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THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 3 Call Ted Anderson 519-623-3050 ext. 232 or email tanderson@cambridgetimes.ca GO "MULTI-MEDIA" with Metroland Starting aS low aS $299 • target geographically using IP addresses • target behaviourally using consumer habits • target "on-the-fly, but close-by" with our fully mobile programs for phones, tablets and other devices ADvErTIsE yOUr MEssAGE On-LInE! 20,000 to1.2 million views or more annually CITY NEWS WATERLOO CHRONICLE CITY NEWS WATERLOO CHRONICLE By Bill Jackson For the Chronicle Whether Ontario's 2017 budget puts lipstick on a pig or builds the stronger, healthier Ontario it pur- ports, depends as usual on who you ask. � e Liberal government is touting a balanced budget. "� ey're cooking the books ahead of an election year and they have no plans to get our debt under con- trol, which is now $312 billion," said Tory MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga, Michael Harris, following last week's announcement. Despite the province's growing debt, Harris said the government is still hiding numbers by, among other things, using government-sponsored pension plans as a reportable asset -- a move Ontario's Auditor Gen- eral Bonnie Lysyk decreed in a past report, because the government doesn't have ready access to the funds. "I mean, we've also had some significant major asset sales to get to where we are today," Harris said, adding that the province currently pays $1 billion each month on inter- est charges, which is more than it spends on most government minis- tries. Despite the sale of Hydro One, Harris said Ontario will still be star- ing at a $5-billion operational de� cit this year. Though it's a number that's expected to be wiped out, Ontari- ans will paying more to do it, Harris said, pointing to the almost $2 bil- lion in revenue that will come in via the province's new cap-and-trade program this year, which will ulti- mately contribute to the bottom line of people's rising hydro bills. Waterloo NDP MPP Catherine Fife said recently announced mea- sures to curtail the impact of increas- ing hydro costs on customers are only Band-Aid solutions. "You're really just transferring long-term debt on future generations for four-year relief to get Kathleen Wynne elected again," she said. "It's unethical and it's irresponsible." In recent polls, the Liberal Party's popularity has plummeted along with Wynne's approval ratings. "� is is a premier in damage con- trol," Fife said. "� ere's a lot of shiny things in this budget, but we all know she has a serious credibility issue." Kitchener Centre Liberal MPP Daiene Vernile said she gets frus- trated when she hears complaints from opposition members who had statements on the budget prepared well in advance of even seeing the document. "This is what they want to com- plain about, but I would say to them -- what would you give us to pay the debt? Which hospital would you not build? Which disabled person do you think we should cut o� ?" Vernile pointed to the people who will be assisted with this year's bud- get by highlighting its centerpiece -- a new drug plan that will extend pharmacare coverage to all people under the age of 24. Locally there's funding for a new Groh public school in the Doon South neighbourhood. Nutrition for Learning programs will get $150,000 over three years to deliver healthy meals in local schools. Vernile said the province is also putting more funding into research and new technology, more specifically autonomous vehicles and quantum technol- ogy, partnering with Waterloo's Quantum Valley to the tune of $20 million over five years for cutting edge research and training. And there's more good news for the tech sector, Vernile said, includ- ing a new careers kick-start strategy to create 40,000 new work-related jobs for students and recent gradu- ates. Kitchener's Communitech is going to be getting funding for a new Ontario digital service outpost. "� ere's actually quite a bit here for Waterloo Region," Vernile said, pointing to ongoing e� orts to expand Highway 401 between Kitchener and Cambridge. Work to build a new Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph is continuing with the replacement of the Victoria Street bridge later this year. Last month, Vernile hosted an information session with members of Metrolinx, the province's man- ager of GO transit, who explained the complex process required to bring two-way, all-day Go train service from Kitchener to Toronto. � e prov- ince is committed to seeing the proj- ect compete by 2024, Vernile said. While opposition members were critical about a lack of detail in the budget for high-speed rail, Vernile said a study carried out by spe- cial advisor has been filed and she expects there to be an announce- ment in Kitchener-Waterloo in com- ing weeks that will a� ect rail service from Toronto to Windsor. In a press release, mayor Berry Vrbanovic cited many of the trans- portation projects that will continue to strengthen the Toronto-Waterloo Region corridor over the long-term. He also focused on housing a� ord- ability measures, from funding for new supportive housing to addition- al policy tools to tackle the cost of rent and housing a� ordability. However Fife contends the bud- get amounts to a $279-million cut to a� ordable housing. She said the new pharmacare plan doesn't capture the majority of workers in precarious, part-time jobs, many of whom are forced to make the choice between eating and buying their medication. � e NDP highlighted that hospital funding falls more than $300 million short of what hospitals say they need and with 300 schools on the chop- ping block today, there's no commit- ment in the budget to stop closing them. "A $4.6-million slash to special education across 15 school boards will go ahead." � e budget ignores badly needed reforms to employment laws and overlooks the long-overdue Chang- ing Workplaces Review, Fife noted. "This budget doesn't undo the damage that has been done by the Liberals over the past 14 years. It doesn't even come close," she said. - with � les from Metroland News Service POLITICAL CONTEXT: The $141-billion bud- get -- which includes measures aimed at youth, seniors, parents, homeowners and anyone who uses the health-care system -- comes as the provin- cial Liberals prepare for next year's election cam- paign. � e party, which has been at the helm for 14 years, has seen its popularity falter in recent polls. PHARMACARE FOR YOUTH: A new program will o� er free prescription drug coverage to anyone under 25, regardless of family income. � e OHIP+ program, which is a key plank of the province's � s- cal plan, will include the more than 4,400 prescrip- tion medications currently covered by the Ontario Drug Bene� t program and requires no co-payment or deductible. It takes e� ect in January of next year and is expected to cost $465 million per � scal year. SENIORS: A new tax credit will make getting around on public transit a little more affordable for those 65 and over. It will allow seniors to claim 15 per cent of eligible transit expenses, up to $130 a year, which is expected to cost the province $10 million annually. Money is also earmarked to build 40 new so-called elderly persons centres, which run programs such as meals on wheels. TOBACCO AND HOTEL TAXES: The Liberal government is increasing tobacco taxes and giving municipalities the authority to introduce a hotel tax. The tax on a carton of cigarettes will go up $10 over the next three years. The hotel tax will be designed by the municipalities after amend- ments are made to the Municipal Act and the City of Toronto Act. NET DEBT: � e province may have eliminated the de� cit in the 2017-18 budget, but net debt con- tinues to grow. It's projected to reach $312 billion this � scal year and rise by $24 billion by 2019-20, even though the Liberals expect to balance the next two budgets as well. FIVE BUDGET FACTS Province paints it black Ontario budget covers up gaps in the face of growing debt, opposition says