LONDON— The Progressive Conservatives have now released all of their promises — but they’re not telling voters how they’ll pay for them.

On Wednesday, after updating the PC website, including price tags for their pledges, a spokesperson confirmed that’s the extent of the information that will be released — despite assurances from PC Leader Doug Ford and others that a fully-costed platform would be available to voters before the election.

“Every promise we’ve made is costed in our plan. We are going to balance the budget in a responsible way,” said Ford spokesperson Melissa Lantsman. “We will not balance in the first or second year, but are committed to returning to balance as quickly as we can.

“We do not yet know the state of Ontario’s finances and anyone who tells you they do is lying to you.”

Ford faced criticism from the NDP — now ahead of the PCs in some polls — and the Liberals, who accuse the Tories of having a $40 billion budget hole, and even from within his own party.

Two Conservative sources told the Star that Ford’s platform not only lacks a fiscal plan but also wasn’t formally approved by the party’s policy committee, as is required by the PC constitution.

As late as Tuesday, Ford said a fully-costed platform would be released by the end of the election campaign. High-profile candidates Christine Elliott and Caroline Mulroney said the same thing on Monday.

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On Wednesday, former MPP and cabinet minister Brad Clark, who served under two PC premiers, tweeted at Ford: “You have promised your candidates and the public a costed election platform,” said Clark, who served under both Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. “It is not enough to ask people to vote against the Libs and NDP. While your candidates will not speak out in public, I will. The lack of a platform is impacting voter intentions.”

However, he later tweeted the updated information was “exactly what I have been expecting.”

In Leamington, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath derided Ford for being “only prepared to write a list of things he might do and put it on the Internet.”

Speaking in Thornhill, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne said her party had more details in its mock version of a costed Ford platform than the PCs do in their official document released Wednesday afternoon.

A Western University economist who has been tracking party platforms has estimated that the PCs could run a deficit anywhere from $5.8 billion to $12.7 billion in 2019-20, depending on what numbers they start out with, with the Liberals at $6.6 billion and the NDP at $5.5 billion.

However, according to his work, the Tories end up with the highest deficits over a four-year mandate. By 2021, the PCs would have a $7.6 billion to $12.9 billion deficit, the Liberals $5.6 billion and the NDP just over $5 billion.

“It’s unfortunate (the PCs) haven’t costed this out, they haven’t explained how they are going to pay for any of this — are they going to deficit finance it, are they going to make cuts somewhere else,” said Mike Moffatt.

“I think that’s problematic — voters should be able to access this information so they know what they are voting for.”

He also noted that Ford’s frequent promise to find $6 billion in efficiencies is no longer in the plan that’s now posted online.

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“There is a line about efficiencies existing” across all government, but nothing specific.

“It’s hard to tell,” if voters will care about the lack of details, Moffatt added. “I’m not naïve enough to believe that voters go over platforms with a fine-tooth comb, but voters want to know parties have done their homework.”

Chris Cochrane at the University of Toronto said the lack of a full platform likely won’t bother “too many voters, but it also won’t reassure anyone who has doubts about the PC party’s readiness to govern. The main benefit of a costed platform is that it provides voters with a sense of how a party will handle the trade-offs of governing.

“Without a costed platform, the party doesn’t have to worry about trade-offs,” said the political science professor.

“As far as elections go, this one certainly provides a clear choice for voters, with or without a costed platform from the PCs.”

Among the PC promises:

Reducing hydro bills by 12 per cent, at a cost of $800 million a year to the government.

$1.19 billion a year to reduce gas prices.

Middle-class income tax cut, costing government coffers $2.26 billion a year (starting in year three).

Child-care tax credits, costing the government $389 million a year.

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Spending $1.9 billion over 10 years on mental health/addictions.

$98 million a year for free dental care.

$100 million more for autism services.

With files from Robert Benzie and Rob Ferguson

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