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Wikipedia

Premiership of Doug Ford

March 15, 2024

Doug Ford is the 26th and current premier of Ontario (French: Premier ministre de l'Ontario), Canada. He won a majority in the June 7, 2018 Ontario general election, as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (CPC) caucus in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was sworn in as premier on June 29, 2018.[1] He was re-elected with an increased majority in the June 2, 2022 Ontario general election.

Premiership of Doug Ford
June 29, 2018 – present
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
CabinetFord Ministry
PartyProgressive Conservative
Election
Appointed byElizabeth Dowdeswell
SeatQueen's Park, Toronto
Official website

Elections edit

2018 Ontario general election edit

Main article: 2018 Ontario general election

Ford won the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election on March 10, 2018. He represented Etobicoke North.

In the 2018 Ontario general election held on June 7, 2018, Ford won a majority government with 76 of the 124 seats in the legislature[2] with approximately 56.67% of potential voters voting.[3]

2022 Ontario general election edit

Main article: 2022 Ontario general election

Ford led the Progressive Conservatives to another majority government in the 2022 provincial election. The PCs gained seven more seats than they had won in 2018.[4]

Policies edit

Economic policy edit

In June 2019, Rod Phillips, who served as Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, replaced Vic Fedeli as Ontario's finance minister. Andrea Khanjin was appointed as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in June 2018.[5]

Starting in January 2019, those who are working full-time and earning less than #30,000 a year would pay no provincial income tax, in the new LIFT program but minimum wage would be frozen at $14 per hour.[6] They eliminated 3 legislative offices including the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), child and youth advocate and French language services commissioner positions. The surtax on the highest earning Ontarians that would have generated about $275 million in revenue, was cancelled. The proposed French language university was cancelled as were three university satellite campuses.[6]

Fedeli served as minister until he was moved to economic development in June 2019 in a major cabinet shuffle.[7] According to CTV News Queen's Park Bureau Chief, Colin D'Mello, Premier Ford removed Fedeli as Finance Minister on June 20, 2019 in the "wake of a disastrous budget rollout that's left the Progressive Conservative government drowning in negative publicity."[8]

Minister Fedeli tabled the Ford government's first budget on April 11, 2019.[9][10] According to the Sault Star, Fedeli was demoted from "highly-touted finance post" and "blamed" for the "failure to sell voters on the $163.4-billion budget and the cost of breaking a 10-year deal that ultimately expands beer and wine sales in grocery stores, costing taxpayers $1 billion."[11] NDP Timiskaming-Cochrane MPP, John Vanthof, said that the 2019 budget failed northern Ontario by not providing funds for Highway 69, the Ring of Fire, expanded broadband access, and cuts to Indigenous Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, and more. Vanthof said that there "will be beer in corner stores, drinks at 9 in the morning, tailgate parties, and blue licence plates, but when the fog is cleared, there is also an over $500 million cut to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines."[12]

In the fiscal year 2019, the publicly funded Legal Aid Ontario will receive $133 million less than previously, representing a funding cut of 30 per cent, as part of the Ford government's deficit cutting plan, presented in the April 2019 budget.[13] On September 11, 2019, Chief Justice of Ontario George Strathy said that the "cuts to Legal Aid Ontario will force many people to self-represent...What we judges can say is that reducing legal representation for the most vulnerable members of society does not save money. It increases trial times, places greater demands on public services, and ultimately delays and increases the cost of legal proceedings for everyone."[13]

The deficit edit

Main article: Ontario government debt

From about 1989 to 2018, Ontario has reported a deficit almost every year; the province's net debt increased to approximately $311.6 billion (by October 2018); and Ontario's net debt‐to‐GDP ratio grew from 13.4% to about 40.5% in 2018–19.[14]: 139 

According to an April 11, 2018 Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) report, which was based on figures provided by the Ford government, the revised estimate of Ontario's deficit was $11.7 billion in 2018-2019 and it was projected to decrease by $1.4 billion in 2019-2020 mainly because of "the removal of the $1 billion contingency reserve." At that time it was projected that the deficit would be "completely eliminated in 2023–2024 with a small surplus of $0.3 billion."[15] By October 2019, the Financial Accountability Officer, Weltman, said that the FAO had been in error when they—and the Ford government—had projected a $11.7-billion deficit that was reported in the spring 2019 budget.[16]

By June 2018, Ontario had "Canada's second-highest public debt per person and a growing budget deficit", according to The Economist.[17]

The Ontario Finance Department reported in October 2018, that Ontario's public debt per person at $23,014, had surpassed that of Quebec at $21,606 in the fiscal year 2017–2018.[14] Newfoundland and Labrador public debt per capita at $27,761, was the highest in Canada.[14]: 141 

By 2019, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce reported that Ontario's debt was over $348 billion—representing about 41% of provincial GDP of almost $850 billion. Ontario's GDP is much larger than any of the other provinces and is almost half of Canada's GDP. "When combined with the federal debt (approximately $680 billion), the debt-to-GDP ratio for Ontarians nears 80 percent."[18]

In October 2019, Financial Accountability Office said that the deficit had increased from $3.7-billion deficit in 2017—at the end of the Liberal administration—to $7.4 billion in 2018 under Premier Ford. The deficit had almost doubled partly because of "cancelled climate-change initiatives and subsidizing hydro bills" according to the Hamilton Spectator.[19]

Economic Development and trade edit

Minister Smith tabled Bill 47: Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018, which was passed on November 21, 2018.[20] According to the Toronto Sun, Bill 47 strips "part-time workers of two paid sick days a year and prevent[s] a rise in the minimum wage to $15 an hour on January 1, 2019." NDP critic said that this "will incent employers to turn full-time positions into cheaper part-time work".[21]

The Ontario government abruptly cut all its provincial annual funding—representing $5 million—to the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine (OIRM) in May 2019.[22] Minister Smith, said that the "private sector will step up and fund stem-cell research."[22] Scientists told CBC that the private will only invest in the stem-cell field when "their studies reach a late phase", until then "government funding is crucial."[22] OIRM scientists who are "working on treatment of premature babies" said the cuts were "extremely short-sighted and uninformed".[22]

In June 2019, Vic Fedeli was appointed as Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Prabmeet Sarkaria is Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction in the economic development ministry. Michael Parsa and Donna Skelly were appointed as Parliamentary Assistants to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade (Trade) in June 2018.[5]

Transportation edit

On April 10, 2019, Premier Ford and Minister Yurek announced Ontario's transit plan for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)—one of the largest metropolitan areas in Canada.[23] The $30 billion dollar project would include the $10.9 billion Ontario Line, the $5.5 billion Scarborough Subway Extension, the $5.6 billion Yonge Subway extension to Richmond Hill, and the $4.7 billion Eglinton West extension. The province would provide $11.2 billion in funding and "wants to own the lines but leave the city and TTC to operate the subway system."[23] Premier Ford said, "We are making the biggest and largest investment in new subways in Canadian history."[23] The City of Toronto had already spent $224 million of public money on its own "planning and design of transit infrastructure in Toronto."[23] The City raised concerns about delays considering the city manager—Chris Murray's "sweeping" April 16 transit expansion report, "which also suggests several projects may now be in limbo, including two Scarborough transit lines and Mayor John Tory's signature SmartTrack plan."[24] In a December 13, 2018, City Council meeting, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) CEO Rick Leary, said that he had not had any "direct negotiations or discussion" with the province on what "it would look like if the province uploaded the subway system"—bringing the "TTC's subway system under provincial ownership".[25] While there were clear financial benefits to the city, the council voted to "reaffirm their desire to keep the entire TTC — subways and all" and requested more clarity from the province.[25] The studies and plans for the TTC's proposed "desperately needed extension known as the Relief Line", had begun in the late 2010s.[26] By early 2019, the planning for the Relief Line was "well underway and construction was scheduled to begin in 2020, with projected completion in 2029."[26] Ford and his "markedly different vision for transit in the GTA", presented in April, put the Relief Line project on hold.[26]

Social services edit

On November 15, 2018 the government announced that they were eliminating three watchdog legislative offices including the child and youth advocate.[6]

One of the biggest cuts, announced in the 2019 budget, was the $1 billion cut—over a four-year period—to the Ministry of Community and Social Services.[12]

In February, 2019 the government had announced changes to the Ontario Autism Program, which had over 20,000 children on a waiting list.[27] Under Minister MacLeod and Fee, changes were made in "how children qualified, based on age and family income". During the revamping of the Program, support for children already receiving service, was clawed back which meant that families had to pay most of the bills for "very expensive behavioural therapies."[27] This "outraged those in the autism community". The protests included a "huge rally at Queen's Park that could be heard inside the legislature and inundated Tory MPPs and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod with complaints."[27] In response, the Ford government "scrambled to pour more money into the program and in early May [2019] announced consultations that would help shape further reforms to the system, moving toward one based on need."[27] The Hamilton Spectator said that of all the "policy snafus", the funding of services for families of children with autism, was the one that bothered Ford the most.[27]

