TORONTO - The Ontario government is rejecting a request from Toronto Mayor Rob Ford for another $150 million in funding.

Premier Dalton McGuinty says he wants Toronto's city councillors to deal with their cash problems themselves, saying the province has its own cash crunch with a deficit of almost $19 billion.

And he says virtually every town and city in Ontario is struggling to make ends meet.

Ford wrote the province last month asking for $150 million more in the Ontario budget to cover transit projects, subsidized child care, housing and services for immigrants.

McGuinty notes the Liberal government has increased funding for Toronto by 40 per cent since it was first elected in 2003, and says there's just no more money available.

The province also gave the city taxing powers of its own, but one of Ford's first moves after becoming mayor was to eliminate the $60 per car vehicle tax imposed by his predecessor, David Miller.

The premier also notes the province is uploading services that previous governments downloaded on municipalities, which he says will save them $1.5 billion a year when fully implemented by 2018.