Toronto - May 11, 2019 - John Vanthof, Deputy Leader of the Ontario NDP, said Thursday’s release of the budget estimates - a more detailed look at Doug Ford’s spending plans - offer a clearer picture of where Doug Ford is making deep cuts and just how badly they will hurt Ontario families.
“We already knew that the Ford Conservatives were taking things away from children, vulnerable people, students and those living in northern and rural Ontario,” said Vanthof. “Since then, revelations about many more cuts that were hidden in the budget have been non-stop.
“Since Ford’s budget was released, the cuts just keep coming. We’ve learned about cuts to child care, to libraries, to public health - service after service that families count on to build a good life. The detailed estimates have confirmed the tally of wreckage so far, and revealed that Doug Ford isn’t done swinging his budget axe, hacking away at frontline services.”
Estimates reveal:
- Ford is cutting $181 million from the urban and regional transportation funding that pays for highways and subways
- Cancer Care Ontario is being cut by $11.6 million
- Far from fixing the Ontario Autism Program, the line for autism programming is about the same as Wynne’s last budget, while the overall support for individuals and families is cut by $144 million
- Ford is cutting the Ontario Provincial Police budget by $46.3 million
- Ford is cutting nearly $100 million from the publicly funded drugs program
- Ford is gutting the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) by $222 million and Ontario Works (OW) by $300 million, further signalling that those that can’t work due to illness or disability, like cancer, may be left to fend for themselves
- Ford is slashing poverty reduction efforts in half
- Ford is ripping $413 million right out of the bank accounts of college and university students, cutting financial assistance by that amount
“We will continue to comb through the estimates in the coming days to better understand their full impact, but it’s clear Doug Ford’s cuts are cruel, and they’re deep,” said Vanthof. “The Ontario NDP will continue to fight for families across the province who will be hurt by the Ford Conservatives’ cuts - with cuts so wide and deep, it’s clear no one will be untouched.”
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