Friday, December 30, 2011
Office of the Premier
Province Tops Rankings In Education, Health, Job Creation And More
Ontario's impressive achievements in a wide range of areas are positioning the province for future prosperity. From education to health care, Ontario achieved top rankings in many different sectors.
Job Creation
- Ontario is one of the top destinations for foreign direct investment in North America, after California and New York State, in the first three quarters of 2011.
- Ontario created more jobs than the rest of Canada in both the first and second quarter of 2011.
- The latest Statistics Canada numbers show employment in Ontario has grown by 1.9 per cent (+124,800) so far in 2011 -- higher than the national average of 1.6 per cent and higher than the U.S. average of 1.0 per cent.
Tax Reform
- Forbes.com ranked Canada as the number-one country to do business in and credited an improved tax standing, including the Harmonized Sales Tax in Ontario, for making Canadian businesses more competitive.
Education
- Ontario's 15-year-old students are among the top ten readers in the world. That's the finding of the 2009 international education study by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
- Ontario's Grade 8 students were number one in reading in the last Pan-Canadian Assessment Program. Our students ranked among the highest achievers in the country -- the only group to perform above the Canadian average in all three areas of math, reading and science.
- Ontario was the first province in Canada to legally require school staff to report serious student incidents, like bullying, to principals.
Health
- Ontario ranks first in Canada for shortest wait times in hip and knee replacements and cardiac bypass surgery, and second in cataract surgery, based on national benchmarks.
- Ontario was the only province to receive straight As from the Wait Times Alliance for meeting targets in reducing wait times for hip replacements, knee replacements, cataract surgery, radiation oncology and cardiac services.
- Ontario is among global leaders in disease prevention. The province provides publicly funded vaccines that protect against 17 preventable diseases and, in August 2011, Ontario was the first jurisdiction in Canada to publicly fund the rotavirus vaccine for infants.
Clean Energy
- Ontario is home to Canada's four largest wind farms, with more than 10,000 wind turbines compared to 10 in 2003.
- Ontario will have achieved the biggest single greenhouse gas reduction effort in North America when it closes its last coal-fired electricity plant by the end of 2014.
- Since 2003, Ontario has brought more than 9,000 megawatts of new and refurbished clean energy online - enough to power cities the size of Ottawa and Toronto.
Quotes:
"Ontarians can be proud of leading the way in education, health and job creation. Our success positions us well in the face of global economic uncertainty. We will create jobs and strengthen the economy while protecting the services Ontarians depend on. We know Ontario is the best place to live, but it's very rewarding when so many groups, measuring so many different variables, say we're number one too."
- Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
Quick Facts:
- The province's long-term infrastructure plan, Building Together, will create and preserve 300,000 jobs over the first three years, strengthen the economy and help meet the needs of local families.
- The Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit will, if passed, help seniors stay in their homes longer and help create and support around 10,500 jobs.
- Ontario's Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth is lowering income taxes for families and businesses and making the province an attractive place for businesses to invest. Since the Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth was introduced in July 2010, investment in machinery and equipment has increased by 23 per cent in real terms.
- Ontario will host the world's third largest international multi-sport Games, the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games. More than 10,000 athletes, coaches and delegates from the Caribbean and Central, South and North America will compete in more than 40 sports.
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