Policy researcher, retired record & book peddler. Transit, housing, land use, energy, infrastructure & misc #onpoli wonkery. #ONDP. Tweets my own
Toronto, ON
- Tweets 24,929
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- Followers 3,817
- Likes 893
Ontario's Financial Accountability Officer says the Ford government failed to spend $5.5 billion in budgeted cash so far this year, including $670M unspent on public health, $554M unspent on schools, and $1.1B unspent on social supports like ODSP fao-on.org/en/Blog/Publicati… #onpoli
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The Ford government illegally suppressed nurses’ wages during a pandemic, then spent even more money re-hiring nurses at a higher cost using private agencies, diverting tax dollars from front-line patient care into the pockets of corporate shareholders #onpoli #ONhealth
Public system spent at least $1.5-billion on private nurses last year, study finds theglobeandmail.com/canada/a…
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Rossi successfully lobbied the Ford government to cancel a $1/hour minimum wage increase that would have kicked in today #onpoli
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The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers calls on all political parties to cancel the current plan to build Highway 413: “The current Highway 413 project is not the correct answer to Ontario’s gridlock and climate change concerns” ospe.on.ca/uncategorized/osp… #onpoli
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“Completely inappropriate”: FOI docs reveal close contact between Ford govt & Enbridge as they worked to overturn a regulator decision that would have reduced consumer gas prices. The energy minister’s chief of staff was a former Enbridge lobbyist thenarwhal.ca/ontario-consul… #onpoli
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After Doug Ford claimed “thousands” of new homes could be built on the Ontario Science Centre site, the Toronto Region Conservation Authority pointed out that most of the site is floodplain, marsh & steep ravine: “it is not buildable” globalnews.ca/news/9659671/f… #onpoli #TOpoli
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Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer has found that the Ford government failed to spend $7.2 billion of its budget last year, including $1.7 billion unspent on health as ERs are closing and surgery waitlists are growing fao-on.org/en/Blog/Publicati… #onpoli
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“There is a physician shortage”: The Ford government claimed Ontario had enough doctors. Then an arbitrator ordered the government to disclose its data, and found that the government knows full well there is a huge shortage, especially in rural/northern Ontario #onpoli #ONhealth
Ontario doctors awarded 'largest single-year increase in over 40 years' in arbitration thetrillium.ca:443/insider-n…
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Interestingly, a Hamilton tree farmer received three purchase offers for his land *in a single day* just weeks before Minister Steve Clark announced that this land would be added into Hamilton’s urban boundary 🤔thespec.com/news/hamilton-re… #onpoli
We are going to hold @SteveClarkPC and @fordnation accountable for forcing sprawl on @cityofhamilton against their wishes and contrary to the law. #HamOnt #onpoli #HandsOffTheGreenbelt
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$1.1 billion over 95 years is an average of $11.6 million per year. With the government reportedly spending more than $1 billion in up-front costs, this is a return on investment of barely 1% #onpoli
Province estimates Therme will pay it $1.1B in direct revenue over 95-year Ontario Place lease thetrillium.ca:443/news/muni…
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Call it corruption: "'Go ahead, come after me,' Stiles said on Tuesday when asked if she was concerned about legal liability. 'I would love to hear your arguments and see all the evidence that gets presented in the discovery process. Bring it on'" thetrillium.ca/insider-news/… #onpoli
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Last month you spoke at a rally organized by the Islamophobic yellow vests, with white nationalist Faith Goldy. Your campaign manager co-founded hatemongering Rebel Media, where your MPs still appear. You have been validating hate & mobilizing bigots for votes. Resign #cdnpoli
Freedom has come under attack in New Zealand as peaceful worshippers are targeted in a despicable act of evil. All people must be able to practice their faith freely and without fear. 1/2
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Someone has curated John Tory’s austerity art installations #AusterityTO austerityto.art/installation… #TOpoli #voteTO
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"IT FELT DIRTY": a Global News investigation reveals that people connected to premier Doug Ford, including former staffers, sent flyers to developers seeking donations to raise money for his daughter's wedding last year globalnews.ca/news/9457569/o… #onpoli
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The Auditor General revealed that a new Ontario Place location would be LESS convenient for most Ontario families & school groups than the Ontario Science Centre's current location auditor.on.ca/en/content/ann… #onpoli
Premier Doug Ford suggests the current Ontario Science Centre is in the wrong location:
The new OSC at Ontario Place, Ford says will be in the "right location, not in a sleepy little neighbourhood in the suburbs that no one goes to."
