Hot Seat

PCs win another majority in Ontario

The Ontario election was disappointing to say the least; not because of who won the election (Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives (PCs) earned a second consecutive majority) but rather because of the dismal turnout of voters. This election set a record for the lowest voter turnout with only 43.53 per cent of those eligible showing up to vote. This broke an almost decade long record, which was set in 2011 when only 48.2 per cent voted.

To put this into a bit more perspective, at the federal level, the 2021 election saw a 62.6 per cent voter turnout, according to Elections Canada. Nova Scotia ’s general election reported a 55.67 per cent increase in voter turnout in 2021.

Disappointing voter turnout aside, the benefit of a second PC term is that the industry is already familiar with their policies and there will likely to be fewer surprises.

The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) issued a press release following the June 2 election, congratulating the PCs on their win, and singled out Steve Clark, minister of municipal affairs and house, and Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training, and skills development, as “they have been big supporters of the industry and understand the importance of residential construction and the skilled trades to the economy.” They commended the PCs on some of the initiatives taken to address the housing supply shortage. However, encouragedthem to continue to build on the steps already taken.

The Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) states that they expect for the pre-election budget to be immediately implemented when the legislature resumes in Sept. “We expect labour rights and small business supports will be the primary focus of the new government as well as investments in infrastructure and the skilled trades,” explains HRAI in a statement to the industry.

Some of the budget allocations included: $73.8 million over three years for in-class training for apprentices, $15 million over three years for the tools grants, and $6 million over three years for the group sponsorship grant.

While you can never fully predict how a new government will allocate taxpayers’ money, just look at the pandemic we all just went through together, a second PC government will most likely issue fewer surprises.

May/June 2022 Volume 32, Number 4 ISSN 1919-0395

Publisher Mark Vreugdenhil (289) 638-2133 ext.1 Cell: (416) 996-1031 mark@plumbingandhvac.ca

Editor Leah Den Hartogh (289) 638-2133 ext. 2 Cell: (289) 830-1217 leah@plumbingandhvac.ca

Assistant Editor Francesco Lo Presti (289) 638-2133 ext. 3 francesco@plumbingandhvac.ca

Contributing Writers Roy Collver, Ron Coleman, Mark P. Evans, Bill Hooper, Michael McCartney, Glenn Mellors Bruce Nagy, Greg Scrivener

Design and Production Tim Norton/Janet Popadiuk production@plumbingandhvac.ca

All articles and photos by Plumbing & HVAC staff unless noted.

PLUMBING & HVAC Magazine is published eight times annually by Marked Business Media Inc. and is written for individuals who purchase/ specify/approve the selection of plumbing, piping, hot water heating, fire protection, warm air heating, air conditioning, ventilation, refrigeration, controls and related systems and products throughout Canada.

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