If 2004 is any guide, miracles do happen. The
Boston Red Sox won the World Series, the Tampa Bay somethings won
the Stanley Cup, the Toronto Argonauts won the Grey Cup and Col.
Moammar Gadhafi threw in the towel without being invaded. The
Toronto Maple Leafs ... well there is a limit to any country’s
miracles.
MICHAEL ATKINS President, Laurentian Media |
Reading the tea leaves for 2005 is tougher than
usual, particularly for Northern Ontario. The recent spiteful
action of the United States Department of Trade and Commerce on
softwood lumber doesn’t bode well. That and a strong currency are
murderous on forestry trade.
On the other hand, every day they don’t let us
send over a piece of lumber is an incentive to add value. It is
better for us to send roof trusses than logs. Too bad we don’t do
more about it. Too bad the provincial government doesn’t see this
as an opportunity to recalibrate our forest industry. Too bad our
forest industries don’t see their future differently as well. We
are held hostage to our own indifference.
Speaking of the provincial government, the
premier was in Northern Ontario last month to announce the
province’s Northern Prosperity Plan. I’m trying desperately to see
the silver linings.
I don’t know three northerners who want us to
succeed more than David Ramsey, Michael Gravelle and Rick
Bartolucci. I wasn’t able to attend the announcement so I am
relying on the ministries’ press releases to ascertain where we are
going. Some thoughts:
- Development councils. This is politics. Every
government does it. Keeps the faithful involved and allows for
photo ops. Seldom translates into any real action.
- Northern highways program. At best an extremely
modest improvement in funding. At worst smoke and mirrors. You
never really know what gets spent. Just ask the people with
Hepatitis C in this province about funding announcements. These
programs are best assessed a year later when you see what has
actually been spent.
- Northern film and television industry. This is
real money. It has created work and possibilities. It was high risk
and those involved deserve credit for taking chances and, so far,
looking smart.
- Northern Ontario School of Medicine. This is a
hugely important project for Northern Ontario and the government
deserves credit for continuing to support it.
- Grow bonds. This has potential, although I have
no idea how it works. What matters is whether development capital
can be extended to businesses that otherwise would not get it. I
don’t know who or how those decisions will be made and it seems to
overlap in purpose with the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, which
is apparently getting back in the business of supporting individual
businesses with financing of one kind or another. It also
supplicates FedNor’s Community Futures infrastructure. We’ll have
to wait and see.
- Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. Well, who
knows? What matters is the quality of the specific decisions that
are being made. Often these investments can be fairly dubious. On
the other hand, strategic investments in infrastructure can really
make a difference. This file needs to be assessed on the wisdom of
its use of cash and that can vary widely from year to year. First
indication will be the quality of new board appointees.
- Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council. This
is an important initiative. If the cluster council can do one
thing, which is bring a centre of mining excellence to Laurentian
University some time in the next few years, it shall have more than
served its purpose. The time is now to build on the fantastic
momentum in the mining business to create one of the most important
mining solution centres in the world. At some point that policy is
going to flow through, around, or begin with this group.
- Go North investor program. I’ve read the press
release. I don’t know what it is going to do. It looks like some
kind of marketing swat team for the north, but it is pretty vague
with its mandate. We’ll have to wait and see.
What is missing is perspective. It is a patchwork
directed at symptoms and not causes. In that regard these plans are
not unwelcome, but are unremarkable. It will be up to northerners
to push and shove this stuff into something more relevant or it
will be same old, same old when we look back five or 10 years from
now.
Miracles do happen. Let’s hope.
Michael Atkins is president of Northern Life.
This column is reprinted from the January issue of Northern Ontario
Business. He can be reached by e-mail to[email protected]