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Ontario: Brutal underfunding punishes health and education

The government of Ontario is deliberately starving public services.

No strings attached

There’s more money on the table—but without adequate strings attached, the provinces could end up spending it on tax cuts instead of fixing health care.

Poverty in the Midst of COVID-19

For policy-makers, perhaps the most obvious lesson of the pandemic is that poverty, including child poverty, can be reduced much more quickly than Ontario has done in recent years. Timid policies that unfold incrementally over decades are of no use to children who will be grown up before we finally get around to taking action.

Budget 2023: What if Ontario aimed to be average?

Imagine how much better things could be if Ontario just aimed to be average, rather than low, on public spending

School bargaining: Down at Queen’s Park, $100 million is pocket change

The province spends much more money on things that aren’t priorities. Supporting education workers should be high on the priority list.

Queen's Park is richer than it admits

The Ontario government is underestimating 2022-23 revenues by a whopping $10 billion. Rather than recording a predicted deficit, the province is on track to be in surplus territory by the spring.

Five things to know about Ontario’s strikebreaking law

The Ontario government just declared war on the constitutionally protected right to strike, using the notwithstanding clause.

Flush with cash

This is a remarkable story of economic recovery from the depths of the COVID-19 lockdown impacts. The next chapter will be written by the provinces as they decide what to do with their unexpected budget surpluses.

Ontario finances don’t justify attack on wages

Provincial revenues are up dramatically of late—Queen’s Park can afford to bargain fairly

Educators are parents. Parents are workers. And facts are facts.

Ontario’s political rhetoric creates divisions where, in reality, none exist.

While Ontario struggles, Queen’s Park stashes cash

Ontario’s deficit became a surplus last year. The Ford government couldn’t think of a single thing to spend it on

Online learning means classroom cuts—no matter what students do

Four years of austerity has weakened Ontario’s public education system. COVID-19 and online learning deepen educational inequalities.

Cars vs. care: comparing the spending priorities of the Ontario parties

The race is on for the June 2 Ontario election. Question is: which issue will voters care more about—cars or care services?

What do women want? In Ontario, they want change

A government that reflected women’s preferences would take Ontario in a different direction, if the polls are correct.

Ontario health spending will be too low if the 2022 budget is passed

Provincial underfunding of health care has consequences for all Ontarians

Ontario election: What’s in it for people who rent?

A look at what the provincial party platforms do for renters

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