On August 8, 2019 the Ford government severed the funding for court-ordered autism services for eight families with adult children with "severe" conditions who are at "serious risk of harm", who had been receiving the funding since 2004.[28] Lawyers Scott Hutchison and Mary Eberts served notice of intent to sue in an 18-page letter to Social Services Minister Smith and Premier Ford "for breach of contract, negligence, and breach of Charter rights." It was formally filed in court on October 1.[28] Those long-standing payments of about $1.7 million annually were the result of litigation against the previous provincial administrations, who had committed to continue the funding "until a co-ordinated transition to other services had been made, in a way that provided alternative services with which the families were satisfied", according to The Star.[28] Faced with a backlash against "a botched revamp of autism services" in February 2019, the government had doubled the annual funding to $600 million for autism services but this did not restore the funding for these eight families.[28]

Healthcare edit

In July 2018, Premier Ford named Rueben Devlin, an orthopedic surgeon who was CEO of Toronto's Humber River Hospital[29] and a "key Tory adviser"and former Ontario PCs president—to a $348,000 a year three-year appointment on the Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine,[30] to curb hospital overcrowding.[31] Devlin is the Ford family's "closest health-care adviser."[30] Health costs in Ontario were over $60 billion annually, according to TVO's Steve Paikin.[30] Devlin is tasked with the selection of the other Council members, and with "ending hallway medicine, dental care for seniors, improved mental-health services), all while ensuring stable, long-term funding for the system—Premier Ford's election promises.[30]

Since coming into power in June 2018, Premier Ford's government put an approved injection site in Toronto—and several other places—on pause while the new Ontario Health Minister, Christine Elliot, studied the issue.[32]

In February 2019, the NDP said that two sets of leaked documents show that the Ford government was creating a health "super agency" that "would be in charge of managing health services, quality improvement, patient relations, digital health and tissue donation and transplants, among other responsibilities."[33] The documents said that "long-term care inspections" and the Ontario's "air ambulance service" Ornge would be "outsourced". According to a CTV News report, Minister Elliot was "forced to make assurances" that these services would not be "privatized".[33] The first document, which was leaked at the end of January, was a "draft version of the Progressive Conservative government's upcoming health-care transformation legislation."[33] CTV News said "local health integration networks, Cancer Care Ontario, eHealth Ontario, the Trillium Gift of Life Network and other government health agencies" would be "rolled into" the super agency.[33] Minister Elliot said that the December 13 assistant deputy ministers workshop document, which made references to outsourcing laboratories, "inspections, licensing, devices" and Ornge, were options and that these services would not be privatized.[33] The NDP said that the super agency was described in the leaked documents as having the "competency and capacity to effectively partner with public and private sector entities." The documents show that MyCare groups is being created as a "new model" of "integrated care delivery" with the goal of providing "patients with seamless, co-ordinated care and a single team of providers for all their care needs."[33]

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot tabled the controversial Bill 74: The People's Health Care Act. Its first reading was on February 26, 2019 and it received Royal Assent on April 18, 2019.[34]

In spite of 2018 election promises that "not a single person will lose their job" under his PC government, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot office announced in June 2019 that 416 workers would be laid off, as 20 health agencies, including 14 local health integration networks (LHINs), Cancer Care Ontario, eHealth Ontario[35] were merged into one new super-agency called Ontario Health.[36] With the merger "another 409 vacant positions will be eliminated."[36] These changes are estimated to save "$350 million a year by 2021-22".[36] A CBC News report said that the average wait times in Ontario hospitals set a new June record of an average of 16.3 hours waiting in emergency rooms in 2019, compared to 14.4 hours in June 2018, based on Health Quality Ontario data.[35] More restructuring was announced by the Health ministry in September and no more job losses are anticipated.[35]

Education edit

In early July 2018, then Education Minister, Lisa Thompson, told Queen's Park reporters that starting in September 2018, Ontario schools would no longer be using the sex education curriculum in use since 2015, but would be reverting to the previous curriculum.[37] One of the election campaign promises by the Ford government was to "scrap" the 2015 sex education curriculum.[37] Premier Ford's government said that "it did not order the cancellation."[37] By August 2019, the Ministry of Education, following "widespread consultations" made "only minor tweaks".[27] The "health lesson plan being brought to schools in the fall" of 2019 "is similar to the one Ford crusaded against."[27]

On October 11, 2019 Minister Lecce reached a deal with CUPE school support workers, which has to be ratified by CUPE members and averted a pending strike.[38] Premier Ford had said that he would cap "all public sector wage settlements at one per cent per year". The three-year agreement with CUPE was for a "one per cent wage increase annually for the duration of deal."[38] A clause in the agreement clause in the agreement says that if "higher increases are negotiated by other education unions", their union will be able to increase to more than one percent.[38] CUPE also had $58.3 million restored for the "hiring of educational assistants" with an additional $20 million for hiring "more custodians and clerical workers."[38] As well, CUPE's sick leave provisions remained untouched.[38]

In August 2018, in response to "incidents on campuses across North America where speakers faced protests",[39] then Minister Fullerton announced that all "publicly-assisted" colleges and universities were required to "develop and publicly post its own free speech policy by January 1, 2019". The policy must meet a "minimum standard specified by the government."[40] These standards must include the Chicago principles. Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) has the authority to gather the mandatory self-reporting by colleges and universities and to monitor colleges and institutions on compliance.[40] An article in The Hamilton Spectator cited examples of protests against controversial speakers in Ontario, such as Jordan Peterson, a University of Toronto professor and Lindsay Shepherd, who was disciplined after showing a Peterson video to her students at Wilfrid Laurier University.[39] Fullerton said that free speech had become a campaign issue.[39] She said the government was "constantly" hearing from students and faculty "that free speech was being stifled on Ontario campuses."[39]

Francophone Affairs edit

Mulroney voted in support of the Ford government's September 2018 proposal to use Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, commonly called the "notwithstanding clause", to overrule a judge's decision that legislation intended to shrink the size of Toronto City Council was in fact in violation of Charter rights. For this position, she faced widespread condemnation from constitutional experts and politicians of all parties, particularly with respect to her duty to ensure the sanctity of the judicial process as Attorney General.[41][42]

In November 2018 Ford announced cuts which included cancelling a "French language university and cut the post of provincial commissioner for French language affairs."[43] Ontario's francophone population represents from 550,000 to 744,000 people in a province of 14 million, according to The New York Times with many concentrated in Sudbury, Ontario, in northern Ontario and near the Ontario-Quebec border in eastern Ontario.[43]

The Ford government again came under criticism from the Franco-Ontarian community for its perceived inaction during the 2021 Laurentian University Financial Crisis and its support of the large cuts to the university.[44][45]

Indigenous Affairs edit

In the April 2019 budget, funding for the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs was cut in half.[12]

Minister Rickford released a May 9, 2019 statement saying that the Ontario Government was "committed to do everything in its authority to support the relocation" of the Kashechewan First Nation.[46] which is located north of Fort Albany, Ontario on the James Bay coast. The community has had flooding and infrastructure problems for many years and in April 2019, had to evacuate 2,500 members by plane when a state of emergency was called again.[47] APTN reported, in the presence of 300 community members, both the federal and provincial governments signed the Framework Agreement with Kashechewan First Nation to commit to moving the reserve. The federal Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O'Regan said the relocation process would probably take about eight years to complete.[47]

Northern Development and Mines edit

A July 7, 2018 article in Policy Options said that newly elected Premier Ford, had said that "resource development within Northern Ontario's Ring of Fire mining area [would] be a priority for his government."[48]

In Verner, Ontario on September 17, 2019, Premier Ford told the press that the development of the Ring of Fire development "remains a top priority for the Progressive Conservative government."[49] The development project is located in the remote, mineral-rich James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario, in the Kenora District, approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) northeast of Thunder Bay. In August, Greg Rickford, who is Ontario's Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines (MENDM), said that the Ford government was dissolving the 2014 regional framework agreement between the nine Matawa First Nations and the province.[50][51] By September, Rickford said that they were working with individual communities on a transportation corridor that Rickford called a "corridor to prosperity" from the Ring of Fire—Ring of Fire as a "major economic opportunity"—to transportation hubs in the south.[49]

However, the 2019 budget cut more than $500 million to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.[12]

Energy edit

In July 2018 Minister Rickford tabled Bill 2: Urgent Priorities Act, which received Royal Assent in the same month.[52] The first session of the 42nd Legislature was on July 11 and Bill 2, which passed into law on July 25, was the Ford Government's first piece of legislation.[53] Bill 2—an omnibus bill—was "criticized by both "business groups and unions". It legislated an end to the strike between York University and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), cancelled the White Pines Wind Project wind farm contract, and gave Ontario government "veto power over compensation at Hydro One."[53]

