How did the province stray so far off course?
The numbers are a bit shocking: if successive Ontario governments had been just a little prudent with money, the province’s massive debt would be exactly zero. Instead, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy announced a few weeks ago that Ontario’s government debt now exceeds $400 billion. Rather than being the envy of other provinces, Ontario today is…
It’s time for Ford to do the job he was sent to Queen’s Park to do
When Ontario Premier Doug Ford was running for office, he promised to deliver tax relief for Ontario families and businesses. “We have a very simple theory,” said Ford during the 2018 provincial election campaign. “Put money back into the taxpayers’ pocket instead of the government’s pocket, because we believe that the taxpayers are a lot…
Ontario’s politicians have to stop spending like drunken sailors
Ontario Premier Doug Ford needs to end the province’s 15-year-long spending bonanza. Ford continues to rule out spending cuts to help balance the budget, but he shouldn’t. To contextualize Ontario’s history of reckless spending, take yourself back to 2007. The first-ever iPhone was just released. U.S. President George W. Bush in the White House. And…
Ford outspent former premier Kathleen Wynne even before COVID-19 hit the province
The clock is ticking on Ontario Premier Doug Ford. He promised Ontarians “the party is over with taxpayers’ money.” Now he needs to keep his promise to get spending under control before time runs out and the next election starts. While some may argue that Ford has not had a chance to fix the province’s…
The government needs to rethink its heavy-handed approach to internet regulation
Rarely, in the history of Confederation, have so many, from so many points on the political spectrum, been so unified in opposition to one specific policy. Before the last election, the Trudeau government’s proposed internet regulations provoked opposition from journalists, academics, civil liberties groups, women’s advocacy organizations, librarians, privacy experts, research think tanks, concerned citizens…
To rule out cutting spending anywhere is a major disservice to Ontario taxpayers
It’s odd to use a throne speech to outline the government’s lack of vision. While the recent throne speech predictably focused on COVID-19, the only significant non-pandemic promise was a pledge to balance the budget relying solely on economic growth, with no spending cuts or tax increases. In other words: the Ontario government has no…
The largest province in the nation should not have the most anemic economic growth rate
Good things used to grow in Ontario when we were the economic engine, but now we are nine spots behind the pace car. A new report released by the Fraser Institute shows that, over the past 20 years, Ontario has suffered from a lack of money being injected into businesses, and that has stalled our…
Lesson No. 1: Don't crumble in the face of focus-group gurus
The Conservative Party’s defeat in the recent federal election offers important lessons for Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole chose to abandon core principles to try to win an election. Long-standing stances on carbon taxes, balanced budgets and broad-based tax relief crumbled in the face of focus-group gurus. Politicians have been trying to…
None of the major parties have a realistic plan to get the nation’s finances in order
Politicians have made promises that will cost tens of billions of dollars during this election. But when it comes time to open their wallets to pay the tab, these party leaders are running to hide in the bathroom while taxpayers cover the bill. Politicians and taxpayers both need to understand a simple truth: there is…
Without taxes, the price of gas per litre today would be sitting at 92 cents
Hardworking taxpayers are facing record-high gas prices, and politicians are the culprits driving up the bills. In Ontario, up to 38 per cent of the price of gas that we are charged at the pumps comes from taxes, according to a report released by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. And that percentage is only set to…