May 30, 2023
The people of Northern Ontario are tired of waiting for this government
France Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt, rose this morning in the Legislature to speak to the ongoing challenges facing people who what to buy a home or set up a business in Gogama.
“The beautiful community of Gogama in my riding is located across the street from a new gold mine. In 2020, the Premier came to the groundbreaking ceremony; he said and I quote: this gold mine will bring economic prosperity and change lives in Gogama. I agreed.
But for this to happen, people need a place to live and businesses a place to set up shop. Good news there are plenty of empty lots and empty homes located on paved roads, with streetlights, hydro, telephone, internet, water and sewage, everything a modern family or business needs.
But the bad news: none of them are available for sale. You know who owns them all speaker. The government of Ontario or as the locals call them the worst slumlord in this province.
Since 2020 my office has been relentless in trying to motivate this government to put them up for sale or at least rent them out. I wrote and delivered letters to the Premier, the Ministers of Finance, Government and consumer services, Infrastructure, Natural resources and Forest and the answers for the last 3 years has been crickets. While over a dozen properties are left to rot; Gogama like many other area of this province faces a housing crisis. Gogama is missing out, on the prosperity the Premier promised.
The people of Northern Ontario are tired of waiting. This government needs to put these homes and lots up for sale right now.”
The Côté Gold deposit outside Gogama is expected to employ 450+ full time employees for an 18-year project lifetime. The project is located across HWY 144 from the community of Gogama.