Letter to the Editor:

Northern Living Allowance

On January 8th, I made a delegation to the Mayor and Council of Dryden to ask them to vote in favour of my motion calling for the Municipality of Sioux Lookout to be reinstated to the Northern Living Allowance. This motion is important not only to myself as a Councillor in Sioux Lookout, but for every community in Northwestern Ontario as well. This is ultimately fixing an error that Sioux Lookout should have never been taken off of the Northern Living Allowance in the first place in the mid-1990s. This motion will certainly help make living, working, and investing in Sioux Lookout easier for everyone, and will put more pressure on our Member of Parliament Eric Mellilo to hopefully start to act on the increasing cost of living in our region. 
If passed, the City of Dryden will join the fellow Municipalities that have voted in favour of my motion:

• Fort Frances
  
• Red Lake
  
• Sioux Narrows - Nestor Falls
  
• Township of Alberton
  
• Ear Falls

At the latest Council meeting, Sioux Lookout Mayor and Council have voted in favour of taking this motion, alongside my other motion calling for Long-Term Care Beds in Sioux Lookout to KDMA (Kenora District Municipal Association) Annual General Meeting in February, where it will be debated and voted on. If passed, this will ultimately bring it forward to the next NOMA (Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association) Meeting in Spring 2024.
My fingers remain crossed that something positive will come about this motion because this is not just about Sioux Lookout - this is about Northwestern Ontario municipalities coming together to demand that the Federal Government does not leave Northwestern Ontario behind when it comes to economic development. Northwestern Ontario has so much to offer, and with the right investments and support - there is no doubt that we can see our economies boom again. 

Reece Van Breda