The Sale of Ontario Northland, a Liberal View

If something isn’t broken, don’t fix it? How many of us have heard this expression in our lives? Now, let us think of the opposite, what if something is broken. Using my liberal lens, this blog will discuss the reasons behind the divestment of the OntarioNorthland Transportation Commission (ONTC).

Firstly, let us begin by looking at the numbers. I bet most of you were not aware that the ONTC would be costing us 100 million dollars a year to run, based on past and present trends (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, 2012). This is compared to just under 28 million dollars not even a decade ago. In less than 10 years, the ONTC has upped its running cost by 71 million dollars! 430 million dollars thus far has been put into this service (Ministry of Northern Development and mines, 2012). This is unacceptable. Let’s honestly consider how much money has already gone into this service, with not only no revenue but our government actually paying out.  This subvention is actually costing us on average approximately 400$ per person for their ride on the Northlander train (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, 2012). How can we justify these numbers? In school, we hear a lot about the idea of sustainable communities and viable options. Environment Canada defines sustainability as meeting the needs our current people without it taking from our future generations. Looking at the numbers noted above, how could one say that the train was a sustainable method of transportation? We expect the government to help us with making our communities more sustainable but there is a point where communities must take on the role themselves  (Alternatives Journal, 1996).

      Working in the social work field, we learn a lot about agencies and funding as well as the way budget cuts works.  If something isn’t thriving financially and is hindering our success why shouldn’t the government help us improve it in order for the communities to thrive. The train servicing the Northern Ontario was making stops at the same place as the motor coaches do (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, 2012). Is that really necessary? Furthermore, both these services are running at under 50% capacity (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, 2012). It makes sense to combine them into one service that serves the same locations. This was not an easy decision for the government to make but sometimes situations need to be examined, assessed and a hard decision must be made to ensure progression (Bartolucci, 2012).

      Moving forward, I would agree that this decision is one that benefits everyone in the end. Divestment of the ONTC will allow private sectors to purchase parts of the company, which will create jobs and economic growth do (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, 2012).  As far as the short-term employment loss goes, Rick Bartolucci (2012) has stated that the government is working very closely with the people who are suffering job loss to attempt to provide a smooth transition for everyone. The federal government is guiding us and working with us to build stronger, sustainable, efficient communities and services.

      In conclusion, I ask everyone to think of our future generations. Just think, if the money we are pouring into ONTC is going up by every year, what kind of a legacy are we leaving for our future generations? Focusing on our future to me means putting money into the services that the people need now such as health care, education, social welfare and so much more. Why continue to support something that is not only no longer viable and is a duplicate service?  This wasn’t an easy decision, but one that had to me made.

References

Bartolucci, R. (2012, March 23). By abstaining from budget vote, ndp gives ontc divestment thumbs up “the ndp’s posturing does a disservice to north-eastern ontario residents – but today their true position is clear.” Retrieved from http://www.rickbartolucci.onmpp.ca/mNews/812?l=EN

Bartolucci, R. (2012). Statement from Rick Bartolucci minister of northern development and mines. News.ontario.ca. Retrieved from http://news.ontario.ca/mndmf/en/2012/03/remarks-for-rick-bartolucci-minister-of-northern-development-and-mines.html

Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, (2012).Ontario northland transportation commission frequently asked questions. Retrieved from Queens Printer website: http://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/en/northern-development/transportation-support/ontario-northland-transportation-commission/frequently

Environment Canada ( 2012). Sustainable development. Retrieved from http://www.ec.gc.ca/dd-   sd/default.asp?lang=Fr=E19EE696-1

Sustainable communities resource package // review. (1996). Alternatives Journal, 22(2), 32-33. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218767366?accountid=46683