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Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy has started to promote his budget.
He focused on the commitments to seniors on Friday.
The province is planning to expand the income threshold of the Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS) program beginning in July 2024.
The program provides a monthly, non-taxable benefit to low-income seniors.
Bethlenfalvy says the expansion will permit about 100,000 more seniors to be eligible.
“And we are also proposing to index this program, the Gains Benefit indexing it to inflation, so that when the costs rise, so would our support,” says Bethlenfalvy.
The government doubled the amount of money seniors receive this year to $166 a month for a single person and $332 for couples.
There are also plans to protect against elder abuse by expanding the Senior Safety Line.
The Finance Minister calls it a heinous crime.
“And to help those experiencing that, or at risk of experiencing elder abuse, we are expanding the senior safety line. This one billion investment over three years will expand the province’s wide helpline that connects seniors to resources to help Ontario.”
The province is also planning to spend $174 million over the next two years on the Community Paramedicine program to provide additional care to seniors at home with additional support for home and community care.