HELPING ALL ONTARIANS REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL

On Nov. 6, our provincial government delivered the 2019 fall economic statement, a Plan to Build Together.

It is a plan that invests an additional $1.3 billion in critical public services this year — a bigger spending increase compared with our 2019 budget. It is a plan that also keeps our promise to balance the budget by 2023-2024.

We are able to invest more money on new schools, for example, like the new high school coming to Louis St. Laurent Avenue and Bronte Street South, because we have grown Ontario’s economy by 256,200 new jobs since June 2018.

Even with the debt challenge given to us, our government is spending $1.9 billion more for our public health care. This investment will create a public health-care system that focuses on you.

By expanding home- and community-care services, investing in essential hospital infrastructure projects, and adding 15,000 new long-term care beds in five years, we are reducing wait times, ending hallway health care and improving access to long-term care.

Education funding has increased, too. In total, we are spending over $24 billion, an increased investment of $1.2 billion. Funding per student has gone up, and we have introduced new programs to help students achieve.

This includes our new Priority and Partnership Fund, a new math strategy, investments into science, technology, engineering and math, along with career paths into the skilled trades. We remain focused on ensuring every person has the opportunity to reach their full potential, and we will continue to work with parents and educators to make this happen.

Our plan is working. We will continue to make progress with responsible financial management while making strategic investments into the programs we all rely on most.