First Nations, energy, rail services key for FONOM.

• Author: Speack, Alan
• Position: THE MONTH STARTS HERE

The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is setting its sights on the upcoming provincial election, with an eye on transportation, energy, First Nations participation, and the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF).

Held at Sudbury's Tom Davies Square on Dec. 10, the first meeting of FONOM following the municipal election focused on developing a comprehensive position :hat reflects the concerns of its 111 northeastern member communities. This will be firmed up in he coming months so as to be presented to the three major political parties in the run-up to this year's provincial election.

Underpinning many of its suggestions is the need to involve First Nations at every stage of any discussion surrounding economic development, said FONOM President Alan Spacek, who also serves as mayor of Kapuskasing.

Part of FONOM's position is for governments to liaise and connect them on "a more open basis," said Spacek. To that end, First Nations organizations will be consulted in the spring to ensure that their perspectives are understood.

"Often, I have the benefit of travelling around the North, talking with both different First Nations communities and companies, and it's amazing how often there are similarities there in terms of what our challenges and our concerns are. For economic opportunity to continue in Northern Ontario, First Nations need to be at the table, they need to be involved, and we want to recognize and foster that."

One pan-Northern concern was reflected in the closure of Timmins' Xstrata Kidd Metallurgical Site last year, which needs to be a "wake-up call" to create a competitive...