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The cancellation of Ontario’s cap and trade program whisked away more than $9 million for social housing in London, in the same week Premier Doug Ford scrapped welfare hikes and pilot projects to boost the income of Ontario’s most vulnerable.

Two programs to help upgrade social housing to greener units – including heating and cooling system updates, new windows and doors, and conversion to LED lights – were axed by the provincial government.

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The housing funds, one expected to deliver $8.1 million during the next three years and the other offering $1 million to London this year, are the latest initiatives funded by cap and trade revenue to collapse after the emissions pricing program was cancelled.

The social housing apartment improvement program will still deliver a $5 million boost this year as the fund winds down.

“That’s nine million bucks of money that was desperately needed for social housing,” Coun. Stephen Turner said. “This is indirect downloading to municipalities. It’s shifting it from income tax to property tax. It’s a shell game.”