plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, Northern Ontario continues to take the hits

Reeve B.W. Zufelt

When Reeve B.W. "Bubs" Zufelt was interviewed by The Globe and Mail in June 1950 about Chapleau having the Trans Canada Highway, it was an occasion for great celebration in the community. 

Reeve Zufelt, who in the interests of full disclosure was my "Uncle Bubs", told Don Delaplante, a Globe and Mail reporter that it looked like "half the world is going to come driving down our Main Street." 

The Chapleau Post ran a banner headline "WE GOT IT" and schools were closed for the day to mark the occasion. The reeve had his picture taken pointing towards Schreiber in the general direction of where the highway would go from Chapleau.

Well, some 62 years later, we are all aware that the Trans Canada Highway never came through Chapleau, even though in 1951, Welland S. Gemmell, an Ontario cabinet minister, assured 2200 citizens at the official opening of the Chapleau Memorial Arena that it would.

Imagine the disappointment when the Trans Canada  took another route despite promise after promise by senior levels of government.

Such is the nature of politics, and for Chapleau and other communities in Northern Ontario, it seems plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

Never mind losing the Trans Canada Highway, successive Chapleau councils have tried to get the Sultan/Ramsey Road completed to no avail.

However, let me get to the point of this column. I have very seldom written about current issues affecting Chapleau simply because I am writing from afar and am not  aware of what's really happening on the local scene.

But, this past week, after receiving emails and Facebook messages, about a  government decision to close provincial parks, the end of the Ontario Northland train between Toronto and Cochrane, a Grey Cup train that is bypassing Chapleau and Northern Ontario, enough is enough folks.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources announced that overnight camping  at 10 Northern Ontario parks, including Shoals and Ivanhoe near Chapleau will no longer be permitted as part of its budget slashing process. Michael Gravelle, the Natural Resources minister said, “The decisions we’re making are necessary to modernize our business, make the ministry sustainable, and help the government balance the budget,” 

Gravelle added: “I’m confident that we will be more efficient and better organized to focus on what matters most to the people who rely on the ministry’s programs and services.”

According to a ministry news release, the changes will result in the elimination of 28 full-time and 102 seasonal positions, saving the Ontario government $6.1 million a year and future capital costs of $4.4 million.

Referring specifically to Shoals, the ministry news release said, "The Shoals Provincial Park near Chapleau had fewer than 5,000 visits last year, and Ontario Parks recovered only 30 cents on each dollar it invested in the park." 

With the closure of the parks, as part of its "streamlining and automating processes", whatever that means in terms people can understand, the government plans to focus on 104 parks primarily located in Southern Ontario.

Gravelle says he believes the ministry will be able to focus on "what matters most"  to people. Well, Minister, may I suggest you begin by making decisions that include consultation with the citizens directly affected in the communities who rely on the parks in many ways, instead of a mathematical model of usage and cost recovery created by bureaucrats at Queens Park.

There is no mention in the news release that other options were considered.

On September 28, Jennifer Wells a feature writer with the Toronto Star, was aboard the Northlander, the Ontario Northland Transportation Commisssion historic train -- operating for more than 100 years -- on its last run from Cochrane to Toronto. Although not directly connected to Chapleau, the Northlander has been used by its citizens over the years. It has been cancelled by the Ontario government.

One passenger on the Northlander told Wells, "The fight isn't over.... The divide between the north and south is now greater than it's ever been".

I imagine the passenger spoke for the majority of Northern Ontario citizens.

Meanwhile, an email arrived from Ian Macdonald, telling me about the train marking the 100th anniversary of the Grey Cup. I was unaware of the train's existence but after reading his email I, like him, was angered.

Here is part of Ian's email:

"Please note that Northern Ontario has been totally ignored!!!! If I still lived there I would be raising proper Hell. (Ian now lives in Winnipeg, but attended Chapleau Public and Chapleau High schools)

"Those of us of our generation can recall the trains stopping in Chapleau and other CPR divisional points en route to the Grey Cup in Toronto. The rail trip across Northern Ontario was an important aspect of the Grey Cup festival as we know it today. Ask any Calgary fan from that era. The schedule is: http://www.greycuptour.ca/

"This is truly an insult to Northern Ontario and displays a total lack of  understanding on the part of the CFL of how the Grey Cup Festival was launched and the communities and people who played an important role."P*****  off....... I remain, Ian"

Here is link to earlier feature on Calgary Stampeders and train stopping in Chapleau http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.ca/2012/01/calgary-stampeders-bring-touch-of-old.html

Maybe it's time for every mayor in Northern Ontario from the Manitoba border to Thunder Bay, to Hearst, Cochrane, Timmins and on to North Bay, and along Highway 17 to Marathon, Terrace Bay, Wawa  to Sault Ste Marie,and to Sudbury, and of course Chapleau, to hop on buses and head to Toronto united in a common cause to get a better deal for Northern Ontario. Maybe let the CFL know Northern Ontario exists. 

