He's baaaack 😱
Ontario premier Doug Ford was elected on a platform that promised to find billions of dollars in efficiencies in Ontario’s provincial budget. For a year after he and his majority Conservative government were sworn in, we’ve kept a running tally on what exactly the Ford government has cut and what the consequences might be.
Reinstated: Half a billion dollars in municipal funding On the morning of May 27, Ford announced he would be backpedalling on several recent funding cuts that had hit municipalities after their 2019 budgets were finalized. According to CBC, “Ford has reversed this year’s cuts to municipal funding, including child care, public health and [ambulance services], but future cuts will continue as planned.
Eliminated: An Ontario Arts Council-funded Indigenous Culture Fund The Ontario government is cutting tens of millions of dollars in funding to the province’s arts sector, including a recently established Indigenous Culture Fund. According to CTV, “culture programs are budgeted at $235 million this year, down from nearly $295 million last year, including cutting ‘arts sector support’ from $18.5 million to $6.5 million.
Cut: 70% of provincial funding to the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre On May 17, the National Observer reported that the government cut 70% of its funding to the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre . The centre is responsible for providing non-partisan scientific information to help First Nations manage their natural resources and protect endangered wildlife.
The controversy comes shortly after a new national study led by Women’s Shelters Canada found that one in five shelters have not had a funding increase in at least ten years, there are major gaps between urban and remote community support and that shelters are turning away increasingly more people.
Cut: Health policy and research funding In addition to consolidating the province’s healthcare, which resulted in funding cuts, the Ford government is also cutting research funding. Health policy and research will see a $52 million total reduction in funding, including a significant cut to the Health System Research Fund, which contributes research for provincial policy-making.
Cut: Tech startup funds Innovation and startup companies are facing cuts in funding, which has critics concerned that jobs may move out of the province. Critics told the CBC that the government grants boosted the province’s growing digital economy. They’re concerned this could make Ontario less competitive, as companies worry that they may see staffing changes . There are also concerns that the timing of the cuts could greatly impact young people searching for summer jobs.
“It’s supposed to help control child-care fees for Ontario families, so if it’s being cut by $50 million, that’s going to have a direct impact on costs for families,” Carolyn Ferns of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care said. “The impact is going to be that parent fees are going to go up and Ontario families already pay the highest child care fees in the country.”
That said, Trade Minister Todd Smith’s secretary, Christine Wood, did state that the services of Ontario think tanks may be consulted via one-time contracts. Wood also said that there are many think tanks in Ontario that don’t operate on taxpayer’s dollars, but then named C.D. Howe, which did report almost half a million dollars in government funding for 2017.
This loss in funding will almost certainly impact Ontario’s music industry. NDP culture critic Jill Andrew says homegrown talent will have more difficulty flourishing. “[Premier] Doug Ford has hit another bad note on the culture file, this time ripping away opportunities from everyone from aspiring artists to the domestic music companies that nurture their budding talent,” she said in a statement.
Proposed: Ending OHIP coverage for travel outside Canada On April 24, the government announced a proposal to end OHIP coverage for Canadians who travel outside of the country. Per the proposal, the amendment “aligns with [the] government’s commitment to implement changed to restore accountability and trust in the use of taxpayer dollars and to bring greater modernization, efficiency and transparency to OHIP to benefit both providers and patients.
Proposed: Decrease protections for at-risk species due to changes to the Endangered Species Act After a 10-year review of the act, the government has decided to create a Species at Risk Stewardship Program, which it says will fund “academics, communities, organizations and Indigenous peoples across Ontario to implement on-the-ground activities that benefit species at risk and their habitats.
Cut: 50% of Ontario Library Service funding In addition to education cuts, the Ford government is also cutting 50% of library funding for Ontario Library Service North and the Southern Ontario Library Service . On April 26, SOLS is ending its interlibrary loan service, and the cuts may also threaten e-book access. But the impact will go beyond reading material.
However, The Toronto Star reported that, “the board had the most discretion to consider the impact of the crime” under the pain and suffering category and with the $5,000 cap, victims will have fewer options. Additionally, having board hearings meant even if a domestic violence survivor didn’t have medical receipts or a sexual assault survivor wasn’t able to see their attacker convicted, they could still make a claim for compensation.
