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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1983-03-30, Page 21By Jack Rldd.11 MPP +he �Qou�en PED LAA L it FLORIST' ( .fir • 11� Main St.. Exeter, Ontario Cp pwR235.O221 Tim.s-Advocate, March 30, 1983 Seeking solution to staggering youth unemployment situation On June 16, 1982, the Liberal Task Force on Jobs for Youth issued its Interim Report. An Update on the situation was released this week which includes a sum- mary of recommendations made by the Task Force. As the introduction to the Update points out, the pro- blems higplighted in the In- terim Report were just as —_1_--1- Send Flowers to Your Easter Chick Easter is Sunday, April 3 Large selENtion of lilies, and Hydrangea pressing as the Task Force suggested, and deserving of far more attention than they have received. While the government of Ontario has acted on a number of the Liberal recommendations with regard to secondary education - notably increasing the number of compulsory courses - the response with regard to job creation and training initiatives has been dismal. The employment prospects for young people in Ontario have deteriorated markedly since the provincial budget last May. When the . Liberal Task Force Report was released in June it noted that unemploy- ment among those aged 15 to 24 was at 16.4 percent, equal to 186,000 young people. By February 1983 the numbers had increased further to 20.4 percent and 211,000 persons. The unemployment rate for those 24 and under is more than twice as high as the rate for those over this age. The situation is even more drastic for those in the hardest hit category, males between 15 and 19. Only nine months ago the Liberal report warned that one out of every five members of this group was unemployed; today the figure is more than one out of every four. It is . not only inequitable that young people bear a disproportionate share of the burden of recession and of structural changes in the economy, it is contrary to the best interests of our society. We cannot hope to build for Open Thursday until 9 p.m. EXETER PLAZA, MAIN STREET, EXETER the future if we ignore the needs today of those who will be expected to fill vital roles tomorrow. While the govern- ment does not have sole responsibility in this regard, it is clearly the key actor. The Liberal Update looks at what has been done and what remains to be done in five areas: job creation programs for youth' student aid; man- power training and appren- ticeship programs; oppor- tunities for cooperative students; and job creation programs for youth; student aid; manpower training and apprenticeship programs; op- portunities for cooperative students; and job availability for graduates. In each of those areas there exists a need for new commitments, by government, the private sector and the educational in- situtions if the young people of Ontario are to receive the treatment they deserve. Temporary job creation programs When critized on their record of youth job creation, government representatives generally make two responses: the. government Woodham folk attend birthday Ay MISS. JEAN COPELAND Woodham Mr. and Mrs. Cedric Wheeler of Brownsburg, Quebec visited Friday night with Mr. and Mrs. George Wheeler. On Saturday both couples attended the 85th bir- thday party of Reverend John Wheeler at the home of his daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Ross Wilson of Mount Forest. Others attending from the community were Mr. and Mrs. John 'Rodd, Pamela and Calvin, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Copeland, Cynthia, Ellen and Deanna and Mr. and Mrs. David Wheeler, Steven, Bob- by and Craig. Personals Mr. and Mrs. Carl MacLean, Alison and Bran- don of Wallaceburg visited Saturday with Miss Jean f'nnel:i nri Mr. and Mrs. Ted Insley and family attended a family dinner on Sunday in honour of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Schwartz. Crediton who we•e celebrating their 58th wed- ding anniversary. The sympathy of the com- munity is extended to Mr. and Mrs. George Wheeler and Mrs. John Butters in the pass- ' ing of their sister-in-law Reverend Mrs. John Cooke of Thamesford. Reverend lan Clark from Edinburgh, Scotland was the speaker at the Palm Sunday Service. We are sorry to report Stephanie Ilazlewood and Dolly Milos were patients in St. Marys Memorial Hospital last week. We hope they soon will be feeling better, Mrs. Dorothy Bull of Mississauga and Mrs. Marie Mills of London were Friday dinner guests with Miss Rhea Mills to help celebrate a bir- thday. irthday. Guests in the evening were Mr. and Mrs. Don Rix- on of London. l Fitness: What it does for your body it does for your mind. ‘, Count on the Commerce for all your bankIngneeds. 4> Banking Hours Mon. to Thurs. 10:00 - 4:30 Friday 10:00 - 8:00 Saturduy 10:00 - 3:00 New customers are always welcome at the Commerce J.P.D. (Phil) Cant Manager CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE has developed new programs and increased funding to deal with the growing problem; and the government alone cannot do all that is needed. The latter response ignores the fact that the government contributes only a small por- tion of the jobs for young peo- ple in the province. While government records show that it will "create" about 93,000 jobs for young people in 1982-83, in fact the majority of the cost of these jobs will be borne by the private sector. Consider for example the Ontario Youth Employment Program...an annual sum- mer intitiative which the government says created 57,000 jobs this year at a cost to the taxpayer of ;30.4 million...the number of jobs directly attributable to the government expenditure is not 57,000 but something more like 22,000. Moreover, the government has been decreasing its own share of the costs of youth job creation steadily over the past years. The OYEP sub- sidy has been 81.25 per hour since 1978. While the subsidy level has not changed in the intervening four years, the minimum wage, and hence the private sector wage share, have risen sharply. In 1979 the government share of the per hour cost was 42 percent for those under 18 and 58 percent for older students..the shares are now 47 and 36 percent respectively. Even if one takes the government job creation figures at face value, the private sectors and other levels of government are still the major providers of employment for Ontario youth. In the summer of 1982 about 187,000 jobs were created for Ontario youth. In the summer of 1982 about 187,000 jobs were created for young people, of which government initiatives ac- counted for about 44 percent. Of course 1982 was an abnor- mally poor year for young people seeking summer jobs. In more normal markets over the past three years ap- proximately 235,000 jobs have been created each summer, of which the government share has been about 27 percent. As for the contention that the provincial government has acted adequately to deal with the youth job crisis, again the numbers do not sup- port this claim. From 1979-80 to 1982-83 government funding for youth employment pro- grams increased only 14.5 percent in total. Adjusted for inflation this means that the • ck d olltn93 government spent 16.5 per- this year than it did in 1979-80. More on this topic next week. cent less on youth programs Open Good Friday 1-5 grelt isi Q/!L &d&le t.10/Guie dai %€d gr&fideot The Easter Bunny is working overtime to fill those Easter Baskets In a new and different way with CHOCOLATE -MADE FRESH DAILY INTO SHAPES FOR ALL AGES. Delight them with an Easter Basket or Candy Tray. .ALSO STUFFED ANIMALS AND COLLECTOR'S PLATES Now in Stock: liso's Credk and No Contest Sugar ilk Spice EXETER 409 MAIN STREET 235-1211 Mr. Harbinger of Spring says: "Lookie at what Bird Specials event starting Thursday! Rise early at 9 a.m. and stay open until 9 p.m.)! "You'll be with the low prices on choice morsels we've occasion!" OFF you can catch at our Early and rush over (doors open bug-eyed and wide awake marked down just for the ALL STYLE MIRCNNDISE All Basics 10% Off Including Jeans and Cords and New Spring Arrivals In Store Specials Ladies Jeans $1999 Boys Wrangler Jeans $1499 Still a good selection of Winter Merchandise Y2 Price or less y • 1 1