An automotive industry analyst has slammed the Ontario government’s plan to attract new automotive manufacturing investment to the Canadian province in a recent interview with The London Free Press.
In a letter sent to local municipal leaders, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party indicated that it had determined a need for new automotive manufacturing sites in the province and encouraged municipalities to identify good plots of land for potential manufacturing sites.
“One of the biggest barriers automakers face if they want to build or expand an auto assembly plant is the availability of large-scale sites for manufacturing,” the letter said. “Our plan includes a Job Site Challenge which will give municipalities, that wish to participate, the opportunity to propose sites of 500 to 1,500 acres for industrial expansion.”
“We will partner with the successful proponents to make sure that development opportunities are competitive. This will of course include streamlining the approvals processes for planning, environmental and servicing.”
The letter is the first major push from the Ontario government in its ‘Driving Prosperity’ initiative, which it outlined after General Motors announced it would be closing down the Oshawa Assembly Plant before the end of 2019 and laying off roughly 5,000 workers.
2019 Buick LaCrosse
Many automakers, including GM, have an abundance of North American manufacturing space and an accumulating stock of sedans like the Chevrolet Impala and Buick LaCrosse that Oshawa built. For this reason, auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers is baffled at the Ontario PC’s initiative and recent letter.
“I have never heard of anything like this before,” he told the London Free Press. “This is hard to figure out. The likelihood of a major assembly plant coming to anywhere in North America right now is near zero. The chance of there being a real prospect out there right now is very low.”
A spokesperson for Ontario’s economic development ministry defended the decision when speaking to the newspaper, saying there is indeed demand for new auto manufacturing sites on Ontario.
“We know there’s interest,” the ministry said. “We’re already starting to hear from municipalities that plan to participate, and we’re expecting to hear from more.”
It’s not yet clear which Ontario municipalities plan to participate in the program, nor how much it would cost taxpayers.
(source: The London Free Press)
Comments
The left-wing bias strikes again at GMA. Sean Symkowski loves to attack President Trump and anyone that doesnt meet his left-wing bias and now it is Liberal Canadian Sam’s turn up north.
As a Canadian, I will give you some tidbits Sam forgot to tell you in this article:
– the Conservative party humilated the former Liberal party (lefties) government last year when Canadians from the largeat province of Ontario voted the Liberals out in a landlside. Ontarians were simply sick of the corruption, high taxes, runaway spending and massive debt load which is about the highest in the world per capita the Liberals created!
– the Liberal party was defeated so badly that it lost official party status!!! Yup, that’s right, their vote total was so low that they are now basically classified as an “extremist party.”
– to add to the misery of the Liberal party, later on it was defeated once again in the second largest province in Canada. So now the two largest provinces of Canada, where almost all Canadians live, have kicked out the leftist party.
– Ontarians not only voted for the Conservative party who supports President Trump, but also the Conservative party continues to hold the majority support. Liberals, on the otherhand, are hated.
– the scandal-riddent buffoon of a Prime Minister we have, a Liberal, is now losing in the polls for the upcoming election and facing many corruption investigations that will probably seal his fate.
But of course GMA and its left-wing bias and propaganda bent tries to use one liberal analyst with an opinion to make it seem like everyone is against the popular Conservative Premier. Fake news and trying desperately to control the narrative. So sad…Sore losers that just dont get it they are not liked. They actually believe their own bs.
Sam, you do realize that analyst you used to base your article on is a card-carrying member of the opposition party Liberals, the same party that was defeated in a landslide by said Conservative government?
I am sure he has his opinions…lol
Most Canadians I know aren’t idiots. So try a new name.
You are right, most Canadians like myself, are not idiots and that’s why we kicked out the Liberal bums in the two largest provinces.
Nice to see “John Hart” is back and once again traces back to a certain GMA blogger. Now how can that be? Sucks when the propaganda attempt backfires, doesn’t it?
Man, one day you’re from Ohio… one day Canada. One day you’re a woman… What a busy life you live!
Who are you talking to “NPWSBP”? Obviously you can’t see IPs, right? Just because you don’t like people’s opinions doesn’t mean they can’t voice them. Although we all know how some try to control opinions and the news.
John Hart is back!
