This story was updated on November 12, 2024.
MPP Graydon Smith said last Friday that the 2024 Ontario Fall Economic Statement, released on October 30, is good news for the riding.
“It’s fantastic news for the people of the riding here in Parry Sound-Muskoka,” said Smith. “Premier Ford and our Minister of Finance, Minister Bethlenfalvy, have done a great job in figuring out what we need, which is relief, affordability. You know, groceries are expensive, gas is expensive, so $200 in the pocket of adults and most kids is something that’s really going to make a tangible difference to the people here to provide that financial relief.”
Smith said the Ontario government is proposing to further extend the temporary gas tax and fuel tax rate cuts so that the tax rate on gasoline and fuel (diesel) would remain at 9 cents per litre until June 30, 2025. This relief is especially important as the federal carbon tax is set to increase again on April 1, 2025. “We know how expensive it is every time we go to the pump and fill up; we can feel it. So, affordability is again top of mind for our government. People need relief today, as to whether it’s at the pumps for that gas tax cut, [or]whether it’s right into your wallet with the money; we want to make sure that we’re doing what we can to make life more affordable for Ontarians.”
He said the province is a couple of years out from balancing the budget, expected by 2026–27. “Again, that’s to the credit of our Finance Minister, who has done a great job of finding that path where other jurisdictions in Canada haven’t, and the federal government hasn’t. So, we’re tackling the challenges of today. We’re looking after affordability issues for the people in Ontario and in our riding and making sure that we’re being responsible managers of the public purse,” added Smith.
Smith also spoke of Ontario’s plan, starting in 2026, to invest an estimated $88 million over three years ( $17.7 million for 2026–27) to expand Learn and Stay grants for 1,360 eligible undergraduate students who commit to practising family medicine with a full roster of patients anywhere in Ontario once they graduate. The funds will cover things like tuition, books, supplies, and equipment. The province estimates the total investment will enable the connection of an additional 1.36 million people to primary care.
“It’s a Learn and Stay program similar to what we have for nursing right now, and I’m really excited about it for family doctors. We know that we need more family docs in Ontario, so we’ve taken two really positive steps forward to help achieve that. One is to reserve undergraduate space, 95 per cent of that space for Ontarians. The other is to make sure that those that want to practise in Ontario will stay in Ontario,” he said. “It’s an agreement. If we’re going to pay for your education, you’re going to serve the people of Ontario.”
Smith also spoke of the increase to the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, the primary transfer program of funds to municipalities from the province. Smith said it’s increasing from $500M to $600M. “What that means locally is more money for our municipalities to provide the services that people count on every day in their community.” He said it represents an increase of about $2.6M in the riding. “When you look at the budgets of a lot of the municipalities that we have in the riding, some of them are large, in the towns, but some of them are quite small too, and every dollar matters. So, these dollars are unrestricted. Municipalities can use them in a way that they see fit to best benefit their communities.”
According to Huntsville Deputy Mayor Dan Armour, the Town of Huntsville’s share is $109,400 [more], which is being used to offset the levy. “It’s great news,” he told Doppler. (According to a list received from the province on November 12, 2024, the Town of Huntsville will receive $2,042,900 in 2025). You can find the list HERE.
Smith said the carbon tax is making things unaffordable. “The biggest challenge people have today is the carbon tax is baked into everything, and that is really impacting people on a day-to-day affordability piece, and so that’s why it’s so important to get that money into the hands of people as soon as we can to make sure there is some relief there for people in Parry Sound-Muskoka. So I’m very pleased about that.”
Smith said the Ford government’s approach is to work on a broader scale with big emitters, like the electrification of arc furnaces at steel plants. “That is a massive amount of carbon reduction when that comes online. The same thing is happening in Hamilton with one of the producers there.” Smith said he’s working through his own Ministry on carbon capture “and making sure that at-source carbon is being captured from high emitters and stored safely in the ground… these are the large scale steps that we can take that are good for the environment and that have real tangible benefits. The carbon tax, especially when you get to our area of Parry Sound-Muskoka, is nothing but punitive on people because it’s coming out of their wallets every day, whether it’s within the food that they buy or the fuel that they put in their vehicle. You know, we don’t have the option that maybe some people have, especially around transportation. People need to get up every day and fill up their vehicles and get to work and get their kids to wherever they need to go and live their lives,” he said, reiterating that his government is approaching carbon reduction on a large scale. “People on their day-to-day lives still can make the changes that work for them, but not to have it forced upon them.”
Asked about the U.S. election and what it might mean for Ontario, Smith said there is a lot of speculation right now. “We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out exactly, but I can say that Ontario has been a fantastic, fantastic trading partner with the United States. We do hundreds of billions of dollars of business every year with them, and it’s, I think, in both our interests for that to continue and make sure that we can continue to support the U.S. and they can be a purchaser for the products that we have,” said Smith. “We have representation in the United States that has always built good relationships at the state level and at the federal level. There’s no better relationship though than [with]the Premier of Ontario, and we’ll continue to build those relationships with the U.S. and hopefully continue to have a great economic partnership with our biggest trading partner.”
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The Real Person!
The Real Person!
The $200 would be much better spent putting it into the school system, for help in the classrooms, for the next generation. Just talk to a teacher right now, the whole system is in trouble.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Our schols and hospitals, roads and infastracuture, public transit, etc. are underfunded. People, even those without vehicles, also receive the federal tax refunds already. Doug Ford’s nonsense has to stop. It’s obvious an election is on the hroizon as Mr. Smith just keeps blowing hot air trying to buy your vote.
Paul Yannuzzi says
Why doesn’t the Doppler push back on the government of Ontario’s talking points with the federal perspective? The carbon tax for example is effectively a neutral tax for constituents of Graydon Smith’s riding.