Andrea hangs out with Debbie. Talk OLG and job creation
Saturday, February 02, 2013 by: Darren Taylor
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath visited Sault Ste. Marie Saturday to meet with Mayor Debbie Amaroso and the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce, while also taking part in Bon Soo activities and meeting with local sports enthusiasts at the Soo Curlers Association.
Horwath, speaking to SooToday.com, says her party will make northern Ontario concerns a priority when the provincial Legislature re-opens for business under new Liberal leader and Premier Kathleen Wynne.
Among those concerns, Horwath said, is the fear of losing good-paying jobs at Sault Ste. Marie’s Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) office, as the province carries out its’ modernization of the facility.
Horwath said concern over OLG jobs “was the first order of business” at a meeting with Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Debbie Amaroso when the two met Saturday morning.
The OLG’s modernization process involves bringing in private sector partners to operate OLG facilities, such as the OLG office at Bondar Place and Casino Sault Ste. Marie.
“We’re very concerned with what the government has decided to do with the OLG,” Horwath told us.
“We think they’ve absconded from their responsibility in terms of governance and they’ve simply let all of these decisions, which I believe are public policy decisions, to be made by the OLG, which is putting the squeeze on communities and not allowing for democratic process.”
Horwath said she will be lobbying for the protection of Sault Ste. Marie jobs as the OLG modernizes.
“I’ve spoken to Mayor Amaroso about this, but I’ve filed my own motion in the Legislature, asking the government to put a hold on this whole process until there’s a much better opportunity for input and dialogue with communities that are being affected, and that they tell the OLG to back off with the pressure tactics that are creating such havoc right now.”
Despite constant assurances from the federal government that Canada is doing relatively well economically in comparison with other nations, it is clear that people are losing their jobs at an alarming rate, as Sault Ste. Marie has seen this week, with more layoffs announced at Tenaris Algoma Tubes.
What is the Ontario NDP’s job creation strategy?
Horwath told us “we need to give tax credits to businesses for job creation…so if you hire new workers, you get a tax credit for that. If you invest in Ontario, you get a tax credit for that, and that way, companies won’t walk away.”
Jabbing both the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives, Horwath said “we’ve watched over a decade now while the other two parties have been relying on corporate tax cuts to create jobs. They haven’t worked. The HST was supposed to bring us 600,000 jobs in the province, but it hasn’t.”
Political pundits have speculated if Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Horwath’s NDP will pounce on incoming Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal minority government as soon as possible and force a provincial election.
Horwath said that’s up to Kathleen Wynne.
“My interest is trying to get some results for the people of this province. I believe I was able to do that with Dalton McGuinty. I’m hopeful that Kathleen Wynne will work with me to get things done for Ontarians. We were able to make the last budget a lot more fair, to Ontarians and their families, and I’m hopeful of things we want to achieve in this session.”
Horwath continued “there’s got to be a lot of willingness to come clean on the gas plant issue in Mississauga and Oakville. We’re not going to be able to move forward until the people of Ontario get the answers they deserve, and I’ve given Kathleen Wynne an opportunity to take that rancorous debate out of the Legislature with an independent public inquiry process, and I think it’s a productive idea she should not dismiss,”
Horwath emphasized the Liberal minority government will survive and Ontarians will be spared from a trip to the polls if Kathleen Wynne is committed to working with the opposition parties at Queen’s Park.
“It should be incumbent on all of us to give the people what they asked for in the last election in 2011, which is a minority legislature, to get some minority results, to get the parties to work more closely together.”
“If it becomes clear that can’t be done, it’ll become clear what will happen…but I think we should all roll up our sleeves to get things done for Ontarians.”
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I'm In 2/3/2013 1:17:31 AM ReportWell thats exactly it, the minority Lib government has to work with the opposition parties, something McGuinty didn't want to do thats one reason he porogued the legislature "Go Andrea Go".
Thim 2/3/2013 9:25:19 AM ReportWith all due respect the Sault is becoming largely dependant on public sector jobs to the point of over balancing the private sector.
