Ontario Budget Balancing Act: Use the Axe

>View our balanced budget Ontario campaign How will Ontario dig itself out of the giant fiscal mess in which it now sits? Ontarians should not hold their collective breath expecting much of an answer from the 2010 provincial budget. It is most likely Premier McGuinty will announce little more than a hope that the province will grow back to fiscal health in the distant future. Read more »

ON: 10 Cent Solution to Avoid Ontario’s BSTax Mess

BST promises higher sales tax on many items Taxpayers in Ontario have good reason to be concerned with the prospect of another 8 per cent being added to the costs of many services with the new Blended Sales Tax (BST). Read more »

Protecting Toronto From a Garbage Strike

TORONTO: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is urging Premier McGuinty and Mayor Miller to act swiftly should a garbage strike occur next week in Toronto. CTF Federal Director, Kevin Gaudet, said “The city’s plans for a strike should reassure taxpayers not union bosses. The only plans taxpayers need are for getting striking workers back on the job and for taxpayers to have all the services they pay for.” Read more »

Assessing Ontario's Blended Sales Tax

A lot is being made of the Ontario government’s recent decision to combine the provincial sales tax with the federal GST to create a blended sales tax (BST).  Taxpayers and consumers have good reason to be concerned with the prospect of another 8% being added to the costs of many services in Ontario.  While it might be a good idea in principle, now is the wrong time to impose the BST and Mr. McGuinty is going about it the wrong way. Read more »

New Brunswick Example for Ontario Prosperity

New Brunswick Premier, Shawn Graham, recently brought down his provincial budget.  He chose the road of hope and change for taxpayers, not the tired path of the status quo that has seen the growth of ineffective and costly government.  Instead of leading the province through a debate about how much should be spent, for how long, on which new programs, Premier Graham has fostered a dialogue about how to make New Brunswick more competitive, how to leave more money in the pockets of families and how to foster an environment where businesses can create jobs.  Ontario would be wis Read more »

Ontario's Labour Pains

These days in Ontario all taxpayers, not just pregnant women, get to experience labour pains.  However, in today’s Ontario, labour pains refer to something completely different.  They refer to the pains of government budget makers and taxpayers being squeezed by labour leaders during recent contract negotiations.  Taxpayers need politicians to act with firm resolve during labour negotiations to keep costs reasonable and to ensure balanced budgets. Read more »

Ontario: Taxing Christmas Cheer

Andy Williams probably summed up the holiday season best when he said: “It's the most wonderful time of the year.”  However, it’s doubtful Mr. Williams’ joyous outlook would apply to Ontario where the McGuinty government has been hiking everything, from the deficit, to corporate welfare, to even the minimum price on beer.   Read more »

Rules Needed to Protect Against Deficit Deeds

Premier McGuinty and Finance Mister Duncan recently issued Ontario's Fall Economic Statement announcing, despite being one of the last governments in the country to balance its books, it will be one of the first to rush back to deficit financing. This hold-up of Ontario taxpayers is unnecessary, was avoidable and could still be averted with little effort and no cuts to spending. Taxpayers should turn to four rules of fiscal sanity for needed protection from the McGuinty-Duncan gang's nasty deficit deeds. Read more »

Playing Pan Am Games with Deficits

The McGuinty government is only a long jump away from leading Ontario back into deficit, yet it still believes spending - yet un-budgeted - $1.7 billion on the 2015 Pan Am Games is a prudent financial move. Dropping large sums of money on fun and entertainment with little or no return is anything but prudent. During uncertain times families tighten their belts and protect their cash - starting with the entertainment budget. That is what good financial managers do. Read more »

Artists Versus Arteaucrats

Prominent arts lobbyists have been making great efforts to paint the picture of a Conservative government having 'gutted the arts'. Many sing from the same plaintive song-sheet suggesting that the Canadian artistic community is suffering and starved for funds. Like many interest groups seeking more money, they play the same broken record trying to evoke images of starving artists and a heartless government. The facts, however, paint a different picture. Read more »