Ford Can’t Build the Ontario we Need

The Ontario Federation of Labour issued this media release on GlobeNewswire on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

TORONTO – Ford’s Conservative government tabled their Fall Economic Statement today, outlining their priorities for the months ahead. The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) says the update offers no real gains for Ontarians who are feeling the pain of the ongoing health care, housing, and affordability crises.

“Today’s update included Ford’s scheme to dole out one-time $200 cheques to even the wealthiest of Ontarians,” said Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. “This one-time payment is clearly a ploy to court voters in advance of an early election, not to address the real issues people are facing as they try to make ends meet each month.”

The one-time $200 rebate program will cost the province $3 billion. The OFL has compiled a list of ways the province could spend $3 billion to address critical issues Ontarians are facing:

• Compensation for 35,875 new front-line nurses for one full year
• 5000 new long-term care beds to ease hallway healthcare
• Access to services for 54,000 children waiting for Autism Services
• Recruit and retain Early Childhood Educators to fill the expected shortage of 8,500 ECEs by 2026
• Fill the funding shortfall for 49 of Ontario’s 53 Children’s Aid Societies, which face a total budget shortfall of $67 million this year
• Increase rates to recipients of Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program

“Instead of addressing urgent problems facing our province, the Ford government has repeatedly used government money – our money – to privilege themselves, donors, and the wealthiest Ontarians,” said Walton, “from the $225 million spent to break the Beer Store contract, to a multi-million-dollar luxury spa, to $4.3 billion to fight workers in court over Bill 124.”

Today’s update offered no information on what the Ford government is doing to recruit and retain frontline health care workers or end hallway medicine and provided no progress or completion timelines for infrastructure projects. After adjusting for inflation and population growth, the planned program spending released in today’s statement is $1,093 less for each Ontarian by 2026.

Walton added: “It’s clear this government is only thinking about the next election cycle, not about building the Ontario we need.”

The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit http://www.ofl.ca/ and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and X.