Sixth Time's the Charm
Nickel Belt's NDP MPP looks to add to her 17-year run
Nickel Belt MPP, and NDP candidate, France Gélinas. Image courtesy the Gélinas campaign.
The sitting MPP for Nickel Belt, France Gélinas, is actually standing when she arrives on the Zoom screen for our interview. In fact, she’s walking. The five-time winner of the North Shore’s most populous riding clearly knows how to multi-task, especially during a surprise election campaign.
Gélinas was first elected to Queen’s Park in 2007, wrestling the riding from the Liberals, who held power at the time under Premier Dalton McGuinty. She is used to being on the opposition benches, fighting for her constituents, and focusing on what is doable for the people of Nickel Belt. When asked what she is most proud of over her 17 years, she begins immediately talking about people and not politics.
“During the Covid years, we had husbands and wives separated in long term-care lockdowns”, she says. “The pandemic was such a crisis for long-term care, and we have had to do so much work to repair that damage. I’m proud we were able to reunite many who were separated.”
Senior care, and healthcare services in general, are top of mind for Gélinas in this campaign. She is frustrated and clearly angry with the priorities of the Ford government on these issues which, in her opinion, boil down to a relentless drive toward privatizing medical service. The strategy of privatizers, she outlines, is to intentionally underfund a system that would otherwise function very well. Starved of funds, the public system degrades to a point where people see only a service that is not working for them, and they are then much more amenable to private service delivery.
“There is a lot of money to be made off the backs of sick people. This government knows that, and their priority is to deliver for investors, not the people of Ontario.”
For northerners, the issues of healthcare access and roads are inextricably linked. Gélinas points to Hwy 144 between Lively and Timmins, which bisects the riding and is almost entirely contained by Nickel Belt. That isolated two-laner is an absolutely essential corridor for rural residents trying to access healthcare services and appointments in either Sudbury or Timmins. Any disruption or shutdown to traffic on 144 means missed treatments. In cases of dialysis or chemotherapy, such delays can be life-threatening.
Hwy 144 (in yellow) bisects most of the Nickel Belt riding. Image courtesy Elections Ontario.
“Again, we’re talking about privatization,” Gélinas says.
With privatized snow clearing there is now often a distinct demarcation line on 144 where one contractor has cleared the road, but the next contractor along has decided there is not enough coverage to start clearing.
“I have sent photos to every Minister of Transportation I’ve worked with, saying look… one way clear, the other way covered. We need to go back to a public system where the priority is clean and safe roads at all times, not profiting from a contract.”
A roadway in the southernmost part of the riding is also on voters’ minds these days. Gélinas says she’s been hearing a lot on the doorstep about the province’s plans for transporting 34,000 tonnes of radioactive niobium waste along Hwy 17 to the Agnew Lake Tailings Management Area (ALTMA) northwest of Nairn Center. Residents are upset at the lack of consultation and information from government, and they don’t trust that the project is well and truly being reassessed. The radioactive waste product is intended partially to act as a cap on the degraded ALTMA tailings cap, which has apparently sprung a few hotspots in recent years. Gélinas attended a public meeting about the project back in September with several other regional politicians.
Agnew Lake, northwest of Nairn Centre. Image courtesy Tom Tom Earthstar Graphics, 2024
“We had experienced mining people speak out about the plan,” she says. “It’s a very dangerous idea that could see radioactivity leak into the ground water. The lack of transparency is frightening, and I’m afraid the government is just waiting for people to take their eyes off the project, and then they will start it up again.”
More than anything else, though, Gélinas is hearing from voters that they just don’t want to be voting right now.
“This election is absolutely not necessary. Voters are very frustrated. They want to know what we’re going to do about the threat of tariffs and the effect on the economy, and instead the Premier is off the job while he campaigns. Why are we spending nearly $200 million on an election at this time?”
Thanks to MPP Gélinas for this chat. Shore Report is committed to speaking with all candidates in the four North Shore ridings before the February 27th provincial election.
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