Canada’s most populous province of Ontario and the Canadian government jointly announced Monday (January 12) funding investments for the auto manufacturing firm Linamar, in the Ontario city of Guelph.
“We are thrilled with the support shown by both the Ontario and federal governments towards this investment in our Ontario plants,” said Linda Hasenfratz, the Chief Executive Officer at Linamar Corporation in a statement released by the office of the province’s premier, Kathleen Wynne. Wynne attended the funding announcement in Guelph with Canada’s Transport Minister Lisa Raitt.
In the premier’s press release announcing the province’s $50.25 million support Premier Wynne said “Linamar is a true Ontario success story. My government is proud to support the next phase of its growth and help create high-quality jobs for the people of our province.”
In the release from Canada’s Ministry of Industry, the federal government says its “$50.7-million repayable contribution represents 10 percent of Linamar’s total $507-million investment in Ontario’s automotive industry.”
Neither release mentions the other government’s contribution.
According to both press releases, the company has committed to creating 1,200 new jobs over the next 10 years. It will also be making an internal investment of $400 million.
Shortly after the announcement, Canada’s Official Opposition NDP party said the investment by fhe federal government was “too little, too late” accusing the Canadian government of overseeing the loss of 50,000 auto sector jobs.
The party’s finance critic Nathan Cullen said “The Auditor General has reported that the Conservatives mismanaged funds that were earmarked for supporting the auto sector, which means Canada has lost out on billions of dollars in investments and thousands of jobs.”
He added: “Canada has lost nearly 400,000 manufacturing jobs since [Canadian Prime Minister Stephen] Harper took over. It’s time for change, yet the [opposition] Liberals have no plan to support job creation.”
More information:
Office of the Premier of Ontario – Ontario Partners With Linamar – here
Industry Canada press release – Creating Jobs for Ontario Families – here
Official Opposition NDP press release – Conservative auto sector promises are too little too late – here
CBC News – Guelph’s Linamar plant gets funding to help create 1,200 jobs – here
Linamar website – www.linamar.com
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