Oppo gets back in the game
Candidate controversy, bike lane poll, a ministerial ringer, Doug's Big Dig
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ABOVE THE FOLD
TUNNEL TALK — DOUG FORD’s latest campaign-style pitch — a gridlock-easing tunnel under the 401 — is, naturally, making waves. Here’s how the populist, motorist-friendly promise is rippling out.
What we know: Not much. Ford announced a feasibility study but was quick to say he would build the tunnel no matter what. There’s no cost or budget, not even to conduct the feasibility study itself — but similar mega-projects have easily set cities back billions. Ford promised transparency (but still wouldn’t reveal the costs of his other feature highway project, the 413).
“So, the feasibility study will come in and we’ll be transparent. But I’ll tell you one thing — we’re getting this tunnel built.”
He also took the opportunity to throw partisan jabs at Liberal Leader BONNIE CROMBIE. “She’s opposed to everything we’ve done,” he said, as the PCs and Grits go back and forth on social media.
Ford’s held headline-nabbing pressers all week — and it’s forced the Opposition leaders to play defence after being relatively MIA this summer.
Jeers: NDP Leader MARIT STILES called it a “fantasy tunnel…This is not a serious Premier. It is a silly thought from a government that has run out of ideas. Has he thought about this for more than five minutes?”
Green captain MIKE SCHREINER said it was an “expensive pet highway” project that will make traffic worse and distract from Ford’s “utter failure to address the housing crisis.”
Grit Leader BONNIE CROMBIE dismissed it as a “back-of-the-napkin” scheme that’ll “funnel tens of billions of your tax dollars to Doug Ford’s cronies.”
Another foot-in-mouth moment: Crombie also raised eyebrows at her own presser, in which she said the 413 isn’t necessary but would not commit to cancelling the project — which has been blasted by anti-sprawl and pro-environmental advocates, but helped Ford score a bigger majority mandate, especially in the vote-rich 905.
Crombie was also asked to weigh in on the federal foreign student cap. “So, we don’t comment about federal policies. Thank you,” she said before walking off.
Cheers: Others say Ford’s tunnel is the kind of bold thinking the GTA needs to deal with congestion. “We somehow have this aversion for big ideas,” said Toronto Board of Trade head and ex-bureaucrat GILES GHERSON. “We avoided them for 20 years, 30 years, and now we’re in this pickle. And now people are saying, ‘Oh, that’s a big idea, We shouldn’t do that. That’s going to cost us a lot of money.’ Okay, what’s the solution then? You aren’t going to ride a bicycle from Markham to Brampton.”
VICTORIA MANCINELLI at LiUNA added: “This will boost thousands of construction jobs for LiUNA members and skilled trades workers while building resilient infrastructure to meet the growth, connectivity and if feasible, provide innovative solutions to our transit infrastructure. Let’s build!”
No matter what side of the tunnel you land on, pretty much everyone is on side with the theory that, while there isn’t much meat, it’s a flashy vote-grabbing goody for a seat-rich region that can make or break governments at Queen’s Park — especially if there’s an early election.
Go deeper: Bike lanes, tunnels and A-S-S’es have sucked up all the oxygen at Queen’s Park — and the cynics among us might say that’s on purpose. Here’s why.
HAPPENING TODAY
DOUG FORD’S THURSDAY — 10:30 a.m.: The Premier will be on hand for a “major” announcement from Live Nation alongside Toronto Mayor OLIVIA CHOW. Teaser: It “will significantly boost Toronto’s live music and entertainment sectors.”
OPPO ITIN — 11:30 a.m.: NDP Leader MARIT STILES addresses the Empire Club over lunch. The theme: “Leading with Stiles: Ontario’s Future Reimagined.” Invite.
10 a.m.: Associate Small Biz Minister NINA TANGRI is in Burlington.
FUNDRAISING WATCH — 5 p.m.: PCs ANDREW DOWIE, TODD McCARTHY and MIKE HARRIS JR. are shilling in Windsor for $500. 6 p.m.: PCs CAROLINE MULRONEY and BRIAN RIDDELL are schmoozing in Cambridge for $500.
CANDIDATE TRACKER
First in Observer — NEW NEW DEMOCRATS — NDPers will soon pick their first non-incumbent challenger for the next election — which the Premier again would not rule out for next year (“Stay tuned,” he told reporters at the 401 announcement.)
In Brantford-Brant, HARVEY BISCHOF, former head of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the NDP’s 2022 candidate, will battle it out with MIKE GATOPOULOS, who runs the local Seventh Coffee Company, for the nomination on October 22.
State of play: The riding is currently held by PC WILL BOUMA, who won handily in 2022 with 44 per cent of the vote versus Bischof’s 28 per cent. But 2018 was much closer — Bouma won by just 635 votes over the NDP’s runner-up.
TRUE GRIT — A couple more candidates will be locked in in Liberal land, including TREVOR STEWART in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell and SAM NESTICO in York Centre. And don’t forget about: LEE FAIRCLOUGH in Etobicoke-Lakeshore (scooped here)…VINCE GASPARRO in Eglinton-Lawrence (scooped here)…TYLER WATT in Nepean (scooped here)…TESS PRENDERGAST in Dufferin-Caledon…and CATHY BURGHARDT-JESSON in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex.
