Hampton offers Chamber/Town advice: Bus service, electricity and pharmacy issues discussed

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Last Thursday members of the Rainy River Chamber of Commerce and Town Council met with Kenora-RR Member of Provincial Parliament to discuss concerns in the community.
The first question concerned the loss of bus service last year when Grey Goose cancelled the run from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay via Rainy River.
“Grey Goose did not want to kill this service. U.S. security rules prevented freight from crossing the border. Freight made the (bus) service viable,” said Hampton. “They probably would reinstate it if there was a change in presidents there... a change where the president stopped scaring the heck out of Americans.”
Hampton said until there is a change in policy in the U.S. he said there is little hope Grey Goose will change its mind. However, he noted that Emo has a handi-van that is not fully utilized. He suggested that all the communities in the west end of the district get together and share the costs of operating the handi-van on a run from Rainy River to Emo to make the Winnipeg bus connection there. “I think you could get Trillium (Foundation) funding for this,” said Hampton.
Councillor Gerry Marchuk said he would like to see some numbers to see if such a plan would be viable.
Hampton also noted that with rising costs of gasoline having no end in site, he predicts that mass transit systems like passenger train service could very likely come back to the area. He also said that when fuel becomes so expensive that people can not afford to drive to larger centers for services that the service centralization will flip back to having them provided in small towns again.
Electricity
Chamber member Kristine Brown asked if it would be possible to put some wind turbines up here to generate electricity.
Hampton explained that Northwestern Ontario already has a surplus of power and produces the cheapest electricity in the world. He went on to say that NWO needs to have its own electricity system rather being tied to Southern Ontario and paying the same overpriced rates as them.
“We could offer cheap power and create jobs here,” said Hampton. “Instead the high rates are costing jobs here.”
He said all the communities in the region need to get together and form their own power company and he said that if the election this fall yields a minority government he could see the government allowing NWO to have its own system.
Hampton said, “I have no doubt that in the long run we will be generating power off the east side of Lake of the Woods.”
The future
Hampton noted that there will always be some services in Rainy River just because it is on the border. “You will always have O.P.P. and customs here.” He also noted that the community needs to focus on its other positive attributes like the schools, hospital/clinic, infrastructure, services, etc. “Celebrate your successes and use them to attract others to the community. You can’t scatter your efforts in six different directions. Focus on a goal and build on it.”
He gave council a great deal of credit for keeping at the government to get the funding to fix the towns sewer system and also pointed to the victory in getting a new hospital built here. “You can do big things here by working together and keeping at it.”
Pharmacy threatened
Rainy River Drugs owner and operator Sarah Berg spoke a bit about Bill 102 and how it has created hardship for small independent pharmacies. The provincial legislation has set up a two tiered system for pharmacies and restructured how they charge and make profits. Berg said the law is going to force many small town pharmacies out of business.
Hampton said the biggest thing owners like Berg need to do is to get their professional association to change its tune. “The leader of the Ontario Pharmacy Assoc. says everything is fine with its members and the legislation. So every time we raise the issue in parliament the Liberals say the OPA says everything is good.”
Berg said she has to belong to OPA by law and pays thousands of dollars each year to belong. She is frustrated by the tact taken by them.
Hampton said he has heard the same concerns as Berg has from independent pharmacies across the province. He offered to put Berg in touch with as many of them as possible so that they can combine their efforts in expressing their frustration with the law and hope to affect some change.