Here’s the plan

Posted October 19, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

The fire chief says people are already talking about where a new fire hall should be on the city’s south side.

Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue held the first of its two public meetings on the city’s strategic master fire plan Tuesday night at the North Neebing Community Centre.

While the five-year plan has numerous recommendations, the top priorities in the plan include closing Brown Street Station and building a new station near Neebing Avenue and rebuilding the Neebing Station on its current location on 20th Side Road. More than a dozen people were at the open house Tuesday. Fire chief John Hay said so far feedback on the plan has been positive.

“It’s not about whether (Brown Street)moves south and west. I think the concern more now is exactly where they want it to go,” Hay said.

Al Martin, who was a fire fighter for over 35 years, said he’d like to see the new station built on the corner of Broadway Avenue and Highway 61 and not even have a Neebing Fire Station. That location could service industry, the airport and residential areas without having to worry about trains.

The property in question is also owned by Martin.

“One station at that corner would supply the whole area here,” Martin said. “We’re running not with horse and buggy but with diesel trucks and service is there for you.”

But Hay said the location shown in the plan was just a starting point for the computer model that measured response times. But after using ten hypothetical locations, it did provide the best coverage.

Neebing resident Eric Leat said based on what information he’s received, the plan looks good.

“I think it’s an excellent plan it gives a lot more coverage,” Leat said.  “It will cover the city much better.”

And while some Westfort residents may lament the loss of Brown Street, the plan shows that more people in that neighbourhood will be served by the new fire hall.

“As far as I’m concerned they’re getting a better deal.”

Hay said they’ll take all information received from the public back to city council on Nov. 14. And he sees the positive feedback so far as a good sign.

“I’d like to take it that people for the most part are satisfied with this and don’t have any major concerns,” Hay said.

While the decision lies with city council, Hay said ideally he’d like to see the new hall open by next fall. There will be capital costs involved, but Hay said due to the future tender process he didn’t want to say how much a new hall would be. Still, the city hasn’t had a new fire hall in over 25 years he said.

“We think we have excellent arguments to provide to council.”

A second meeting will be held Thursday at the West Thunder Community Centre starting at 7 p.m. 
 
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Making a plan

Posted June 23, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

While companies might be willing to invest in roads and railways to the Ring of Fire, an official with Cliff’s Natural Resources says it will ultimately be provincial infrastructure. The province is holding a two-day conference on infrastructure requirements for the proposed mining development. Ring of Fire co-ordinator for the province Christine Kaszycki said it’s the first time for industry, First Nations, government and environmental groups to get together to figure out what’s needed and when. “At this point what we’re hoping to derive is an understanding of what the key considerations are as they begin to plan,” Kaszycki said Wednesday afternoon in a leaky, crowded ballroom at the Valhalla Inn. “We’ve got a lot of folks here who have a lot of different perspectives and experiences so that should help us in that regard.” Transportation infrastructure is one key item on the table. Cliff’s senior vice-president of global ferroalloys Bill Boor, with an estimated $30 billion chromite deposit in the Ring of Fire, said having transportation is critical to development. He said it’s encouraging that the province is getting all stakeholders together to discuss the issues. “From that I think we’ll be able to figure out a way and when I say we I mean that very collectively to move forward with a plan that really will allow us to open up all the opportunities associated with the ring of fire,” Boor said. Cliff’s plan is to have a north/south all-weather road from Nakina to the Ring of Fire, which is located in the James Bay lowlands. The long-term goal would see a cost-efficient railway put in along the road. While Cliffs is willing to invest in the infrastructure, it is ultimately going to be provincial infrastructure because of the scope of development, Boor said. Cliff’s has put up its own infrastructure in remote places before but only if Cliff’s was the sole beneficiary of the development. “We do view this, and these are all the discussions we’ve had with government, First Nations and others, we view this as provincial infrastructure and so in a way it’s not directly part of our project. We think it’s the infrastructure that the province needs to think about for all the social benefits and other development aspects. We’re more than ready to play a part in it invest in it but we think all the stakeholders need to do the same,” Boor said. There are also other options being presented by companies like Noront, which would like to see an all-weather road go east from the development to Pickle Lake. Kaszycki said the government will have a better understanding of the options after the conference wraps up. Industry anticipates a 2015 start-date for production, which would mean infrastructure construction would need to begin by 2013. That would only begin once environmental assessments and permitting could be complete Kaszycki said. “There’s a lot of work to do and things would need to run very smoothly for those targets to be met,” Kaszycki said. More than a dozen Cliff’s workers were protesting in the rain outside of the conference Wednesday. Boor said he’s hoping for a quick resolution to the dispute that saw workers walk off the job last week. The company is starting to have talks with every worker individually to listen to concerns. Boor said a lot of information the workers have is incorrect and admits the company should have spoken with workers earlier. “We hadn’t had enough of a dialogue going before,” said Boor.     View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – News