Like my friend Ian, who says he is ever the radical, even though we are now 70ish, my email is mj.morris@ live.ca, Please feel free to be in touch.

Thanks to Anne (Zufelt) McGoldrick, Ian Macdonald and Mario Lafreniere for research assistance.

Internet now provides 24/7 fix for news junkie

Peter Bernier gave us this link to article on Huffington Post blog dated April 9, 2009 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-debate-over-online-ne_b_185309.html Thanks Peter.

Less than 10 years ago I wrote a piece declaring that in my view the National Post was "a great daily read." I added it to my daily newspaper fix which at the time consisted of The Globe and Mail. Today, it is very seldom that I buy either newspaper but check their online editions daily along with the Toronto Star, http://realpolitics.com/ and http://cnn.com/. If a major story breaks that interests me I go the local newspaper's web site or CTV or CBC sites for details. However, for a lifelong news junkie like me, I can get all the news, features, sports, gossip, editorials, entertainment to fix my addiction daily with a click of the mouse on the internet. And it is updated 24/7.

BREAKING NEWS: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is closing down its print version on Thursday, it was reported today. Details at http://www.thestar.com/business/article/603111

I started my newspaper career when I was in high school writing for the long gone Mid North news in Chapleau, Ontario and continued at Wilfrid Laurier University (then Waterloo Lutheran University) as editor of the student paper The Cord for two years. After university I worked as a reporter and editor at several dailies across Canada before becoming a teacher.

Anyone who knows me well will confirm that newspapering is in my blood, and always will be, but it seems to me that the days for us to sit back with our local paper are coming to an end. In recent weeks I have seen several articles expressing concern about the situation facing print dailies in North America -- for example, the San Francisco Chronicle may close and others may not be far behind. There are many reasons and in later piece I will address some of them.

Last week, The Globe and Mail ran an unscientific online poll asking readers if it is important to have a local newspaper. The results certainly did not reflect my view that the days of the print daily may end. Forty six percent said yes, it was important as a way to keep people informed, while 26% said they keep government accountabale and only 18% agreed with my view that online content fills the gap.

I would be very interested in hearing your views on this one. For me, over the past nine years it has been a gradual shift from the traditional print newspaper to internet news junkie, and I realized it had happened during the American presidential election in 2008. And let me be clear, the newspaper has been an integral part of my life, and my experience as a reporter and editor led to employment and enjoyment, and provided the opportunity for me to meet some of the best hard working people I know. However, the change is here.

Comment here or email me at mj.morris@live.ca

2010 Olympics: stop the spin and focus on athletes

After having Gordon Campbell, the premier of British Columbia tell me on Global TV news this morning about the celebrations being held today across the province and Canada to mark the unveiling of the Olympic torch one year before the Vancouver 2010 Olympics begin, I really tried to get in the mood. On my daily walks I even looked for Cranbrook residents to be celebrating -- you know, cars with Olympic flags on them, horns honking, much like they do after a major hockey victory. Not one did I see! Nada!

By the way for those who don't know, Cranbrook is located in the southeastern corner of British Columbia where we have been told time and again that the Vancouver Olympics are for all British Columbians.

That is something like the Ontario government telling us that Toronto projects would benefit Chapleau in northern Ontario where I used to live. Out here they say that the government's interest ends at Hope (that's the actual name of place, not stolen from the title of Barack Obama's book), while in Ontario it ends at Barrie.

But as usual I digress. I want to get into the Olympic spirit like "all" British Columbians are, indeed like all Canadians are if I believe the junior minister from the Harper government on hand in Whistler today for the Olympic torch celebration. Some of the Olympics events are being held in Whistler which makes sense because they are the Winter Olympics and they have snow there. In Vancouver, who knows! There was also a celebration in Richmond, BC.

I took a virtual tour across Canada checking for reports of celebrations from sea to sea to sea but other than stories in the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail, reportingfromVancouver/Whistler, not much did I find.

Canadian Press struggled with a story on national celebrations, but their reporter was forced to admit that in Halifax something was planned but nobody showed up.

Last night the mayor of Vancouver admitted on the news that nothing big was planned there today. Something about security costs being too high. Speaking of security costs the breaking news today was that costs may have skyrocketed from $175 million to $1 billion for the 2010 games. Tom Clark on his new CTV Newsnet show Power Play tried to get Harper minister Peter Van Loan to come clean but the reply was that negotiations were ongoing. Typical comment.

I am all in favour of the Olympics by the way. But let's focus on the athletes and the games, and stop the spin.

Please feel free to comment or email me at mj.morris@live.ca