Pre-Budget Poll Shows Ontarians Expect Government to Defend Jobs by Investing in Public Services
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the run-up to the provincial budget, CUPE Ontario commissioned a public opinion poll to gauge Ontarians' attitudes toward taxation, funding for public services, health-care privatization, and job creation, as well as specifics about recent decisions of the Ford Conservatives.
'Doug Ford and his Conservatives like to say that they're 'for the people' and that they were re-elected to 'defend Ontario jobs and Ontario workers,'' said CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn. 'Because they were so thin on details, we went directly to Ontarians to ask for voters' opinion on what 'defending' should look like.'
From May 13 to 14, Abacus Data conducted a survey of 1000 voting-age Ontarians. Of those respondents
81% said the Ford government should invest in public services by ensuring funding keeps pace with inflation and population growth;
80% prioritized maintaining or increasing funding for public services like health care and education, even if it means increasing corporate taxes;
76% believed the provincial government should increase income taxes on individual earnings over $300,000 per year to help ensure adequate funding for essential public services;
70% believed the Ontario government has only one sure way to create jobs: by providing tax money to public sector employers and requiring that the money be used to hire more workers to provide public services.
Questioned about private, for-profit delivery of health care, 79% of Ontarians said the Ford Conservatives should stop contracting out our health care to for-profit companies to leave more money available for publicly run health care.
On Bill 5 – the power-grabbing, rights-robbing Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act 2025 – 80% of respondents said the Ford government should not create special zones in which businesses or selected projects can be exempt from existing laws.
'The results are clear: Ontarians expect investment in our public services as a way of defending Ontario. They expect a budget that will reflect their priorities,' said Hahn.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ford Sales Soar: Which Models are Driving the Trend
Ford Sales Soar: Which Models are Driving the Trend originally appeared on Autoblog. Ford Motor Company reported a 16% sales increase to 220,959 in May year-over-year, with positive gains at both Ford and Lincoln. Hybrid vehicles led the way with a 28.9% sales increase, totaling 22,719 units, with internal combustion engine sales up 17.2% to 191,517 units. In terms of segments, Ford's SUV sales saw the most significant gain at 25% to 94,595 units. Truck sales followed behind the SUV uptick at an 11.2% increase to 121,354 units. However, Ford Motor Company's electric vehicle (EV) sales plummeted 25% in May to 6,723 units. The car class saw a less dramatic decrease of 3.2% to 5,010 units, according to Ford Authority. Ford's new American Made campaign, centered around offering employee pricing, appears to primarily be fueling the company's overall sales gain as drivers strive to get ahead of tariff-imposed vehicle cost increases. Lincoln reported a 39% increase in May sales, and Ford Motor Company's total sales are up 6.1% to 930,925 vehicles compared to the first five months of 2024. The 2025 Escape was one of Ford's best-sellers in May, with sales catapulting 24% to 17,395 units. Ford's 2024 Explorer saw a 23% sales increase to 20,504 vehicles. Bronco Sport sales rose 46% to 14,472 units, and the Maverick saw a 14% gain to 15,508 deliveries. Financial analyst Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities, said 'the monthly sales were better than feared and is a small step in the right direction,' but added that there's 'still a lot of wood to chop ahead for (CEO) Jim Farley and Ford with tariffs and demand issues,' the Detroit Free Press reports. While Ford Motor Company extended its employee pricing marketing to July 6, which affects nearly all 2024 and 2025 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, the American automaker announced price hikes up to $2,000 last month on three of its Mexico-produced models: the Mach-E SUV, Maverick pickup, and Bronco Sport SUV. May represented the third consecutive year-over-year double-digit sales increase at Ford. Cox Automotive expects May sales across all automakers to rise 3.2% from last year and 2.5% from last month, but the month's sales pace will be significantly less than March and April, according to NBC. Besides weak May EV sales numbers, Ford has issued over 50 U.S. recalls in 2025, the most of any automaker. Through May 15, Volkswagen Group had issued the second-most recalls at 14. While EV sales were one of May's lowlights