#onpoli
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“The absolute worst place”: The Ford government wants to redirect raw sewer waste into a channel used by swimmers and rowers in order to support Therme’s Ontario Place plans thestar.com/news/the-absolut… #onpoli
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Doug Ford has put a lifetime cap of $140,000 on funding to treat a child with autism, but he will pay a failed PC candidate $140,000 every year for a job that previously paid $3,600 #onpoli
Ford has appointed a failed PC candidate as EQAO chair, with a salary that is nearly 40 times what the previous chair made. “It’s not a full-time job, and I don’t know how you make it into a full-time job,” says former EQAO board member thestar.com/politics/provinc… #onpoli
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Globe editorial on the Ford government’s removal of PC donor lands from the Greenbelt: “The odour coming from it is too strong to ignore” theglobeandmail.com/opinion/… #onpoli
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"When you’re the Premier, you are held to a higher standard than the average father of the bride, especially when the guest list includes lobbyists & developers who have since received suspiciously favourable changes to the law," said @maritstiles thestar.com/news/investigati… #onpoli
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Is it normal to have this many vice-presidents? #onpoli
There are more than 3,000 Metrolinx employees on the sunshine list this year who pull in a total of $410,117,370 in salaries and 1,720,710 in benefits.
In March 2023, Metrolinx reported a total headcount of 6,000 employees.
About half the workforce earns six figures.
#onpoli
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The Association of Municipalities of Ontario warns that while the Ford government’s Bill 23 may benefit private interests, it will cost municipal taxpayers up to $1 billion/year, won’t improve housing affordability, and will harm the environment amo.on.ca/sites/default/file… #onpoli
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Powerful landowner & PC donor Silvio DeGasperis bought protected Greenbelt farmland cheap, and then spent two decades lobbying to get the protections removed. Doug Ford is about to make him much, much richer. This is about speculation, not housing cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/d… #onpoli
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Toronto Star editorial: “That Amato & Clark still have jobs is incredulous. That the PC government is pushing ahead with this flawed Greenbelt development defies belief. The entire affair requires an immediate investigation by the OPP” thestar.com/opinion/editoria… #onpoli
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Court of Appeal issues scathing ruling rejecting the Ford government’s attempt to grant itself immunity from nearly all negligence lawsuits, a measure that was snuck into an omnibus bill in 2019 by then-AG Caroline Mulroney theglobeandmail.com/canada/a… #onpoli
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Contempt for farmers: Doug Ford’s agriculture minister told reporters to direct all questions about the provincially-mandated Wilmot land grab to the Waterloo chair, but refused to release her from the NDA the Ford government forced her to sign #onpoli
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Reminder that the engineer’s report did NOT conclude that the Ontario Science Centre must be shut down, and in fact proposed multiple options to keep it open while repairs are completed. The report simply does not say what the Ford government claims it says #onpoli
RECAP: Ontario Science Centre doesn’t require full closure: A close reading of the engineers’ report… canadianarchitect.com/ontari…
#ScienceCentre #ONpoli #TOpoli #OntarioScienceCentre #Toronto #Ontario @OntScienceCtr
A thread on ROOF REPAIRS … 🧵1/11
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Indigenous leaders across Ontario are calling for the repeal of Bill 23 after the Ford government failed to uphold its constitutional duty to consult cp24.com/news/ontario-chiefs… #onpoli
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The Globe & Mail calls the Ford government’s defence of its Greenbelt giveaway “one of the more disingenuous bits of political theatre in recent history. The PCs’ damage control is positively avant-garde in its contempt for voters’ intelligence” theglobeandmail.com/opinion/… #onpoli
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The Ford government hasn’t published any of Ontario Place’s annual reports since it took office. An FOI from @Thetrilliumca revealed it was profitable last year & attracted nearly 3 million visitors: thetrillium.ca/news/municipa…
Today the NDP asked what else Ford is hiding 🧵 #onpoli
.@MaritStiles in QP asks why the government is hiding the attendance figures for Ontario Place? 2.9 million visited OP last year. In response, platitudes and lies like "We're protecting natural heritage", how by cutting 1,500 trees? #onpoli #topoli
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The TTC has a $26 billion capital repair backlog, but 44% of Toronto’s transportation capital budget is going towards rebuilding the underused Gardiner East nitter.app/CTVToronto/status/1219… #TOpoli
CTV News Toronto
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Documents show minister Sylvia Jones was lying when she claimed “people are not going to die.” In fact, government advisors had warned that people WOULD likely die, there was a “high risk” the policy was unconstitutional, and it would increase public drug use #onpoli #ONhealth
NEW: Internal government documents reveal the human cost of closing supervised consumption sites.