Hydro One edit

Main article: Hydro One

On July 25, 2018, the Ford government passed Bill 2 which "put a severe dent into the operations of Hydro One", a former Crown corporation which went public in November 2015. The Toronto-based Hydro One is the province's "largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider" with "nearly 1.4 million customers".[54] Hydro One was established under the Business Corporations Act Crown corporation under the Government of Ontario.[55] Bill 2 places a cap on the compensation allowed for executive members of the board of directors,[54] and gave Ford's provincial government a "direct say in the naming of directors" representing a major shift from what was agreed upon between shareholders and the government when Hydro One went public three years earlier.[54] Under Premier Ford, the CEO and the entire board of directors were replaced.[54] The former CEO, Mayo Schmidt was replaced by Tim Hodgson, a Ford appointee, who took on his new position in August 2019 with an annual salary of $120,000.[54] Hydro One was in the process of acquiring American energy firm Avista Inc., when "U.S. regulators scuttled" the purchase "costing the Toronto-based company a $140 million termination penalty."[54] The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission said that they blocked the purchase of Avista because of concerns about the independence of Hydro One from the Ontario provincial government.[56] Reducing Ontario consumer electricity costs by 12% was one of the campaign promises made by the Conservative party. government had promised to cut consumers' electricity prices 12%.[57] By July 2019, this has not happened, according to The Record.[54] Critics raised concerns that Hydro One will not experience stability as Premier Ford's government has a "record of reaching in to exert control."[54]

On March 21, 2019 Minister Rickford, tabled Bill 87, the Fixing the Hydro Mess Act which was given Royal Assent on May 9.[58] Bill 87 overhauled the Ontario Energy Board and eliminated the Liberal's 2017 Fair Hydro Plan which the PC's said would save $442 million.[59] The Liberal Plan "subsidized electricity with borrowed money" in response to a "public outcry over soaring hydro rates, particularly in rural areas."[59][60] The Liberals created the Ontario Power Generation Inc (OPG Trust) as the Financial Services Manager to manage the debt. Bonnie Lysyk, the Auditor General released a special report on October 17, 2017, which said the "structure of the plan" was in violation of the provincial government's accounting rules.[60] She said that the Plan, which committed the government to discount consumer electricity rates for ten years, would cost the province "$21 billion in interest over the next 30 years." The 2017 AG report said that it would cost $4 billion more on the $18.4 billion loan to use the Ontario Power Generation (OPG Trust) than if the province took out the loan because the province would have a lower interest rate than the OPG Trust.[60] The Ford government said that they would maintain [the] 25 per cent time-of-use rates, that was part of the Liberal's Fair Hydro Plan.[60] Under the newly structured Conservative plan, the debt financing "would move onto the government's books" from the OPG trust.[60]

Provincial–municipal relations edit

In September 2018, Ford announced that he would use the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms' "notwithstanding" clause to override the ruling of a Superior Court judge which said that Ford's legislation, decreasing the size of Toronto City Council just before the municipal election, was unconstitutional.[41] As Ontario's AG, Mulroney voted in support of the Ford government's use of Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. According to the Globe and Mail, "constitutional experts and politicians of all parties" criticized her decision as a violation of the sanctity of the judicial process as Attorney General.[42]

In October 2020, the Ford government passed the Supporting Ontario’s Recovery Act, 2020, which including a section that banned municipalities in the province from using ranked ballots for their mayoral and city council elections. The move came as multiple cities in the province were planning to switch from first-past-the-post to ranked ballots for the 2022 local elections.[61]

Toronto City Council edit

The Ford government passed the Better Local Government Act into law on August 14, 2018.[62] Premier Ford announced the controversial bill on September 27, on the last day for candidate registration for the October 22, 2018 Toronto municipal election, newly elected Premier of Ontario Doug Ford introduced the Better Local Government Act (Bill 5) which requires that Toronto use the same ridings for all its elections—municipal, provincial, and federal—effectively reducing the Toronto City Council from 47 seats to 25.[63] Bill 5 passed on August 14, 2018.[64] Toronto is Ontario's capital city and the largest city in Canada with a population of 2.7 million.[65] The number of Council seats had just been expanded following approximately four years of consultations and debates.[65] Ford said that these reductions would lower the cost to taxpayers by $CDN 25 ($USD19.1) million dollars in Toronto's $CDN11.1 ($USD8.5) billion dollar budget.[65] Bill 5 reset the positions of regional municipality chairs as by appointment not be election in Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka.[66][67][64]

Housing edit

Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 edit

Minister Clark introduced Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, an omnibus bill intended to increase Ontario's housing supply that was described as "one of Premier Ford's "largest pieces of legislation" to date. Bill 23 would make sweeping changes affecting nine laws and "every aspect of planning and development" in the province.[68][69][70] By November 25, Ford announced a rollback of some of Bill 23's most controversial changes to existing statutes that would have undermined environmental concerns.[71]

Environment edit

 
Carbon tax decals on gas pumps in Ontario, mandated by the Ford government during the 2019 Canadian federal election.

On June 7 after winning the election, Ford said that "very first item" on his agenda would be to cancel the federal carbon tax and provincial cap-and-trade programs in order to prevent motorists from being "gouged at the pumps".[17]

According to a June 28, 2018 article in The Economist, Ontario, with "Canada's second-highest public debt per person and a growing budget deficit", Fords' "poleaxing of cap and trade" would result in C$2.8bn worth of pollution permits owned by companies that could result in lawsuits. The article said that Ontario would lose C$2bn a year from the sale of pollution permits under its cap and trade program, which represents 1.3% of Ontario's revenue.[17]

In November 2018, the Ford government announced that it was eliminating three provincial watchdog groups including the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) to cut costs. Then Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), Dianne Saxe, had just submitted her 4-volume 339 page 2018 Environmental Protection Report, entitled "Back to Basics, to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.[72] Saxe was a "vocal critic" of the Ford government's "actions on climate change"—"their vow to fight a federal carbon tax, pulling out of more than 700 renewable energy contracts and moving to end the Ontario Green Energy Act."[6]

Bill 57, also known as the Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act transferred the Environmental Commissioner Officer's duties to the Auditor General of Ontario.[73][74][75]

Ford's government withdrew the province from the Western Climate Initiative emissions trading system, which had been implemented by the previous Liberal government.[76]

Infrastructure edit

As Minister, McNaughton introduced Bill 32, the Access to Natural Gas Act in the fall of 2018. It was passed into law that December. Bill 32 was intended to make it possible to expand access to natural gas expand access to natural gas throughout rural and Northern Ontario including to First Nations communities.[77]

Premier Ford said in a statement released on September 17, 2018 that "cancelling the cap-and-trade carbon tax" had caused the price of natural gas to decrease in Ontario. Premier Ford announced the new legislation and explained how it differed from the previous government's 2017 taxpayer-funded $100 million Natural Gas Grant Program—through which—according to Premier Ford, "private sector companies were limited from participating in natural gas expansion, portions of which were instead managed by the [Natural Gas Grant Program]." Bill 32, The Access to Natural Gas Act passed into law in 2018, to "encourage more private gas distributors to partner with communities to develop projects that expand access to affordable and efficient natural gas."[78]

On September 18, 2018, the city of North Bay learned that the Natural Gas Grant Program funding of over $8.6 million had been cancelled for a natural gas project that would have extended "services to as many as 350 homes in the north shore area of Trout Lake."[79]

In January 2019, Minister McNaughton announced that the Ford government would provide $27 million to Northeast Midstream towards the construction of their Nipigon LNG gas plant. The plant would be capable of converting natural gas into a liquid form, that can be trucked to consumers. The project will create between 700 and 2,800 jobs in the region.[80][81]

In May 2019, Minister McNaughton announced that the Ontario's Government "committed up to $63.7 million" to Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) with support from other levels of government.[82] The not-for-profit, publicly-funded SWIFT project to develop a regional fibre optic network, has been one of the key initiatives of the Western Ontario Wardens' Caucus (WOWC) representing upper-tier municipalities in southern Ontario from Dufferin to Windsor.[83] Through SWIFT, federal, provincial and local municipalities "subsidize the construction of an open-access, high-speed broadband network in Southwestern Ontario, Caledon and the Niagara Region."[84]

COVID-19 pandemic edit

Initial outbreak edit

In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China; it spread worldwide and was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020.[85][86] The first confirmed case in Canada was in Ontario—reported on January 27, 2020.[87]

On March 17, Ford declared a state of emergency in Ontario,[88] closing bars and restaurants (with the exception of take-out and delivery services), as well as libraries, theatres, cinemas, schools and daycares and all public gatherings of more than 50 people (later reduced to 5 people on March 28).[89] Furthermore, the government announced on March 17 that Ontario had "some evidence of community transmission" of COVID-19.[90]

On March 23, Ford announced that all "non-essential" businesses be ordered closed starting 11:59 p.m. On March 24. Ford also stated that schools would remain closed past the original April 6 opening date (on May 19 it was announced that schools would remain closed until the following school year in September).[91][92] A list of 74 "essential" businesses was published later in the day on March 23.[93][94][95]

On March 25, Ford and Finance Minister Rod Phillips introduced a $17-billion response package that includes an influx of cash for the health sector, direct payments to parents and tax breaks for businesses.[96]

Third wave edit

On April 9, 2021, Ford received his first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a local pharmacy in Toronto, and encouraged eligible Ontarians to get vaccinated.[97]

