Tag Archives: Ontario Economy

Politics

Better Colleges And Better Universities Equal Better Jobs

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"Career colleges have a strong proven track record and are among our province's most efficient paths to employment. They should be rewarded by a reduction in the costly and time-consuming regulatory burden they currently experience so they can be freed to take on students looking to gain access to the job market." Barrett image: thewordforge.com
“Career colleges have a strong proven track record and are among our province’s most efficient paths to employment. They should be rewarded by a reduction in the costly and time-consuming regulatory burden they currently experience so they can be freed to take on students looking to gain access to the job market.” Barrett Image: thewordforge.com

When I wrote this, Ontario was in the midst of an unprecedented jobs crisis and in need of sensible and affordable solutions. One avenue is to improve our colleges and universities.

Ontario’s system of higher learning must reflect the requirements of jobs in the present and the future. And it must reflect today’s economic realities.

Students recognize an academic education is often not enough – it must be coupled with employable skills. Some 80 percent of college applicants cite “career preparation” as a major reason for enrollment – something they may not have considered when they were making their post-secondary choices in high school.

The path from high school graduation to employment is often far longer and more expensive than it needs to be, thus inefficient for both the student and taxpayer.

Currently 35 percent of all new jobs in Ontario go to college graduates and apprentices, and only 26 percent go to university graduates. Many university students end up in the college system after learning how adept it is at teaching job-ready skills. To encourage more students to choose college first, we must create more options and paths for these students and improve the credit transfer system in Ontario. This would allow for part of the degree to be done at the college level and part of the education delivered through a university.

By improving the credit transfer system using online education to create bridging courses between institutions, students who take a course at one institution can be brought up to speed at another – – smoothing the move between institutions that deliver different course content. The online courses should be designed to assess whether students meet the standard at the new institution, whether they are moving from a college to a university or from a university to another university.

Language labs have shown that technology is effective for educating, distant or not. In this photo, Undergraduate Ted Glomski, a third-year Chinese student, practices writing Chinese characters on a tablet PC computer in the Learning Support Services (LSS) Language Learning Lab. For fifty years, LSS has provided technology support to language classes, evolving from the language tapes and foreign films of old to mp3s, DVDs, wikis, blogs and touchscreens. photo: Michael Forster Rothbart
Language labs have shown that technology is effective for educating, distant or not. In this photo, Undergraduate Ted Glomski, a third-year Chinese student, practices writing Chinese characters on a tablet PC computer in the Learning Support Services (LSS) Language Learning Lab. For fifty years, LSS has provided technology support to language classes, evolving from the language tapes and foreign films of old to mp3s, DVDs, wikis, blogs and touchscreens. photo: Michael Forster Rothbart

We need to be creative with programs that meet the expectations of students but also offer them at an affordable price.

In response to the growing demand for online learning, university and college programs can be taken at home using the internet. Universities and colleges do offer degree programs online that are flexible, cost effective and allow you to learn on your own time. They feature online instructors who help and provide feedback as you progress through the course.

We should encourage colleges to offer applied three-year degrees and limit the proliferation of four-year degrees in the college system. For example, a Bachelor of Applied Technology Degree is designed to teach leadership roles in the construction industry – – a program that meets a job market need, and is clearly suited to the college sector. Encouraging more three-year degrees like this one would allow colleges to cater to a student market looking for strong credentials without creeping into the degree market best served by universities.

Career colleges have a strong proven track record and are among our province’s most efficient paths to employment. They should be rewarded by a reduction in the costly and time-consuming regulatory burden they currently experience so they can be freed to take on students looking to gain access to the job market.

With these sensible and affordable solutions, improving Ontario’s colleges and universities will most certainly lead to better jobs. For the Silo, Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett.

Supplemental- Online learning in Ontario http://www.ontariolearn.com/en/

Politics

Ontario Boosts Transit Funding Across Province Doubles Municipal Share Gas Tax

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Ontario is boosting support for nearly 100 cities and towns across the province, providing them with reliable, long-term funding to improve and expand their local transit systems and offer more travel options for commuters and families.

Premier Kathleen Wynne and Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca were at York Region Transit’s Richmond Hill facility today to announce the new investment.

The province has heard directly from people who are frustrated by their daily commute and from municipalities [Municipalities are often also incorrectly called “County”- though they are legally incorporated as a super-city Ed.]  that are struggling to meet their transit needs. In response to these concerns, starting in 2019, Ontario will be increasing funding for local transit through an enhancement to the existing gas tax program, doubling the municipal share from two cents per litre to four cents by 2021. There will be no increase in the tax that people in Ontario pay on gasoline as a result of the enhancement to the program.

