NDP: Ford gets an F for failing Northern Ontarians

QUEEN’S PARK – Northern Ontario NDP MPPs are giving Doug Ford’s 2026 Budget an F for failing Ontario. The 2026 Budget ignores the real needs of Northern communities, from health care and highways to forestry and jobs, while making cuts that will cost families across the North.

“This Budget does nothing to fix the healthcare crisis in the North,” said NDP Shadow Minister of Health, MPP France Gelinas (Nickel Belt). “Instead of investing in frontline care, this government is making cuts. Northern families deserve timely, accessible care close to home, and this budget fails to deliver that.”

“The government talks a big game about building the most competitive economy in the G7, but the reality today comes in the form of this 2026 Budget: continued uncertainty and missed opportunities,” said NDP Shadow Minister of Natural Resource and Forestry, MPP Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk – James Bay). “This budget is leaving forestry, the backbone of many northern communities, behind, with no long-term commitment to biomass, no wood-first procurement policy and no real support for struggling mills and workers.”

“At a time when over 700,000 Ontarians are out of work, this government is cutting nearly half a billion dollars from job creation and training,” said NDP Shadow Minister of Labour, MPP Jamie West (Sudbury). “Northern workers need stable, good-paying jobs and pathways into new industries. Instead, this budget is offering a Ferris Wheel to southern Ontario but offers no real plan to grow the workforce or support local economies.”

NDP Shadow Minister of Indigenous Relations MPP Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) added the following: “For First Nations, this budget continues a pattern of underinvestment and missed partnerships. There are commitments tied to the Ring of Fire, without reassurances that all communities will see benefits.”

This budget also falls short on Highway safety as pointed out by NDP Shadow Minister of Rural Affairs, MPP John Vanthof (Timiskaming – Cochrane) “There are reannouncements and partial upgrades, but no comprehensive plan to improve safety or connectivity. People in the North deserve reliable, well-maintained roads that support families, businesses, and emergency services.”

“Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario are being asked to wait once again,” said NDP Shadow Minister of Seniors and Accessibility, MPP Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay – Superior North). “Whether it’s infrastructure, health care, or economic development, the investments just are not there. Communities across the region need real support now, not recycled announcements and delayed timelines that fail to meet the urgency of the moment.”