More Experts Agree: Ontario Liberals Creating Jobs and Helping People in their Everyday Lives

QUEEN'S PARK, May 2, 2013 /CNW/ - More experts agree that today's Ontario Liberal budget creates jobs and helps people in their everyday lives:

SONYA GULATI, SENIOR ECONOMIST, TD BANK FINANCIAL GROUP
"The government tabled an economic action plan of its own—an Ontario economic action plan…On one particular point the Ontario government paralleled a tax move to try and get manufactures building machinery and equipment once again. That will spur and hopefully stimulate the manufacturing economy a very important part of the Ontario economy."

DAVE COLES, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS ENERGY AND PAPERWORKERS UNION
"This [budget] is proof that minority government can work to the advantage of working people."

ONTARIO MEDICAL ASSOCATION
"Ontario's doctors were pleased that the 2013 Ontario provincial budget reiterated its commitment to move ahead with the implementation of several key initiatives including children's mental health, reducing childhood obesity rates, the expansion of e-consultations, shifting more routine procedures out of hospital and into clinics, and further investments in home care and long-term care."

DOUG BROOKS, CEO, CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANTS OF ONTARIO
"The Certified General Accountants of Ontario commends the government for its recommitment to deficit elimination by 2017-18… It is promising to see that program spending is projected to be less than one per cent for the second year in a row and will remain at this level until the budget is balanced."

NORM CHEESMAN, CEO, ONTARIO PUBLIC TRANSIT ASSOCIATION
"The commitment to new revenue tools and a permanent dedicated gas tax in support of transit infrastructure contained in today's budget demonstrates that public transit is a key priority. These new measures will help alleviate traffic congestion, provide more efficient mobility options and boost the economy, not only in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, but across the province of Ontario."

MICHAEL ROSCHLAU, PRESIDENT & CEO, CANADIAN URBAN TRANSIT ASSOCIATION
"We commend the government for its visionary leadership in support of public transit. By supporting the concept of new revenue tools for transit, the Minister of Finance is giving transit systems and municipalities the resources they need to make a tangible difference in peoples' lives."

DEBBIE FIELD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FOODSHARE TORONTO
"We are pleased to see exemptions to the first $200 earned for those receiving Social Assistance as a first step in what we hope will be other improvements. This will make a positive difference in the lives of many people we work with who want the opportunity to take on meaningful part time work without losing their benefits or subsidized housing."

CHRIS LEWIS, COMMISSIONER, ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
"Issues of transportation and infrastructure, roads and bridges, that's very important to what we do in Ontario, keeping the motoring public safe. That all sounds very encouraging. Also, the discussion around First Nation communities sounds very positive. Just the general sense of a reduced deficit is encouraging to me as a taxpayer and as the commissioner of a very large organization that is funded by the public purse. It's all very encouraging."

FRANZ HARTMANN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TORONTO ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE
"We're really glad that the province has finally taken a significant first step towards wanting to raise new revenue streams to raise new revenues to pay for public transit expansion in the greater Toronto and Hamilton Area… I hope whatever does happen all the political parties follow the province and acknowledge that we need dedicated revenue streams to pay for The Big Move"

KELLY GORMAN, SENIOR MANAGER, CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY (ONTARIO DIVISION)
"The budget reaffirms the government's commitment to skin cancer prevention."

MARCEL AUBUT, PRESIDENT, CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
"Today is yet another example of how this government genuinely understands the need for continued sport funding in Canada's most populous province…On behalf of Canada's Olympic family, I would like to thank Premier Wynne, Finance Minister Sousa and Minister Chan, the Minister responsible for the Pan/Parapan American Games, for their ongoing commitment to sport, health and active living. This is good news for Ontario and good news for Canada."

BONNIE M. PATTERSON, PRESIDENT & CEO, COUNCIL OF ONTARIO UNVERSITIES
"Action from government on youth employment will have a positive influence on our ability to ensure students' success in the workplace."

