CUPE Ontario, the political wing of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, also criticized the subsidies given to large businesses.
“Companies like Loblaws, which have actually profited during this pandemic, are getting government money to pay their hydro bills, while public services are stretched thin due to years of underfunding,” CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn said in a statement.
The FAO found that nine subsidy programs make up the $118.1-billion cost. Two-thirds of that spending will benefit Ontario households, and one-third will help businesses. The annual cost of the programs will reach $6.9 billion in 2021-22, but then gradually fall to $4.2 billion in 2039-40, a 40 per cent drop in the programs’ annual cost.
