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For example, the long-term cost of Wynne’s 25% hydro rate reduction is $39.4 billion, the province’s auditor found, including $4 billion over 30 years in unnecessary interest payments. Meanwhile, our hydro system’s still broken and rates go back up after the election.

In the short-term, the cost for Wynne’s free election promises over the next three years will be new tax and user fee hikes and $52 billion in new debt.

That’s because Wynne and her finance minister Charles Sousa plan to run deficits for the next six years to pay for their “free” promises, by which time Ontario’s total debt will reach a crippling $400 billion.

Last year alone, the Liberals spent $12 billion annually on debt interest payments and plan to grow that 41% to $16.9 billion by 2025-26.

Photo by Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Think things are bad now in hospitals? Add billions in new annual spending and then take $5 billion out of revenues to pay your credit card bill and see what happens.

Particularly since Ontario’s independent Financial Accountability Office projects government revenue will remain flat into the foreseeable future. The Liberals can’t count on earning more because baby boomers are retiring, will pay less tax and will cost government more.

The FAO and the auditor also, by the way, suggest the Liberals are cooking the province’s books – so things are probably a lot worse than they look.

And at some point, everyone will pay for Wynne’s irresponsible and self-serving promises.

In the short-term, some might get cheaper child care, but they’ll eventually pay higher taxes, user fees and debt costs or face public service cuts to pay for the free prescription drugs, and other goodies others get.

Wynne’s free lunch comes with a crushing price tag.