Ontario is eliminating waste and finding savings by proposing to ban public sector perks, eliminate unnecessary government agencies and cancelling awards.

The proposed ban on perks would eliminate funding throughout the broader public sector for things like golf memberships, season tickets to sporting events or lump sum payments for travel without receipts.  Proposed legislation would impact hospitals, universities and all government agencies.

The number of government agencies will also be reduced by 5 per cent.  Some agencies have functions that could be performed within government or cease to exist, and some have overlapping responsibilities or could be amalgamated.

The province will also discontinue both the Discovery and Catalyst Awards, saving taxpayers close to $2.5 million annually.

Ontario’s projected deficit is 25 per cent lower than one year ago.  The government has taken other restraint measures including:

• 3 year salary freeze for all MPPs
• 2 year compensation freeze for non-bargaining broader public sector employees
• Reducing the size of the Ontario Public Service by 5 per cent
• Cut reliance on outside consultants by 50 per cent, so far

In the coming months the government will be announcing further measures to find savings that can be used to protect public services in schools and hospitals, and reduce the deficit.