November 4, 2014

Mr. Joe Dickson, MPP
Ajax - Pickering
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Northern Development and Mines
99 Wellesley Street West
Room 5501, Whitney Block
Toronto ON  M7A 1W3

Dear Mr. Dickson:

It is an honour and a pleasure to have you as my Parliamentary Assistant. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines and to outline some of the important work that lies ahead of us.

As you know, our government has a plan to invest in the talent and skills of our people, build modern infrastructure, support a dynamic and innovative business climate, and provide better retirement security to people across the province. At the heart of this plan are partnerships with businesses, people and communities, which will help our government grow the economy, create jobs and implement solutions that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

This balanced and comprehensive plan is underpinned by a focus on fiscal prudence. The mandate letter I received last month from Premier Wynne reinforced our government’s commitment to balance the budget by 2017-18 and to pursue increased openness, accountability and modernization.

Parliamentary Assistants play a key role in delivering these priorities and have a responsibility to put our government’s plan into action.

As the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, you will aid me in continuing to support strong, prosperous northern communities. You will work with me to increase the competitiveness of business and industry, foster innovation and entrepreneurial prospects — and create new jobs in the North. Your goal is as straightforward as mine — to ensure that the North continues to realize its potential as a sustainable, diverse, stable, innovative region that significantly contributes to the overall growth of Ontario’s economy.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, your specific responsibilities include:

  • Assisting the Minister in the implementation of the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario. Our task will be to consult with the Ontario Growth Secretariat at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and, with them, work with partner ministries, municipalities, Aboriginal communities and key stakeholders. Our goal is to ensure that priorities for the North align with the objectives of the Growth Plan.
  • Assisting our government’s efforts to integrate and co-ordinate northern policy and planning activities, informed by the Growth Plan.
  • Working with the Minister to conduct a five-year review of the Growth Plan in 2016 to assess progress and achievements to date.
  • Working with the Parliamentary Assistants to the Minister of Transportation, as well as the Ministries of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Finance, and Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure on the implementation of the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund and the development of the Northern Ontario Multi-Modal Transportation Strategy.

I am confident that together, working in collaboration with our partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, we can deliver on our commitment to the people we are privileged to represent and serve. I look forward to working with you to deliver our ministry’s mandate, build Ontario up — and help achieve a brighter future for every person in this province.

Sincerely,

Michael Gravelle signature

The Honourable Michael Gravelle
Minister of Northern Development and Mines