Jones charges that failed Liberal legacy creates more job loss

December 19, 2013 · 0 Comments

Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones recently expressed alarm over bad news for Ontario’s economy.
It was recently announced that Heinz was shutting down its Leamington factory, leaving approximately 800 people unemployed. Then days later, Cliffs Natural Resources announced it was pulling out of the Northern Ontario Ring of Fire mining development. The two announcements represent two major economic developments for the worse in the province’s southern and northern regions respectively.
“This is what happens when the provincial government is more concerned with nickel-and-diming job creators with needless taxes, fines and inspectors, as oppose to focusing on growing the economy,” Jones remarked. “This is what happens when Liberal energy policies drive hydro prices to the highest in North America.”
“The Liberal government’s failure to place a priority on spurring job creation in Ontario has led to a situation where we are increasingly becoming an undesirable place to do business, and the results are worrying,” she added.
Jones lamented the negative effect the Heinz closure will have on the families of the plant’s former employees, as well as the community at large. The Heinz plant had been in Leamington for 100 years and processed 40 per cent of all field tomatoes grown in Ontario annually.
She also observed the Cliffs Natural Resources announcement could prove to be a critical blow to the province’s northern economy. The Ring of Fire deposit of chromite and other precious metals is located approximately 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and has an estimated value of between $30 billion and $50 billion.
“One of the most worrying similarities between these two announcements is lack of urgency displayed by Premier Wynne and her Liberal government,” Jones said. “Day after day the PC Caucus has been warning the Liberals that their reckless policies are hurting Ontario’s economy and could cause further job losses, yet the Premier would rather strike endless panels to avoid the issues. The Liberals just don’t get it.”
“Premier Wynne is fond of having conversations,” she added. “The problem is her indecisiveness and lack of action continues to jeopardize Ontario’s economy. The PC Caucus has a plan to bring jobs back to Ontario, balance the books, and make energy affordable again. That’s why it’s time to change the team that leads our province.”