Ford Government Tables 2022 Ontario Budget
Still catching up! On August 9th, the Ford government officially tabled their 2022 budget for Ontario. It’s essentially the same document that served as the unofficial PC party platform during the 2022 election campaign but does include some changes.
The new budget includes a new payment for parents. The Ford government is setting aside an additional $225 million over 2 years to provide parents with direct payments to help their kids catch up after the pandemic. The payments equal out to about $90-100 per kid and serves as an alternative to just investing more in schools as Finance Minister Peter Bethenfalvy believes the Ford government has already invested enough in schools.
The budget also includes more plans for highways, roads, and bridges. This includes building the Ontario Lin, a rapid transit line from the Science Centre to Ontario Place; GO Rail extensions and eliminating double fares when transferring to GO.
Amidst a healthcare crisis, the new budget features more money for… infrastructure? $40 billion over 10 years has been included for hospital infrastructure instead of repealing Bill 124 or doing anything to help alleviate the current crisis.
They did include an expanded LIFT credit to include individuals making $50,000 or less and households making $82,500 or less. Lower income seniors ($65,000 or less) will also be able to claim up to $1500 for hospital style medical equipment and support, as well as a 25% tax break on at-home medical costs up to $6,000. This would include expenses related to home nurse visits, having a hospital bed at home, wheelchairs, attendants, canes, oxygen, eyeglasses, or hearing aids. A CARE credit has also been proposed for families earning $150,000 or less that would allow them to claim up to 75% of some child-care expenses like camps and child-care centres.
They have also proposed a 50 cent raise to minimum wage and a 5% increase to ODSP and Ontario Works payments to begin in September. That is not enough. ODSP payments are going to people living below the poverty line and an extra $58 a month will do next to nothing to improve the quality of life of recipients. A dozen advocacy agencies from Waterloo region and Wellington County have joined 230 agencies from across the province in signing an open letter written by the Income Security Advocacy Centre asking the government to raise ODSP and Ontario Works rates to meet the cost of living. Several unions have also spoken out against the budget claiming that the Ford government is valuing things over people. This includes unions like OPSEU, CUPE, and OFL who have all called for 10 permanent paid sick days, the repeal of Bill 124, and a $20 minimum wage.
If only the Ford government had an opportunity to rewrite their 2022 budget to make it more effective at raising the quality of life for average Ontarians. The one they tabled this August seems like more of an insult.