Pan-northern crib cards for the third string.

• Author: Robinson, David
• Position: ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING

Who is responsible for the prosperity of Northern Ontario? The feds? Not likely. Northern Ontario is resource-based, and natural resources are a provincial matter. Constitutionally, the province is responsible for Northern Ontario's development. Unfortunately, the province has been dithering for 25, so it's time for new players and a new script.

So who will speak for Northern Ontario? We don't have a political system to pick leaders to represent the North. We just send local representatives Queen's Park, and the premier may put one or two in cabinet, but cabinet ministers don't represent the North: they represent the government.

We have to depend on the political third string: the mayors and councils of Northern Ontario. Municipal politicians may have a lot of responsibility, but the province has all the power.

Northern municipal politicians have tried to represent the North. They have created the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) and Northern Ontario Large Urban Mayors (NOLUM). The Large Urban Mayors met with seven provincial members just last August. Three of the five have been replaced since then, so they may be starting fresh next August.

Representing the North to Cabinet is a very tough job for these shaky, competing federations. In terms of population, the North as a whole is in a group with Brampton, Mississauga, Ottawa, Peel, Middlesex, and Hamilton. Each of those cities or regions has a single voice representing it. Northern Ontario has a couple flash mobs.

Another problem is that NO-MA, FONOM and NOLUM keep coming up with broad lists of goals for the province. The province already has goals. Michael Gravelle, the minister of northern development and mines, is from Thunder Bay-Superior North. Michael is responsible for "driving growth in Northern Ontario," according to the mandate he was given by Premier Kathleen Wynne, and his goal is to "ensure that priorities for the North align with the objectives of the Northern Growth Plan." (Figure that last one out if you can.)

So what should the third string be doing? In my view, our Northern politicians should unite around one or two short-term, irresistible, strategic demands each year. Strategic demands are ones that shift power north.

For example, the province should be moving all boreal forestry training and...