Do You Know Who You Are Voting For?
Let’s face it… change is never easy. Change is inevitable though and we’ll see it on June 7th, 2018 when Ontario elects a new government. It’s clear that the Liberals will not retain their death-grip on Ontario, thank goodness for small mercies.
So, we’re left with two choices: The PC’s and the NDP’s. Who will you vote for? Below are the key issues that relate to rural small businesses in Ontario:
The NDP Leader, Andrea Horwath’s, platform says: (from https://www.ontariondp.ca/economy)
We will increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour and index ongoing increases to inflation, making it more predictable for families and businesses.
We will require employers to provide at least three weeks paid vacation to every full-time employee
We will work to reduce workplace injuries and better support injured workers by making sure WSIB works for them.
We will expand Community Benefit Agreements and ensure government buys more of what it needs from Ontario small and medium businesses
We will overhaul the province’s supports for small and medium sized businesses, coordinating them with our economic cluster strategy. They’ll have clear objectives with real benefits for Ontarians, such as overall employment, skills development, community benefits, regional growth, innovation targets, export growth, and coordination with local chambers and educational institutions
We will create an advisory panel on the innovation economy help make Ontario the best place in Canada to launch an innovative start-up or scale up an existing one to create good, skilled jobs
We’ll dedicate $1 billion to get things moving on the Ring of Fire
We will defend supply management for Ontario’s farmers, protect Ontario’s Production Insurance Program, and lift the Liberal-imposed cap on the Risk Management Program.
We will work with farming groups to ensure young farmers can get their foot in the door, and we will expand the government’s definition of farming and food production to include new definitions such as urban farming.
We will invest $57 million annually from the Jobs and Prosperity Fund to create opportunities in the trades
We’ll undo the cuts to the Slots at Racetracks Program and build a long-term plan to revitalize this sector and protect the livelihood of these family farms.
We will develop and implement a cluster strategy focused on bringing together all actors within a strategic regional industry.
We will bring together local small and medium sized businesses, large anchor organizations, their suppliers, local colleges and universities, and all levels of government to collaborate on strategies to enhance the competitiveness of our regional industries.
We will invest $100 million dollars to reduce dependence on high-carbon diesel and heating oil
We will invest $1 billion dollars for bringing broadband service to rural and northern Ontario
We will work with businesses and post-secondary institutions to increase opportunities for lifelong training to ensure that people and businesses can keep pace with industrial and technological changes
Doug Ford and the Ontario PC platform states: (from https://www.ontariopc.ca/plan_for_the_people)
We’ll cut the price of gas by 10 cents by eliminating Kathleen Wynne’s cap-and-trade tax scheme, stopping the carbon tax, and reducing Ontario’s gas tax.
Our plan will save the average family 12% on their hydro bill.
We’ll send the message that Ontario is ‘Open for Business’ and bring quality jobs back to Ontario by lowering taxes, stabilizing hydro bills and cutting job-killing red tape
We will expand natural gas distribution to rural communities by enabling private sector participation and use the up to $100 million in savings to invest in cellular and broadband expansion.
We will cut taxes by 20% for the second income-tax bracket, saving you up to $786 per year.
Introduce a minimum-wage tax credit so those on minimum wage pay no tax.
Create a 75% refundable tax credit for child care costs for children 0 to 15 and give parents the choice of what kind of care is best for their kids.
Cancel the Jobs and Prosperity Fund
Support regional economic development funds
Lower business taxes from 11.5% to 10.5% and lower the manufacturing and processing rate by the same amount so more employers can invest, grow and create jobs in Ontario
Help small businesses by reducing the small business tax rate by 8.7%
Cut red tape and stifling regulations that are crippling job creation and growth
Provide single-window access for approvals with a hard one-year deadline
Help fill the skills gap by increasing access to apprenticeships and reforming the foreign credential recognition process to help qualified immigrants coming to Ontario and contribute to the economy to their fullest potential immediately
Further expand sales of beer and wine into corner stores, grocery stores and box stores, based on market demand and not government decree. Maintain the LCBO’s role in wholesale and distribution and as a location for the people of Ontario to buy their beer, wine and spirits.
Move forward with resource revenue sharing from mining, forestry, and aggregates to help Northern towns and Indigenous communities share in resource development
Ensure hunting and fishing revenues go toward their stated purpose of conservation
Cut the aviation fuel tax for the North to reduce the cost of living in the North
Bring back passenger rail service to the North
I’m not here to tell anyone who they should vote for. I’m simply providing you with the information you need to make an informed choice. Politics is a dirty game and not every promise can or will be fulfilled. That’s just how it works.
Whoever becomes the next Premier of Ontario has a difficult job ahead of them to repair the damage caused by the last government and rebuild Ontario’s economy. As a small business owner, I know who I’ll be voting for.
