Tell Doug Ford: Keep the Promise to Restore the Northlander.

In 2018, Doug Ford and Vic Fedeli promised to restore the “Northlander” passenger rail service between Cochrane, North Bay and Toronto.

The Ontario PC Party election platform “Plan for the People” confirmed this, promising $45 million for refurbishment and operating costs.

In 2019, Ontario Northland submitted the business plan to restart the service to the government.

However, the “Draft Northern Ontario Transportation Plan” published in December gave no timeline for restoring the service, nor did it mention new equipment, offering only a vague reference to “track audit work” on the route.

The draft plan was also silent on the need to support two other at-risk railways in Northern Ontario that support our industry, jobs and communities.

Let’s remind the Ontario government we expect them to keep their promise and support the north.