Ontario’s deficit dropped to about $2.2 billion for this fiscal year and is projected to continue to dip, reaching a surplus of $200 million in 2024-2025.
Pharmacy prescriptions:
Ontario pharmacists will soon be able to prescribe more medications on top of the 13 ailments already allowed.
Starting in the fall, the expanded prescribing power will include medications that treat moderate acne, canker sores, diaper dermatitis, yeast infections, pinworms and theadworms, and nausea and vomiting related to pregnancy.
New provincial park:
Last year Ontario pledged to create a new provincial park. The commitment was mentioned again in the 2023 budget, with officials saying it will add 250 new campsites to the Ontario Parks system.
No details about where this park would be located were provided, however the budget does say that it will offer “four-season facilities” and provide space for swimming, hiking and cross-country skiing.
Protected area in Uxbridge
Very few details have been provided about this project but the province says it is exploring the creation of a new “protected area” in Uxbridge.
Tax credit for manufacturers
Canadian-controlled private corporations will now be eligible for a 10 per cent refundable tax credit of up to $2 million a year for buildings, machinery and equipment—at a cost of $780 million.
Health care staffing shortages
Ontario is investing about $200 million to address staffing shortages in healthcare on top of an $80 million commitment over three years to expand nursing education in universities and colleges.
Just over $41 million will be put towards hiring health-care workers, including 200 medical supervisors and retaining mid-to-late career nurses.
Investing in private clinics
Ontario will put an additional $72 million into OHIP-covered surgeries being performed at community surgical and diagnostic centres.
No more sickdays
As previously reported, Ontario did not extend the temporary three-day pandemic sick leave program, which is set to expire on March 31.
No more detailed COVID costs
The government has removed details of time-limited COVID-19-specific funding from the budget.
It is, however, pledging $113 million over three years for emergency readiness.
Help for seniors
The Ontario government is expanding the Guaranteed Annual Income System to allow 100,000 more seniors to become eligible as of July 2024.
There is also a $1-million investment over three years to expand the province-wide helpline dedicated to elder abuse.
The province has said it will accelerate about $569 million towards home care over the next fiscal year.
More investments in skilled workers
The province is spending $224 million to build and upgrade training centres in Ontario as well as adding $75 million to the Skills Development Fund over the next three years.
No big money for municipalities
There is no big money for cities struggling amid shortfalls as a result of the pandemic and the elimination of development fees by the provincial government.
The PCs have pledged to add an additional $202 million each year to the Homeless Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program—including $48 million for Toronto.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
There's a heightened risk of wildfires across the country during what has been one of the earliest fire seasons on record. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, here's where the risk is highest.
New research from Penn State University found certain factors can contribute to reducing what’s known as the 'urban heat island' effect, and that climate knowledge can contribute to better city planning and design.
The union representing the majority of Quebec's daycare workers is criticizing the government's decision to launch a skimpy 90-hour training program for people who want to be daycare workers but have no prior experience.
A Quebec driver who caused the death of another motorist when he swerved his truck to avoid hitting a family of ducks on the road has been sentenced to eight months in jail and a three-year driving ban.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Ottawa police are praising a local dad for quickly calling for help Sunday afternoon when he accidentally locked his keys in his car, and his infant child along with them.
Ontario Provincial Police say a driver from Augusta Township is facing an impaired driving charge after someone on Highway 416 spotted a vehicle moving erratically.
Windsor city council voted Monday in favour of adopting a master plan with high hopes for City Hall Square and a so-called civic esplanade stretching down to the river
A united front was on full display Monday as community leaders, politicians, business people, unions and educators gathered together at Windsor City Hall to ensure the NextStar Energy battery plant deal gets closed.
Doctors in their final year of training, called residency, can choose to do a one-month rotation at the Shelter Health Initiative (SHI) caring for Windsor’s homeless population.
One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
