News Release

Councils Will Engage Residents In Bringing Real Economic And Social Change To North

February 18, 2005

Northerners Named To Three Northern Development Councils

SAULT STE. MARIE – Northerners who serve on the Ontario government’s new Northern Development Councils (NDCs) will play a vital role in delivering real, positive change across the region, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci said today as he announced the membership for three of the four new councils.

"We are immensely proud of the individuals who have answered the call to serve on these councils," said Bartolucci. "As a direct link between me and their northern communities, they will help set the government agenda for the North and contribute directly to stronger democracy."

Bartolucci announced the appointment of 31 northerners to the NDCs representing the five major cities, the northwest and the northeast. Membership of a fourth council – for the Far North – is expected to be announced in the spring. It will be the first of its kind ever established in Ontario.

Each council consists of a chairperson and approximately 10 members, representing a broad cross-section of northerners. The chairs will report regularly to the minister, providing input on priorities such as the creation of new opportunities for northern youth, Aboriginal partnerships and building an innovative northern economy.

"Your councils will bring a strong northern perspective to provincial policies and initiatives, ensuring that solutions to the unique challenges facing the North will be developed for northerners by northerners," said Bartolucci. "By working together, we can bring prosperity to this region and a quality of life that is second to none."

The province’s commitment to engaging northerners through NDCs is part of its Northern Prosperity Plan for delivering real, positive change across the North. The Northern Prosperity Plan has four pillars: Strengthening the North and its Communities; Listening to and Serving Northerners Better; Competing Globally; and Providing Opportunities for All.

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Contacts:

Laura Blondeau
Minister’s Office – Sudbury
(705) 564-7454
 
 

Backgrounder

Members Of Ontario’s New Northern Development Councils

Council members volunteer their time and expertise. Appointed to the councils are:

The Major Cities Northern Development Council represents northerners within the geographic boundaries of the cities of Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Greater Sudbury, North Bay and Timmins.

Lynn Peterson – Council Chair (Thunder Bay) is mayor of Thunder Bay, chair of the Thunder Bay District Social Services Board and an executive member of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). She also serves on AMO’s Northern Caucus, the Police Services Board and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine board of directors. She has been president of the Thunder Bay District Municipal League and the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.

David Courtemanche (Greater Sudbury) is mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury. First elected to the City of Sudbury and regional councils in 1997, he went on to serve the residents of Ward 6 in Greater Sudbury in the 2000 and 2003 terms. He is a former director on the national board of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Victor Fedeli (North Bay), mayor of North Bay since 2003, is founder of Fedeli Advertising, which was recognized as one of Canada’s most successful enterprises and ranked 34^th of 50 best places to work in Canada. He has been a director of Global Vision, the province’s Northern Businesses Support System and Ontario’s previous Northern Development Council. He served 10 terms on the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce and served as president in 1986.

Victor Power (Timmins) is mayor of Timmins. A former chairman of the Northeastern Ontario Mayors Action Group, he is a former commissioner of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. He also served as AMO vice-president and president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities. In 2002, he received a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his service to the community and in 2001, he was awarded membership on AMO’s honour roll.

John Rowswell (Sault Ste. Marie) is mayor of Sault Ste. Marie. With a Master’s degree in Engineering, he currently works at his engineering firm, which specializes in structures, welding and metallurgy. Prior to becoming mayor, he worked with some of Sault Ste. Marie’s major employers, such as Algoma Steel Inc., St. Mary’s Paper, GP Flakeboard, Algoma Central Railway and Great Lakes Power.

John Fera (Sudbury) is president of Local 6500, United Steelworkers of America. A former mayor of the Town of Nickel Centre and Sudbury regional councillor, he has served on the Sudbury Regional Hospital Board, Sudbury Planning and Public Works boards, Sudbury and District Conservation Authority and Ontario Gaming and Control Commission and most recently on the City of Greater Sudbury Utility Commission. He received a medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his contribution to the betterment of the community.