In response to the changes in education, students across Ontario held a mass walkout on April 4. After news broke about the impending cuts to teaching staff, thousands of students and educators gathered in front of Queen’s Park for a rally, organized by multiple unions representing education workers across the province, on April 6.
The province will be funding 15 consumption and treatment services sites, the new alternative to supervised injection sites. Part of the reason why the three sites are being closed is because they didn’t make that list of 15 sites. As part of the health legislation, the government also pledged a $3.8 billion investment in long-term care for seniors and addiction services. As well, patients will have improved access to secure digital tools such as health records.
Also included in the changes: interest will now be charged during the six-month grace period on OSAP loans post-graduation—something the Ontario government alleges will “reduce complexity for students.”Proposed: Eliminating 14 regional health agencies Also on January 17, CBC News reported that the Ford government will replace 14 local health integration networks with five regional oversight bodies.
In an email to CBC Toronto, Kayla Iafelice, press secretary for Education Minister Lisa Thompson, said that the school programs getting scrapped were not an effective use of funds. “Despite only accounting for less than 1% of school board funding, this fund has a long track record of wasteful spending, overspending and millions of dollars of unfunded commitments,” wrote Iafelice. It is not clear if these programs will be replaced by other initiatives.
The government's cut of $2.25 million to the Indigenous Culture Fund at the Ontario Arts Council is a disturbing step back from the TRC's Calls to Action. This and the $5 million cut to @ONArtsCouncil's base funding is an alarming attack on arts and culture. #onpoli #Culture https://t.
Proposed: Changes to childcare, environmental and labour regulations As part of an omnibus bill—which proposed changes designed to reduce red tape across a variety of businesses—tabled on December 6, the Ford government wants to increase the number of kids that at-home and unlicensed daycare providers are allowed to care for. The proposed changes would mean that:
Up for debate : The recognition of gender identity On November 17, the Ontario PC Party passed a resolution to debate whether or not the party should recognize gender identity . The resolution posits that gender identity theory is “a highly controversial, unscientific ‘liberal ideology.’” If passed into policy, the Ontario PC government has said it will remove the teaching and promotion of gender identity theory from Ontario schools and sex-ed curriculum.
Finally, Fedeli also announced that the LCBO and Beer stores will now be able to open from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., seven days a week. Cancelled: Labour reform On October 2, Doug Ford announced in the Ontario legislature that his government would be “getting rid” of Bill 148. Introduced by the Liberals, it’s an employment and labour reform bill that:
Cancelled: Nearly half of Toronto city council Ford initially announced his plans to reduce the size of city council in late July. Cancelled: The Basic Income Project On August 1, Children, Community and Social Services minister Lisa MacLeod announced that the PCs would be ending the Liberal government’s pilot project into providing Ontarians with a no-strings-attached “basic income.” The pilot involved 4,000 people earning less than $34,000 annually who were given up to $17,000. Unlike traditional welfare, the payment not conditional upon employment status.
Cancelled: Hydro One’s CEO and its board of directors On July 11, Ford announced the retirement of Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt, effective immediately. Schmidt will leave with a $400,000 lump sum payment, a far cry from the estimated $10.7 million severance he would be entitled to if he was removed by the board of directors. According to a statement from Hydro One, Schmidt will not be entitled to severance.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Refugees begin arriving in U.S. as White House pares number of refugee admissions to 18,000Refugees began arriving in the U.S. after a month-long hiatus during which the Trump administration cut the number of refugees admitted into the country to its lowest level in years.
Lire la suite »
Pringles Is Releasing Turducken-Flavored Chips for Thanksgiving—Here's How to Get ThemThe Pringles Thanksgiving Kit Is Back for the Third Year and It Has Everything You Need
Lire la suite »
https://people.comGet the latest news about celebrities, royals, music, TV, and real people. Find exclusive content, including photos and videos, on PEOPLE.com.
Lire la suite »
Pandora Stock Plunges After Q3 Results Miss ExpectationsHowever, the new collection that launched in October, Pandora Me, fronted by Millie Bobby Brown, has had early results that “are very encouraging.” 🔐
Lire la suite »
Best of Criterion’s New Releases, October 2019Hey, good month for criterion! Including the massive Godzilla set, John Sayles' first time in the collection, a landmark Muhammad Ali doc, and four essential silent films
Lire la suite »