SCOTT CHALLENGES ORAZIETTI ON CARIBOU PROPOSALS WHICH WOULD KILL NORTHERN JOBS QUEEN’S PARK – During Question Period this morning, Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock and PC Critic for Natural Resources challenged MNR Minister David Orazietti on the Ministry’s recent posting regarding woodland caribou. Scott asked the Minister why a socio-economic analysis had not been done to determine the impact which the ministry’s proposals would have on northern communities and forestry operations. Scott cited a letter from the Town of Cochrane to the Premier which detailed the devastating impact which these proposals would have on the Abitibi River Forest communities. In her question to Orazietti, she said, “MNR’s proposals would require sacrificing half of the entire forest volume, which would be catastrophic”. She added, “The impact on communities from North Bay to Hearst would be a loss of another 8,000 northern jobs, $433 million in lost wages and a loss of $273 million in lost taxes for the municipalities”. Scott asked the Minister to withdraw the proposals until a proper socio-economic analysis could be done. She pointed out that she has repeatedly argued that this type of analysis should be mandatory. In his response, Orazietti dismissed the analysis of the Town of Cochrane, saying he “takes it with a grain of salt” because the Mayor, Peter Politis is a PC candidate in the next election. Following Question Period Scott said, “What an outrageous thing for the Minister to say. Municipalities across Northern Ontario and the Ontario Forest Industries Association have expressed similar concerns about the lack of an impact analysis by MNR. For the Minister to dismiss these legitimate concerns out of hand is shocking”. Once again we are seeing that this government is more concerned about heeding the demands of a number of special interest groups than it is with what is best for northerners and the economy. “When bureaucrats post proposals which would kill jobs and devastate several northern communities, the Minister should have immediately stopped it,” concluded Scott.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 18:22:36 +0000
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