QUEEN’S PARK – Today MPP Mantha voted against the budget measures for the Ford government’s Fall Economic Statement (FES), which acts as an update on the province’s finances, as well as introduces new measures not included in the Q1 budget.
“This government’s plan has once again failed to deliver for Northerners and the moment that we are living in.” Mantha said. “The fact that the government has left $5.4 million in an unallocated contingency fund and kept a $1 billion reserved from the spring budget is unconscionable during this time of economic hardship for many Ontarians.”
The total amount of funds left unallocated adds up to 2.6% of Ontario’s total expenses for 2023-24. Leaving these funds unallocated does not pay down the province’s debt either.
“These unprecedented reserves could have been spent on supports that Northerners need right now.” Said Mantha. “They should have gone towards recruiting more healthcare workers in our region or to repairing our highways and infrastructure here in the North. There is no time to waste addressing the many crises we face in our communities, and the unsustainable cost of living in Northern Ontario.”
“Leaving so much of our public funds sitting idle is a bad fiscal policy, plain and simple.”
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