ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[insider]

The Record's view: Out of a sad loss, new hopes rise at the former Schneiders factory in Kitchener

Sad loss? how can a slaughterhouse/meat processing plant be something desirable in the center of a community? These are/were exactly the types of jobs for low education levels that stop communities from evolving and growing in a positive and sustainable way. That said, I DO understand the historical value of this plant. There are still many cities with meat factories where land values and desirability are incredibly low simply because of the presence of such a pollutant, smelly, and overall negative land use.

[panamaniac]

The Record's view: Out of a sad loss, new hopes rise at the former Schneiders factory in Kitchener

Sad loss? how can a slaughterhouse/meat processing plant be something desirable in the center of a community? These are/were exactly the types of jobs for low education levels that stop communities from evolving and growing in a positive and sustainable way. That said, I DO understand the historical value of this plant. There are still many cities with meat factories where land values and desirability are incredibly low simply because of the presence of such a pollutant, smelly, and overall negative land use.

Just to say that your comment seems terribly dismissive of Schneiders and all the other local employers who provided, and continue to provide, livelihoods for our respectable working class and lower middle class.  These people have always been contributing members of our community and are respected for it.  I hope we never see Kitchener reduced to a city divided between elites and an underclass trapped in service McJobs.

[mpd618]

Sad loss? how can a slaughterhouse/meat processing plant be something desirable in the center of a community? These are/were exactly the types of jobs for low education levels that stop communities from evolving and growing in a positive and sustainable way.

I find that an odd way to characterize well-paying, stable manufacturing jobs.

[DHLawrence]

Everybody has to eat.

[Canard]

These are/were exactly the types of jobs for low education levels that stop communities from evolving and growing in a positive and sustainable way.

What a terrible thing to say. You act like people who work in factories aren't worthy of living or living in our fantastic community.

[DHLawrence]

There's a nice 400 acre industrial site in Cambridge that would be perfect for redevelopment. On a main street, close to LRT. Toyota won't mind, I'm sure.

[plam]

Sad loss? how can a slaughterhouse/meat processing plant be something desirable in the center of a community? These are/were exactly the types of jobs for low education levels that stop communities from evolving and growing in a positive and sustainable way.

I find that an odd way to characterize well-paying, stable manufacturing jobs.

Another way to characterize the jobs at the old Schneider's plant is as jobs that don't exist anymore, as described in this other Record article comparing the old Kitchener plant to the new Hamilton plant:

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/5453...ers-meats/

While dozens of ex-Schneiders workers have helped transfer their specialized knowledge to the Hamilton plant, the facility also requires a new, more technically trained kind of employee. Three-quarters off(sic) all staff here are skilled or semi-skilled, compared to the Schneiders plant, where as many as 60 per cent were general labourers.

The general trend for prospects for general labourers in society is not so good.


Of course everyone deserves to live in our society, but we've got to make sure that people have skills that are going to earn them a living also.

[chutten]

When there exists job demand, there exists pressure for an economy to fill it. While those jobs existed, there was pressure on the economy to turn out workers who would fit the bill of manufacturing labourer. Those jobs no longer exist, and now the pressure no longer exists. This should allow other sources of job demand (which might pay better) to have a stronger influence. This is a good thing.

On the other hand, choice is now lost. The variety of jobs available in the economy has lessened. If you are a manufacturing labourer, you must leave the Region or retrain to be something else (which requires a high activation energy. See Structural Unemployment) or luck out and find a new job without retraining, likely having to trade downwards in pay and satisfaction. This is a bad thing.

Fewer lower-paying jobs in the Region improved wages per capita. This increases house prices which increases the tax base which increases funding for social programs (like the GRT and LRT and community centres and libraries). This is a good thing.

Higher wages mean lessened pressure keeping _all_ prices down. This means inflation. This means less buying power for those who can least afford to have less buying power (including those recently out of manufacturing labourer jobs). This is a bad thing.

So what do you believe is more important? What do you believe will win out? What is a worse bad and which is a better good?

Is structural unemployment permanent or frictional? Is this part of a larger trend for increased wages for all (prosperity, progress), or is it a step towards greater income inequality (wealth disparity, class war)?

I don't have the numbers to find out. I'm not sure if it's even possible, as this is basically trying to predict the future.

We're all wrong just as far as we're all right. Now is too late to be talking about whether it is good or bad. Now is the time we should be asking those who this helped to assist those who this hurt. Because there are plenty of both.

[mpd618]

Fewer lower-paying jobs in the Region improved wages per capita. This increases house prices which increases the tax base which increases funding for social programs (like the GRT and LRT and community centres and libraries). This is a good thing.

1) I kind of doubt the unionized Schneider's jobs were "lower-paying".

2) My understanding is that the tax levy is distributed based on relative property value, not on absolute value. So an overall increase or decrease in house prices wouldn't change levies or revenues. See here for an explanation.

[chutten]

Whoops.

I suppose it'll still translate into more funding for provincial and federal tax bases, but as a drop in the bucket, so meh.

So I guess I need a new economic-focused "good thing" for the rant :S

[clasher]

Back to LRT talk; does anyone know if there is a break coming up in the work over Christmas? I would hope they keep at it to take advantage of this lovely weather.

[Markster]

Back to LRT talk; does anyone know if there is a break coming up in the work over Christmas? I would hope they keep at it to take advantage of this lovely weather.

According to the latest construction update, work everywhere will be minimal between Dec 23 and Jan 4th.

But apparently they're still looking to install sections of embedded track in early January!

[tomh009]

1) I kind of doubt the unionized Schneider's jobs were "lower-paying".

$10 is a little bit below the current minimum wage in Ontario.  But that's what Schneider's was paying 35 years ago, in 1980.  With an employee association yet, not a proper union.  Definitely well-paying jobs, at least as far as unskilled labour goes.

[GtwoK]

There were curbs between Water and Francis today, but no asphalt. With Francis reopening tomorrow, I wonder if the entire intersection will be complete, asphalt and all? :o That'd be something.

Charles is also now a 100% through street Southbound, from Benton to Borden! Completely paved, most sidewalks in, and completely driveable. Borden is scheduled to open tomorrow too, which means that you should be able to drive on paved road along the Ion ROW, all the way from Benton to the Huron Spur at the end of Borden. What a milestone!

[Canard]

Caroline/Erb/Bridgeport is reconfigured now (coming along Bridgeport, you now are shoved to the left, instead of the right), and it looked like within days it will re-open so you'll be able to drive straight through onto Caroline.