Ont. deficit-reduction report to be released Wednesday
Posted February 15, 2012 5:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ontario is bracing for a report Wednesday afternoon that will make sweeping recommendations on what the governing Liberals must do to slay the deficit.
Finance Minister Dwight Duncan says the report by former TD Bank chief economist Don Drummond will be political dynamite.
He predicts the report will be “sweeping” in scope and “very controversial,” but the government will make the final decision on what’s implemented.
Much of the report will focus on health care, which eats up nearly half of every dollar the provincial government spends.
Drummond has already floated the idea of delisting some services, such as unnecessary C-sections and hysterectomies, which has raised the ire of some women’s groups.
He’s also expected to recommend eliminating caps on classroom sizes and ending a fifth year for high-school students who want to improve their grades to get into university.
Some of Drummond’s advice — such as axing full-day kindergarten — has already been ruled out by the government.
His report will be released at 2:15 p.m.
Some of Drummond’s recommendations will reportedly include:
- Curbing the number of non-emergency C-sections and hysterectomies
- Reduce arthroscopic knee surgeries
- Increasing class sizes
- Scrapping all-day kindergarten
- Ending fifth “victory lap” year of high school
- Cancelling new 30 per cent post-secondary tuition cut
