A running list of candidates
Pigskin Premier
ABOVE THE FOLD
ON THE TICKET — Back by popular demand, it’s our Candidate Tracker! Here’s a running list of contenders locked in for the next election, whenever that is. I’ll update it in real time, so check back often. Get the list.
And speaking of a possibly early election…
TUNNEL VISION — DOUG FORD and the PCs are already fundraising off of their, ahem, bold pitch to build a tunnel under Highway 401.
In the PCs latest email blast, Ford asks supporters to weigh in on his plan to “give commuters a faster and more reliable way to navigate one of the most congested roads in Ontario.” The survey links to a page where folks can punch in their email (a precious resource in campaign times) and then make a donation to the party.
Ford’s tunnel pledge has been dismissed by critics as an unserious pipe dream, political wedge issue and a distraction from things like health care and education. “Astronomical,” is how one expert described the as-yet-unknown cost to tunnel under the 401 — but it’s still technically doable, they told Global.
Ford is digging in his heels. “We’re getting that tunnel built — I’ll guarantee that,” he told reporters at the ribbon-cutting for Live Nation’s new concert venue at the former Downsview Airport.
Gridiron gang: It wouldn’t have been a Ford presser without some buzzy soundbite, and the Premier delivered. This time, he weighed in on whether the Downsview lands would be suited to host an NFL franchise. “The NFL can’t keep ignoring the third largest market,” he said. “We need an NFL franchise here.”
HAPPENING TODAY
10 a.m.: NDP Housing critic JESSICA BELL will be at Street Haven at the Crossroads, an emergency shelter in Toronto, alongside advocates and people living in shelters “to call on Premier Ford to solve the homelessness crisis, instead of scolding vulnerable people.”
1 p.m.: Energy and Electrification Minister STEPHEN LECCE is up in Tilbury.
3 p.m.: Agriculture Minister ROB FLACK makes an announcement Kingsville.
FUNDRAISING WATCH
4 p.m.: Associate Emergency Preparedness Minister TREVOR JONES is hosting a $1,000-a-head fundraiser in Leamington. Invite.
ON SUNDAY — 1 p.m.: Go trap shooting and eat barbecue with Education Minister JILL DUNLOP in Warminster for $1,000. Invite.
While he’s not listed on the invites (he never is), these are pretty big-ticket fundraisers, which suggests Premier DOUG FORD could show up.
CLIPPINGS
— LCBO LAWSUIT: “Executives at some of the world’s largest alcohol producers say they were caught off-guard last fall when the LCBO began enforcing a contract clause guaranteeing the provincial liquor monopoly the lowest wholesale price in Canada — a clause that sparked millions of dollars in fines, threats of products being pulled from Ontario, and a high-profile lawsuit.” The Star has the story.
— EQA-OH NO: “Standardized testing results released today show that fewer Ontario students in Grades 3 and 6 met the provincial standard in reading and writing than the previous year.” More from the Canadian Press: “Results from the 2023-24 school year show that results in math — a focal point of the Progressive Conservative government — are steady or slightly improving, though still low.” Get the grades.
Also on the education front — MIDDLE EAST MEMO: “Almost a year after the Hamas attack on Israel shook the Middle East and prompted a conflict that continues to reverberate around the world, the Ontario government is giving school boards strict instructions on how to mark the anniversary of Oct. 7.” Global reports.
And — PROTEST PROBE: “Toronto’s public school board has asked the province to expedite its investigation into a field trip about Indigenous issues where students also appeared to march alongside a rally by pro-Palestinian protesters, prompting concerns about events not aligning with permission forms that described the excursion.” More from the Globe and Mail.
— LONDON CALLING: “Health-care advocates across the city cheered news Wednesday that the board of directors at London Health Sciences Centre — described as a ‘colossal failure’ by a former president — has resigned and a supervisor has been appointed.”
“But a former hospital board member, a former LHSC president and a union official warn the work has just begun to overhaul London Health Sciences Centre and get its staffing and spending in line with patient care. That task falls to DAVID MUSYJ, LHSC interim chief executive who was appointed by the province as a supervisor.” More from the local Freep.
Meanwhile, hospital deficits persist. Get the latest in The Sault.
— A-S-S-GATE: DOUG FORD continues to take flak for his comments about homeless people getting off their A-S-S and getting a job. From the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s HARINI SIVALINGAM: “Elected officials should take accountability for their policy failures rather than stigmatizing people who are unhoused. Governments at all levels have played a role in creating the conditions that have led many people to live in vulnerable situations. They should provide meaningful solutions that respects the dignity, rights and freedoms of vulnerable members of society.”
