Creating Jobs and Growing the Economy

Ontario Government Makes Progress on Its Plan for a More Prosperous Province for Everyone

The fall session of the Ontario legislature wrapped up today.

Since the session began in September, Premier Kathleen Wynne and her team moved forward on a number of measures to support the government’s economic plan to invest in people, build modern infrastructure and create a dynamic and innovative business climate.

The government worked with the other parties in the legislature this year to pass 13 important bills, including:

• The Local Food Act to help promote food that is grown, harvested and processed in Ontario, and to help create jobs and help Ontario’s agri-food sector thrive
• Enhancing fiscal transparency by establishing a Financial Accountability Officer as an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly
• The Skin Cancer Prevention Act (Tanning Beds) to restrict access to tanning beds for youth under 18 and help protect more young people from the harmful effects of UV rays
• The Wireless Services Agreements Act to protect wireless and cell phone customers by requiring clear contracts and making it less expensive for people to walk away from fixed-term contracts
• The Supporting Small Businesses Act to help 60,000 small businesses save money and grow by increasing the exemption for the Employer Health Tax

During the fall session, the government also introduced legislation that, if passed, would help everyone across Ontario prosper and thrive by:

• Supporting long-term infrastructure planning to help build a stronger economy
• Protecting the environment by eliminating coal-fired generation as a source of electricity
• Improving the safety and accessibility of child care
• Protecting Ontario’s vulnerable workers

Premier Wynne and her team are also helping the province prosper by:

• Launching the new Youth Jobs Strategy, which is helping create 30,000 job opportunities for young people across the province
• Launching the Going Global Trade Strategy to help more Ontario businesses expand into new markets
• Creating the new Small, Rural and Northern Municipal Infrastructure Fund to help address critical infrastructure needs in small, rural and northern communities
• Unveiling the new Open Government initiative to give people a more transparent and accessible government

When the house returns in February, the government will continue to focus on job-creating legislative priorities like the Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act and the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, as well as additional legislative measures.