Some of the most unfortunate fallout from the “mayor in name only” Rob Ford sideshow (if you don’t know by now, don’t ask) is that no one in Ontario is talking about anything else.

But the province is facing pressing challenges. The problems, made worse by having been kicked down the road for decades, are dauntingly complex, both in their details and politically. But failure to address them now could leave Ontarians in a place they very much do not want to be: paying much higher taxes for greatly reduced services while watching their standard of living decline and their province slide from Canada’s economic powerhouse to the country’s underperforming has-been.

One of the most important is infrastructure. The products of a massive, publicly funded building boom that followed the Second World War – and which made six continuous decades of prosperity possible – are well past their “best before” dates. With all political parties joining the “let’s not talk about it” game, the problem has now become urgent. Estimates of looming repair and upgrading bills are staggering. One estimate puts Ontario’s deficit on infrastructure spending at $100 billion, with about 60% of aging structures being more than 50 years old. Even with public/private-sector partnerships, new bond issues and federal assistance – all under discussion but with few firm commitments – it is far from clear how these bills will be paid.

Then there are pensions. Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne recently called the pension-funding gap an issue that will become a “huge economic crisis” if not addressed soon. She wants the province to move independently to expand the Canada Pension Plan if the federal government, and other provinces, do not. Businesses’s reaction has been cool, the concern being added costs. And while the feds have signalled agreement on the idea, they want to wait until the economy is more robust. But in Wynne’s view, taxpayers need to move now to avoid paying much more later.

Let’s not forget the tax hike/deficit reduction see-saw. When Ontario’s economy hit the skids in 2009, government revenue plummeted. After years of austerity, the deficit now is $11.7 billion, down from $16 billion a few years ago. But economic growth remains sluggish, while unemployment, especially among youth, is far too high. To boost activity, Wynne is mulling raising some taxes, such as the property tax, and reducing provincial breaks for small business, given that federal business taxes are at their lowest level in decades. But can seniors afford more tax on their homes? And does small business, Ontario’s largest employer, continue to need more help?

And, of course, there’s the education file. The province is lagging badly in some key areas when it comes to making sure all students get solid, basic educations. For instance, while literacy and numeracy scores for students in academic streams are solid, students in applied streams are falling far behind: their average scores in these areas are shockingly low, even though decades of research now show that these students can succeed at such tasks with the right kinds of support – support the public system rarely provides.

Are we making any progress in these areas? It’s hard to tell, since they aren’t receiving the airing they need. Toronto’s mayor has committed a host of what many would call “sins.” But sins of omission are often infinitely worse – and there’s no question that Ontarians have much to answer for in that department.

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