TORONTO – Ontario Liberals have exposed a half a billion dollar cut to education in Doug Ford’s latest mini-budget.
In their latest Fall Economic Statement, the government projected it will spend $30.8 billion on education in 2021-22, compared to the $31.3 billion projected in their 2021 budget. That means $500 million has been cut from our publicly funded schools as Ford prioritizes his controversial Highway 413 project.
“Students, parents and education workers deserve answers on why Doug Ford would cut funding for our schools at a time when investing in schools is critical,” said Ontario Liberal Leader, Steven Del Duca. “Ford is stealing from our children’s future to help buy a highway for his ultra-rich friends.”
This education cut comes as Doug Ford is refusing to mandate vaccines for education workers or add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of nine vaccines required for Ontario students. Under Doug Ford’s government, students are faced with ballooning class sizes and unsafe schools, while their education and mental health suffers.
“As Premier, I would invest in education, not waste money on Highway 413,” added Del Duca. “As the only Ontario political leader with children who still attend our publicly funded schools, I’ve seen the impacts of this pandemic on our students first hand. They need a real plan to make our classrooms safe and address the brutal learning loss from the last two years.”
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