Jonathon Liedtke – ourWindsor.ca – March 11, 2013
Premier Kathleen Wynne was in Windsor on Monday to take part in a roundtable discussion centred on job creation, bringing together community and business leaders.
Touring CentreLine, a supplier to the automotive, mass transit, aerospace and defense industries, Premier Wynne visited the city for the first time since winning the provincial Liberal leadership race.
“We had a great morning at our jobs consultation speaking with a number of community leaders in terms of what this means for Windsor, some of our ideas in terms of the excellence that we can share from Windsor with the premier, and [we’re] very excited that the premier chose to come to Windsor within her first month of being premier,” stated Teresa Piruzza (MPP Windsor-West and minister of children and youth services) who added “we all know that a lot of great ideas start in Windsor … it all starts in Windsor.”
“Windsor’s the best kept secret in the province,” stated Premier Wynne. “I think Windsor is a hugely important part of this province and we have a lot to learn across the province about manufacturing acumen [and] the way skills are developed in this community.”
The Premier emphasized the need to match up the labour force with the labour market, ensuring that post secondary institutions and skilled trades are equipped and educated on how to arm workers with the skills they need to get jobs.
“How do [post-secondary institutions and skilled trades] work with government and the private sector to provide opportunities for the skills to be developed that we need in our labour market … as we evolve as a province and as our manufacturing changes, we need to adapt the way we educate young people.” said Premier Wynne.
“Tapping into the brain power of a place like Windsor is going to allow us to grow the economy of Ontario,” explained Premier. “We have all the fundamentals: a great education system, a great healthcare system, we’ve invested in our industries [and] infrastructure.”
“It was a great chance for the Premier to hear ideas and suggestions from people across our region,” noted University of Windsor President Alan Wildeman. “[The government] is going through a very good consultative process right now, talking to people and getting ideas, and I think they’re focusing on how can we work together to ensure that we’ve got a highly educated [and] skilled workforce to provide jobs for the future and a healthier Ontario.”
President and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce Matt Marchand expressed gratitude towards MPP Teresa Piruzza for helping to get Premier Wynne to Windsor and commented that it “was great for the city and we look forward to working with the government [regarding] skills and matching potential employees with employers, [and discovering] ways to grow the economy.”
Premier Wynne visits the “Best kept secret in the province”…Windsor (ourwindsor.ca)
Jonathon Liedtke is the Features & Opinion Editor for the University of Windsor Lance Campus/Community Newspaper and a reporter for ourWindsor.ca. As a founding member and current Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee, he is committed to representing, connecting, engaging with and advocating for local youth. He is also a member of Windsor’s “Punk with Horns” band The Nefidovs, and as such, is committed to enhancing and sustaining the arts community.
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