Any serious blogger uses tools to assist in determining where hits come from and which search words attract readers.
One set of search words that shows up consistently here at BLY (besides ‘sick of Obama’ and ‘Michael Ignatieff arrogant’) is ‘cherry picking in Ontario’.
This all goes back to May 2008 when Cangro announced it was closing and Dalton McGuinty was criticized for pouring tax payer money into his pet projects but not doing anything for the canning industry in Niagara. Minister of the day Sandra Pupatello explained that “The government is not in the business of canning”.
However today the Ontario Government is heavily invested in the business of McGuinty Motors.
And the problem with cherry picking is that it continues to be unfair.
Honda’s Vice President is not happy (Globe):
“We don’t want government deciding winners and losers,” Jerry Chenkin, executive vice-president of Honda Canada Inc. said after Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the rebate program and goal of remaking the vehicle fleet in the province so that one of every 20 vehicles on the road is a plug-in hybrid or battery-powered car or truck.
“This announcement of a $10,000 rebate is creating winners and losers on products that aren’t available yet and [on which] nobody knows the real time line,” Mr. Chenkin said…
Toyota is not impressed either (Post):
…Ontario had to help stabilize the auto industry by providing aid to GM and Chrysler Group LLC, said Stephen Beatty, managing director of Toyota Canada Inc. But he said that was meant to be a one-time action — step in and get out.
“How long does this continue?” Mr. Beatty said. “We can’t set up a situation where the future of the industry depends on constant subsidies…. This suggests that [the government] is prepared to be interventionist beyond their aim to help the industry recover.”
Toyota, known for its hybrid technology, was not informed of the government’s intention to offer the rebates and was taken off guard that the announcement venue was a Chevrolet dealership, Mr. Beatty said.
“The question is: Is this a well-thought-out industry strategy? Or is it sort of the next stage in advancing a particular product and helping a particular company?”
Industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers has some concerns as well (Herald):
“A cynic would say this is just government subsidizing a product that is produced by a company they own. I think that is a bit too cynical. I just think it is bad policy from a variety of perspectives…”
Yeah, well. Call me a cynic.
Desrosier continues:
...DesRosiers said if the government was serious about helping the electric car industry, it would have invested in a fund to encourage companies to develop the technology.
“The fact they are offering such a high upfront incentive is an admission that there is high risk for this technology,” DesRosiers said. “Years before the vehicles are available they’re putting a bribe of $10,000 in the market place and the only reason they do that is because they anticipate they aren’t going to sell.”
Yeah, well it’s just tax payer money. The only ‘risk’ is if the lemmings in Ontario actually wake up at election time and bother to go out and vote.
Oh and as a mea culpa for those folks who are genuinely interested in picking cherries and other Ontario fruit and inadvertently happen onto BLY, I am posting this link as a public service.
Maybe Dalton feels comfortable ignoring the fruit industry but I’ll help out here where I can.
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Related: When the Government Owns the Car Company… – At Home in Hespeler.
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Friday Update:
Memo to the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party – If ever there were an issue to pounce on, this is it!
A green bandwagon running on empty - Record:
…If what Ontarians know about this program is maddening, what they don’t know is scary. McGuinty can’t say how many vehicles will be eligible for the rebates, how long the program will last or how much in the way of greenhouse gas emissions it will cut.
Nor does he have the remotest idea of how much this will cost. However, auto analyst Dennis DeRosiers estimates the program’s bill could hit $3.5 billion if the government hits its target of getting one in every 20 cars on provincial roads to be electric by 2020. Where will the Liberals get this money and what will the rebate do to a provincial debt that is already ballooning out of control?
A premier car salesman – Christina Blizzard, Sun:
…The Liberals came to power on a pledge to freeze insurance rates — which they did — temporarily. Now we’re told premiums could rise as much as 17%.
If that happens, I’ll be selling my car, not buying a new one. Times are tough. My family can’t afford another nickel on insurance.
As for the electric car, it’s good for southern Ontario, but what about rural areas and the North?
“For the time being really, we are taking the first step around the GTA and the timeline there,” said Sean Harrington, Canadian marketing manger for Better Place, the company that’s building the charging network for plug-in electrics and hybrid cars...
(Yeah, always looking after Toronto first.)
