Billions in promises

Re: Ford defends lack of full platform, says it will come before election day — May 30

The media and individual citizens have been asking Doug Ford to reveal a budget for his campaign promises.

There are indications in different parts of the PC website that give some details but no final summary.

As the PC website emphasizes that education in Ontario must return to emphasizing basic number facts, I offer my skills as a former math teacher to summarize Mr. Ford’s promises using numbers taken from the PC party website.

For year one, new costs would include: minimum wage increase, $558 million; child care, $389 million; new hospital beds, $186 million; Toronto subway, $1.25 billion; mental health, $380 million; addiction, $190 million; autism, $25 million; and environment, $125 million. The total for these

new costs will be $3.1 billion.

In addition to new expenditures Mr Ford is promising tax reductions. For year one these reductions would include a 20 per cent tax reduction for people in the second tax bracket (cost, $2.2 billion); termination of the cap and trade tax ($1.9 billion); and reduction of the gas tax ($1.19 billion). The first-year loss of revenue would be $5.29 billion.

When the loss of revenue is combined with the increase in spending the net result is a potential deficit of $8.39 billion.

In addition, the PC website offers further promises for years two, three and four that would increase new spending to $3.13 billion and reduce revenue by $6.65 billion for a net deficit of $9.78 billion.

I suggest that it is time for Mr. Ford to explain how he plans to offset these deficits in order to balance the Ontario books. Gordon Nicholls

Kitchener