at Ford, the company's Mustang Mach-E experienced an 11% year-over-year sales surge to 4,724 units. Ford Motor Company stock finished at a 2.10% daily market increase and 5.6% year-over-year growth on Tuesday. With its third consecutive year-over-year double-digit sales increase and a 16% year-over-year sales increase for May, Ford has momentum that's crucial to the company mitigating trade war-related impacts, including $1.5 billion in added net costs for 2025. Ford Chair John Lawler said the automaker will adjust operations over the next 12 to 24 months in response to tariffs, but as of now, weak EV sales and regular recalls aren't significantly hurting the company's standing. Ford Sales Soar: Which Models are Driving the Trend first appeared on Autoblog on Jun 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
The Shocking Truth About New Car Prices Right Now
Kelley Blue Book data drawn from auto dealerships has reflected that new car prices remained steady in May despite some manufacturers raising costs due to tariffs. Additionally, new electric vehicle (EV) sales were mixed by brand, even with significantly more incentives. The average manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for a new car in May was $50,968-a slight increase from April but the highest figure in 2025 so far and a 2.1% year-over-year increase. December 2024 saw MSRPs peak at $51,990. New-vehicle Average Transaction Prices (ATP) were almost identical to April's $48,811 at $48,799 and have increased by 1% compared to last year. ATP on compact and mid-size SUV segments remained largely the same, and with the pre-tariff shopping rush winding down, dealership sales dropped to 15.6 million compared to April's 17.3 million. Sports cars, luxury cars, and luxury subcompact SUVs had the most significant price increases in May, whereas costs for popular small/mid-size pickup trucks rose 0.9% month-over-month, reaching $42,062. Incentives were the least clear trend within May's new vehicle sales data. New car incentives increased slightly from 6.7% of ATP to 6.8% ($3,297)-the same amount as May's year-over-year rise. However, several automakers lowered incentive spending last month, including Volkswagen, Mazda, Land Rover, Volvo, BMW, Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram. Still, a few manufacturers, such as Tesla, Toyota, and Nissan, vastly increased May incentive spending, with Toyota's rising by 20%. While Toyota's incentive spending increase is notable, its 4.1% of ATP remains below the industry's 6.8% incentive rate in May. Compact and mid-size SUV segments were among the classes with the least changed incentives, but the average EV incentive package increased from 11.6% month-over-month to 14.2% of ATP ($8,225), marking the highest level since 2018. Tesla ATP declined 1.5% to $55,277. May was General Motors' second-best month ever for EV sales, and Hyundai's electric Ioniq 6 sedan saw a 9% year-over-year delivery increase. Automakers like Ford had their May EV sales decline by 25%. "While tariff policy is adding uncertainty to the new-vehicle market, prices are holding remarkably steady, a reminder that auto industry change is often slow. Many automakers are keeping true to a promise to hold the line on pricing, at least in the near term. We are still expecting prices to move higher through the summer as the inflationary impact of tariffs begins to hit. Right now, we believe dealer profitability is being squeezed, as costs on many products are going up, but raising retail prices in this environment is a real challenge," said Erin Keating, Executive Analyst at Cox Automotive. U.S. consumers rushed to dealerships in March and April, hoping to beat tariff price adjustments, but even in May, shoppers could still acquire comparable deals. Automakers like Ford have extended their employee pricing promotion through the 4th of July weekend, and Tesla ATP has declined 1.5%. Some consumers realized they had time to beat tariff pricing, as dealership sales were up 1.4% year-over-year in May despite a slowing sales pace, according to MarkLines data. Still, CBT News notes that U.S. auto imports fell 72% in May, so while dramatic price increases won't happen as quickly as some might have imagined, it could become harder for drivers to find the exact model and trim they want. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Opponents rally as Ford government barrels ahead with Bill 5
