What are pre-budget consultations?

 

Every year, governments at all levels invite the public to provide input on actions they would like the government to take. The consultations are an opportunity to voice ideas, concerns, or new areas of focus of where the government should prioritize its spending in its coming fiscal year. Governments will use the input they receive to inform their budgets for the next fiscal year.

WoodGreen’s message to the Government of Ontario

 

In our pre-budget submission to the Government of Ontario, WoodGreen called on the government to address some of the most critical issues in our community. Our submission demonstrates that with further investment our services can help more people thrive in our community. WoodGreen advocated that the Ontario government provide additional investment to community care programs, expand community mental health and addictions services, support non-profit affordable housing developers, and fund women’s economic empowerment.

 

Our recommendations include:

  1. Sustainable and expansion funding towards community care programs such as adult day programs, meal services, transportation, assisted living services and caregiver supports.
  2. Funding towards program expansion for community mental health and addictions services.
  3. Support for non-profit affordable housing developers, including upfront equity, lower borrowing rates and designating surplus provincial land.
  4. Funding for the women’s economic empowerment program Homeward Bound that provides single mothers across southern Ontario with wrap-around supports to get an education and a job.

 

Read the full submission

WoodGreen’s message to the Government of Canada

 

In our pre-budget submission to the Government of Canada, WoodGreen called on the government to invest in key areas that will support people during the affordability crisis, including affordable housing, employment support, and community-delivered financial help services.

 

Our recommendations include:

  1. Ensure the existing programs under the National Housing Strategy are well funded and increase the grant ratios to non-profit developers in financing deeply affordable housing through the Affordable Housing Fund.
  2. Create funding streams for non-profits to partner with private developers to create affordable housing.
  3. Invest in the Rapid Housing Initiative to ensure that non-profit housing providers are able to develop deeply affordable housing for vulnerable seniors, women, youth and newcomers.
  4. Create an acquisition fund and provide additional funding to the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition program in Toronto.
  5. Invest in the Skills for Success Program to address longstanding gaps in skills development and continue to foster a culture of lifelong learning and upskilling among all Canadians.
  6. Provide sustainable funding of $85 million over five years for community-delivered financial help services through the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.
  7. Provide an additional investment to the Canada Ontario Housing Benefit to the City of Toronto to assist with rental costs for newcomers, refugees and unassisted refugee claimants.

 

Read the Full Submission

For more information

Contact information

Eric Mariglia

(437) 236-3417