The leader of the Ontario opposition has today criticized the new budget and said it wholesale ignores Northern Ontario, something that has been levelled at the Liberal Government consistently while it has been in office.
Opposition leader Patrick Brown was unhappy with the Katherine Wynne government “over the lack of a credible plan for Northern Ontario in Budget 2016, which was tabled last week”. In a release sent out to news network, Brown raised worries that have plagued the Liberal Government for several years:
“The government has no credibility in the North. The Liberals say they value Northern Ontario. But not once did the Minister of Finance mention the North, Northern Ontario, or the Ring of Fire in his Budget Speech,” said Brown.
“This is the third straight Budget the Liberals have re-announced the funding for the Ring of Fire. It’s a re-announcement of a re-announcement. But despite three years of announcements there is not a shovel in the ground or a dollar spent.”
The government has often been accused of putting the needs of the more populated southern Ontario region and ignoring Northern Ontario. North Bay residents and those across the wider region have called for more funding in the north, including the development of traffic infrastructure. A petition started early this year called once again for Northern and Southern Ontario to split into separate provinces, brings decades old sentiments to the fore once again.
In the release, Brown said “during the government’s pre-budget hearings, the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs traveled across Northern Ontario and learned about the Liberal Government’s chronic under funding of the health care sector. The Temiskaming Hospital in New Liskeard closed its operating room for 50 per cent of the time resulting in one of 10 staff getting cut. The Timmins and District Hospital was forced to cut 26 beds and fire 40 staff. In Sault Ste. Marie, the hospital was forced to cut 50 beds in acute and complex care.”
Winter took a while to get started in Northern Ontario, but now the cold weather, snow, and blizzards are making themselves felt across the North Bay area. Indeed, the snow banks have increased and storms are causing huge problems on roads throughout the region, shutting numerous highways and even causing school closures.
It is easy to think that maintaining roads during the winter is all about clearing snow, but actually the cold months take a toll on North Bay roads for the rest of the year. Thawing ice and snow seeps into the cracks in asphalt and when it freezes again it expands and cracks the road, causing potholes.
The North Bay Regional Health Center has been battered by cost cutting and underfunding in recent years, and Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli is telling Ontario’s liberal government that is must stop. 
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says ongoing work to clear a collision on Highway 69 means the road is closed until further notice. 
Stacie Fiddler, the Labour Market Group’s (LMG) Executive Director, suggests that there is a disconnect between jobseekers and employers in the North Bay region. Simply, there are jobs available, but many jobseekers think that there is no significant new employment in the regions.
The City Council of North Bay has agreed to form a long awaited sub-committee to scrutinize the city’s services and operations in the form of a review. 
A worrying trend is happening among Canada’s young people, suggesting they are not sure about their retirement savings plans, with nearly a third admitting they are “not at all knowledgeable” about the subject.