Reclaim lotto headquarters, Martin says

Sault MPP Tony Martin added his voice this morning to those demanding the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) restore its headquarters, and all associated jobs, to Sault Ste. Marie.

"Make no mistake about it, it [OLGC headquarters] has been moved from Sault Ste. Marie to Toronto," Martin said during the morning launch of his Northern Ontario Economic Development Initiative.

As SooToday.com reported 10 days ago, Sault City Council is asking the province to recommit to its original plan to relocate the OLGC headquarters to Sault Ste. Marie.

OLGC employment in the Sault peaked at 504 employees in 1995, but has since dropped by 70 jobs. Meanwhile, employment at OLGC's 'corporate' office in York Mills has swelled by 60 workers, to a total of 124, over the same period.

To read our earlier coverage on the issue, click here.

Ticket manufacturer gone

Martin pointed out that a ticket manufacturer on Second Line has left town since the headquarters jobs were moved and it lost the OLGC contract.

Don't listen to those who say that OLGC operations must be based in the South, Martin said. "To suggest that it can't happen here is not to tell it as it is," he told the meeting, organized by his own staff and the Sault Ste. Marie and District Labour Council.

Martin's plan

Martin's economic development proposal, unveiled this morning, calls for a broad partnership among government, business and labour organizations.

"That's what I attempted to do here this morning but obviously we're still having difficulties," he said, referring to the conspicuous absence of invited representatives of the local chamber of commerce and downtown association.

Martin acknowledged that the breakfast meeting was called with little advance notice and some invitees had prior commitments.

Mayor John Rowswell was in the audience and complimented Martin on his initiative.

Stop dismantling Ontario Northland

The Ontario Government needs to rebuild the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) instead of dismantling it, Martin said.

A consulting firm has recommended that ONTC replace its Northlander passenger train with bus service and sell off its rail freight division, ONTelecom and the Cochrane Station Inn, and the Government has put out a tender on parts of the ONTC system.

ONTC should be maintained as a public entity, Martin said. "We just cannot afford to lose any of our transportation infrastructure," he told today's meeting.

Give Algoma University its own charter

Martin also said Algoma University College (AUC) is having trouble competing with Lake Superior State University, its better-funded counterpart in Sault, Michigan.

AUC should be given its own charter so it no longer needs approval from Laurentian University for its initiatives, Martin said.

On that point, one member of the audience begged to differ.

Former Algoma MPP Bud Wildman, now chair of AUC's board of governors, responded that an independent charter is no longer needed because AUC is allowed to operate largely autonomously from Laurentian.

Aboriginal strategy

Martin would like to build on the North's strength in aboriginal studies, developing workshops aimed at a global audience interested in learning about aboriginal culture.

"We could, if we really worked on it. develop a world-class Centre of Excellence in First Nations Culture." Martin said.

Specific initiatives

Specific initiatives proposed by Martin include:

- targeted corporate tax credits to support skills training - improved research and development incentives for Northern companies - incentives for value-added products related to the mining and forest-product sectors, including a Northern mining machinery industry - new investment vehicles including a re-instated Northern Ontario Development Corp. - accelerated depreciation measures in certain key sectors that would allow companies to write off selected equipment investments at a faster pace - an improved funding formula for Northern colleges - greater involvement of community colleges in entrepreneurial and community economic development training - changing the application criteria for the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., which many tourism operators find too stringent and complicated - create a Northern Ontario Communications Innovations Centre at one or more locations Where does it go from here?

Martin said he's interested in meeting with community groups to discuss the NDP's economic development plans.

Mayor Rowswell said he'll present Martin's ideas to the mayors of other Northern communities.

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