"Out of touch."
That's how Essex MPP Taras Natyshak is describing the 2017 Ontario budget.
"The budget does not do much for the average person," says Natyshak. "It's a budget that seems to be out of touch with the needs for everyday people, one that I think shows that it's a desperate government and I don't know if it will in fact help everyday people across the province."
Natyshak is upset the budget does not include funding to expand Highway 3. "After speaking with the minister directly after the budget was presented, he said we'll have to wait a little bit longer, which I don't think our community is ready to wait any longer. Highway 3 is a dangerous highway and it's something that should be prioritized in any budget, actually should have been done more than a decade ago."
Natyshak is also disappointed there is no funding for high speed rail between Windsor and Toronto. "There's no dedicated funding for high speed rail but what they have announced is something that I've heard them announce now literally for 20 years, that they will study a high speed rail network from Windsor to Toronto. I think it would be a great thing to have a high speed rail but you have to attach the dollars to build that infrastructure."
But the New Democrat MPP is pleased Windsor-Essex will receive funding for a new hospital.