Dissecting the plan

Posted March 6, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

The province is touting the release of its Growth Plan for Northern Ontario as a significant key to the future of the region. Not everyone is as enthusiastic. Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs said while he likes the direction, the 50-page report comes up short on substance.   “It’s a 25-year plan and it’s got a lot of potential, so we’ll see how it rolls out,” said Hobbs, briefed earlier in the week about the document at the Ontario Good Roads Association conference. “I would have liked to see a little more meat in it. But it’s a great start, it’s a great framework, it’s just going to be up to the parties to get some implementation going.” Hobbs was particularly miffed that energy policies were only mentioned in passing, only touching on programs the province has already put in place and nothing about the possibility of a separate Northern Ontario energy rate. “I would have liked to have seen a little more substance on transmission and distribution and costing of hydro for the Northwest and the North. But you know, we can work on that. There is a framework to start things like that.” Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce president Howard Wilson said he’ll need time to go through the report and he is pleased that some of the wording has changed since the first draft was released in late 2009. Wilson said he wanted to see backing for maximizing the value of the region’s resources. “Language very similar to that is in there. It’s a small point, but that’s a guiding principal. If you’re not going to maximize the value of the resources that we have to grow our economy, nothing else really flies.” But until implementation begins, he’s not holding out hope that everything will get done, especially with an election looming in October. “I’ve seen 25-year plans before,” he said, adding he’ll be petitioning all parties to stay onside ahead of the vote. “There was one that was introduced I think in 1990 that didn’t survive two months.” Three concrete plans did emerge on Friday as a result of the extensive consultation with northerners since the Growth Plan was first announced in May 2007 through the province’s Open Ontario Plan.  The first is the establishment of a Northern Policy Institute, made possible through a $5-million grant from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. The second is a long-term strategy to develop a multi-modal transportation system for the North involving roads, air, rail and water. Lastly it calls for northern communities and business leaders to come together to support regional economic planning, innovation and entrepreneurship. Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle called it a plan created by Northerners, for Northerners that will guide investment decisions by the province for the next 25 years. “That’s very much what the key to this will be. Northerners told us what they thought the priorities needed to be to develop and economic vision for Northern Ontario, and this document delivers on that,” Gravelle said. “We have some very specific initiatives that I know are getting some excitement.” The report identifies six theme areas to concentrate further consultation, energy and studies on: the economy, people, communities, infrastructure, the environment and Aboriginal peoples.  Sub-sections of the document discuss things like co-ordinated, strategic infrastructure investments, sustainable development of natural resources, economic development in Aboriginal communities and creating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. It’s not good enough said MPP Howard Hampton (NDP, Kenora). “There is no growth plan. After four years of talk from the (Dalton) McGuinty Liberals, basically what they’re proposing now is more years of talk. They’re talking about establishing a policy institute where people will sit around and talk. They’re talking about planning for 25 years in terms of highways and transportations,” Hampton said.  “People don’t want to see more talk and study. The reality is across Northern Ontario people are losing their jobs now. Communities are seeing their economies decline now. The last thing out-of-work workers, the last thing that hard-pressed communities need, are more talks and more studies.” However, the report was welcomed by at least one regional organization. Ron Nelson, president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, called it a significant step forward on the path toward a more prosperous and diversified region. He said it includes much of what was asked for last decade by Common Voice Northwest. “We’re excited about the opportunity, especially the northern institute. That’s going to give us the tools that we need to discuss forestry and help in giving direction to all levels of government on where we need to move forward in Northwestern Ontario,” Nelson said. Nelson isn’t too concerned about the lack of concrete plans in the document. “It’s a framework that is a timeline of 25 years. What we’re excited about is that … we are going to be at the table as the regulations and the legislation starts getting put together. That’s very exciting because we are able to have our input right directly.” A full version of the report can be downloaded here .  View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – News