Incentives for plug-ins a subsidy for failure – Dennis Desrosiers:
The Ontario government is now offering a $10,000 incentive for consumers to purchase one of the new plug-in electric vehicles about to enter the market. This incentive is being played as a move to save the environment. I see it as the government deciding a year in advance that these technologies are going to fail. The whole initiative comes across as a desperate move to appear green...
Dubious subsidy for electric cars – Toronto Star editorial (!):
...Why, for instance, is the rebate just for electric cars that are recharged by plugging them into an outlet overnight? Why not for other “green” vehicles, such as hybrids that do not require plugging in or conventional cars that get high mileage? Toyota and Honda, which make cars of those descriptions, would like to know. And both these Japanese automakers have plants in Ontario…
(When even the Star isn’t 100% behind you Dalton, you’d better start worrying.)
And finally, the icing on the cake from the National Post – The Volt: Ontario-made, Ontario-subsidized:
...Putting aside the huge cost of lavishing $10,000 on upper middle-class environmentalists who might otherwise buy a Toyota or a BMW, Ontario’s announcement represents a high-stakes gambit: If drivers bite on the massive subsidy and wind up disappointed with the product in their driveways, the “reborn” General Motors and its government bank-rollers will both come off as lemons.
Yup. Premier Lemon.
Having lived in the Niagara Peninsula for the last 10 years and seen the destruction that MacSlippery has caused the tender fruit industry I can honestly say that he’s a moron.
Essentially the industry has turned into a tourist only entity with our available canned fruit coming from out-of-country. U-picks are the name of the day, for the remaining orchards in what was once a vibrant industry.
Thanks Doltoid, you’re a real supporter of Ontario, as long as it’s Jane & Finch
I second robins111 and I’ll add the fruit and vegetable producers of mid-western Ontario to that list of ignored Ontario resources.
We grow the best garlic in North America in my region yet the grocery stores are selling garlic from Mexico and Argentina(Food Basics, Zehrs, Sobeys). I’m depending on getting my local produce right from the farmers at Saturday markets or roadside stands.
Perhaps growers and both the provincial and federal governments would be wise to have a serious discussion with the owners of the large grocery stores re: buying local instead of going with a cheap buying contract?
I am one who would pay more to ensure for locally grown produce…BUT, eating healthy and supporting your local growers shouldn’t break the bank either.
Off to Old Montreal. I’ve forgotten why I loved Montreal when I lived here. I’d like still be here had Rene not been elected and the company I worked for moved to Toronto. Sigh.
Richco:
There is a big difference between some imported garlic and the good stuff I am used to.
Last weekend I made some greek spareribs with fresh garlic; however I swear the garlic turned an almost flourescent green as it baked in the oven! Made the dish look rather unappetizing.
What’s the heck is up with that????
Pingback: At Home in Hespeler » When the Government Owns the Car Company…
“big difference between some imported garlic and the good stuff”
You said it. There is no comparison.
“florescent green” – yikes. I’d be worried that it was a chemical reaction to any chemicals that may have been spayed on the garlic.
Have you ever tasted chemicals in produce? I have and got really sick one year and ended up in hospital on an IV the diagnosis was a reaction to “something” on imported strawberries.
This is fairly typical stuff for the McGuinty government. He thinks he knows better than the market.
Unfortunately, McGuinty and crew are more adept at picking the losers than the winners. Robert Reich calls it lemon socialism. The description fits.
“Lemon socialism”. How very apt.
“I’d be worried that it was a chemical reaction to any chemicals that may have been spayed on the garlic.”
Exactly. I wasn’t exaggerating either. It was a milky bright green! I ended up tossing the batch in the garbage. The only thing I could figure was the garlic was allergic to the lemon juice and I have saw garlic complain like that!
Anyway, I more hope Canadians are starting to pay more attention to what they are eating. These days “product of Canada” can mean only the box is made in Canada but the fish inside could very well be from some fish farm in some sewage river in Asia. Who knows?
As much as I can, I buy only fresh Canadian vegetables. In Vancouver, we are fortunate because we feast on the Fraser Valley all year long. My favorite vegetable market is Langley Farms. Everything is grown locally and it’s cheap to boot!
The ‘peoples car’ of Ontario … extension cord not included.
This subsidy adds insult to injury after propping up GM now taxpayers get to subsidize the unproven ‘volt’ and unsafe ‘zenn’ electric cars.