Bisson on budget: "not a lot of surprises"

The 2015 Ontario budget didn’t contain many surprises, according to Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson.

The NDP House Leader and Natural Resources and Forestry Critic says the biggest part of it was the selling of 60% of Hydro One, which the Liberals say will raise $9-billion.

Bisson says that will cost Ontarians “a lot of money” in the long run.

On infrastructure, the province plans on spending $11.9 billion in 2015-16, mostly on highway improvements in Northern Ontario and rapid transit, part of a $130-billion, 10-year plan announced in last year’s budget.

Bisson says most of the money will go into subway and transit improvements in the GTA and Hamilton areas.  While he agrees the funding is needed, projects outside the area are getting neglected, specifically Southwest, Southeast and Northern Ontario.

Connecting Link funding doesn’t come into effect until 2016, where $15-million will be put aside annually for 77 municipalities.

Bisson says there isn’t a lot on economic development, or a sense the Liberals are trying to grow the revenue to balance the budget and provide the dollars needed to run the province.

The Liberals are promising to lower the deficit to $8.5 billion by next year, down to $4.8 billion in 2016-17 and ultimately balance the budget by 2017-18.

CLICK HERE to see how the Liberals set their numbers.