Ontario Liberals reveal fully costed election platform, plan for $16.4B in new spending
Posted May 9, 2022 8:34 am.
Last Updated May 9, 2022 12:16 pm.
The party is planning $16.4 billion in new spending over four years but says they will run largely the same deficits as the PC party, $19.9 billion this year by reallocating portions of the contingency funds. They say despite using the funds, the plan would still see $3.4 billion in contingency or resserve funds in 2022-2023,
The Liberals say they would balance the books by 2026/2027 and plan to do an in-depth review of the province’s finances within the first 100 days.
Like the NDP and the PCs, the Liberals promise to build 1.5 million new, affordable homes as the cost of housing soars due to lack of supply.
They promise to double the building pace, in part by using “poorly used” strip malls, allowing more laneway suites and available government properties.
To help double the pace of building, the Liberals would create a new Ontario Home Building Corporation (OHBC) to finance and build affordable homes, available only to first-time buyers.
The party would also ban new non-resident ownership and put a tax on empty homes. They have also promised to “enforce larger fines for persistently negligent landlords” and to “regulate home inspections and make home inspections and make home inspections a legal right.”
Other promises to voters include replacing the minimum wage with a “regional living wage” starting at $16 an hour. The PCs have promised to extend the minimum wage to $15.50, while the NDP pledges to raise it to $20 an hour in 2026.
Other promises in the Liberal platform that have been previously announced include:
- Ending long-term profit care
- Buck a ride for transit
- Clear the surgical backlog
- Paid sick days for workers
- Cancel highway 413
The election is slated to be held on June 2. You can find a running list of all election promises from each of the four main parties here.
