Recognizing the unique circumstances of Northern communities, the McGuinty government’s 2010 Ontario Budget today unveiled new initiatives to strengthen the economy in Northern Ontario.
While many people and businesses in Ontario have been hurt by the recession, those in Northern Ontario have been particularly hard hit. That is why the government’s five-year Open Ontario plan proposes the following initiatives to enhance job creation and economic growth in the North:
- A three-year Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program of about $150 million annually, for large industrial facilities to reduce their electricity prices by an average of about 25 per cent
- A new, permanent Northern Ontario Energy Credit of up to $130 for single people and up to $200 for families (including single parents) annually. This credit will help about a quarter of a million low- to middle-income northern Ontario residents with the higher energy costs they face
- $63.5 million in annual child care funding to replace discontinued federal funding. This includes the preservation of 332 child care spaces in the Timiskaming-Cochrane region
- New OPP Modernization Program that will support a new construction project in Iroquois Falls
- An additional $10 million investment to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC). Annual funding has increased from $60 million in 2007, to $90 million in 2010.
- A new Ring of Fire Coordinator to lead collective efforts in advancing responsible and sustainable economic development in the region
QUOTES
“Families and communities in the North have been hard hit by the global recession, so we are
ensuring that they benefit from our Open Ontario plan. Northern Ontario will see more jobs and more economic activity,” said MPP David Ramsay.
LEARN MORE
Read background information on the 2010 Ontario Budget:
Learn more about the McGuinty government’s investments in education, health and other sectors.
Read highlights of the Budget.
Learn more about the government’s Open Ontario plan.
-30-
Contact:
Trevor Mood
Office of David Ramsay, M.P.P.
Timiskaming – Cochrane
(416) 325-7137