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Health spending, roads and "staycations": highlights from Ontario's economic update

Here's a look at some of the highlights of Ontario's fall economic update released Thursday: 

HEALTH SPENDING

Home care: $548.5 million to help patients recover at home and support people with complex health conditions.

Long-term care: $57.6 million for more nurse practitioners in long-term care, $72.3 million over three years to hire more inspectors, $22 million on technology to share information between hospitals and long-term care.

Staff: $342 million to hire more nurses and personal support workers, $12.4 million over two years on mental health supports for health workers. 

Other care: $17 million over two years to extend a program giving access to dental services for some seniors. 

DEFICIT

The province is projecting a deficit of $21.5 billion for the fiscal year, lower than the budget projection of $33.1 billion.

BUILDING AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Roads and highways: $2.6 billion to expand and repair highways and bridges. An unspecified amount of money will also go to fund the planned highways like the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413.

TAX CREDITS

Ontario "staycations": $270 million to give money back on accommodation expenses for travel within the province in 2022. 

Seniors: $35 million to extend a tax credit for to help seniors stay in their homes. 

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS SEARCHES

Burial sites: additional $10 million to support investigations and commemoration of burial sites near residential schools.

Documents: Fees will be waived for families and communities seeking death records of children who died at residential schools, and for people seeking to reclaim traditional names.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2021.

The Canadian Press


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