The Ford gov't was warned its policies could lead to increased ER use, overdose and death along with increased visibility of discarded needles.
globalnews.ca/news/10868065/…
#onpoli
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Toronto Star editorial: “When developers on the receiving end of favourable government decisions are mixing it up with the premier at family gatherings, that makes it a matter of public concern” thestar.com/opinion/editoria… #onpoli
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Former health minister Christine Elliott is now a lobbyist for Clearpoint, a chain of private surgical clinics and a top beneficiary of the Ford government’s privatization of healthcare services #onpoli #ONhealth
Premier Doug Ford's government gives a for-profit clinic more funding to perform certain OHIP-covered surgeries than it gives Ontario's public hospitals to perform the same operations, CBC News has learned. cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/o… .
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“Lysyk also found ‘several examples’ unrelated to the Greenbelt of political staffers appearing to give ‘preferential treatment’ to lobbyists, potentially violating their code of ethics”
“‘I’ve called this corruption’ said NDP Leader @maritstiles” thestar.com/politics/provinc… #onpoli
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Ontario Financial Accountability Officer finds that the Ford government has failed to allocate billions in federal #covid19 funds, including $382 million intended for the Safe Return to School Fund fao-on.org/en/Blog/Publicati… #onpoli
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Re-reading this quote from epidemiologist @DFisman, from one year ago today thestar.com/news/city_hall/2… #onpoli #covid19 #COVID19Ontario #TOpoli
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Note: Highway 407 is the only provincial highway with tolls
Fun fact: in 2021, the Ford government waived $1 billion in congestion penalties owed by the private 407 ETR operator for setting tolls too high thestar.com/business/why-did… #onpoli
JUST IN: Ontario banning tolls on provincial highways other than 407 cp24.com/news/ontario-bannin…
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Helpful reminder that Doug Ford is spinning when he says he was “cleared” by the Integrity Commissioner. There was no investigation or inquiry. The IC simply provided an opinion based on whatever information he was given by the premier thestar.com/news/investigati… #onpoli
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Disappointment & anger as Brampton council learns that the ‘world class’ hospital Doug Ford promised in March will not be a full-service hospital after all, will have 250 beds not 850, and requires a $125M local funding share thepointer.com/article/2021-… #onpoli #ONhealth #brampoli
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Reminder that Doug Ford’s attacks on the Greenbelt have always been about delivering profits to powerful land speculators who are friends and donors of Doug Ford and the PC Party thenarwhal.ca/ford-ontario-g… #onpoli
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Toronto Star editorial board: “Fire Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, halt the development of Greenbelt lands and call in the cops” thestar.com/opinion/editoria… #onpoli
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Fun fact: the premier’s spokesperson, defending the government from charges of cronyism, is housing minister Steve Clark’s daughter #onpoli
What did I just read in today's @globeandmail ? Slightly worrisome given this government's tendency to say the quiet part out loud!
#InsideScoop #HandsOffTheGreenbelt #onpoli
ALT Asked later to clarify the remarks, a spokeswoman for the Premier, Caitlin Clark, said Mr. Ford did not mean to suggest any future fate for the rest of the Greenbelt, which she said would continue to exist.
