Battleground 905
Plus: Stall speaks, NDP split on vaccines, and a bunch of staff moves
In today’s (freebie) edition: Where political parties stand in the 905 — dissent among the NDP ranks over vaccine mandates — the whole story on soon-to-be Liberal candidate NATHAN STALL — major staff moves — the latest on schools — and Ford joins the fairway dawn patrol.
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Good Thursday morning. This is Queen’s Park Observer.
ABOVE THE FOLD
Breaking last night — Sources in the NDP tell me some caucus members are uncomfortable with Leader ANDREA HORWATH’s stance on vaccine mandates. Behind the scenes, at least two MPPs are advocating to clarify or change the position, which does not include compulsory vaccinations for frontline health-care and education workers.
Yesterday, after the Liberals slammed the NDP for failing to make that call, Horwath brought the rebuttal on CBC’s Power & Politics: “Unlike [STEVEN] DEL DUCA, I don’t take lightly people’s Charter rights.”
Horwath prefers frequent rapid testing for unvaccinated workers, while Del Duca says shots should be mandatory but no one should lose their job for refusing the jab.
Context: The powers-that-be, Premier DOUG FORD, is on the same page as Horwath and has ruled out compulsory health-worker shots for constitutional reasons — even as more experts come out in favour. Top doc KIERAN MOORE says with a high rate of inoculations — over 81 per cent have at least one dose — we don’t need to pull that trigger yet. On rapid testing in schools, Moore warned that with the currently low rate of community infection, there is a significant risk of producing false positives.
If you want to beat them, join them? In a now-deleted tweet, federal NDPer CHARLIE ANGUS openly urged his provincial cousins to get onside with the Grits:
Q+A with Dr. NATHAN STALL
It’s official. The high-profile doctor has confirmed my scoop that he’s running for the Liberal nomination in Toronto—St. Paul’s.
What Stall’s tweet-announcement left out is that he’s already secured the candidacy. More leaked riding association emails show Stall will be automatically acclaimed on August 26, as no other contenders came forward to be vetted by Monday’s deadline.
I caught up with the Mount Sinai geriatrician and Science Advisory Table member in an interview. Here are the highlights:
On why he’s running: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, I realized that the greatest way to serve and my ability, perhaps, to be able to exact the most amount of change for the largest number of individuals could be in an elected role.”
As for why he picked the Liberals: “I have always felt most at home with the Liberal Party. It’s the party that I voted for, and it’s the party that most aligns with my values.”
On making the jump from health to politics: “My goal in my career was always to serve the public in some capacity, and I do that with patients as a doctor and I do that with the scientific community in my research.
“The unpredictable schedule is also something I’ve lived with as a doctor and researcher, and particularly during the pandemic. My wife is actually also a physician, so we are very aware of unpredictability.” [Laughs]
On sticking around the Science Table: “I’m a physician, I am an expert, and I provide scientific expertise in a non-partisan role to that table — and in particular what I have provided a lot of scientific expertise on is older adults and long-term care. I am unpaid from the table, I was the assistant scientific director [but] I no longer hold that leadership role.”
On running unopposed in a Liberal stronghold where other would-be contestants have told me they felt party brass discouraged them from joining the race: “I can confidently say I was not in the mind of them holding any riding for me…I live [in St. Paul’s] and I’m raising my kids there, and I really feel deeply connected to the community.”
Background: St. Paul’s is currently held by NDP MPP JILL ANDREW — but the 2018 Liberal candidate, JESS SPINDLER, didn’t finish far behind, losing by a slim margin of roughly 1,300 votes. Before Andrew, another doctor had held the riding since 2011: former Liberal health minister ERIC HOSKINS.
RIDING CHECK-UP IN THE 905
Even in pandemic times, political parties managed to build up their cash arsenals in the run-up to the 2022 election.
One gauge for how a party is faring on the ground: local contributions, which riding associations can use to bankroll their own campaigns, or transfer to central party coffers or other candidates.
Here’s a look at the top-earning parties and candidates in the vote-rich 905 area, based on contributions over the past two years (2020 and 2019), according to Elections Ontario disclosures. For the most part, the governing PCs or Opposition NDP came out on top in the ridings they represent, while the Liberals had a stronger showing in Mississauga versus Brampton.