SHIRLEE SHARKEY, PRESIDENT & CEO, SAINT ELIZABETH HEALTH CARE
"I am pleased to see the commitment of additional funding for home care. I am confident about the positive impact these funds will have for people receiving care in their homes."

ALYSHA LI, PRESIDENT, ONTARIO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ALLIANCE
"We appreciate the government's commitment to working with youth to design the Youth Jobs Strategy, and hope that it will address students' employment needs in these areas."

GARTH WHYTE, PRESIDENT & CEO, CANADIAN RESTAURANT AND FOODSERVICES ASSOCIATION
"Restaurants are the number one provider of first jobs in Canada. No other industry helps more students to pay their way through school or works with more young people to develop valuable job skills. We look forward to working with the Ontario government to increase youth employment."

SID RYAN, PRESIDENT, ONTARIO FEDERATION OF LABOUR
"There are good things in this budget that I think we can work with in labour, that I think the NDP can work with … Don't go pulling the plug just to be politically opportunistic at this moment in time."

WARREN "SMOKEY" THOMAS, PRESIDENT, OPSEU
"Hats off on the insurance thing—if they can give everybody a little break on car insurance that's a good thing."

SATINDER CHERA, VICE-PRESIDENT, ONTARIO, CANADIAN FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

"We saw some positive measures in today's budget, one being increasing the threshold for the employer health tax. We also saw some language in the budget regarding pooled retirement pension plans. We are certainly grateful that the government is moving forward and consulting to make that a reality in Ontario"

CANDICE MALCOLM, CANADIAN TAXPAYERS FEDERATION
"We decided to give it a passing grade because there were no new taxes…and there was actually a slight reduction in payroll tax relief. So that was good. When it came to the Drummond Report we learned that the government has actually implemented about 60 per cent of the Drummond Report which was something that our organization had been calling to address."

RUSS POWERS, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPALITIES OF ONTARIO
"Permanency of the two cents on the litre of the gas tax is great...It will provide sustained funding for the municipalities...This is better."

JOSH HJARTARSON, VICE PRESIDENT, ONTARIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
"On transit, it's actually a lot of positive developments for us. We represent chambers and boards of trade across the GTHA. They recognize that infrastructure is one of the single biggest factors that drives investment in this city."

DIANNE MARTIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, REGISTERED PRACTICAL NURSES ASSOCIATION OF ONTARIO
"The government's decision to increase home and community care funding by an additional one per cent per year—on top of the four per cent annual increase announced last year—is important, as it helps address the need to provide Ontarians with the right care, at the right time, in the right place."

ONTARIO HOSPITALS ASSOCATION
"Hospitals welcome the government's additional investments in community and home care services. We believe that these investments are necessary to improve patient care and reduce the number of patients who are currently in hospitals who could be better served at home or in a different health care setting."

DONNA RUBIN, CEO, ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF NON-PROFIT HOMES AND SERVICES FOR SENIORS
"The Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS) was pleased to see new funding in today's Budget for long term care homes. This investment will keep us moving forward but we are continuing to see an increasing number of residents with heavy care needs and mental health issues. We will continue to work with government to ensure homes have the resources they need to provide safe, quality care for residents."

KEVIN NORTON, CEO BIOX CORPORATION
"As the largest biodiesel producer in Canada, the implementation of a renewable diesel mandate in Ontario would provide us with market certainty right in our backyard and support the significant capital investment we have made at our Hamilton facility."

TODD MOSER, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, ROTHSAY
"We are pleased to see Ontario working towards a minimum renewable fuel standard for diesel fuel marketed in the Province. A mandate would help ensure Ontarians realize not only the strong economic benefits, but also the environmental advantages that come from burning a cleaner more sustainable fuel in the most populous and traffic congested region of Canada."

ALASTAIR SUMMERLEE, CHAIR, COUNCIL OF ONTARIO UNIVERSITIES
PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
"Ontario universities endorse any effort by government to create new job opportunities for our graduates in this economy, and to support our innovators and entrepreneurs."

SOURCE: Liberal Caucus Service Bureau

Liberal Caucus Service Bureau
416-325-9138