TORONTO -- Ontario taxpayers are set to receive $200 cheques in the mail early next year, a $3-billion plan the premier suggests is not tied to a possible early election.
Premier Doug Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy made the announcement today, a day ahead of the province's fall economic statement, which serves as a mini budget.
Ford says everyone who filed 2023 tax returns should expect to receive a $200 cheque, plus an additional $200 per child.
It comes as Ford has refused to rule out the possibility of an election sooner than the next fixed date of June 2026, and while he has said he will not call one this year, opposition parties are preparing for a possible spring contest.
Ford says his government has been looking for ways to save Ontarians money all along, including on transit fares, a gas tax cut and licence plate renewal fees.
Ford and Bethlenfalvy say the government can afford to send out $3 billion worth of cheques now because of higher-than-expected revenues, including due to the impact of inflation on provincial sales tax money in government coffers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2024.