I arrived in Southwestern Ontario in 2000, just as the manufacturing sector’s collapse was taking hold. I spent the better part of a decade witnessing the destruction first-hand. It was heartbreak in the heartland.
What transpired was akin to a cruel crossword where all the words relate to economic devastation. Kellogg’s, Heinz, Caterpillar, Ford, Smucker’s, Navistar—companies that once underpinned Ontario’s economic success—all disappeared one by one. What replaced the plants and jobs were insecurity, precariousness, anxiety and the unspoken acknowledgement that the good days were over.
It wasn’t any one factor that finally stalled the engine of Ontario’s economy. Rather, it was a combination of forces: the petrodollar driving the exchange rate higher; the push toward liberalized, global trade regimes; automation; deindustrialization amid a shift to the tertiary sector; and the entry of a massive labour surplus in Asia providing access to low-wage workers. By the time the financial crisis hit, the basic pattern had been set and nothing could reverse the trend.
Politicians certainly lack the sense of urgency that one would expect. In the past two provincial elections in Ontario, the southwest region’s problems have barely registered among voters, which is astounding given that the region is now a substantial drag on the province’s economy. Outside the region, there appears to be a disconnect about the seriousness of the situation and rarely does discussion about the region’s problems (or possible solutions) enter mainstream discourse.
I have close friends in Guelph, Windsor, Waterloo and London. I worry about what the future holds for them and their children. I’m not as optimistic as Moffatt is about the region’s prospects given the larger forces in play. What we’re seeing is a declining quality of life, fewer jobs and depopulation as young people flee. These economic problems are structural and a downward cycle has taken hold. While it’s possible to arrest this decline, it won’t be easy, and I wonder if the political appetite exists to make the necessary choices.
I would echo Moffatt’s call that governments need to work toward a common vision. It’s necessary to begin coordination on a regional level to develop a holistic strategy encompassing the workforce, industrial, social and economic goals. Ontario can ill afford the region’s continued decline; while it’s uncertain what the outcome will be, charting a new course is a necessary exercise given the importance of this part of the province.
