Teacher’s salary freeze passes Ontario Legislature

NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington – Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2012

Teacher’s salary freeze passes Ontario Legislature
(Queen’s Park) – On Tuesday, Bill 115, An Act to implement restraint measures in the education sector,
was passed into law by the Ontario Legislature.

Bill 115, which was introduced by Education Minister Laurel Broten, is intended to impose a 2 year salary
freeze on teachers in Ontario. It was passed with the support of the Liberal and PC caucuses.

“For months, the PC Caucus has been advocating for an across-the-board salary freeze for everyone in
the government and the broader public sector, as a step towards getting their spending under control,”
said Mr. Arnott. “We supported this bill because it does represent a step in that direction.”

Ontario’s deficit is projected to be around $15 billion for the current fiscal year, on a spending plan of
$126 billion. This year, the province’s net debt is expected to climb from $237.6 billion to $260.4 billion.

This year alone, Ontario will pay $10.6 billion in interest on the provincial debt. This represents the third
highest expenditure in the provincial budget, behind only health care and education spending.

“I can understand why teachers are disappointed, because I respect them and appreciate the important
work that they do. They are dedicated and caring professionals who have the vital task of providing our
children with the skills and knowledge that they will need,” said Mr. Arnott. “However, the reality is, after
9 years of Liberal overspending and mismanagement, there is simply no money for pay raises this year.”

The Drummond Report, which was released in February, provided the Government with a roadmap for
balancing the budget by 2018. In order to meet this target, it said that the Government must hold the line
on education spending to a 1% increase a year going forward.

“As a province, the Provincial Government cannot keep spending money that it doesn’t have and leave
the bill for our children to pay,” Mr. Arnott argued. “Unless they make a concerted effort to address the
deficit and start living within their means, we will face a fiscal crisis at some point in the foreseeable
future.”

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Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org

Source: 2012 Ontario Budget Papers, pages 195-199.