Budget is Responsive and Responsible: Mayor

Niagara Falls mayor says the recent provincial budget is needed in volatile world economy, and locally

Niagara Falls mayor is using two words to describe the Ontario budget released last week... responsive and responsible.

Jim Diodati says that's what's needed in a volatile world economy, but it also addresses concerns for small business owners, and people looking to buy a home.

He adds historic amounts of investment is taking place to keep the economy moving.  "And we know that things are going to turn around, economists are saying at the end of 2027.  So, until then, what are we going to do to keep things chugging along, because, it's like a vehicle, if you park it over the winter, and you don't drive it, when you start it in the spring, it seizes up."

As for rising debt loads, he says today's problems are severe, and must be dealt with.

When he looks at home building in Niagara Falls, his first thought is a new $400-million wastewater treatment plant.

Without a federal and provincial partnership, he says no new homes.  "I know that we're getting closer to an announcement of shared funding, but that's one of the necessary critical infrastructure pieces, before we can build more houses.  You can approve all the houses you want, you just can't build them, until you've got enough capacity in our wastewater treatment plant."

The provincial budget has small business tax cuts, but also temporary HST rebate on homes.