The NDP’s critic for Fed Nor is blasting the federal government over unspent funding for the north. MP John Rafferty of Thunder Bay-Rainy River says that the feds allowed nearly 11 million dollars of approved funds to go unused over the past four years. Rafferty says it’s affecting both the forestry and mining industries. The funds should be used for economic development instead. More than 40,000 jobs have been lost in the forestry industry since the Conservatives came to power. With the Ring of Fire stuck in the starting blocks that funding is needed more than ever.