Lure of money pulls northern workers into long commutes

Thousands of workers across northwestern Ontario spend hours in vehicles or on planes getting to their workplace at remote job sites or other communities a trend labour market expert say will continue.

The development has been fuelled by people like pilot Mike Towill who take to the sky for Wasaya Airways. Every two weeks, the Thunder Bay resident works out of Pickle Lake.

"I think it takes a certain type of person very open-minded and very easy going to be able to commute back and forth to and from work," Towill said.

"You really have no home, so you make the best of what you've got."

The main reason Towill works out of town is financial, he said, as he makes more money working in the far reaches of northern Ontario.

The same can be said for Stu Adamson, who works for CN Rail in Savant Lake.

Adamson said he'd like to move back to Thunder Bay, but cant for financial reasons.

"You get to a certain point and you are making a certain amount, and you really don't want to come back from that," he said.

A spokesperson with the North of Superior Workforce Planning Board said many commuters would stay at home, if they could find the jobs.

"A lot of people would choose to live in their home communities such as Red Rock, or Terrace Bay, and they would drive to Thunder Bay, commute to Thunder Bay, or to other areas," Madge Richardson said.

With a provincial moratorium on building new communities and more mines expected to open up even more workers may be doing the long distance commute, she said.

Doing so requires an adjustment that can take time to make for many commuters and their families. Towill said it took a few years to become accustomed to being away from family and friends.

When hes away, "no news is good news," Towill said. "If they don't hear from me, then everything is fine. They kind of know the system now."