September 29, 2012 – Republic of Mining

North [Ontario] kicked in the groin again – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – September 28, 2012)

September 29, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Talk about timing. Just one day before the McGuinty Liberal government was set to pull the plug on the Northlander train, it delivered another kick in the groin to this region.

On Thursday, the government announced it is cancelling overnight stays at 10 provincial parks beginning next year.

Six of those 10 parks – Ivanhoe Lake in Foleyet, Greenwater in Cochrane, Rene Brunelle in Kapuskasing, Fushimi Lake kin Hearst, The Shoals in Chapleau and Tidewater in Moosonee – happen to be in or around Cochrane District.

The government, in its desire to “modernize its business”, suggested these parks are being converted to day-use-only because they have low visitation rates. Are we talking about the same parks here?

Surely, anyone who has sought to go camping at Ivanhoe Lake or Rene Brunelle would not describe them as underutilized. If anything, they are among the most popular provincial parks in this region. With the choice of provincial park camp sites in this area virtually narrowed down, good luck getting a camping spot at Kettle Lakes next summer.

Boozy temperance tales [Timmins history] – by Karen Bachmann (Timmins Daily Press – September 28, 2012)

September 29, 2012

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Karen Bachmann is the director/curator of the Timmins Museum and a local author.

TIMMINS – Hope you enjoy the quick snapshot of life in Timmins in 1917. To begin with, change seems to have been the order of the day as the Tisdale Council was swept out of office and replaced with an entirely new slate.

Sylvester Kennedy won what was described as a “landslide” – a 37 vote majority, over the incumbent E. Dickson. The campaign was described as “vigourous.” Cards, flyers and “counter-irritants” were freely used by all those running. The public benefited from hearing the politicians’ views at no less than three public debates held in Moneta, Schumacher and South Porcupine.

To everyone’s relief however, after the ballots had been counted and the results were known, both the new mayor and the retiring one celebrated together and pledged to continue to work for the betterment of the community.

That’s what I call a breath of fresh air! As for local politics in Timmins, no election was held as three men running for council positions and one running for mayor pulled out before election day. Apparently, it had been discussed amongst all the candidates that this was the best course of action for the community.

Ontario’s Northlander train makes its final run – by Jennifer Wells (Toronto Star – September 29, 2012)

September 29, 2012

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

The Ontario Northland is going mighty fast for a funeral barge, 65 mph past ribbons of sumacs that are coming on vermillion, that eye-blasting, keening, it’s-almost-Thanksgiving Ontario scenery.

Conductor Brian Irwin isn’t studying the sumacs. No.

The railroad lifer is in thought, formulating a message that will sum up his views of the decision by the McGuinty government to divest itself of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, including the shutting down of the Northlander, erasing, oh, 110 years of history as of Friday. Poof. So there’s Irwin, swaying to the thrumble of the train, and here’s his thought: “We’re kinda partial to a fence at the French River there.”

You see where he’s going. Us versus them. When you’re taking one of your last runs, might as well unload on the sorry South-North relationship in this province. The betrayal. Words do not suffice.

“It is personal — this whole thing is personal,” he says. “We’ve never had a friend at the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. Why there is such a hate on for the ONR is beyond me. Why the hell are we under Northern Development and Mines anyway? We’re a transportation company!”