TORONTO, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Ford government to present a clear plan to balance the budget after Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office released a report showing the province has no realistic plan to balance the budget for the next decade.

“It was clear from the day the government presented its 2021 budget that Ontario Premier Doug Ford isn’t serious about fixing the province’s finances,” said Jay Goldberg, the CTF’s Interim Ontario Director. “The Ford government’s plan to balance the budget eight years from now was always based on a hope and a prayer, but today’s report shows just how far-fetched the plan truly was.”

The Ford government claimed in its March budget that the province would balance the books by 2029-30, but evidence from the accountability report suggests that the province will still be running a $6.9 billion deficit at that point.

“While the deficits for the next five years are projected to be somewhat less than what the March budget anticipated, these are still deficits of historic proportions,” said Goldberg.

The Ford government’s unwillingness to tackle Ontario’s spending problem is leaving behind major debts for future generations.

“The accountability report shows that the Ford government will run $77.9 billion worth of deficits in the next five years,” said Goldberg. “Ford was elected on a promise to stand up for taxpayers, but he is failing to make the difficult choices that taxpayers expect from their elected leaders.”