Ontario announcing new spending in first balanced budget in a decade
TORONTO — Ontario’s Liberal government will release its first balanced budget in a decade on Thursday, with a host of new spending measures focused on pocketbook issues it hopes will resonate with voters heading into an election year.
Premier Kathleen Wynne has in the past few years focused on big-picture plans for the province, such as tackling climate change, massive infrastructure spending and pension reform. But as her party and personal popularity have tanked in the polls, her message has shifted to that of fairness and everyday affordability.
She recently unveiled a “Fair Hydro Plan” and a “Fair Housing Plan” and in a speech Monday to announce details of a basic income pilot project, fairness was a theme she often returned to.
“In this time of turmoil, we must work harder than ever to build and preserve a fair society,” she said. “We must make sure that hard work is rewarded with a decent pay cheque. We must make sure that the opportunities available to our people and especially our young people not only endure, but grow.”