MNR: More job cuts in the North
KENORA – NDP Natural Resources critic Sarah Campbell says the Sept. 28 decision by the McGuinty Government to cut staffing at ten provincial parks across the North is another case of an irresponsible government creating long-term pain for minimal short-term gain.
The government says the decision to cut staffing and downgrade parks in Nestor Falls, Hearst, Cochrane, Foleyet, Elliot Lake, Wawa, Kapuskasing, Midhurst, Moosonee and Chapleau will result in a meagre $7.1 million in annual savings for the Ministry of Natural Resources, but Campbell says it fails to take into consideration the impact those decisions will have on local economies.
“This decision was made without advance notice, without consultation and without any attempt to promote these parks, despite recent assurances that the government would consult before making drastic decisions. Cutting now and consulting later is not living up to that promise and it is making decisions before determining the long-term impact those decisions will have,” says Campbell.
Campbell says cuts to the Ontario Ranger Program take valuable jobs and experience away from students and out of the local economy, while leaving parks under-serviced.
“Just days ago the Premier rose in question period saying job cuts were not the answer, and now we hear about more cuts. The key to balancing the books is not eliminating programs, it’s eliminating wasteful and partisan government spending like the billions wasted on E-Health, ORNGE air ambulance and hundreds of millions wasted to cancel Liberal-approved power plants in Southern Ontario. Once again we in the North are left to pay for reckless spending decisions by an urban-centric government,” she explains.
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