Regional, provincial leaders face off at NOMA Thursday

THUNDER BAY – Kenora's Mayor said Ontario is not a one-size-fits-all province, which is why it’s imperative for regional community leaders to get valuable one-one-one face time with senior government officials at this week’s Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association’s annual general meeting.

It’s also a chance for the region to speak as a united voice.

“I think the most interesting thing about it is we’re really not divided, even though we have different issues,” said Dave Canfield, NOMA’s long-serving president.

“Let’s face it, NOMA covers two-thirds of Ontario’s land mass, so there are some different issues around, but we have a way of pulling that together and working that together, more as a collective group.”

Canfield said he expects a number of issues to be pushed to the forefront during the two-day event, scheduled to start Thursday at the Victoria Inn.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Conservative Opposition Leader Patrick Brown are both scheduled to speak on Day 1, and all three regional MPs are expected to be in attendance, including Minister for Status of Women Patty Hajdu.

Canfield said the group plans to stress to the province the importance of subsidized bus service between Northern Ontario communities.

“What we’re looking at is supplying a service that’s so desperately needed in Northwestern Ontario, that we don’t have a subsidized ground transportation that everyone else enjoys,” Canfield said.

Other topics expected to get plenty of play include rising energy costs and the controversial Municipal Property Assessment Corporation’s decision to allow industrial outfits in the region to appeal their property-tax bills.

MPAC’s president is also on the NOMA speaker’s agenda.

By working together, it’s not just problem presenting, Canfield said.

“We’re actually coming together with solutions,” he said.

The AGM on Friday will feature a bear-pit session, giving community leaders a chance to ask questions directly of a number of cabinet ministers, including Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle and Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Bill Mauro.