David J. Widmann

$27-million program to make these lands available for recreation and development

Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines Jim Wilson was at the former Kam Kotia mine site near Timmins last week to officially open the lime treatment plant built last year with funding from the province’s Abandoned Mines Rehabilitation Program.

“With support from this program, the important rehabilitation work begun at Kam Kotia last year is moving ahead on schedule and is the main focus on fourth-year activities,” Wilson said.

Kam Kotia, a former copper and zinc mine, is part of a four- year, $27-million program to begin rehabilitation of Ontario’s abandoned mine sites and make these lands available for recreation and development.

“The Ontario government is dedicating $10-million this fiscal year toward rehabilitation of abandoned mine sites on Crown lands to ensure public safety, improve the environment and make these lands available for productive use,” said Wilson.

“I’m proud that this government is leading the way in Canada when it comes to addressing physical hazards and environmental contamination at former mine sites.”

In the first three years of the program, work has been undertaken at more than 45 abandoned mine sites. In addition, the Ontario government is one of the few jurisdictions in Canada that has completed an assessment of all known abandoned mine sites on Crown and privately owned land.

As well as construction of the plant at Kam Kotia, projects for the fourth year of the four-year, $27-million program include:

- capping a mine shaft, backfilling two mine stopes and fencing off several areas of the Toburn Mine in Kirkland Lake;

- removing the temporary Bailey bridge and constructing a permanent bridge to restore the North Road to its original two lanes at the Central Patricia Mine in Pickle Lake;

- continuing a rehabilitation partnership with Kinross Gold Corporation at the Kinross properties in Timmins;

- backfilling underground stopes in Cobalt’s Provincial Mine;

- removing PCBs, capping open holes and removing a surface structure at the Coppercorp property in Sault Ste. Marie; and

- removing fire-damaged buildings from the Buffalo Ankerite Mine in Timmins.

While the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines is responsible for mine site rehabilitation, representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Environment have also participated in the planning process.

“This government’s strategic approach to managing the environment relies on strong partnerships, both across ministries and with the businesses, community groups and citizens who make conservation and pollution prevention a daily concern,” said Environment Minister Chris Stockwell.

“The ongoing work at Kam Kotia is an excellent example of the results that this kind of co-operation can achieve.”

The government’s efforts to address acid mine drainage at Kam Kotia earned an honourable mention from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario in his 2001-2002 annual report.

Effects of international accord on mining still unknown

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce has vowed to work with other chambers in Ontario to press for clarification on how Canada will meet its Kyoto obligatations.

The Kyoto Protocol, the controversial accord designed to curb the effects of global climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, was ratified in November of last year.

Of concern to the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, as well as other chambers nation-wide, is that Kyoto says much about emissions reduction, but does not provide a clear framework that businesses can use to meet their emissions responsibilities.

“We want something that is a framework that is useful in terms of how Canada moves forward on this issue,” said Jim Thompson, first vice-chairman of the Greater Sudbury chamber.

“We want something that helps people to understand how they are going to live with Kyoto.

“We want to watch the development of this plan closely to make sure that politicians are kept accountable and it doesn’t threaten the economy.

“It’s like signing a contract without knowing what’s in it,” said Thompson about the current state of Canada’s Kyoto implementation.

“Inco actually came out and said themselves, prior to ratification, that they were concerned about what Kyoto was going to mean for them. It was very unclear how it was going to impact on them.

Mining Concerns

“I think Falconbridge feels the same way.”

Many of the mining industry’s concerns stem from the fact they have already committed to reducing their emissions.

“They are doing a lot right now, voluntarily and under provincial guidelines,” Thompson said. “They have really moved forward on renovating and retrofitting their plants, developing new technologies in the last 10 years because they’ve had to reduce their emissions. That’s a very positive impact on Kyoto’s objectives.

“I think Inco’s question was ‘what more are we going to have to do with Kyoto in place?’”

To get an answer to some of these questions, the Greater Sudbury chamber has been working with the Canadian and Ontario chambers to push for clarification on how Kyoto will be implemented.

“What the chambers want is to make sure that what we’re doing is responsible, is achievable, is affordable, and is something we can all get behind,” Thompson said. “(For) all industries, and all of the provinces.

“We want to make sure Kyoto is not just something that’s going to be put out there by the federal government with the hopes that everyone else is going to follow suit, otherwise there’s a danger that nothing will happen.

