Ontario’s living standards are not keeping pace with those of neighbouring U.S. states, a new report suggests.
Ontario ranks near the bottom of the Great Lakes region when it comes to gross domestic product (GDP) per person, according to the study by the Fraser Institute. GDP is a metric researchers use to evaluate a nation’s economic activity, output, and overall health.
The report compared the overall prosperity of Ontario to that of the eight American states in the Great Lakes region and its neighbouring province, Quebec.
The disparity with neighbouring U.S. states—New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, and Illinois—has grown considerably over the past 20 years, the study said. The regional average GDP per capita rose by 22.5 percent between 2001 and 2024, while Ontario’s grew 12.7 percent….