Between the lines: Bethlenfalvy's budget teaser

And a bonkers Women's Day

ABOVE THE FOLD

LET’S GET FISCAL — Christmas comes early for budget wonks. Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY drops Ontario’s spring budget on Tuesday (!) March 26, five days before the legal deadline.

The teaser from Bethlenfalvy — a canned social media clip and a tight-lipped scrum with reporters — suggests the Tories aren’t feeling so spend-y, despite a slightly rosier fiscal outlook. Last month’s third-quarter finances pegged the year-end deficit at $4.5 billion — a far cry from the $1.3-billion shortfall that was forecast during the last budget, but still $1.1 billion lower than the more recent Fall Economic Statement.

What he said: 2024’s fiscal blueprint will lay out how the Ford government is “rebuilding Ontario’s economy without raising taxes and fees or putting more burden on businesses and municipalities.”

Speaking to reporters in post-Question Period scrums, Bethlenfalvy kept it high-level. “We’re going to continue to focus on making life a little bit more affordable for pe…