Doug Ford is following through with municipal funding cuts for 2020
It seems many Ontarians' nightmares are coming true, because the provincial government just announced they'll officially be moving forward with municipal funding cuts for public health and child care.
The controversial cuts have been largely criticized, along with many other cuts since Ford took office.
At a conference of the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO), Ford announced the cuts will officially come into effect on January 1, 2020.
Ford also announced on Monday that the provincial government will be providing municipalities with "transitional funding" to give them time to search for more money and to protect public services.
Ford didn't provide much other detail on the logistics of said "transitional funding."
Public health and childcare funding cuts were originally implemented retroactively earlier this year, but the Progressive Conservative government cancelled them when municipal governments complained that they needed more time, as their annual budgets had already passed.
Under the changes, municipal governments will have to pay 30 per cent of public health-care costs, as well as 20 per cent of the cost of creating new child-care space.
New child-care space costs were originally funded entirely by the province, and Ford said the cost sharing agreement will eventually grow to a 50/50 split by 2021.
The province currently has an $11.7-billion deficit, and Ford's government claims the cuts are essential in order to tackle it, but many aren't buying it.
It's time for round two of the fight against Ford's cuts to public health.
— Bhutila Karpoche (@BhutilaKarpoche) August 19, 2019
We won the first fight (no more retroactive cuts), now we need to keep the pressure: organize with your neighbours, protest wherever Ford goes, call the minister. #ParkHP #ONpoli https://t.co/BJiFwV4ETR
Toronto's city councillors are also expressing concern.
Waiting to see the full announcement, but if Doug Ford is once again announcing cuts to public health and childcare, that is nothing short of an attack on Ontarians. Let’s hope this early story is wrong as this would be terrible news for Ontario’s cities. https://t.co/zzw8EwJJI9
— Joe Cressy (@joe_cressy) August 19, 2019
And many are worried about the effects these cuts will have on vulnerable members of society.
At the hospital waiting for the lady to get a baby scan and I read on cp24 that #DougFord is cutting health spending next year and offloading it to the regions. I look around at all the elderly here and it ain’t going to get better
— Andy Guglielmo (@AndyGuglielmo) August 19, 2019
Some are even saying the announcement will ensure Ford isn't reelected.
in other words, Ontario Premier Doug Ford to announce he will never be re-elected and will go down as on of the worst Premiers of Ontario of all time
— Andrew (@AndrewH73) August 19, 2019
Pressure to reverse the cuts is already beginning, but it remains to be seen whether or not it will have any effect.
