Centretown residents are bracing themselves for possible service cuts in the upcoming provincial budget and will get a chance to air their views at a public meeting on Saturday.
“The government has a deficit to deal with, so the key issues aren’t going to be about what’s added, but what’s cut,” says Robert Dekker, vice-president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association.
The budget will be released near the end of March. Ottawa Centre Liberal MPP Yasir Naqvi will be holding pre-budget consultations on Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Paul University, on Main Street in Ottawa East.
Naqvi says the Ontario government plans to focus on investing taxpayer dollars into community priorities such as the provision of health care and education, while balancing the budget.
“These are tough times. We have to balance a $16-billion deficit,” Naqvi says.
Centretown resident Jane Maxwell says she is concerned about affordable housing and health-care services in the community.
“I want to see the province get a grip on the debt and reign in spending, but at the same time making sure it protects our most treasured social services,” says Maxwell.
Dekker says a key issue would be whether or not the budget will offer continued support for community health care services, and the impact any cuts would have on clinics.
Funding for the Hintonburg Hub, a central location for community health services for example, would help take the heat off services in Centretown, Dekker says.
The Ontario government recently announced a new action plan for health care, which will create more community-based and patient-focused care. Naqvi says the government has been investing in community health centres, which help people avoid hospital trips and receive after-hours care.
“The Centretown Community Health Centre is a winner, it’s exactly what we want to see in terms of providing health care to the community,” Naqvi says.
Maureen Cassidy, an Ottawa resident for more than 40 years, says she has used community health care centres many times in the past.
“I think it’s important to expand the numbers of community health care centres. They save a lot of people from going to the ER and also save money,” Cassidy says.
Another key issue will be providing full-day kindergarten programs in all of Centretown’s elementary schools, Dekker adds.
Naqvi says there are four elementary schools in the neighbourhood that will benefit from full-day kindergarten. Cambridge Public School already offers the program. Centennial Public School will begin offering the program in September 2012, and both St. Anthony Elementary School and Elgin Street Public School will begin in 2013.
“That’s a huge advantage to the children from Centretown and a huge savings for parents,” Naqvi says.
Dekker says that with major federal public service cuts looming, he is concerned about any further provincial cuts.