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With today being the "Day of Debates" (an all candidates luncheon at the Canadian Club and a special taping of The Agenda with Steve Paikin) here is some light reading material for you on Charles Sousa's bold new ideas to get rural Ontario and the GTA both working to create jobs and improve the quality of life for residents.
Here is the Sousa Plan to Create Jobs in Small Town and Rural Ontario
- Acting upon local input into decision-making and building municipal partnerships;
- Strongly supporting industries like auto, primary & secondary manufacturing and food processing;
- Providing industry with the right tools to create jobs by promoting innovation and attracting investment; and
- Supporting small businesses by making access to the Southwestern and Eastern Ontario Development Funds easier, simpler and permanent.
“As a party and as a government, we need to do a better job of listening to local voices,” said Sousa. “People need to know that we take their concerns seriously and are ready to act on them. That’s why listening is the starting point of my plan.”
Sousa, who is running to be Ontario’s Jobs Premier, has put the main focus of his plan for small town and rural Ontario on creating jobs.
Like all Ontario families, people in Southwestern and Eastern Ontario want the government to be focussed on creating jobs in their communities. That’s why Sousa is committed to maintaining strong support for the auto and manufacturing industries and is committed to working with business to create jobs.
His plan to improve access to the Southwestern and Eastern Ontario Development Funds for small businesses will help entrepreneurs to grow their companies and create jobs.
“Making it easier for small businesses to access the funds they need to succeed is the right thing to do,” said Sousa.
To date, the Eastern Ontario Development Fund has created $595M in private sector investment and helped create or retain 13,200 jobs. Sousa plans on building off of this success by making the funds more accessible to rural and small town businesses.
“The funds have worked well for big employers, but Main Street should be benefiting as well. That’s why I’ll make it permanent, bring clarity to the program and make it much easier to access.”
1. Make Metrolinx responsible for the TTC
Gridlock –both literally and politically – is a huge problem for Toronto. By making Metrolinx responsible for the TTC, we can start building transit now, so we’re not having the same conversations ten years from now. “We’re two years behind schedule because of political gridlock,” Sousa said.
2. Site a new university campus in Milton
Milton is the fastest growing city in Canada and we need to take action now to keep up. A new campus in Milton will help our students prepare to succeed and boost the local economy. “We have the funding. We need to act,” Sousa said.
3. Take immediate action to reform the Condo Act
Ontario has been looking at reforming the condo act for years, and private members’ bills on the issues have previously passed second reading in the legislature.
Within 90 days of becoming Premier, Sousa would introduce legislation to reform the Condo Act. “We have had a lot of input. We need to act,” Sousa said
4. Make immigration work better for Ontario
By increasing the number of provincial nominees, and pushing the federal government to deliver their fair share, we can take full advantage of the skills that new immigrants have, and make sure that the GTA remains a magnet for economic immigrants around the world. “We need immigration to work for Ontario,” Sousa said.
“We all know that the GTA is a world-class region that is facing significant challenges over the next decade,” said Sousa. “We need comprehensive solutions to address these challenges, and we need to start moving now.”
Sousa is running to be Ontario’s Jobs Premier and has already proposed several concrete steps we can take to create jobs now.
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