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Sorbara says Ontario
is listening to Brampton
Highway 410, Brampton Civic Hospital and AcceleRide
Brampton is getting the attention of the provincial government
with investments in Highway 410, the new Brampton Civic
Hospital and AcceleRide, Ontario Finance Minister Greg
Sorbara told local businessmen recently. |
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Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara was the keynote
speaker at The Brampton Board of Trade’s Annual
General Meeting last month. Here, Sorbara, center,
is pictured with from left Sheldon Leiba, BBOT General
Manager; Anna Iacobelli, representing the event
sponsor TD Canada Trust Small Business Banking,
BBOT President Wayne Waters and Michael Luchenski,
BBOT Past President |
Sorbara addressed about 125 business people at The Brampton
Board of Trade’s Annual General Meeting, at IL Cavaliere
Banquet Hall Oct. 13.
“Your MPPs speak forcefully on behalf of Brampton, and
we are listening,” he said.
Sorbara was at ease with the crowd as he touched on a
number of issues including the Liberal government track
record, Ontario’s economy and the fiscal imbalance with
Ottawa.
The minister provided a three year review of the Liberal
agenda, emphasizing that they inherited a deficit when
they took office.
The first budget, he said, focused on health care wait
times and reducing class sizes in schools. In the second
budget “we invested $6.2 billion over five years in colleges
and universities, which is a clear statement of how important
education is to our government.”
The most recent budget focuses on “Move Ontario” a program
aimed at fixing roads and bridges with an $850 million
investment in public transit in the GTA, including a $95
million investment in Brampton’s AcceleRide program.
Sorbara predicted the Ontario economy will slow down,
constrained by a number of external factors including
the increased value of the Canadian dollar, slowing of
the U.S. economy and strong competition from emerging
economies like China and India. "These are factors
that we cannot control,” he told the audience.
However, he said Ontario was under further pressure because
of the ongoing debate with the federal government over
fiscal imbalance.
“It’s the $23 billion gap, that’s more going out than
coming in,” he said.
Sorbara said Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative
government promised to uphold the agreement Ontario struck
with the former Liberal government, which would have provided
the province with $6.8 billion over the next 4 years,
but has since reneged on the deal setting up a $3 billion
trust fund instead. Ontario’s share of the trust fund
is $1.2 billion, Sorbara said.
“We relied on that money. We budgeted for it. It’s not
fair to Ontarians. It’s inappropriate treatment.”
The minister said the province needs the support of the
federal government to meet economic growth in Ontario.
He pointed to the joint Canada Ontario agreement on Labour
Market Development, a program that costs $1.3 billion.
“Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is providing $584 million
in tax credits and he thinks that meets their obligation.”
I don't have to tell The Brampton Board of Trade how important
labour market development is in this city," Sorbara
said, “given the important flow of immigration from every
part of the world.”
After the Board of Trade conducted its official business,
approving its audited financial statements, Sorbara said
he had been able to pick up a few pointers. The Board
of Trade generated a small surplus last year and its budget
passed without debate.
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