{"id":4197,"date":"2016-02-25T15:04:20","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T20:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/?p=4197"},"modified":"2020-05-08T15:12:44","modified_gmt":"2020-05-08T19:12:44","slug":"ontario-budget-2016-mixed-reaction-from-health-care-student-groups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/index.php\/ontario-budget-2016-mixed-reaction-from-health-care-student-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario budget 2016: Mixed reaction from health-care, student groups"},"content":{"rendered":"

(February 25, 2016)<\/p>\n

By: Shanifa Nasser, CBC News<\/p>\n

A budget can’t be balanced on sheer faith,’ Canadian Taxpayers Federation says<\/strong><\/p>\n

Free college and university tuition for low-income families, a new climate change fighting cap-and-trade system\u00a0and a projected drop in the deficit by nearly $2 billion dollars\u00a0were among the highlights in Thursday’s provincial\u00a0budget announcement.<\/p>\n

That prompted mixed reaction from health, student and finance groups who\u00a0saw in\u00a0the budget everything from a “train\u00a0wreck” to “sweeping improvements.”<\/p>\n

Here’s a survey of initial reaction\u00a0from the Ontario Health Coalition, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, Canadian Taxpayers Federation and the Toronto Financial Services Alliance.<\/p>\n

On hospitals:<\/h2>\n

After a four-year freeze in base funding for hospitals, the Ontario Health Coalition says it welcomes the province’s announcement of a $60 million increase for hospital budgets this year, but the coalition says the funds are not\u00a0nearly enough to stop what it calls the erosion of patient care and services across Ontario.<\/p>\n

“Today’s announcement is one small step, but there is still a long way to go to,” said board member Sara Labelle.<\/p>\n

The organization points to “significant and damaging cuts” in Ontario hospitals including slashing hospital beds, services, and a greater number of complicated cases at long-term care homes.\u00a0Hospitals in Toronto, Hamilton, Windsor and Kitchener announced layoffs of more than 500 registered nurses in the first few weeks of 2016 alone.<\/a><\/p>\n

Those cuts are resulting in more health care privatization and contributing to a two-tier system, the coalition says.<\/p>\n

“Ontario’s larger town hospitals are now the most dangerously overcrowded of any jurisdiction in the developed world,” it said in a release.<\/p>\n

“We need to continue to hold their feet to the fire, and demand that services are restored,” Labelle said.<\/p>\n

On student financial assistance:<\/h2>\n

The province’s move to slash provincial debt for college and university students from families making less than $50,000 is a welcome\u00a0development\u00a0to the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance\u00a0(OUSA).<\/p>\n