BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN
Incumbent Liberal candidate Ray Bonin faced a lot of questions about Sudbury's still-unbuilt biodiesel plant at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce's Nickel Belt all candidates meeting Thursday night.
Bonin, who spearheaded plans to bring the Topia Energy plant to Sudbury, said the project would create 200 jobs for farmers, who will grow canola in the one million acres of unused farmland in this area.
The veteran politician had originally hoped to see construction on the plant begin last fall, but Topia Energy president Govindh Jayaraman, who was also at the event, says construction won't begin until at least the spring.
New Democrat candidate Claude Gravelle told the audience of about 75 at the Howard Armstrong Community Centre in Val Caron that he has doubts the plant is feasible.
"As far as the biodiesel plant, I certainly hope that it is built. But I contacted some of the people I know that work in Sudbury today, and unfortunately the message is not very good," he said.
"The comments I've received from the higher-ups in the city is that it's not working. In order for it to be feasible, you have to have an ethanol plant close by, and unfortunately, the ethanol plant went to Hearst. So, again we lost."
Conservative candidate Margaret Schwartzentruber, who runs a dairy farm in Monetville, told Northern Life after the meeting that she'd like to see a business plan for the biodiesel plant.
"I want to see where he's going to get the canola. I want to see what kind of tractors and equipment he's going to provide farmers to do this with," she said. "Just to equip a farmer just to plant, let alone plow, cultivate and buy the fertilizer, we're talking at least $150,000."
Michel Ethier, who is running for the Marijuana Party, had his own ideas as to which "agricultural products" should be planted in the one million acres of unused farmland.
"We have a lot farmland that's not being used in the Nickel Belt district, that we could use to prosper with my ideas and the ideas of the Marijuana Party.
Trust me," he said, to great enjoyment of the audience.
The candidates also pontificated on FedNor, a federal program that hands out money to develop business in Northern Ontario.
Bonin pointed out some of the important projects FedNor has supported over the years, and said he helped to ensure the program was recently given $51.9 million core funding.
Gravelle claimed the program has actually spent about $19 million in southern Ontario in recent months.
"We sure could have used that money in Sudbury for the south end tunnel, when there was a request for money, and it didn't come from the Liberal party. It probably went down south instead," he said.
"The people in Killarney had to build a water plant recently, and it's costing those families anywhere from $2,500 to $23,000 in extra costs."
Mark McAllister, who is running for the first time as a Green Party candidate, said his party would decentralize FedNor by giving the money to municipalities.
"Obviously, the north and Nickel Belt would have a lot more funding with us in power as members of parliament to really put the money where they want and do what they want with FedNor."
Progressive Canadian candidate Mathieu Peron, who seemed nervous about being in front of the audience at times, said that because his party is new, it has no specific policy on FedNor.
"From what I hear from the other candidates, it's a good program. It puts money into the economy in the Sudbury and Nickel Belt area...As a Progressive Canadian, I wouldn't vote to get rid of it."
Steve Rutchinski, who has been a member of the Marxist-Leninst Party of Canada since 1970, was one of the most confident orators in the event.
He spoke passionately about reforming Canada's democratic process, saying we should move away from the political party system and have the right to recall members of parliament.
