March 28th, 2024
March 28th, 2024
QUEEN'S PARK – NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong), issued the following statement today, calling out the blatant disregard for Northern Ontario in the 2024 provincial budget:
"This 2024 budget still leaves Northern Ontarians behind and waiting for the investment they need. Six years in and Ford still hasn't come up with solutions to our communities' pressing issues. Mental health, homelessness, healthcare crises, emergency rooms closing—the North is struggling because the government is failing to recognize our urgent needs.
"Last month, Nishnawbe Aski Nation declared a Health State of Emergency, yet there continues to be unnecessary suffering and needless deaths across Kiiwetinoong. Where in the 2024 Budget does this crisis receive the attention it deserves?
"Hospitals across northwestern Ontario are struggling to retain surgeons, forcing patients to travel further away from home for the necessary surgeries. Again, where in the budget is this crisis addressed? It's nowhere to be found.
"The state of Highways 11 and 17 continues to pose severe risks to residents and travellers alike every winter. Yet, once again, the government is failing to allocate resources to address this issue.
The north gives so much to the rest of Ontario. We deserve safe highways, affordable housing, healthcare close to home, and a pathway to a better future. But once again, the north doesn't make the cut in the 2024 budget.”