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| Dr. August Oetker |
In another waste of taxpayers' money, the federal government today announced it's granting $12 million to Dr. Oetker to build a frozen-pizza production and distribution centre at London, Ont.
The German company has already gained $7 million from the provincial government.
I don't know how much the City of London has invested in providing services or concessions.
The facility will be Oetker's first manufacturing plant in North America.
The federal money comes from two sources - $10 million from the Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario which falls under the purview of cabinet minister Gary Goodyear and $2 million from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, which is Gerry Ritz's bailiwick.
The provincial grant drew criticism from an association representing restaurateurs who don't appreciate their tax money being used to generate increased competition.
The company says the total investment will be $113 million and will generate more than 300 jobs.
Dr. Oetker was actually a real doctor who launched production in Germany in 1891.
So who thinks Oetker would not have invested in a new plant at London had it not been for these grants?
And why don't we require these grant-receiving companies to give us shares in return for the grants? That way, if these really are great investment opportunities, taxpayers' could smile about getting some return on their investments.
