Latest Policy Bytes

April 9, 2018 - Sault Ste. Marie’s community farm, “Food Bank Farm” has been helping the city and surrounding area since 2017. Formerly known as the “Purple Scallion”, this social enterprise makes it it’s mission to ensure everyone has access to fresh food, no matter their financial situation. In March of 2016, over 330 000 people used a food bank in Ontario alone. Incorporating nutritious items is important for food banks as statistics show that healthy eating habits reduces the risk of many different health problems.

March 19, 2018 - You win some, you lose some. This is the lesson Ontario small business people have been reminded of over the past months in dealing with costs driven by decisions made by politicians.

February 26, 2018 - As I watched last year’s State of the North conference hosted by Northern Policy Institute, I was interested in a comment made by Jonathan Solomon, Grand Chief of Mushkegowuk Tribal Council. He said, “I see no reason why Mushkegowuk doesn’t have a seat at the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association”. This made me stop and wonder, are municipal organizations like FONOM and NOMA missing out on an opportunity to work more closely with our Indigenous communities in promoting advancement and development for Northern Ontarians?

February 12, 2018 - Well, it’s here, election year. Platforms, pontificating and politicians by the passel. What is an innocent vote toting Ontario citizen to do in such times?

January 29, 2018 - It’s no secret that food costs rise the further north you go - just ask community members living in Northern Ontario’s rural and remote First Nations. However, there may be a solution that warrants further discussion: drone technology.

January 22, 2018 - A stand-alone English university for Timmins? Maybe not. This would be a fair summary of a recent report published by Northern Policy Institute into one suggestion for expanding post-secondary access in Northern Ontario.

January 15, 2018 - Consider a community where you can own a home, but not the land upon which it is built. You can own the structure but there is no guarantee to the land because it is technically owned by the federal government. At any point the government can make decisions about the future use of the land your home occupies. If you would like to access capital or start a business, your home cannot be used as collateral because there is no security in a free-hold structure on land you do not own. Also, the government makes final decisions on your behalf.

December 18, 2017 - Northern Ontario is currently home to ten post-secondary institutions – 4 universities and 6 colleges – that provide a range of innovative programs to students across the North, and from other communities in Canada and abroad. But beyond Northern Ontario, much has been done to develop institutions that service communities in northern and remote settings. This blog is a part of a series entitled A Northern Education, the content of which has been adapted from a recently released NPI paper, “A University for Timmins? Possibilities and Realities”. Each week we profile institutions in Canada’s northern regions, or in other northern communities around that globe, that might provide some lessons for Northern Ontario when it comes to delivering postsecondary education in northern regions.

December 11, 2017 - Northern Ontario is currently home to ten post-secondary institutions – 4 universities and 6 colleges – that provide a range of innovative programs to students across the North, and from other communities in Canada and abroad. But beyond Northern Ontario, much has been done to develop institutions that service communities in northern and remote settings. This blog is a part of a series entitled A Northern Education, the content of which has been adapted from a recently released NPI paper, “A University for Timmins? Possibilities and Realities”. Each week we profile institutions in Canada’s northern regions, or in other northern communities around that globe, that might provide some lessons for Northern Ontario when it comes to delivering postsecondary education in northern regions.

December 4, 2017 - Northern Ontario is currently home to ten post-secondary institutions – 4 universities and 6 colleges – that provide a range of innovative programs to students across the North, and from other communities in Canada and abroad. But beyond Northern Ontario, much has been done to develop institutions that service communities in northern and remote settings. This blog is a part of a series entitled A Northern Education, the content of which has been adapted from a recently released NPI paper, “A University for Timmins? Possibilities and Realities”. Each week we profile institutions in Canada’s northern regions, or in other northern communities around that globe, that might provide some lessons for Northern Ontario when it comes to delivering post-secondary education in northern regions.