What to know about Budget 2.0 and Throne Speech
Also: Committee lineup, strong mayors incoming, watchdog reports, a political thriller
ABOVE THE FOLD
A VAGUE VISION — The Ford government is promising “bold action” while warning there’s “no easy solutions” to the mounting problems of health care staffing shortages and sky-high inflation.
In Tuesday’s Speech from the Throne, the Ford government acknowledged major staffing shortages that have led to hospital operations, including ERs and ICUs, being scaled back or shut down. While the PCs admit “more can still be done,” there are scant solutions on the table.
Ontario is experiencing “significant pressures, including an exhausted workforce and increasingly stressed emergency departments,” the Speech reads.
The Speech was light on details for how to fix that. “Your government is actively engaging with health-system partners to identify urgent, actionable solutions and will implement whatever measures are needed to help ease immediate pressures, while also ensuring the province is ready to…