With the Ontario election period
rapidly approaching the major political partys are busy trying to buy
your votes with your own money (or actually promises to spend it by
putting various shiny things in the window) whilst at the same time
using 'creative accounting' to say how much it will cost. With the
daily revolving door of promises and attacks its hard to keep up so
much of my commentary will be 'last weeks news' however here are a
few observations regarding a few recent announcements.
First up the child care thing where
they all are promising the impossible in which they promise
unavailable spaces for all in some distant time in the future!
The
Ontario Liberals are set to unveil a
pre-election budget with billions in new spending, including a plan
to provide fully government-funded child care for preschoolers by
2020.
(costing) $2.2-billion over the next three years to provide child
care from the time children turn 2½ until they are eligible for
kindergarten.
For every parent, even those in rural areas without access to
'aproved' child care spaces?
The
NDP child-care plan would be phased in over
five years, would be free for households that earn $40,000 or less,
and would grow to include infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Fees for parents earning more than $40,000 would be based on
ability to pay and the party says the average fee for families would
be $12 a day. The party projects five consecutive deficits to pay for
its plan, with a $3.3 billion deficit in 2018-2019 and a $1.9 billion
deficit in 2022-2023.
A more reasonable plan with a sliding scale of user pay but
like the other plans I have to ask 'what of those parents who cannot
access external child care and have to (or choose to) care for their
own children at home (with the associated costs of doing so including
loss of income)?
Ontario's
Progressive Conservatives announced Saturday
that if elected in the province's spring election, they will cover up
to $6,750 of childcare costs for Ontario families through a tax
rebate program.
Low-income families would receive 75 per cent of their child-care
costs back, at a maximum of $6,750; higher income families would
receive an incrementally lower rate, bottoming out at 26 per cent of
child-care costs for families earning $150,000 or more.
So up to about half (they say 75%)
of the typical 'approved' child care costs as a tax credit, guess
you would have to be in that 150,000 bracket to get any back, the
poor low income bugger trying to survive on minimum wage wont get
much (if any) benefit (you have to pay it in first to get a
'credit!).
As someone who raised their children at
home without child care subsidies I could say more on this but
recognize that the situation in urban areas may be much different
from those for us rural residents both in access to services and to
'subsidies' but both should have the same access to funds.
Whilst on the subject of the Ontario
PCs I see that Doug Trump (sorry Doug Ford, its hard to tell the
difference sometimes) has now not only denied the press access to his
campaign bus but is now producing his own 'news reports' where his
spin and BS cannot be questioned or edited by the real press. Gota
keep those lieing 'fake news' purveyors from reporting on gods gift
to the Ontario Voter, one Rob (my shovels bigger than yours) Ford.
Given that he will say and do anything that is convienent to his
narrative its not surprising that he does not want 'independent' news
reporting, take the reversal of the pave over the green belt idea and
now the firing of Granic Allen the 'king maker' who he once endorsed
and now rejects. Like his buddy to the south you cannot believe a
word he says, its going to be hard (if not impossible) to select a
'good' government in Ontario but the above eliminates one choice
without further consideration!
