Provincial Advocacy

Ontario Budget 2023

It’s time to mobilize: Ontario budget 2023 consultations are now open!

The province is seeking ideas from workers, families, businesses, and communities on what they want to see in the 2023 budget. Budget consultations are a critical time for nonprofits – big, small, rural, urban, and from across subsectors – to speak up about community, organizational, and sector priorities. It’s a time to highlight that we are key players in building the province’s well-being. 

Nonprofit advocacy matters because we:

• Foster an inclusive democracy. As the bridge between our communities and government, nonprofits of all kinds engage and amplify community voices, provide unique public policy insight, and hold governments and decision-makers accountable.
• Mobilize for systemic change. Many of the issues we work to tackle are systemic in nature – from housing affordability to stable funding for nonprofits – and thus require systemic solutions at the legislative/policy, regulation, operational, or budget levels.  

ONN’s submission: Nonprofit partners in provincial progress

ONN’s submission positions nonprofits as critical players in building the province’s economy and improving community well-being. Our recommendations for budget 2023 align with the conversations we’ve been having over the past year and ensure both the sector and provincial government are best serving Ontarians through timely and concrete action. 

Key Messages

Nonprofits are:

• An economic driver and ready for government investments to directly strengthen communities.
• A ready ally to the government on the ground, working alongside local communities.
• A key part of the solution to continue Ontario on the path to prosperity.

Recommendations

1. Enable a whole-of-government approach for Ontario’s 58,000 nonprofits and charities by creating a “home in government” for the sector. 
2. Ensure Ontarians have high-quality services by building a resilient nonprofit workforce. 
3. Strengthen the Ontario spirit by bolstering volunteerism.
4. Leverage existing resources, including public infrastructure and procurement dollars, to multiply economic and social benefits in local communities.
5. Remove barriers for nonprofits to build critical infrastructure including affordable housing, child care centres, long-term care homes, and other community amenities. 

How to participate

Nonprofits can participate in the process by:

1. Sending in a written submission by February 10.
   • Send your submission to both the Minister of Finance and the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. 
   • Share your submission with your local MPP.
   • Turn your submission into a communications campaign or an op-ed.
   • Endorse another nonprofit’s submission.
   • Use our submission to build your own; feel free to copy/paste our messages. Or you can submit a letter saying you endorse ONN’s submission.
2. Requesting to appear to make an oral presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs during public hearings/consultations on budget 2023.
   • Taking place in January across the province: Kenora, Red Lake, Windsor, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Ottawa, and Kingston. Each region has a deadline to request to appear.
   • Request to appear by filling out an online form or emailing the committee clerk.

We know nonprofits are busy responding to urgent community needs and capacity may be limited to draft a submission. If we’re all saying the same thing from our various locations in the network, our messages will have more power. 

For more information on ONN’s submission or to share your own, please contact Ebony at ebony@theonn.ca.