TORONTO -- Ontario's Liberal government will introduce the 2016 provincial budget on Feb. 25, two months earlier than last year's fiscal plan was announced.
Finance Minister Charles Sousa told the Empire Club of Canada that the government consulted widely on the budget and said it will reflect the priorities of Ontarians.
The opposition parties say introducing the budget so soon after consultations ended makes it look as though the Liberals were not really listening and wrote the document before all the public comments were received.
Premier Kathleen Wynne says the budget will focus on jobs and the economy.
It is also expected to include details on limited wine sales in grocery stores, and firm up the Liberal's plan to eliminate the $7.5 billion deficit in just two years.
Sousa also announced a one-year delay in the start of payroll deductions for the new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, pushing the date back to Jan. 1, 2018.
