The Reviews Continue to Roll In - Ontario Liberal Plan for Care and Opportunity
QUEEN'S PARK, ON, March 29, 2018 /CNW/ - "The Ontario government's 2018 budget investments will help more students have access to college programs that open the door to rewarding and meaningful employment. With a focus on postsecondary infrastructure and modern approaches to learning, this budget will help produce more graduates with the professional and technical expertise critical to success in today's economy." — Chris Whitaker, President, Humber College.
"In Budget 2018, the provincial government has reiterated its commitment to help universities develop the highly skilled workforce that is pivotal to Ontario's economic future through enhanced capital investment in modern learning environments and modest investments in STEM and experiential learning. Access to education through increased financial aid and OSAP reforms is also welcomed. Expanded mental health services and a postsecondary strategy on internationalization will also enhance the student experience." — David Lindsay, President and CEO, Council of Ontario Universities.
"The Lung Association is pleased to see the Government of Ontario investing in areas that will better protect the lung health of all Ontarians by expanding the reach of the OHIP+ pharmacare program to include those 65 and older; funding additional home care services for people aging at home; prioritizing the need for addictions care and support; investing an additional $822 million in Ontario hospitals; the introduction of the new Ontario Drug and Dental Program; proposed amendments to the Tobacco Tax Act to address unregulated tobacco; and establishing The Ontario Lung Health Advisory Council to deliver on a dedicated province-wide lung health strategy. These new priorities will help ensure that more Ontarians will not have to struggle for their 22,000 daily breaths." — George Habib, President and CEO, The Lung Association, Ontario.
"The Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA) applauds the Ontario government for continuing to invest in healthcare and for new initiatives including expansion of OHIP+ to seniors over the age of 65 and for the new Ontario Drug and Dental Program... This is clearly a budget focused on healthcare." — Andrew Gall, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Pharmacists Association.
"This is good news for Ontario's patients. This initiative will help to close the gap for some of those Ontarians who don't have coverage. We believe everyone should have fair, equitable and affordable access to the medicines they need, when they need them." — Pamela Fralick, President, Innovative Medicines Canada.
"The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is pleased with the Ontario government's 2018 budget, which includes increases to provincial tobacco taxes, as well as measures around unregulated tobacco, a commitment of $15 million to palliative and end of life care for 2018-19 and $650 million to support home care over the next three years… Higher tobacco taxes are the most effective strategy to reduce smoking, especially among teenagers who have less disposable income. The implementation of this tobacco tax increase will reduce smoking, prevent cancer and save lives." — Kelly Gorman, Senior Manager, Public Issues, Canadian Cancer Society.
"Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) welcomes the announcement in today's Budget that the Ontario government has confirmed that the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) will be operational by April 2019. The new regulator will bring more effective and coordinated regulation services to Ontario. We see FSRA as a proactive, innovative regulator that will lead to sustainable improvement in rates for Ontario's almost 10 million drivers. Ontario's insurers support this new regulator and we look forward to working with FSRA. — Kim Donaldson, Vice-President, Insurance Bureau of Canada.
"The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW), the voice of social work in Ontario, applauds the Government of Ontario for prioritizing mental health and addictions services in the Budget for 2018. Additionally, we welcome expanded access to interprofessional primary care teams and Government's commitment to income security reform… It is always a challenge for government to consider the needs of Ontarians against a balanced budget. We applaud the government for investing in mental health and reducing poverty today because it will provide a significant return in the form of future cost savings for government, particularly in health care, the largest expenditure in the province." — Joan MacKenzie Davis, CEO, Ontario Association of Social Workers.
"The 2018 Ontario budget's support for artificial intelligence entrepreneurs marks an important step forward for the province's future economy... For Ontario to create lasting, valuable employment, it needs to harness the potential of its best cutting-edge innovators so that it can compete and win on the global stage. This money will help entrepreneurs scale their businesses and employ more Ontarians in high-value, high-tech jobs." — Sheldon Levy, CEO, NEXT Canada.
"No-fee child care for 2 1/2 to five year olds is a first in Canada and in North America-- although well established in countries such as France, Spain, Belgium, Hungary and parts of Germany and Italy. The whole proposal is well thought out and based on the best evidence, what families need and what's doable--a solid basis from which to build the quality, universal child care system I 've been advocating for many years… The economic study that is the basis for the child care proposal is very clear. It calculates how different approaches to public child care spending can generate more or less financial return for governments. This is incredibly useful as one important piece of well-designed child care policy". — Martha Friendly, Executive Director, Childcare Resource and Research Unit.
"This government again shows it cares for and supports families. Ontario has taken another giant leap forward to support our families with young children at a time they need it most. The majority of parents of children under 6 are in the workforce but scramble and agonize to find high quality care for their children. This announcement will diminish this significant stress AND especially will provide loving nurturing care for children. The decisions are based on the best world class science on healthy child development and economics. This is a major prosperity initiative." — Dr. Jean Clinton, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behaviourals Neurosciences, McMaster University; Advisor to the Minister of Education.
"Today's announcement from Ontario to invest a new $2.2 billion to child care to help support the implementation of free child care for preschool children is a strong and progressive step for children and families in Canada. The provincial government is addressing quality like never before, including the commitment to create a transparent and competitive wage scale for early childhood educators and child care staff."— Don Giesbrecht, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Child Care Federation.
SOURCE Liberal Caucus Service Bureau
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