Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

With $100 billion in COVID-related spending, Ontario’s Minister of Labour and local MPP Monte McNaughton says the provincial budget supports the greater good.

McNaughton says funding to support rural communities will be game-changing.

“A record investment in our local hospitals, which will really benefit Wallaceburg. When it comes to support for rural Ontario, we can’t go without mentioning the Canadian record yesterday when it comes to investment in broadband.”

While he wouldn’t comment specifically on the loss of $70-million in funding for his own Ministry, McNaughton says the ultimate goal is getting Ontarians through the pandemic.

“We’re going to finish the job that we started to get the people of Ontario through COVID-19, record investments in health and education and infrastructure like broadband,” McNaughton says. “It’s going to take a long time to bring sustainability back to the budget, but it’s imperative that we get Ontario through this pandemic.”

The provincial budget also comes with a deficit for this year topping $33-billion.