Ontario's budget

[Topaz]

The Globe and Mail is reporting that the liberals will probably make cuts with nurses, teachers and social programs. Since it was the GTA that elected the Liberals, she is putting billions in roads, bridge and highways. This area will also be affect by the cuts, so will they be able to get rid of their debt and still have the support? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ontario-budget-cuts-to-target-teachers-nurses-in-attempts-to-shave-off-deficit/article24071126/

[Hydraboss]

This austerity suggests Ms. Wynne is serious about reaching budget balance and dealing with the largest subsovereign debt in the world.

This is hilarious. Good for Ontario. You win.

For anyone that thinks you can continually give in to unions and re-elect liars and still be okay financially, this should be a wake up call. There is no way Wynne will be able to even scratch the debt when she can't even get the deficit under control. (EDIT ->to be fair, this is exactly what we've been doing in Alberta since Klein and look at the mess we're in now...fingers crossed we throw the idiots out of office on May 5)

You guys need a Ralph Klein to come in there and clean up the mess. It'll still take 20+ years, but nothing's free.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Hydraboss

[Boges]

But Hudak was the monster right?

[Hydraboss]

Ya, there was a great line in that article about Wynne implementing the Hudak plan. Guess she isn't quite as anti-conservative as she appears, eh?

[Boges]

Ya, there was a great line in that article about Wynne implementing the Hudak plan. Guess she isn't quite as anti-conservative as she appears, eh?

You knew as soon as she was elected that she was telling complete lies. I'm sure she doesn't want to cut the public service (the more of them there are the more that'll vote for them next time) but Ontario can't afford to have its credit rating downgraded.

Hudak's biggest sin was being honest during an election campaign.

I honestly don't know why Ontario isn't looking to legalize weed yet.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Boges

[MiddleClassCentrist]

But Hudak was the monster right?

Hudak was a horrible politician and lost the centrist vote.

Everyone knew pain was coming. Economic pain has to be coming. I'm just confused as to why we are throwing out so much money for transit projects before balancing the budget...

[Hydraboss]

Likely because transit projects = votes from the GTA. Remember, a politician NEVER stops campaigning (the smart ones don't anyway). Same reason Mandel in Edmonton kept pushing for the new bridges and roads in south Edmonton to look like Toronto, LA and Houston when simple, straightforward designs would have worked. His votes came from the unions which make up the majority of the workers on those projects.

[Shady]

This budget is completely irresponsible. The fact that Ontario spends nearly 9% of its budget on just paying interest on the debt is criminal, and is a great example of why debt matters. That 9% will grow to 10, 11, 12% and crowd out other spending on necessities. Mike Harris left the Ontario liberals with an Ontario in tremendous shape with tremendous opportunity and the Ontario liberals have squandered all of it.

[Smallc]

This budget is completely irresponsible. The fact that Ontario spends nearly 9% of its budget on just paying interest on the debt is criminal, and is a great example of why debt matters. That 9% will grow to 10, 11, 12% and crowd out other spending on necessities. Mike Harris left the Ontario liberals with an Ontario in tremendous shape with tremendous opportunity and the Ontario liberals have squandered all of it.

This budget is probably the most responsible in a decade actually as it has light at the end of the tunnel.

[Ash74]

This budget is probably the most responsible in a decade actually as it has light at the end of the tunnel.

And the HST will create 500,000 jobs, Green energy act will create 250,000 jobs, A jet pack for every Liberal voter........

I wonder how many more investigations will open up from the transit contracts

[Scotty]

This budget is probably the most responsible in a decade actually as it has light at the end of the tunnel.

Only if you believe the figures given by the most dishonest political party in Canada and the most incompetent Ontario provincial government in the history of confederation.

[Smallc]

Only if you believe the figures given by the most dishonest political party in Canada and the most incompetent Ontario provincial government in the history of confederation.

If they are able to hold spending to the line that they claim they can, the figures are entirely believable.