Amid growing case numbers in mid-2021, the government moved to introduce a third province-wide stay at home order. As part of the response, Ford announced on April 16, 2021, that outdoor amenities including playgrounds would be closed, and that he would be authorizing police to require pedestrians and drivers to explain why they are not at home and provide their home address and other relevant details.[98] The regulations raised concerns about a re-legalization of carding.[99] The government experienced significant backlash with the new enforcement measures, with some commentators – such as the National Post's Randall Denley, a former PC politician[100] – equating the province to a "police state"[101] Members of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Table described the new restrictions as "absolute madness", and not based on science questioning the need to restrict "safe options from people as you do nothing to impact the places where the disease is spreading".[102] After dozens of police services across the province announced that they would refuse to enforce the new measures,[103] Ford promptly rolled back the new enforcement provisions the next day and reopened playgrounds, while keeping other outdoor amenities closed.[104][105]

Over the weekend following the introduction of new orders, calls for Ford's resignation over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis grew,[106][107][108] In April 2021, Ford revealed that he had been in isolation following contact with one of his staffers, who had contracted COVID-19.[109] Ford announced on April 30, 2021, that he had asked the federal government to stop international students from coming into the province in an effort to curb the third wave.[110]

Omicron variant edit

During the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in December 2021 and January 2022, Ford's government announced in December 2021 new restrictions on indoor settings.[111] After growing calls for third or booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the government allowed all Ontarians over 18 years of age to receive a third dose on December 20, 2021.[112][111]

On January 3, 2022, Ford announced that Ontario would be moving into modified Step 2 on January 5, closing indoor dining, gyms, movie theatres and schools.[113]

Disputes with other politicians edit

In October 2023, Ford publicly stated that MPP Sarah Jama had a "long and well-documented history of antisemitism" and "hateful views", and that she "publicly support[ed] the rape and murder of innocent Jewish people," and called for her to resign.[114][115][116] In response, Jama served Ford's office a cease and desist letter and threatened to sue him for libel.[115]

References edit

  1. ^ Benzie, Robert; Ferguson, Rob; Rushowy, Kristin (June 29, 2018). "Doug Ford sworn in as Ontario premier". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  2. ^ Ferguson, Rob (October 19, 2016). "Ontario moves election date to June 7, 2018". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
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External links edit

