April 16, 2010 - Glebe Report

12 Glebe Report April 16, 2010
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2010
Annual Shopping Guide
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MPP’S REPORT
A balanced plan
MPP
Yasir
Naqvi
With the 2010 Ontario Budget, our
government is moving forward to address
our fiscal challenges in a responsible
way that protects the social services
we have all worked so hard for.
The budget includes measures to manage
expenditures, including compensation
restraint and making government
programs more efficient. It lays out a
realistic and responsible plan to cut the
deficit in half in five years and eliminate
it in eight years. Most importantly, the
budget builds on the progress we have
made to ensure that Ontarians have the opportunities to succeed and the social
services to protect their families.
Postsecondary Education and Skills Training
Ontario’s colleges and universities play a critical role in equipping people for
success and preparing them to generate the ideas, products and jobs that will
ensure future prosperity and economic growth.
Although at 62 per cent, Ontario has achieved one of the highest rates of
post-secondary education in the world, one must realize that as the economy
changes, 70 per cent of all new jobs will require post-secondary education or
training. Consequently, that is our government’s goal for Ontario. This is the
reason that we are adding 20,000 new student spaces to colleges and universities
this September, through an annual investment of $310 million. This is great
news for Ottawa’s colleges and universities who will now have the funding to
attract more students. More students means more people will have the tools
and skills they need to succeed. In addition to supporting our post-secondary
institutions, we have also pledged to boost Employment Ontario spending to
$1.6 billion in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 to help retrain an additional 30,000
unemployed workers through the Second Career Strategy.
Child Care Investments and Full-Day Learning
Children are our most precious resource and one of our most important investments.
We cannot afford to let our children suffer. That is why we are
pledging to make up for the federal funding that is ending this year by investing
an additional $63.5 million a year. As a result of this commitment, an estimated
302 child-care spaces in Ottawa will be preserved.
We are also moving forward with full-day learning. This fall, 39 Ottawa
schools will be offering full-day programs for four- and five-year-olds. By
2015, full-day learning will be available to every four- and five-year-old across
the province. Moving to full-day learning is a big step. We are working with
our education and child-care partners to take a measured approach and are
taking five years to transition to the new model, so we can make sure we get it
right. To help facilitate this transition, we are investing $245 million over the
next two years in capital grants and subsides to help some child-care centres
convert existing space to serve other age cohorts. We will also review the Day
Nurseries Act to support child-care centre viability.
Supporting Families and Reducing Poverty
We have made a permanent commitment to break the cycle of poverty. In
2008, we announced a long-term poverty reduction plan that will give people
the tools they need to succeed. The Open Ontario Plan will help Ontario reach
its full potential while supporting the vulnerable and helping everyone succeed.
We are moving forward with our poverty reduction plan with the increase
of the minimum wage to $10.25 an hour on March 31. This is the seventh
consecutive year that the minimum wage has increased, following a nine-year
freeze at $6.85. To help low-income Ontarians, a new permanent refundable
sales tax credit of up to $260 per person is available in 2010. We have also enhanced
the property tax relief, providing more support particularly for seniors.
To ensure that vulnerable Ontarians are protected, we have increased adult
basic-needs allowances and maximum shelter allowances by one per cent for
people on the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works.
In addition, we are protecting our core public services with an increase of
1.5 per cent in base hospital funding and 3.6 per cent in school board funding.
The Road Forward
The 2010 Ontario Budget reflects the values of Ontarians. We are prudent
and responsible and believe in the return to balanced budgets. However, we
also believe in the core public services like health care and education that
make Ontario the best place to live and work and in which to raise a family.
With this plan, we will move back to balanced budgets, create jobs and return
to prosperity.
For more information on the 2010 Budget, please do not hesitate to contact
my community office.
Yasir Naqvi
613-722-6414
ynaqvi.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org.
Bank Street at Second Avenue 613-234-6353
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