Perhaps because the Grits have the most ground to make up when it comes to filling a 124-candidate slate, they are also facing tough scrutiny over their nomination process. There was chatter on the convention floor in London about the lack of diversity among the first non-incumbent candidates.
“Whites first is a terrible look for OLP but no one should be surprised given that all major campaign positions have gone to white men and women,” one organizer said.
“The leader’s circle has a lack of diversity and the new candidates being nominated are white. This is completely and totally unacceptable,” added another insider.
The party line: Spokesman CARTER BROWNLEE says they’re still recruiting and that their ticket “will reflect the full diversity of our incredible province.” Brownlee pointed out that, when you include incumbents, “so far, more than 30%…are people of colour, and more than 50% are women — but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
GRASS IS GREENER — Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER will be formally acclaimed tomorrow night in Guelph.
CLIPPINGS
First in Observer — POLL WATCH: Campaign Research is in the field gauging public opinion on bike lanes. That’s PC pollster NICK KOUVALIS’s firm — and while there’s no easy way to tell if the PCs commissioned that poll, the government has already tested how folks are feeling about the upcoming ban.
The poll asks, among other things: “The Ontario government is considering new rules that would prohibit the installation of bike lanes when lanes for motor vehicles (cars) are removed as a result. Based on what you know, do you support or oppose the Ontario government stopping cities and towns from removing car lanes to install bike lanes?”
Speaking of bike lanes: CBC has a handy fact check on DOUG FORD’s latest rant.
— JAMA DRAMA: “The Ontario New Democratic Party is looking into possibly bringing Hamilton MPP SARAH JAMA back into its fold, a year after the party kicked her out. The party’s executive has passed a motion to study “electoral scenarios” in the Hamilton Centre riding that will include nominating Jama as its candidate.” Asked Wednesday, MARIT STILES said the report was par for the course and she’s not thinking about bringing Jama back into the party ranks “at this time.” Jama has already indicated she’ll run again as an Independent in the riding that was previously an NDP stronghold. CBC has more.
— HOT HOUSING: “The gap between Ontario’s housing stock and its rapid population growth is the widest it has been since records began, according to a development industry report that throws fresh doubt on the Ford government’s ability to hit its own target of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.” Global News reports.
— REAL ESTATE: Could these be our temporary digs as the Legislature undergoes a massive makeover? Via the Globe: “The Ontario government is looking to buy an unspecified number of office buildings in Toronto as activity in the city’s downtown continues to lag below prepandemic levels.”
— KIDS IN CARE (OR NOT): “Child welfare agencies across the province are reporting an alarming increase in the number of children and teens who need to be placed in hotels, Airbnbs, office buildings and other unlicensed settings because there are no other safe options in their communities.” The Star has the story.
— WILMOT WOES: “Waterloo MPP CATHERINE FIFE has written to Ontario's auditor general asking her to conduct a value-for-money audit of the Region of Waterloo's plans to purchase farmland in Wilmot Township for future industrial use.” CBC reports.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
MINISTERIAL RINGER — GRAHAM McGREGOR, Auto Theft and Bail Reform Minister, is taking up the mantle for MICHAEL FORD at Citizenship and Multiculturalism while he’s on leave for health reasons.
First in Observer — BEYOND THE BUBBLE — DAVID DONOVAN, the former longtime chief to then-Energy minister TODD SMITH, has landed at Ontario Power Generation as vice president of corporate business development and strategy. It’s not his first rodeo: Before government, Donovan worked at Enbridge. He also spent the last few months helping Minister STEPHEN LECCE transition into the Energy gig.
Ice breaker: Donovan is well-liked around Queen’s Park and was seen as a savvy pro on a complicated file. One former high-ranking PC government staffer told me he’s a “unicorn” because he has “deep roots” in the party and “deep knowledge” of the policy side of things. “And a good guy to boot!”
SPOTTED:
DOUG FORD casting for his next Ontario News Now-style manufacturing feature, “Ontario Made”…Ford does a similar promo for the barber he shouted-out in Cobourg…NDPers still coming for the Liberals’ new logo, this time, slamming them for making a tone-deaf “I ❤️ RCMP” version on the eve of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: “Good grief.”…Ministers STEPHEN LECCE, PAUL CALANDRA, JILL DUNLOP, TODD MCCARTHY, RIC BRESEE, NOLAN QUINN and SAM OOSTERHOFF at the Ontario Home Builders’ Association conference…Forget hallway health care, we’ve reached driveway health care…The Franco-Ontarian flag hoisted on the South Lawn…MIKE SCHREINER’s got housing on his mind — “or feet anyway.”
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Veteran Ford staffer DAN JACOBS.
🍽️ ON THE MENU: It’s Fish-and-Chips Thursday in the basement cafeteria.
⏳ COUNTDOWN: T-minus 5 days until the Plowing Match in Lindsay…25 days until the House reconvenes.