QUEEN’S PARK – Despite promises of 600,000 jobs, 30,000 Ontarians have lost their job since Dalton McGuinty imposed his unfair sales tax, says NDP Finance Critic Peter Tabuns.
“Thirty-thousand more people are looking for work this Fall and all the Premier can offer is empty promises,” said Tabuns. “McGuinty’s new tax on everything from keeping the lights on to filling up has been bad for families and bad for jobs.”
Statistics Canada reported today that Ontario lost 23,000 jobs in September, including nearly 13,000 full-time jobs. The unemployment rate remained unchanged as young people stopped looking for summer work and went back to school. Since the introduction of the HST on July 1, Ontario has lost more than 30,000 jobs and the unemployment has risen to 8.8 per cent from 8.3 per cent.
Across the province, some communities have been hit especially hard. The unemployment rate is now 9.2 per cent in Toronto, 9.7 per cent in St. Catharines-Niagara, 10.0 per cent in Sudbury, 10.6 per cent in Oshawa and 10.9 per cent in Windsor.
“Not only are Ontario families paying hundreds of dollars more for the basics, they’re seeing fewer opportunities for jobs,” noted Tabuns.
Today’s job loss figures do not include recently announced shutdowns at US Steel (400 jobs in Hamilton), Cargill (700 jobs in Etobicoke) and JM Smucker (150 jobs in Dunnville).
Recent reports by RBC and the Conference Board show that Ontario has the lowest consumer confidence in the country, and TD Economics says the HST is a “headwind restraining growth” (TD Economics Report, Sept. 24, 2010)
“The HST dampened the confidence Ontario families had in the economy,” added Tabuns.