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Growth plan for Northern Ontario looking for input from everyone living and working in the north

May 19, 2008 - 7:08am | by brianbeaton

Ministry of Northern Development and Mines News Release

Action Begins On Development Of Northern Growth Plan

May 16, 2008

McGuinty Government Kicks Off Growth Planning

Over the next year, Northern Ontario residents, youth, Aboriginal peoples, community leaders, business and industry leaders and other experts will have a range of opportunities to participate in the development of a draft Growth Plan for Northern Ontario.

As a first step, regional sessions involving a broad range of leaders and experts will look at how to turn the challenges facing their region into opportunities for growth.

Other public opportunities for participation include a series of policy forums that will explore successful approaches, including those from other areas such as Ireland and Finland, and the release of a draft growth plan this fall for public comment.

The final Growth Plan for Northern Ontario will be a forward-looking, 25-to 30-year action plan for supporting sustainable prosperity in the region by:

  • Helping to build and support jobs in growing industries that can position the region’s global competitiveness
  • Creating a climate of education and job opportunities that will encourage young people born and raised in the North to stay in the North
  • Attracting new people and investment

QUOTES

“I sincerely believe that this process – the development of a Growth Plan for Northern Ontario – has the potential to transform our future, and to secure for northerners a measure of economic vigour that we have long dreamed about,” said Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle.

“A Growth Plan for Northern Ontario will bring together all of the building blocks, the policies and investment planning, for fundamentals such as like education, training, research, economic development, and infrastructure needed to grow the North,” said Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal David Caplan.

QUICK FACTS

Northern Ontario has 90 per cent of the province’s land base, with 78 per cent of Ontario’s woodlands and 2,900 km Great Lakes Heritage Coast

Northern Ontario’s mineral deposits are among the richest in the world

Ontario’s third busiest airport is in Thunder Bay

Northern Ontario is becoming known for its research and innovation in forestry, mining and health care fields

LEARN MORE

Learn how you can comment on the Discussion Paper. (Please note that links will not be available until Tuesday, May 20th.)

Learn more about what the government is doing to Plan for Growth in Ontario.

Contacts:

Amy Tang
PIR Minister’s Office
416-325-4048

Anne-Marie Flanagan
MNDM Minister’s Office
416-327-0655

Anne Dunderdale
Communications Branch
416-325-1810

www.placestogrow.ca

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Backgrounder

Scene Set To Develop Growth Plan For Northern Ontario

Northern Ontario was announced as the next region in the province to have a growth plan developed under the Places to Grow Act provincial legislation that allows for a coordinated approach to growth planning across Ontario.

A Growth Plan for Northern Ontario will set the course for sustained growth and prosperity by:

  • Helping to build and support jobs in growing industries that can position the region’s global competitiveness
  • Strengthening the resource-based industries
  • Advancing research and innovation
  • Creating a climate of education and job opportunities that will encourage young people born and raised in the North to stay
  • Attracting new people and investment
  • Providing people with the skills they need to thrive in advancing industries

The plan will become a blueprint for action and co-ordinated decision-making.

Next Steps

A 17-member ministers’ table, the “G-North”, has already begun meeting. It brings together all of the ministries needed to make the plan happen, including critical policy areas like natural resources, education, training, economic development, infrastructure, research and innovation, health and Aboriginal affairs.

Northerners will be meeting over the next several months to talk about how the opportunities and challenges facing the North can be turned into a forward-looking, 25-to 30-year action plan for supporting sustainable prosperity in the region.

Regional sessions, taking place across the North this Spring, are the first in a series of initiatives that will provide important input on where northerners, in collaboration with the Province of Ontario, should focus in order to develop the draft Growth Plan for Northern Ontario.

Leaders of northern communities, First Nations, business and industry, research networks, economic development associations and the education and health sectors are being invited to the sessions. Recognizing the unique cultural, language, financial and other capacity challenges, there will be additional opportunities to support the participation of Aboriginal peoples.

A lot of good work has already been done by northern municipal, business and industry groups to identify the opportunities and challenges facing the North. The regional sessions will build on this work in developing an actionable growth plan.

An Actionable Plan

A number of common themes have come out of the work by northern leaders. These themes are summarized in Towards a Growth Plan for Northern Ontario – a Discussion Paper and include:

  • Strengthening and advancing resource based industries
  • Growing emerging sectors
  • Encouraging research, innovation and commercialization
  • Increasing education and training opportunities
  • Retraining and attracting people and jobs
  • Supporting business development and entrepreneurship
  • Making strategic use of infrastructure

Regional session participants will be asked for their ideas on how to move forward on these themes and turn them into actions. The public is also invited to provide comments on the Discussion Paper by visiting here. (Please note that links will not be available until Tuesday, May 20th.)

In addition to these themes, the development of a Growth Plan for Northern Ontario will also consider:

  • Current strengths and assets the region has to offer
  • Long-term goals and approaches
  • Lessons that can be learned from other regions

Opportunities to Participate

Over the next year, Northern Ontario residents, youth, Aboriginal peoples, community leaders, business and industry leaders and other experts will have a range of opportunities to participate in the plan’s development. The draft of a Growth Plan for Northern Ontario is expected to be released this Fall.

These participation opportunities include:

  • Policy forums in coming months
  • Public consultations in coming months
  • Online (throughout development period)

The Ministries of Public Infrastructure Renewal and Northern Development and Mines, who are leading the growth plan development, welcome the opportunity to speak about the growth plan to Northern Ontario groups and associations. To invite speakers, please e-mail placestogrow@ontario.ca..

Contacts:

Amy Tang
PIR Minister’s Office
416-325-4048

Anne-Marie Flanagan
MNDM Minister’s Office
416-327-0655

Anne Dunderdale
PIR Communications Branch
416-325-1810

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