Temagami Mill a Victory for North
Thursday, December 20, 2001
After years of decline, it appears Temagami is on the rebound.

The most recent good news is a $1-million commitment from the federal government to help build a mill to process white birch that could eventually employ up to 60 people.

The sawmill itself had been announced earlier after an intense lobbying effort for the wood supply.
The plan is to use birch to make everything from popsicle sticks to baseball bats. In the past, birch was an underutilized wood, sometimes left to rot in the bush after timber such as spruce, maple and oak was cut.

The mill plan has been in the works for about five years. During that time, Temagami has faced hardship, including the withdrawal of the Ministry of Natural Resources&Mac226; office and staff - the results of provincial cuts under the Common Sense Revolution - and the pullout of the Ontario Provincial Police. A previous mill and mine closed about 10 years ago. Essentially, the town, known as one of the most beautiful areas in the province, was down to a few stores and a service station.

There are key points that need to be noted.

First, the hard work of people such as resident Ivan Beauchamp, who has worked tirelessly to get the mill concept off the ground, and others such as 30 per cent partner, Temagami First Nation on Bear Island.

It's a shame to see Northern communities fade away, their resources stripped and shipped to the south for manufacture.

Young people are forced to leave their homes and families in search of work in the south, a drain that further stagnates our economy because it takes away a youthful labour market.

The North has supplied precious metals, lumber and other resources to the south, but as the economy changes to a more global one - coupled with trade wars such as the current softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. - smaller operations in Northern towns and cities have been disappearing at an alarming rate.

The Temagami project is a win for Northerners. It's a moral victory for those who believe in the North and believe we can offer a lot more than just cooking hamburgers for southerners who view our part of the province as a resort. We endorse tourism and promote it vigorously, but Northerners want more. We want to profit from our resources. We want our share of the pie. Parents want their children to have a future in the North, not simply move south to turn screws at an auto plant.
We want our children to become educated and return to keep our culture and way of life alive.

Basically, we want the North to prosper.

Let's hope more victories such as Temagami are on the horizon.