Moving Forward: The Ontario 2012 Budget

"Delivered across dozens of ministries, the current programs are unnecessarily complicated and confusing, the government acknowledged, saying it’s working toward a “one-stop shop” approach for both employers and job seekers."

My arm is still on the mend after I was run into by a car, so I can't give you a lengthy version of my take on the Budget or how we can move forward (together, btw).

The quote above neatly sums it up, however, along with these previous posts:

  - Create digital platforms that make service tracking and access dirt simple.

  - Reduce the silos in the public service sector - feudalism died out politically for the same reason that fiefdoms must end in public Ontario.

  - Make better use of Ontario's human capital through evidence-based work planning.

  - Embrace and prepare for the Knowledge Economy.

  - Take training viral through open-sourced, easily-accessed, crowd-sourced online training resources.

  - On the training theme - really encourage life-long learning; employers and employees in all sectors should always see themselves as students.

  - "Separate but equal" is not a good model for efficiency, especially when the tech and knowledge  exists to benefit everyone in shared settings as often as is possible.

  - If we're really embracing evidence-based planning, follow it down to the deepest level - cognition.

  - Keep embracing and supporting diversity, not just because it sounds nice but because it's beneficial.

Don Drummond summed it up nicely:

“We can perhaps shoot for a grander goal – a province that provides the best public services, delivered in the most efficient manner, in the world. If this sounds impossibly ambitious, put the question another way: Why not?” 

“Such an objective could instill our politicians, our public servants and all Ontarians a sense of purpose that would help see us all through this monumental mission.”