Pathways Newsletter

https://mailchi.mp/397e36817dc8/pathway-group-weekly-newsletter-may-4-8-15511697?e=ca695a3114

Budget Update

Below are the changes that the government made to the re-introduced Budget….

Economic and Fiscal Outlook

• The budget is tweaked to reflect the current state of the economy compared to where it was in April.
• Today the government released the 2022-23 First Quarter Finances which provides updated information about the evolution of Ontario’s economic and fiscal outlook since the 2022 Budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
• Due to higher-than-projected taxation revenues, the government is projecting a deficit of $18.8 billion in 2022-23, an improvement of $1.1 billion from the outlook presented in the 2022 Budget.

Direct Tutoring Supports for Students

• In April 2022, the government launched a new province-wide tutoring program supported by a landmark $175 million investment, the largest of its kind in Ontario’s history. The government is building on this program by investing an additional $225 million for direct payments to parents to help with the extra support their kids need to catch up.
• This additional funding will put money directly into the pockets of parents and guardians and is in addition to the more than $26.6 billion the province is investing in public education this year.
• The government will have more details on how families can access this support later in the year.

Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) Enhancements

• The government will increase the rates for income support by five per cent beginning in September 2022 for families and persons under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).
• Future ODSP rates will also be adjusted to inflation to help protect ODSP clients against rising costs moving forward.
• In addition, beginning September, Ontario will increase the maximum monthly amount for the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program by five per cent to help make life more affordable for these recipients.

From: Leanna Karremans
Sent: August 9, 2022 1:59 PM
Subject: Ontario Re-Introduces Budget 2022

This afternoon Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy re-introduced the government’s 2022 Budget in the Ontario Legislature through the introduction of Bill 2, An act to implement budget measures and to enact and amend various statues.

The budget document was first tabled in late April, but before any debate or discussion could take place, the legislature was adjourned so that MPPs could campaign for the June election. The budget then became Premier Doug Ford’s re-election platform. A copy of the budget released in April, entitled: Ontario’s Plan to Build, can be accessed online at: https://budget.ontario.ca/2022/index.html

The re-tabled budget is nearly the same as the one presented in April, but with some slight tweaks.

At this time, we know the budget contains the following changes:

·         A five per cent increase in funding for the Ontario Disability Support Program

·         A new two-year $225-million child benefit “to provide direct payments to parents to help their kids catch up. This funding is on top of the more than $26.6 billion the province is investing in public education.

·         Income-tax cuts for hundreds of thousands of Ontarians earning less than $50,000 a year and touts two controversial new highways in the Greater Toronto Area.

Full details with respect to changes to the budget have not been released – stay tuned as more information becomes available.

Speech from the throne

Today the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, delivered the Speech from the Throne.

A copy of the speech can be found online here:https://news.ontario.ca/en/speech/1002230/together-lets-build-ontario