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VT INCEPIT Clem ar a q FIDELIS V Ontario THE NEW TANNER TED CHI MPP, Hal -~=--Qneen's Pa Jobs and the Economy Jobs Created Since Mid-1995 © Between September 1995 Thousands" and June 1998, 376,000 net | new jobs were created in 00 Het Ontario. In the first quarter = of 1998, Ontario's economy created jobs at a rate unequalled in 15 years. 200 © The provincial economy aT ae see 1000 2000 grew by 4.8% in 1997, and Scie sander EOS 'Sources Statice Canad and Ontario Mintatry of France the average private sector forecast for growth in 1998 is 4.0%. Cutting Taxes to Create Jobs ¢ The full 30% cut to provincial income taxes was delivered 6 months ahead of schedule. This government is the first in 4 decades to cut income tax rates. © The 36 tax cuts in this year's budget bring the total number of tax cuts in the past three years to 66. Work for Welfare © Over 30% of those peo- ple eligible for welfare, or approximately 250,000, have partici- pated in the Work for Welfare program. More than 263,000 people have stopped relying on welfare completely since June of 1995, a decline of almost 20%. emcee rece es cn ces e ase ns een e eee ree sees eee ee ees eee seer en eee eee eee we ee eens eenneeeeesensencenseeenseeeeee e The total social assistance caseload for Halton Hills, Milton, Oakville and Burlington has been reduced by 1,457 cases, or 22.1%, since June of 1995. General welfare assistance cases in June for Halton Region are down by 1,184 cases in the same period. e The welfare fraud hotline (1-800-394-7867) has uncovered more than 1,200 cases of welfare fraud, saving taxpayers more than $8.5 million. Personal and Community Safety e The 1998 budget provides $150 million over 5 years to enhance community safety. This will be used to hire almost 1,000 new police officers through the Community Policing Partnership. Other budget initiatives include a tural crime prevention strategy and proposals to more than double the fines for running red lights. e Amendments to the Highway Traffic Act will allow municipalities to create Community Safety Zones where fines would be doubled for driving infrac- tions such as speeding, running red lights, failing to yield to a pedestrian or traffic, and failing to stop at school crossings. Seniors e $1.2 billion from the province will add 20,000 new beds for those in nurs- ing homes and homes for the aged. Halton Region will receive 1,579 of those beds, and represent the first investment in new long-term care beds since 1988. e An additional 13,500 will be upgraded, including 100 at Martin House. Access to community-based services will also be improved to serve an additional 100,000 Ontarians. Preserving Health Care e The government has reinvested $3 billion into front line services for patients. This includes $154 million for hospital restructuring--the first installment of a 5 year, $2 billion commitment made in the 1997 budget-- and $225 million over two years to improve access to emergency room ser- vices, following the recommendations of the Emergency Services Working Group. THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1998