Cities and towns receiving the new funding are able to plan for and make major infrastructure upgrades, buy additional transit vehicles, add more routes, extend hours of service, implement fare strategies and improve accessibility.

Ontario recognizes that commuters need reliable transit options before revenue-generating measures such as road tolls are implemented. For example, the ongoing GO Regional Express Rail project will not be completed and in service before 2024. That is why the province is not supporting plans for municipal road tolls at this time. This new investment, along with Ontario’s $31.5-billion transit and transportation investment across the province, will support more buses in cities like Thunder Bay and Windsor, new LRT lines in Waterloo and Ottawa, and GO Regional Express Rail in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, including SmartTrack in Toronto.

Supporting stronger public transit systems is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
QUOTES

” People in communities across Ontario can’t afford to waste time stuck in traffic — we all need better options to get to work and home to our families sooner. This substantial boost to funding for local transit in cities and towns across the province will help them make significant improvements that will have a big impact on people’s day-to-day lives.”
– Kathleen Wynne
Premier of Ontario

” We’ve heard loud and clear from municipalities that they need more sustainable funding for public transit to keep up with the demand to provide more service. By modernizing Ontario’s gas tax program we are helping municipalities improve their local transit service so people can easily get where they need to be.”
– Steven Del Duca
Minister of Transportation
QUICK FACTS

Funding will increase to 2.5 cents per litre in 2019–20, 3 cents in 2020–21 and 4 cents in 2021–22.
This year the province committed $334.5 million in gas tax funding to 99 municipalities [Municipalities are sometimes incorrectly called “County”- though they are legally incorporated as a super-city Ed.] . This amount is expected to increase to about $401.3 million in 2019–20, $481.5 million in 2020–21 and $642 million in 2021–22.
Ontario made its gas tax program permanent in 2013 to provide a stable source of funding for municipalities.
One bus takes up to 40 vehicles off the road and keeps 25 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions out of the atmosphere each year.
Research shows that every $100 million of public infrastructure investment in Ontario boosts GDP by $114 million, particularly in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
LEARN MORE

Gas Tax Funding for Municipalities
Ontario.ca/BuildON

Available Online

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L’Ontario accroît le financement des transports en commun des villes de l’ensemble de la province
Plus d’options pour les déplacements et amélioration du transport en commun local pour les navetteurs et les familles

27 janvier 2017 09h35

L’Ontario accroît son soutien à près de 100 villes de la province en leur fournissant un financement à long terme stable qui favorise l’amélioration et l’expansion des transports en commun locaux et offre un plus grand nombre d’options aux navetteurs et aux familles.

La première ministre, Kathleen Wynne, et le ministre des Transports, Steven Del Duca, se sont rendus aujourd’hui à la gare de transports en commun de la région de York à Richmond Hill pour faire l’annonce de ce nouvel investissement.

La province a directement recueilli les propos de navetteurs frustrés et de représentants de municipalités qui éprouvent des difficultés à répondre à la demande en services de transport en commun. Pour donner suite à ces préoccupations, l’Ontario augmentera à partir de 2019 le financement qu’il accorde aux transports en commun locaux et bonifiera son programme actuel de financement par la taxe sur l’essence en doublant la part municipale pour la porter de deux cents le litre à quatre cents d’ici 2021. Cette bonification du programme n’entraînera pas de hausse de la taxe provinciale sur l’essence.

Les villes qui toucheront ces nouveaux fonds pourront planifier et entreprendre des rénovations d’importance à l’infrastructure, l’achat de véhicules de transports en commun supplémentaires, l’ajout de circuits, la prolongation des heures de service, la modification de leur structure tarifaire et l’offre de services plus accessibles.

L’Ontario reconnaît que les navetteurs ont besoin d’options de transports en commun fiables, avant même que des mesures génératrices de revenus soient mises en oeuvre. Par exemple, le service régional express de GO Transit est en chantier et ne sera pas opérationnel avant 2024. C’est pourquoi la province ne soutient pas de plans pour installer des péages municipaux en ce moment. Ce nouvel investissement, qui s’ajoute à l’investissement de la province de 31,5 milliards de dollars dans les transports en commun et les transports à la grandeur de son territoire, soutiendra l’achat d’un plus grand nombre d’autobus dans des villes comme Thunder Bay et Windsor, la construction de nouvelles lignes de train léger sur rail (TLR) à Waterloo et à Ottawa, de même que le service régional express de GO Transit dans la région du grand Toronto et de Hamilton, dont le SmartTrack à Toronto.

