How has Ontario, once the proud source of tax dollars that Ottawa gives to have-not provinces as “equalization,” become a recipient of such payments? Unions demanding unsustainable wages combined with corrupt governments financing MPP elections and green energy scams on the backs of Ontario utility rates are making for a Perfect Storm to drive businesses in manufacturing, food processing and automotive away. Despite the dollar’s recent dip, the days of it being consistently low enough to offer exporters a big competitive advantage are over. Also a deterrent are Ontario’s energy prices, once kept artificially low and now among the most expensive in North America. Wages are vastly higher than in other labour markets, such as the U.S. South and especially Mexico and China, whose workforces may no longer be nearly as unskilled as some Canadians think. Meanwhile, governments in those jurisdictions serve up subsidies at rates that would be considered scandalous here. Mr. Toth knows the story all too well. In 2010, he was being paid about $28 an hour to make axles for minivans when Martinrea International closed its Fabco plant after 45 years. However, his experience on his union’s labour-adjustment committee helped him land a job with a rare vantage point from which to track the fate of others less fortunate. Ms. Wynne and PC leader Tim Hudak agree on the importance of putting Ontarians back to work – in fact, it’s the centrepiece of the Tories’ platform – but have very different ideas on how to make it happen. The Premier takes pride in her government’s willingness to spend billions on direct support to businesses – from auto giants to tech companies and Dr. Oetker. Mr. Hudak considers such subsidies “corporate welfare” that unwisely try to pick winners and should be swapped for a 30-per-cent cut in corporate taxes. Neither party really expects to pick up much more support in the southwest than it already has. Gone are the days when the Liberals had a finance minister (Dwight Duncan) from Windsor. In fact, since the loss of Chris Bentley, the energy minister caught in the furor over the costly cancellation of two gas-fuelled power plants, and his seat to the NDP, Health Minister Deb Matthews, a fellow Londoner, is among the party’s few remaining members in the area. m.theglobeandmail/news/national/after-the-gold-rush/article18923563/?service=mobile
Posted on: Sun, 01 Jun 2014 13:34:02 +0000
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