Ontario Budget 2014: Nowhere near enough

One of the privileges of being a journalist is you get to do gratifying things with some pretty brilliant people. Yesterday was no exception.

Our provincial government here in Ontario released its latest budget yesterday afternoon. Premier Kathleen Wynne is hanging on something of a thread as her minority Liberal government's future sits in the opposition NDP's hands. If they support the budget, it's business as usual. If they oppose it, we're going to the polls.

As Finance Minister Charles Sousa walked Queens Park through the budget document, I tore through the PDF and looked for perspectives on what it could mean to the province's tech sector. After quickly pulling the key talking points together, I popped on-air with Mike Stubbs on London's 1290 CJBK and we quickly talked it out. For what it's worth, I did this from my wife's classroom, using my laptop tethered to my BlackBerry, as I sat in a desk that was about three sizes too small for my not-overly-large frame.
Mobile technology rules.)

Mike had been quarterbacking fast-response coverage of the budget with a team of folks ranging from the CJBK newsroom to CTV London reporter Cristina Howorun to Candice Malcolm, Ontario Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

The audio package is available here, and yet again I'm reminded how lucky I am to do this.

Update - May 02, 10:18 a.m.: It's official. Ontario is headed to the polls after NDP leader Andrea Horwath announced her party would vote against the budget. The move signals the beginning of the end of the minority Liberal government.

Her tweet says it all: We cannot support a budget that is irresponsible and a gov't that is unaccountable. We will not being voting for this budget. #onpoli

Ladies and gentlemen, start your lawn signs and robo-dialers. Here we go...