the public (Sponsored by the Natural Resources PAC).
- R139. PC Party policy is not to bring in any more Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) policies that will have to be executed at the municipal level without providing resources to help municipalities comply with the policies (Sponsored by the Natural Resources PAC).
