Mining, forestry on MPPs’ agendas for 2013 – by CBC Radio Sudbury (December 28, 2012)

http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/

Area members of provincial parliament want to expand northern Ontario economy

Northern members of provincial parliament are setting their agendas for 2013, but many MPPs don’t seem to be on the same page. For Sudbury Liberal MPP Rick Bartolucci, the coming year needs to focus on promoting mining in northern Ontario.

“If you’re a mining company, this is where you want to be, because it’s booming,” he said. New Democrat France Gelinas said she wants to see a stimulated economy that will produce better paying jobs.

The Nickel Belt MPP said “way too many people can’t make ends meet. There are some jobs that we have recovered since the recession, but a lot of those jobs are precarious.”

Growing forestry

Over in Nipissing, Vic Fedeli said forestry is at the top of his agenda. The conservative MPP said he wants to re-introduce his private member’s bill to allow buildings taller than two stories to be built with wood β€” a bill that was lost after prorogation.

“All it needed was to come to the floor for one minute and have a vote and we would have had six-storey wood building in Ontario,” Fedeli said.

Relationships are top-of-mind for Timmins-James Bay NDP MPP Gilles Bisson, who said he hopes β€œto have a government that is actually prepared to work with the opposition.”

Regardless of what tops any MPP’s wish list for 2013, nothing will happen until Queens Park sits again. Proceedings there have been prorogued since October.

The Liberals will select a new leader at the end of January.

For a radio interview, please go to the CBC Radio Sudbury website: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/story/2012/12/28/sby-northern-mpps-look-ahead-to-2013.html