Concerns expressed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne over Ontario’s hydro costs have been echoed by Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
On Friday at the Toronto Global Forum, Marchionne said the province needs to change the playing field for business.
“I think you need to create the conditions to be competitive,” Marchionne said after sitting beside Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne during the conference luncheon.
“We’re fully aware of the fact that this proposal on pensions and cap and trade and all this stuff … these are all things that add cost to the running of operations, they don’t come for free.”
Marchionne made some good points, Dilkens said Sunday.
“The comments made by Sergio Marchionne are consistent with what we’re hearing,” Dilkens said.
“It’s concerning. Because everything that puts us at a disadvantage, it’s concerning.”
Windsor and Essex County recently lost two bids for multibillion-dollar auto investments and thousands of new jobs after Volvo Cars and Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. opted to build assembly plants in lower-cost jurisdictions in the U.S.
“We need to be as a community, as a province, we need to be in a position of strength,” Dilkens said.
“All of these things really need to be thought through in our ability to attract investment.”
Marchionne said the situation needs to be rectified and Ontario needs to “benchmark these calculations of what you’re doing against what’s otherwise available outside Ontario.
“I think we had confirmation of the fact that the argument is not falling on deaf ears. If you had to ask me today, I would expect that sense would prevail,” Marchionne said.
Marchionne, who brought Fiat and Chrysler together at the height of the financial crisis, has been pushing for major auto mergers to help rein in the escalating cost of building vehicles.
He characterized his meeting with Wynne as cordial.
“The premier was incredibly responsive and willing to accept feedback from the industry,” Marchionne said.
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Originally Posted by Yolobimmer
