Provincial budget misses the mark: as the economy slows, Ontario needs investment in public services now more than ever
TORONTO, May 15, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Ford government unveiled a provincial budget for 2025-26 which yet again laid bare their agenda to put investors and developers first—rather than Ontario families and communities and the public services they rely on.
OPSEU/SEFPO, the union representing more than 200,000 workers in health care, education, social services, the LCBO, and the Ontario Public Service, says that in this moment, with tariff anxieties and day-to-day life getting harder and harder to afford, the key to economic sovereignty is strong and vibrant public services.
"In this moment, we needed a budget that reflected the interests of working people," said OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick. "We did not get that today."
Right now, Ontario is facing massive funding shortfalls in education at all levels. It is consistently last in per-person health care spending among the provinces. Meanwhile, due to stagnant wages for workers throughout the public sector caused by chronic underfunding, community services and those who need them are struggling.
In recent weeks, Ontario has seen sweeping cuts across the college system, which trains the skilled workforce that drives Ontario's economy.
"The Ford government could have turned all of this around today. Instead, they're rolling out a budget that ignores the crises we're facing and takes us backwards," said Hornick. "Across the board, the program spending proposed in this budget will not even keep up with inflation and population growth."
"Ontario was in trouble long before Trump's re-election, and Ontarians can tell when a crisis is being used to distract from policy failures."
Ontario's unemployment rate has risen to 7.8 per cent - the second highest provincial unemployment rate in the country.
"This budget does nothing to 'protect Ontario'. By refusing to adequately invest in public services, Ford is instead barreling towards Trump-style cuts to our public institutions and environmental protections. We'll be footing the bill for these cuts and dealing with the community impacts for years to come," said Hornick.
"The interests of working people and their families should be our north star – because when you invest in people, you create wealth that comes back to all of us."
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