A Northern Ontario lobby group is pleased that the province will hold a Northern leaders meeting to discuss the area’s concerns. The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities got that commitment in a meeting with several cabinet ministers. At the meeting, northern development minister Michael Gravelle said he would organize such a meeting for the New Year. FONOM has several issues on the go including Canadian groups being funded by outside agencies to slam the north’s industries. It’s also questioning the science being used to justify the conservation approach to the north’s caribou population. Another issues is the upcoming permanent closure of Resolute Forest Products in Iroquois Falls in under two weeks. The town’s biggest employer will throw nearly 200 people out of work. Community leaders have been trying to find another use for the facility but need government help to pull that off.
