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Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is now doing what it should have done in the first place on the issue of public funding for treating autistic children.

Children, Community and Social Services Minister Todd Smith said Monday the Progressive Conservative government will scrap its original plan and consult with experts to develop a new one by spring.

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Its budget will be $600 million annually, double the original funding, based on the needs of autistic children.

In the interim, the existing funding model will be maintained.

There was also a change in the government’s tone.

In the wake of a highly critical internal report on how the PCs mishandled the issue, written by Tory MPP Roman Baber at the request of the premier’s office, Smith apologized for the anxiety the government’s original plan had caused the parents of autistic children.