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Enjoy the summer because fall will be busy — President's Pen Column

By ROBERT REID

Posted 5 hours ago

The summer is in full bloom and many people are enjoying the warm sunny weather. Hopefully the business community can also enjoy the summer, as the fall is sure to provide some very interesting challenges for every business in Northern Ontario. We will be facing a Provincial election in October and the implementation of the Northern Ontario Growth Plan is progressing slowly.

The Liberals' energy policies are going to be a key election issue. I should state my conflict up front since my real job is providing engineering and consulting services to the energy industry, but I believe there is more than enough evidence to show that the energy sector has grown significantly in Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding area over the past two years. While I won't state any personal preference, the uncertainty created by the election has already had a negative impact on energy sector projects and this will be a hotly debated issue during the campaign.

I have been reminded on several occasions of late that private sector economic development only occurs when the investment community feels there is a supportive environment in which to place their capital. If they are nervous, the money will go somewhere else. We are seeing this in the energy sector and we will see it in other sectors as well if we do not collectively prepare the infrastructure and human resources required to attract major investments. At a recent Northern Advisory Committee meeting it was put very well -- "we need to collaborate locally so we can compete globally".

I my 21 years of living and working inn Northern Ontario, I have seen few opportunities for real growth like these two that are currently being pursued.

From Sault Ste. Marie's perspective, the deep water harbour proposal being supported by the Sault's city council and staff, the Chamber of Commerce and several key industrial stakeholders (Essar Steel Algoma and Tenaris -Algoma Tubes, to name but two) is the type of development with the potential to bring significant growth to the Algoma district.

A new deep water harbour in Sault Ste. Marie is a true multi-modal transportation project that will provide a means for increased industrial capacity, increased jobs and increased economic benefits that could have a profound impact on Sault Ste. Marie's population and therefore the economic base of the City. However, this will not come without considerable effort. Building on our community's recent success with the Huron Central rail issue, a committee has been struck and an excellent group of community leaders has been organized to pursue this project. This task will require support from all levels of government and the private sector. All of these entities are engaged and working towards a common goal. A multi-modal transportation system was identified as a key infrastructure element in the Growth Plan, so this project should proceed with the full support of the Province.

The "Ring of Fire" mineral development, in the James Bay lowlands, has huge growth potential for many of the communities within Northern Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie included. From Wikipedia, "The Ring of Fire is the name given to an area of muskeg swamps in the James Bay Lowlands located in Northern Ontario, Canada, which is currently home to a major mining exploration project. The region is centered on McFaulds Lake in the Kenora District, approximately 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, about 70 km east of Webequie and due west of the Victor Diamond Mine which is near the Attawapiskat River west of James Bay."

This is the largest mineral discovery of this generation and is being compared to the Sudbury Basin and the Timmins/ Kirkland Lake gold camps for its impact as a long -erm mining development. This is a great example of the private sector having choice and if we're not careful, the majority of the economic benefit will leave Ontario. This needs a truly Northern Ontario solution and it would seem to me that this is exactly the type of issue that the Northern Advisory Committee should champion to ensure we get a coordinated effort.

The business community is global in nature and both of these developments will only happen if the associated business partners see a positive environment for investment. We need to continue to develop these opportunities and not wait for the Growth Plan to be implemented. We can't miss an opportunity of this magnitude because some are too slow to move.

I believe it was the great football coach, Vince Lombardi, who said: "We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible." A robust, economically independent, thriving Northern Ontario is not an impossible result -- we just need to believe!

Please make sure to check the Chamber's website or your SSM Chamber of Commerce monthly mailings for the dates of our events and our advocacy priorities. The Chamber office can be reached at 705-949-7152 or through our website at www.ssmcoc.com.