Ontario finance minister says budget shows ‘this government is there for the north,’ but not everyone agrees (CBC News Sudbury – March 24, 2021)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Ontario’s finance minister says it will take years for the province’s economy to recover from the pandemic. But Peter Bethlanfalvy says despite that his government has not forgotten northern Ontario.

“The headline for the north: We’re there for you. This government is there for the north,” he told CBC. “In Sudbury, we put in 256 new long-term care beds, we’re expanding broadband. Historic investment in broadband, the largest in the country.”

That is a $2.8 billion investment with the aim of having everyone in Ontario connected to strong internet service by 2025. “It is ambitious and it is enough,” Bethlanfalvy says.

But the budget doesn’t include a plan for sharing tax revenue from mining and forestry with northern cities, towns and First Nations, something the Conservatives promised in the 2018 election.

Another campaign promise, the return of passenger rail, is only mentioned in the budget as a “potential,” although there is $5 million for planning and study by Ontario Northland.

For the rest of this article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/northern-ontario-budget-reaction-1.5962537