Provincial Press Release

Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, issued the following statement on today’s monthly employment release by Statistics Canada, which showed Ontario added 26,100 jobs last month, including 11,400 jobs in the construction sector and 7,100 jobs in the manufacturing sector.

The Ontario government is investing over $3 million to support families of first responders and public safety personnel who are killed in the line of duty or have died by suicide. The funding will provide free rapid bereavement counselling for up to two years following the death of a loved one.

Today, we unveiled a cutting-edge digital map that showcases the transformative investments our province has attracted since 2018. This map is a great tool for economic development organizations, municipal governments and local or international businesses looking to invest in Ontario. It also provides a great visual representation of the remarkable economic growth we’ve achieved over the past five and a half years.

The Ontario government is working in partnership with Webequie, Nibinamik, Neskantaga, Eabametoong and Marten Falls First Nations to expand clean and reliable electricity transmission and generation infrastructure to end these communities’ reliance on diesel powered generators and support greater economic self-determination and prosperity.

The Ontario government is providing an initial investment of $9 million through the 2024 budget, Building a Better Ontario, to begin the design and planning for York University’s new medical school in Vaughan. The new medical school will be the first in Canada that is focused on training primary care doctors and is helping fulfill Ontario’s commitment to ensure that everyone who wants to have a primary care provider can access one.

Today, Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy released the 2024 Budget: Building a Better Ontario. Like the rest of the world, Ontario continues to face economic uncertainty due to high interest rates and global instability.

To continue keeping costs down for families and businesses, the Ontario government is introducing proposed legislation through its spring 2024 Budget that would, if passed, extend the existing gasoline and fuel tax rate cuts until December 31, 2024.

The Ontario government is investing more than $1.8 billion in housing-enabling infrastructure funding to help build at least 1.5 million homes by 2031. This funding includes $1 billion for the new Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program and $625 million more for the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, bringing its total funding to $825 million.

The Ontario government is keeping electricity costs down for about 100,000 additional families by expanding the eligibility for the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP). New income eligibility thresholds, which have increased by up to 35 per cent, take effect today.

Today, the Ontario government introduced a suite of measures to stabilize the province’s colleges and universities, including nearly $1.3 billion in new funding, while maintaining the tuition fee freeze to keep costs down for Ontario students and parents. The province is also introducing legislation that would, if passed, support student mental health, safe and inclusive campuses and allow for increased transparency of fees. This suite of measures also includes initiatives that will help connect students to rewarding careers to help build Ontario’s skilled workforce.