Ontario’s spring budget coming March 25, finance minister says

Thestar.com
March 5, 2020
Rob Ferguson and Kristin Rushowy

Ontario’s spring budget is being unveiled March 25, Finance Minister Rod Phillips says as the province’s independent financial watchdog found spending on autism programs, hospital and other projects was $2 billion lower than planned at the end of the third quarter.

Phillips said his first financial blueprint since taking over the portfolio last June will “stay the course” to eliminate annual deficits by 2023 -- the year after the next provincial election.

There’s a lot at stake as this budget follows the first Progressive Conservative budget from Phillips’ predecessor Vic Fedeli, which fell flat with a slew of cuts that trickled out daily for two months and saw Premier Doug Ford demote him to head the economic development ministry.

That budget also heralded higher spending than the previous Liberal government and the new double-blue licence plates that have since turned into an embarrassment for the government.

“There’s a balance required between the importance of getting our financial footing stable again, balancing the budget,” Phillips said.

“We’ve put priorities on spending in places like health care, education, transit -- both roads and transit infrastructure.”

He added voters “want to know that we’re going to be spending on priority areas and they do want to know what we’re going to be doing to put money back in peoples’ pockets.”

Phillips, who may drop more hints at an Empire Club luncheon speech next Tuesday, said he remains concerned about Ontario’s $353 billion debt that results in $24,000 a minute in debt interest payments.

“There is much more to do,” he added. “Over the long term you can’t spend more money than you’re taking in that is just unsustainable.”

Phillips brushed aside concerns about the spending report by Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO), noting it measures spending only to the end of the first nine months of the fiscal year.

Opposition parties pointed to the FAO report’s findings that only half the money allotted for autism programs had been spent at the year’s three-quarter mark.

“These families are going through hell because the services aren’t there,” said New Democrat MPP John Vanthof (Temiskaming-Cochrane).

“The fact that they are underspending in areas like that just proves that they do not understand what people are going through.”

Green Leader Mike Schreiner said autism parents who have repeatedly held protests at the legislature will be “outraged.”

“Here they are coming to Queen’s Park begging for support and the government’s underfunding the program?”

With Ontario trying to ease hospital overcrowding with the prospect of more COVID-19 cases as the novel coronavirus is spreading rapidly across the globe, the report also found spending on hospital infrastructure projects was $465 million or 37 per cent below planned levels.

“It makes no sense,” Schreiner said.

On the autism spending shortfall, a spokesperson for Children, Community and Social Services Minister Todd Smith said the government didn’t receive recommendations from its expert panel on the issue until late last year.

“Since then, we have issued thousands of invitations for interim one-time funding to families of children and youth on the wait list, and additional invitations will be sent this month,” Christine Wood told the Star.

“As we transition to the new needs-based program, we have invested in a number of programs such as expanded access to speech and language services, early intervention, and mental health training. We are also providing extensions to children with existing behaviour plans.”

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said he’s concerned money for the autism program won’t be spent effectively and get to families who need it.

“When you are in a rush, you make mistakes,” he added, noting there is a shortage of autism service providers in many areas. “They (the government) tore this plan apart, they left families in the lurch and they’ve been rushing ever since to try and fill in that gap.”

The budget lock-up where reporters pore over thick booklets with details of the financial plan will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto because the usual location -- a government building across the street from the legislature -- is under a renovation that will take several years.