Press Release
Members of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association board were on hand to address important issues with provincial ministers at the Ontario Good Roads Association conference held last week in Toronto.
NOMA met with Kathryn McGarry (Natural Resources), Steven Del Duca (Transportation), and Bill Mauro (Municipal Affairs).
They also sat down with parliamentary assistants Arthur Potts (Ministry of Environment and Climate Change) and Joe Dickson (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines).
In its presentation, NOMA addressed hunting tag fees and access with McGarry.
NOMA pointed out the movement to eat local has increased interest in consumers accessing naturally-sourced food, including wild game.
NOMA encouraged McGarry to look at a reduction in the fee for deer hunting tags, citing the cost of meat from forest to table is higher than commercially-purchased meat.
It also highlighted the distribution of bear tags in the province with the introduction of the spring bear hunt pilot project.
“Northerners are looking for ways to provide healthy meals in a cost-effective manner,” said NOMA president and Kenora Mayor David Canfield.
“We wanted to highlight that access to naturally-sourced food is an important resource to many in our region, and encouraged the minister to consider a reduction in the cost of a deer tag,” he noted.
“We also congratulated the province for reinstating the spring bear hunt through a pilot project,” Canfield added.
“The province’s bear population is thriving. which is impacting the moose population and also affecting a number of our member communities with the rise of nuisance bear calls.
“We are dealing with a safety issue that needs to be addressed,” he stressed.
“We asked the minister to consult with outfitters about the importance of discussing their needs for bear tag distribution.”
NOMA also addressed the forest industry and its importance in the fight against climate change.
The boreal forest is a carbon sink in that it absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases.
As trees age and growth slows, the rate of carbon sequestration and oxygen production is minimized.
A tree that is around 25 years old has reached its greatest rate of annual growth, where carbon sequestration and oxygen production is maximized, other than in a managed forest, where it is actually 35 years.
“Harvesting mature trees is a benefit to fighting climate change because the net impact from harvest to mill ensures that 731 kg of carbon is sequestered per each cubic metre of lumber and has not been released back into the atmosphere,” Canfield noted.
“By leaving trees to age in the forest and succumb to rot or fire, 780 kg of carbon is emitted into the air.
“The carbon absorbed by growing forests can only be sequestered if forests are harvested when mature,” he added.
“If left to a natural disturbance such as forest fire or bug kill, all the carbon is released back into the atmosphere.”
NOMA also addressed the Multi-Modal Inter-community Transportation Plan with Del Duca.
The plan, created by the Common Voice Northwest-Transportation Task Force and endorsed by NOMA, was presented to both the minister and the premier a year ago.
NOMA requested an update as to the progress of the recommendations.
Del Duca advised the NOMA board that an announcement regarding an inter-community transportation plan in the northwest is in the final stages of approvals and to anticipate an announcement soon.
NOMA was pleased with the meeting with provincial ministers, noting they were extremely engaged in the message from the northwest.
“An opportunity to meet with the decision-makers in the province is paramount in moving Ontario forward from all corners,” Canfield stressed.
“We felt confident that the dialogue we shared provided the government with insight as to the realities of northern issues, and provided some ideas on how to address and resolve our concerns,” he added.
