Ontario pledged to boost the economy, take measures to defeat COVID‑19 and fix long-term care, and support families in the 2021 budget unveiled Wednesday, the second budget the Ford government has delivered since the pandemic. These and other promises in the budget will be achieved with a $173 billion spending plan, resulting in a projected deficit of $33.1 billion in 2021–22. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said that while “this level of the deficit is neither sustainable nor desirable forever,” he is convinced the “record investments” contained in budget are necessary for the health of the Ontarians and the economy amid the pandemic. “You can’t have a healthy economy without healthy people,” Bethlenfalvy said in a statement on March 24. “When this chapter is finally closed, I’m confident that the people of Ontario are going to unleash the economic growth that is necessary for job creation, prosperity, and a stronger province.” Over …