BELL: Ford’s budget set to bury Ontario deeper in debt

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Shadow Finance Minister Jessica Bell (University—Rosedale) says the latest report from Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO) indicates that Doug Ford continues to put taxpayer dollars in the wrong places, as the province’s debt balloons:

“The Conservatives are not the prudent fiscal managers they pretend to be,” said Bell. “This latest report from the FAO shows that Ontario’s debt will soar to half a trillion dollars in just 18 months. They have no credible plan to balance the budget, and we’re now paying the price with record-high interest payments.

“Parents should be especially alarmed. Eight years of Doug Ford have left Ontario’s education system starved of funding, with even more cuts in Budget 2026. This fall, kids will be going back to rundown schools; stuffed in packed classrooms with not enough teachers.

“Never has a government spent so much while delivering so little. Taxpayer money shouldn’t be funding multi-billion dollar luxury spas on Toronto’s waterfront. Ontario needs properly-funded schools, affordable rent and groceries, and a functioning health care system.”