April 28th, 2017

NDP: Out-of-touch Wynne budget fails Toronto

Ontario New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement regarding the complete absence of funding for urgent community housing repairs in yesterday’s Wynne Liberal budget.

“Kathleen Wynne and the Liberal government have consistently ignored the funding needs of Canada’s biggest city. With her budget, she had an opportunity to start to undo some of the damage she’s done, and she refused to do that.

Premier Wynne has shown that she just doesn’t get the need. 

By not helping the City of Toronto repair and upgrade its crumbling affordable housing stock, Premier Wynne is turning her back on thousands of families and children who desperately need safe, affordable housing. At a time when Toronto is growing, literally hundreds of affordable housing units are being shuttered. The years-long waiting list for affordable housing is getting longer, and more and more families are being pushed past their breaking point as a result.

I’ve made my commitment to Mayor John Tory clear: the NDP will be a partner in affordable housing. Our promise is that an NDP government will fund one-third of the repair costs for social housing units, sharing the responsibility equally with the city and the federal government.

I’ve also committed to 50-50 funding support for transit operations – another priority that was left out in Wynne’s budget. 

After years of neglect by the province, including a $129 million cut to Toronto’s social housing in 2013 alone, this budget fails to undo any of the damage done by the Wynne Liberals. This budget makes clear that Ontarians that they won’t get help on affordable housing until they see a change of government.