Real-time clock stops in Sudbury to highlight rising provincial debt
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is travelling across the province to draw attention to Ontario’s $400-billion debt.
The centrepiece is a clock showing the debt going up in real-time. The 10-day tour kicked off Thursday in Thunder Bay and made stops in Sudbury and North Bay on Friday.
The Federation said it’s a real-time clock that shows the provincial debt in Ontario rising by tens of millions of dollars every day.
“It’s showing, first of all, our overall provincial debt, which is almost $425 billion," said Jay Goldberg, the Federation's Ontario director.
"We are the most indebted sub-national government in the entire world -- more than California, which is five times our population.”
Goldberg said the clock also shows the debt per person in Ontario.
“Which is almost $26,000 -- that is just the provincial debt share," he said.
"You add in the federal debt share and per person, we are over $50,000 in debt for every man woman and child here in the province of Ontario."
Doug Brown, who came to see the real-time debt clock, said it’s overwhelming to see the numbers.
“Until the governments decide that they are going to stay within their fiscal means, you know, we are going to keep paying more and more and more taxes just to support this,” Brown said.
Shocking numbers
In response to an inquiry from CTV Northern Ontario, the Ministry of Finance sent this statement in an e-mail:
"Our government is making historic investments in roads, transit, housing and health care, while continuing a clear path back to balance and with revenues up $52 billion since we took office."
The Federation said another shocking number is also hitting home with people.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“The fact that here in Ontario we are spending $14 billion this year -- more than a billion a month -- just on interest on our provincial debt," Goldberg said.
"That’s money that is going to bondholders on Bay Street, that’s not going to building new hospitals, fixing up our schools, lowering our taxes."
“I don’t think governments are being very good stewards of our money,” said Brown.
Officials said the mandate of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is to push for lower taxes, less government waste and more accountability in government.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
2 dead, third in critical condition after attack in Kingston, Ont., suspect arrested
Two people are dead and a third suffered life-threatening injuries following an attack at an encampment in Kingston, Ont. Thursday. A suspect has been arrested following a multi-hour standoff.
B.C. will scrap carbon tax if feds remove requirement: Eby
British Columbia’s premier says the province will end the consumer carbon tax if the federal government removes the legal requirement to have one.
Trump rules out another debate against Harris as her campaign announces US$47M haul in hours afterward
Donald Trump on Thursday ruled out another presidential debate against Kamala Harris as her campaign announced a massive fundraising haul in the hours after the two candidates met on stage.
'Keep your bags packed': Consul general grilled over $9M NYC condo purchase
After weeks of pressure, Canada's consul general Tom Clark is testifying on Thursday before a House of Commons committee about the purchase of his new official residence in New York that generated a lot of political attention over the summer.
Family of Sikh man speaks out against Toronto-area hospital after beard shaved
The family of a Sikh man from Brampton is seeking an apology, an explanation, and a promise to do better from the local hospital network after they say the facial hair of their loved one was removed without their consent.
TIFF pauses screenings of documentary about Russian soldiers due to 'significant threats'
The Toronto Film Festival says it has been forced to pause the screenings of a documentary about Russian soldiers this weekend, citing 'significant threats to festival operations and public safety.'
Georgia judge dismisses two criminal counts against Trump, court filing shows
A Georgia judge on Thursday dismissed two criminal counts in the U.S. state's 2020 election interference case against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and one other count against allies of the former president.
This Italian lawyer says he thought he was buying a regular print of Churchill, not the 'mythical' stolen portrait
When Nicola Cassinelli, Italian lawyer and occasional art collector, bid on a portrait of the late U.K. prime minister Winston Churchill, he says, he didn't know it would land him in the centre of an international criminal investigation.
NEW N.B. premier’s asylum seeker comments spark controversy
Claims from New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs that Ottawa wants to force the province to take in 4,600 asylum seekers are "largely fictitious," says federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller.