North let down again

By Howard Hampton
MPP Kenora-RR

Thunder Bay - NDP Leader Howard Hampton says Dalton McGuinty let down Northern Ontario families today by hitting them with more pre-election double-talk instead of doing something - anything - to help sustain the region’s vanishing jobs.
“Dalton McGuinty has let down the North again. What working families needed to see today was real action to sustain jobs, not a pre-election punt that tries to make their concerns go away until after the provincial election,” Hampton said.
Hampton made the comments after the McGuinty government today tried to duck accountability for the 42,000 lost forestry and forestry-related jobs that have occurred on its watch by announcing a new round of process.
“More process is no replacement for real action to sustain good jobs in Northern Ontario,” said Hampton, who was in Thunder Bay today to meet with workers who lost their jobs at the Buchanan Forest Products Northern Wood Sawmill.
“Dalton McGuinty’s wrong-headed forestry and energy policies have killed thousands of good-paying Northern forest industry jobs, including 65 jobs at the Northern Wood Sawmill. And what has Mr. McGuinty done about it? Nothing, except give himself a $40,000 raise and announce process,” Hampton said.
“Mr. McGuinty needs to wake up, because he is clearly out of touch with Northern Ontario’s working families and the difficult economic realities they face every single day,” Hampton said.
Hampton warned the job loss trend is likely to continue until New Democrats and Northerners are heard and the McGuinty government reverses its policy of driving hydro rates through the roof.