Policies from the Liberal government are partly to blame for the Resolute Paper Mill closing in Iroquois Falls. That’s according to Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson, who says the liberals let the company sell power dams, even though municipal council was against it. He says this meant higher hydro bills for the company.
Bisson says it’s unfortunate that the Liberal government’s policies led to much of the job loss that we’ve seen in the natural resource sector. He says in this particular case, Resolute is saying they aren’t going to allow anyone to buy the mill and that they are going to turn the power off sometime in February, freezing everything in it.
Bisson says Resolute shouldn’t be able to shut its doors and walk off with the wood. He says the Province should protect the Crown’s natural resources.
Timmins Mayor Steve Black has written an open letter to Kathleen Wynne over the closure. Read it here:
Office of Mayor Steve Black – Timmins, Ontario
Open Letter to Kathleen Wynne:
Today Resolute Forest Products announced it would be closing it’s mill in Iroquois Falls. This is a devastating blow to our neighbors and saddens municipal representatives across the region as the impact will stretch beyond municipal boundaries.
It is time the Government of Ontario revisit what is occurring in the mining and forestry industries in Northern Ontario. A decade ago Ontario was the number 1 desired location for mining companies to do business in. Today we have fallen to almost 30th. Our forestry industry should be growing and adding jobs to our region and province, and yet we see it continue to struggle.
Legislation like the Far North Act, Endangered Species Act, Green Energy Act have all led to a scenario where investment in Northern Ontario is harder to attract. For too long now the government has sat back and let lobby groups like Greenpeace have more influence and say in our economy than those of us who live in Northern Ontario and rely on these industries to feed our families.
Kathleen Wynne has a unique understanding of Northern Ontario that we haven’t seen in many politicians, let alone Premier’s. My hope is that she will take the time to remember her ties to Northern Ontario, and take action to help turn Northern Ontario around.
Kathleen Wynne you and your ministers have an open invitation to come to Timmins, and I will arrange to have municipal leaders from across the region join us and together we can help change the path we are on today! In fact the invitation is open to any politician sitting at Queen’s Park would like the opportunity to learn a little more about how decisions being made in Southern Ontario are negatively impacting our industry, tax base, and residents here in Northern Ontario.
It is shameful how organizations like Greenpeace have influenced customers of our forestry industry to stop using their product. This has had a profound impact on Resolute’s decision to close their mill and it is time for northern MPPs of all political colors to speak on behalf of Northern Ontario and our forestry industry.
Sincerely
Mayor Steve Black
City of Timmins