“There are a lot of good things in the Kyoto accord. I think the objectives are ideal and we support the objectives. The question is how to get there? What’s the responsible way to get there for Canadians?”

Thompson noted that although Kyoto is of importance to local industry and the Greater Sudbury chamber is working with other chambers on the clarity issue, the Sudbury chamber’s concerns are focused more on the local business environment.

“The Kyoto Accord is, by and large, a national issue,” said Thompson. “There are many other important issues coming up, such as the municipal elections in the year 2003 that we’re more concerned about and will be working on in the months ahead.”

On Wednesday, Laurentian University’s Native Human Services Program kicked off the first annual Native Social Work Conference.

The keynote speaker for this year’s event, entitled Articulating Aboriginal Paradigms: Implications for Aboriginal Social Work Practice, was Michael Anthony Hart.

Hart, a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba and a professor at the University of Manitoba, looked at “social work in light of our histories, particularly in light of some of the work done by missionaries.”

He said the purpose of the address was to “ask the question of whether we are any different than what has happened to us historically.”

Workshops planned

A host of workshops featuring speakers from across the country will take place from today until Saturday.

Several themes will be discussed during the conference, including child welfare, aboriginal youth risk and resilience, homelessness, urban native women recovering from addiction, working with trauma and abuse in aboriginal communities, social determinants of aboriginal health, and aboriginal psychology.

On Thursday, two films will be screened in the Science North cavern.

The first, Journey to Little Rock: The Untold Story of Minnijean Brown Trickey, tells the story of a Laurentian University native human services graduate and eight other African American teenagers who broke racial barriers to attend high school in Little Rock, Ark. It will be shown at 3 p.m.

Atanarjuat — The Fast Runner will air at 7 p.m.  The film won the Golden Camera Award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, and is the first film presented in the Innu language of Canada.

For more information on the conference, visit http://nativeswconference.laurentian.ca.

Sudbury shop is Ontario’s most northern source for woodcarving supplies and classes

In a blink-and-you-might-miss-it storefront location on Sudbury’s Bancroft Drive, a small shop is starting to build, among other things, a reputation.

Thompson’s Woodcarving is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Morris (“Moe”) and Brigette Thompson.

They have built what started as a way for Moe to relieve the stress of working as a Sudbury Regional Police Officer into Ontario’s most northern source for woodcarving supplies and classes.

“We started the shop here in 1999,” said Moe. “I was still working full-time in the police service at the time. I retired in the summer of 2001, and we’ve been steady at this ever since.”

After trying several different types of woodcarving, Moe found his passion was in carving caricatures.

Shelves and display cases at Thompson’s Woodcarving are dominated by wooden characters, many of which are originals drawn from Moe’s experience as a police officer.

Reference Materials, Supplies

Thompson’s Woodcarving also carries reference materials and supplies for several styles and methods of carving.

“Just about anything that’s out there, I have some supplies here that will help,” said Moe.

You can’t buy what they sell just anywhere, said Brigette, who takes care of the business end of running the store.

“Woodcarving tools are so different from any other carpentry tool or any other woodworking tool.”

“There was no place in Northern Ontario to purchase carving tools,” Brigette said. “People in Sudbury, until we opened, were limited to looking at either a print catalogue or a Web site. They couldn’t try anything in their hand. We thought if we could get the tools in, people could try before they buy.”

As well as running the store, the Thompsons attend woodworking and carving shows. This helps them expand their customer base, as well as help their current customers.

“Morris loves to carve, and it’s a way to meet people,” Brigette said.

“We’re the central contact point for information about woodcarving in the area. Through shows, we’re able to keep tabs on what’s going on and pass that on to other carvers. Plus, we get to see new products.”

The store is also working on increasing its inventory of wood- burning supplies.

“‘Artistic arson,’ as one person put it,” she said. “With the aid of your burning pen, you’re sketching a picture onto wood or other mediums. It’s not a new art, but it is seeing a revival.”

Before retiring from the police, Moe’s job was the main source of funding for the business. The business grew slowly, and as time went on, became self-sufficient.

“We ran a cash business, which we still do,” Brigette said. “We find that has been the best way to do business. We buy what we can afford. Once we have sold it, we buy more. Occasionally we do run out of things, especially the big-ticket items, but generally we can get it in a short period of time.

“For the first few years, growth was very slow. Where we’re at today is about where we should be. We have no bank loans.”

Brigette cites the banks’ lack of understanding of small- business issues as one reason why she and Moe couldn’t get financing for Thompson’s Woodcarving.

