Jobs and Prosperity Council

Jobs and Prosperity Council 

The Jobs and Prosperity Council released their report today.  This council is comprised of 14 dedicated leaders from business, labour and other sectors who volunteered their time and expertise to develop recommendations designed to improve Ontario's long-term productivity and competitiveness.  The government has committed to reviewing the report and developing a response to it.

Two of the Council's recommendations are the following:



The Council believes that modern infrastructure,
particularly in transportation, can form part of Ontario’s
competitive advantage. We need new approaches that
engage public and private sources of capital and new
revenue models if we are to build the leading edge
infrastructure that we need now and in the future.


The Council recommends that the provincial government
strike a panel comprising, say, five leaders from
across the province. The panel should report back in a year
on how to stimulate growth and create sustainable jobs in
northern Ontario by tapping into our natural resource potential.

Ontario Northland could play a vital role as part of that modern infrastructure and whether it exists in it's current form or transforms to the Port Authority envisioned by the New Deal proponents, it MUST remain intact for it to be properly assessed.

If the Liberal government is serious about considering the Council's recommendations, it needs to suspend the divestiture of Ontario Northland and allow the suggested panel the opportunity to consider it, both in it's current form and in a transformed state.  Any commitment from the government regarding this report will only be genuine if they put a stop to the current plan to breakup Ontario Northland and permit it to be reassessed by experts, instead of politicians.