Premier Kathleen Wynne’s riding will have a Northern Ontario Party candidate in next year’s election.

The party has announced Mickey McIntosh (pictured above with party leader Trevor Holliday) is running in Don Valley West, to represent the Northerners who are forced to move to the GTA to find employment.

He’s originally from Sudbury, but is working in Toronto.

On Friday, Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault was in the city and was asked if there’s concern about the Northern Ontario Party gaining strength.

“Many of their concerns are being addressed. When it comes to northern Ontario, the one thing that I keep talking about is, yes, we put a lot of resources into the province, by mining and forestry and all of those other sectors, but it is a two-way street, we are one big, happy province.” he says.

Thibeault says he and the other cabinet members from the north will continue to advocate for the region.

As for opposition claims that the Liberal government is ignoring the north, Thibeault says that’s not the case.

“The government is completely not ignoring the north. We have significant investments that are coming up here, for example, we have added another $100-million to the Northern Highways Program,” he says.

Thibeault says that includes money for the North Bay area, Temiskaming and Sudbury.

He also says there was a recent pilot project announced for beef farmers, plus there’s $100-million in funding that will continue to come north, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Filed under: don-valley-west, northern-ontario-party