The premier also told the audience about her government's recent domestic priorities, including increasing the minimum wage and preparing to give free prescription drugs to all Ontarians under age 25. ...
Category: Business and Economy
FAO projects Ontario will lose 50,000 jobs from minimum wage boost
Increasing the wage to $15 an hour is "an inefficient policy tool for reducing overall poverty," the Financial Accountability Office asserts. ...
Heard: Ontario piles on 31,000 more jobs in August
Province forecasts job numbers to spike by 94,000 in 2017. ...
Brad Duguid will not run for re-election in 2018
An MPP since 2003, the economic development minister's decision will leave a void in the cabinet and his riding, Scarborough Centre. ...
Province to roll out 40 stand-alone pot shops next year
Pot and booze will not be sold at the same location, although the LCBO will oversee the reefer rollout. ...
Ontario’s deficit drops to $1 billion, though fiscal watchdogs have a bone to pick
Auditor general says government "significantly understated" its deficit. ...
Ontario’s debt reduction plan unlikely, financial watchdog finds
The Financial Accountability Office has found it's unlikely the government will meet its target for reducing the debt-to-GDP ratio to its pre-recession level by 2029-30. ...
Heard: Ontario far outpaces other provinces in consumer debt growth
Report finds province's consumer debt grew more than 5 per cent, towering over the next-closest candidate, New Brunswick. ...
Tory MPP says Liberal policies kill manufacturing jobs
Monte McNaughton blames energy, tax costs for layoffs at Cambridge aeronautics plant but company cites reduced demand alone. ...
Seen: Toronto mayor asks Ontario finance minister to rethink property tax model
John Tory raised the matter as small businesses grapple with a spike in property taxes that has forced some stores on Yonge Street to shutter. ...
Heard: Province funnels cash from carbon auction to green tech
Biofuels and "next-generation" transportation could get money via the new fund. ...
Heard: Wind power company axes plans to invest $300 million in Ontario
Wind Works Power cites cancelled contract and "unpredictable" energy market for why its taking its business south. ...
Real estate agents want harsher penalties – against themselves
Ethical violations need more deterrents, says lobby group that only months ago advised against regulatory overreach. ...
Judge tosses CUPE lawsuit against government sale of Hydro One
Ruling says privatization was not done in "bad faith" or "to reward investors." ...
FAO says Ontario budget relies on ‘optimistic’ revenue forecast, change likely needed to maintain balance
The 2017 budget projected higher tax revenues than the Financial Accountability Office predicts, to the tune of $3 billion extra by 2019-20. ...
Seen: Province to consult with public on auto insurance after repeated rate hikes
Consultations come after government's special adviser warned that Ontario drivers are paying highest premiums in Canada. ...
Green energy policies cost Ontarians cash: report
C.D. Howe Institute calls for carbon tax over renewable energy subsidies, says Trump a reason to ease off on clean power. ...
Liberals walk the budget tightrope, but Tories say it’s all a circus act
Budget projections appear to be playing out as planned, but Tory finance critic Vic Fedeli calls it an "attempt to pull the wool over Ontarians' eyes when it comes to the real state of our finances." ...
Ontario’s unemployment rate dips to 6.1 per cent in July
Canada’s jobless rate was down 0.2 percentage points last month to 6.3 per cent, with a spike in full-time work. ...
Not ‘wishful thinking’ but ‘difficult policy choices’: FAO on how to shrink Ontario’s debt burden
Stephen LeClair backs up a Fraser Institute report charging the government's plans to lower its net debt-to-GDP ratio is overly optimistic. ...
Happening: Premier to lead trade mission to China and Vietnam
The mission will be Wynne's third to China and first to Vietnam. ...
Progressive Conservatives flag credit rating agencies’ negative outlooks on Hydro One
Finance critic Vic Fedeli says the rating agencies have found that the proposed purchase of a U.S. utility distances Hydro One from the provincial government. ...
Precarious employment tops agenda at final labour law hearing
Business owners voice anxiety over 32 per cent minimum wage hike in 18-month period. ...
Ontario auto insurance rates rise again, as Liberals plan consultations
Approved premiums increased by an average of 0.76 per cent in the second quarter of 2017, following a 1.24-per-cent increase in the first quarter. ...
Domestic violence and unionization take centre stage at labour law hearings
Groups propose five days' paid leave due to domestic violence and grapple with card-based union certification. ...
Hurricane straps, solar panels and charging stations: Ontario proposing climate-focused update of building code
The government is looking for feedback on moves that could happen years from now, including efficiency requirements for new homes that would be aimed at slashing their energy consumption. ...
