Mar 31, 2011
The provincial budget is getting rave reviews from one source in Richmond Hill.
Representatives of The York Centre for Children, Youth and Families, based in Richmond Hill, say they are “thrilled” by new investments within the Liberal budget.
The announcement of $257 million in funding aimed at child and youth mental health over the next three years will serve thousands of children, youth and their families, said Mary Beth McLeod, York Centre executive director.
“This is a very welcome investment and we’re grateful the province has recognized the mental health needs of young people today in our community and across the province,” Ms McLeod stated.
Other York Region health professionals and educators are almost unanimous in their praise for the budget, pledging millions in support to breast cancer screening, children’s mental health and addiction and colleges and universities.
Finance Minister Dwight Duncan’s final budget before the fall election bolsters efforts to fight breast cancer. Ontario will spend $15 million over three years to expand a breast cancer screening program for high-risk women, 30 to 49 years old with a family history of the disease.
“My expectations were met in this budget,” commented Richmond Hill Liberal MPP Dr. Reza Moridi, pointing to the increased breast cancer screening and more than 100 ongoing hospital renovation and construction projects, as signs of commitment to the health of Ontarians.
According to him, the economy is improving, as well, as more than 90 per cent of the jobs lost in Ontario during the recession have returned.
Seeking re-election later this year, the incumbent candidate also pointed to education as a budget highlight.
The former university professor said he was elated that additional funding will see upwards of 60,000 spaces for additional post-secondary students and $1.5 billion is earmarked to expand all-day kindergarten throughout the province.
“Education doesn’t start when you are five or six years old. It starts the moment a child is born,” said Mr. Moridi.
York Region and South Simcoe Canadian Mental Health Association chief executive officer Colleen Zakoor commends the mental health funding and is cautiously optimistic.
Citing Respect, Recovery, Resilience, a 2010 all-party 10-year mental health and addictions strategy, Ms Zakoor noted in Ontario, one of every three adults and one in every six children living with a mental illness actually accesses services and supports.
More funding will reduce the risk of more kids slipping through the cracks, she said, adding youth needing early intervention support often wait up to six months for services.
“I am confident my colleagues who provide services in mental health for children and youth would agree, in our community, we need investment,” she said. “For the one in six children that actually access service, great. Let’s see the other five get support close to home.”
Not everyone is pleased by the budget.
Peter Shurman, Thornhill’s member of provincial parliament, calls the newly released Queen’s Park budget “the shampoo budget”.
“You know how the shampoo bottle says ‘lather, rinse, repeat’? This budget says ‘tax, spend, repeat’. This is not the kind of budget I would have expected from them in an election year. I would have expected them to have more respect for families,” said the Progressive Conservative MPP of the Liberals’ budget, announced Tuesday.
Mr. Shurman predicted the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services, chaired by Don Drummond, will be a precursor to an increase in taxes. The last time such a commission was established, he said, it resulted in the HST.
“There is nothing here for Thornhill families,” he asserted.
He is not impressed by the promise of 10,000 new jobs. “They can talk about jobs all they want. Ontario families know Dalton McGuinty says anything he wants to get elected.”
Mr. Shurman said he is concerned about the projected deficit of $16 billion, pointing out that $10 billion of the budget goes to interest payments alone.
The Liberals’ plan to add new college and university spaces is something he supports, adding, “our party believes that anyone who wants to go to university should be able to, but we also believe anyone who wants a job should be able to get one.”
Giving people a tax break would accomplish that goal, he says, because Ontarians would spend the extra dollars, stimulate the economy and generate more jobs. “We need to stop the tax increases.”
-with files by Kim Zarzour and Chris Traber