Le soutien permettant l’amélioration des réseaux de transport fait partie de notre plan visant à créer des emplois, à stimuler notre économie et à améliorer la vie quotidienne de notre population.
CITATIONS

« Les habitants des collectivités ontariennes ne peuvent se permettre de perdre du temps dans des embouteillages — nous avons tous besoin de meilleures options pour nous rendre au travail et rentrer à la maison afin d’y retrouver notre famille plus rapidement. Cette hausse substantielle du financement affecté au transport en commun local aidera les municipalités à apporter des améliorations appréciables qui auront des effets marqués pour les gens dans leur vie de tous les jours.»
– Kathleen Wynne
première ministre de l’Ontario

« Les municipalités nous ont clairement fait comprendre qu’elles ont besoin d’un financement plus durable pour le transport en commun afin de satisfaire à la demande accrue en services. C’est en modernisant le Programme de financement par la taxe sur l’essence que nous aiderons les municipalités à améliorer leurs services de transport régionaux, de telle sorte que les gens pourront se déplacer plus facilement.»
– Steven Del Duca
ministre des Transports
FAITS EN BREF

Le financement augmentera à 2,5 cents le litre en 2019-2020, à 3 cents en 2020-2021 et à 4 cents en 2021-2022.
Cette année, la province s’est engagée à verser 334,5 millions de dollars en financement par la taxe sur l’essence à 99 municipalités. Ce montant devrait augmenter jusqu’à environ 401,3 millions de dollars en 2019-2020, 481,5 millions de dollars en 2020-2021 et 642 millions de dollars en 2021-2022.
C’est en 2013 que l’Ontario a rendu permanent son Programme de financement par la taxe sur l’essence pour ainsi offrir une source de financement stable aux municipalités.
Un seul autobus permet de retirer jusqu’à 40 véhicules de la route et réduit de 25 tonnes par année les émissions de gaz à effet de serre de l’atmosphère.
Des recherches démontrent que chaque tranche de 100 millions de dollars d’investissement dans l’infrastructure publique de l’Ontario fait croître le PIB de 114 millions de dollars, tout particulièrement dans le secteur de la construction et le secteur manufacturier.
POUR EN SAVOIR DAVANTAGE

Financement par la taxe sur l’essence pour les municipalités
Ontario.ca/ONrenforce

Disponible en ligne

Available in English

Culture

Canada Migrant Worker Program Not Perfect But Seen As World Model

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Migrant WorkerTORONTO, CANADA – The world’s most successful program connecting seasonal workers with agricultural employers has kicked into high gear.

Administered by Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S.), the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) links approximately 14,000 requests for seasonal workers with jobs at Ontario farms this growing season.

Not only does the 52-year-old program provide a long list of benefits to the workers and the farmers, but also it creates two Canadian jobs in the agrifood industry for every worker employed through SAWP at Ontario agricultural operations, says Ken Forth, president of F.A.R.M.S.

“Governments and agricultural organizations around the world are looking at this program as a model,” Forth says.  “For decades, this program has provided Ontario farmers a steady source of reliable labour as a supplement to local labour. At the same time it gives the seasonal workers well-paying employment, benefits and educational opportunities not available at home.”

Not without critics- the Seasonal Agri-worker program has been linked to the continued decline of the "family farm" and the continued trend of "farm industrialization"- See supplemental section link below CP
Not without critics- the Seasonal Agri-worker program has been linked to the continued decline of the “family farm” and the continued trend of “farm industrialization”- See supplemental section link below CP

Seasonal workers employed at Ontario farm operations through SAWP:

  • Sign contracts that guarantee them all the protections and benefits that Canadian workers receive, including WSIB, certain EI benefits and provincial health care coverage.
  • Receive an hourly wage rate set by Human Resources & Skills Development Canada.The hourly rate is not less than the provincial minimum wage rate or the local prevailing rate paid to Canadians doing the same job, whichever is greatest.
  • Earn up to five times more than they could in their own countries, which enables them to support their families, educate their children and buy and operate businesses and farms in their own countries.

Farmers have also realized great benefits from the program for more than 40 years, enabling them to hire staff that would otherwise be extremely challenging to find because of the ongoing shortage of suitable and available local Canadian workers.

Social justice groups point to concerns over health and safety
Social justice groups point to concerns over health and safety

“Ontario farmers pay the highest farm worker wages in North America and face intense competition from low-wage competitors,” Forth says. “Without this program, many Ontario farmers simply couldn’t continue to grow fruits and vegetables. They’d stop growing altogether or move into less labour-intensive crops.

