Finance Minister provides budget details at breakfast event

Nipissing MPP and provincial Minister of Finance Vic Fedeli defended his budget in front of a business audience at the Grande Event Centre on Friday.

He highlighted the major details including increases in funding to education by $700 million and health care by $1.3 billion.

He told BayToday there’s nothing in the budget that will cause teachers to lose their jobs.

“No teachers will lose their job because of the increase in class sizes or the e-learning. We’ve told them that for months. They don’t want to take yes for an answer,” he says.

Earlier this week, The union representing secondary school teachers indicated 121 teachers will be laid off and the province was responsible due to the class size issue.

“That is preposterous. The teachers unions need to apologize to the students that they’ve scared, their parents and quite frankly their grandparents,” Fedeli says.

Fedeli also said passenger rail service will return to the area and details will be unveiled during this team.

As for health care, he says the province has increased funding in a number of areas including long term care and mental health and addictions.

He also called on government agencies to find efficiencies as they have done.

Fedeli indicated they have sold one of their surplus government buildings in the area.

He says the former OPP building near Chippewa Secondary School has been sold to a business with details to be announced soon.

(photo by station staff)