Two of three days of budget bill hearings for next week have been cancelled because not enough witnesses signed up.
Hearings had been scheduled on Bill 173 for March 22, 23 and 24 in the standing committee on finance and economic affairs, but only the March 22 hearing will go ahead.
The bill was time allocated on March 9. A PC amendment that would have added hearings in Ottawa, Thunder Bay and London was voted down by the Liberals.
Among the groups who have <a href="http://www.ontla.on.ca/committee-proceedings/committee-agendas/files_html/43%20Finance%20Agenda%20Bill%20173%20March%2022%202016.htm">signed up</a> for the Tuesday hearing are OPSEU, CUPE Ontario, the Greater Toronto YMCA, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors, and Toronto city councillor (and noted anti-Uber activist) Jim Karygiannis.
The only <a href="http://www.qpbriefing.com/2016/02/26/no-raised-eyebrows-in-omnibus-budget-bill/">potentially controversial elements</a> in the bill are the changes to tuition funding and the rollback of tax credits (although new controversies can always pop up), but witnesses will likely also be speaking to larger elements of the budget that aren't contained in the legislation.
The bill is scheduled for clause-by-clause amendments on April 6 and 7 (the preceding week is the Easter break), and the bill must be reported back to the legislature for third reading by April 11.

Two days of budget bill hearings cancelled

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