— NEW MINISTER ON THE BLOCK: Auto Theft and Bail Reform Minister GRAHAM McGREGOR continues to make the media rounds, talking up his new role — which is mainly about pushing the feds — in the Globe.
— STILES SPEECH: NDP Leader MARIT STILES hit hard on housing in her stump-style speech to the Empire Club on Thursday.
Firecracker moment: “DOUG FORD’s plan — privileging a select few developers and trying to crack open the Greenbelt for luxury sprawl — hasn’t worked. It turns out that leaving it entirely to the market won’t get the job done. Sometimes, the market needs a nudge. So here’s what I’ll do. As Premier, I will unlock public lands and martial the funds we need to build housing that people can actually afford. We’ll get government back in the business of building homes — non-profit, cooperative, supportive, and public...right across the province. It’s part of a plan we’re calling Homes Ontario.” Full speech.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
First in Observer — LABOUR GAINS — DAVE BULMER is in for another two-year term as president of AMAPCEO, which reps more than 14,000 professional employees in the Ontario Public Service. Bulmer, who ran unopposed, is seen as a steady hand at a crucial time, as bargaining with the province is set to start next year.
CHIEF ALERT — Meet the new chief, same as the old chief: KAI NADEMI is sticking around permanently as chief of staff to Public and Business Service Delivery Minister TODD McCARTHY. Nademi has been acting in the role since former chief MICHELLE STOCK left in August.
STAFFING UP — Education Minister JILL DUNLOP has poached a senior policy adviser from the SolGen: JANEK KMIEC, who also worked on auto insurance policy at Finance.
AARON POSNER has signed on to Solicitor General MICHAEL KERZNER’s office as stakeholder relations adviser. Posner hails from a tech company and has worked on PC campaigns, including Kerzner’s, for years.
HUNTER KELL is now a senior policy adviser to Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response TREVOR JONES. Kell was previously Kerzner’s press secretary.
SPOTTED:
Energy Minister STEPHEN LECCE taking a New York minute to attend Foreign Policy’s Energy Forum…The Toronto Region Board of Trade trolling anyone who comes for their pro-401-tunnel stance.
LOBBY LIST
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
Matthew Bondy, Bondy & Associates: Forward Education
Yes, it’s that Bondy, the ex-Ford staffer who was the subject of patronage accusations after he was appointed to the committee that helps pick judges, and who recently launched his own namesake public affairs firm, Bondy & Associates.
Steve Coupland, SGC Research: X-energy Canada Inc, Mott MacDonald
Michael Ras, Counsel Public Affairs: Umicore Battery Materials Canada Inc.
Isaac Crawford-Ritchie, Global Public Affairs: Surati Sweet Mart Limited
Rick Roth, Global Public Affairs: Boreal Education
Sam MacMillan, Enterprise Canada: Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Michael McCarthy and Carolyn Kim, Grosso McCarthy: Clearpoint Health Network
Saad Baig, StrategyCorp: Ontario Professional Planners Institute
Bill Mauro and Peter Curtis, Pathway Group: Regional Public Works Commissioners of Ontario
Bill Mauro and Al MacDermid, Pathway Group: Argonaut Gold
Jeffrey Bangs and Jerry Khouri, Pathway Group: Assaulted Women’s Helpline
Al MacDermid, Pathway Group: Petro Plastics Corporation Ltd, Ontario Network of Victim Service Providers, Izumi Aquaculture
In-house organizations: The Home Depot Canada — Egg Farmers of Ontario — Saputo Inc. — Habitat For Humanity GTA — Canadian Steel Producers Association — Georgian College — Edwards Lifesciences (Canada).
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NDPer TERENCE KERNAGHAN (London North Centre)…Former PC JEFF YUREK (Elgin-Middlesex-London)…ON SATURDAY — Ontario Chamber of Commerce president and CEO DANIEL TISCH…ON SUNDAY — Labour Minister DAVID PICCINI…Ex-Tory MP STELLA AMBLER…BELATEDLY: Veteran Ford staffer DAN JACOBS.
🍽️ LUNCH SPECIAL: The basement cafeteria is serving up Thai curry with vegetables, tofu and rice.
⏳ COUNTDOWN: T-minus 4 days until the Plowing Match in Lindsay…24 days until the House reconvenes.