The 2009 Ontario budget was the focus as Premier Dalton McGuinty delivered the keynote speech at an Owen Sound event.
He appeared at the Owen Sound and District Chamber of Commerce’s Annual General Meeting last night at the Stone Tree.
As expected at a business event – McGuinty spent most of his 22 minute speech highlighting what the Ontario government is trying to do for small businesses.
And his main driving point in that regard was the controversial merging of the GST and PST, even becoming very passionate at one point saying he’s not talking about sending this generation off to war here – he’s simply asking us to deal with a harmonized sales tax.
McGuinty says to get Ontario out of the recession, the way forward must include a single sales tax.
He says if we were starting a sales system from scratch we would never pick the one we have now, that requires businesses to collect two different taxes and send them to two different levels of government.
When pressed – McGuinty admitted the harmonized tax is not the complete answer, but he says it is essential to offer Ontario businesses the same advantages enjoyed in 4 other provinces and over 130 countries that already have an HST.
He says Ontario is relying on small businesses to succeed because when they do, jobs are created and families get ahead.
McGuinty’s focus of the night was truly the budget tax measures that he says will provide more than 1 billion dollars over 3 years to support small businesses – but he did touch on other local issues.
McGuinty hinted at good news to come for Owen Sound’s plans for a new recreation complex to replace the Coliseum.
With over 27 billion dollars earmarked in the budget for infrastructure, McGuinty says it is too early to say exactly which projects will get funding – but the Owen Sound project is on his radar.
As McGuinty mentioned the recent awarding of 8 billion dollars each from the federal and provincial governments for a new 24 million dollar sports complex in Amherstburg near Windsor, it sounds like Owen Sound could also get approval.
However, he skated around the Markdale hospital issue, saying the Ministry of Health would be more aware of where that project stands.
When it comes to the farming community, McGuinty says they will benefit from the Green Energy Act with investments in renewable energies and conservation programs.
Comments from the Chamber during the night highlighted the diverse economy in Owen Sound and the surrounding area as a key factor helping us get through the tough times – and McGuinty says that’s a lesson all of Ontario can learn, to not put all a community’s economic eggs in one basket.
About 175 people turned out to hear McGuinty speak at the Stone Tree – tickets were 100 dollars each.