Move decision-making North: Horwath

Posted By Brian Kelly, The Sault Star

Posted 11 hours ago

Business leaders, academics and politicians will be invited by Ontario's NDP to several economic summits in Northern communities.

Leader Andrea Horwath wants participants at the upcoming thinktanks to consider how Northern residents can have more say in political decisions affecting their communities.

"The way things are right now, it's simply not working for Northern Ontario," Horwath told reporters after speaking to the party's Northern council Saturday at Days Inn in Sault Ste. Marie.

"Let's start putting some plans in place that would shift the way that things are happening now so that we can get stronger Northern Ontario action and stronger Northern Ontario capacity to be be able to make their own decisions."

Three to four such gatherings will be held over the next three months.

The Liberal government, Horwath said, is hurting the North's economy because of industrial hydro rates that are higher than neighbouring Manitoba and Quebec and the closure of major employers, such as Kidd Creek Metallurgical site, in Timmins.

In its 2010 budget announced in March, the Liberals created a three-year northern industrial electricity rate with a goal to trim power prices by 25 per cent for large industrial users.

The move is "too little . . . too late" over too short a timeframe, said Horwath.

"Three years will get them over the next election, but it's certainly not going to create the kind of stability and pricing over the long-term that business is going to want to see."