ONTC's future still on hold.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Transportation; Ontario Northland Transportation Commission

Ontario Northland Rail workers who have waited almost two years for the provincial government to act on their report to improve the money-losing railway, will have to wait until the new provincial government is sworn in to find out the future of the provincial Crown corporation.

Brian Stevens, president of Canadian Auto Workers Local 103, believes the premier's attention has been diverted away from acting on the recommendations of the Internal Solution Group's recommendations in their business plan due to the SARS outbreak, Aug. 14 blackout and the Aylmer meat-packing crisis.

ON Rail and Canadian National Railway management have met in North Bay over the summer since the collapse of formal talks between the two rail carriers in June. Stevens says the companies are exploring some opportunities to move some CN maintenance work to ON Rail's locomotive and rail car shops in North Bay.

"Now that CN has purchased Wisconsin Central (which includes Sault Ste. Marie's Algoma Central Railway) they have the Agawa Canyon Tour Train, but no skill sets to do the overhaul (of passenger cars) in the system."

ON Rail management are looking to get those cars into the facility to get them rebuilt, says Stevens.

In June, Canadian National Railway ended talks to acquire the Crown-owned ON Rail, saying the province demanded rich job guarantees for employees of the regional railway serving northeastern Ontario.

CN was given permission by the province to begin exclusive talks with the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission to acquire the railway last October.

Job protection was a key criterion for the Ontario government, which selected CN's proposal last October over three other bids.

Representatives of some 600 unionized workers were concerned CN would minimize long-term commitments, particularly on jobs.

Stevens knows of no layoffs among the organization's 1,100 full-time employees, though he knows of two management members who were offered and accepted phasedin retirement.

Some "minor" restructuring has been done with ONTC's bus service and at ON Telcom over the summer. About five employees were reportedly offered severance packages and other positions within the company.

ONTC management was not available for comment.

Stevens believed the consultant, Roy Hains, hired to run the Crown corporation, is waiting for clear direction from the government of the day on its intentions for the railway.

The Internal Solutions Group, made up of unionized and management...