Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips released a $17 billion aid package to support Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19. The government announced several measures aimed at helping residents, businesses, the health care sector, and urban Indigenous populations.The total package contains $7 billion in direct support to various communities as well as $10 billion in business tax and other tax-related deferrals. Ontario’s Action Plan includes:Government budget
- $2.5 billion reserve “to provide continued flexibility to respond to changing global circumstances”
Health care
- $1 billion COVID-19 contingency fund to respond to “emerging needs”
- $935 million aimed at addressing hospital capacity issues as well as for ICU/critical care beds, equipment, COVID assessment centres
- $124 million for transitional projects (moving less severe hospital patients to other settings to free up hospital capacity)
- $243 million for emergency long-term care home capacity and virus containment
- $160 million for public health units for COVID-19 monitoring, lab testing, virtual care and TeleHealth Ontario
- $75 million for personal protective equipment for frontline staff
- $80 million for paramedics
- $70 million for new infection control measures at retirement homes, shelters, residential care facilities
Parents and students
- $340 million for one-time payments of $200 for each child 12 and under, $250 for each child 12 and under with special needs
Seniors
- Doubling of guaranteed annual income system payments for low-income seniors
- New coordination of meal and medicine deliveries
Hydro
- $1.5 billion increase in electricity relief
- For a 45-day period, time-of-use electricity rates will be suspended, holding electricity prices to the off-peak rate of 10.1 cents-per-kilowatt-hour. This reduced price will be available 24 hours per day, seven days a week to all time-of-use customers. By switching to a fixed off-peak rate, time-of-use customers will see rate reductions of over 50% compared to on-peak rates.
- Expansion of the low-income energy assistance program’s eligibility and ensuring no disconnections for nonpayment
Post-secondary education debt
- OSAP repayments suspended for six months
Indigenous Peoples
- $26 million in emergency assistance for urban Indigenous communities
Workers
- $100 million for skills training for workers impacted by COVID-19
- Previously announced job-protected leave for employees in isolation, quarantine and those caring for children
Businesses
- $6 billion in provincial business tax interest and penalty relief for five months
- $355 million for a temporary increase in Employer Health Tax exemption (companies with less than $1 million will be exempt from paying, estimated to help 57,000 businesses)
- 10 per cent corporate tax credit for regions with “lagging employment growth”
- $1.9 billion for the deferral of WSIB premiums for up to six months
Municipalities
- $1.8 billion to pay for the three-month deferral of property tax payments municipalities are required make to school boards for three months
- Municipalities urged, but not required, to provide deferrals to municipal taxpayers
RESOURCESOntario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19:https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html
