BRAMPTON -
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Liberal government are banking on skills training and education to weather any approaching economic storm.
The latest provincial budget focused spending on retraining the unemployed as well as increasing dollars to Ontario's public and post-secondary school systems. Finance Minister Dwight Duncan's financial strategy drew appreciative comments from both industry and education sector members. However, there are still many who believe the budget fails to significantly help the unemployed caught in an economy headed for a downturn and students struggling in underfunded education systems.
Funding to meet the needs of students in Ontario school boards is expected to increase $18.8 billion for the 2008/2009 school year. According to Duncan, the government's investment in Ontario public school students has increased 24 per cent to about $9,821 per student since the Liberals took office almost five years ago.
More than $16 million in additional support is being promised to bolster programs for students at-risk of failing high school.
Other investments include:
• $10 million for English as a Second Language in the 2008/2009 school year
• $67 million for special needs students in the 2008/2009 school year
• $32 million over three years for the Student Nutrition Program
• $2 million in 2008/2009 for Parenting and Family Literacy Centres
• $10 million in 2008/2009 to help students receive a well-rounded education through arts, music, physical education and other outdoor education programs
• $3 million in 2008/2009 to ensure environmental education and awareness is a part of lessons and school operations.
"I was pleased to see they are certainly investing more money in education," said Peel District School Board Chair Janet McDougald.
However, the good news presented during Duncan's speech to the legislature lacked detailed information about exactly how much of that investment will make its way to Peel, said McDougald.
It is the details that make the real impact in local classrooms. The millions in costs for such things as special education and English as a Second Language (ESL) place an immense pressure on local finances.
"In a growth board our needs for special education and ESL have certainly grown proportionally, if not more than expected," McDougald noted.
Much of the budget contained spending already announced, she pointed out. There are some critical local issues that were not addressed in Tuesday's announcement or still remain unclear for a board now requiring more than $1 billion annually to serve Peel students.
McDougald does not expect spending announced this week to rectify an ongoing deficit the board is facing with student busing costs. However, she is hoping the estimated $6 million in transportation cost overruns would be addressed in the annual allocation of government grants and after results of a government efficiency audit of local busing operations.
"I'll certainly be looking for it. I'll certainly be requesting it," McDougald insisted. "I think we're owed it."
The budget also contained no money to help school boards hammer out new collective agreements with employees. Contracts with just about every employee group at local boards— including teachers, secretaries and custodians— expire at the end of August. Salaries represent more than 75 per cent of board expenditures.
School board officials are hoping these critical financial matters are addressed through annual grant allocations and ongoing talks with Ministry of Education officials.
This fall the government is also providing a Textbook and Technology Grant for 550,000 full-time college and university students. Some $385 million over three years is intended to help lower annual costs for every student, with grants of $150 per student this fall, $225 in 2009 and $300 in subsequent years.
"We will help build new and improved postsecondary and skills-training classrooms and facilities through $970 million in capital funding," Duncan also revealed.
Allocated over three years, the money will help pay for capital costs including maintenance and renovations at universities, construction and expansion of skills training centres and new college equipment.
Brampton's Sheridan College joined other post-secondary school institutions in applauding the government's significant investment in education, training and retraining Ontario's workforce.
"The McGuinty government has correctly identified the skills shortage as a priority in Ontario," said Sheridan College President Dr. Robert Turner. "The budget recognizes Ontario must produce greater numbers of college graduates to meet the workforce challenges throughout our economy."
Canadian Auto Workers President Buzz Hargrove added another supportive voice to government spending on training and manufacturing. Auto manufacturing has been hit with massive job losses under the current economic climate.
"Spending more on infrastructure, training, housing and manufacturing is exactly the right way to respond to an economic downturn," the union boss said.
Some student groups, however, feel textbook grants do not do enough to make higher education more accessible or affordable for a large portion of Ontarians. Students and families struggling to afford post-secondary education will find no relief in the budget, according to the Canadian Federation of Students.
"Students feel that Premier McGuinty has failed to consider the financial barriers that his government has put in the way of Ontario families struggling to put their kids through college or university," said Jen Hassum, the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario chairperson. "Reducing tuition fees and student debt is an important piece of the anti-poverty puzzle."
A significant reconstruction of the post-secondary school system is needed, according to the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.
Ontario's elementary school teachers welcomed the additional investment in public schools, but warned more money is still needed. High schools still receive more than $700 more for each student than do elementary schools, pointed out David Clegg, president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario.
"We believe that the McGuinty government will not achieve its goals of improved academic performance if it fails to aggressively address the continued underfunding of elementary education," Clegg said.
The centerpiece of the budget is the investment of $1.5 billion over three years on the government's Skills to Jobs Action Plan.
"The plan will train unemployed workers for new careers, expand apprenticeships, build more spaces in colleges and universities and help students with education costs," explained Duncan
The Liberal's $355 million Second Career Strategy is expected to assist an estimated 20,000 unemployed workers receive long-term training for new careers. Duncan said the retraining would focus on growing industries with labour shortages.
Skills training support this year includes $25 million for employer-based training in the manufacturing sector hit hard by layoffs.
Portions of Duncan's Queen's Park budget speech seemed to be directed at Ottawa and the federal Conservative government's public criticism of Ontario's fiscal management strategy.
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has criticized the Ontario Liberals for not presenting a more aggressive approach in reducing corporate taxes.
Duncan noted three months ago the Liberals proposed about $1.1 billion in business tax relief over three years. Tuesday, he proposed a further $750 million over fours years in business tax cuts to help manufacturers and businesses.
Duncan went on to demand the federal government do its part to make sure Ontario residents get a fair share of Canada's Employment Insurance benefits and health care funding. "Ontarians expect the federal government to be a full partner in responding to today's challenges and building tomorrow's prosperity," said Duncan.
Print this article
Email this article