Brampton South — represented by PC Minister PRABMEET SARKARIA:
PC — $205,027
Liberal — $3,010
Brampton East — NDP GURRATAN SINGH:
NDP — $119,344
Liberal — $19,725
Mississauga—Malton — PC DEEPAK ANAND:
PC — $100,511
Liberal — $1,870
Mississauga—Lakeshore — PC RUDY CUZZETTO:
PC — $98,879
Liberal — $22,006
Mississauga—Erin Mills — PC SHEREF SABAWY:
PC — $79,710
Liberal — $16,220
Mississauga Centre — PC NATALIA KUSENDOVA:
PC — $57,271
Liberal — $1,264
Mississauga East—Cooksville — PC KALEED RASHEED:
PC — $44,175
Liberal — $5,920
Mississauga—Streetsville — PC NINA TANGRI, recently promoted to cabinet:
PC — $32,650
Liberal — $13,255
Brampton Centre — NDP co-deputy leader SARA SINGH:
NDP — $17,024
Liberal — $2,645
Brampton West — PC AMARJOT SANDHU:
PC — $10,896
Liberal — $1,430
Brampton North — NDP KEVIN YARDE:
Liberal — $3,020
NDP — $2,495
HAPPENING TODAY
— 8 a.m. in Vaughan: Premier DOUG FORD hits the links for another $1,500-a-head PC fundraiser, featuring area Ministers STEPHEN LECCE and MICHAEL TIBOLLO, as well as CAROLINE MULRONEY and DOUG DOWNEY. (After “Cash-yshack” and “Cashy Gilmore,” I can’t help but wonder where the NDP’s criticizing goes from here.) The invite.
— 9 a.m. in Iroquois: An announcement from Economic Development Minister VIC FEDELI and JIM MCDONELL (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry).
— 9:30 a.m.: Liberal Leader STEVEN DEL DUCA will hold a virtual presser to discuss the PCs’ back-to-school plan.
— 10 a.m. in Vineland: Labour Minister MONTE MCNAUGHTON will make an announcement about youth job training in the Niagara region. Also on hand: Local MPP SAM OOSTERHOFF and Lincoln Mayor SANDRA EASTON.
— 7 p.m.: The Liberals will acclaim MANPREET BRAR as their candidate for Essex at a virtual meeting.
INDOOR SPORTS AND AIR FILTERS FOR SCHOOLS
More back-to-school news from Education Minister STEPHEN LECCE’s Wednesday announcement:
High-contact indoor sports like basketball and hockey are now back on — an overnight change from Tuesday’s guidance, which only allowed them outdoors.
Another $25 million will go toward improving air quality — Portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters will be placed in classrooms, gyms, libraries and other instructional spaces that don’t have a mechanical ventilation system.
Unvaccinated kids won’t face different rules — despite Dr. Moore’s earlier hint that they could face longer isolation and testing if they’re exposed to Covid, he now says there won’t be “a different approach, whether a child is vaccinated or unvaccinated, on any activities within the school setting.” It would also be difficult to figure out immunization status.
MAKING HEADLINES
— STUDENT CHOICE INITIATIVE STRUCK DOWN: Another day, another defeat in court for the PCs. Dubbing it a “profound interference in university autonomy,” Ontario’s Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision and deemed the move to allow post-secondary students to opt out of certain tuition fees unlawful.
Background: Whereas the PCs had defended the policy as a cost-saving measure, the Canadian Federation of Students argued it was more of an “attempt to silence and defund” student unions and groups that criticize the government.
— POLL WATCH: Ontarians are split when it comes to the latest Covid-fighting measures. A fresh public-opinion survey from Angus Reid suggests 48 per cent are either very or somewhat satisfied with the provincial response, while 49 per cent aren’t happy about it. That puts Premier DOUG FORD somewhere in the middle of the pack — ahead of Alberta’s JASON KENNEY (with 33 per cent satisfied) and Manitoba’s BRIAN PALLISTER (36 per cent) — but behind Saskatchewan’s SCOTT MOE (55 per cent), B.C.’s JOHN HORGAN and Quebec’s FRANCOIS LEGAULT (with a handsome 81 per cent).
— HOSPITALS BRACE FOR COVID 4.0: Staring down an expected spike in Covid cases in the fall, the Ontario Hospital Association made a plea for the unvaccinated to roll up their sleeves. “The risk of a fourth wave among unvaccinated Ontarians is a real threat,” especially with Delta dominating and kids under-12, who aren’t eligible for a shot, returning to in-person learning next month, said OHA CEO ANTHONY DALE.
— PANDEMIC TRACKER: The number of patients in hospital with Covid symptoms shot up to 112 yesterday — a one-day jump of 41 cases — as overall infection counts continue to drop, with another 139 on the books. There were also 11 more deaths, but seven of them happened in 2020 and were part of a “data clean-up” this week. It’s mostly unvaccinated folks who wind up in the hospital — for instance, the 60-plus crowd is 15 times more likely to be hospitalized.
