MARKHAM – Official Opposition NDP members of the provincial Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs are in Markham for pre-budget consultations to hear from community organizations who raised concerns about the need for sustainable funding for community organizations and real climate-action.
Catherine Fife, vice-chair of the committee and Ontario NDP finance critic, raised concerns about lack of sustainable funding for specialized health and community organizations:
“Organizations supporting people living with ALS and arthritis are left dependent on donors and temporary grants because this government refuses to see the value of sustainable base funding for providing care, dignity, and community for Ontarians seeking treatment and support.
“Non-profit community programs are left in a permanent state of being in a ‘hamster wheel’ chasing grants because this government will not provide sustainable operating funding. We need a budget rooted in the realities of what communities are facing.”
MPP Terence Kernaghan added “unambiguously, we heard calls for the government to invest in climate-action, provide subsidies for green energy retrofits and heat pumps. It’s time for this government to face reality, accept the recommendations Ontario NDP has made, and invest in real climate action.”