“The banks would not look at us, because they had nothing to assess this type of store against,” she said. “As a small business, we’ve found that the banks have been very frustrating to deal with.”

Brigette also said that other industries still haven’t figured out the needs of their small-business customers.

“If I want high-speed Internet, because I’m a business I have to pay nearly twice as much as I would as an individual, yet my usage is probably less.”

Still, by avoiding bank loans, creating and following a business plan, and choosing a location that is “tailored to the budget,” the Thompsons have managed to keep their love of woodcarving — and each other — from being overtaken by the stresses of running a business.

“Being retired, we don’t depend on this for our bread and butter,” Brigette said. “We do it mostly because we love it.”

One of the things Moe loves most about woodcarving is teaching. In the past, he has taught classes at Cambrian College, and given instruction to hearing-impaired children. Now he teaches classes in his Bancroft Drive shop.

“I keep my classes very small, because that way I can give individual attention to everybody,” he said. “I carve along with the students, so we all start with the same blank cut-out of wood cut the same way.”

More Carving Shows

In the future, the Thompsons hope to get the word out about their business by doing more woodworking and carving shows. They have also made the first few steps onto the Internet, with their Web site at ww.woodcarve.netfirms.com.

The Thompsons are also working on a project to help increase awareness of Sudbury’s small-business community.

“We’ve tried to interest local cable companies to do a hobby show,” Brigette said. “The reason hobby stores don’t make it in this town is because people don’t know they exist. We’ve got to get them to understand that retailers here in Sudbury carry the same products and often at a competitive price or cheaper.

“People in Sudbury still have to learn to support their local businesses.”

A group of parents has asked the Ontario Ministry of Education to investigate a decision by English-language Catholic trustees to close Our Lady of Fatima elementary school in Naughton this fall.

In a letter to Education Minister Elizabeth Witmer, the group wrote that the “parents and taxpayers seek judicious use of their tax dollars to provide our young people with good, solid education.”

One of the parents, Kerri St. Jean, said: “We’re hoping that the trustees will reconsider their decision to close Our Lady of Fatima in favour of pulling $2.39 million out of their reserves to add on to a school that doesn’t need to be built.”

In their letter, parents said the Sudbury Catholic District School Board underestimated the cost of closing the school and moving its students to nearby St. James in Lively.

In an effort to save money, trustees in December opted to close Our Lady of Fatima and to consolidate St. Anthony school with St. Francis school, located in Sudbury.

However, in a report commissioned by the parents group, chartered accountant Darlene Gatien said it would cost $4.18 million over the next 10 years to close Our Lady of Fatima and expand St. James.

The board’s estimate is $2.55 million.

Given its estimate, the parents told Witmer that “taxpayers in the City of Greater Sudbury have grave concerns regarding financial information provided by the board administration to the board of trustees for the 2002 student accommodation review of the western family of schools.

“Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School Council prepared a financial analysis highlighting that the board’s cost estimates have been done improperly. The trustees did not provide any comment on our financial concerns.”

However, Ray Vincent, chairman of the Catholic board, defended the board’s decision.

“I respect what they have to say, although the board certainly disagrees with (the economic) argument,” Vincent said. “We have highly qualified experts in the field of accepted municipal and school accounting practices and we have to abide by that.

“We’re quite willing to meet with the ministry people and have them peruse our figures.”

Vincent said trustees, given the need to cut costs, made the best decision they could.

“The board has to consider what’s good and healthy for the entire system,” he said. “We look at all the schools. We look at enrolment, operating costs, costs of maintaining the school, and so on.

“Sometimes we have to consolidate schools. When we realize the economies of consolidating schools, it’s redistributed to the benefit of all our schools and all the children in the system.”

He added that once St. James is expanded and renovated, parents will be pleased.

“We’ll go out of our way to enhance the quality of programs … When that school is completely renovated, it’ll be the envy of every elementary school in the Sudbury district.”

Making their case

Why parents say Our Lady of Fatima should stay open:

- Location: The school is seen as being central to students as far away as Beaver Lake in the west, Copper Cliff in the east, Dogpatch and Lively to the north, and Long Lake to the south.

- Condition: the building is well maintained, and accessible to students with disabilities.

- Size: the building is seen as spacious enough to house a good number of students, and has a very large gymnasium.

- Well-equipped: the school has a large computer lab and science lab.

‘Anything sexual is potentially very seductive … when there’s a perception of no boundaries and no consequences, it can be very seductive indeed’

Recent events, including accusations against rock star Pete Townshend, have once again brought the issue of child pornography to the forefront of the media.

