Ont. must cap spending, cut red tape,Tories say.

Queen's Park, Ontario's legislature. (Tom Podolec / CTV Toronto) Updated: Mon Mar. 01 2010 12:02:06 PM ctvtoronto.ca

TORONTO — The Opposition says the government must cut spending and red-tape burdens in its upcoming budget to deal with the record $24.7-billion deficit and stop job bleeding in the province.

Progressive Conservative critic Norm Miller says even though the government spent more than $32 billion on stimulus to create more than one million jobs, Ontario lost a net 141,600 jobs in 2009.

He wants the government to look at all ministries to see where it can trim some fat, but also prioritize things such health care -- a sector people are very concerned about.

Miller says the government should also cap program spending at the levels promised in the 2009 budget.

He says debt reduction and tax relief were also key issues for people he met with during pre-budget consultations.

Finance Minister Dwight Duncan is expected to release this year's budget around March 25.

Premier Dalton McGuinty has been tight-lipped about the details of the budget.

But he said last week some priorities are to establish a five-year plan to cash in on a growing demand for water and clean water technology, focus on attracting more foreign students to the province and

develop a huge chromite deposit in the northwest known as the Ring of Fire.