— A bright spot: “Brampton Civic Hospital celebrated zero Covid patients in critical care Wednesday, for the first time since the start of the pandemic.”
— FREEZE! The Star’s Robert Benzie with the latest on the family of bureaucrats alleged to have pilfered $11 million in pandemic relief funds: “On Aug. 12, Crown prosecutors, who had $28 million in [SANJAY] MADAN’s assets frozen last fall, will seek to further restrict what money the family can access.” To which their defence lawyer countered: “The Ford government is trying to starve the Madans into submission rather than fight it out on the merit. It smacks of a coverup.”
— HOME SWEET HOME: After more than a year working from home, another poll shows just six per cent of Ontarians are cool with going back to the office full-time. Twenty-nine per cent want to WFH only, while the plurality — 43 per cent — prefer a hybrid with most days at home.
ICYMI: Integrity Commissioner J. DAVID WAKE is reminding lobbyists what he’d like to see in the ongoing legislative review of the Lobbyists Registration Act. As first reported by Queen’s Park Observer, that includes:
— Reducing the annual 50-hour threshold for in-house lobbyists to 8 hours
— Broadening the range of penalties — such as monetary fines — for non-compliance
— Reporting lobbying done by volunteers or unpaid directors
— Improving conflict of interest provisions
Catch up on where the committee’s review stands here. To wit: the NDP accused the PCs of kicking the can down the road to the fall, despite a one-year legal timeline to complete the review.
THE NEWS BULLETIN
In the latest roundup of government releases: temporary road test centres to clear the backlog and funding for festivals, infrastructure, and broadband.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
EXITS — Longtime Ford government staffer BROCK VANDRICK is leaving politics and headed to public affairs firm Wellington Dupont, where he’ll dabble in policy, strategy and lobbying work as senior vice president. Vandrick was most recently chief of staff to then-Natural Resources and Forestry Minister JOHN YAKABUSKI, and prior to that, was Premier DOUG FORD’s director of stakeholder relations.
— DAVIN SHINEDLING has exited Health Minister CHRISTINE ELLIOTT’s office, where he was issues manager, and joined Jenni Byrne + Associates, the namesake firm launched by Ford’s former principal secretary.
TRANSITIONS — HALSTON MORGAN replaces Shinedling in Elliott’s office. Morgan previously worked for the Agriculture Minister.
— Elliott recently recruited two more policy advisers: CATHERINE CLASADONTE and SYED RAZA.
— HANNAH ANDERSON has joined the office of newly appointed Associate Small Business Minister NINA TANGRI, as director of policy and legislative affairs. Before that, Anderson was communications director for the Children and Women’s Issues Minister, and issues manager for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
— Education Minister STEPHEN LECCE recruited a new director of legislative affairs and issues management: LOUIS KAN.
— Ditto Social Services Minister MERRILEE FULLERTON, who hired SEAN FORSYTH as director of leg affairs and issues. Fullerton also has a familiar director of stakeholder relations: MASON SAUNDERS, who worked for her in Long-Term Care.
— PALMER LOCKRIDGE follows Minister TODD SMITH to Energy as director of communications. Lockridge held the role on Smith’s previous team in Social Services.
PROMOTIONS — JAYME ALLEN goes from executive assistant to manager of stakeholder relations for Associate Children and Women’s Issues Minister JANE MCKENNA. CHRISTINE BUJOLD, press secretary to Infrastructure Minister KINGA SURMA, has also joined Mckenna’s crew as director of communications.
— In Transportation Minister CAROLINE MULRONEY’s office, ROB ELLIOTT goes from senior policy adviser to associate director of policy.
— HAYDEN KENEZ is now communications director for Treasury Board President PRABMEET SARKARIA. Kenez held senior comms roles in that office since 2018.
— SYDNEY STONIER, D-comms for Northern Development Minister GREG RICKFORD, got a new tag tacked on to her title: she’s now “executive” director of communications.
SPOTTED:
— The Premier’s daughter KRISTA FORD in hot water for sharing anti-vax messages on social media.
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Al MacDermid, Pathway Group: Ontario Network of Victim Service Providers
— Christina Marciano, Sussex Strategy Group: Toronto Hydro Corporation
— Marisa Maslink, McMillan Vantage: Community Foundations of Canada: Ontario
— Maryanne Sheehy, Public Affairs Advisors: SecureKey Technologies Inc.
— Mark Holmes, Marlyn Consulting: Nano Nation Canada
— Josh Zanin, Proof Strategies: Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
IN-HOUSE ORGANIZATIONS: Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation — Ontario Harness Horse Association — Investment Industry Association of Canada — Hoffmann-La Roche Limited — Wal-Mart Canada — Uber Canada — First Gulf Corp.