By Cecilia Nasmith

The Ontario provincial government announced its long-delayed budget Thursday and, as far as Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini is concerned, it's good news for this particular community.

Seniors, for example, can benefit from a tax credit of up to 25% (to a maximum of $10,000) for home renovations aimed at Aging In Place, “which is a pillar of the reformed health-care system our government is working on,” Piccini pointed out.

And for those in long-term-care, he is particularly proud of his government's commitment to four hours of daily care per person.

“That's going to be the gold standard in Canada in terms of hours of direct care their loved ones will receive in long-term care,” he predicted.

Get ready to see occupied seats at Port Hope's Capitol Theatre and Campbellford's Westben Theatre, he continued, as 2021 will be the Year of the Staycation – thanks to his government's 20% tax credit for people who travel within the province (once it's safe to travel again). This will bring people into Northumberland for its theatres, art galleries and unique businesses.

“For small businesses, to help offset the cost of PPE (personal protective equipment), we have grants of $1,000,” he said.

As well, they are working with the Indigenous and minority communities in support of their small businesses as well.

“There's $2.5-billion more for the hospital sector this year to fight the pandemic, and more money for parents and at-home schools.”

This amounts to $200 per child under the age of 12 and $250 in the case of special-needs children up to the age of 21. For the average family of three with a special-needs child, he calculated that could mean $1,300 in savings.

Support of broadband is emerging as a key need to connect rural communities, support their children learning at home and help their parents who are working from home or perhaps interested in starting their own businesses.

Piccini put this cost at $380-million, and pledged to work with both upper- and lower-tier municipalities - as well as with businesses that need to leverage their existing capacity and develop new applications.

In this regard, he said, “we are hoping for some exciting announcements soon.”

And speaking of businesses, he said, their Employer Health Tax Credit has gone a long way toward reducing their costs, along with the six-month grace on many provincially administered taxes and a break on electricity prices that can save small- and medium-sized businesses 12% to 16%.

Along with increased funding to Northumberland Hills Hospital, Piccini continued, “supporting the most vulnerable, we have an additional $1-million that has gone out in Phase II allocation to the county to support social services to support people in the community.”

Looking ahead, Piccini promises more good news, with announcements on changes to long-term care that will get rid of the four-to-a-room model that, in some institutions, contributed to the deadly spread of COVID in the spring.

Piccini made his comments on the day following the release of the $187-billion budget by Premier Doug Ford, a budget shaped in large part by the needs imposed upon its people by the COVID-19 pandemic (and which carries a $38.5-billion deficit).

Delayed seven months beyond the date it originally was to come out, the budget continued to be shaped over these months as the parameters of the pandemic made themselves known. Piccini said more than 500 presenters had addressed the finance committee, and he had spoken with more than 150 people himself in local Zoom calls.

The budget came out on a day when Ontario had 998 new cases of COVID-19, with 13 deaths.

Even so, he said, the province has distinguished itself with its testing capacity and contact tracing.

And when you look at those numbers in terms of comparison with North America – not just Canada – Ontario truly stands out.

“Not just in the support of our hospitals, but also our front-line workers,” he said.

“Can we do more? Absolutely. We are working on rapid tests and investing $20-million in research towards a vaccine.

“We have a lot more to do, but everyone is making sacrifices. And the framework we have rolled out really provides stability in our region.”