KATHLEEN WYNNE

TIMMINS - Premier Kathleen Wynne says her government is open to other options surrounding the sell-off of the ONTC. She said it is important to listen to industry, municipalities and other stakeholders before a final decision is made.

During a phone interview Thursday with The Daily Press, Wynne said her government is listening to all stakeholders regarding the privatization of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. She said this is one of the reasons a special stakeholders committee was struck with Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle at the table.

“The minister is in conversation with all of that right now. He has said quite distinctly that complete divestiture is not the only option,” Wynne said. “We need to take a step back and work with those community voices.

“One of my concerns when I was Minister of Community Affairs and Housing, when I attended the FONOM (Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities) conference a couple of years ago, I was very concerned there was not local voices in the whole discussions around the ONTC and so we’ve changed that. So that’s the work the minister is doing right now with his advisory group.”

The Premier explained the government must look at the big picture before any more parts of the ONTC are let go.

“For me, this goes back to understanding the different parts of the North,” she said. “I want to see an integrated transportation strategy for the whole North, not just the Northeast, not just the Northwest, but understanding how all that works and how the North and Central and Southern Ontario are connected. I think we need a much better context for this discussion and that is what Minister Gravelle is doing.”

She realizes that freight rail is tied to future economic growth in the region.

“Freight rail is one of the things I’m really concerned about,” Wynne explained. “Tom Laughren, your mayor, raised this with me when I met with him during the (Liberal) leadership.

“If we are truly interested in economic growth in the North, and we are, we have to understand that freight rail is an integral part of that. That’s one of the pieces that I know Minister Gravelle is very actively engaged in.”

Wynne also discussed other issues specific to Northern Ontario.

A key issue surrounding economic growth is wood allocation for the Abitibi River Forest. Recently, the Ministry of Natural resources approved a five-year plan to allow lumber harvesting to continue, despite concerns under the Endangered Species Act to preserve caribou habitat. Northern leaders were concerned a ban or cutback on wood harvesting will cost thousands of jobs in the region.

“My understanding from my team is that the planned harvest levels are anticipated to provide sufficient volume for the needs of the consuming mills and that should minimize the economic impact,” Wynne said. “The plan was completed on schedule, approved by MNR and now is being fully implemented at this point.

“For long-term management direction, we will do a review of the 2022 plan and then we’ll put any changes needed into the 2014 caribou conservation plan. I think we’re on track on that.”

With the U.S. housing market expected to recover in 2014, she said Ontario must be in position to take advantage of the opportunity.

“We need a viable forestry industry in the long term,” she said. “We need that because I think there is a market. I think we are capable of meeting these market demands. I’m optimistic about the forestry industry. We need to see this as a huge opportunity and get our act together to take part.”

Management of the black bear population is always a hot-button issue in Queen’s Park. After Premier Mike Harris cancelled the spring bear hunt in 1999, the population of bruins has grown substantially. Last year, the responsibility to answer nuisance bear calls was taken from the Ministry of Natural Resources and given to police.

She said there are no immediate plans to bring back the spring hunt or transfer bear calls back to the MNR.

“I’ll be honest with you, there isn’t any consideration (for the hunt) at this point,” Wynne said. “But I will tell you that the bear hunt issue is something that has come up repeatedly. It is something I know that the Minister of Natural Resources knows so much about. It is something we have to continue to talk about.

“MNR has resources to deal with this and we are going to continue to work with municipalities. But it will stay where it is at this point.”