Ahead of Ontario’s 2020 Budget, OSPE delivers recommendations to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

On January 23, 2020, OSPE was invited to deliver recommendations to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, ahead of Ontario’s 2020 Budget. OSPE CEO Sandro Perruzza had the honour of sharing the priorities of Ontario’s engineering community. Click here for a full transcript of the day, including the Q&A period with Sandro.

OSPE’s presentation and message was clear: Engineers Create Wealth.

Engineers do so through the development and commercialization of new technologies that are then exported to global markets and attract foreign direct investment in Ontario.

Ontario is experiencing a fundamental technological and economic shift. This creates demand for a highly skilled, specialized workforce that engineers can fulfill.

budget sandro

Engineers will lead these industries into the future. Engineers understand innovation and the reality of Ontario’s financial and fiscal future. Engineers believe in the importance of investing and developing key sectors that will provide high returns and contribute broadly to the wellbeing of Ontarians. Engineers are inventive thinkers who develop comprehensive solutions that consider costs, benefits, sustainability and public safety—the complete lifecycle and integration of projects.

OSPE’s recommendations are in line with this thinking. Engineers can drive the economy while protecting the environment and the public interest. Ontario’s engineers are redefining their role as visionary leaders, capable of innovating to find holistic top-to-bottom solutions that consider all aspects of a project.

Summary of OSPE’s Recommendations for the 2020 Ontario Budget

Engineers Make Life More Affordable

  1. Implement new regulations where surplus emission free electricity is priced separately from dependable electricity.

Engineers Preserve and Protect the Environment

  1. Modernize the Building Code.
  2. Develop a policy on plastic use, including a ban on single use plastics.
  3. Increase electric vehicle adoption.
  4. Invest in hydrogen technology.
  5. Tackle flooding, stormwater and watershed management challenges.
  6. Ensure safe drinking water is available for all Indigenous Communities.
  7. Invest in small modular reactors.
  8. Encourage the use of Distributed Energy Resources

Engineers Connect People to Places

  1. Transform and Improve the transit system governance and infrastructure investment process.
  2. Become a leader in connected and automated vehicles.

Engineers Make Ontario More Competitive

  1. Develop the Ring of Fire.
  2. Create a data governance framework.
  3. Invest in growing the advanced manufacturing sector.
  4. Foster a diverse and skilled labour force.
  5. Address the skills gap in STEM.
  6. Address the underrepresentation of women and other equity seeking groups within engineering.

These recommendations are essential for the continued economic prosperity of our province. Ontario’s engineering community is ready to engage and provide solutions!

The Government of Ontario will release its budget in late March. Stay tuned for our analysis of this upcoming budget and our assessment of how it will impact the engineering community.

Read OSPE’s Full 2020 Pre-Budget Submission

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Sad Peng

    OSPE is lost and continues its downward spiral. You really have no clue about the profession and the real needs of the individual “professional”. You offend the many of us who actually have engineered “most” things that keep people alive yet now we are in a fucking crisis due to climate and flooding and pollution? Canadian engineers have already figured this out and know how to adapt. Your list makes me feel like a fool . Because of OSPE we are a joke and engineers don’t matter, we are just a commodity ready to be replaced by technology and cheap labour. Internship subsidies?I am done with you.

    1. We are sorry that you feel this way. The OSPE Pre-Budget Submission was developed through the input of the various OSPE task forces that focus on areas such as energy, environment, infrastructure and research & development, just to name a few. These task forces are made up of our members, many who are well regarded in their areas of knowledge and industry leaders. As a member driven organization, we rely on the knowledge, experience and guidance of our many volunteers and ambassadors who give their many hours of service to sit on these task forces and develop the many submissions.

      OSPE has raised the issue of climate change, flooding mitigation strategies, and reducing our carbon dependency in many other submissions to this government and others. You are correct that these are amongst the biggest challenges in our day. However, the budget submission also takes into consideration the current direction the government of the day is heading in, and how can we influence changes in that direction that also effect the day to day situation of our members. For instance, only about 1/3 of engineering graduates are able to find gainful employment in engineering upon graduation. The submission provides a solution to assist these budding young professionals, so they can get a job in the field and hopefully find solutions to deal with climate, flooding and pollution.

      The engineering community is diverse and dynamic. As such, we know that our various submissions do not always resonate with our entire membership base. We acknowledge that you believe we are not advocating on the most important issues and challenges of our day in the most effective way. May we humbly suggest that a potential solution is to join one of the advocacy task forces and work collaboratively with your peers to make the Voice of Engineers more relevant and amplified?

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