Are these the missing pieces to economic prosperity in northwestern Ontario?

• Author: Stewart, Nick

The provincial government has issued its latest set of potential solutions for the economic recovery of northwestern Ontario in the form of a sprawling report, which ranges from forestry to governance.

"This is definitely a roadmap for the economic future of northwestern Ontario, and even for Northern Ontario as a whole, to some extent," says Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle.

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"It's going to be a very helpful tool as we go forward."

The document, entitled "Northwestern Ontario: Preparing for Change," was helmed by Dr. Robert Rosehart, who was appointed as the Northwestern Ontario Economic Facilitator last spring. In his report, Rosehart included 47 recommendations derived from 120 meetings with a broad range of regional interests, including 20 meetings with First Nations leaders.

As forestry woes have taken a particular harsh toll on the northwest, the topic figures prominently in what people have come to know as the Rosehart Report. These include familiar ideas such as a major reform of the forest tenure system, where allocation of wood supply would be decided upon by a group of users and stakeholders, including First Nations.

Newer ideas are also present, such as the formation of an arm's-length Forest Industry Secretariat within the Ministry of Natural Resources. This secretariat would act as a champion for forestry, Rosehart suggests, and could be tasked with creating a cluster similar to the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council. It would also develop and promote forest products in new markets while pursuing new value-added products.

This idea is in line with Rosehart's recommendation to establish a Northwestern Ontario Policy Institute within the region.

The mandate would be to analyze local data and develop regional policy advice for the province. He also suggests the creation of a "Northern Desk" within each provincial ministry to provide regional champions.

"Some of these things, like the Northern Desk, can make a big difference without costing a lot of money," says Rosehart, a former president of Thunder Bay's Lakehead University. "It may take a bit of organization to make it happen, but it's relatively low-cost and represents a pragmatic approach."

Rosehart highlights the report's strong focus on Aboriginal issues, and pinpoints two recommendations as having the biggest potential for long-term growth; the construction of all-weather access roads throughout the province's Far...