Province Ignoring Small Business & Green Job Sector

IGNORING SMALL BUSINESS AND THE GREEN JOBS SECTOR IS A CRITICAL MISS BY THE MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CHALLENGING ECONOMIC TIME.

TORONTO, ON (October 22nd, 2008) – Green Party of Ontario Leader Frank de Jong said today that the McGuinty government is failing to provide leadership and innovative solutions in this challenging economic time. The Green Party called for more support for small businesses and investment in the green job sector as a sustainable solution to improve Ontario’s economy.

“We need a more diversified economy to provide greater stability during tough economic times, and that means investing in Main Streets across this province,” said de Jong. Small and medium sized enterprises account for 60 percent of private sector employment.

A recent study by Canadian Policy Research Networks shows that 23.7 percent of young Canadians are underemployed, the worst showing across 19 OECD countries. “Generalized investments to stimulate the economy will likely lead to more McJobs and underemployment” says Shane Jolley Deputy Leader. “Now more than ever we need strong local economies with vibrant small businesses and local farms”.

The Green Party called on the government to maintain a balanced budget by ending unfair subsidies for large businesses and scaling back its plans for spending $40 billion on nuclear energy. “When the province is facing a deficit, it is irresponsible to spend taxpayer money on projects that are not needed and historically run over budget,” said de Jong. “Spending our tax dollars on nuclear is fiscally irresponsible when there are better options.”

“We can create thousands of jobs in Ontario in the green energy sector by reducing taxes for individuals and businesses, investing in energy conservation and demand management programs and rewarding businesses and home owners who reduce their consumption and invest in renewable energy,” stated Deputy Leader Judy Smith Torrie, citing a recent study that California’s energy efficiency policies created 1.5 million new jobs.

The Green Party challenged the government to mitigate the effects of the economic slow down by reducing personal income and business taxes; and, by creating incentives for investing in green infrastructure and energy efficiency. “We need to boost the manufacturing sector by making Ontario attractive to green technology research and development,” observed Smith Torrie. “Ontario has the manufacturing industry, the skilled and educated labour force, and the raw materials to become a global leader in green energy production.”

Politics...A Nasty Business

I often hear people asking why there are no honest politicians. In fact, there are but we don't hear much about them and there certainly aren't enough of them.

Having entered the political arena myself, I have some idea why this is the case. It seems that many who enter the system with good intentions soon sucumb to the lowest common denominator in order to survive politically. Those who will not stoop to this level soon bail out rather than compromise or have their reputation trashed by their opponents.

Lately, I too have had to seriously consider packing it in on politics due to the unethical actions of a handful of people. Unless you've been under a rock since May, you know that I have spent my summer defending myself against distorted facts and unethical behavior by some individuals - including some in the media - regarding a charge against me.

When yesterday the Crown threw out the charge against me but the Sun Times still printed an article implying my guilt, it left me again wondering if my work here for this region is worth the abuse it has drawn.

What is it that makes people feel so threatened by someone like myself who is simply working for positive change? What makes people attack their others with different ideas instead of trying to understand them? Is it that some people just can't accept the truth? Maybe they can't admit that they were wrong? Or maybe it's pure selfishness. Do I threaten someone's financial interest? In the case of the Sun Times, is it just a crass attempt to sell more papers?

I don't know the answers to these questions but I'm putting all attackers on notice that I am not going away. I often think about my kids and whether they will get caught in the crossfire. At the end of the day I have faith that they will commend me for not giving up; for fighting for a better future for them.

If you're wondering why politicians and others looking for unethical advantage throw mud, it's because mud sticks. The recent behavior and subsequent result of the recent federal election is proof of this.

I however think that at the core of it, you, the citizens of Ontario and Bruce/Grey are smarter than that. That's why I'm sticking around. Prove me correct.

Sensible Energy Policy

The following recommendations from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance to the Ontario government should be taken seriously and acted upon. As the recommendations are based on sound reasoning, the only reason not to follow through on them would be due to pressure from the nuclear lobby. A summary of the report is reprinted here:

"Ontario can obtain 100% of its grid-supplied electricity from renewable sources by 2027 if Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman adopts the recommendations in the Ontario Clean Air Alliance’s new report, Ontario’s Green Future.

The report’s three key recommendations are: build on success; take the lid off clean power; and make nuclear the last choice, not the first.

Build on success
Ontario’s Standard Offer Program for Renewable Power has been a huge success, attracting more projects in one year than the Ontario Power Authority had projected would be available in 10. It’s time to extend this simple and effective program, which pays a fixed price for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of new supply, to energy efficiency and clean combined heat and power projects.

Take the lid off clean power
We also need to make the Standard Offer Program model more robust by removing arbitrary project size limits and raising the standard offer price to reflect the true comparative cost of obtaining power from new nuclear units and associated transmission systems.

Make nuclear the last choice, not the first
Nuclear power projects have a long history of massive cost overruns in Ontario. No other electricity generation projects, whether they be wind, water, solar or natural gas, are allowed to pass their capital cost overruns on to ratepayers and taxpayers. It is time to end this and other costly special deals for nuclear and to make nuclear projects compete fairly with other generation sources.

Ontario should pass a Nuclear Cost Responsibility Act that makes it illegal for nuclear capital cost overruns to be passed on to ratepayers or taxpayers. This will prevent any additions to the $18 billion “stranded” nuclear debt that is still being paid off by Ontario ratepayers."

The Ontario’s Green Future report can be downloaded from:
http://www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca/Ontarios_Green_Future.pdf