Ontario Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell delivered the Speech from the Throne laying out the government’s future priorities.

Government priorities of importance to municipal governments are:

• Continuing to make significant capital investments across Ontario in public infrastructure – roads, bridges, transit systems, schools, and hospitals.
• Focusing on areas that are struggling to achieve economic growth by investing in workers and businesses and support for regional, rural, and remote economies.
• Reinforcing the importance of addressing climate change.
• Continuing its plan for 100,000 child care spaces.
• Maintaining commitment of 5,000 new beds in the next four years as part of a 10-year plan to create 30,000 new long-term care beds and, by 2022, LTC residents will have access to 15 million more hours of care from health care professions.

Other items of community interest include:

• Expanding home care to provide more services for seniors at home, and to provide financial relief for families who are caring for aging seniors.
• Making investments in mental health and addictions services.
• Ensuring more people without a drug and dental benefits plan will have access to more affordable prescription drugs and dental care.

AMO will be in the March 28th Budget lock-up. Watch that evening for our briefing and analysis.