No Ring of Fire; Northern Budgets Reduced
May 17, 2017The following is a statement from Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli:
“Today the Official Opposition voted against Kathleen Wynne’s budget. We cannot, and will not, support a budget that makes life harder for Northern Ontario families.
“The reality in Ontario today is that people are working harder, paying more, and getting less. Families are living paycheque to paycheque. Many feel they’re just keeping their heads above water.
“This budget is more of the same – in fact, it’s even worse. It is nothing but a patchwork attempt by a desperate government to fix the mess they created. Under the Liberals we will continue to see hospitals starved of funding, frontline workers fired, skyrocketing hydro rates, and hundreds of schools on the chopping block.
“After 14 years of failed policy we are a “have-not” province. Ontario is no longer the economic freight train every province envied.
“And despite what the government claims, this budget is not balanced. In fact, they hid an operating deficit of $5 billion, and at the same time hiked the provincial debt to its highest-level ever at $312 billion. It means Ontarians pay $12 billion dollars a year just in interest payments – that’s $1 billion a month. Today every person in Ontario owes roughly $22,000 plus interest.
“This is wasted money not going towards hospital care for our seniors, improving our children’s education, services like autism therapy, and it’s not going to transit or to fix our roads. It’s going to interest payments.
“The Budget makes a massive cut of $70 million to the Ministry of Northern Development. The Ministry helps to establish mining operations all over Northern Ontario, creating good well-paying jobs that help to grow our Northern economy. And after 3 years of promises, the Budget contains nothing on the Ring of Fire.
“The budget is not a plan to make life more affordable – it’s only about Kathleen Wynne saving face in an election year.
“We will continue to stand up for Ontario taxpayers against this tired, scandal-plagued government. We will keep fighting for Ontario families to pay less and get ahead.”