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Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s bill to cap public sector wage and benefit hikes at 1% annually for three years is a reasonable restraint measure.

It will apply to over 1 million union and non-union employees paid by the provincial government who work for the Ontario civil service, the OPP, school boards, universities, colleges, hospitals, long-term care facilities, Children’s Aid Societies and the Ornge air ambulance service.

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It will not apply to public sector workers employed by municipalities such as inside and outside workers, police and firefighters.

The province hopes to save up to $500 million a year going forward out of the $72 billion annually it pays in compensation, about half of all government spending.

While the public sector unions are already declaring war on the 1% compensation hike, this is relatively mild restraint legislation in a time of double-digit annual deficits and a crushing public debt left by the previous Liberal government.