Province Releases 2024 Budget: Building a Better Ontario

2024 Budget delivering on plan to rebuild Ontario’s economy

News March 27th, 2024

Windsor–Tecumseh — MPP Andrew Dowie announced that yesterday, Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy released the 2024 Budget: Building a Better Ontario. Like the rest of the world, Ontario continues to face economic uncertainty due to high interest rates and global instability. These challenges are putting pressure on Ontario families and their finances, as well as the province’s finances. Despite these challenges, Ontario is continuing to deliver on its Plan to Buildby investing in infrastructure to get more homes built faster and attracting better jobs with bigger paycheques, all while keeping costs down for families and businesses and retaining a path to balance.

“Windsor and Tecumseh are once again front and centre in our government’s affordability-focused budget, showing that Ontario truly begins right here,” said Andrew Dowie, Member of Provincial Parliament for Windsor–Tecumseh. 

“The new Banwell / E.C. Row Interchange, the future Lauzon Parkway / 401 Interchange, advancing the Windsor-Essex Regional Acute Care Hospital, support for the EV sector including NextStar which will create 2500 jobs and Bobaek which will create 144 jobs, investments in primary health care and in our local schools; including the new Beacon Heights Public School and Eastview Horizon Public School, are making our community stronger than ever.”

Highlights of the Province’s significant actions include:

  • Helping to get more homes built by investing $1 billion in the new Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program and quadrupling the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund to a total of $825 million to help municipalities repair and expand the critical infrastructure needed to reach their housing targets.
  • Connecting approximately 600,000 people to primary health care by investing an additional $546 million over three years.
  • Launching a new $200 million Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund to strengthen communities across Ontario by building and upgrading sport, recreation and community facilities.
  • Investing $46 million over three years, including for the purchase of four police helicopters, to improve community safety by supporting increased patrols and faster response times to major incidents and serious crimes.
  • Keeping costs down for people and businesses by proposing to extend the temporary cuts to the gasoline tax rate by 5.7 cents per litre and the fuel (diesel) tax rate by 5.3 cents per litre until December 31, 2024. This would save Ontario households $320 on average since the cuts were first introduced in July 2022. This relief is especially important as the federal carbon tax is set to increase on April 1, 2024.
  • Supporting individuals facing unstable housing conditions and dealing with mental health and addictions challenges by investing an additional $152 million over three years toward various supportive housing initiatives designed to support vulnerable people.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

  • For the Ontario News Release, please go to: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004355/building-a-better-ontario

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Media Contact:

Mike Lesperance

MPP Andrew Dowie’s Office

PH: 519-251-5199 Cell: 226-724-6329

Email: michael.lesperance@pc.ola.org

Ph: 519-251-5199 Cell: 226-724-6978Email: michael.lesperance@pc.ola.org