Members of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) all gathered in Marathon last week to go over some major issues and concerns at their 2010 Annual General Meeting.

There were a number of resolutions passed at this meeting with an esteemed group of guests attending.  Included in this guest list were Minister of Transportation, Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Northern Development, Mines & Forestry, Michael Gravelle, as well as the parliamentary assistant to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

“Transportation and economic development were two of the very key issues that were discussed at the meeting, “says NOMA president, Anne Krassilowsky, “and we’re all working towards a better tomorrow for our community.”

Many resolutions were passed by NOMA at this meeting, most prominently the issue of HST coming to our province.  The position of NOMA is that it will affect the residents of NW Ontario much more than our southern neighbours.  Due to the increased costs of living in the north, NOMA anticipates the impact of the HST increase for goods and services may be too much for some NW Ontario residents.

NOMA has passed a resolution to petition the Government of Ontario to reconsider the implementation of HST, or provide additional compensation for residents of Northwestern Ontario.

The second critical issue on the NOMA roster was transportation.  With the Trans-Canada Highway running as a major artery through our area, it was deemed that there are some large deficiencies in this highway system.

NOMA has resolved that the highways should have an increased speed of 10 km/h to match other jurisdictions, and that there be more scenic pullouts, public washrooms and garbage receptacles.  Also, that there be provided wide, obstacle-free, gently sloping verges, where practical, in all highway construction projects, and that four lane divided highways be the standard design for at least part of the highway maintenance/replacement program.

Some of the other hot button issues that NOMA discussed and passed resolutions on included electrical transmission planning, focusing on the approval and construction of the Little Jackfish hydro-electric project.

NOMA is pushing the Government of Ontario for a permanent Northern Ontario Industrial Electricity Rate that ensures the forest and mining industries can be competitive.

NOMA has also resolved to call on the Ontario government to put in place an office of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs in the northwest, as well as an office of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade

-Ally Dunham