Leni Untinen (Thunder Bay) is co-ordinator of the Northwestern Ontario Women’s Decade Council. She is founding chairperson and current board member of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario and a member of the Provincial Cross Sectoral Violence Against Women Strategy Group. A past board member of Thunder Bay Ventures/Community Futures Development Corporation and chair of the Training Committee, she received the Commemorative Medal for the 125^th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in 1992 for her work to eliminate violence against women and children.

Bruce Strapp (Sault Ste. Marie), Chief Executive Officer of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation, is a member of the Economic Developers Association of Canada and Economic Development Council of Ontario (past president). In 1989, he received the President Award recognizing achievement in economic development in Northern Ontario. He is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Ontario Centre for Clinical Research and Biotechnology (Neureka).

Dr. Claude Vézina (Timmins) is Chief of Staff at the Timmins and District Hospital. He is medical director for the NORrad PACS Project and for the Diagnostic Imaging and Cardiopulmonary Department at the Timmins and District Hospital. He is a former consultant to the General Division of the Ontario Cancer Foundation, assistant professor at the Ottawa General Hospital, former clinical lecturer and co-ordinator of Undergraduate Teaching Program, University of Ottawa, Ottawa General Hospital.

Barbara Taylor (North Bay) is president and CEO of Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology. A member of North Bay General Hospital’s board of directors, she is vice-chair of the Contact North/Contact Nord board of directors and a member of the WoodWORKS Steering Committee. She is vice-chair of the Committee of Presidents for the Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario one of two college presidents on the Ontario College University Consortium Council.

The Northwest Northern Development Council is bounded on the north by the northern limit of the Ministry of Natural Resources’ "Area of Undertaking" and in the south by the southern boundaries of the districts of Thunder Bay and Rainy River. From west to east, it runs from the Manitoba border to the eastern boundary of the District of Thunder Bay.

Council Chair Jason Nesbitt (Schreiber) is a Certified Financial Planner with Investors Group. He is president of the Aguasabon Chamber of Commerce and president of the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce (NOACC). An active community volunteer, he chairs the Schreiber Recreation Committee.

Sandra Svenkeson (Marathon) is the Chair of Superior North Catholic District School Board, she is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce.

Dennis Brown (Atikokan), mayor of Atikokan Township, is president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) and a former director of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Executive. A member of the Police Services Board and former Chair of the Atikokan Industrial Development Committee, he is a director of the Atikokan Economic Development Committee and the Atikokan and District Association of Developmental Services.

Bill Lemay (Thunder Bay) is a retired teacher with the Lakehead District School Board.

Stephen Wright (Thunder Bay) is Regional Training Co-ordinator with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and chair of the Economic Development Committee for the City of Thunder Bay. He is former chair of the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital and Health Sciences Centre and facilitator for the Premier’s Round Table on Community Volunteerism. A Hockey Canada volunteer and active supporter of youth programs, he helped develop the nation-wide P.R.O. Kids program.

Michael Furlong (Dryden) is founder of Peak Performance, Management Consultants. He worked as a provincial consultant for 27 years before moving to the private sector. He served six years as a Public School Trustee. A former chair of the Provincial Committee on Children and Youth for the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation, he is a trainer/educator for a variety of organizations, such as the Canadian Hockey Association, Coaches Association of Canada and the Centre for Training and Consultation on Tobacco Issues.

Geoff Gillon (Fort Frances) is Regional Economic Development Officer for the Rainy River Future Development Corporation and an active supporter of many economic development initiatives, such as the Northwest Midwest Alliance and numerous Northern Networks trade conferences. The former owner/operator of Bear Pass Trading Ltd., he served two terms as president of the Northwestern Ontario Development Network (NODN) and is a director on the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO).