After an atypically quick process, the Ford government last week passed Bill 5, leaving a large group of opponents scrambling to carry on the fight Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, was passed on June 4, pushed through just before the legislature adjourned for a 137-day summer break. The bill includes sweeping changes to the province's endangered species and environmental protection laws. It also creates 'special economic zones' that can override provincial and municipal laws for certain projects the province wants to fast-track, the likes of Northern Ontario's Ring of Fire. Premier Doug Ford said in a press conference June 5 that he was simply trying to speed up the process to bolster the economy in the face of U.S. tariffs and other threats. 'Bill 5 is going to bring prosperity, especially to our First Nations community, and support them with prosperity, growth, and job opportunities, and we just look forward to getting out throughout the province,' said Ford. Opponents, including many First Nations groups, weren't embracing the changes. 'Our chiefs have made it clear that they fully reject Bill 5, and the Chiefs of Ontario stand by and defend the position of the chiefs,' said Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict in a release. 'First Nations rights holders must be at the table, and the government must fulfill its constitutional and treaty obligations.' The Chiefs of Ontario also invited Ford to their annual assembly on June 17-19 to 'understand the real consequences' that the legislation will have. At his press conference, Ford added that many chiefs are on board with Bill 5 and are 'excited for an opportunity – they're excited to be equity partners.' Another controversial part of Bill 5 comes with the changes being made to the Endangered Species Act, which has seen many protections removed. Ontario Nature's Shane Moffat told The Observer that these new changes were a huge concern. 'The scrapping of the Endangered Species Act is a stunning move by this government in the middle of a global biodiversity crisis. That is just one of the most short-sighted decisions I've ever seen,' said Moffat. He added that this legislation will allow developers to register and then be able to operate simply without any 'clear requirements to protect air, water, forests, other important natural ecosystems and species habitats.' Kitchener Centre MPP and Green Party deputy leader Aislinn Clancy echoed that sentiment, and criticized the speed at which the bill was pushed through. 'There were different kinds of filibustering, delays for votes, and interruptions of the normal process. The government itself allocated time, and it put a firm stop on things, so used their toolbox to kind of limit further debate on the bill,' said Clancy. She said there was hope that the widespread opposition to the bill could lead to a better dialogue with the community. 'If there was more time over the summer, the government could kind of hear from their communities about the disapproval and the lack of support this has in our communities. Clancy added that there has been a pattern from the Conservative government of putting legislation through without consultation. 'They put it together without consulting with Indigenous people in the first place. 'Right off the start, they've broken trust and broken norms and gone back on their word. So, I think the opposition parties were trying to express how unpopular this bill was.' Clancy noted that another issue that faces this bill is the major conflict of interest that could arise from the power the bill gives to the cabinet. 'It puts the cabinet in an unhealthy position where they could make decisions to pursue their interests and put the needs of a corporation ahead of anything else,' she explained. She pointed to the likes of controversies around the Ontario Place redevelopment, a new landfill site in Dresden and the construction of Highway 413 through the Greenbelt as examples of what might be pushed through under Bill 5. 'They could use these special economic zones anywhere in Ontario to justify overriding all rules. I don't think anybody should be complacent about this power grab. They should be speaking out against this awful threat to democracy,' said Clancy. Now that the bill has passed, opposition MPPs and nature groups have to shift gears from stopping this bill to attempting to get it repealed. Clancy added that this will be similar to the Greenbelt situation, where people were in the streets working to get that piece of legislation repealed. 'I anticipate that, over the summer, Indigenous communities have said, 'This is idle no more, part two. So they've been determined to block roads. I think there will be court challenges. I think political parties, partner organizations, and environmental groups, labour is galvanized by this as well,' said Clancy. She added that many groups will come together to show that they believe in 'due process and fair democracies'. 'I think we're going to see a lot of groups uniting across the province and demonstrating a really aggressive distaste for this kind of sweeping, authoritarian-style, Trump-style legislation.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