The public is not only questioning what authorities are doing to stem the trade in “evil” images of children being sexually abused, but wondering what draws people into this seedy, underground world in the first place.

Brian Bigelow, professor of psychology at Laurentian University, said human nature and the nature of the Internet combine to lure people “who normally wouldn’t get into trouble” into viewing “serious material that is very illegal …

“There’s some good literature now to show that excessive use of the Internet, like spending all night at it, spending more time with it than you are with your family, can lead to some mood alterations in the viewer, and therefore impair the viewer’s judgment,” he said.

Bigelow said that the erotic interest in child pornography is very similar to the interest a heterosexual individual has in “regular” pornography.

“Anything sexual is potentially very seductive to any gender, to any person,” he said. “When there’s a perception of no boundaries and no consequences, it can be very seductive indeed.

“You may find your judgment impaired because it’s so free and easy to look at things. Heterosexual interests can turn into interests of a child-porn variety very quickly without even knowing you’re crossing the line.”

The habit-forming nature of Internet porn can dull the viewer’s normal resistance to such imagery, Bigelow said.

“Habituation and desensitization is par for the course for material that is erotic in nature. Ever-increasing stimulation to produce the same sense of curiosity or arousal (leads to) crossing boundaries and getting into deep trouble.”

This is not a blanket warning for those who look at X-rated images online, he said.

“That doesn’t mean that everyone who cruises the ‘Net and visits questionable sites is a bad person. It means they’re being seduced by the lack of boundaries and the perception of freedom.”

Trouble for the individual begins the moment that line is crossed because, Bigelow said, the perception of “no boundaries and no consequences” is merely an illusion.

“The seduction of the Internet when it first came out was fantastic. Now we’re used to having it around and the cops know how to police it better. The RCMP and the FBI do look at these sites. You may be watched.

“If you do something dumb like putting a Visa card in there or something, if the site is being investigated you may find yourself in receipt of a summons. You may be, in fact, clinching the evidence against you.”

Once that evidence is gathered, it is the viewers of the material that often face stiffer consequences than those who make it available on the Internet.

It’s akin to a system that punishes drug users more severely than the dealers. “Under American law, it’s called ‘turning state’s evidence,’” said Bigelow.

“If the cops are going to raid a questionable site, one way for those running the site to receive a lighter sentence is to strike a deal with prosecuting attorneys by handing over their database.”

“Remember that sex is the great seducer. I don’t know if there’s any moral to the public on this, except when you use your computer to surf the ‘Net, if you don’t have boundaries to your cruising or your surfing, you’re exposing yourself not only to computer viruses, but you’re exposing yourself to sites that may be monitored to the cops.”

Laurentian University hopes to have 200 English-language students in new program this fall

The Laurentian University senate approved the curriculum for a four- to five-year English-language Bachelor of Education program on Wednesday, essentially creating a teachers college at Laurentian.

“That is the final internal step,” said Anne-Marie Mawhiney, dean of Professional Schools at Laurentian. “The university budget committee has to take the senate decision and work towards a budget to support the program.

“Because we’ll be phasing in the program over the next four or five years, we can develop a plan that allows us to implement the budget incrementally. The additional requirement that we will have to meet before we can announce that this is all in line with the Ontario College of Teachers.

“They will also receive a report from us by early- to mid- February requesting their consideration of initial accreditation. We aren’t in a position to admit students until we obtain initial accreditation.

“We’re hoping that will happen by late spring 2003.”

Mawhiney said that could mean admitting new Bachelor of Education students at Laurentian as early as September 2003.

The university expects as many as 200 students to enrol for fall classes. However, Mawhiney doesn’t foresee the full complement of education students being admitted then.

“That is because students who are leaving high school have made their choices. Because the Bachelor of Education program hasn’t been approved yet, it’s not on the list.

“We do anticipate that some students who are applying for undergraduate programs will choose to transfer into the education program. We certainly will be setting up academic advising in late spring and early fall to do that.”

The program, said Mawhiney, will be a four- to five-year concurrent program, which will incorporate a degree in either arts, science or human kinetics along with the Bachelor of Education.

The B.Ed. will have the following areas of focus: English, history, geography, native studies, biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and human kinetics.

“Laurentian’s B.Ed. program will provide an education degree to a large number of well-qualified students from northeastern Ontario and beyond,” said Laurentian president Judith Woodsworth in a news release.

