TORONTO—The Ontario government is ramping up program spending by more than $7 billion this year, or nearly six per cent—more than three times higher than the average increase in the years following the 2009 recession, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Ontario remains heavily indebted, so there are big risks associated with ramping up program spending again, but that’s exactly what the Wynne government is doing,” said Ben Eisen, director of the Fraser Institute’s Ontario Prosperity Initiative and co-author of Repeating Past Mistakes? Spending Restraint Critical for Ontario’s Fiscal Health.