Building A Stronger Northern Economy
March 4, 2011
McGuinty Government Delivers Growth Plan For The North
"We've harnessed the resourcefulness and the entrepreneurial spirit of northerners to develop a Growth Plan for Northern Ontario that will help make the northern economy innovative, robust and competitive." Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forests
The 25-year Growth Plan for Northern Ontario will help create a stronger, more diverse and sustainable Northern economy.This robust plan was developed with northerners for northerners. It will guide decision-making and investment planning in the region. To move the plan forward, the government will immediately:
- Establish a Northern Policy Institute. The institute will play a key role in implementing and monitoring the growth plan
- Develop a long-term strategy to create a more integrated transportation infrastructure system for air, rail, road and water.
- Bring together northern community and business leaders to support regional economic planning, business innovation and entrepreneurship. This will help retain and attract investment in the North.
The growth plan is an important part of the province’s Open Ontario Plan. It will help attract people and investments to the region, support training, education and employment opportunities, create a highly qualified workforce and position the northern economy to compete on a global scale.
QUICK FACTS
- The province will invest $5 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to support the development of the Northern Policy Institute and $2.2 million to support the new multi-modal transportation strategy.
- The final growth plan reflects input from more than 1,400 northerners, and close to 300 written submissions.
- Northern Ontario covers 800,000 square kilometres, or close to 90 per cent of the province’s land base – an area larger than most Canadian provinces.
- The plan will also support education and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people -Northern Ontario is home to 40 per cent of Ontario’s Aboriginal population and approximately 24 per cent of Ontario’s Francophone population.
- Northern-based mining, forestry, tourism and agriculture industries contribute more than $23 billion annually to Ontario’s economy.