“There is presently a large demand for teachers across the province of Ontario and the demand is expected to continue in the foreseeable future due to the large number of teachers about to retire.”

The new English-language program will complement LU’s existing French-language B.Ed. program. The presence of two strong B.Ed. programs in both of Canada’s official languages also reaffirms the university’s bilingual mandate and commitment to Northern Ontario, Woodsworth said. It also strengthens Laurentian’s presence as one of the country’s two bilingual universities.

Since existing schools of education in Ontario do not have the capacity to admit all qualified students required over the next 15 years, this program is expected to become one of Laurentian’s key academic offerings.

Special committee hears how current system can be improved

The City of Greater Sudbury hopes to remove one of the main barriers to accessible transit for its handicapped citizens on May 1, when it switches to one service provider that will cover the entire municipality.

Transit commissioner Roger Gauthier said Monday that a number of service providers currently provide transit service to handicapped residents in the city.

But the service that’s in place now is a patchwork system that doesn’t cover the all the city. However, that’s about to change.

‘One service provider’

“We’re going to have one service provider who’s going to be able to provide service for people wanting to travel from Capreol to Lively,” Gauthier said.

“Right now, we’re still in the former system where there are pockets (of no service). You couldn’t travel from Capreol to Chelmsford because there are different service providers.

“All those barriers are going to be eliminated on the first of May.”

Gauthier made the remarks Monday, when the accessibility advisory committee of the City of Greater Sudbury hosted a public input meeting to discuss the Accessibility Plan for Greater Sudbury Transit.

“We’re getting a lot of good ideas, and things that we can work on,” Gauthier said. “That’s great … I’m happy to hear some compliments, some suggestions on issues that we can address that we should be able to take care of quite easily.

“Maybe in some cases they’re just issues we weren’t aware of, but that’s why we’re having these sessions.”

The purpose of the meeting was to identify barriers to access, and to come up with ideas on how to eliminate those barriers.

Handi-Transit service was one of the main focuses of the meeting. Those in attendance praised the service, saying that it has greatly improved their mobility and independence. They did, however, express concerns, including:

- a lack of scheduling flexibility, which can lead to waits of two days or more for transportation;

- the perception that people who want to go shopping are given more flexibility in their schedules than people with medical appointments;

- snow blockages of bus stops; and

- bus seats that are uncomfortable for long-distance commutes.

There were also complaints of drivers who have left riders behind. Gauthier said wasn’t aware this had happened, but added now that it had been brought to Greater Sudbury Transit’s attention, it could be dealt with.

“We have an in-house training program,” he said. “We train all of our drivers every year. If there are new issues that come up, we include them in our modules.”

There were also complaints about the three-year period given for improving Handi-Transit.

“Whether it’s too long or not I’m not sure, but at least we know it’s coming,” said Gauthier. “At least it’s there. We’ve already gone through the first phase. We’re in the middle of the second phase. In two more years, we’ll have it completed.

“Handi-Transit was approved by council with a budgeted increase of about $120,000 per year to get it to a level that was better for everybody.”

Gauthier also said that steps were being taken to make the regular transit routes more accessible for all Greater Sudbury’s residents.

Communication stressed

“We have 48 buses,” he said. “All of our buses have some type of accessibility feature, whether it’s kneeling, easier-access seating, or different coloured painting for easier visibility on the steps.

“We have 15 low-floor buses in our fleet. Those buses don’t have steps. When you get on the bus, you just walk directly on. It’s easier for people with walkers or wheelchairs.”

Concerns were raised about visibility of signs for the visibly impaired, especially at the main terminal. Signs were noted as being too high for people with low-vision to see. There was also the issue of signs being too small.

Another issue was access to transit information for the hearing- impaired. Creating a direct TTY link to the transit information system is something that could be done in the short term, Gauthier said.

He also noted that there have been the improvements made to transit accessibility in Sudbury could be better communicated to disabled people and groups.

“My mother had Alzheimer’s,” said Joyce McCormick of Webbwood. “From there, it went on to be in my brother-in-law, and then my father-in-law. It really hit our family.”

McCormick is part of a group in Webbwood that has banded together to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease.

“They have raised money holding various events,” said Patricia Montpetit, executive director of the Alzheimer Society of Sudbury- Manitoulin.

“For the past four or five years, they have held coffee break functions on our behalf, and each year they have raised more than $800,” Montpetit said.

“What is most amazing to us is that the entire population of Webbwood is only 600 people.”

