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NDP Leader Urging New Talks In Teachers Dispute

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Students are back in the classroom today (Monday) following the Christmas break but their teachers are still working without a contract.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath says the government needs to get serious about negotiations.

“We’re urging the government, and we have been all along, to get back to the table and get the cuts off the table, take away the threat to fire 10,000 teachers and then sit and do some real negotiating.”

Horwath says the dispute is about protecting the quality of Ontario’s education system.

She believes a lot of parents and family members are now involved with education workers in the pushback.

Horwath adds for some reason the Ford government has it out for the education system and that will only hurt kids in the end.

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Tensions May Be Easing Between Riversedge And Fort Frances

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There appears to be an agreement between Fort Frances and Riversedge Developments regarding taxes on the mill property.

The town placed a notice of seizure on certain assets this past week.

Developer Justus Veldman isn’t overly upset by the town’s actions.

“Everybody is in their right. I think there’s some misunderstanding. I think we got most of that resolved. I think it’s quite positive actually, the outcome of this.”

Veldman is not disclosing any details surrounding discussions with the municipality.

“I think the town and ourselves at some point are going to come out with a joint statement but at this point we’re positive and actually I think the outcome is an even better working relationship, we are OK.”

Veldman says the taxes are not from past pre-closing, it’s from July to December of this year, so it’s actually taxes ahead.

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Ontario Applauding Softwood Lumber Ruling

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The provincial government is claiming victory in the latest development of the softwood lumber dispute.

The North American Free Trade Agreement Chapter 19 dispute panel has ruled the underlying earlier U.S. International Trade Commission softwood lumber determination was riddled with serious errors.

The panel has directed the ITC to issue a new determination addressing several key issues and findings that the ITC got wrong in their original investigation.

A joint statement has been released by Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry John Yakabuski and Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli.

It states the PC’s were expecting the decision, stressing softwood lumber produced in Ontario has always been fairly traded across the U.S. border.

It reads Ontario will continue to strongly defend the industry, communities and workers in this unwarranted and unfair dispute.

The government says it affirms that the imposition of the current countervailing duties against Canadian exports of softwood lumber are unjustified.

(Picture: Vic Fedeli)