Clement should have handed out more FedNor money: Bartolucci

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci said he is “not going to criticize” federal FedNor and Industry Minister Tony Clement after he brought $7.4 million to Sudbury  Aug. 24, but “there is still a shortfall of FedNor funding that the minister must address.”

In total, Northern Ontario received $31.4 million in the funding announcement.

Of all the announcements on Aug. 24, only $930,000 was from FedNor, stated Bartolucci's release.

“My question to Clement is - how many FedNor applications from Sudbury are still awaiting your signature for approval? In the last 16 months, the NOHFC, which is the provincial equivalent to FedNor, has invested in excess of $24 million in Greater Sudbury. By anyone's account there is an imbalance here.”

Bartolucci said he is happy that Clement “finally” recognized the value of the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) after investing $4.2 million in the project to install, test and measure the effectiveness of novel ventilation on demand to decrease mining costs and increase productivity.

“Why did he wait so long to show his commitment to CEMI? Now that he sees the value, I hope he will increase the funding to match what the province has given.”