Fresh and familiar faces
And the hottest club in Tory land tonight is...
ABOVE THE FOLD
The Tories and Grits are gearing up to campaign mode, big time.
IN LIBERAL LAND — BONNIE CROMBIE has locked in her campaign directors: GENEVIEVE TOMNEY and CHAD WALSH.
“With Chad’s deep organizing experience and network, and Gen’s immense skill set in strategy, digital engagement, and communications, we will be ready for anything DOUG FORD throws at us,” the Liberal Leader said in an email to the party faithful.
Crombie is hoping they’ll inject some much-needed fresh blood to the third-place, unrecognized party as it crawls its way back from the political wilderness.
“It’s generational change…it’s modern,” said one insider. “Gen is going to be the chief strategist and Chad is going to be more the chief organizer, operational guy.”
Shots fired: Compared to other war room royalty, the source said, name-checking GERRY BUTTS, DAVID HERLE and KORY TENEYCKE, “our strategist is a young millennial woman.”
Tomney has been Crombie’s right-hand woman since the leadership. Walsh has been helping out on the fundraising side and previously worked on KATHLEEN WYNNE’s 2018 bid.
Meanwhile: Veteran operative TOM ALLISON goes from campaign director to campaign chair — some card-carrying insiders call it a demotion, others say it was always part of the plan that Allison pass the torch.
“He was caretaker…Now he's becoming, like, sort of chair emeritus,” said one source on Team Crombie.
Devoted readers will recall Allison steered Crombie, Wynne and STEVEN DEL DUCA to leadership victories, and more recently, worked on ANA BAILÃO’s bid for Toronto mayor, and backed Queen’s Park alumni and wannabe mayor DIPIKA DAMERLA in Mississauga.
Also in Crombie’s orbit: DARRYN McARTHUR, Crombie’s main point-person; D’ARCI McFADDEN, who’s worked as Crombie’s senior strategist and stakeholder liaison; JONATHAN SCOTT, who Crombie refers to as her “third son;” FAHIM KHAN, who sits on the party exec and advised Crombie on policy almost daily; and former Liberal staffer and longtime adviser VANDANA KATTAR. Those folks have been with Crombie from the get-go. And catch up on my scoop about the rest of Crombie’s crew here and here.
More campaign co-chairs will be announced over the summer.
Candidates, too: As we first told you, the Grits have also declared electoral urgency, allowing them to fast-track candidate nominations — and they’re ambitiously aiming to secure half the 124-large slate by their AGM in September.
Surprise! Contender No. 1 is expected to officially debut today: JOHN FRASER (Ottawa South).
They’re not the only ones: New Democrats, PC grassroots and even Elections Ontario have also been bracing for the possibility of an early election ever since DOUG FORD refused to rule it out.
Though Ford did say on talk radio we are “one hundred per cent” not going to the polls this summer or fall, some gossipmongers are convinced it could happen in November anyway. Still, my pet theory is that if it happens early, it won’t be before next Spring. What say you?
THE TORIES’ HOTTEST CLUB TONIGHT — It’s DOUG FORD’s big night.
The venue: The Premier is headlining a big summer kickoff PC fundraiser at none other than Rebel night club at the docks in Toronto. Cost of entry will set you back a cool $1,000. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The stakes: Some sources tell me they felt pressured to buy or sell tickets. Campaigns cost money, and whenever we happen to go to the polls, the PCs will want to fill up their arsenal and blow their rivals out of the water — something they’re already doing on the fundraising side, but it’s peanuts compared to where they were.
Fundraising in Q1 was a far cry from where it was the same time last year because the Tories scrapped their lucrative Leader’s Dinner event. Get the numbers.
Let the love-in begin: Still, it’s Ford’s turn to rally the troops and debut his rejigged cabinet. He’s riding high in the polls despite a steady string of policy backtracks and is feeling confident enough about the RCMP’s Greenbelt investigation that he brought back STEVE CLARK to a prominent rank as House Leader.
So, expect plenty of rah-rah “all-star” “champion” talk and much patting themselves on the back tonight.
HAPPENING TODAY
10 a.m.: Housing Minister PAUL CALANDRA is up in Orillia.
Pre-game read: “Premier DOUG FORD made an unexpected yet eventful trip to Simcoe County on Wednesday, touching on business boosts and boundary disputes.” CTV News reports.
10 a.m.: Natural Resources Minister GRAYDON SMITH makes an announcement in Newmarket.
OPPO ITIN — MARIT STILES continues to tour Windsor-Essex, with stops at the Gary Parent awards and to meet with Essex Mayor SHERRY BONDY re: affordable housing.
10 a.m.: NDP Housing critic JESSICA BELL is holding a downtown presser to demand corporate landlords be banned from making above-guideline rent increases, which she calls “a loophole in Ontario's rental laws that allow landlords to hike rents above the legal limit.” Also on hand: Folks from the York South-Weston Tenants Union.
FUNDRAISING WATCH — 12 p.m.: Fore! PC BRIAN SAUNDERSON (Simcoe-Grey) is hosting his second annual golf classic in Duntroon. Invite.
CLIPPINGS
— WINNING STREAK: “iGaming Ontario released a report that states the industry contributed $2.7 billion to Ontario’s gross domestic product in 2023. That’s up roughly 70 per cent from $1.58 billion in 2022, its initial year of operation.” CP has the story.
— IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERE: New Democrats continue to sound the alarm about how this stifling weather is impacting long-term care residents, workers on the job, tenants without A/C, and now students. Newly sworn Education Minister TODD SMITH passed the buck on heat controls over to school boards — something NDP Education critic CHANDRA PASMA called “shameful.” The latest.