'No surprises' expected in Ontario budget, Ford says

Premier Doug Ford said there will be "no surprises" for Ontario municipalities in his government's spring budget, sounding a conciliatory tone after his government stunned civic leaders with in-year cuts last year.

Ford made the comments during a speech at a conference of rural municipal leaders in Toronto on Monday, two months ahead of the release of his second provincial spending package.

He repeatedly praised the leaders during remarks at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association event, saying his government values their feedback.

"I've told the caucus and our ministers no surprises," he said. "No surprises to municipalities, just lay it on the line. Get their input. 'Cause again, I walked a mile in your shoes. I was a municipal councillor. [There was]nothing I hated more when the province would come up and say, 'Do this, do that."'

The remarks strike a sharp contrast to the actions of his Progressive Conservative government, which slashed public health and child-care funding to municipalities during its first year in power.

The in-year cuts outraged civic leaders who said the moves were made without notice or consultation and fought back, forcing the government to backtrack on the changes months later.

Instead, the new cost-sharing arrangements were implemented at much lower levels on Jan. 1, and municipalities were offered transitional funding as they dealt with the changes.