Local reaction to provincial budget

Early local reaction to Thursday’s provincial budget is positive regarding money for health care and to address the shortage of health care workers.

Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison says money for health care is always welcome.

“Multi-billion for hospital expansion, that’s definitely needed, and obviously that’ll include new hospitals as well as improvements to old. And also a great addition to the base funding for hospitals and, you know, we’ve got money in there to hire and maintain healthcare workers.”

Harrison is says investments in capital projects is also much needed.

There will be $200 million invested to grow the province’s health care workforce, a move applauded by Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis.

“As you’re well aware, we’ve been investing in doctor recruitment and nurses also so there is funding for healthcare for students, training opportunities, looking at internationally educated nurses to become accredited in Ontario. And investing in more positions from 100 to about 154 spots for medical school.”

With an aging community, Ellis is also pleased to see funding for homecare and more support for seniors.

Bay of Quinte MPP and Minister of Energy Todd Smith says the province’s investments will impact this region directly, including money for education, infrastructure and to hire more health care workers.

Smith says funding is coming for several local projects that weren’t mentioned specifically in the budget.

“Big projects like the BEAR, the Belleville East Arterial Route, Prince Edward Memorial Hospital, obviously in the budget even though it wasn’t explicitly mentioned, and, and a lot of people in our area are waiting for high speed internet service and we’ve got all the funding and the regulatory framework in place to ensure that happens by 2025.”

The Conservative budget predicts a $1.3 billion deficit, with a small $200 million surplus in 2024-25.

Smith says a surplus by next year is a realistic goal.

He says while anything can happen, such as a pandemic, with revenues the way they are right now, they are a little ahead of the schedule they set out for the province.

“We do have the road map. We do have a lot of contingencies as well that we’ve built into the road map just to protect ourselves in case there is a flare-up of something or a natural disaster of some kind that might hit the province, but, I know the finance minister and our premier feel pretty comfortable about the road map that we have set out to get us back to a slight surplus by 2024-25.”

The Tory plan calls for a $4.4 billion surplus the following fiscal year.

Smith will talk more about the budget Friday morning (March 24) during the first hour of the Lorne Brooker Show on 800 CJBQ (9:05 a.m).

Executive Director of the Quinte Community Development Council Ruth Ingersoll says while there were several good elements to the budget, many of them are long term solutions and don’t address immediate needs.

“I didn’t really see anything there for the average family who is struggling and we know people are struggling. I think of things like food affordability right now. Because of having to pay so much in rent, could there be a housing benefit, something given to those families so they’re not paying more than 30 per cent so that they could then afford food?”

Ingersoll is also disappointed that the program to give Ontario workers three paid sick days during the pandemic won’t be renewed after it expires at the end of this month.

The CEO of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce is giving a thumbs up to the provincial budget.

Jill Raycroft says the government is following through on its promise to invest in economic growth by providing support for capital investments and offering tax relief to business.

However, Raycroft believes Loyalist College could be much better utilized for skilled trades training.

“It is unfortunate to hear that investment in skilled trades continues to be directed toward the union halls that requires local apprentices to travel especially as Loyalist College’s continued appeals to offer these programs are declined on the premise there is no need.”

Raycroft also said increased money for the Ontario immigrant nominee program which provides incentives to skilled immigrants to live outside of the GTA will help the Quinte region as it has in the past.

On another note Raycroft said the local and Ontario Chambers of Commerce fully support the building of detox centres in small and medium sized communities.