MPP Sylvia Jones says 2022 budget puts people first

By Zachary Roman

Dufferin-Caledon's Member of Provincial Parliament, Sylvia Jones, says she is pleased with her party's 2022 Budget.

Announced on April 28, the Conservatives' “Ontario's Plan to Build” budget document outlines a five-pillared plan for the province that Jones is happy with.

“Our budget focuses on building a province that invests in people, infrastructure and the economy,” said Jones in a media release. “This is a plan that puts people first, plans for the future, and invests in critical infrastructure and programs that residents in Dufferin-Caledon rely on every day.”

The five pillars the budget is based on are the following: Rebuilding Ontario's economy; working for workers; building highways and key infrastructure; keeping costs down; and planning to stay open.

Ontario's Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy said the budget is Doug Ford's vision and will “cut through the excuses and act right away on the priorities of the people of Ontario.”

“…the work is not over, and the job is not done. We are ready to get it done for the people of Ontario,” said Bethlenfalvy.

The Conservatives plan to spend $4 billion to bring high-speed internet to every community in Ontario by 2025. They also plan to spend $114.4 million over the next three years in “Skilled Trades Strategy” as they look to break down any stigma associated with the skilled trades and simplify the process for Ontarians getting into them.

The Conservatives have also committed to investing $1 billion each year in employment and training programs for workers who are looking to upgrade their skills.

The Conservatives' budget accounts for the proposed Highway 413 being built, as part of a $25.1 billion investment in highway projects across the province over the next 10 years. Projects included in that investment are: Highway 413; the Bradford Bypass; the first steps to the future widening of Highway 401; improvement of the QEW Garden City Highway; the next phase of the construction of Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph; and reconstructing Highway 101, the Timmins connecting link. The budget also includes a planned $61.6 billion investment in public transit over the next ten years.

Ontario's 2022 budget includes plans to provide an extra $300 in personal income tax relief for low-income families. A media release on budget details also outlines big plans for Ontario's hospitals, with the Conservatives saying they'd be “Investing more than $40 billion over the next 10 years in hospital and health care infrastructure, supporting more than 50 major hospital projects that would add 3,000 new beds over 10 years.”

The release also said the government would be “making historic investments in hospitals with an additional $3.3 billion in 2022–23, bringing the total additional investments in hospitals to $8.8 billion since 2018–19.

The Government is also investing $3.5 billion over three years to support the continuation of over 3,000 hospital beds put in place during the pandemic and $1.1 billion over three years to support the continuation of hundreds of new adult, pediatric and neonatal critical care beds added during COVID-19.