THUNDER BAY – The Ontario government is spending money on the wrong things, Thunder Bay-Superior’s New Democrat MPP said after a fall economic update from Premier Doug Ford’s finance minister. In a Zoom interview with Dougall Media, Lise Vaugeois said the public money the government will be spending on cheques to Ontarians would be better spent on health care, road safety, education and other areas. “We've got 2.
5 million people without access to a family doctor in Ontario,” she said. “We had hallway health care while the Liberals were in government. Those numbers have doubled over the six years that the Conservatives have been in power.
” The Ford government “can say that they are spending more than they ever have before on health care,” she said. “But that's because two to three times the amount of OHIP is going to for-profit health care.” The Ontario PCs have the wrong priorities, Vaugeois said.
“The priorities of this government have been $225 million to get booze into corner stores (and) $600 million to pay for a parking lot for a luxury spa at Ontario Place.” In the fall economic statement filed Wednesday in Queen’s Park, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said the deficit for 2024-25 has shrunk by more than $3 billion to $6.6 billion due in part to higher-than-expected sales tax revenue.
That’s why the province’s Progressive Conservative government will be sending each taxpayer a one-time cheque for $200 in early 2025, the finance minist.