Provincial budget invests in people

May 15, 2015 · 0 Comments

The recently released Ontario Liberal government budget makes historic investments in jobs and infrastructure, while protecting crucial public services which families in Dufferin-Caledon depend on.
It’s a reflection of the realities of our growth and required, continued investment in infrastructure to continue to build a strong Ontario.
What the budget will mean for our communities is:
• Helping small, rural and northern municipalities build and repair critical infrastructure and create jobs through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund.
• Launching the new Connecting Links program to fund municipal roads that connect to provincial highways.
• A new program to expand the natural gas network working with municipalities and local utilities, that would help generate economic growth.
• Scrapping the residential electricity debt retirement charge by December 2015.
• Strengthened retirement security for those without a workplace pension.
• Improving home and community care services by increasing investments by an average of five per cent per year, or more than $750 million over the next three years.
• Implementing the new Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment.
• Doubling the Seniors Community Grant program to help provide more opportunities for seniors to participate in their communities.
• Fully implementing full-day kindergarten for 260,000 children, saving families $6,500 in childcare costs.
The Liberal budget investments are made possible by unlocking the value of provincial assets to support the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history. What the budget doesn’t do is raise the HST, personal or corporate income taxes, or the gas tax.
The budget is focused on jobs. The Liberal budget is renewing the Ontario Youth Job Strategy by investing $250 million over the next two years, to help youth find their first job or create their own business. The budget also enhances the Jobs and Prosperity Fund by $200 million to spur growth and create jobs.
The budget is firm in the belief that you cannot cut your way to growth.
This budget is not just a plan for the next year, but a plan for Ontario’s future. When we invest in our province and our people, we are building Ontario up.
Lori Holloway,
President,
Dufferin-Caledon Provincial Liberal Association