| News Release
September 23, 2016
New Cabinet Focuses on Building Ontario Up for Everyone
At the mid-point in the government’s mandate, Premier Kathleen Wynne released to the public today all of the ministers’ mandate letters. As the government continues to deliver on its top priority of jobs and growth, the 34 letters direct the new cabinet and their ministries to work together to deliver more inclusive growth, with measures that will help people in their everyday lives.
Key priorities outlined in the letters include:
- Supporting families by helping to create 100,000 additional licensed child care spaces for infants, toddlers and preschoolers within five years, starting in 2017
- Building an education system for all students to achieve their potential, which includes the introduction of the new Ontario Student Grant to make college and university tuition free for tens of thousands of students from low- and middle-income families
- Ensuring the growth of Ontario’s innovation-driven economy is inclusive, by providing skills training that aligns with the jobs of today and tomorrow
- Building a health care system everyone can rely on by improving the availability of same-day, after-hours and weekend care, and continuing to grow the number of frontline workers providing the care people want in home and community settings
- Continuing to make historic levels of investments to build new schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and transit — about $160 billion over 12 years
< li>Supporting good jobs in a competitive, low-carbon business environment by cutting red tape, strategically partnering with high-growth, knowledge-based businesses and helping more Ontario start-ups grow into innovative, export-oriented companies where good jobs are created
- Continuing to play a national leadership role in fighting climate change and championing the retirement security Ontario workers deserve
- Building on the Ontario Electricity Support Program, the removal of the Debt Retirement Charge from residential bills and other existing electricity price relief measures by introducing legislation that would give everyone the break they need with a permanent rebate — directly on eligible consumers’ electricity bills — of an amount equal to the provincial portion of the Harmonized Sales Tax, an eight per cent savings
- Enhancing the existing rural support program to provide additional electricity savings for Ontario’s eligible rural electricity customers
- Expanding the Industrial Conservation Initiative, which would make more than 1,000 additional large electricity consumers eligible for electricity cost savings of up to 34 per cent.
The release of the mandate letters follows the recent Speech from the Throne, which outlined the government’s balanced plan to build Ontario up for everyone.
Releasing these mandate letters to the public increases openness and accountability, and supports the government’s plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by making a high-quality college and university education more affordable. The plan is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit in Ontario’s history and is building a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement. |
