Hampton says buy the dams from Abitibi

News Release
Ont. NDP

NDP Leader Howard Hampton is calling on Dalton McGuinty to stand up to big forestry companies and protect Northern Ontario’s public hydro and forestry assets.
“Over the past four years, Northern Ontario’s economy has been hit by wave after wave of forest sector job losses. More than 10,000 direct forestry jobs and thousands more indirect ones are gone. It’s time Dalton McGuinty realized the severity of what’s happening here. He can start by standing up to the big forestry companies that are taking our workers and our resources for granted,” said Hampton.
In the wake of recent news that Abitibi-Bowater’s hydro dams in Iroquois Falls, Kenora and Fort Frances may be for sale, Hampton is demanding the McGuinty government intervene to protect hydro and forestry assets that are in the public interest.
“Other governments understand what’s happening and they are taking decisive action. The McGuinty government doesn’t need to commission another report or hire another expert. It needs to do what is in the best interest of Northern Ontario, and that means standing up to these big multinationals,” said Hampton.
He noted that under the McGuinty government, Ontario has lost more than twenty per cent of its high-paying manufacturing and resource jobs, taking nearly $10-billion in wages out of the province’s economy. Entire communities have been devastated, especially across Northern Ontario.
“Abitibi-Bowater, Domtar, Tembec and Weyerhauser have all announced recent layoffs and shutdowns. At this rate, we won’t have any forestry industry left. If other provinces can act to protect jobs and resources, then surely Dalton McGuinty can too,” said Hampton.