Looking for input for the 2019 Provincial budget

I have been meeting with many residents, businesses and community organizations and groups who have shared their ideas and concerns regarding the upcoming provincial budget. It is customary before a government presents a budget to engage Ontarians in pre-budget consultations to help determine priorities for the provincial budget. A budget for the province, much like a household budget, is a way of reaching financial goals. Our challenge this year, as Ontarians, is our structural deficit, meaning the government currently is spending $14.5 billion more a year than it receives in revenue. Ontario is facing a debt of $347 billion and the interest on the debt, this year alone, is $12.5 billion – making it the 4th largest line item in the budget after health care, education and social services.

As a government we need to find ways to restore a fiscal balance, help reduce that debt and ensure accountability and transparency. We need to work smarter, invest smarter and reinvent the way services are delivered. Pre-budget consultations are important because we need to balance the needs of Ontarians against the debt that we must all tackle together.

We need your innovative and cost-effective ideas that can: cut red tape for business and individuals who access provincial services, improve the way we deliver Ontario’s programs and services, and save taxpayers’ money – without job cuts or cuts to front-line services that are depended on every day. It’s not a matter of finding one-time savings cuts, but a way to transform and modernize government, to serve you better.

I encourage you to take advantage of pre-budget consultations. Online submissions are accepted up until February 8th.

This year I am asking you to consider how the government can make improvements, cut red-tape and save taxpayers’ money, while providing necessary services. Your ideas will help us prioritize and fund what is truly needed and eliminate the waste and expenses that do not offer any value to Ontarians.

You can submit your ideas for the 2019 Ontario budget by mail, email or by responding to a short survey. Visit my website www.sylviajonesmpp.ca to find the link to the survey or email me at sylvia.jonesco@pc.ola.org, or write to me at 244 Broadway, Orangeville ON L9W 1K5.

I want to hear from you Dufferin-Caledon. Share your innovative, cost-effective ideas to help save money and improve the delivery of a program or service. Together we can create a province that invests money wisely, has programs and services that meet the needs of residents, and offers value for service.

With your help, I am confident that we can build an Ontario that is fiscally responsible, accountable for its spending and transparent. An Ontario that future generations will be proud to call home.

You can participate in budget consultations for the 2019 Ontario Budget here.

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