Support for small businesses, the tourism and hospitality industry and mining and passenger rail are among the highlights concerning the Nipissing District in Ontario’s 2021 budget.
Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy tabled the $186.1 billion budget Wednesday, which includes a $33.1 billion deficit. The main focuses of the budget were economic recovery and healthcare.
Small businesses, mining and hospitality
Locally, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli says the support for small businesses included in the budget is among the top highlights for the region.
“All of those businesses in Nipissing and North Bay that received their check of up to $20,000, expect another one in the next couple of weeks,” Fedeli said.
The mining industry is getting some support, with $5 million being invested into junior mining companies over the next two years.
“When you have so many companies who make mining products for the exploration industry, that’s important,” Fedeli noted.
And the tourism and hospitality sector, which is among the most “heavily impacted” by the pandemic, will be receiving a $400 million investment over the next three years, including $100 million in 2021.
Fedeli says hotels, motels, camps, hunting lodges and travel agencies are all eligible for tourism and hospitality support.
“This is a very exciting program for the people of northern Ontario,” he said.
Return of the Northlander
The return of passenger rail from Toronto, to North Bay to Cochrane has $5 million being invested in 2021 to support planning and design work.
Lucille Frith & Howie Wilcox, co-chairs of the northeastern Ontario rail network, released a joint statement on the government’s commitment:
“We were both holding our breath with this budget – hoping to hear about the return of passenger rail service to northeastern Ontario. And we did!” the two stated.
A business case for the return of northern passenger rail is being finalized for release this spring.
Cuts to education funding
Meanwhile, teachers’ unions have slammed the Ford budget for a lack of spending on education. In a joint statement, they claim the Ford government has failed to deliver a budget that keeps up with the rate of inflation and enrollment. The unions are calling on the province to invest in lower class sizes, enhanced safety measures, mental health support, and support for students with special education needs.
Rob Hammond, president of the Near North Elementary Teachers’ Union, agrees with the Ontario unions’ stance on the provincial budget.
“The full impact of public school funding will not be known until further information is released by the government in the coming weeks. But it’s clear that this government is continuing its ideological attacks on public education,” said Hammond.
Fedeli, however, believes there is still ample support for the education sector.
“When you see a budget that continues to add 30 some billion (dollars) in deficit, there’s certainly monies in the budget for every single organization,” he said. “I think it really boils down to the fact that the people of Ontario want us to focus on two vital priorities right now. They want us to protect people’s health and they want us to protect the economy.”
Getting out of the red
As for addressing the $33.1 billion deficit, which the budget projects to even out in 2029, Fedeli says the new Invest Ontario program, which falls under his Ministry (Economic Development, Job Creation, Trade), is one of the ways the province will return to the black.
The Invest Ontario program will receive $400 million in funding over the next four years to attract international businesses to the province.
“People have been so used to other governments where their answers were to raise taxes. That’s not our answer,” he said.
Peter Bethlenfalvy says he is “betting on the people of Ontario” to pull the provincial economy out of the pandemic.
NDP, Liberals comment on province’s budget
The Conservative budget was slammed by the leader of the Opposition, Andrea Horwath. In a statement, Horwath said if this were an NDP budget it would have funded paid sick days and offered paid leave for workers to get the COVID-19 vaccination, “Ontarians deserved a budget that gave them help getting to the other side of the pandemic, and hope for a future they can look forward to.”
Liberal Leader Stephen Del Duca said while he welcomes the increase in spending on health care it falls “woefully short of what Ontarians need.” Del Duca also says the budget doesn’t offer enough support for women, racialized Ontarians and young people.
