Tag: Ontario Budget

Mind Bending Politics: Ontario Set To Terminate Needed Therapy for a Vast Swath of Autistic Kids

(Parents Upset At Recent Changes To Autism Services In Ontario) The Ontario government recently announced changes it is going to make to the services autistic kids receive in the province.  The Ontario government is looking at terminating intensive behavioral intervention therapy (IBI) for kids 5 and over, and pump more money into the controversial applied […]

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The Liberal Scarf: While Horwath is silent, labour and progressive speak: The Ontario Budget deserves support

While Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath was silent on Ontario’s Budget today, continuing her approach that saw her take no position on the minimum wage and pensions, labour and other progressive are speaking loud and clear that Ontario’s 2014 Budget deserves support for the people of Ontario.

JERRY DIAS, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, UNIFOR
“Things like pensions, things like infrastructure spending, taking care of child care, seniors, those are all things that have been, you know, the backbone of the NDP’s policies for years. I would expect that [the NDP] would support [the budget].

“Today’s budget will make a positive difference in the lives of working families in Ontario – and should be supported by the NDP…We hope the NDP will work with the Liberals to pass the budget.”


SUSAN ENG, VP – ADVOCACY, CARP CANADA
“The time is long past for debating whether we need a supplementary pension plan…CARP members have been calling for just such a plan…The proposed pension plan will benefit their children and grandchildren, not themselves directly, but it is a ballot question for them.”
LINDA HALSEM STROUD, ONTARIO NURSES ASSOCIATION
“With the improvements in the personal support workers, and supporting health care workers in the community…and with a real focus on ensuring that Ontarians feel like they are better living here in Ontario, we should stay the party line.”
ANDREA CALVER, COORDINATOR, ONTARIO COALITION FOR BETTER CHILDCARE
“There are a tremendous number of things in this budget that can do a lot of good for people for child care staff for personal support workers and for those with developmental disabilities.  I remain hopeful that the budget will pass and that we’ll be able to make the gains for child care workers and personal support workers.”

FRED HAHN, PRESIDENT, CUPE
“There are important investments in the Budget…There’s lots of good measures here, paying PSWs…that’s incredibly important.”

GAIL NYBERG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK
“Keeping poverty reduction on the table is always the right thing to do…Daily Bread has always been a strong proponent of the Ontario Child Benefit. Indexing it will allow low-income families with children to keep up with the rising costs of living such as food.”

ONTARIO HEALTH COALITION
“The good news: An Ontario pension plan that will provide an enhanced public pension for those with no private pensions.”



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Driving The Porcelain Bus: Ontario Liberals On The Verge of Forcing An Election

To make a minority government work, the party in power needs the support of enough members of parliament to pass confidence-vote legislation like the budget. This can be done on an issue by issue basis, or, by coming to an on-going agreement with one or more opposition parties to form a coalition government.
Currently, in Ontario, the Progressive Conservative party under Tim Hudak has been chomping at the bit for an election. They have been uncooperative for some time, looking to gain power for themselves instead of looking to get things done for the people of Ontario.
So, the governing minority Liberals, now under Kathleen Wynne, have been appearing to be willing to work with the NDP to pass legislation. With this in mind, Andrea Horwath’s NDP have asked for some things to be added/changed in the upcoming Ontario Budget. 
Here is what the NDP demands include:
  • Close corporate tax loopholes (while running a deficit, it makes no sense to allow so much potential income to escape)
  • Reduce car insurance rates by 15 per cent (Ontario has the highest rates in Canada)
  • Introduce new measures to help reduce youth unemployment
  • Strengthen health care
  • Improve Welfare rules
  • Improve support for home care for seniors
  • Generally make life more affordable for Ontarians
At first, it seemed, for a while, that the Liberals were going to meet the NDP demands and get a budget passed. However, Horwath has said that recent meetings over the budget have been “unproductive” and that the Liberals have not offered a clear agenda.
The most recent item proposed to meet the NDP demand was a relatively insignificant amount to improve support for home care for seniors. 
From the Toronto Star:

It seems apparent that the Ontario Liberals are purposely dragging their feet when it comes to trying to make the government work for Ontarians. This would point to them actually wanting an election, but not wanting to be the ones to seem to bring about an election.
If there is an election in Ontario soon, people should realize it will be the fault of the parties unwilling to make the government work for Ontarians (The PCs for being totally unwilling to negotiate for things for Ontarians, and the Liberals, for being unwilling to work with the only opposition party remaining who IS willing to negotiate for the good of Ontarians).

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