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“On Sept 15, a company controlled by developer Michael Rice bought the property for $80M. The agent promoted it as a ‘prime land-banking opportunity’ … a person with the name Michael Rice donated more than $10.5K to the PC Party since 2018” 🤔 theglobeandmail.com/canada/a… #onpoli
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Private interests, 99-year leases, secret backroom deals, no transparency, no accountability — Therme’s Ontario Place deal looks a lot like the privatization of Highway 407, says the former public servant who oversaw that highway’s construction theglobeandmail.com/opinion/… #onpoli
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Two things:
1) Surma had been the responsible minister for nearly a year when the Therme deal was signed in 2022
2) This statement does not deny that Therme got preferential treatment #onpoli
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During the pandemic, the Ford govt has quietly issued several Minister’s Zoning Orders on behalf of well-connected developers & PC donors, paving over farmland & destroying wetlands without public notice or consultation. Scoop by @jeffreybgray theglobeandmail.com/canada/t… #onpoli
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“The relationship between the government & developers who benefited from having lands removed from the Greenbelt needs to be explored by an investigating agency with criminal investigative powers in its quiver,” writes @CanadaGray of @envirodefence nationalobserver.com/2023/08… #onpoli
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Strategic voting: because of its reliance on astonishingly inaccurate riding-by-riding projection models (curiously, mostly skewed towards Liberals), “strategic voting” may have helped elect MORE conservative MPPs, including Doug Ford’s nephew #onpoli #OntarioVotes
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“A tally by the Ontario NDP finds that just four guests at a Ford family wedding reception benefited from as many MZOs as previous Liberal governments issued in total over the course of their 15 years in power” #onpoli
In the wake of the Greenbelt scandal, there’s new scrutiny of how the Ford government has handed out 100+ fast-track zoning orders (MZOs) for properties around Ontario.
I’ll discuss just after 7am on @metromorning
👇to read full story 👇#onpoli cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/o…
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“The company actually sits at the heart of a complicated network of subsidiaries” — the Ford government won't, or can't, reveal who is financing Therme, which risked bankruptcy just 3 years ago, but was given a 95-year lease for Ontario Place 🤔 spacing.ca/toronto/2023/05/1… #onpoli
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Ford government staffers working on the Greenbelt removals in 2022 edited emails to remove references to “Greenbelt” and replace them with the code word “G*”, FOI documents reveal
“What this looks like is intent to conceal,” said @MaritStiles thenarwhal.ca/ontario-greenb… #onpoli
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The Ford government is giving itself the power to appoint the regional chairs of Peel, York and Niagara councils. These appointees will be accountable to Doug Ford and whatever PC donor has his ear, and not local voters. Unbelievable toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-g… #onpoli
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Taxpayer-funded for-profit clinics are keeping separate wait-lists for people who are willing to pay extra versus those who aren’t: “That allows them to sell, essentially, the ability to jump the line,” says study author Dr. Robert Campbell #onpoli #ONhealth
Wealthier Ontarians more likely to receive publicly funded cataract surgeries in private clinics: study — by @KunalChaudhary_ #onhealth #onpoli tvo.org/article/wealthier-on…
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The Ford government’s disrespect for farmers and the agricultural economy has put an award-winning family-run cheese farm in Wimot Township at risk of expropriation nationalobserver.com/2024/08… #onpoli
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Last year the Auditor General reported that politics, not evidence, was driving highway planning in Ontario. Perhaps this is why the Ford government does not want the public to know the estimated costs of major projects like Highway 413 thestar.com/opinion/contribu… #onpoli
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Doug Ford’s attacks on education workers may seem unrelated to his gifts to pro-sprawl developers, but these issues have intersected before, like that time a group of PC-friendly developers ran an an illegal astroturf campaign against teachers pressprogress.ca/group-behin… #onpoli
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Why is Minister Surma refusing to answer when asked if Therme's Ontario Place bid required a publicly-funded parking garage? Because if it did, then under the terms of the government's Call For Development, it should have been rejected #onpoli
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As Doug Ford’s Attorney General, Caroline Mulroney normalized the use of the Notwithstanding Clause to suspend Charter rights, blocked victims of government negligence from suing, imposed deep cuts to Legal Aid, and broke the Landlord & Tenant Board #onpoli
Mulroney, now transportation minister, has a New York law licence, but wasn't called to the bar in Ontario even during her tenure as AG. The Law Society says it's in the process of adding her to its registry of lawyers after she was called last week thestar.com/politics/provinc…
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“Reversing the decision to open up the Greenbelt to development is the only way the Government can regain the trust of farmers and all Ontarians,” says the National Farmer’s Union - Ontario nfuontario.ca/media-release-… #onpoli
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“Not a legally binding procurement process”: the Ontario NDP obtained details of the bizarre bidding process the Ford govt made for the Ontario Place redevelopment. “Clearly designed to ensure one particular outcome,” says NDP leader @MaritStiles globalnews.ca/news/10726002/… #onpoli
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The roof of the Ontario Science Centre held up better during this week’s record rainstorm than did the Ford government’s recent renovations at Union Station #onpoli
NEW: The Ontario’s Science Centre’s roof survived this week’s intense rainstorm, despite other provincial and municipal infrastructure being overwhelmed
“Nothing happened,” said infrastructure minister Surma of the OSC.
