Growthnot and Fednot.

• Author: Atkins, Michael
• Position: PRESIDENT'S NOTE - Mining industry investment plans

"Growthnot" is a term for the much-hyped, once-upon-a-time Northern Ontario Growth Plan promoted by the province, which has been diligently crisscrossing the North interviewing, caucusing, conferencing, engaging with, and otherwise teasing Northerners about a new beginning in economic planning for Northern Ontario.

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The plan would feature bringing together and aligning many ministries of the province to attack the disastrous economic conditions in the North. The first announcement of significance to affect the North came from the co-chair of the Northern Ontario Growth Plan, George Smitherman, who is also deputy premier of Ontario and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. He announced an infrastructure investment in a mining innovation centre at the University of Toronto, which competes with the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) at Laurentian University.

"FedNot" is a term for FedNor--the once proud and (some might say) cocky federal economic development organization that stands humiliated by its minister and mocked by Sudbury Liberal MPP Rick Bartolucci (we must credit him for the FedNot moniker) for refusing to invest in CEMI.

The decision by the federal government to deny funding to CEMI, which was all but invented by FedNor staff here in Sudbury--and tirelessly championed by FedNor executive director Louise Paquette--is a deliberate, calculated snub to the city of Sudbury, its provincial member Bartolucci (who belittled FedNor) and, most assuredly, Paquette (who championed it). The willingness to quickly invest in a competing institution at the University of Toronto just adds incredulity to the inside story.

So why do we write about all this nonsense on the front page and weigh in on this topic well after everybody has had their say and it is obvious nothing in this world is going to change Industry Minister Tony Clement's mind, or for that matter, Smitherman's?

We write because, in our opinion, if we do not change the way we make decisions in and for Northern Ontario, we are doomed to catastrophic economic failure that will be self-induced, and which has already taken root. We think there is only one man who is really going to make a difference to this trend line.

That person is Smitherman. The man may not have time to understand or care about the North--any more than most of you care about Sarnia--but he has guts and he has power. He just introduced Green legislation in this province that is...