Dear editor,
In the last year the Federal liberal government and Provincial conservative governments have announced hundreds of millions of dollars going to the auto sector and battery manufacturing for electric cars. On May 2, four weeks before a provincial election they jointly announced another billion dollar investment into retooling the auto sector to produce electric cars. These are good investments, all in S. Ontario to reduce our carbon footprint as the electric vehicle is the future in lowering carbon emissions.
But one major question comes to the forefront on these investments and that question is why there are no investments here in the north of the province in the auto sector. It is quite evident why investments in retooling plants only makes sense where auto plants already exist “but” the battery sector is a brand new manufacturing technology and it could take place place anywhere where good transportation systems exist. Why not a battery manufacturing plant in Thunder Bay? First class rail, road and marine transportation is readily available here in NW Ontario supplying the rest of the province.
Apparently our Federal Liberal government and Conservative Provincial government have no problem exporting these rare minerals we have here in the north used in battery manufacturing to Southern Ontario to create jobs in Southern Ontario but they don’t feel we here in the north are worthy of the manufacturing jobs these rare mineral generate.
If you can export the rare minerals from the north you can export batteries made here. So why not ?
The answer is simple. Votes! Politically we here in the north are a drop in the bucket when it comes to votes and who gets elected. We are insignificant on the political landscape. So when does the Federal Liberal and Provincial Conservative government want to invest in the people of Northern Ontario?
They like to invest in us when they need a place to dump Canada,s nuclear toxic waste garbage. In the next 40 to 50 years the nuclear industry backed by both governments wants to bring 100,000 tons of highly radioactive waste to NW Ontario to be disposed of. An estimated cost of $24 billion dollars. Try doing that in the southern Ontario. Why would anyone not want a 24 billion industry? With over 12 million people living in Southern Ontario it will never happen. It is a political hot potatoe and too many votes to lose. Nobody wants other peoples garbage!
So with a Provincial election on the near horizon those who vote may want to ask their political candidates the following questions where they stand on dumping nuclear waste here in NW Ontario. They may also want to ask why are we good enough to export our rich mineral wealth to S. Ontario but not good enough to invest in battery manufacturing jobs here in the north.
James Kimberley
Atikokan