[Topaz]

I do believe that Harris left a 5 Billion debt. BTW, the interest we are paying to too much in Ontario, but as the same token, the 28.2 Billion we are paying on the national debt is off the charts too. The middle-incomers are being hit at all levels!

[AngusThermopyle]

Even if he did it pales in comparison to the Provincial Liberals. Also how does that excuse the mess they've created? Anyone who believes these guys will keep their word is quite simply delusional, or simple. Just look at their track record so far. If you can't see it clearly then I do truly feel sorry for you.

[Ash74]

I do believe that Harris left a 5 Billion debt. BTW, the interest we are paying to too much in Ontario, but as the same token, the 28.2 Billion we are paying on the national debt is off the charts too. The middle-incomers are being hit at all levels!

Very true. While Justin is claiming the middle class are either rich or in dire need of the state taking their funds and making sure that we all are equally poor.

Can't tell the NDP from the Liberals anymore except the NDP have the courage to admit the country should be a nanny state

[Moonbox]

This budget is probably the most responsible in a decade actually as it has light at the end of the tunnel.

Okay, probably. That means it's the least horrible out of a 12+ year run of absolutely horrible budgets. What's worse it's borrowing from Flaherty's book and selling lucrative public assets to the private sector for short term politics.

[Smallc]

Okay, probably. That means it's the least horrible out of a 12+ year run of absolutely horrible budgets. What's worse it's borrowing from Flaherty's book and selling lucrative public assets to the private sector for short term politics.

In fairness, many of these assets should be private in this age anyway. This budget is an improvement. Let's hope the deficit is really on its way out

[Ash74]

In fairness, many of these assets should be private in this age anyway. This budget is an improvement. Let's hope the deficit is really on its way out

It looks to me like an election budget. Not for Wynne but a budget that does not send the rage of the voters to Harper like McGuinty did so many times.

The cap and trade maney grab not with standing but that is just hiding the tax behind the businesses that will raise the prices.

[Moonbox]

In fairness, many of these assets should be private in this age anyway.

In fairness, not really. The 407 sale should never have become a private asset.

This budget is an improvement. Let's hope the deficit is really on its way out

As I said, it takes very little to "improve" on the fiscal incompetence of the last decade. Bob Rae literally looks good by comparison. So yes, in the strictest sense, this lousy budget is an improvement over the even worse ones before. *slow clap*

[Ash74]

In fairness, not really. The 407 sale should never have become a private asset.

As I said, it takes very little to "improve" on the fiscal incompetence of the last decade. Bob Rae literally looks good by comparison. So yes, in the strictest sense, this lousy budget is an improvement over the even worse ones before. *slow clap*

It actually is the best budget that the Ontario Liberals have come up with since first elected.

But it is like being valedictorian of summer school.

[Smallc]

In fairness, not really. The 407 sale should never have become a private asset.

I would agree, highways shouldn't be private assets. There are many things that the government does that it shouldn't do. I think you would agree.

[Moonbox]

Certainly there are some things the government doesn't need to be involved in, but infrastructure ownership is not one of them. The efficiency advantages of privatization will be offset by the inevitable push for shareholder returns so as tax payers we'll end up paying more, not less.

The problem with Ontario hydro costs are mostly to do with our governments' baffling incompetence. It could easily be fixed with a touch of integrity and realism (Tim Hudak could would have done it if he wasn't such political dolt), but Kathleen Wynne is taking the easy way out. Rather than take the axe to a bloated Crown corporation themselves, they're going to pass the buck and let the private sector do it for them. A privatized corporation, however, has zero interest in providing competitive power rates to Ontario.

[Bob Macadoo]

Rather than take the axe to a bloated Crown corporation themselves, they're going to pass the buck and let the private sector do it for them.

It's even more insidious than that.....they'll let public union pension funds (ie. OMERS) buy in and have them screaming for quarterly huge returns......cue the worker axe.