Provincial budget recap in thirty links or less

The first Ontario Budget to be supported by a goofy cartoon featuring finance minister Dwight Duncan is “an exercise in paying more and getting less” says John Tory, it’s “another missed opportunity to make life better for working families” says Howard Hampton, and it was pronounced a letdown for those lobbying on behalf of long term care, publicly-funded physiotherapy and the municipal infrastructure whose taxes will continue to be diverted to those health and social services that argue they don’t get enough. Catholic school trustees feel their allocated funds are not enough, public educators think the situation looks peachy, and secondary school teachers give it a mixed review. Daycare expansion has met the axe, social assistance payments have risen a small notch, and the province has topped up funding for Toronto’s highbrow arts construction. (But forget about pleasing farmers, steelworkers, or post-secondary students.) The official party press release is headlined Experts Agree: The Liberal Budget is Good for All Ontario, and those responsible for medical research and innovation appreciate their injection of funds, reaffirming how there are plenty of projects being supported by the province beyond research into the sex lives of flying squirrels. But will this blitz change the fact that half of Ontario was ready to throw Dalton McGuinty out of office, according to a Leger Marketing survey, as if half the population can be bothered to pay attention to what happens at Queen’s Park? Well, the $1.2 billion flood of infrastructure funding for GTA public transit has dominated headlines – the promise of more harmonic service between each region will overshadow the TTC’s effort to spruce up its image with the Pizzazz campaign, promising subway appearances from a Lucille Ball lookalike or Mysterion the Mind Reader. Brampton is being granted the cash to start its rapid transit initiative, Mississauga is pleased to get their Hwy. 403 bus line, while Durham feels that Hwy. 407 was unrightfully ignored. But that subway to York University and beyond? Maybe not the surest thing, points out James Bow, especially since the promised $670 million will sit in a trust fund until the next election. The drawbacks of such a plan are dragged out in the pages of NOW, wondering why 90 times this year’s TTC budget shortfall should be splurged on six kilometres of subway track. The Globe and Mail speculated whether it was tied to former finance minister Greg Sorbara’s family-owned collection of unappealing apartment buildings that happen to be situated along the new route.