ONTARIO BUDGET The cuts keep coming

Here’s an evolving list of some of the higher-profile spending cuts by a Progressive Conservative government that has vowed to shrink a $12-billion provincial deficit

THE PROGRESSIVE

Conservative’s first provincial budget keeps taking people by surprise.

Premier Doug Ford came to power vowing to cut provincial spending by $6 billion, then unveiled a record $163.4-billion first budget. There were some pleasant surprises for Hamilton.

For example, a renewed $1-billion commitment to light rail transit as well as extra help to cover the loss of federal housing subsidies that are winding down.

“The budget isn’t the hack-andslash people were expecting,” suggested Mayor Fred Eisenberger the day the spending plan was announced.

But that was two weeks ago. Since then, the more the city learns about the province’s latest budget, the less money it has to spend.

“It’s the budget that just keeps on taking,” said Coun. Brad Clark following a week of announcements of various cuts to public health, library services, child care and flood management.

More budget cut news is expected — on city ambulances, social services and the teaching job implications of planned larger class sizes, for example.

For now, here are some higherprofile spending and program cuts

and their corresponding local impacts since the Tory government came to power.

High-profile projects:

Basic income: The Progressive Conservatives cut short what was supposed to be a three-year experiment to give 4,000 residents an annual guaranteed income of up to $17,000 for individuals or $24,000 for couples. This hit local residents hard, with 1,000 of the participants in the Hamilton-Brantford area. Brow lands sale for affordable

housing: the province killed a (Liberal-negotiated) deal to sell brow lands — including crumbling Century Manor — to Mohawk College via the city. This yanked $9 million in sale proceeds meant for a York Boulevard mixed-income project and disappointed heritage fans hoping to see the historic manor restored.

Ancaster Arts Centre: the province clawed back a $3-million grant in March for long-planned arts centre — that also has city and federal funding attached — just months before construction was due to start.

Cap-and-trade cuts:

Cycling: the demise of the provincial cap-and-trade program also erased a funding source that provided $3.7 million locally for city projects like SoBi expansion and a Claremont multi-use trail up the Mountain;

Housing: the city lost an expected $16.9 million over three years under the Social Housing Apartment Improvement Plan, and an anticipated $541,000 under the GreenON Social Housing Program; Hamilton public school board: lost $2.1 million for school renovations and energy efficiency initiatives;

Mohawk College: axed $1.2 million grant for Centre for Climate Change Management;

Latest provincial budget

Legal aid: a 30 per cent funding cut to Legal Aid Ontario will radically reduce aid offered to refugees and immigrants. The Hamilton and region office handled 1,225 refugee and immigration cases in the past year.

Flood management: Funding for “natural hazards” programming cut in half. For Hamilton Conservation Authority, that means a $90,000 cut this year.

Trees : Province ends 50 Million Trees program. It has helped plant at least 800,000 trees in Hamilton and Halton since 2008. Ontario Music Fund: budget cut in half. Local groups that have benefited from the fund in the past include the Arkells, Supercrawl, Sonic Unyon, and Burlington Sound of Music Festival. Public health: The province is downloading more costs to municipalities.

This year, city must pay 30 per cent rather than 25 per cent of such costs. That exact funding shortfall remains unclear. Child care: City is braced for a budget hole this year for subsidized child care. The province wants the city to take over about 20 per cent of some program costs, which could translate into a $2 million shortfall. Ambulance service: Budget cuts and amalgamated services are possible; no details yet. Social services: Province ends Hamilton pilot project to offer addictions treatment to welfare recipients struggling to re-enter workforce. Other social services budget changes are expected. Transit/gas tax: No bump-up for the municipal share of gas tax from 2 cents a litre to 4 cents a litre. (This was promised by the deposed Liberals.) That’s a loss of an extra $10 million a year for the HSR by 2021.

School class sizes/staffing : The province is upping some class sizes and planning to cut 3,475 teaching jobs — via attrition, ideally — over four years to save an estimated $851 million. It remains unclear how many local teaching positions will disappear as a result of the changes.

Libraries: funding cut in half to Southern Ontario Library Services, which will end a popular interlibrary loan service. Locally, 4,242 requests were made last year from Hamilton residents for materials from libraries in other cities.

“It’s the budget that just keeps on taking.” COUN. BRAD CLARK Commenting on cuts to public health, library services, child care and flood management