[GTranslate]TORONTO – Fight against Covid and protection of the economy. It is along these two tracks that the 2021 Budget presented yesterday at Queen’s Park by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy develops. A $186 billion maneuver, this year’s maneuver, which we could quietly call monothematic: all or almost all the items of expenditure of the provincial finance have to do with Covid-19. But the price to be paid for public accounts is and will be very high: according to the Finance Minister, once they have emerged from the crisis caused by the pandemic, it will be years before we can eliminate the provincial deficit. The budget balance will not come until 2029. In addition, according to the government when the next elections take place, on June 2, 2022, the provincial deficit will have reached 28 billion dollars.

On the health front, the government confirms the $51 billion three-year spending plan, which will be invested in hospitals and expanding the capacity of intensive care rooms. The appropriation also includes funds for the construction of a hospital facility at William Osler health system’s peel memorial in Brampton.

About a billion dollars will be spent on completing the mass vaccination campaign, which is expected to end no later than September. Another $2.3 billion spent was budgeted for preventive testing and tracking of infected people.

Funds, as might be expected, also for another sector, that of long-term care homes. In total, the provincial executive will invest $2.6 billion for new facilities and to increase and improve the capacity of existing ones: a further $933 million has been allocated compared to the four-year plan already announced.

Bethlenfalvy then announced a greater government commitment to families and child support during Covid-19.

The Budget provides a new allowance – the third – for all families with dependent minor children: this time the allowance will be $400 per child. In addition, families will be able to count on the Child Access and Relief from Expenses (CARE) tax deduction of $250 per child.

On the support side of the economy hit so hard by the pandemic, the government has promised aid of up to 20 thousand dollars for about 120 thousand shops that will comply with certain requirements. The financial coverage provided for this measure is $1.7 billion, which over time could reach $3.4 billion.

As was to be expected, the provincial government in this Budget had an eye for another sector hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic: that of tourism and hospitality.

The Finance Minister, during the presentation of the Maneuver at Queen’s Park, announced an additional investment of 400 million dollars that will be given over the next six years for various initiatives in support of this sector.

Gross domestic product declined by 5.7% in 2020. According to the growth forecasts in the 2021 Budget, our economy is expected to return to running in the very first months of 2022.

 Finally, in the Maneuver, there is an expense of 50 million dollars for religious and cultural groups.