New plan

Posted July 29, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

A new zoning by-law will make it easier for developers and residents in the city to build says a city planner.
City senior planner Decio Lopes said while the current zoning by-law, in place since 1987, has served Thunder Bay well, it was time for a more modern approach for development. From enhanced landscape requirements to fewer zones and increased uses, Lopes said the by-law will help the city grow.
“In general they’ll be more permissive, provide a greater flexibility for every part of our city from residential commercial and industrial,” Lopes said.
The draft by-law first came before council in June before it told administration to consult with more stake-holders after some businesses and developers complained. Since that meeting, Lopes said the city planning division has met with those concerned to refine the by-law before it goes before council again at the end of August.
“We have since met with them and we’re working as we speak towards refining that particular section of the bylaw,” Lopes said. “This by-law represents the vision and values of our community and it is our intent to ensure that,” Lopes said.
The by-law will be about half the size of the city’s current by-law and will provide clearer definitions, something Lopes said developers had been asking for. Lopes encourages members of the public to view the draft by-law at the city planning office or online to provide comment.
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New strategic plan

Posted June 24, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The first five years of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine were about establishing the school and getting it up and running. Now the tough work begins, said founding dean Roger Strasser on Tuesday, as he unveiled a new strategic plan for the dual campus institution, designed to guide faculty and students through the next five years of operation. “It was really about putting in place our education programs, our MD program, our residency program, our continuing education and professional development program, the dietary internship program. We’ve done that. They’re all fully accredited. We have graduates out there in the workplace and they’re successful,” Strasser said, following a 45-minute launch at Lakehead University on Tuesday morning. “The school is really off to a good start toward filling its mandate of contributing to improve the health of the people in the communities of Northern Ontario. So we’re off to a good start. But having started, we really need to have a sense of direction and purpose as we go forward in the further development and growth of the school.” After more than a year of internal and external consultations, NOSM officials identified five key areas to focus on: enhancing the education program, strengthening research initiatives, developing a stronger learning environment, fostering better faculty relations and improving collaboration and communication with community partners. Research, said the associate dean of research, is the key to that success. “I think it represents an unbelievable opportunity for us,” said Greg Ross via video-conference from Laurentian University in Sudbury, home to NOSM’s eastern campus. “We have to be doing state-of-the-art teaching to inform our students and we have to be doing state-of-the-art research to inform our teachers.” Meanwhile Ken Adams, the school’s associate dean of administration, said the new strategic plan is grounded on a new vision to provide innovative education and research for a healthier North and a new mission statement, that essentially says the school is committed to the education of high quality physicians and health professionals and to become a recognized leader in community-engaged education and research. “It’s intended to guide our activities, give us a sense of who we are and really focus in on our decisions over the next five years,” Adams said. Initiatives outlined in the 20-page report include improvements to infrastructure, faculty retention plans and professional development., working to actively involve aboriginal, Francophone and rural and remote communities and the formation of enhanced research partnerships. An electronic version of the report is available at www.nosm.ca/strategicplan .

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