Agencies focusing on north among those chopped by province

The provincial government is in the process of eliminating or merging a total of 14 government agencies, including the Northern Ontario Grow Bonds Corporation and the Northern Ontario Development Corporation.

The move will reduce the number of government agencies by five per cent, according to a press release.

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci said the move will save the provincial government $5.2 million annually.

“There's absolutely no question that our government is looking to ensure that we maximize the potential of every dollar,” he said. “So whenever a consolidation or elimination can take place, I think it's incumbent upon us to look closely at that reality.”

Bartolucci said careful consideration was given before the decision was made.

“The reality is that many of these entities were already redundant,” he said.

“If you look at the Northern Ontario Growth Bonds Corporation...the reality is, it's no longer doing business. Unlike the NDP, that would keep an entity that isn't doing business alive, we're going to ensure that we discontinue the Northern Ontario Growth Bond Corporation.”

He also said the services the programs offered are still in place, just under a different title within the government.

“The opportunities will still remain with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry,” he said.

“Those opportunities to seek advice are still in place, that goes along with the northern Ontario development corporation as well. Services will be defined differently but (they) will still be there.

Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas was not available for comment.

However, Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson, who is also the NDP critic for northern development, mines and forestry, said he thinks the Liberal government is “making a big deal out of nothing.”

“The government is making this out to be a great thing and we're going to save lots and lots of money,” he said. “The reality is, it's a pretty small number when it comes to the overall deficit.”

The province is currently facing a $18.7 billion deficit.

Bisson also said the announcement to eliminate the agencies to save money is misleading.

“Most of these have been dormant agencies that haven't existed and run for many a long time,” he said. “It's not a great savings, they're not agencies that...had been used for a long time.”


The following 11 agencies will be eliminated:
- Biopharmaceutical Investment Program Marketing Advisory Committee
- Commodity Futures Advisory Board
- Crown Timber Board of Examiners
- Healing Arts Radiation Protection Commission
- Northern Ontario Grow Bonds Corporation
- Northern Pickering Development Corporation
- Ontario, Eastern Ontario and Northern Ontario Development Corporation
- Ontario Network of Excellence Advisory Committee
- ORTECH corporation
- Social Assistance Review Board
- Toronto Area Transit Operating Agency

The following agencies will be amalgamated:
- combining the Stadium Corporation of Ontario into the proposed Infrastructure Ontario and Ontario Realty Corporation
- merging the Ontario Mortgage Corporation and the Ontario Mortgage and Housing Corporation