globalnews.ca/news/10631734/…
#onpoli
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Toronto Star editorial: “Ford appears to be creating a regime of arbitrary personal favour, in which conduct doesn’t matter, norms, policies and standards do not matter, the judgment of institutions does not matter. Only loyalty to the leader does” thestar.com/opinion/editoria… #onpoli
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The same month the Ford govt announced its Greenbelt removals, the Ontario NDP tabled a motion with detailed proposals to build housing without destroying farmland or the Greenbelt. The PCs used their majority to quash the motion without a debate jessicabellmpp.ca/conservati… #onpoli
Ontario's in a housing crisis.
Let's get to work building the homes we need... at prices people can actually afford... in neighbourhoods people actually want to live in.
We don't need to bulldoze our Greenbelt & farmlands for that... and Ontarians know it.
#onpoli
ALT A graphic with the text "83% of Ontarians want homes built within cities and towns where services exist, not on the Greenbelt or farmland." above a photo of me and members of your Ontario NDP Caucus at a Hands Off the Greenbelt rally. The Ontario NDP Caucus logo is in the corner.
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“The premier’s chief of staff appears to have repeatedly misled the Integrity Commissioner under oath,” said NDP leader @MaritStiles. “Mr. Sackville must resign immediately, and if he won’t, the premier must fire him” #onpoli
NEW: Government by Gmail: Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s chief of staff used private email for “political discussions,” Global News has learned.
We’ve viewed emails that show how government-related business is being conducted on Gmail.
globalnews.ca/news/10523523/…
#onpoli
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Durham’s CAO warns there is no infrastructure in the areas proposed for removal from the Greenbelt (eg: Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve). This contradicts the Ford government’s claim it chose these areas for their easy access to infrastructure pub-durhamregion.escribemeet… #onpoli
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Health clinics were caught charging illegal fees, but the Ford government won’t disclose which clinics broke the law because it could prejudice their “competitive position” toronto.ctvnews.ca/names-of-… #onpoli #ONhealth
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A government that just gave high-income earners a $275 million tax cut really should stop telling desperate families that Ontario can’t afford to provide adequate treatment for kids with autism cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/o… #onpoli #AutismDoesntEndAtFord
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This explains why there was no Fairness Monitor appointed for the Ontario Place bidding process, as there is for every other major government procurement; the process was not designed to be fair #onpoli
NEW: NDP has unearthed a procurement document for Ontario Place that allowed the gov’t to pick a winner who had failed its criteria, or didn’t submitted a bid at all.
Therme & Live Nation went through the process but NDP says there are red flags #Onpoli
globalnews.ca/news/10726002/…
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Two years ago, the Ford government nearly triggered a general strike by private & public sector unions after it attempted to use the Notwithstanding Clause to take away collective bargaining rights and suppress worker wages … again caut.ca/bulletin/2022/11/com… #onpoli
I’ve always said, Ontario has the best workers in the world. The best part of my job is touring factory floors or construction sites, meeting women and men putting in a hard day’s work to provide for their families.