Steady as she goes on housing after a tempestuous year: Wynne
The Premier seems confident the government's Fair Housing Plan will continue to cool the market – 'not kill it.' ...
Premier Wynne off to Providence to battle U.S. protectionism
Amid protectionist wave, Kathleen Wynne heads south to stoke Ontario's prosperity engine – already in fourth gear. ...
Booze-like rules for legalized marijuana ‘makes sense,’ Wynne says
Wynne’s government announced Wednesday that it was looking for public feedback on the federal government’s plan to legalize marijuana by July 2018. ...
Ontario says Bank of Canada rate hike won’t change province’s economic forecast
According to the Ontario budget, a one percentage point increase to interest rates would shave 0.1 to 0.5 percentage points off the province’s real GDP growth in the first year. ...
Ontario government wants to talk pot
The province wants “to hear from the people of Ontario as we develop an approach to legalization that keeps our youth, communities and roads safe," Attorney General Yasir Naqvi says. ...
Ontario taking slow ride on reforming auto insurance system, but making change to ‘payer of last resort’
The government intends to hold consultations on a report it says recommends “a wide-scale transformation of the current auto insurance system.” ...
PCs promise to give greenhouse growers a carbon tax break
Ontario’s cap-and-trade costs apply to greenhouse growers, something the PCs want to change. ...
Expected Bank of Canada rate hike leaves economic development minister unmoved
Brad Duguid said Ontario can withstand a rate bump, despite warnings of an economy precariously dependent on housing. ...
Ontario edges toward precarious employment as full-time jobs fall, part-time jobs rise in June
Grits face criticism for failing to adapt to the gig economy. ...
Province pitching in $417 million for Port Lands patch-up
The project includes $65 million in previously announced infrastructure funding, bringing the total cost to an estimated $1.25 billion over an anticipated seven years of construction. ...
Sousa toasts Beer Store sending suds to your door
The private, quasi-monopoly adapts to the age of Uber Eats with express delivery pilot project in Scarborough and Ottawa. ...
Investors ask questions about housing and NAFTA impacts on Ontario economy
Gadi Mayman, CEO of the Ontario Financing Authority, said his organization’s outreach for the first quarter of the 2017-18 fiscal year was aimed at European bond buyers, who made inquiries about the possible pitfalls for ...
Ontario proposes tougher conflict-of-interest rules for real estate agents
The government is cracking down on the practice of double ending, where one real estate agent represents both the seller and a buyer in a single transaction. ...
PCs not ruling out alcohol in convenience stores
A lobbyist on behalf of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association was seen targeting several PC MPPs, including leader Patrick Brown. ...
Province’s pot plan won’t be ready for at least a month
Premier says tax model for regulated marijuana market still being discussed, following finance ministers' meeting and amid countdown to July 2018 legalization. ...
Ontario should ’embrace’ Amazon expansion north of the border: Wynne
As the online retailer adds 200 mostly high-tech jobs to Toronto headquarters, the Premier extols Ontario taking a "leadership role" in broadening the employment base. ...
Canada-China free-trade deal on Ontario’s radar: Trade minister
“We must broaden our trading partners globally, starting today,” Michael Chan says. ...
Foreign buyers are paying Ontario’s non-resident real estate tax – and voters may be loving it
An industry-commissioned poll has found strong approval of the Liberal government’s Fair Housing Plan, including its decision to slap a 15-per-cent tax on purchases made by foreign buyers in the Greater Golden Horseshoe ...
Jury still out on housing market ‘frenzy,’ Finance Minister says
Sousa said the government is still working with realtors and the real estate boards to increase transparency in the market. ...
Ontario revamping immigration program for skilled-trade workers
Changes are being made to the “entrepreneur stream” as well, which is aimed at individuals with a high net worth. ...
Wynne fleshes out what Ontario wants from an updated NAFTA
This year’s Southeastern United States–Canadian Provinces conference is taking place amid increased uncertainty along the Canada-United States trade border as NAFTA negotiations loom large. ...
Premier tears into Trump’s ‘appalling’ retreat from climate change accord
The impending collapse of American commitment puts a hitch in the Liberals’ step-by-step march toward cap-and-trade, and could threaten Wynne’s signature green program. ...
Revamped labour bill hits the table, will be sped through to committee
The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act enshrines a $15 minimum wage, among other things. ...
Wynne vows to fight back against ‘Buy American’ bill in Texas
Wynne also pointed out that her cabinet has already given itself permission to bring forward legislation that would allow Ontario to get some payback against Buy American measures. ...
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