Image from Swearing In June 24 via CPAC
The Progressive Conservative MPP for Huron-Bruce says Ontario’s 2023 budget has agriculture in mind.
The $204 billion dollar plan calls for the province’s budget to be balanced by 2025.
Healthcare is the biggest item on the budget, at $81 billion, followed by education, at $34 billion.
Huron-Bruce MPP and Ontario Agriculture Minister Lisa Thompson says the 2023 budget looks to address a shortage of large animal veterinarians in Ontario.
“We are increasing the number of seats for vet students,” Thompson tells Country 104.9 News.
This will be done through “tuition offsets over five years, to a maximum of $50 thousand.”
Thompson says some business tax relief will be expanded to small businesses, something she says will impact agri-food businesses in Huron-Bruce.
With several emergency department closures in Huron County over the past due prompted by short-staffing, Thompson says the province is acting.
“Invest $80 million over three years to expand nursing education, and that’s going to result in an enrollment of a thousand more registered nurses, 500 registered practical nurses, and 150 nurse practitioners.”
The province is also investing $72 million dollars to make more surgeries available at community surgical and diagnostic centres.
No money has been earmarked for construction of new hospitals or roadway infrastructure.