What we heard

A summary of Ontarians' ideas related to jobs, business and the economy.

People who have secure, full time employment tend to be healthier, happier and more productive. This is ultimately good for business, the public, and the province.
SubcategoryYour ideas

Investment and economic growth
31ideas

  • Lower costs of doing business in Ontario (4 ideas)
  • Promote manufacturing industries (2 idea)
  • Encourage and invest in local business (2 ideas)
  • Create a program to promote and brand Made in Ontario products
  • Invest in building the transportation industry of the future
  • Invest in the food processing industry
  • Create long term economic growth
  • Abandon austerity type policies
  • Balance the budget and invest in long term economic growth
  • Emulate New York State’s plan for economic growth
  • Reduce regulation to boost manufacturing in Ontario
  • Promote trade and commerce with immigrants' countries of origin
  • Impose taxes on imports, create more IT jobs, better roads
  • Attract private investment in data centres
  • Create tax credits for social enterprise
  • Promote Ontario-based businesses
  • Distribute grants to corporations on the basis of evidence of impact
  • Work with communities to nurture international economic development
  • Eliminate government bailouts to the horse racing industry
  • Start a microcredit program, modelled on the Grameen Bank
  • Invest in infrastructure, community services, healthcare and transportation
  • Eliminate age restrictions on government funds for entrepreneurs
  • Invest in jobs and infrastructure
  • Convert closed mines into other businesses
  • Support fashion start-ups in Ontario
  • Tie corporate grants and investments to economic returns

Employment and training
26ideas

  • Take action on precarious employment (3 ideas)
  • Create tax incentives to encourage high quality employment (2 ideas)
  • Provide supports to help older workers to retrain for new jobs (2 ideas)
  • Create programs to support youth employment (2 ideas)
  • Create jobs for work at home parents
  • Encourage employers to develop structured internships for new graduates
  • Provide funding for Built Network
  • Improve conditions for workers employed through temporary agencies
  • Prohibit companies from having a majority of temporary employees
  • Ensure the College of Trades delivers value for fees
  • Encourage employers to hire more diversely
  • Create a program where retired tradespeople train people with mental disabilities
  • Long-term job creation in refugee support, global warming and addictions
  • Create programs providing better on-the-job training for new graduates
  • Set a maximum period for employment through temporary agencies
  • Create grants for women entrepreneurs in the high tech industry
  • Ensure precariously employed workers can access affordable healthcare benefits
  • Simplify the process of obtaining second career funding for retraining programs
  • Improve integration of internationally trained professionals into the workforce
  • Promote apprenticeship opportunities in green businesses
  • Help economically at risk communities

Labour rules and working conditions
25ideas

  • Raise the minimum wage (7 ideas)
  • Shorten the work week (3 ideas)
  • Strengthen enforcement of Occupational Health and Safety rules (2 ideas)
  • Pass Right to Work legislation (2 ideas)
  • Invest in 3D printing and drone technology to support future manufacturing
  • Eliminate unpaid dietetic internships
  • Lobby the federal government to change NOC classification for PSWs
  • Adjust minimum wage levels to the local cost of living
  • Extend Employment Insurance eligibility to more part time workers
  • Ensure government regulations of business are protecting workers, not only investors
  • Review disability claims that are denied when insurers act in bad faith
  • Encourage development of sustainable industry
  • Dismantle WSIB and replace with private insurance
  • Force employers to provide benefits to part time employees
  • Pass the Union Accountability Act

Consumer regulation
12ideas

  • ​Create a tax credit for AODA retrofits
  • Ensure investors in condominiums are not profiting unfairly at the expense of other owners
  • Reduce premiums for essential insurance coverage
  • Regulate large telecom companies
  • Enforce stricter limits on loans and payday lending
  • Require utilities providers to issue year end account summaries
  • Revise the Limitations Act to protect debtors from harassing debt collectors after the limitation period
  • Enforce minimum 'life expectancies' for goods to reduce waste
  • Create a provincial strategy for taxi regulation reform
  • Create more independent oversight of utilities, banks and finance
  • Regulate water heater rentals
  • Label all GMO foods, if they remain legal

Research and innovation
10ideas

  • Develop a made-in-Ontario electric car
  • Work with auto industry to develop sustainable technologies
  • A green energy company is converting waste coffee grounds into biofuels
  • Create incentives and programs to drive technological innovation
  • Help commercialize a new type of high efficiency spark plug
  • Increase funding for basic and applied research of clean technologies
  • Encourage development of green technology in the automotive sector
  • Properly fund research
  • Help commercialize new technologies including biotech and pharmaceuticals
  • Fund research into fusion power generation

Alcohol sales
8ideas

  • Further broaden private sales of alcohol (6 ideas)
  • Allow LCBO to compete fully with the Beer Store
  • Reduce LCBO expenditures on marketing

Small business
6ideas

  • Promote local small businesses (3 ideas)
  • Create tax breaks for small business (2 ideas)
  • Create tax credits to encourage EI recipients to start small businesses