Working with our union partners, our government is rebuilding Ontario’s economy to create even better jobs with bigger paycheques for our amazing workers.
Happy Labour Day, Ontario!
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“Is the premier using his personal phone to conduct government business to avoid freedom-of-information requests?” asked NDP leader @MaritStiles globalnews.ca/news/9994462/g… #onpoli
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“Abundantly clear there was a relationship”: texts show that Doug Ford’s former principal secretary visited a Greenbelt developer’s mansion multiple times, contradicting his sworn testimony to the Integrity Commissioner. Scoop by @CharliePinkerto thetrillium.ca/news/politics… #onpoli
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Secret backroom deals with favoured insiders, no accountability or transparency: the Ford government’s 95-year Therme deal for Ontario Place has the same bad smell as its corrupt Greenbelt giveaway nationalobserver.com/2023/08… #onpoli
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A partisan ad campaign by the Ford government is costing taxpayers about $8 million, CBC reports. “Governments shouldn't be spending taxpayer dollars trying to puff themselves up,” said NDP leader @MaritStiles cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/o… #onpoli
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FOI documents obtained by the Ontario NDP reveal Ford government’s secret “Phase 2” plan for Ontario Place that includes paving over Lake Ontario globalnews.ca/news/10371585/… #onpoli
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The internal document says the publicly-funded Therme parking garage is needed "to meet landlord lease obligations." This conflicts with conditions in the Call For Development, which told bidders the government would NOT fund additional facilities spacing.ca/toronto/wp-conten… #onpoli
#topoli #onpoli Today on Spacing: LORINC: Ford's P3 plan for a mega-garage beneath the new Science Centre. spacing.ca/toronto/2023/10/1…
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Pickering mayor Kevin Ashe received campaign donations from several developers who benefitted from the Greenbelt removals (but not many donations from actual Pickering residents, it seems 🤔) corporate.pickering.ca/webli… #onpoli
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How Ontario cooked its own books: “Ontarians have a $5.6B deficit because Ford govt wanted a deficit. Ontario’s Fall Economic Statement added $2.5B to a contingency fund, bringing it to $5.4B, and also kept a $1B reserve
The cupboard isn’t bare” thestar.com/business/how-ont… #onpoli
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Doug Ford asked a key figure in the Greenbelt scandal to look at changing the route of the Bradford Bypass — a project whose top beneficiaries are friends & donors to the PCs (and Bonnie Crombie). The ministry has no records of what happened next. Great scoop by @EmmaMci #onpoli
Before Ryan Amato became a central figure in the Greenbelt scandal, he worked on Ontario’s Bradford Bypass and Highway 413. New documents show little record of that work, and critics are raising questions. Via @EmmaMci thenarwhal.ca/ryan-amato-gre…
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Preferential treatment: the Ford government says it will massively expand the Mayfield West MZO in Caledon, evidently at the request of PC donor Nick Cortellucci’s Brookvalley Project Management. The MZO expansion was not requested by the town caledon.ca/en/news/notice-of… #onpoli
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The Ford government responded to the state of emergency in Aamjiwnaang First Nation by passing a site-specific regulation allowing benzene concentrations that are ten times the limit allowed elsewhere in Ontario nationalobserver.com/2024/06… #onpoli
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Doug Ford told minister Clark to develop processes for “swaps” & “contractions” of Greenbelt land, breaking his promise not to touch “anywhere” in the Greenbelt. It is impossible he & Clark were not closely involved in what would certainly be a controversial policy change #onpoli
You know who was able to see an Ontario government minister's mandate letter? The Auditor General.
