How Ontario isn’t really ‘open for business’

How Ontario isn’t really ‘open for business’

Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives say they support business. During last June’s election campaign, they promised to “ open Ontario for business .”

When the new government tabled legislation last month to roll back workers’ benefits, they called it their Making Ontario Open for Business Act . And they’ll soon be posting border signs proclaiming: “ Welcome to Ontario – Open for Business ”.

While the Conservatives’ rhetoric has been consistent, their decisions have been less so. Since the election, they’ve indeed adopted policies with free-market goals. But their execution has often intruded into what should be business decisions. Cannabis growers stunted

The most recent example concerns cannabis retailing. The Conservatives initially took a business-friendly approach. In August, they cancelled the ex-governing Liberals’ floundering plan for government-owned stores. Instead, they promised to let businesses sell pot . That seemed like clear support of free-market principles.

But the law they passed on Oct. 17 interfered with market freedom by arbitrarily favouring some companies over others. It limits licensed cannabis growers – but no other firms – to one retail outlet each .

That’s a huge setback for the big growers. Some were planning provincewide chains of perhaps 100 stores apiece. The Conservatives’ decision means the firms with the greatest cannabis expertise are all but barred from retailing it in Ontario.

It’s a puzzling choice. These are Canadian firms producing products in Ontario, often in Tory-blue rural ridings. They’re leaders in an expanding, potentially global, industry. Why stunt their growth at home? Buck-a-beer subsidized Beer retailing provides another […]

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