Ottawa

The cost of federalism

The Ontario government figures the Harper government’s crime bill will cost the province $1 billion.

Now that it has passed, the McGuinty government says it has determined that the changes could add as many as 1,500 additional inmates to provincial correctional facilities by 2016 and may require a new 1,000-bed facility to be built. Ontario also believes that police officers will spending much more time in court instead of patrolling Ontario neighbourhoods.

The Ontario government says it intends to call on the federal government to help cover the extra costs at the upcoming meeting of federal, provincial and territorial justice ministers in Prince Edward Island.

See previously: Who pays for what?

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