About the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program:

More information about Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) can be found at www.farmsontario.ca

Supplemental- NSI study highlighting concerns related to the program’ http://www.nsi-ins.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2006-Migrant-Workers-in-Canada-A-review-of-the-Canadian-Seasonal-Agricultural-Workers-Program.pdf

Afraid to speak out? Some workers report that they are reluctant to address concerns out of fear of job loss
Afraid to speak out? Some workers report that they are reluctant to address concerns out of fear of job loss
Culture

Silo Reader Says All Products And Services Should Compete In A “Free Market”

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Letters to the Silo

The [ image that is shown with Toby Barrett’s recent letter ] is certainly worth a thousand words. Government is consuming too much.

But why do we continue to feed government? Why would we participate in any political or economic system that is not serving our best interests?

Government is basically unproductive and can only give what it takes. Bigger government takes more and gives less.

The fruits of our labour are controlled, confiscated, and redistributed through taxation, inflation, interest, and government spending. There is also a systemic shortage of official currency, which leads to a shortage of paid employment, and the jobs that are available might be completely unproductive. We are forced to compete for currency that is systemically scarce, even though there are plenty of worthwhile activities that can be done and there are plenty of people who are willing and able to do productive work.

There seems to be an increasing level of dissatisfaction with government and the political process, but there certainly isn’t a consensus in defining the problem or offering a solution that will sufficiently address all of our concerns or satisfy everyone. This poses a challenge, but it also presents us with an opportunity to carefully examine the form and function of government, and explore a full range of possible alternatives.

If we have freedom of choice and a free market then we should be able to individually select the goods and services that we wish to purchase from a variety of producers and providers, who should be able to compete for customers based on the quality and price of their products and services. All products and services, including government programs and services, should be able to compete in a free market.

Trade and exchange should be voluntary and mutually beneficial. We should not be forced to pay for anything that we don’t want or don’t use, and we should not have to do business with anyone who consistently offers poor quality goods and services or who does not pay their legitimate debts.

If we have economic freedom then we should be able to negotiate agreeable prices, accept or refuse any form of payment, control the allocation of our credit, and use any method or medium of exchange. We should not be compelled to use a systemically scarce currency that is created as interest-bearing debt.

If the purpose of an economic system is to facilitate the production and exchange of goods and services then it should be possible to create numerous ways to serve this purpose, with various concurrent systems operating in any location. This would give us more control over our time, labour, skills, and resources.

If government is a provider of services then it should compete for customers based on the quality and price of any services that it is actually willing and able to provide, including education, health care, and defence. If government services were the best ones available then we would presumably choose to use them. Our wealth should not be confiscated and redistributed to pay for anything that we don’t want or don’t use.

We can already seek membership in various communities, organizations or other groups, based on our own political, religious, social, recreational, or business interests. If we have freedom of association and political freedom then we should even be able to choose a apolitical system and type of government, without having to move to a different place, and without imposing or choice on anyone else. This would give us the option to hire people to manage our affairs and make decisions on our behalf, but we would not be represented or lead without imposing our consent.

Crony Capitalism Warren Buffett

Any imposed political system or government is a method of control. Political freedom does not exist if an individual is forced to accept the decisions of any other individual or group, even if it calls itself a majority.

Imposed political systems and territorial governments with their restrictive geopolitical boundaries can be replaced with a variety of voluntary communities, mutual benefit associations, and autonomous protective groups, with overlapping membership in any location. Multiple communities can exist in any geographic region, without any imposed territorial monopolies for the provision of services.

Individual participation in any economic or political system should be entirely voluntary, based on choice and consent, rather than coercion and compulsion. No person is an island, but everyone should essentially be able to individually decide how he or she would like to organize and manage his or her economic and political activities.

Government is a human invention that has changed over time and will continue to change, but the direction of this change will be determined by the way we think and the choices we make.

Diverse methods and arrangements can co-exist simultaneously in any location to facilitate the production, provision, distribution, and exchange of goods and services, for the mutual benefit of all voluntary participants, at their own risk and expense. James Clayton

Note- boldfacing was not indicated in the original submitted letter to the Silo.

Wagon Wheel Corn Maze

 

Culture

Not Up To Government To Act As Investment Banker To Support Select Businesses

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What kind of tax break would you like to see? Ontario has gotten itself into a difficult situation. Too many people have lost their jobs, our province has lost its leading position in the country, and government has lost its ability to balance its books.

