As many of you know, this will be my last MPP update as your Member for Pickering-Scarborough East. I would like to thank you for the support that you have shown me. Working with you to bring positive change to our communities is what made my job most rewarding.As many of you know, this will be my last MPP update as your Member for Pickering-Scarborough East. I would like to thank you for the support that you have shown me. Working with you to bring positive change to our communities is what made my job most rewarding.
When I reflect on all that we have accomplished, both locally and provincially, I am gratified to have been given the honour to have played a role in making Ontario a better place for everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to represent you.
I would like to take this opportunity to update you on our government’s 2018 budget. Ontario’s economy is getting stronger, with the unemployment rate at its lowest in almost two decades. The changing economy is widening the gap in our community and our government has made a conscious choice to invest in a plan for care and opportunity that helps those who have not participated in the growth and prosperity. If passed, the 2018 budget will help Ontarians by:
Investing in care
• Introducing the new Seniors’ Healthy Home Program, which provides a benefit of up to $750 annually for eligible households led by seniors 75 and over to help them live independently and offset the costs of maintaining their homes.
• Introducing a new Ontario Drug and Dental Program, reimbursing 80 per cent, up to a maximum of $400 per single person, $600 per couple and $700 for a family of four with two children, of eligible prescription drug and dental expenses each year, for those without workplace health benefits or not covered by OHIP+ or other government programs.
• Providing more affordable quality child care by making preschool child care free for children aged 2 ½ until they are eligible for kindergarten, saving families an average of $17,000/ year.
• Providing better and faster access to mental health and additional services by bringing the total funding to more than $17 billion over four years.
• Improving hospitals by investing an additional $822 million annually to improve hospitals, a 4.6% increase. Making Life More Affordable
• Making prescriptions completely free for everyone 65 and over through OHIP+
• Providing a public transit tax credit that saves seniors up to $450 a year, as of July 1, 2017, and lowering the cost of commuting by about $720 per year for the average commuter transferring between the GO/ UP Express network and the TTC.
• Cutting residential electricity bills as of July 1, 2017, by 25 per cent on average and up to 40 or 50 per cent for eligible rural and low-income families. Creating Opportunity for People
• Making college and university tuition free for more than 225,000 students of all ages. Free or low tuition is available for students from low- and middle-income families; tuition is free for those earning up to $90,000 and students from families who earn up to $175,000 are also eligible for financial aid.
Please do not hesitate to contact my Constituency Office in person at 300 Kingston Road, Pickering, Unit 7, by phone at 905-509-0336 or by email at tmaccharles.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org.