Comment 121 – comments and feedback

Frank Miclash

Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario

Box 37018 Southdale

London, Ontario

N6E 3T3

Dear Members of the Commission,

Please accept this submission as part of your deliberations and Report to the House in the review of the Federal Electoral boundaries of Northern Ontario.

I present it as a former Ontario Provincial Member of Parliament serving from 1987 to 1999 under the leadership of Premiers David Peterson, Bob Rae and Mike Harris and as a Provincial Board Member and Chair of the Social Benefits Tribunal, a provincially appointed board that heard appeal cases for the Ontario Disability Program as well as Ontario Works from 1999 to 2012. This was a position that took me, as a Tribunal Member, to every corner of the Province but mostly to the communities of Northern Ontario. During my years as Chair I guided the 24 Members of the Tribunal and the staff located in Toronto through the initial years of the organization as it dealt with this new legislation introduced in 1996.

I am of the 5th generation on my Mother's side and 3rd generation on my Father side, born and raised in Kenora. This, as well as a residence in Toronto are the places I called home during my years in service with the Provincial Government. I am now retired in Kenora, a place that I will call home for the rest of my life.

As you can imagine, representing the Kenora Riding for 12 years gave me a good insight into the needs of Northern Ontario. As a private pilot I spent these years traveling to the various communities in both the near and far northern portions of the Riding and beyond.

Commissioners, first of all let me thank you for making Kenora one of you hearing sites during your travels across Canada. I understand that this has created a great amount of interest throughout the region and I am sorry that my schedule has not allowed me to attend. Please accept this as my written submission to the commission.

Let me begin by stating how important the positions of Members of both Federal and Provincial Members are to this area. We are a large land mass but a small population in the furthest most northern section of a very large province. We compete on both the federal and provincial scenes with Ottawa, Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe. Our contribution through our industries, that for the most part include mining, forestry and tourism, is often overlooked and it is because of this that continued representation in both levels of government are of such importance to Northern Ontario.

Attending many sessions of Municipal Councils as well as the Kenora District Municipality Association and the Northern Ontario Municipality Association, I have met countless numbers of citizens that work tiredlessly on behalf of their communities as well as the entire region of the North. One of their most effective ways of communicating with both Provincial and Federal levels of Government is through their Members of Parliament. As a Member of Provincial Parliament, I cannot tell you how important it was to me to be able to take their, along with my constituents, concerns back to the Premier and the various Cabinet Ministers.

More importantly, was my ability to lobby these individuals on a personal basis. One example stands out to me. I received correspondence from a local citizens policing committee stating that they were informed by the Ontario Provincial Police that police officers were hesitant to pull drivers over along portions of the Trans-Canada Highway between Kenora and Thunder Bay (a 6 hour drive) because they were afraid that drivers would end in the ditch because of the poor shoulder conditions.

Following a lively exchange in question period, the Transportation Minister of the day agreed to drive this portion of the highway and his drive led to immediate action to this part of our National Highway. This, along with the ability to meet and communicate with such decision makers will be hindered if the recommendations to reduce our Northern representation is carried out.

I worked on a regular basis to have both Cabinet Ministers and other Ontario Members of Parliament come and visit the North. Many had not been up this way and for those that did make the trip at our invitation we made sure that they got the "Extensive Northern Tour". Most found the experience to be very educational and some expressed it as an eye-opener upon seeing the great variation in issues from what they were accustomed to in their urban settings.

I feel that merging the primarily rural and small communities such as Kenora with a portion of Thunder Bay, which has a mainly urban focus, will be of a negative impact on this region. As well, losing one of ten seats that represents this part of the Province is of great concern to me. Remember, Kenora is a 6 hour drive from Thunder Bay. Having only one Representative in either the rural portion of the Riding or Thunder Bay will not serve the citizens of Northern Ontario in a reasonable or efficient way.

It is my sincere hope, that in your report to the House of Commons, you will recognize the historical patterns, location and geographical size along with the competition for attention that we as Northerners face, both provincially and federally, in this large Province of Ontario.

If you wish to discuss any part of this presentation to the Commission, please do not hesftse to contact me.

Again, I thank you for your work and attention to this matter.

Frank Miclash

Frank Miclash

Box 979

Keewatin, Ontario xxx xxx

(xxx)xxx-xxxx