Ontario budget slammed by education workers’ unions

By Michael Ranger

The latest fiscal plan from the Doug Ford government has been applauded by business and health care groups, but is receiving some heavy criticism by unions representing education workers.

Ontario’s $186 billion spending plan, the biggest in the history of the province, contains almost no new education spending.

The COVID-19-related $1.6 billion funding for the education sector in the last budget is not being renewed as much of that funding was from the federal government and school boards.

A joint statement from the unions says the latest budget fails to keep education spending on pace with the rate of inflation or the growth of enrolment.

“Obviously, education is not a priority for this government,” reads the statement. “To date, the province has refused to make critical investments in publicly funded education, putting students, education workers and families at risk.”

The groups say the provinces’ refusal to invest in safety measures for schools has led to health concerns for education workers and students.

“With this budget, the Ford government had an opportunity to provide students with the supports they will need in the months and years ahead. Instead, they continue to exaggerate their investments while actually shortchanging Ontario’s students and families.”

The statement comes from the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), and Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO).

The unions are calling on the Ford government to invest in the following:

  • lower class sizes
  • enhanced safety measures
  • mental health supports
  • more supports for students with special needs

 

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the plan lacks funds for hiring more teachers and doesn’t do enough for long-term care.

Other critics of the budget say it fails to meet the immediate needs of residents and small businesses that have struggling through two pandemic waves with a third on the horizon.

The third budget from the province is the biggest spending budget in Ontario history.

The latest plan is a continuation of the Ford government’s last pandemic budget, with continued money being doled out to parents and small businesses. It will offer a second round of grants to small businesses to help with pandemic expenses, create a new job training tax credit and provide more benefits to families with children.

Business, health-care and industry groups welcomed relief in the budget for their sectors.

Anthony Dale, CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association, says the group appreciates new funding as hospitals work to maintain stability during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce says it appreciates supports for businesses and funding specifically geared toward the tourism sector, jobs training and broadband internet.

The new budget projects steadily declining deficits but the government is not expected to return to a pre-COVID-19 deficit until 2027. Instead, it believes the deficit will be gone by 2029, though the government would have to be elected two more times to ever see that.

Mayors across the GTA were applauding the new budget shortly after it was released.

Toronto Mayor John Tory says he “is pleased to see that today’s Ontario budget continues the commitments made previously to invest in Toronto and other municipalities” and he “welcomes the announcement of further supports for small businesses, tourism and hospitality industries.”


With files from the Canadian Press

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