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2024 Ontario Budget - MPP Andrew Dowie reaction · Kvetch & Release

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  Budget Day, Budget Day, Budget Day twenty twenty four. You know,
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  you can go download it right now and you can go control f find type
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  in Windsor shows up nineteen times in this budget. First mention is about the
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  battery plant. The next mention is about the battery supply chain and jobs and
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  companies in Windsor. Then it mentions the overpass on Banwell Lows on EA Highway
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  three expansion, a whole leading paragraph on highways, talks about the hospital and
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  how the procurement process is going to beginning in twenty twenty five, and there's
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  a lot more. I'm not going to just list it all off right now,
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  because that's just a list and we don't need that. We're going to
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  have a conversation, get some reactions right off the bat from the Member of
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  Provincial Parliament for Windsor to come see Andrew Dowie, who joins me right now.
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  Andrew, I don't think I have seen a budget that has nineteen references
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  to Windsor Essex in it. You know what, It's a rare thing as
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  a fellow political enthusiasts, especially prior to my election, that this was what
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  I did on Budget Day. I looked at the PDF, did the search
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  what was local, and we came up empty many many years. And so
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  to see successive budgets now speaking to our region and the and the actual investments
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  being made in our region, it's just phenomenal to see and just delighted to
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  see this budget because some key investments, you know, I think a lot
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  of them have already been announced for our area. For example, will be
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  announcements supporting the deck Start as a supplier that will be off of Wheelton Drive,
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  but also the the Banwell ec Row Interchange. We made the announcement a
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  couple of weeks ago, but it is funded in this budget, and so
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  that was a brand new announcement. We've been needing it for decades, and
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  so I was very happy to championed this project the last almost two years,
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  you know, make the case for this investment, and to see it in
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  print that this is a reality is just an incredible feeling. But it's it's
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  one of dozens of investments for our local area that that are here today.
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  You know, I'll tee you up right now to gush about it a little
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  bit more, because again, like I do, find it staggering just to
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  see this many references specifically to windsor and it's not you know, it's not
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  just lip service like this is actual money that has been invested, and people
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  can take umbrage with the government and their priorities. Everybody has different opinions about
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  it. But Andrew, just seeing this record investment here, or at least
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  these record mentionings here, and we know, you know, we've got the
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  multi billion dollar investment in you know, battery and electric vehicles here, You've
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  got to be pretty proud to be in this government. Well one hundred percent.
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  I mean, this government stepped up for the battery plant, kicking five
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  hundred million dollars to keep it here after the project was put at risk,
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  and then five billion tax credits. So that was a not just federal government,
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  the provincial government was there to make sure this project was successful. But
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  there's also so much more is so forget the control less and the PDF.
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  Their infrastructure is really the name of the game with this strip their budget.
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  I think the Southwestern Integrated Fiber Technology or SWIFT high Speed Wireless project. This
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  is bringing high speed internet fiber optic into rural communities. So Essex County has
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  been blessed with certain grants in different areas under the Swift program. We need
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  to get broadband out to our rural areas and this is something that the government's
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  been working on for a number of years. It doesn't get as much attention,
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  but you know what, when you don't have broadband, you know that
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  you're at a disadvantage versus your competitors, especially in commerce. But hey,
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  who wouldn't want to have Netflix or some sort of streaming service when it's pouring
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  wayne outside to watch? But also it's important here too as the investment in
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  school rules east View Horizon that it's a big project was funded over multiple years,
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  so there's funding in this budget for east View Horizon as well as the
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  new Vegan Heights School in Saint Clair Beach and the new Kingsville School. The
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  Eerie Migration Academy was mentioned here obviously, the Winter Essex Regional Q Care Hospital.
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  We definitely want the procurement to begin as quickly as possible and we want
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  to make sure that we are well covered. So the BANWELLI Sero Interchange,
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  the new lows On Parkway Interchange, which is going to be in the planning
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  but also close to us for anyone who you know, I think a lot
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  of us go to Pinalty once in a while, to different provincial parks.
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  Well, the southwest, you know, I think we've got a shortage.
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  I know we have a shortage of campsites. So McGregor Point is one place
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  where we're going to be adding new camp sites to reflect the demand. So
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  that's up near Port Elgin, so a bit further of a drive. But
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  we know that people do care about the outdoors and walk outdoors opportunities, and
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  so here's a reasonable investment that helps expand the capacity for ontires to enjoy the
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  outdoors. And I do want to put a shout out to a couple of
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  brand new programs here. One is the two hundred million dollars Recreational Fund.
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  So this will provide opportunities for municipalities and and and partners to seek out some
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  great investments that that support local sport and helping our local residents be active.
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  And also over a billion dollars in the municipal Housing Infrastructure program, so that
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  that that's a new fund. It's something that the province decided to go alone.
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  In the past that the federal governments participated. By this time, the
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  province is going alone to to to fund municipal infrastructure so that we can grow
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  our housing supply and and help with economic development and once they also many residents
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  may remember from early twenty twenty two there were six long term care beds that
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  were signaled for demolition and rebuilding with expanded beds in windsor predominantly in downtown winter.
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  So we've had inflation, and so it's that some of those projects haven't
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  that haven't seen a shovel in the ground yet, and so really the reality
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  is of those projects became a bit more expensive then we had enough that we
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  had the funding for. So there's another one hundred and fifty five million dollars
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  going into these long term care upgrades so that we will see those beds come
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  to fruition as soon as possible. That's important for our community. It's one
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  of the largest or most extensive asks that I get in my office is to
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  make sure that that long term care bed supply is updated and is available for
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  those who need it. Well. I mean, that's obviously such an ongoing
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  issue that has been dealt with. It's good to see this investment in it.
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  Again. This is the biggest budget that the province has ever seen a
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  record two hundred and fourteen and a half billion dollars, and we're seeing some
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  of it trickle down here to our parts as well, which is always appreciated,
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  as is your time and consideration in joining me. Andrew, thank you
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  so much for taking some time. I know how busy today is, okay,
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  Thank you, John. I appreciate the appy to be here.