  • Premier of Ontario Official Site

March 15, 2024
premiership, doug, ford, this, article, needs, updated, please, help, update, this, article, reflect, recent, events, newly, available, information, last, update, december, 2019, june, 2022, doug, ford, 26th, current, premier, ontario, french, premier, ministr. This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information Last update December 2019 June 2022 Doug Ford is the 26th and current premier of Ontario French Premier ministre de l Ontario Canada He won a majority in the June 7 2018 Ontario general election as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario CPC caucus in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was sworn in as premier on June 29 2018 1 He was re elected with an increased majority in the June 2 2022 Ontario general election Premiership of Doug Ford June 29 2018 presentMonarchsElizabeth IICharles IIIPremierDoug FordCabinetFord MinistryPartyProgressive ConservativeElection2018 2022Appointed byElizabeth DowdeswellSeatQueen s Park Toronto Kathleen WynneOfficial website Contents 1 Elections 1 1 2018 Ontario general election 1 2 2022 Ontario general election 2 Policies 2 1 Economic policy 2 1 1 The deficit 2 1 2 Economic Development and trade 2 2 Transportation 2 3 Social services 2 4 Healthcare 2 5 Education 2 6 Francophone Affairs 2 7 Indigenous Affairs 2 8 Northern Development and Mines 2 9 Energy 2 9 1 Hydro One 2 10 Provincial municipal relations 2 10 1 Toronto City Council 2 11 Housing 2 11 1 Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster Act 2022 2 12 Environment 2 13 Infrastructure 2 14 COVID 19 pandemic 2 14 1 Initial outbreak 2 14 2 Third wave 2 14 3 Omicron variant 2 15 Disputes with other politicians 3 References 4 External linksElections edit2018 Ontario general election edit Main article 2018 Ontario general election Ford won the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election on March 10 2018 He represented Etobicoke North In the 2018 Ontario general election held on June 7 2018 Ford won a majority government with 76 of the 124 seats in the legislature 2 with approximately 56 67 of potential voters voting 3 2022 Ontario general election edit Main article 2022 Ontario general election Ford led the Progressive Conservatives to another majority government in the 2022 provincial election The PCs gained seven more seats than they had won in 2018 4 Policies editEconomic policy edit In June 2019 Rod Phillips who served as Minister of the Environment Conservation and Parks replaced Vic Fedeli as Ontario s finance minister Andrea Khanjin was appointed as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment Conservation and Parks in June 2018 5 Starting in January 2019 those who are working full time and earning less than 30 000 a year would pay no provincial income tax in the new LIFT program but minimum wage would be frozen at 14 per hour 6 They eliminated 3 legislative offices including the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario ECO child and youth advocate and French language services commissioner positions The surtax on the highest earning Ontarians that would have generated about 275 million in revenue was cancelled The proposed French language university was cancelled as were three university satellite campuses 6 Fedeli served as minister until he was moved to economic development in June 2019 in a major cabinet shuffle 7 According to CTV News Queen s Park Bureau Chief Colin D Mello Premier Ford removed Fedeli as Finance Minister on June 20 2019 in the wake of a disastrous budget rollout that s left the Progressive Conservative government drowning in negative publicity 8 Minister Fedeli tabled the Ford government s first budget on April 11 2019 9 10 According to the Sault Star Fedeli was demoted from highly touted finance post and blamed for the failure to sell voters on the 163 4 billion budget and the cost of breaking a 10 year deal that ultimately expands beer and wine sales in grocery stores costing taxpayers 1 billion 11 NDP Timiskaming Cochrane MPP John Vanthof said that the 2019 budget failed northern Ontario by not providing funds for Highway 69 the Ring of Fire expanded broadband access and cuts to Indigenous Affairs Ministry of Natural Resources the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs and more Vanthof said that there will be beer in corner stores drinks at 9 in the morning tailgate parties and blue licence plates but when the fog is cleared there is also an over 500 million cut to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines 12 In the fiscal year 2019 the publicly funded Legal Aid Ontario will receive 133 million less than previously representing a funding cut of 30 per cent as part of the Ford government s deficit cutting plan presented in the April 2019 budget 13 On September 11 2019 Chief Justice of Ontario George Strathy said that the cuts to Legal Aid Ontario will force many people to self represent What we judges can say is that reducing legal representation for the most vulnerable members of society does not save money It increases trial times places greater demands on public services and ultimately delays and increases the cost of legal proceedings for everyone 13 The deficit edit Main article Ontario government debt From about 1989 to 2018 Ontario has reported a deficit almost every year the province s net debt increased to approximately 311 6 billion by October 2018 and Ontario s net debt to GDP ratio grew from 13 4 to about 40 5 in 2018 19 14 139 According to an April 11 2018 Royal Bank of Canada RBC report which was based on figures provided by the Ford government the revised estimate of Ontario s deficit was 11 7 billion in 2018 2019 and it was projected to decrease by 1 4 billion in 2019 2020 mainly because of the removal of the 1 billion contingency reserve At that time it was projected that the deficit would be completely eliminated in 2023 2024 with a small surplus of 0 3 billion 15 By October 2019 the Financial Accountability Officer Weltman said that the FAO had been in error when they and the Ford government had projected a 11 7 billion deficit that was reported in the spring 2019 budget 16 By June 2018 Ontario had Canada s second highest public debt per person and a growing budget deficit according to The Economist 17 The Ontario Finance Department reported in October 2018 that Ontario s public debt per person at 23 014 had surpassed that of Quebec at 21 606 in the fiscal year 2017 2018 14 Newfoundland and Labrador public debt per capita at 27 761 was the highest in Canada 14 141 By 2019 the Ontario Chamber of Commerce reported that Ontario s debt was over 348 billion representing about 41 of provincial GDP of almost 850 billion Ontario s GDP is much larger than any of the other provinces and is almost half of Canada s GDP When combined with the federal debt approximately 680 billion the debt to GDP ratio for Ontarians nears 80 percent 18 In October 2019 Financial Accountability Office said that the deficit had increased from 3 7 billion deficit in 2017 at the end of the Liberal administration to 7 4 billion in 2018 under Premier Ford The deficit had almost doubled partly because of cancelled climate change initiatives and subsidizing hydro bills according to the Hamilton Spectator 19 Economic Development and trade edit Minister Smith tabled Bill 47 Making Ontario Open for Business Act 2018 which was passed on November 21 2018 20 According to the Toronto Sun Bill 47 strips part time workers of two paid sick days a year and prevent s a rise in the minimum wage to 15 an hour on January 1 2019 NDP critic said that this will incent employers to turn full time positions into cheaper part time work 21 The Ontario government abruptly cut all its provincial annual funding representing 5 million to the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine OIRM in May 2019 22 Minister Smith said that the private sector will step up and fund stem cell research 22 Scientists told CBC that the private will only invest in the stem cell field when their studies reach a late phase until then government funding is crucial 22 OIRM scientists who are working on treatment of premature babies said the cuts were extremely short sighted and uninformed 22 In June 2019 Vic Fedeli was appointed as Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade Prabmeet Sarkaria is Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction in the economic development ministry Michael Parsa and Donna Skelly were appointed as Parliamentary Assistants to the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade Trade in June 2018 5 Transportation edit On April 10 2019 Premier Ford and Minister Yurek announced Ontario s transit plan for the Greater Toronto Area GTA one of the largest metropolitan areas in Canada 23 The 30 billion dollar project would include the 10 9 billion Ontario Line the 5 5 billion Scarborough Subway Extension the 5 6 billion Yonge Subway extension to Richmond Hill and the 4 7 billion Eglinton West extension The province would provide 11 2 billion in funding and wants to own the lines but leave the city and TTC to operate the subway system 23 Premier Ford said We are making the biggest and largest investment in new subways in Canadian history 23 The City of Toronto had already spent 224 million of public money on its own planning and design of transit infrastructure in Toronto 23 The City raised concerns about delays considering the city manager Chris Murray s sweeping April 16 transit expansion report which also suggests several projects may now be in limbo including two Scarborough transit lines and Mayor John Tory s signature SmartTrack plan 24 In a December 13 2018 City Council meeting Toronto Transit Commission TTC CEO Rick Leary said that he had not had any direct negotiations or discussion with the province on what it would look like if the province uploaded the subway system bringing the TTC s subway system under provincial ownership 25 While there were clear financial benefits to the city the council voted to reaffirm their desire to keep the entire TTC subways and all and requested more clarity from the province 25 The studies and plans for the TTC s proposed desperately needed extension known as the Relief Line had begun in the late 2010s 26 By early 2019 the planning for the Relief Line was well underway and construction was scheduled to begin in 2020 with projected completion in 2029 26 Ford and his markedly different vision for transit in the GTA presented in April put the Relief Line project on hold 26 Social services edit On November 15 2018 the government announced that they were eliminating three watchdog legislative offices including the child and youth advocate 6 One of the biggest cuts announced in the 2019 budget was the 1 billion cut over a four year period to the Ministry of Community and Social Services 12 In February 2019 the government had announced changes to the Ontario Autism Program which had over 20 000 children on a waiting list 27 Under Minister MacLeod and Fee changes were made in how children qualified based on age and family income During the revamping of the Program support for children already receiving service was clawed back which meant that families had to pay most of the bills for very expensive behavioural therapies 27 This outraged those in the autism community The protests included a huge rally at Queen s Park that could be heard inside the legislature and inundated Tory MPPs and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod with complaints 27 In response the Ford government scrambled to pour more money into the program and in early May 2019 announced consultations that would help shape further reforms to the system moving toward one based on need 27 The Hamilton Spectator said that of all the policy snafus the funding of services for families of children with autism was the one that bothered Ford the most 27 On August 8 2019 the Ford government severed the funding for court ordered autism services for eight families with adult children with severe conditions who are at serious risk of harm who had been receiving the funding since 2004 28 Lawyers Scott Hutchison and Mary Eberts served notice of intent to sue in an 18 page letter to Social Services Minister Smith and Premier Ford for breach of contract negligence and breach of Charter rights It was formally filed in court on October 1 28 Those long standing payments of about 1 7 million annually were the result of litigation against the previous provincial administrations who had committed to continue the funding until a co ordinated transition to other services had been made in a way that provided alternative services with which the families were satisfied according to The Star 28 Faced with a backlash against a botched revamp of autism services in February 2019 the government had doubled the annual funding to 600 million for autism services but this did not restore the funding for these eight families 28 Healthcare edit In July 2018 Premier Ford named Rueben Devlin an orthopedic surgeon who was CEO of Toronto s Humber River Hospital 29 and a key Tory adviser and former Ontario PCs president to a 348 000 a year three year appointment on the Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine 30 to curb hospital overcrowding 31 Devlin is the Ford family s closest health care adviser 30 Health costs in Ontario were over 60 billion annually according to TVO s Steve Paikin 30 Devlin is tasked with the selection of the other Council members and with ending hallway medicine dental care for seniors improved mental health services all while ensuring stable long term funding for the system Premier Ford s election promises 30 Since coming into power in June 2018 Premier Ford s government put an approved injection site in Toronto and several other places on pause while the new Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot studied the issue 32 In February 2019 the NDP said that two sets of leaked documents show that the Ford government was creating a health super agency that would be in charge of managing health services quality improvement patient relations digital health and tissue donation and transplants among other responsibilities 33 The documents said that long term care inspections and the Ontario s air ambulance service Ornge would be outsourced According to a CTV News report Minister Elliot was forced to make assurances that these services would not be privatized 33 The first document which was leaked at the end of January was a draft version of the Progressive Conservative government s upcoming health care transformation legislation 33 CTV News said local health integration networks Cancer Care Ontario eHealth Ontario the Trillium Gift of Life Network and other government health agencies would be rolled into the super agency 33 Minister Elliot said that the December 13 assistant deputy ministers workshop document which made references to outsourcing laboratories inspections licensing devices and Ornge were options and that these services would not be privatized 33 The NDP said that the super agency was described in the leaked documents as having the competency and capacity to effectively partner with public and private sector entities The documents show that MyCare groups is being created as a new model of integrated care delivery with the goal of providing patients with seamless co ordinated care and a single team of providers for all their care needs 33 Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot tabled the controversial Bill 74 The People s Health Care Act Its first reading was on February 26 2019 and it received Royal Assent on April 18 2019 34 In spite of 2018 election promises that not a single person will lose their job under his PC government Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot office announced in June 2019 that 416 workers would be laid off as 20 health agencies including 14 local health integration networks LHINs Cancer Care Ontario eHealth Ontario 35 were merged into one new super agency called Ontario Health 36 With the merger another 409 vacant positions will be eliminated 36 These changes are estimated to save 350 million a year by 2021 22 36 A CBC News report said that the average wait times in Ontario hospitals set a new June record of an average of 16 3 hours waiting in emergency rooms in 2019 compared to 14 4 hours in June 2018 based on Health Quality Ontario data 35 More restructuring was announced by the Health ministry in September and no more job losses are anticipated 35 Education edit In early July 2018 then Education Minister Lisa Thompson told Queen s Park reporters that starting in September 2018 Ontario schools would no longer be using the sex education curriculum in use since 2015 but would be reverting to the previous curriculum 37 One of the election campaign promises by the Ford government was to scrap the 2015 sex education curriculum 37 Premier Ford s government said that it did not order the cancellation 37 By August 2019 the Ministry of Education following widespread consultations made only minor tweaks 27 The health lesson plan being brought to schools in the fall of 2019 is similar to the one Ford crusaded against 27 On October 11 2019 Minister Lecce reached a deal with CUPE school support workers which has to be ratified by CUPE members and averted a pending strike 38 Premier Ford had said that he would cap all public sector wage settlements at one per cent per year The three year agreement with CUPE was for a one per cent wage increase annually for the duration of deal 38 A clause in the agreement clause in the agreement says that if higher increases are negotiated by other education unions their union will be able to increase to more than one percent 38 CUPE also had 58 3 million restored for the hiring of educational assistants with an additional 20 million for hiring more custodians and clerical workers 38 As well CUPE s sick leave provisions remained untouched 38 In August 2018 in response to incidents on campuses across North America where speakers faced protests 39 then Minister Fullerton announced that all publicly assisted colleges and universities were required to develop and publicly post its own free speech policy by January 1 2019 The policy must meet a minimum standard specified by the government 40 These standards must include the Chicago principles Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario HEQCO has the authority to gather the mandatory self reporting by colleges and universities and to monitor colleges and institutions on compliance 40 An article in The Hamilton Spectator cited examples of protests against controversial speakers in Ontario such as Jordan Peterson a University of Toronto professor and Lindsay Shepherd who was disciplined after showing a Peterson video to her students at Wilfrid Laurier University 39 Fullerton said that free speech had become a campaign issue 39 She said the government was constantly hearing from students and faculty that free speech was being stifled on Ontario campuses 39 Francophone Affairs edit Mulroney voted in support of the Ford government s September 2018 proposal to use Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms commonly called the notwithstanding clause to overrule a judge s decision that legislation intended to shrink the size of Toronto City Council was in fact in violation of Charter rights For this position she faced widespread condemnation from constitutional experts and politicians of all parties particularly with respect to her duty to ensure the sanctity of the judicial process as Attorney General 41 42 In November 2018 Ford announced cuts which included cancelling a French language university and cut the post of provincial commissioner for French language affairs 43 Ontario s francophone population represents from 550 000 to 744 000 people in a province of 14 million according to The New York Times with many concentrated in Sudbury Ontario in northern Ontario and near the Ontario Quebec border in eastern Ontario 43 The Ford government again came under criticism from the Franco Ontarian community for its perceived inaction during the 2021 Laurentian University Financial Crisis and its support of the large cuts to the university 44 45 Indigenous Affairs edit In the April 2019 budget funding for the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs was cut in half 12 Minister Rickford released a May 9 2019 statement saying that the Ontario Government was committed to do everything in its authority to support the relocation of the Kashechewan First Nation 46 which is located north of Fort Albany Ontario on the James Bay coast The community has had flooding and infrastructure problems for many years and in April 2019 had to evacuate 2 500 members by plane when a state of emergency was called again 47 APTN reported in the presence of 300 community members both the federal and provincial governments signed the Framework Agreement with Kashechewan First Nation to commit to moving the reserve The federal Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O Regan said the relocation process would probably take about eight years to complete 47 Northern Development and Mines edit A July 7 2018 article in Policy Options said that newly elected Premier Ford had said that resource development within Northern Ontario s Ring of Fire mining area would be a priority for his government 48 In Verner Ontario on September 17 2019 Premier Ford told the press that the development of the Ring of Fire development remains a top priority for the Progressive Conservative government 49 The development project is located in the remote mineral rich James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario in the Kenora District approximately 400 kilometres 250 mi northeast of Thunder Bay In August Greg Rickford who is Ontario s Minister of Energy Northern Development and Mines MENDM said that the Ford government was dissolving the 2014 regional framework agreement between the nine Matawa First Nations and the province 50 51 By September Rickford said that they were working with individual communities on a transportation corridor that Rickford called a corridor to prosperity from the Ring of Fire Ring of Fire as a major economic opportunity to transportation hubs in the south 49 However the 2019 budget cut more than 500 million to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines 12 Energy edit In July 2018 Minister Rickford tabled Bill 2 Urgent Priorities Act which received Royal Assent in the same month 52 The first session of the 42nd Legislature was on July 11 and Bill 2 which passed into law on July 25 was the Ford Government s first piece of legislation 53 Bill 2 an omnibus bill was criticized by both business groups and unions It legislated an end to the strike between York University and Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPE cancelled the White Pines Wind Project wind farm contract and gave Ontario government veto power over compensation at Hydro One 53 Hydro One edit Main article Hydro One On July 25 2018 the Ford government passed Bill 2 which put a severe dent into the operations of Hydro One a former Crown corporation which went public in November 2015 The Toronto based Hydro One is the province s largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider with nearly 1 4 million customers 54 Hydro One was established under the Business Corporations Act Crown corporation under the Government of Ontario 55 Bill 2 places a cap on the compensation allowed for executive members of the board of directors 54 and gave Ford s provincial government a direct say in the naming of directors representing a major shift from what was agreed upon between shareholders and the government when Hydro One went public three years earlier 54 Under Premier Ford the CEO and the entire board of directors were replaced 54 The former CEO Mayo Schmidt was replaced by Tim Hodgson a Ford appointee who took on his new position in August 2019 with an annual salary of 120 000 54 Hydro One was in the process of acquiring American energy firm Avista Inc when U S regulators scuttled the purchase costing the Toronto based company a 140 million termination penalty 54 The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission said that they blocked the purchase of Avista because of concerns about the independence of Hydro One from the Ontario provincial government 56 Reducing Ontario consumer electricity costs by 12 was one of the campaign promises made by the Conservative party government had promised to cut consumers electricity prices 12 57 By July 2019 this has not happened according to The Record 54 Critics raised concerns that Hydro One will not experience stability as Premier Ford s government has a record of reaching in to exert control 54 On March 21 2019 Minister Rickford tabled Bill 87 the Fixing the Hydro Mess Act which was given Royal Assent on May 9 58 Bill 87 overhauled the Ontario Energy Board and eliminated the Liberal s 2017 Fair Hydro Plan which the PC s said would save 442 million 59 The Liberal Plan subsidized electricity with borrowed money in response to a public outcry over soaring hydro rates particularly in rural areas 59 60 The Liberals created the Ontario Power Generation Inc OPG Trust as the Financial Services Manager to manage the debt Bonnie Lysyk the Auditor General released a special report on October 17 2017 which said the structure of the plan was in violation of the provincial government s accounting rules 60 She said that the Plan which committed the government to discount consumer electricity rates for ten years would cost the province 21 billion in interest over the next 30 years The 2017 AG report said that it would cost 4 billion more on the 18 4 billion loan to use the Ontario Power Generation OPG Trust than if the province took out the loan because the province would have a lower interest rate than the OPG Trust 60 The Ford government said that they would maintain the 25 per cent time of use rates that was part of the Liberal s Fair Hydro Plan 60 Under the newly structured Conservative plan the debt financing would move onto the government s books from the OPG trust 60 Provincial municipal relations edit In September 2018 Ford announced that he would use the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms notwithstanding clause to override the ruling of a Superior Court judge which said that Ford s legislation decreasing the size