The Ontario budget, announced earlier today, contains nothing new to support transit systems around Toronto.  Basically, Queen’s Park is piggy backing on the projects already underway, the same grab-bag of schemes funded by the federal announcement last week.

There is a potload of money under the general heading of “infrastructure”, but no indication of how much, if any, is available for proposals such as Transit City or ongoing funding of transit operations.

Queen’s Park listened to the call to upload some social spending, but only for the 905.  Currently, the 905 municipalities pay part of the cost of social programs in the 416.  This cost will be taken over by the province.  However, none of the costs now borne by the City of Toronto will be assumed, and Toronto is left in just as much of a budgetary mess as they were before this budget.

Clearly, Ontario’s Liberals are going after the same block of 905 voters as the Ottawa Tories on the assumption that we Torontonians will vote Liberal/NDP even if Queen’s Park bleeds the city dry.