The Ford government is pledging billions of dollars to be spent on hospitals, highways and transit investments.
The 2022 budget dropped this afternoon at Queen’s Park.
Here are some highlights published by The Canadian Press:
-Hospital infrastructure projects are slated to receive more than $40 billion over the next decade, including about $27 billion in capital funding.
-A new Ontario Seniors Care at Home credit will refund up to 25 per cent of eligible expenses up to $6,000, for a maximum credit of $1,500.
-The province is promising to boost tax relief for lower-income workers and families and increase the number of people who qualify for the benefit. The budget says 1.1 million Ontario taxpayers stand to save an additional $300 this year.
-$25.1 billion over 10 years into repairing, expanding and creating highways, roads and bridges in various parts of the province.
-The government says it will change auto insurance rules, a new measure for drivers that follows several pre-budget announcements aimed at motorists. The budget gives the broad lines of a plan the province says will give drivers more choice and ensure fairness when it comes to insurance, while also cracking down on fraud.
-According to the plan, Ontario will be $19.9 billion in the red this year and won’t come to balance until 2027-28.
Leader of the Official Opposition Andrea Horwath released a statement saying now is the time to invest in better care and significant hiring in health care and education and that families are struggling with long painful waits for health care. She believes there’s no plan to make life more affordable in this budget, and Premier Doug Ford is ‘signaling that he plans to cut deeper, pushing health care and education past the breaking point’.
