Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’s not ruling out the possibility of distributing another round of rebate checks to Ontarians in order to help people navigate uncertain financial times.
“We’ll never rule that out – giving more money back to the people,” Ford told reporters at a news conference at Wasaga Beach Friday.
Ford’s comments come the day after the PC government tabled its first budget at Queen’s Park since being re-elected in March.
The budget included billions of dollars in support for businesses in order to bolster Ontario’s economy in the face of U.S. tariffs, sending the province into a deficit of $14.6 billion for 2025-26.
However opposition parties at Queen’s Park criticized the budget for providing little direct relief to individuals.
“You must put money into the infrastructure, into projects like this to keep people working,” Ford said, as he unveiled a $38 million investment to build the Wasaga area as a tourist destination.
Aside from several programs to bolster businesses, the government plans to spend around $200 billion on infrastructure investments over the next decade.
Still, Ford pointed out that individuals will save through several measures that were unveiled in the budget, including a permanent reduction in the gas tax and the removal of tolls on a provincially owned portion of Hwy. 407 East between Pickering and Clarington.
Those measures are expected to cost $930 million and $94 million respectively in 2025-26.
Issuing $200 rebate cheques earlier this year cost around $3 billion.
Ford said Friday that the budget focused primarily on supporting businesses but that he wouldn’t rule out providing relief to individuals in the form of rebate checks as he did just before the latest provincial election.
“It’s not our money, it’s the people’s money. It’s not our money, it’s your money that you’re paying into the system,” Ford said. “If we have extra money, that $3 billion goes back into people’s pockets.”
According to the budget, the government is not expecting to have any extra money until 2027-28, when a small surplus of around $200 million is predicted. However ministry staff noted Thursday that the economic environment remains highly unpredictable, given the ever-shifting tariff discussions.