of Toronto City Council just before the municipal election was unconstitutional 41 As Ontario s AG Mulroney voted in support of the Ford government s use of Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms According to the Globe and Mail constitutional experts and politicians of all parties criticized her decision as a violation of the sanctity of the judicial process as Attorney General 42 In October 2020 the Ford government passed the Supporting Ontario s Recovery Act 2020 which including a section that banned municipalities in the province from using ranked ballots for their mayoral and city council elections The move came as multiple cities in the province were planning to switch from first past the post to ranked ballots for the 2022 local elections 61 Toronto City Council edit The Ford government passed the Better Local Government Act into law on August 14 2018 62 Premier Ford announced the controversial bill on September 27 on the last day for candidate registration for the October 22 2018 Toronto municipal election newly elected Premier of Ontario Doug Ford introduced the Better Local Government Act Bill 5 which requires that Toronto use the same ridings for all its elections municipal provincial and federal effectively reducing the Toronto City Council from 47 seats to 25 63 Bill 5 passed on August 14 2018 64 Toronto is Ontario s capital city and the largest city in Canada with a population of 2 7 million 65 The number of Council seats had just been expanded following approximately four years of consultations and debates 65 Ford said that these reductions would lower the cost to taxpayers by CDN 25 USD19 1 million dollars in Toronto s CDN11 1 USD8 5 billion dollar budget 65 Bill 5 reset the positions of regional municipality chairs as by appointment not be election in Peel York Niagara and Muskoka 66 67 64 Housing edit Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster Act 2022 edit Minister Clark introduced Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster Act 2022 an omnibus bill intended to increase Ontario s housing supply that was described as one of Premier Ford s largest pieces of legislation to date Bill 23 would make sweeping changes affecting nine laws and every aspect of planning and development in the province 68 69 70 By November 25 Ford announced a rollback of some of Bill 23 s most controversial changes to existing statutes that would have undermined environmental concerns 71 Environment edit nbsp Carbon tax decals on gas pumps in Ontario mandated by the Ford government during the 2019 Canadian federal election On June 7 after winning the election Ford said that very first item on his agenda would be to cancel the federal carbon tax and provincial cap and trade programs in order to prevent motorists from being gouged at the pumps 17 According to a June 28 2018 article in The Economist Ontario with Canada s second highest public debt per person and a growing budget deficit Fords poleaxing of cap and trade would result in C 2 8bn worth of pollution permits owned by companies that could result in lawsuits The article said that Ontario would lose C 2bn a year from the sale of pollution permits under its cap and trade program which represents 1 3 of Ontario s revenue 17 In November 2018 the Ford government announced that it was eliminating three provincial watchdog groups including the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario ECO to cut costs Then Environmental Commissioner of Ontario ECO Dianne Saxe had just submitted her 4 volume 339 page 2018 Environmental Protection Report entitled Back to Basics to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario 72 Saxe was a vocal critic of the Ford government s actions on climate change their vow to fight a federal carbon tax pulling out of more than 700 renewable energy contracts and moving to end the Ontario Green Energy Act 6 Bill 57 also known as the Restoring Trust Transparency and Accountability Act transferred the Environmental Commissioner Officer s duties to the Auditor General of Ontario 73 74 75 Ford s government withdrew the province from the Western Climate Initiative emissions trading system which had been implemented by the previous Liberal government 76 Infrastructure edit As Minister McNaughton introduced Bill 32 the Access to Natural Gas Act in the fall of 2018 It was passed into law that December Bill 32 was intended to make it possible to expand access to natural gas expand access to natural gas throughout rural and Northern Ontario including to First Nations communities 77 Premier Ford said in a statement released on September 17 2018 that cancelling the cap and trade carbon tax had caused the price of natural gas to decrease in Ontario Premier Ford announced the new legislation and explained how it differed from the previous government s 2017 taxpayer funded 100 million Natural Gas Grant Program through which according to Premier Ford private sector companies were limited from participating in natural gas expansion portions of which were instead managed by the Natural Gas Grant Program Bill 32 The Access to Natural Gas Act passed into law in 2018 to encourage more private gas distributors to partner with communities to develop projects that expand access to affordable and efficient natural gas 78 On September 18 2018 the city of North Bay learned that the Natural Gas Grant Program funding of over 8 6 million had been cancelled for a natural gas project that would have extended services to as many as 350 homes in the north shore area of Trout Lake 79 In January 2019 Minister McNaughton announced that the Ford government would provide 27 million to Northeast Midstream towards the construction of their Nipigon LNG gas plant The plant would be capable of converting natural gas into a liquid form that can be trucked to consumers The project will create between 700 and 2 800 jobs in the region 80 81 In May 2019 Minister McNaughton announced that the Ontario s Government committed up to 63 7 million to Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology SWIFT with support from other levels of government 82 The not for profit publicly funded SWIFT project to develop a regional fibre optic network has been one of the key initiatives of the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus WOWC representing upper tier municipalities in southern Ontario from Dufferin to Windsor 83 Through SWIFT federal provincial and local municipalities subsidize the construction of an open access high speed broadband network in Southwestern Ontario Caledon and the Niagara Region 84 COVID 19 pandemic edit Initial outbreak edit In December 2019 an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 COVID 19 was first identified in Wuhan Hubei China it spread worldwide and was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization WHO on March 11 2020 85 86 The first confirmed case in Canada was in Ontario reported on January 27 2020 87 On March 17 Ford declared a state of emergency in Ontario 88 closing bars and restaurants with the exception of take out and delivery services as well as libraries theatres cinemas schools and daycares and all public gatherings of more than 50 people later reduced to 5 people on March 28 89 Furthermore the government announced on March 17 that Ontario had some evidence of community transmission of COVID 19 90 On March 23 Ford announced that all non essential businesses be ordered closed starting 11 59 p m On March 24 Ford also stated that schools would remain closed past the original April 6 opening date on May 19 it was announced that schools would remain closed until the following school year in September 91 92 A list of 74 essential businesses was published later in the day on March 23 93 94 95 On March 25 Ford and Finance Minister Rod Phillips introduced a 17 billion response package that includes an influx of cash for the health sector direct payments to parents and tax breaks for businesses 96 Third wave edit On April 9 2021 Ford received his first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID 19 vaccine at a local pharmacy in Toronto and encouraged eligible Ontarians to get vaccinated 97 Amid growing case numbers in mid 2021 the government moved to introduce a third province wide stay at home order As part of the response Ford announced on April 16 2021 that outdoor amenities including playgrounds would be closed and that he would be authorizing police to require pedestrians and drivers to explain why they are not at home and provide their home address and other relevant details 98 The regulations raised concerns about a re legalization of carding 99 The government experienced significant backlash with the new enforcement measures with some commentators such as the National Post s Randall Denley a former PC politician 100 equating the province to a police state 101 Members of the Ontario COVID 19 Science Table described the new restrictions as absolute madness and not based on science questioning the need to restrict safe options from people as you do nothing to impact the places where the disease is spreading 102 After dozens of police services across the province announced that they would refuse to enforce the new measures 103 Ford promptly rolled back the new enforcement provisions the next day and reopened playgrounds while keeping other outdoor amenities closed 104 105 Over the weekend following the introduction of new orders calls for Ford s resignation over his handling of the COVID 19 crisis grew 106 107 108 In April 2021 Ford revealed that he had been in isolation following contact with one of his staffers who had contracted COVID 19 109 Ford announced on April 30 2021 that he had asked the federal government to stop international students from coming into the province in an effort to curb the third wave 110 Omicron variant edit During the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID 19 in December 2021 and January 2022 Ford s government announced in December 2021 new restrictions on indoor settings 111 After growing calls for third or booster doses of COVID 19 vaccines the government allowed all Ontarians over 18 years of age to receive a third dose on December 20 2021 112 111 On January 3 2022 Ford announced that Ontario would be moving into modified Step 2 on January 5 closing indoor dining gyms movie theatres and schools 113 Disputes with other politicians edit In October 2023 Ford publicly stated that MPP Sarah Jama had a long and well documented history of antisemitism and hateful views and that she publicly support ed the rape and murder of innocent Jewish people and called for her to resign 114 115 116 In response Jama served Ford s office a cease and desist letter and threatened to sue him for libel 115 References edit Benzie Robert Ferguson Rob Rushowy Kristin June 29 2018 Doug Ford sworn in as Ontario premier Toronto Star Retrieved July 17 2018 Ferguson Rob October 19 2016 Ontario moves election date to June 7 2018 Toronto Star Retrieved October 11 2019 General Elections Statistics from the Records PDF Elections Canada Powers Lucas June 3 2022 Ontario s Progressive Conservatives sail to 2nd majority NDP and Liberal leaders say they will resign CBC News a b Premier Ford Announces Parliamentary Assistant Assignments as Part of Ontario s Government for the People Ontario News June 29 2018 Retrieved October 13 2019 a b c d Powers Lucas November 15 2018 Ontario PCs slash spending and oversight unveil tax cut CBC News Retrieved October 13 2019 Doug Ford cabinet shuffle Who was demoted CTV News Toronto June 20 2019 Retrieved October 12 2019 D Mello Colin June 20 2019 Meet Ontario Premier Doug Ford s newly shuffled cabinet CTV News Retrieved October 11 2019 Ontario budget 2019 PDF Ministry of Finance p 343 April 11 2019 ISBN 978 1 4868 3363 4 retrieved October 11 2019 Benzie Robert April 11 2019 Vic Fedeli unveils the Ford Tories first fiscal plan The Toronto Star Retrieved October 11 2019 Della Mattia Elaine June 20 2019 Romano gets cabinet post Sault Star Retrieved October 12 2019 a b c d Sherratt Brad April 14 2019 Provincial budget fails Northern Ontario NDP MPP says Sudbury Star Retrieved October 11 2019 a b Jeffords Shawn September 11 2019 Ontario s top judges criticize Ford government cuts to legal aid Global News Retrieved October 13 2019 a b c Ontario Department of Finance October 2018 A Plan for the People 2018 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review PDF Background Papers Government of Ontario p 155 ISSN 1496 2829 Retrieved October 11 2019 Ontario Budget 2019 PDF Royal Bank of Canada April 11 2019 Retrieved October 11 2019 Travis Dhanraj October 17 2019 Ontario s financial watchdog says deficit was never 15 billion as Doug Ford previously claimed Global News Retrieved October 17 2019 a b c Doug Ford disrupts Canada s climate policy The Economist June 28 2018 ISSN 0013 0613 Retrieved October 11 2019 McKay Reid 2019 Accounting for Ontario s Debt Report Toronto Ontario Ontario Chamber of Commerce p 15 Retrieved October 11 2019 Benzie Robert October 17 2019 Ontario s deficit jumped to 7 4B last year fiscal watchdog says The Hamilton Spectator ISSN 1189 9417 Retrieved October 18 2019 Bill 47 Making Ontario Open for Business Act 2018 Chapter 14 of the Statutes