NOMA conference starts; Leaders get to work despite weather keeping delegates, premiere away

he Northern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) annual conference got started at the Victoria Inn Wednesday, despite bad weather and low attendance. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who was scheduled to attend for a question and answer session, missed the event due to a flight cancellation.

Wynne is expected to address the gathering via video conference on Friday.

The late-season freezing rain and ice pellet storm that affected Wynne’s travel plans also caused other flights to be cancelled, keeping many NOMA guests from arriving for the conference on Wednesday.

Mother Nature changed all that,” said Kenora Mayor David Canfield, who is NOMA’s president. “Nobody is moving.”

The premier was provided with a courtesy list of questions that she was going to be asked at the conference. Canfield said those questions included forestry - which is one of the “big ones” now that the U.S. has imposed new softwood lumber tariffs.

“Forestry is our only renewable resource,” Canfield said. “It’s a huge part of Northwestern Ontario’s economy, and with all the fights that we had - with the misinformation campaigns from environmental groups . . . . and now this (tariffs) hits them with the softwood lumber - it sort of goes from bad to worse.”

He said they will ask Wynne about some of the mitigation actions that the government is considering to help forestry.

The topic of energy was another big concern. Canfield said their energy task force volunteers have been working hard to ensure the region can power opportunities as they arise.

“Consistently we have had disagreements with the electrical authority and we have consistently proven them wrong,” he said. “We have a lot of opportunities coming up in the near future with mining . . . which seems to be picking up again, and how do we supply these people with the power they need?”

He said the question to the premier is “will you have the infrastructure in place and will the energy be there for these companies so that they can get going?”

This year’s conference is focused on improving ties between municipalities, businesses and First Nations. Canfield said they have seen some success stories in this area.

“The Seven Generation Education Facility in Kenora and Confederation College are getting people educated and up to speed on where they have to be to enter the workforce,” he said. “At Kenora Forest Products, I believe, over half of their workforce is First Nations.”

He said they are seeing some real positive movements and changes but it all boils down to leadership from all sides.

“It’s about us stepping forward as leaders, the First Nation leaders stepping forward as leaders for their people, and working together as leaders to make sure that everything is going to benefit all of our people,” said Canfield. “I think we are well on the way but we have a long way to go.”

He added that the truth and reconciliation theme of the conference is a sign that “NOMA’s at the plate.”

As for the Ring of Fire mining area, Canfield said NOMA’s perspective is that northern communities need to be connected. He referred to a study by the Northern Policy Institute, that explored why so many of the First Nation communities in northeastern Ontario were doing better than those in Northwestern Ontario.

“These (northeastern Ontario communities) are connected,” said Canfield. “They have roads and they have infrastructure that allows them more opportunities. I think that the provincial and federal governments have to concentrate on connecting (remote) communities.”

Canfield said the Ring of Fire will come naturally when the commodity prices and needs are there.

“If you already have the infrastructure in place, it will happen and it will happen immediately,” he said. “Without the infrastructure in place, it’s nothing. We told the opposition party to stop talking about the Ring of Fire and start connecting the communities.”