TORONTO, March 1, 2012 /CNW/ - If Ontario fails to continue making the needed investment in infrastructure renewal, its residents will end up forfeiting significant economic growth, employment gains, and a higher standard of living.
"But how do you get people to pay attention to this message? Infrastructure is not something the public really thinks about," notes Andy Manahan, Executive Director of the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO).
Yet the research is chilling. RCCAO recently released a study showing that the average worker in Ontario could lose some $400,000 in potential wages over his/her working life as a result of system failures and inefficiencies caused by underinvestment in infrastructure.
"We recognize that the province has to get its financial house in order, but delaying infrastructure programs is not the way to get there," Manahan noted. Even the recently-released Drummond Report urged the province not to address its fiscal problems by postponing needed infrastructure projects. It said this would only delay the inevitable and would likely lead to a resumption of deficit budgets in the future.
RCCAO today released a new video that provides a different perspective on the subject. It portrays a young girl visiting her own future in Ontario where she finds that her generation is paying the price for our failure to spend wisely on infrastructure. "It looks at this as an inter-generational issue, and it suggests that we are selfishly leaving our children fewer opportunities," Manahan explained. "Perhaps, for some, it will be a wake up call."
Titled A Child's Future in Ontario?, the video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6S4pmwouQw
The RCCAO is an alliance composed of management and labour groups in the construction industry. Its goal is to work in cooperation with governments and related stakeholders to offer realistic solutions to a variety of challenges facing the sector.
Video with caption: "Video: A young girl visiting her own future in Ontario where she finds that her generation is paying the price for our failure to spend wisely on infrastructure.". Video available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6S4pmwouQw
visit www.rccao.com or contact:
Andy Manahan
Executive Director
RCCAO
905-760-7777 (office)
416-904-7013 (cell)
[email protected]
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