Simone Smith
The average income, as measured by per person GDP, continues to be lower in Ontario by CA$16,607 compared to its regional American neighbours, and the gap is only getting worse, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families, and future generations by studying, measuring, and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship, and choice on their well-being.
The most recent study compared average income in Ontario (measured as Gross Domestic Product per person) to that of the eight American states in the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin) and its neighbouring province of Quebec. It also compared the economic growth rates of jurisdictions in the region in recent years.
According to the study, Ontario has the second lowest GDP per person in the region, ahead only of Quebec.
In fact, Ontario’s GDP per person in 2019 was CA$61,315 and trailed Michigan (CA$65,226) by nearly $4,000 per person.
The population-weighted average of GDP per person of all of the jurisdictions in the region is CA$77,922.
This means that Ontario lags the regional average by $16,607 per person or 27.1 per cent.
I am curious; these numbers are from 2019. I am sure they are going to be updated, and I wonder how bad it looks for Ontarian’s now?
