The Ontario government's pre-election budget on Thursday didn't contain wide-ranging promises to attract votes, but instead offered help to poor children, a boost to the minimum wage and increases to health and education spending.

Finance Minister Greg Sorbara unveiled a balanced budget that contained a $2.1 billion program to help the nearly 1 million children living in poverty.

Sorbara said the Liberal's fiscal blueprint will raise the minimum wage to $10.25 by 2010. The current $8 wage will increase 75 cents each March 31 over the next three years.

There were no splashy promises targeting middle-class families as contained in Monday's federal budget.

Instead, Sorbara focused on selected areas and outlined relatively few new initiatives.

"With this budget, we have finally had the opportunity to address the social deficit,'' he said. "This budget is not about the election campaign.''

The five-year Ontario Child Benefit payment to low-income families starts with a payment this July of $250 per child and increases to $1,100 per child each year by 2011.

The poor children program and the 25 per cent per-year minimum wage increase is part of what Sorbara outlined as the government's poverty agenda designed to support the province's "most vulnerable citizens."

The poverty announcements are seen as a way to take votes away from the New Democrats, who have taken three urban seats from the Liberals in byelections since 2003.

Also contained in the Liberal government's fourth Ontario budget -- the last before the October election -- was a plan to overhaul the unpopular property tax assessment system highlight.

Sorbara said the plan to phase-in increases in property tax assessments over four years, instead of annually, will appeal to some middle-class voters, but it won't stop their taxes from going up along with their home values.

While the environment is on the minds of many voters across the country, the budget contained little for so-called green initiatives. The Liberals, however, promised to more initiatives in the coming weeks.

The straightforward budget contains no tax increases.

Other highlights include:

  • Income splitting provisions for pensioners;
  • New affordable housing programs;
  • $125 million in environmental research and rebates of up to $150 for homeowners to help pay for home energy audits;
  • $2 million to the Trees Ontario Foundation to plant 1 million new trees;
  • $781 million more in education than in 2006-07;
  • The hiring of 1,200 new elementary teachers in 2007-08;
  • A $540 million tax cut for business owners over seven years;
  • $38 billion in health spending;
  • The hiring of 8,000 nurses by the end of 2007-08;
  • $6 billion for infrastructure and $1.7 billion to improve highways;
  • A two per cent increase in Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program payments; and
  • Improved childcare through an additional $25 million in 2007-08, and then $50 million starting in 2008-09.

Sorbara described a "new era of economic strength for Ontario," saying the economy has added 327,000 new jobs since 2003 and expects another 270,000 over the next three years.

"With the exception of the fall of 2006, when North America experienced a cooler economic climate, Ontario's economy has been growing at a healthy rate," the minister said.

Liberals officials say they have used all four of their budgets to repair the impact of government service cuts implemented by the previous Conservative government, especially on health care, education and infrastructure.

The government says about 75 cents of every dollar spent on Ontario government programming goes into health and education.

The Liberals say their investments have significantly improved hospital wait times, improved student test scores and graduation rates, and reduced class sizes in the early grades.

Following the second balanced budget in two years, Sorbara predicted the province will post five consecutive budget surpluses.

The minister called it an exceptional feat, considering the Liberals inherited a $5.6 billion shortfall from the Tories.

"Today we leave behind the deficits we inherited," Sorbara said.

The Liberals also boasted the fact they've passed a law requiring the provincial auditor general to review the budget numbers and confirm the surplus figure before this fall's election so that no future government can hide a huge deficit, which is what they claimed the Conservatives did in 2003.

Sorbara says the budget completes the mandate the Liberals were given four years ago and reminds voters that the party has a committed and strong record in government.

Opposition criticizes budget

Conservative Leader John Tory slammed the budget, calling it a "political spending buffet'' aimed at buying votes.

"(Premier) Dalton McGuinty is only good at the easy part, which is spending the money," he said.

Tory said the Liberals are doing nothing for farmers, the manufacturing sector or over-taxed voters suffering with the Liberals' $2.5-billion health tax.

"There is no discipline in this government. They have absolutely no interest in helping average taxpayers who are struggling,'' he said.

New Democrat Party Leader Howard Hampton called the budget "a lot of hype and no action."

He criticized the Liberals for making Ontario's poorest wait for action on minimum wage, affordable housing and childcare when they didn't hesitate to give themselves a 25-per-cent pay increase in December.

"Who gets the swift action?'' Hampton said. "This government is out of touch with the reality of hardworking families."

Both Hampton and Tory questioned how voters could believe the promises outlined in the budget.

"Why would anyone believe a word in this document?" Tory said, citing past broken promises. "This government has proven to be incapable of being truthful and straightforward."

With files from The Canadian Press