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Politics: Tim Hudak's Plan for Ontario if he becomes Premier

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Hudak's promise to cut corporate taxes by 30% in order to make Ontario the lowest business tax jurisdiction in North America is the beginning of a "race-to-the-bottom". Any corporation that would move into Ontario due to lower taxes would move right back out again when someone else lowered their taxes. Ontario cuts it's taxes to be more competitive, then NY cuts theirs to compete, the Que. cuts theirs, then Ontario has to cut theirs again. Eventually corporation aren't paying any taxes anywhere. Corporate tax cuts ONLY work if they attract lots of new business to the Province and those jobs stay. That can only happen if other jurisdictions are willing to give up those jobs.

Quite frankly the only winner with corporate tax cuts is the corporation's shareholders, which makes you wonder who's interests Hudak has in mind.

A much better way to attract new businesses is for Ontario to compete with things other jurisdictions can't offer, like quality-of-life, social benefits, superior transportation network, culture and political stability.
 
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typezed said:
If he wants to cut 10% of public sector jobs, why not across the board? It's not like there aren't inefficiencies in health care, or the police (certainly in Toronto) aren't a pampered lot. But no, then the aging middle class might worry about the availability of services when their hearts begin to fade or about keeping those that don't get to participate fully in the economy in check. Better to call it a bloated bureaucracy and attack less prominent workers. Anyway, should costs need to be trimmed I've never understood why it's acceptable to put large swaths of people completely out of work but never acceptable to economize by asking everyone to take pay cuts. There are plenty of things that need to be done in the public sphere (building improved transit would be nice, but I'd take even better maintenance of parks and keeping the streets clean) but we've lost the way to find the value in someone doing that work.
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While I think his cut-100000 announcement is a mistake, it'd be even a bigger mistake if he said he'd cut 10% of nurses or whatever. The general public puts more value on the nurse that changes their mothers' bedpans after their strokes, than the park worker that drives the riding lawn mower. In fact, I'm sure a lot of people would support privatizing stuff like the latter.
 
denfromoakvillemilton said:
How bad will it be if Hudak gets rid of the greenbelt?
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He doesn't even have to SCRAP it. He just has to let the 2015 review become a developer free for all. (Ditto for the Escarpment, FWIW.)

Then he can scrap or defang Places to Grow (which is already kind of barely working) and stab Metrolinx in the eyes for the hat trick.

So, I guess my short answer is "It would be very bad."
But, on the other hand, house prices will drop....right, development industry?
 
TJ O'Pootertoot said:
He doesn't even have to SCRAP it. He just has to let the 2015 review become a developer free for all. (Ditto for the Escarpment, FWIW.)

Then he can scrap or defang Places to Grow (which is already kind of barely working) and stab Metrolinx in the eyes for the hat trick.

So, I guess my short answer is "It would be very bad."
But, on the other hand, house prices will drop....right, development industry?
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And then the housing bubble goes boom! Well I guess we will have to see.

TheTigerMaster said:
Why would anyone want to get rid of the greenbelt?
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Because conservatives believe you should be able to live anywhere you want, and sprawl is choice. Greenbelts go against that.
 
mpd618 said:
Because they have financial interests in sprawl, receive support from those who do, or believe in an extreme version of property rights and unrestricted land use.
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The development industry will provide as many units as people will buy. If the number of people coming into the GTA isn't changing then, as a whole, the development industry doesn't care if they get to build those units in the Cabbagetown or Caledon. However within the development industry there are some developers who specialize more in urban products and thus invest in urban sites, and there are developers who specialize more in suburban products and thus invest in greenfield lands. Right now the urban developers have the upper hand while the suburban guys are struggling. If the suburban guys can convince Hudak to loosen up the greenbelt/Places-to-Grow rules they will gain the advantage over the urban guys. So it's not about the development industry as a whole, but playing off factions within the development industry. Hudak has to be careful he's not robbing Peter to pay Paul.
 
howl said:
The development industry will provide as many units as people will buy. If the number of people coming into the GTA isn't changing then, as a whole, the development industry doesn't care if they get to build those units in the Cabbagetown or Caledon. However within the development industry there are some developers who specialize more in urban products and thus invest in urban sites, and there are developers who specialize more in suburban products and thus invest in greenfield lands. Right now the urban developers have the upper hand while the suburban guys are struggling. If the suburban guys can convince Hudak to loosen up the greenbelt/Places-to-Grow rules they will gain the advantage over the urban guys. So it's not about the development industry as a whole, but playing off factions within the development industry. Hudak has to be careful he's not robbing Peter to pay Paul.
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Always insightful. I take it condo developers would be against moving the greenbelt?
 
denfromoakvillemilton said:
Thanks. So I take it you're for the greenbelt/places to grow going by the wayside as well?
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I am not employed by the development industry and I don't know their thinking. All I meant to say was that not all condominium development is urban style. Maybe I shouldn't have replied in a snarky way, my bad.
 
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