Peggy Revell
He’s now retired from provincial politics but Howard Hampton isn’t ready to put his feet up just yet.
The former Kenora-Rainy River MPP has signed on to work for the international business law and litigation firm of Fasken Martineau.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Hampton, who had announced this summer that he wouldn’t be seeking re-election in the Oct. 6 election after serving at Queen’s Park for 24 years.
Hampton will be a member of the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Aboriginal Affairs groups, with a focus on both natural resource companies and First Nations.
“I think we really need to create some jobs in Northwestern Ontario,” Hampton remarked. “An awful lot of really good people have been put out of work and are hurting as a result of it.
“Hopefully, some of what I’ll be doing will create some jobs in Northwestern Ontario,” he added, stressing the need to also “build bridges” with the more than 70 First Nation communities in Northern Ontario.
“We have to do this together, and so First Nation communities and non-First Nation communities need to benefit from this,” he argued.
“And, hopefully, I’ll be able to play a part in accomplishing some of that.”
Hampton said he was approached by the firm after announcing his decision not to seek re-election.
“A lot of their clients are involved in natural resources in one way or another,” he explained. “Mining, some forest companies, that sort of thing.”
Increasingly, the work which these companies are doing involves close working relationships with First Nations, noted Hampton.
And with his work with First Nation communities over the years, this was why they wanted him to come work with the firm.
“I think I can do some good work, work that will be interesting,” Hampton said of his decision to join the firm.
“Work that may create some jobs in Northwestern Ontario, and work that I think will also be positive for a lot of First Nations in Northwestern Ontario.
“So I’m going to give it a try.”
“We are very pleased to have Howard Hampton join our team at Fasken Martineau,” stated Martin Denyes, managing partner for Fasken Martineau in Ontario.
“He has served the people of Northern Ontario with distinction,” Denyes noted.
“His expertise and commitment to sustainable use of our natural resources, along with his understanding of the north, will add significant value to our firm and, most importantly, to our clients.”
Stepping back into the law won’t be that big of a change, though. Hampton noted that during his time as MPP, both First Nation organizations and natural resource companies were contacting and talking with him about these sort of issues.
He won’t be doing the technical legal work, he explained, moreso the conceptual work.
“And that suits me fine because, to a large degree, that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 24 years anyway,” he reasoned.
“You have a lot of mining companies that would like to do work in Northwestern Ontario, but many of them have had almost no experience working with First Nations,” Hampton added.
“They don’t know their left foot from their right foot when it comes to working with First Nations.”
Hampton said many of these companies are just looking for advice, such as how to approach First Nations and issues they will need to prepare themselves for—all sorts of things, some which are “fairly elementary” while others “fairly complicated.”
At the other end of the spectrum, he noted a lot of First Nations in this part of the province have developed working relationships with forestry companies, Ontario Power Generation, and other companies—and are interested in developing “good working relationships” with some of the potential mining firms.
The new job also will mean Hampton won’t be settling down just yet, either. He said he expects a lot of his work will be done in places like Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Kenora, Fort Frances, Atikokan, Thunder Bay, Geraldton, and Timmins.
“The reality of being a member of the legislature is you spend your week in Toronto—like Monday to Thursday—and you spend your weekends travelling around your riding,” Hampton said.
“And you’re literally working seven days a week.”
With his new position, Hampton expects to be travelling Monday-Thursday.
”And then [I] might even get the weekend off once in a while,” he chuckled.
