Ford announces $40M for Ontario auto sector plan
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WOODBRIDGE —The Ontario government will put $40.2 million over three years into a plan to boost the province’s auto sector, but doesn’t believe pink slipped GM jobs in Oshawa can be saved.
Premier Doug Ford said the money that Unifor President Jerry Dias is spending to advertise a GM boycott will only hurt the industry, and would be better spent retraining and supporting the displaced workers.
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“I disagree with his game plan here — going after and attacking GM is just the wrong thing to do,” Ford said Thursday during a stop at Woodbridge Foam, which includes automakers among its clients.
“I support the auto industry.”
Dias was joined by entertainer Sting in Oshawa Thursday to rally support for keeping the facility open — part of a high-profile campaign that includes a national boycott of GM products.
The union leader has criticized the Ford government for accepting GM’s decision to shutter its Oshawa plant.
GM still employs almost 5,000 people in Ontario, with hundreds of positions added to its technical centre in Markham, Ford said.
The Ontario government’s plan for the auto industry, called Driving Prosperity, would put money into training and autonomous vehicle technology.
The government would rather reduce the red tape and regulation burden on the auto industry than tell it how to run its business, Ford said.
Economic Development Minister Todd Smith said Ontario has only attracted 6% of new auto sector investment since 2009.
That was the year Ontario and Canadian taxpayers poured billions of dollars into struggling auto giants like GM.
The government believes eliminating cap and trade, and fighting the federal government’s planned carbon fee, will encourage growth in the auto sector, Smith said.
“Our commitment to the sector is clear: if you invest in our people, our technology and our province, then we’re going to partner with you every step of the way,” Smiths said.
Asked by one member of the media if he was prepared to adopt a buy-Ontario policy for the purchase of government vehicles, Ford said that was a good idea and he would look into it.
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