Conservative policies, inaction making life more expensive, pre-budget consultations hear

BROCKVILLE — During the pre-budget consultation hearings in Brockville on Tuesday, the Official Opposition NDP heard from deputants about how Ontario’s Conservative government policies and inaction are making life harder and more expensive for everyday Ontarians.

After five years of the Conservatives, parents are forced to spend thousands to maintain their child's grade level, sick patients are resorting to paying private clinics to bypass extensive wait lines, and education workers are working two or three jobs to make ends meet.

"These impacts are a direct result of Conservative underfunding and inaction,” said Chandra Pasma, NDP MPP for Ottawa West—Nepean. “Today, we heard from organizations who are struggling to keep up with an increase in demand in nearly every sector, including our schools. Support organizations are being forced to do more with less. Children with learning disabilities and those in our classrooms are paying the biggest price. Educators are telling us that this isn't the same education system they initially signed up for. If we continue down this road, our youngest, most vulnerable members of our society will pay for this Conservative government's policy choices. The consequences are real."

"Ontario’s Conservatives continue to make these non-announcements, essentially creating an illusion of increased investment while, in reality, doing less and failing to meet the moment," said NDP MPP Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre). "Today, Conservative MPPs argued against presenters, asserting that the fiscal numbers don't tell the full story. The reality is that while people can't afford to pay their rent or put food on the table, this government is sitting on $5.4 billion. While every province has a contingency fund, only the Ontario Conservatives would deliberately withhold billions while people suffer and divert what little they spend into the pockets of a select few of their friends."

Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) President Laura Walton challenged Ford's Conservatives to turn their "media sound bites into action" and stop underspending at the expense of everyday Ontarians. The OFL called on the province to increase investments to public hospitals to eliminate staffing shortages and implement real rent control to help Ontarians get back on their feet.

QUICK FACTS:

• Funding for education has plummeted by $1,200 per student since 2018
• Out of all the provinces, Ontario is dead last in program spending on a per-capita basis
• The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions released a survey of hospital workers that found nearly half are thinking of leaving the sector
• The Auditor General found that expensive private staffing agencies are forcing hospitals to spend more for less: some hospitals have more than tripled spending on private staffing agencies, adding to their financial pressures
• A record number of young people are leaving the province every year blaming the soaring cost of living.
• The average salary of a CEO in Ontario is 246x that of the average worker.