Ontario Liberal budget to include $5.7B in new spending, PCs say

The minority Liberal government is expected to table a new budget on May 1 that will add at least $5.7 billion in new spending, according to documents obtained by the Progressive Conservatives.

The documents also show the Liberals have set up an internal ministry of finance task force called BLT (Budget Leaking Team) to “systematically and methodically leak” about 39 spending announcements over 27 days leading up to the presentation of the plan, the PCs said Tuesday.

Ontarians could be going to the polls again if the Liberal government doesn’t get the support of the New Democrats for its budget, which the PCs have said they wouldn’t support.

The Tories said the leaks about the budget plan have already started, citing stories published in the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star as early as Jan. 29.

Some of the spending announcements, according to the leaked documents obtained from civil servants, will include:

•    plans to announce $2 billion in new spending for school consolidations to reduce underused space as well as for repair and maintenance.

•    doubling of seniors’ grants with a speech by Premier Kathleen Wynne; the grants were first announced in last year’s fall economic statement at an annual cost of $500,000.

•    plans to announce about $35 million in school nutrition programs on April 7.

•    plans to announce an $85 million program over three years to expand coverage of in vitro fertilization treatments on April 9.

•    plans to announce a $730 million program over three years for people with disabilities to address their lengthy wait lists for developmental services on April 11.

•    plans to announce the Liberals’ funding mechanism for transit on April 14.

The documents say the BLT will also leak the end of the debt retirement charge on electricity bills for residential customers.

PC Leader Tim Hudak said whistle-blowers came forward to give the Opposition the documents because they were “very uncomfortable doing work of the Liberal party.”

“It’s an abuse of public service. It’s basically drafting them to become Liberal party staffers,” he said.

Premier Wynne said, “We will be making announcements, Mr. Speaker, in advance of budgets as is the practice of government after government.”

Finance Minister Charles Sousa said, “I have no knowledge of any leaking team. What we have is a communications roll out.”

“They’re playing gimmicks. They’re out there to try to do the worst form of gutter politics and they’re playing a politics of division,” he said.

Backgrounder on Budget Rolloout Calendar 2014-04-01 by CityNewsToronto

 

Budget Rollout Calendar 2014-04-01

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