Ontario Northland Transportation Commission

MNDM4676MC-2017-380

Mr. Tom Laughren

Commission Chair

555 Oak Street East

North Bay ON P1B 8L3

Dear Mr. Laughren:

I am pleased to write to you in your capacity as Chair of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC). Pursuant to the Agencies and Appointments Directive requirement, this letter sets out my expectations for the ONTC for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

Ontario’s Board-governed agencies are vital partners in ensuring the delivery of high quality services to Ontarians. The people of Ontario depend on you to provide leadership to your agency’s commission, management and staff. Together with your fellow commission members, the people of Ontario rely on you to establish the goals, objectives, and strategic direction for the agency, consistent with your agency mandate, government priorities, and my directions, where appropriate. I thank you for your willingness to serve and the Commission’s commitment to delivering safe, reliable and efficient transportation to the people of Ontario.

Over the past two years, the Province has implemented a number of important measures to enhance agency accountability, transparency and governance, including revisions to the Agencies and Appointments Directive. A key change was the introduction of a new mandate letter requirement for Boardgoverned agencies. Following the agency mandate review in 2016/2017, this new accountability measure will help increase the public’s knowledge and awareness of agency mandates and government priorities, and further promote the principles of openness and transparency.

As stated in the recent mandate review, your agency is mandated to provide safe, efficient and reliable transportation services in Northern Ontario. The ONTC carries out this mandate by providing the following services:

Rail Freight Services
Motor Coach Services
Polar Bear Express passenger/excursion train service and Cochrane Station Inn
Remanufacturing and repair services for ONTC’s Rail Freight, ONTC’s Polar Bear Express and for external customers.

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Growing jobs and creating the economy of tomorrow remains the number one priority in our Government`s 2017 budget. To ensure Ontario’s public servants meet our Government’s commitment to return to a balanced budget and foster a more dynamic and innovative business environment, I expect the ONTC to:

Continue transformation initiatives in order to achieve long term sustainability.
Work with my ministry to implement the findings of the Accountability Framework and Mandate Reviews, including overarching initiatives, such as clarification of socio-economic and transformation objectives and the modernization of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission Act.
Further developyour TenYear Capital Plan,including performance measures and prioritization strategiesthat ensure infrastructure is maintained in a state of good repair and that transportation services are safe, efficient and reliable.
Continue to support government initiatives, such as climate change and inter-community bus modernization.

Thank you for your continued dedicated leadership.The ONTC has undergone substantial changes in the past few years. Your accomplishments have been many and are a testament to the hard work and dedication ofthe Commission and its employees.

Please accept my best wishes.

Sincerely,

Michael Gravelle

Minister of Northern Development and Mines

c: Corina Moore

President and CEO, Ontario Northland Transportation Commission

David de Launay

Deputy Minister, MNDM

Rob Campbell

Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Northland Transportation Commission

Northern Development Division, MNDM

Helen Mulc

Assistant Deputy Minister, Northern Development Division, MNDM

Mark Speers

Director, Transportation, Trade and Investment Branch, MNDM