Now with the OLG we're skimmimg off all thats left in our pockets.
agent_zoey 2/3/2013 9:46:22 AM ReportIts about time someone has taken notice that its only the board of directors, Senior VP's, and David Oragetti's hidden agenda to get rid of good paying jobs from OLG and move them to an unknown company. With an annual 2 billion in monies given to the province every year, there is no reason for this to happen. The OLG does not cost money to run. It creates jobs and has a black hole of unlimited money. It generates more money then LCBO. Since they have announced Moderinization, they have not created any of the 4000 jobs they said they would. The CBN jobs were taken out of OLG and moved there. Those employees moved from OLG to CBN. Thats not job creation. The executives have wasted millions a day on consultants because they do NOT even know how to execute this enormous project. I would like to see an independent audit review done on how much of the tax payers money they have wasted on this project. I think the people of Ontario would like to see how the executives waste tax payers money. David Orazetti is a complete liar and I hope he cant sleep at night, based on what Moderinization will do to the employees of OLG in Sault Ste. Marie. Mederinization will ruin this community and the lives of the employees. The housing market will crash based on the fact that families will be leaving to find work. The Liberal government brought OLG to create jobs in the north. There is no logical reason for this to happen, except someones hidden agenda to line the pockets of a private company that has no care about the company and is buddies of the top brass of the company. Shame on You David Orazetti. I thought you cared about the people of Sault Ste. Marie. How does this work into Job creation for the North. I can't wait to here his response to this story. If he cared about the Sault, he would have this cancelled as soon as parliment resumes.
agent_zoey 2/3/2013 9:54:03 AM ReportThim, with all due respect, do see any other companies coming to the Sault to create jobs? The answer is NO and now you are going to remove good paying jobs from the Sault. How does that help Sault Ste. Marie. If the government is to create any jobs it should be in the North and Not in southern Ontario, where the people are and the big companies are located. Get educated before you open your mouth and maybe think a little bit of how this will impact the Sault.
OrlandoFlorida 2/3/2013 10:49:30 AM ReportThe new premier Wynne publically stated last Thursday that she supports OLG Modernization. So David O may bring up his concerns but be prepared he WILL tow the party line, he will put the spin on that it will create jobs in the sault as the money saved by privatization will allow for the hiring of more teachers or more knee scopes. All profits earned by OLG in its present form go to the province, a privatized OLG will see some of that profit go to private companies located in the USA or Europe. Hats off to the NDP, they seem to be the only ones speaking up for Sault Ste Marie.
OMGWTF 2/3/2013 11:16:31 AM ReportAnd all the payroll and pension liabilities will go with them and if they happen to get hired by the new company and they start all over again. Many will be able to tap into their gov't pension later or transfer it but the gov't reduces cost by moving people out. They say there's a net new employee benefit and with the casino's there will be (not with lottery though) but at hourly wages and many part time
AceOfBass 2/3/2013 11:56:18 AM ReportI see the union big shots hanging out with the "Wicket Witch of the North Horwath." It does not surprised me that our socialist Mayor suppose these Dippers.
Do not forget "Carbon Tax" and more green energy nonsense and sky high energy with these jokers.
Thim 2/3/2013 12:09:02 PM Reportagent_zoey, I wasn't referring to jobs per se, I was referring to the casino being the final resting ground of any moneys left in the public's pockets...particularly seniors.
OrlandoFlorida 2/3/2013 2:01:41 PM ReportThe Atlantic Lottery privatized a large portion of their operation a few years ago, the result was CGI the company that won the contract which is based in Montreal moved jobs from Moncton NB to Montreal, oh and the cost of running the day to day IT operations was more. Northern ontario is in desperate need of keeping all jobs, OLG jobs are unique in that wages are not funded from government taxes but from The Crown Corps revenue.
Thim 2/3/2013 2:32:43 PM ReportI'm a fan of privatization but it only works where there is competition.
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