of Ontario 2018 An Act to amend the Employment Standards Act 2000 the Labour Relations Act 1995 and the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act 2009 and make complementary amendments to other Acts PDF OLA November 21 2018 Ontario open for business but little change in employment Toronto Sun November 2 2018 Retrieved October 13 2019 a b c d Crawley Mike May 16 2019 Ford government stops all funding to stem cell research institute CBC News Retrieved October 14 2019 a b c d McLaughlin Amara Pelley Lauren April 10 2019 Doug Ford commits 11 2B for 4 major Toronto area transit projects CBC News Retrieved October 11 2019 Toronto s Transit Expansion Program Update and Next Steps April 16 2019 Retrieved October 11 2019 a b Elliott Matt January 1 2019 Why Doug Ford s subway upload could be Toronto s most contentious city hall story of 2019 CBC News Retrieved October 13 2019 a b c Powers Lucas October 8 2019 Trudeau Ford and the complicated politics of transit in Toronto CBC News Retrieved October 13 2019 a b c d e f g Benzie Robert Ferguson Rob Rushowy Kristin June 3 2019 The Doug Ford government discovers the U turn The Hamilton Spectator ISSN 1189 9417 Retrieved October 13 2019 a b c d Robert Benzie September 27 2019 Families suing Ontario government over cut to autism services The Toronto Star Retrieved October 16 2019 The hospital CEO who created the continent s first digital hospital is now behind Doug Ford s health policy National Post March 26 2018 Retrieved October 14 2019 a b c d Paikin Steve July 9 2018 Who s calling the shots on health care TVO Retrieved October 14 2019 Reevely David July 9 2018 How the premier s 348K health care adviser can earn his money Ottawa Citizen Retrieved October 13 2019 Change your stance on overdose prevention sites health groups urge Ford CBC News August 30 2018 Retrieved October 13 2019 a b c d e f Jones Allison February 4 2019 Health inspections air ambulance won t be privatized minister says CTV News and the Canadian Press Retrieved October 14 2019 Bill 74 Chapter 5 of the Statutes of Ontario 2019 An Act concerning the provision of health care continuing Ontario Health and making consequential and related amendments and repeals PDF retrieved October 12 2019 a b c Crawley Mike September 12 2019 Ford government restructuring Ontario s health ministry CBC News Retrieved October 12 2019 a b c Jones Allison June 19 2019 416 back office workers laid off as Ontario merges health agencies The Canadian Press via CBC Retrieved October 12 2019 a b c Thompson Nicole Jeffords Shawn July 11 2018 Ontario schools reverting to old sex ed curriculum this fall education minister says 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debacle shows Doug Ford has learned nothing about universities Toronto Star Farrow David April 28 2021 Ford government indifferent to Laurentian s plight The Sudbury Star Minister s Statement on Kashechewan First Nation Relocation Ontario Government News May 9 2019 Retrieved October 13 2019 a b Kashechewan First Nation gets agreement from feds Ontario to relocate APTN News May 9 2019 Retrieved October 13 2019 Chetkiewicz Cheryl Ray Justina Lindgren Richard July 17 2018 A sustainable plan for Ontario s Ring of Fire Policy Options Institute for Research on Public Policy IRPP Retrieved October 11 2019 a b Hamilton McCharles Jennifer September 18 2019 Ring of Fire absolutely critical to his administration Premier The Sault Star Retrieved October 11 2019 Prokopchuk Matt August 27 2019 Individual agreements with Ring of Fire First Nations about moving to the sound of business minister says CBC News Retrieved September 3 2019 Thompson Jon September 3 2019 The Tories are dissolving the Ring of Fire agreement So what comes next TVO Retrieved September 3 2019 Bill 2 Chapter 10 of the Statutes of Ontario 2018 An Act respecting Hydro One Limited the termination of the White Pines Wind Project and the labour disputes between York University and Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 In July 2018 PDF Ontario Legislative Assembly OLA July 2018 retrieved October 14 2019 a b Walsh Marieke July 26 2018 Ford government passes omnibus bill to end strike limit Hydro One powers cancel wind farm iPolitics Retrieved October 14 2019 a b c d e f g h Ferguson Rob July 3 2019 Hydro One gets new chair after a year of turmoil The Record Retrieved October 11 2019 Public Accounts of Ontario Ministry of Finance November 2000 Public Accounts 1999 2000 Financial Statement Ontario Ministry of Finance Schedule of Financial Statements Schedule 6 Government Business Enterprises and Other Government Organizations Archived from the original on March 20 2012 Final Order Denying Joint Application for 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retrieved October 13 2019 What the judge said in the ruling on Doug Ford s plan to cut size of Toronto council The Toronto Star September 11 2018 Retrieved April 12 2019 a b Ontario passes bill slashing Toronto city council CBC News Retrieved September 10 2018 a b c Austen Ian September 12 2018 Doug Ford Ontario s Premier Takes On Canada s Judiciary The New York Times Toronto Ontario ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved October 11 2019 Benzie Robert July 27 2018 It s like a comedy show down at city hall Ford defends unilateral moves to slash Toronto council axe regional chair elections Toronto Star Canada s most dysfunctional political arena Toronto council will be chopped in size premier says CBC News Retrieved September 10 2018 Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster Act 2022 Retrieved November 26 2022 Crombie David Hall Barbara Sewell John November 14 2022 Three former mayors of Toronto on why the More Homes Built Faster Act disempowers municipalities and needs a serious rethink before proceeding The Toronto Star Retrieved November 26 2022 Syed Fatima McIntosh Emma February 11 2022 All the Ontario environmental protections Doug Ford wants to overhaul to build more houses The Narwhal Retrieved November 26 2022 Syed Fatima November 25 2022 More green construction less gravel mining Ford walks back some environmental changes in Ontario housing bill The Narwhal Retrieved November 26 2022 Saxe Dianne November 2018 Back to Basics Respecting the Public s Voice on the Environment PDF Report Syed Fatima Ontario environment watchdogs say Doug Ford just gutted a law that protects your rights National Observer Doug Ford s Climate Policy Is Very Frightening Watchdog Says Huffington Post and Canadian Press FAQs Integrating the Work of the Environmental Commissioner into the Auditor General s Office PDF Auditor General Government of Ontario Doug Ford government one of the most anti environmental in generations says Green Party leader CBC News Lisa Xing Retrieved 22 May 2019 Affordable Heating on the Way Ontario Passes Legislation to Expand Access to Natural Gas news ontario ca Retrieved April 13 2019 Affordable Heating on the Way Ontario Passes Legislation to Expand Access to Natural Gas news ontario ca Retrieved October 13 2019 Young Gord September 19 2018 Province pulls funding for natural gas project North Bay Nugget Retrieved October 12 2019 Province Bringing Jobs and Affordable Heating to Northern Ontario news ontario ca Retrieved April 13 2019 Big win for northern Ontario says infrastructure minister of LNG plant for Nipigon CBC January 25 2019 Retrieved April 13 2019 Better Broadband Service Coming Soon to Lambton County Government of Ontario News May 24 2019 Retrieved October 13 2019 Western Ontario Wardens Caucus Inc WOWC February 12 2016 Retrieved October 13 2019 SWIFT Ultra high speed broadband for everyone Retrieved October 13 2019 WHO Director General s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID 19 11 March 2020 World Health Organization March 11 2020 Archived from the original on March 11 2020 Retrieved March 11 2020 Coronavirus disease 2019 World Health Organization Archived from the original on January 30 2020 Retrieved March 15 2020 Ho Solarina January 27 2020 Canada s second confirmed presumptive case of coronavirus diagnosed in Canada first case confirmed CTV News Archived from the original on January 27 2020 Retrieved January 27 2020 Rodrigues Gabby March 17 2020 Ontario government declares state of emergency amid coronavirus pandemic Global News Corus Entertainment Archived from the original on May 26 2020 Retrieved March 17 2020 1st death confirmed in Ontario as province declares state of emergency over COVID 19 CBC News Archived from the original on September 24 2020 Retrieved March 17 2020 Pelley Lauren March 17 2020 Toronto waking up to new reality amid evidence of COVID 19 community spread Archived from the original on March 20 2020 Retrieved March 17 2020 Ontario schools will not reopen April 6 premier says March 23 2020 Archived from the original on March 23 2020 Retrieved March 23 2020 COVID 19 Ontario and Quebec order non essential businesses closed after spike in coronavirus totals March 23 2020 Archived from the original on March 18 2021 Retrieved March 23 2020 Ford says list of essential businesses amid COVID 19 pandemic is adjustable CTV News Toronto March 24 2020 Archived from the original on March 25 2020 Retrieved March 25 2020 Ontario government releases list of essential workplaces that can remain open CBC News March 23 2020 Archived from the original on March 25 2020 Retrieved March 23 2020 Ontario orders all non essential businesses to shut down CTV News Toronto March 23 2020 Archived from the original on March 25 2020 Retrieved March 23 2020 Ontario introduces 17B COVID 19 package more than doubles deficit in fiscal update cbc ca March 25 2020 Archived from the original on March 26 2020 Retrieved March 26 2020 Ontario Premier Doug Ford receives first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine ctvnews ca April 9 2021 Archived from the original on April 23 2021 Retrieved April 23 2021 COVID 19 Provincial borders to close outdoor amenities shuttered as Ontario announces new restrictions ottawacitizen Archived from the original on April 21 2021 Retrieved April 19 2021 COVID 19 Ontario s temporary increased police powers raise concerns about random stops carding Global News Archived from the original on April 25 2021 Retrieved April 19 2021 Denley Randall April 16 2021 Randall Denley Doug Ford gives Ontario police state tactics instead of COVID measures that actually work National Post Archived from the original on May 13 2021 Retrieved April 19 2021 Ontario introduces new travel restrictions and police powers and some say it s a police state www blogto com Archived from the original on April 22 2021 Retrieved April 19 2021 Ontario s new COVID 19 restrictions have science absolutely upside down experts say Global News Archived from the original on April 21 2021 Retrieved April 24 2021 WARMINGTON Ontario police chiefs say no thanks to Ford s new COVID random stop law torontosun Archived from the original on April 21 2021 Retrieved April 19 2021 Perkel Colin April 17 2021 Ontario walks back new pandemic police powers following widespread backlash Toronto Archived from the original on April 21 2021 Retrieved April 19 2021 Premier Ford reverses decision to close playgrounds amid backlash CP24 April 17 2021 Archived from the original on April 24 2021 Retrieved April 24 2021 DiMatteo Enzo April 20 2021 Doug Ford goes MIA as calls for his resignation grow louder NOW Magazine Archived from the original on April 24 2021 Retrieved April 24 2021 Don Martin It s time for adult supervision or a premier replacement in Doug Ford s Ontario CTVNews April 20 2021 Archived from the original on April 22 2021 Retrieved April 24 2021 Moscrop David April 18 2021 Opinion Doug Ford must resign Washington Post Archived from the original on April 21 2021 Retrieved April 24 2021 Ontario Premier Doug Ford isolating in Toronto after staffer tests positive for COVID 19 Toronto April 20 2021 Archived from the original on April 24 2021 Retrieved April 24 2021 MacCharles Tonda Doug Ford asks Trudeau to stop all international students from coming to Ontario Toronto Star Archived from the original on April 30 2021 Retrieved April 30 2021 a b Ontario opens up booster shots for 18 and up starting Monday announces new capacity limits CBC News Toronto December 15 2021 Retrieved November 13 2022 Thomas Ashleigh Rae December 20 2021 Booster shots are now available for people 18 plus in Ontario but things are off to a bumpy start Toronto Star Retrieved November 13 2022 Indoor dining banned gyms to close Wednesday as Ontario announces new COVID 19 restrictions CityNews January 2 2021 Retrieved January 3 2022 It s not what she said but what she did not say Canadians weigh in on MPP Sarah Jama s stance on Israel Palestine Yahoo News October 11 2023 a b Colin D Mello amp Isaac Callan October 20 2023 MPP Sarah Jama threatens to sue Premier Doug Ford over Israel Hamas comments Global News Retrieved October 21 2023 Ford Doug October 11 2023 Doug Ford on X X formerly Twitter Retrieved October 21 2023 External links editPremier of Ontario Official Site Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Premiership of Doug Ford amp oldid 1186382833, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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