Ever notice how he conveniently always shows up when it gets political? And he always seems so angry and triggered. Lol
Kind of like “Reggie” and “Old Trombone” use to. Lol
Conservative MP Andrew Sheer is now leading in the polls to become the next Prime Minister. That is why they are attacking him and his party. The fake news never quits.
STFU Detroit socialist Sean…You aren’t even Canadian so shut your mouth and let CANADIANS speak. Obviously we Canadians are agreeing with your politics lately and are definitely pissed at GM for screwing our country after our government gave them millions in tax incentives and other money. I am sure that sounds familiar to reasonable Americans who also bailed out GM.
“– the Liberal party was defeated so badly that it lost official party status!!! Yup, that’s right, their vote total was so low that they are now basically classified as an “extremist party.”
See, now I know you’re totally not a Canadian, but an American pretending to be one for the sake of validating your own political opinion outside your own country. The Canadian political landscape isn’t a carbon copy of America, and never was.
Losing official party status doesn’t mean a party is an extremist party. It means they cannot ask questions during question period. Furthermore, it’s the Ontario PROVINCIAL Liberal party that has lost official party status, not the federal Liberal Party.
Furthermore, if you were right about the official party thing, then the same could be said in BC where the Tories have no seats in the legislature…and I don’t think you’d admit that the Tories are an extremist party; not at the risk of invalidating your understanding of how Canadian politics works.
Stick to twitter. I think you’ll (somehow) be happier there.
To add to the above, if you want genuine extremist parties in Canada who will NEVER form a provincial or federal government, google the Christian Heritage Party of Canada and the Communist Party of Canada.
THERE’S your extremist parties; both for the far-left and far-right! Makes the CPC and the Liberal/NDP parties look like stable centrist positions for their policies.
If Canadian Opinion is indeed a Canadian, I’m surprised those parties escaped his knowledge.
JUST THE FACTS, NO MORE SPIN
1) The Liberal Party of Canada LOST in the two largest population provinces of Canada last year.
2) The Liberal Party’s vote total was so low last Ontario election it didn’t automatically qualify for official party status. Yes, the same as the other extremist parties.
Facts, not political spin from a sore-loser please. WE CANADIANS OBVIOUSLY DISLIKE LIBERALS SO MUCH and that is further reflected in the latest polls showing the Liberals headed for defeat in the next election.
Losing official party status does not remove the ability to ask questions in the legislature, it only removes the guaranteed allotment of time given to the party by the speaker, while also referring to the MPPs by their riding and name, not their party.
More importantly though, its all about funding. Losing official party status means the party no longer receives funding for staff, research, party admin positions, etc
Notice “GRAWDADDY” always shows when it is political and at the same time as “John Hart”? Reminds me of the old “Reggie” and “Old Trombone” tag team.
Lol
Grawdaddy, weren’t you one of the people who told us Hitlery Clinton “had a 98% chance of winning” and were laughing all the way to the bank?
Kind of puts your analysis in perspective, doesn’t it…
“Grawdaddy, weren’t you one of the people who told us Hitlery Clinton “had a 98% chance of winning” and were laughing all the way to the bank?”
No, because I’m not an American, and as ever, I’ve been perpetually indifferent to American politics. I have been so for over 20 years now.
If you’re lashing out at people who find mistakes you’ve made in your posts by erroneously thinking that they are your exact political opposite, then your understanding of the real world is really messed up.
Furthermore, the onus is on you to prove your allegations; being that I even have a vested interest in Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, or that me and the user John Hart are the same user. To save you some effort (again) I have not and cannot legally vote in any American election as I am not an American citizen.
Otherwise, you and your feverish upvoting with incognito mode to inflate your post means nothing except to cover your own disjointed understanding of others political views as it relates to yours.
Not everyone is out to get you.
I’m certainly not as I have other things to do than to talk politics with Americans. If I wanted to do that, I’d ask my friend in Minnesota what he thinks, but I value our friendship enough to not to dive into divisive politics, and he feels the same way.
I’ve corrected you before about what it means to lose official party status, but since you keep making the same mistake, I know you really have no capacity to learn anything from your mistakes.
My Canadian friends are just counting the days to the next election.
Well, I am Canadian and I agree with you Scott3. The recent Conservative landslide wins are only a precursor of what’s to come.
By the way, Andrew Sheer is a great wholesome guy with intelligence and hard work. He is the type of guy Canadians want as Prime Minister now.
no politician at that level is wholesome lol. doesn’t matter what country