TORONTO - Ontario's finance minister isn't ruling out a bigger-than-expected deficit if the province moves to bail out struggling automakers.
Dwight Duncan says any aid to the auto sector will likely impact on the budget for this year and the next.
This year's projected $500-million deficit, Duncan says, was never set in stone but rather based on the government's projections last month.
Since then, the Big Three U.S. automakers have pleaded for government help to stay afloat - with some experts suggesting General Motors may not make it through the year without financial aid from the U.S.
Duncan says he won't speculate about any possible impact until an aid plan is worked out but notes the impact could be a short-term one, not a structural one.
McGuinty warned on the weekend that giving taxpayer money to support the sector could drive the province's deficit into dangerous territory.