Brian Larson (Balmerton), Community Liaison Officer at Placer Dome’s Campbell Mine and a Red Lake town councillor, is the former manager of Human Resources and Safety at Bowater Canadian Forest Products. He is chair of the Kenora District Services Board and president of the Kenora Municipal Association. Vice-president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) and Member of the Red Lake Chamber of Commerce, he is former chair of the Red Lake Police Services Board, Red Lake Hospital and the Road to the West Committee.

Charles Primeau (Longlac) is Commercial Loans Officer at Caisse populaire de Hearst Limitée and president of the Longlac Chamber of Commerce. A member of the North of Superior Training Board and Contact North/Contact Nord boards, he received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his significant contribution to the region.

Kim Jo Bliss (Emo), a technician at the Emo Agricultural Research Station, is a volunteer with the Rainy River District 4-H Association, Rainy River Federation of Agriculture, Rainy River Future Development Committee, Emo Doctor Recruitment Committee and Stratton Sales Barn.

The Northeast Northern Development Council is bounded on the north by the northern limit of the Ministry of Natural Resources’ "Area of Undertaking" and on the south by the southern boundaries of the districts of Nipissing, Parry Sound and Manitoulin. The council’s region runs from the Quebec border in the east to the western boundary of the districts of Cochrane and Algoma in the west.

Council Chair Johanne Labonté (Timmins) is a Community Development Officer with the Northeastern Ontario Education Corporation and president of the Porcupine Big Brothers and Big Sisters. She is a member of the College Boreal Board of Governors.

Earle Freeborn (Chapleau) is mayor of the Township of Chapleau and council representative on the Manitoulin/Sudbury District Social Services Administration Board. A member of the Library Board, he is a past member of the Chapleau Board of Education and a member of the Chapleau Anglers and Hunters Association. He is a director of NetCentral Community Communications Network and a member of the Northeastern Superior Mayors' Group.

Jean-Claude Carrière (New Liskeard) is Community Development Officer with l’Association Canadienne-Française de l’Ontario (ACFO/Témiskaming), member of the board of directors of the Deepwater Economic Development Corporation and member of the Entre Amis-Between Friends committee, which brings together the chambers of commerce from Ontario’s and Quebec’s Temiskaming regions.

Julie Joncas (Hearst) is Executive Director at the Far Northeast Training Board and co-owner of a clothing factory and retail business based in Mattice. Chair of the Board of Directors at La Maison Verte tree nursery in Hearst, she is involved in community and labour force adjustment and development initiatives.

Mark Fisher (Parry Sound), CAO of the District of Parry Sound Social Services Administration Board and trustee of the Near North Board of Education, is actively involved in community education and training.

Dianne Krucker (Sudbury) is executive assistant to the president and secretary to the College Boreal Board of Governors. She is an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces and a partner in Krucker Manufacturing, which builds ultralight aircraft.

Franklin Gillis (Espanola), Deputy Mayor of the Town of Espanola and chair of the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Social Services Advisory Committee, is a member of the Ministry of Natural Resources Forest Management Advisory Committee and representative on the Northern Caucus of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

Barbara Groves (Chisholm) is mayor of the Township of Chisholm and chair of the Planning Advisory and Adjustment committees of Council. She is vice-chair of the Nipissing S/E Municipal Action Group and the Nutrient Management Advisory Committee.

William Durnford (Sault Ste. Marie) is general manager of the Holiday Inn Waterfront in Sault Ste. Marie, a director of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation and chair of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie. He is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce, and United Way Committee.

Walter Manitowabi (Wikwemikong) is a management consultant with the Manitowabi Management Group. A member of the Board of Directors of the Cambrian Foundation, he is a partner with the Andrew Manitowabi Group, the largest private-sector employer on the Wikwemikong First Nation.

Barry Sears (Sudbury) is a student of the Arts Faculty at Laurentian University. He is an entrepreneur in a GIS mapping and IT information technology company, GIX Inc., servicing the mining sector.

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