We face a critical choice. Either we implement sensible policies that create jobs and prosperity or we accept a future of high debt, declining public services and living below our economic potential.

The first and most basic thing government needs to do is balance the books. The second is to start to pay down the debt. We can’t afford to run government on a credit card. Interest on our accumulated debt is $10.6 billion a year. That’s a cost we’re passing on to our kids. It slows the economy and restricts government services for years to come.

Over the past nine years, families and businesses in Ontario have experienced a number of unpleasant tax surprises. The primary factor in our slow job creation is high tax levels. The top marginal tax rate in Ontario today is 49.5 per cent. That’s simply too high. Economists have demonstrated that overly high tax rates can actually reduce tax dollars collected because they are a strong disincentive to work. Lower taxes create jobs and higher taxes deter them. We can address the problem of 600,000 people out of work in Ontario, in part, through tax policy.

The three main taxes in Ontario are personal income tax, corporate tax, and the harmonized sales tax. Given that tax cuts create jobs, which sector tax cut do you think would be most effective for job creation? To provide input, contact me at 1-800-903-8629 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org.

Fair competition means giving all businesses an equal chance. It’s not up to government to act as an investment banker to support some businesses at the expense of others. Rather than use public money to favor companies that know how to work the system, use those tax dollars for broad general benefit. Ending corporate welfare will provide enough for significant tax changes.

Ontario has long benefited from free and open markets. The 1960’s Auto Pact between Canada and the United States, and the North American Free Trade Agreement that superseded it, fueled the manufacturing boom in this province. But while $2 billion worth of trade crosses the Canada-U.S. border each and every day, too often the border is a traffic jam, delaying goods and workers from crossing. Breaking this bottleneck with our largest trading partner, and the costly delays at other entry and exit points along our
southern border, is vital to growing Ontario’s economy. Ontario should embrace the economic opportunities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia and tear down the barriers that separate us.

Ontario is long overdue for a major reduction in rules that regulate businesses. Some regulations are necessary, but Ontario has accumulated an absurd paperwork burden that costs the province’s businesses too much time and money. We need fewer rules, and those rules must meet a clear need.

We can drive growth through innovation and ingenuity – and through a belief in markets, in entrepreneurialism, in competition and in free trade. These are values that have long driven economic success around the world. And government can lead economic growth with policies to reduce taxes, balance the books, boost trade and cut red tape. By MPP Toby Barrett

Corporate welfare? In 2011-2012, $ 1,021,521 was steered to Haldimand-Norfolk-Oxford newspapers in one grant alone. image: www.pch.gc.ca

Supplemental-

How public tax money is used to aid ‘some’ business: Local Newspapers on “Corporate Welfare”

Politics

Ontario Green Party: ON must reign in deficit spending

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Ontario Green Party wants the province to reign in deficit spending

ONTARIO SET TO LOSE ON NDP – CONSERVATIVE HST ALLIANCE Toronto – The NDP-Conservative HST alliance to borrow $350 million is an opportunistic ploy that will reward big energy users – often the wealthiest – and drive up provincial debt.

“Ontario needs to provide help for seniors, low-income families and remote communities. *orig. release date 11/23/11*

The NDP-Conservative alliance does the opposite,” said Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario. “Instead of a regressive tax cut, a better plan would use refundable tax credits or energy rebates to provide targeted relief for folks who need it most.”

Ontario must reign in its deficit spending. The NDP-Conservative proposal will force Ontario to borrow an additional $350 million per year to subsidize home heating bills, on top of the Liberals borrowing $1.2 billion per year to subsidize electricity prices. These subsidies add to Ontario’s $18,000 per-person debt, do not create jobs and do not result in long term energy affordability.

“Ontarians deserve to be rewarded for their efforts to conserve, not be forced to pay big energy users,” said Schreiner. “We need programs that help people save money by saving energy.”

Earlier this year Queen’s Park politicians quietly allowed a popular and successful program that helped people save money by using less energy expire. The Home Energy Savings Program created good, local jobs in Ontario and permanently lowered
energy bills.

The Green Party is calling for a Green Building Program to help tenants, home owners, and businesses save money by using less energy. This program will:

* Save rate-payers money on their utility bills permanently
* Save the province money by reducing the need for costly new generation
* Create good local jobs
* Reduce pollution and preserve our environment

Media Contact:
Becky Smit Cell: 647-830-6486 Office: 416-977-7476
beckysmit@gpo.ca

Sent from Green Party of Ontario
PO Box 1132
Toronto, ON M4Y 2T8
Canada