Attack ads
And a milestone birthday
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ABOVE THE FOLD
MORE SNAP-VOTE SIGNS — AD WATCH: While you were weekending, the PCs and Liberals dropped new social media promos, fuelling even more speculation that we’re headed for a snap vote in Ontario.
The latest: The PCs spot is all about “DOUG’s plan,” featuring the gas-tax cut, new highways, anti-bike-lane crusade, the shuttering of safe consumption sites and more.
In it, DOUG FORD is shown talking to regular folks, driving around in his car, commiserating with parents about needles in parks, filling up a tank of gas, sporting a hard hat on a construction site and more.
Naturally, Ford also took aim at BONNIE CROMBIE (“Unlike Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals, we’ll never put a toll on your trip or a bike lane on a major road”) and the federal carbon tax.
“It’s about listening and getting it done for the people,” Ford says, noting that he regularly gives out his cellphone number (much to the chagrin of his staff, and dogged journalists filing FOI requests.) Watch.
The Grits, who are about to release ads focused on Crombie any day now, set their sights on Ford in their latest ad.
It splices together clips of Ford saying he’s “for the people” — then an ominous voiceover asks: “but which people did he mean?” The video cuts to a montage of Ford government missteps, including the Greenbelt drama, and concludes: “The people he’s in it for are the people cutting him cheques.”
Remix! It also uses a similar version of the PCs “For the People” jingle. Watch.
CANDIDATE TRACKER — The Tories continue to nominate their incumbent candidates at lightning speed. Re-upping for the next vote is: RIC BRESEE (Hastings-Lennox and Addington)…MATTHEW RAE (Perth-Wellington)…BRIAN SAUNDERSON (Simcoe-Grey). And the rest.
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HAPPENING TODAY
8:40 a.m.: Education Minister JILL DUNLOP makes an announcement in Toronto alongside her PA BILLY PANG.
9:30 a.m.: NDP Leader MARIT STILES is in the Media Studio to talk about a “New Deal” for all municipalities. It’s something Stiles has pitched before. She’ll also have a motion about that later today.
10 a.m.: The Alliance for a Liveable Ontario follows.
11:30 a.m.: Energy Minister STEPHEN LECCE is headed for Clarington.
1 p.m.: In St. Catharines, a Long-Term Care announcement from new MPP and PA TYLER ALLSOPP.
1:30 p.m.: Solicitor General MICHAEL KERZNER, Deputy Premier SYLVIA JONES and Auto Theft and Bail Reform Minister GRAHAM McGREGOR will hold a media availability. (Read on for a possible spoiler alert)
3 p.m.: NDPer KRISTYN WONG-TAM is in the Media Studio.
FUNDRAISING WATCH — 7 p.m.: The PCs are putting on a $1,000-a-plate event in Toronto. There’s no ministerial lineup posted, which usually means DOUG FORD could make a cameo — and the URL suggests DOUG DOWNEY may show up too. Invite.
ON THE ORDER PAPER
We’re back! The chamber will be buzzing with action today as MPPs return from their ridings following last week’s constit break. T-minus four sitting weeks to go until the House is slated to rise for the winter recess.
Headed for the Clerk’s table: Another mystery government bill. Could it be Solicitor General MICHAEL KERZNER’s move to ban registered sex offenders from changing their name? Or will Municipal Affairs Minister PAUL CALANDRA finally drop hotly-anticipated changes to codes of conduct for municipal politicians? We’ll find out around 1 p.m.
Before all that: MPPs will get right into it with Question Period around 10:15 a.m.
After the debate, a deferred vote: On second reading of Liberal MPP STEPHANIE BOWMAN’s private member’s Bill 195, which would cut taxes for small businesses. The Grits are already pouring one out for the PMB.
Then, it’s Opposition Day Motion #3: NDP Leader MARIT STILES will move a motion calling for a “new deal” for municipalities, “which includes re-uploading provincial responsibility for public health, housing, highways, and infrastructure.”
Reminder: Motions are non-binding but have symbolic weight — and the NDP tends to use their motions to force the PCs to publicly vote on issues that could make for bad optics.
ON THE COMMITTEE CIRCUIT
9 a.m.: Energy Minister STEPHEN LECCE will be the opening act for public hearings on his Bill 214, which deals with electricity grid connections, among other things. Also on the speakers’ list: Environmental Defence, Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario Home Builders' Association, Enbridge Gas. Full roster.
Over at Heritage: Transportation Minister PRABMEET SARKARIA kicks off hearings on Bill 212, the bike-lane busting legislation. Witnesses include: AMO, the City of Toronto, David Suzuki Foundation, and more.
Recall: Both bills are on the fast track along with a bunch of others.
12:30 p.m.: Potential fireworks at Public Accounts — Liberal LUCILLE COLLARD will try to get a motion past the PC majority re: home care supplies. Collard wants the committee to ask the Auditor General for a special investigation into shortages.
COCKTAIL CHATTER
The Carion Fenn Foundation is holding a lunch reception. Later on, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario and the Cement Association of Canada are each hosting evening receptions.
CLIPPINGS
— TRUMP CARD: Insiders say the economic uncertainty surrounding DONALD TRUMP’s presidency will give DOUG FORD the political cover he needs to trigger a snap vote.
Juicy tidbits from the Star: “Stability, competence and someone experienced in dealing with Trump in order to protect jobs in Ontario,” is how one senior official says they’ll be framing the Premier.
“It is likely that before a spring provincial election call, the premier will travel to Washington.”
And about that per-vote subsidy: “While the premier had long opposed public funding of parties, sources say he changed his tune over concerns the NDP might not be raising enough money to mount a decent campaign that would siphon votes from the Liberals, thereby helping his Tories.”
Go deeper: DAN RATH — co-author of Not Without Cause, the book Team Ford was reading over the summer — told me that, without a solid reason for calling an early election (besides it being self-serving), voters could punish the Premier at the polls like they did in 1990. Dig in.