P.E.I. budget gives small increases to health, education
Expenditures hold the line across budget
Health and education, the two largest costs for the P.E.I. government, received only small increases in the 2015-16 provincial budget released Friday.
Allen Roach's first budget as finance minister, delivered Friday, gives Health PEI an increase of just over one per cent in its budget for the coming year.
That increase is lower than it was under the deficit-fighting efforts of former finance minister Wes Sheridan, who provided Health PEI with three per cent increases.
Government grants to school boards will increase by less than one per cent this year compared to what they received last year.
In 2014-15, government budgeted $206.8 million in grants to school boards. Rising salary costs pushed that grant up to $208.3 million. The new grant for the current fiscal year is $210.3 million.
English Language School Board superintendent Cynthia Fleet commented earlier that she was having trouble meeting the province's budgetary goal.
In April teachers received a one per cent pay increase, which means most of the increase in the grant from the province is already accounted for. On the issue of whether there could be a reduction in the number of teaching positions this fall, Roach said Friday it's up to the school boards to decide how many teachers to hire based on the grant the province is providing.
Post-secondary institutions received their first increases in government funding in this budget since 2012. UPEI funding, including money for the new engineering school, is up almost eight per cent. Funding for Holland College is up about 2.5 per cent.