Montpetit said the society is “very appreciative of the efforts of this small group in Webbwood.”

The community has pulled together through the years to help each other cope with Alzheimer’s disease, and raising money has been a big part of that.

“Annually we have to raise about $50,000 to augment the funding we receive from the government for some of our programs,” Montpetit said.

“There are some things we have that just don’t fall under any categories they fund. For example, we have a resource library for our families to borrow books and videos about Alzheimer’s disease, behaviours, and how to cope. The government does not fund resource libraries.”

McCormick’s daughter Chrissie has also helped raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society.

“She held a yard sale one year,” McCormick said. “She went through the house and found things we weren’t using. Then some of her friends and other family members gave her some stuff. She ended up raising $1,000.”

Fund-raising efforts can get quite creative, says Ellen Roque, another resident of Webbwood who helps raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society.

“We have a lot of support from the community, and a lot of people who are generous enough to help us,” said Roque. “We can’t take all this credit, because it’s not all ours.”

‘Like a bag woman’

As well as joining McCormick in her fund-raising efforts, Roque organizes a can-recycling drive that aids the Alzheimer’s Society.

“It’s embarrassing,” she laughs. “I feel like a bag woman or something.”

Joking aside, Roque feels that, although the can drive doesn’t raise a great deal of money for Alzheimer’s disease, every little bit is important.

“I lost a cousin whom I liked very, very much to it,” she said. “It’s horrible. We are so very fortunate that people really support us on this. It let’s us feel like we’re doing something for these people who are gone.”

“It may not help my husband and I, but we have kids and a new little granddaughter,” said McCormick. “As long as there’s money going into research, we can help others down the line.”

Currently, the Alzheimer Society of Sudbury-Manitoulin is in the midst of a fund-raising drive to renovate a section of the Pioneer Manor on Notre Dame Avenue.

“We’ve been offered the opportunity to renovate 10,000-square- feet and move out of our temporary portable building,” Montpetit said. “We have to pay for the renovations ourselves.”

For more information on the Alzheimer Society of Sudbury- Manitoulin, call 1-800-407-6369, or e-mail alzhsud@isys.ca.

Sudbury a natural location for rural research centre proposed in the Romanow Commission on health care

Greater Sudbury councillors say the city is an ideal place to house one of four centres of health innovation as proposed by Roy Romanow in his report on the future of health care in Canada .

“We set out 10 years ago to make sure that Sudbury would be the health-care referral centre for northeastern Ontario,” said Ward 5 Coun. Doug Craig.

“We followed the provincial government’s instructions in terms of a brand new large single-site hospital, said Craig, co-chair of the city’s physician and allied health care recruitment and retention committee.

“We’ve also lobbied long and hard for a Northern medical school. If the health innovation centre is going to be located anywhere in northeastern Ontario, then Sudbury would be the logical place for it.”

As part of his report, released last Nov. 28, Romanow said the federal government should create four centres of health innovation.

Sudbury ‘a model’

“I think that when the criteria is out and the applications are made and the proposals written, we’ll stand an excellent chance of being the centre for that particular endeavour.”

Last month, city council passed a resolution supporting the creation of a centre for health innovation dedicated to rural and remote health-care issues.

The resolution also supports Romanow’s proposed Rural and Remote Access Fund, which is supposed to total $1.5 billion over two years to improve timely access to care in rural and remote areas.

Craig said that should Romanow’s recommendations become health- care policy, the benefits to Sudbury would go beyond advances in medical care.

“A healthy community is one thing that has to happen before you can have a prosperous community,” he said.

“These kinds of jobs are the jobs that bring people here and allow them a quality of life that is appealing and inviting to young people who may otherwise consider leaving the North for more opportunities.

“I think some of the ideas and some of the jobs that will emanate from the health-care sector that’s going to evolve in this community will be the largest economic driver that we have, surpassing mining, education, and whatever else we’ve had in the past or present.”

Even if Romanow’s recommendations are not adopted by the federal government, Craig sees Sudbury as a leader in the development of new health-care policy and procedures.

“I go back to the medical school, the hospital, the cancer treatment centre, and some of the great work that we’re doing in the province regarding long-term care,” Craig said.

“I think we’re a model for some of the things that are occurring province-wide. It’s a natural outgrowth of an aging population. Those four areas are the pillars of the health-care areas that’ll continue to grow in our city.

“If the innovation centre remains an idea and never does come to fruition in the near future, I think those four areas will stand in good stead.”