Ontario 'open for business' but little change in employment
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Premier Doug Ford’s pro-jobs agenda — emphasized by his official unveiling Friday of “open for business” signs — did not provide a statistically significant boost to the province’s monthly employment numbers.
Ford’s government has already scrapped cap-and-trade which increased business fuel costs, halted a planned $15-an-hour minimum wage, announced reductions to other worker benefits, and promised a comprehensive red-tape cutting bill.
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But according to the Labour Force Survey, released Friday by Statistics Canada, Ontario’s monthly employment number was “little changed” in October.
There was an increase of 7,500 positions in full-time work countered by a drop in part-time work of 5,000 positions.
Decreases in natural resources and construction jobs were offset by increases in manufacturing positions.
The province’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 5.6%, reflecting the fact that about 20,000 fewer people were looking for work last month.
On Friday morning, Ford and several of his cabinet ministers were in Sarnia, where they announced 25 new or upgraded Ontario blue and white “open for business” signs that will go up at 18 border crossings.
The signs were designed and produced in-house by the Ministry of Transportation at a total cost of $106,700, including $3,300 to $8,000 to upgrade, manufacture and ship individual signs, the government says, describing the expense as “necessary” to show the world Ontario is open for business.
“Businesses tell us that job growth starts with cutting the burdensome, job-killing red tape that drives investment and jobs out of Ontario,” Ford said in a statement. “Our government was elected on a clear mandate — to Open Ontario for Business.
“For too long, job creators in Ontario have been burdened by excessive red tape. We’re reducing the regulatory burden on job creators so they can thrive, remain competitive and create jobs,” he said.
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NDP MPP Catherine Fife pointed to year-over-year job numbers that show Ontario is up 83,000 jobs.
Fife said those numbers prove that two increases to the minimum wage during that time period — including to $14-an-hour on Jan. 1 — did not hurt job creation.
A current government bill before the Ontario legislature that would strip part-time workers of two paid sick days a year and prevent a rise in the minimum wage to $15 an hour on Jan. 1, 2019 will incent employers to turn full-time positions into cheaper part-time work, she said.
“That actually is not good for the overall economy,” Fife said.
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