OFL: Ford’s Budget Delivers for Corporations, Fails Working Ontarians Again

/EIN News/ -- TORONTO, May 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ontario Budget 2025, the first budget tabled by Doug Ford’s Conservatives since the recent election, is not a plan to protect Ontario, it’s a plan to reward Conservative insiders.

In the face of skyrocketing costs, job losses, and crumbling public services, Ontario Budget 2025 fails to deliver what Ontarians actually need: higher wages, strong public services, and decent, secure work. Instead, it doubles down on corporate handouts, privatization, and deregulation, most of it recycled from past announcements

“Workers have been clear about what they need,” said Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). “Fair wages. Secure jobs. Public services that actually work. Ford’s budget ignores all of it, and working people are the ones left paying the price.”

Three months ago Ford forced a $189 million early election, claiming he needed a mandate to “build Ontario”. Today, he delivered a delayed campaign platform – three months too late, billions of dollars short, and nowhere near the mark.

Ontario lost 33,000 manufacturing jobs last month. Ford’s response? More of the same: a $1.3 billion expansion of the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit with no job guarantees, wage conditions, or community protections.

Meanwhile, the government is touting a $1 billion boost to the Skills Development Fund – but that means little when the jobs being created don’t come with decent pay, security, or benefits.

“Ontarians are scared about their future,” said Walton. “And year after year, this government tables budgets that offer no real solutions for Ontario workers and their communities.”

Ford continues to neglect Ontario’s care economy, sectors that are key to our global competitiveness and community wellbeing. Health care, child care, public education, post secondary, and public transit all remain underfunded. These sectors create stable jobs, support families, and build resilience. Ford refuses to invest in what works.

A serious plan would include permanent investments in key publicly delivered services - not just in skilled training centres, but in restoring core post-secondary funding. Ontario needs immediate, ongoing support to ensure everyone has access to education and retaining in today’s changing economy.

Ford’s so-called “nation-building” plan includes no new hospitals, no new schools, and no public care infrastructure, all while refusing to fund the workers who keep these systems running. Flashy capital spending doesn’t replace the operational funding that our public services need to thrive.

Uncertain times demand bold leadership. Removing tolls isn’t “financial relief”. Instead of real commitments to unionized job retention or direct engagement with affected communities, this budget offers little assurance in the face of low economic growth and high unemployment rates. Allocating billions into a contingency fund without targeted investments in job creation and retention, entire communities will suffer.

And while Ontario faces rising risks, the Conservatives are cutting wildland firefighter funding. “Ontario is on fire,” said Walton, “and Ford is letting it burn.”

Ontarians cannot be fooled by longer budget outlooks that defer critical actions. Workers, families and the communities they live in need solutions now. This budget is not just a missed opportunity but a stark reminder of a Government that is solely focused on profit rather than protecting Ontarians.

Despite a projected $14.6 billion deficit in 2025-26 and unstable U.S.-Canada trade conditions, the government is gambling on a narrow surplus in 2026-27 based on overly optimistic forecasts. Still, there is no serious plan to make life more affordable or secure for everyday Ontarians.

Media Contact:

Jenny Sellathurai
Director of Communications
Ontario Federation of Labour
jsellathurai@ofl.ca | 416-894-3456

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