From her report on the Greenbelt, ICYMI:
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The Ford government won’t hire nurses or keep emergency rooms open, but it will spend millions of public dollars on partisan ads. "This ad is basically giving themselves a pat on their back,” said NDP affordability critic @BhutilaKarpoche cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/o… #onpoli
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The Ford government has been quietly breaking the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. The tribunal once issued 100 decisions a year, but now issues just 16. Nearly 9,000 cases wait to be heard thestar.com/opinion/contribu… #onpoli #ONlaw
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A well-connected developer bought Greenbelt land right before the Ford govt opened it up for development. Turns out, the developer had already been discussing a development proposal with Southlake & King Twp officials. Great scoop by @jillsmahoney theglobeandmail.com/canada/a… #onpoli
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Toronto's Integrity Commissioner says Cllr Nunziata's campaign cheated during the last election — an election she 'won' by only 94 votes. The IC says this was "not accidental or inadvertent," and the campaign evidently tried to cover its tracks toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024… #TOpoli
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An autism expert who met with Lisa MacLeod said it was “more akin to meeting with a mob boss than an elected official” thestar.com/politics/provinc… #onpoli
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Follow the money: "A search of the land registry shows several long-time PC party donors have interests in a number of sites the ministry favoured in its amendments, and others are owned by land developers who lobbied the government extensively" theglobeandmail.com/real-est… #onpoli
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The Ford government just tabled a bill that would repeal the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve Act, allowing Doug Ford to remove 4,500 acres of prime farmland from the Greenbelt — and making the powerful PC donor who owns 1,500 acres in the Preserve much, much richer #onpoli
Anyone else having a deja vu? Here's a flashback from the LONG HISTORY of fighting for the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve. #SaveDRAP #SaveTheGreenbelt
The action today? Call Premier Ford, Call Minister Bethlenfalvy, Call Pickering Mayor-Elect Ashe, call your councillors!!
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The MZO benefits Lakeview Community Partners, which include TACC, owned by the powerful DeGasperis family, the biggest winner from recent Greenbelt removals. Lakeview's lobbyist, Nico Fidani-Diker, was at Doug Ford's daughter's wedding reception thestar.com/news/investigati… #onpoli
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Doug Ford hammered over changes to municipal boundaries: “What we are seeing is act two of the Greenbelt corruption crisis,” said NDP leader @MaritStiles thestar.com/politics/provinc… #onpoli
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At an industry luncheon, Calandra told developers he is sorry the Ford government’s corruption made the beneficiaries of the corruption look bad. A guest said “What the hell was he doing? It makes it look like the government & the development industry are in bed together” #onpoli
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Ford has cut $25 million from after-school programs for needy kids, just three weeks after he gave away $34.5 million to a client of the Ford family business that is cutting 300 jobs #onpoli
#StarExclusive: The Ford government has cut funding for programs that provide after-school jobs for needy teens, classroom tutors, “student success” supports for racialized youth and a project focusing on Indigenous issues, the Star has learned. #ONpoli
thestar.com/politics/provinc…
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First Doug Ford turned OSAP grants into loans for students, then turned a $445 million loan into a grant for Chrysler #onpoli
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One of Ontario’s biggest construction companies, owned by the powerful De Gasperis family, has been criminally charged in the deaths of six young people barrie.ctvnews.ca/constructi… #onpoli
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The City of Ajax has long opposed this plan to pave over the Carruthers Creek headwaters, which would increase flood risks downstream and threaten 4,000 acres of prime farmland. The powerful landowner seeking this MZO is a big PC donor. Background: nfuontario.ca/ltr-minister-c… #onpoli
Letter from Mayor Ashe to Minister Clark: 'Request for a Minister’s Zoning Order for Lands in Northeast Pickering-Community of Veraine' is here: stopsprawldurham.com/_files/…
#SaveCarruthersHeadwaters #ClimateAction #Flooding #PrimeFarmland #Wetlands #OnPoli #GrowTheGreenbelt #MunPoli
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An internal document suggests the Ford government might use the new Canadian Disability Benefit to “mitigate costs” by clawing back ODSP payments toronto.citynews.ca/2023/11/… #onpoli #cdnpoli
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“Those emergency powers were, by law, only to be used when nothing else would do. So many of those other legal powers were in Mr. Ford’s jurisdiction. The inquiry will have to hear Ontario’s explanation for why they weren’t enough” theglobeandmail.com/politics… #onpoli
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Preferential treatment: the Ford government rewrote Hamilton’s official plan using the *exact words* provided by a developer who had bought tickets to Doug Ford’s daughter’s stag & doe. The developer also got land removed from the Greenbelt cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/… #onpoli #hamont
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