THUNDER BAY, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) launched a 56- community, 28-day tour of Ontario with the provincial Debt Clock. The tour aims to draw public attention to the overspending and unsustainable debt at Queen’s Park.

“Ontario’s debt grows by almost a billion dollars each month,” said CTF’s Ontario Director Candice Malcolm. “Paying interest on this debt is the third largest expense in the budget, and it’s the fastest growing expenditure in Ontario.”

Ontario’s debt grows by:

• $372 per second, or about the average Ontario family’s monthly grocery bill;
• $22,342 per minute, or about the cost of a down payment for a starter home in our province;
• $1.34 million per hour, or enough to hire five new doctors or 20 nurses;
• $32.2 million per day, or enough to upgrade a highway or hospital.

“The bottom line is, this debt is irresponsible,” continued Malcolm. “By not addressing it and not paying it off now, we are handing the responsibility over to our children and grandchildren who will be forced to pay it with higher taxes and fewer services.”

Ontario’s debt currently hovers around $256 billion.

“This is thanks in part to Premier Wynne, who presented Ontario’s 6th consecutive budget deficit this year and refuses to address the province’s unsustainable debt,” said Malcolm. “Instead, she ignore the debt and tries to hit up taxpayers with more ‘revenue tools’ to fund more pet projects, like transit in Toronto.”

The iconic Debt Clock displaying Ontario’s provincial and per capita debt, is 12 feet long and over 5 feet tall. It is housed in a custom-designed trailer that has criss- crossed the country several times over the past two years.

The Debt Clock Tour Schedule (subject to change)

Sunday, August 11

• 3:00 pm………..Echo Bay
• 5:00 pm………….Massey
• 6:00 pm…….….Espanola

Monday, August 12

• 10:00 am............ Sudbury
• 3:00 pm.............. North Bay
• 5:00 pm………..Huntsville

Tuesday, August 13

• 7:00 am............... Barrie South Go Train Station
• 9:00 am............... Barrie
• 12:00 pm........... Newmarket
• 3:00 pm.............. Richmond Hill /Markham

Wednesday, August 14

• 10:00 am............ Peterborough
• 2:00 pm………. Oshawa/Whitby

Thursday, August 15

• 10:00 am……….Oakville (Canceled Gas Plant location)
• 12:00 pm………Mississauga (Canceled Gas Plant location)
• 5:00pm............... Toronto (Blue Jays Game)

Friday, August 16

• 10:00am………Guelph
• 1:00pm………...Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge

Monday, August 19

• 11:00am……….Cornwall
• 3:00pm………….Hawkesbury

Tuesday, August 20

• 10:00pm………Ottawa
• 2:00pm………….Kanata/Nepean
• 4:00pm…………Brockville

Wednesday, August 21

• 10:00 am............ Kingston
• 2:00 pm.............. Belleville
• 3:00pm…………Colborne
• 4:00 pm.............. Cobourg

Thursday, August 22

• 8:00 am............... Burlington Go Station
• 10:00 am............ Hamilton
• 3:00 pm.............. Brantford

Friday, August 23

• 10:00 am............ St. Catharines
• 2:00 pm.............. Welland
• 3:00 pm.............. Niagara
• 5:00pm…………Niagara-on-the-lake

Monday, August 26

• 10:00 am............ London
• 3:00 pm.............. Sarnia

Tuesday, August 27

• 10:00 am............ Windsor
• 12:00 pm……...Leamington
• 2:00 pm.............. Chatham-Kent

Wednesday, August 28

• 1:00 pm.............. Toronto

Thursday, August 29

• Toronto (all day)

Click here for a pdf version of the schedule.

You can follow the tour online. Malcolm and the CTF will post stories, photos and videos from the road on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/taxpayerdotcom), Twitter feed (@CandiceMalcolm and @OntarioDebt), and our blog (www.taxpayer.com/blog/). The Debt Clock campaign site is www.OntarioDebtClock.com