Oshawa named top spot for employment
Mayr says it is a culmination of years of effort
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
For Mayor John Henry, the latest news from BMO is a light at the end of the tunnel.
While there has been a loss of hundreds of manufacturing jobs in the last year, Oshawa has recovered and claimed the top spot in Canada to get a job, according to BMO’s annual regional labour market report card.
“When I got the message…it was amazing,” Henry says. “I was very proud to hear that.”
Oshawa jumped 27 spots in the rankings to oust Guelph from the top spot. The report card ranks 33 cities across the country, with Oshawa coming in above larger cities like Vancouver (#3), Kitchener (#5) and Kingston (#9).
The place previously known as “Motor City” built its economy on the back of General Motors, but as the manufacturing jobs dwindled, Oshawa was forced to find other means to keep their economy from going the way of Detroit and other former manufacturing towns that are well past their glory days.
“We worked very hard as a community for a number of years to reinvent the economy of our city and it’s all coming forward now,” Henry says.
With post-secondary institutions like UOIT and Durham College, and the emergence of Lakeridge Health as one of the country’s top hospitals, the jobs shifted from cars to other sectors.
“You have to create the economy to create the jobs,” Henry says, adding advanced manufacturing, health care and higher education have all become new sources for employment in the city.
“There are so many exciting pieces to the puzzle and now the puzzle pieces fit and you can see the world class city that we’ve become,” Henry says.
Even with the question marks around GM’s future in the city, Henry says the auto sector will always remain a key piece to Oshawa’s economy.
“Cars will always be a big part of this community’s economy,” he says. “But it’s more than that now.”
Looking ahead, Oshawa MP Colin Carrie says the city should be cautiously optimistic, crediting the diverse economy to his previous government’s efforts.
“These numbers are a strong indication that our Conservative approach of lowering taxes and reducing red tape and expanding trade relationships was working for Oshawa,” he states in a news release.
He continues to say he hopes the Liberals “are taking note” and was pleased to see their support of the Automotive Innovation Fund in this year’s budget.
“I will be watching closely as the Liberals move forward with implementing their policies and will continue to be the voice of workers in my community.”