Will the Tories please the North?

AMONG the theories floating around after this week’s election is that, besides a split between left and right and another between Quebec and the rest of Canada, the results suggest a form of class distinction between urban and rural Canada.
One such example is Ontario where much of the south, including wealthy Toronto and its suburbs and the burgeoning technology centres, voted Conservative while the North mostly picked the NDP.
A superbly tailored Tory campaign convinced economically-conservative minded voters to choose the offer of stability while large sections of the have-not hinterlands opted to register their disapproval of Conservative and Liberal approaches by supporting the social democratic message of Jack Layton and the NDP.
If this split is valid, there are circumstances that will tend to blunt it.
First, the Conservative candidates in three of the four Northwest ridings came second with Tory Greg Rickford easily retaining Kenora. In the northeast, Jay Aspin just won Nipissing-Temiskaming and Bryan Hayes took Sault Ste. Marie, both for the Conservatives.
Stephen Harper is nothing if not rewarding of support and he will have noticed that a traditionally Liberal region sent Liberals packing to mostly third-place finishes.
Second, Harper is anxious to encourage economic activity and the North’s Ring of Fire mining development is just the sort of success story he admires and will want to brand Tory blue........

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It could be that the Federal election delayed things a bit and or Harper now wants to Brand Ring of Fire Tory Blue.

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From Daily Commercial News

May 5, 2011

Infrastructure Ontario holds consultation on 10-year plan

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

Ontario’s 10-year infrastructure plan

is weeks away from being unveiled and it will be a blueprint that responds to the needs of all stakeholders involved, says the province’s infrastructure minister.

“We have been listening and held broad consultation across the province,” explained Bob Chiarelli, Ontario infrastructure minister. “We have had a revolving door of stakeholders come through our boardroom, sharing their thoughts and ideas on infrastructure, funding and relationships. We have listened very carefully.”

Chiarelli recently spoke with the Daily Commercial News to provide an update on the plan that will involve an estimated $60 billion in funding. The plan is expected to tackle Ontario’s infrastructure deficit through a comprehensive, dedicated strategy. “We have also had some significant internal consultations and roundtables with each ministry that performs significant capital spending such as health care, education and transportation,” said Chiarelli. “They were required to make 10-year plans and we used those as a basis for moving forward. We combined all the 10-year plans and negotiated, discussed and refined them.”

Chiarelli said some “common themes” became evident through the external and internal consultations. “The most significant one, particularly from the municipal sector which is very infrastructure intensive, is the whole issue of predictability and sustainability. They need a partner in government to provide signposts for 10 years as to what will be available, what we are looking for in requirements.”

The size of the funding commitment attached to the plan is a question raised by many interested stakeholders, including the construction industry, Chiarelli acknowledges. He noted that the plan’s funding will be subject to economic circumstance — if there is another recession, it will be scaled back and if there is a high level of growth, it can be expanded. The aim is to keep it as high as possible.

“The ministry of infrastructure is somewhat like the ministry of finance, but for capital. We have a lot of input on what the spending envelope will be in each year. The envelope has not yet been determined, but we will know within the next four to six weeks,” said Chiarelli. “It will be a very healthy signpost, indicating the funding envelope target.

The commitment by the recently re-elected Conservative government to develop a long-term federal public infrastructure plan after 2014 is encouraging, said Chiarelli. “What has come through loudly and clearly from all stakeholder groups is that Canada-wide we have a serious infrastructure deficit and most of it at the municipal level. Collectively, the federal, provincial and municipal governments have not made a significant dent in that. One of the things we are calling for, and probably calling for it officially in the plan, is that we in effect almost institutionalize that partnership with those levels of government so, that for the first time in 40 years, we will actually make a dent in the infrastructure deficit.”

There has been significant dialogue with respect to regulatory requirements and approvals within the plan, added Chiarelli. “There have been some significant concerns registered by the development community and contractors in terms of certificates of approvals and environmental issues that take too long,” he said.

“Generally a lot of concern in the construction industry about the need to meet environmental concerns is the time it involves and the process. We are working to tighten that up. It is also a concern to us. We realize there has to be a shorter time frame and we have to be more efficient and have more efficient tools from the start of a project to finishing one.”

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http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=1933462740

In this video clip previously posted, Michael Gravelle, mentions a meeting in June with First nations, Gov't, mining companies to discuss the ROF corridor issues.