Living In Delusion, Ontario

We must be living in La-La land here even though one thousand Ford jobs at risk. Take a look at the three statements I found recently.

Our new Economic Development Group has a strange way of thinking what their job is. Mind you, they have just appointed a Board recently but no Executive Director yet after how many months. The Commission is not too worried though. The first year budget is estimated at $1.3 million, rising to $2.1 million by year five. Anyway, our employment problems are really all due to short-term immigrant adjustment so why worry.

1) Ford talks job cuts
Union blames Asian makers

As many as 1,000 Windsor Ford jobs are in peril as the automaker deals with a sharp drop in truck sales, the CAW and sources close to the situation say.

Last week Ford of Canada Ltd. officials met with the CAW to discuss its need for additional layoffs in Windsor including the potential loss of a shift at one plant and the possible closure of an additional plant.

Chris Vander Doelen, Windsor Star, August 04, 2006


2) "Because of the nature of the region’s strategy, traditional performance measures such as the number of new plants attracted, or the number of jobs retained, albeit significant, should not be the primary indicators of success. These could actually be counterproductive by driving the wrong behaviour."

Windsor–Essex County Regional Economic Development Strategy P. 94

3) "And while other cities are seeking people … we have people seeking us.

Across Canada, only Calgary is welcoming more new immigrants than we are here in Windsor. Our population is expected to double within the next fifty years.

Now, in the short term, being a city that attracts people from around the world can be challenging as we help people get settled in.

Unemployment is at 9.2 percent in this city. That’s way too high.

But it’s important to understand what’s behind that number.

Three thousand more jobs were created in our city last year than the year before.
Opportunities are attracting people to Windsor. Faster than our labour market can absorb them.

And that pushes the unemployment rate upwards."

Mayor Eddie Francis, State Of The City Address, May, 1, 2006