Windsor's mayor is calling the Ontario budget a "good news budget for the city" stating, "Doug Ford delivered big for the City of Windsor."
The province rolled out the $186.1-billion document Wednesday which includes over a billion dollars for municipalities to help with the COVID-19 recovery.
Drew Dilkens says the pandemic resulted in a deficit of $38-million for Windsor — that's been whittled down to $19-million and the extra provincial funding may help put the city back in the green.
"It's great to see that money in the budget because we know that there will likely be further streams for us to apply and demonstrate to the province the loses that we're incurring so that we could be made whole in 2021 just like we were in 2020. So great to see that they're looking at municipalities and are going to provide ongoing support."
He says there's more help for small businesses as well in the form of a $1.7-billion grant program.
"They recognize that there are ongoing challenges and that businesses are just trying to survive and they want to help them get back to the point where they can thrive. So this is an important step because we're so close to the finish line. There's light at the end of the tunnel, but there's going to be a little bit more pain with respect to closure and business disruption until everyone gets their vaccine."
Dilkens says the tourism industry will also get a $100-million boost.
"We live in a border city. We need to get our tourists back and get the border open at the right time and really help support our wineries, our craft breweries, our distillery, our hotels, our casino and all of the other ancillary pieces that play a part in our dynamic tourism and hospitality industry."
The 2021-2022 provincial budget shows a $33.1 billion deficit which the government estimates will take until 2029 to eliminate.
— with files from AM800's Patty Handysides