A nominal total spending freeze would mean annual reductions in inflation-adjusted per-person spending of about three per cent.
ontario budget
Despite Premier Ford’s rhetoric, government spending in Ontario will still be up markedly this year.
If Queen’s Park reduces spending by $5 billion, it could eliminate two-thirds of the provincial deficit.
If the government exercises spending restraint, it can eliminate Ontario’s $15 billion deficit in roughly three years.
Ontario has a debt burden of more than $300 billion.
This year, the government expects to add $16.8 billion to the province’s net debt.
The Wynne government’s budget raises most middle tax rates and adjusts income thresholds.
This year’s budget plans to increase program spending by 6.1 per cent this year.
Ontario will run budget deficits of nearly $7 billion in each of the next three fiscal years.
Only New Brunswick and Nova Scotia created fewer private-sector jobs than Ontario, on average, each year between 2007 and 2016.