Newspaper Article

Jobs needed for viability of the North

Benoit, Barbara

2003

Overview

I also can't imagine the corporate profile obtained from the Ministry of Consumer and Corporate Affairs regarding the status of the WNEDC wasn't properly researched by these lawyers before Weyerhaeuser offered to purchase from the municipality all of its supposed rights and interests in the limited partnership for $1. My question is, are the politicians who represent our interests and manage our natural resources on our behalf up for the challenge? It's time they stood up to this resource-based, for-profit company and gently remind them that they are able to exist and earn a healthy profit by being allowed to exploit our natural resources. In effect, we are also a partnership. By our good graces they are allowed to exist. There is a covenant between the province of Ontario and these resource-based companies to ensure economic development and job creation in exchange for the use of our natural resources which includes the water. When Weyerhaeuser ceased operation and company spokeswoman Jayne Murray publicly proclaimed there was very little money to be made with the dams, as a stakeholder in this province and community, I feel they relinquished their part of the covenant and the licence to use the water that flows over the dams should have been rescinded with a proviso.

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