Nipissing MPP and the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Vic Fedeli says 2019 has been a great year.
“For the riding of Nipissing, it was a pretty darn good year,” Fedeli said. “We saw lots of new businesses. We saw a tremendous amount of provincial money come into North Bay, new money, most for the first time ever.”
Through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, North Bay has benefitted with close to $43 million since the Ford government was elected claims Fedeli.
“Just this year alone, the provincial money that we have brought in is over $200 million in the last 12 months,” Fedeli stated. “That has really been a boost to the community in terms of the investment our government has made, with most of it in health care.”
Looking ahead to the New Year, Fedeli says 2020 is shaping up to be similar.
“If 2019 saw the majority spent in health care, you will see a repeat of that,” Fedeli said. “We have bigger investments in health care coming.”
Fedeli says that he is hopeful that one of the goals in 2020 is to replace the long term health care facility in Trout Creek will be achievable.
“It is causing a huge strain on the North Bay Regional Health Centre,” Fedeli explained. “A lot of the residents either live at the hospital or take up spaces in other health care facilities in North Bay which causes others to live there. One way or the other that is a real goal on 2020.”
Another goal for the New Year is to bring more work to Ontario Northland, says Fedeli.
“We brought the GO trains here for refurbishment,” Fedeli stated. “We hope to see more work for Ontario Northland. Transferring it from Northern Development and Mines to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), that’s a big priority, and of course the continuation of the plans to return passenger rail.”
“Between health care and Ontario Northland, that should take up the better part of 2020,” Fedeli continued.
Always a hot topic in the north is the potential return of passenger rail. In early November, President and CEO of Ontario Northland, Corina Moore said an unveiling of their plan could come soon, but Fedeli says he has yet to see it.
“I wouldn’t have expected to,” Fedeli said. “They deal primarily with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, and hopefully soon the MTO. I leave that in their hands, these are the professionals. They don’t need a political perspective from me on top of things. I want to see a real solid business plan that has nothing to do with politics.”
