Dear editor,
This past week, I had the privilege of attending the Premier’s Conference on the Economy: Jobs and Prosperity Ontario in the New Millennium, which brought together individuals from business, labour, Métis and First Nations communities, municipal and provincial government, and non-government organizations from all sectors of our region.
We were all coming together to work for a brighter future for our communities. However, before we could even get to work on building a stronger Northern Ontario, labour leaders and their members rose to their feet, shouted down the premier, and walked out.
They were given the opportunity to actively contribute but instead walked away like children. They were not willing to engage in a conversation with the premier and members of the cabinet or their fellow citizens, and this from the very same people who complain that the government is never listening.
This conference was all about our towns, our children, and where they will work in the future. It’s been estimated that 70 percent of students who attend post-secondary education believe they will not return home after graduating because of lack of employment opportunities.
Technology and the global economy have changed the world forever, and we no longer can stand by while the world goes on without us. We all need to realize that the employment opportunities in our resource-based economy will continue to diminish in the future, and that we need to create a new climate for innovation and investment in the north.
To make this happen, we need to invest in a dynamic infrastructure and prepare our citizens for the jobs of tomorrow. As well, we need to accept that those who continue to oppose and resist change by protection of the status quo, are driven by personal fear, refusing to acknowledge their own human potential and thereby depriving others of theirs.
I have no doubt we can make Northwestern Ontario the best place in Canada to live, work, and raise a family, but we all need to throw aside our partisan opinions and come back to the table open-minded and ready to get on with the work at hand.
Sincerely yours,
Gordon Lee
Fort Frances
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