Increasing Financial and Community Supports for Veterans

• Veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to make our country and province what it is today, and they deserve our unwavering commitment to their well-being.

• Ontario is currently home to almost 150,000 veterans that have served our country with pride and distinction in times of peace and war, defending our rights, values and freedoms.

• We’re honouring their service and sacrifice by making regulatory changes and introducing legislative amendments through the Honouring Veterans Act, 2024 that would, if passed, expand awareness of the Soldiers’ Aid Commission and enhance the financial supports available to veterans.

• These changes will increase the maximum amount veterans and their eligible family members could receive by 50 per cent – from $2,000 to $3,000 – over a twelve-month period to help them pay for essential services and supports.

• Our government is also introducing a transit relief program that removes fares for Canadian Armed Forces veterans and active Regular Force members on GO Transit starting March 1, 2025, with future plans to extend this benefit to UP Express—putting more money back in their pockets, and expandingHealth811 to connect veterans to specialized servicesthat meet their unique health care needs.

• The proposed changes are part of the government’s ongoing work to honour and support veterans for their pivotal role in the nation’s past and future.