When it comes to the budget, the PC's should know facts still matter

They claimed: “If you didn’t have cost overruns in some cases in the range of 35% municipalities would get a much larger investment of infrastructure.”

Fact: The AFP model we implemented has saved the province $6.6 billion and independent 3^rd party organizations have looked at our infrastructure procurement model and found that 96% of projects were completed on budget. The Auditor General also recognized this in her report.

(Source: http://www.infrastructureontario.ca/Third-Party-Reports/)

They claimed: “Ontario will continue to be most indebted subnational jurisdiction in the world”

Fact: This is a ridiculous comparison. Comparing sub-national debt isn’t accurate; especially given that Ontario provides important services that states like California don’t.

In Ontario we provide state of the art publicly funded healthcare, including OHIP+ giving pharmacare to people under the age of 24, world class K-12 education, advanced highways and transportation networks and sustainable but fair social welfare programs.

In California, health care is delivered by private insurance companies, education is provided by the local not state government, their highways are the most congested in the country and in the 2^nd worst condition and social welfare programs are delivered by the Federal Government.

(Source: http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/budget/ontariobudgets/2016/, http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/budget/2017-18/#/Home)

They claimed: “In other words this is the true meaning of the expression “shell game”.  Absolutely the cap and trade is done the exactly the same way.”

Fact: Wrong. By law, every dollar generated through cap and trade will be deposited into the dedicated Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account and reinvested into green projects.

(Source: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=3740)

They claimed: “Remember the words of the Financial Accountability Officer and the Auditor General: the government’s numbers do not add up.”

Fact: The FAO actually said a balanced budget was achievable.  

(Source: http://www.fao-on.org/en/Blog/media/media_release_EFO_Spring_2016)

They claimed: “They say they’re adding $1.5 billion to health care but let’s not forget this is the same that cut, cut and cut…”

Fact:  Our 2017 budget increased health care spending by $11.5 over three years, including money to address hospital overcrowding, funding for mental health and addiction services, cash for hospital construction projects, as well as home care.

(Source: https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2016/03/ontario-investing-more-than-50-billion-in-health-care.html, http://www.cp24.com/news/2014-ontario-provincial-election/group-fears-hudak-would-merge-close-hospitals-1.1850255, http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7265795-ontario-s-first-balanced-budget-in-decade-promises-billions-in-health-care/)

They claimed: “You’ve got revenue from Hydro One, now, this went directly into the operating budget”

Fact: By law this is impossible. Every dollar from Hydro One is being invested in new infrastructure projects

(Source: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/14t07, https://news.ontario.ca/mof/en/2015/04/the-trillium-trust-and-moving-ontario-forward.html

They Said: “…the government has used these one-time revenues to present a false balance.”

Fact: The budget is balanced because over the past 3 years, Ontario’s economy has led the G7 in economic growth. Here are last year’s numbers: