When Premier Doug Ford’s government tables its new budget on Thursday, expect to see more than $6 billion devoted to subsidizing hydro bills.
Although previous Liberal governments also spent taxpayer money on lowering electricity prices, Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have taken it to such a level that it is now one of the single biggest line items in the Ontario budget.
The 2022-23 provincial budget earmarked $6.3 billion for “electricity cost-relief programs,” nearly four times as much as the $1.6 billion Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals budgeted for such programs in 2018.
