Ontario’s economy is changing rapidly. As these changes widen the gaps within our society, the government has a plan to build a fairer, better Ontario by supporting everyone in the province with the opportunity they need to get ahead.

Good Jobs and Growth Plan

$935 million in new funding over three years to support businesses, students and graduates, and help attract good, well-paying jobs.

Free Tuition

Making college and university tuition free for more than 225,000 students of all ages. Free or low tuition is available for students from low- and middle-income families.

Supporting Northern Businesses

Providing an additional $85 million over the next three years to support job creation and innovation in the north.


How we’re creating more opportunity for people

Ontario is:

  • Making college and university tuition free for more than 225,000 students of all ages. Free or low tuition is available for students from low- and middle-income families; tuition is free for those earning up to $90,000, and students from families who make up to $175,000 are also eligible for financial aid.
  • Preparing students for good jobs by providing $132  million over three years to develop postsecondary education programs that respond to the changing needs of students and employers.
  • Modernizing Ontario’s apprenticeship program with an investment of $170 million over three years to provide more trades-related learning opportunities for students.
  • Providing more hands-on learning for students and recent grads through an additional $12-million investment in the Career Ready Fund.  
  • Providing a long-awaited raise for 1.2 million people across Ontario by increasing the minimum wage to $14 per hour on January 1, 2018, and $15 per hour on January 1, 2019.
  • Helping skilled newcomers find employment by investing an additional $45.6 million over three years in the Ontario Bridge Training Program.  

How we’re improving business competitiveness

Ontario is:

  • Helping companies stay competitive with a cut to the small business Corporate Income Tax rate of 22  per cent.  
  • Proposing to enhance research and development tax credits to encourage businesses to invest, spurring innovation in the Ontario economy.  
  • Making workplaces fairer for everyone by tackling the gender wage gap and increasing transparency in hiring processes with proposed legislation requiring all publicly posted jobs to include a pay rate or salary scale.  
  • Helping companies stay competitive and giving all regions an opportunity to attract significant private sector investments by providing an additional $500 million over the next 10 years in the province’s New Economy Fund.  
  • Standing up for Ontario workers and businesses by promoting international trade, growing Ontario’s presence in key export markets, and seeking new economic and business partnerships around the world.
  • Supporting regional economic development by investing an additional $200 million over the next 10 years to create and retain approximately 38,000 jobs and attract more than $1.6  billion in local investments.
  • Continuing to invest $120  million annually to reduce electricity costs for large industrial facilities in the north.  
  • Continuing to promote fairness, opportunity and inclusive growth by investing $85 million over the next three years, increasing Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation funding to $150 million in 2021 and introducing new programs.

How we’re investing in infrastructure

Ontario is:

  • Building modern and efficient infrastructure by investing approximately $230 billion over 14 years, starting in 2014–15, for priority projects such as hospitals, schools, transit, bridges and roads.
  • Continuing to improve transit across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) by implementing GO Regional Express Rail — a $21.3-billion investment that is transforming the system to a regional rapid transit system. Weekly trips across the entire GO rail network will grow from about 1,500 to nearly 6,000 by 2025, with two-way, all-day and 15-minute service for commuters and families across the region.
  • Increasing GO train service by more than 70 per cent, adding approximately 800 more train trips every week across the GO network since 2013.
  • Investing in major rapid transit projects across the GTHA to provide fast, efficient and reliable transit, including the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project with 25 stations, linking to 54 bus routes, three subway stations, three GO Transit lines and the UP Express; the Finch West LRT to connect Humber College to the new Finch West TTC subway station; and the Hurontario LRT to connect GO Transit and the Mississauga and Brampton transit systems, with service expected to begin in 2022.
  • Reducing congestion and offering more travel options for commuters and families with a $79-billion investment in public transit over the next 10 years — including supporting the Ottawa LRT, Waterloo ION rapid transit project and the London Bus Rapid Transit System.  
  • Implementing initiatives to support a transformational regional fare integration strategy for the GTHA, including introducing a fare discount for PRESTO card users who transfer between GO Transit or the UP Express and the TTC.
  • Expanding broadband internet connectivity in rural and northern communities with an additional investment of $500 million over three years.
Updated: April 11, 2019
Published: March 28, 2018