Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is demanding the McGuinty Liberals go back to the drawing board to come up with a real plan that will address Northern Ontario’s jobs crisis, especially in the forestry sector.

The Liberals unveiled their so-called plan in Sudbury and Thunder Bay last Friday amid great government-manufactured fanfare. Unfortunately, it’s little more than a discussion document and fails to address some of the most serious economic challenges facing Northern Ontario.

“The so-called northern growth plan makes no mention of the 40,000 direct and indirect Ontario forestry jobs that have vanished. Is the government wearing blinders or does it think that if it just ignores it, the devastation will go away?” asked Horwath pointedly during today’s Question Period.

She noted that the McGuinty government has now had six years to fix the ailing forestry sector.

“More than half of the promised forestry aid sits unused in a government bank account as 40,000 Northerners try and pick up the pieces,” said Horwath.

“Yet, the McGuinty Liberals government’s so-called plan makes five recommendations none of which do a damn thing to address the sky-high electricity prices that are killing forestry jobs. How could this government’s so-called Northern Ontario plan ignore the most important issue facing Ontario’s forestry sector?”