Igniting the Ring of Fire

The recent decision by Cliffs Natural Resources to suspend it's Ring of Fire operations has many up at arms against the Liberal Government.  There is no doubt the government has bungled the file, but that happened under Mr McGuinty and Mr. Bartolucci's watch and that is why they are no longer there.  Now the important point to consider is, what changes are needed to ensure government gets it right?

The opposition would have you believe, all that is necessary is to vote them into power, (with a majority, no less) and they have the plan to bring prosperity to our fair province.  I remain skeptical of any plan that guts the public sector and says we do not need government getting in the way of business.  In this age of competing interests and multi-national companies dictating where jobs will be located, we need an effective government standing squarely in the way of business and ensuring residents and the environment are treated fairly.

That phrase "effective government" is turning into an oxymoron though...and that is where we need to focus our attention.  An effective government would not have negotiated with Cliffs and swayed them from their original opinion  that rail is the preferred option for hauling huge volumes of ore out of the James Bay wetlands.  

When Rick Bartolucci recently stated “I worked very, very hard to make sure the ferrochrome processing facility was located (in Capreol).” it is important to note he did not state he worked hard to make sure it was located where it made the most sense.   When you combine that attitude with his stated responsibility for the divestiture of ONTC, a decision that was made by him alone and without consultation, you begin to get the sense that he may have been influenced by a desire to leave a legacy.  Getting rid of the provincial railroad would make his road a little more sensible with it's toll structure, instead of collecting rail revenue with an existing company.

At the same time one cannot help but remember the passion with which he fought to get Hwy 69 four-laned, only to be sideswiped by a Premier who decided Hwy 11 would be four-laned first.  I would be interested to see the traffic volume studies that indicate either one of them needed the huge expense of four-laning rather than numerous passing lanes, but such is politics. 

And that brings me back to my original topic which is effective government.  If our government is going to be effective and be able to resist calls for its demolition, as currently espoused by Mr. Hudak, it needs a massive overhaul.

Government needs more discipline in its reporting and adherence to standards enforced in the private sector.  The days of pandering to ridings where votes can be bought must end and decisions should be based on open data that everyone can either agree to, or at least see where their opinion was overruled.

In the case of the Ring of Fire, that means transparency in the factors that determine the location of any smelter, and a commitment to getting the most value out of any company seeking to extract our resources.  It also means access and protection of the environment for the people who live there, jobs for as many people, as close to the resources as possible and fair participation by both governments and industry.

If Ms. Wynne can pull that off, the spark may finally hit the mark.