Grit drama brewing in Newmarket-Aurora
Plus: Bureaucrats get a new HR boss, behind the scenes at Oppo's Covid summit, the latest from the Science Table, Moore's mea culpa, and Lecce speaks
ABOVE THE FOLD
SCOOP: Drama is brewing in Newmarket—Aurora, where the Liberals are poised to nominate their 2022 election candidate next month. Two wannabe contestants are duking it out for the chance to carry the Grit banner in the PC-held riding — but for one of the contenders, the race may be over before it even begins.
That would be SHAMEELA SHAKEEL — a mental health professional who works with kids with learning disorders — whose past social media posts are getting called out by some in the Jewish community as “deeply concerning.”
Shakeel is being vetted by the Ontario Liberal Party this week. It’s a routine interview process for all would-be candidates in which, among other things, their social media accounts are trawled for potential liabilities on the campaign trail and to ensure the contender aligns with party values and standards.
Of particular concern at Shakeel’s vetting was a series of tweets from May 2021 in which she supported JAVIER DAVILA — a student equity adviser at the Toronto District School Board who was suspended, then reinstated without discipline, after sharing materials with teachers on Palestinian human rights that also included articles that labelled Israel an apartheid regime.
Among others, B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish human-rights organization, criticized Davila for sharing material “glorifying terrorists and justifying the murder of Israelis.”
At the time, Shakeel tweeted the hashtag “I Stand With Javier.” That, and other posts, are raising “serious concerns” for B’nai Brith, which says she shouldn’t be green-lit to run for the Grits.
Her support “contrasts with the position of Ontario Liberal Leader STEVEN DEL DUCA, who rightly stood in solidarity with [another TDSB trustee who spoke out against antisemitism] on that issue,” said MICHAEL MOSTYN, the group’s CEO. “In our view, the Liberal Party would be ill-served by putting Ms. Shakeel forward as its candidate in Newmarket—Aurora, particularly given the riding’s significant and growing Jewish community…Doing so would send a very unfortunate message that the party does not take antisemitism seriously.”
Liberal Party spokesman WILL WUEHR says the vetting process is still underway.
An “interrogation”: For Shakeel, it felt like a “smear campaign.” She was grilled by the vetting committee this week, and says they focused almost entirely on her social media history. “They had pointed questions, it was really obvious. They would ask very specific questions about specific tweets — I couldn’t even remember them, I had to look it up,” Shakeel said by phone.
She’s also received negative and hurtful messages on social media.
“I don’t really understand how they can take all of my work that I’ve done around education and safety and equity and justice, and then take a small percentage — a tweet here or there — and hold that against me and say I don’t deserve a chance to represent our community…It would be different if they’d taken the time to get to know me,” Shakeel said, choking back tears.
Shakeel says her support of Davila was about ensuring equity and fairness for all students, including those of Palestinian descent. She acknowledged that her tweets may not have always been appropriate, and that if Davila’s material included misinformation, that should be corrected. But she believes she deserves a chance to explain, to the party and community, as those tweets were just a small blip.
Mostyn seemed open to it. “At a minimum, Ms. Shakeel would need to renounce her prior statements and publicly apologize to the Jewish community. If she is willing to take these initial steps, B’nai Brith would be prepared to meet with her to discuss these issues further.”
The competition: Shakeel is battling it out with Dr. SYLVAIN ROY, a high-profile neuropsychologist and former president of the Ontario Psychological Association. Roy declined to weigh in on the tweet debacle, but said anyone running for public office needs to be extra diligent and use good judgement on social media, especially when it comes to hot-potato topics like Israel and Palestine.
By the numbers: It’s shaping up to be a close race between Shakeel and Roy. There were roughly 300 existing members eligible to vote on the local riding list, and that’s more than doubled. Ballpark figures from both camps thus far suggest Shakeel has about 250 new supporters while Roy brought in more than 100.
Roy also has a strong backer in his corner — he was pushed to run by the former MPP CHRIS BALLARD, who’s got deep roots in the riding and has helped make connections. “I'm lucky to have Chris helping me because he knows a lot of people in the Liberal Party,” Roy told me.
So, do they have a shot? Newmarket—Aurora has been Tory blue since the riding was created in 2007 — save for 2014 to 2018, when it was repped by ex-Liberal Ballard.
It’s now held by Deputy Premier and Health Minister CHRISTINE ELLIOTT, who’s got a high front-bench profile and is well-liked among the public, making her difficult to unseat. But there are (arguably evergreen) rumours floating around the Pink Palace that Elliott may not run again, and her absence from the ticket would make the race more competitive for Opposition challengers like the Liberals.
The Liberal nomination vote goes down February 12. Green-lit candidates will deliver speeches at a virtual meeting on February 10. Invite.
THE LATEST ON SCHOOLS — A sight for sore eyes, Education Minister STEPHEN LECCE was front and centre with an update on school ahead of Monday’s return.
The highlights: RATs and Covid outbreaks — Millions of rapid antigen tests will be rolled out to students, teachers and staff in schools and daycares, with everyone getting two apiece, until more supplies are secured.
Meanwhile, families will only be notified by public health when school absenteeism hits 30 per cent. Caveat: That marker includes all reasons for absenteeism, not just Covid-related ones.
DOUG FORD’S WEDNESDAY — NO VAX? NO TAX — Ontario will not go the way of Quebec and slap a health tax on the unvaccinated.
“We aren’t going down that road,” the Premier said during impromptu remarks at a photo-op tour of the Toronto Zoo’s vaccination clinic on Wednesday.
Ford prefers a carrot-over-stick approach, and will instead continue to encourage people to get the jab. “I beg every single person that is not vaccinated, please protect yourself, protect your family, protect your co-workers.”
MOORE’S MEA CULPA — After getting chewed out on social media for his remarks about mandating Covid vaccines for kids, top doc KIERAN MOORE was forced to release a clarifying statement stressing that they’re safe.
What he said: Asked why the vaccine won’t be added to the list of mandatory inoculations for students, Moore said it’s new and “we want more experience with it.”
Cue backlash from parents, critics and pediatric experts who pointed out that inoculations for 5 to 11-year-olds has dropped off majorly, hovering around 45 per cent as schools are poised to return to in-person learning.
What he meant to say: Hours later, Moore put out a statement. “I want to be clear that the paediatric Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11 is safe, effective and provides strong protection.”
HAPPENING TODAY
— 10 a.m.: A virtual announcement from Municipal Affairs Minister STEVE CLARK, Indigenous Affairs Minister GREG RICKFORD and Associate Mental Health Minister MICHAEL TIBOLLO.
— 10:30 a.m.: NDP Leader ANDREA HORWATH and Ontario Nurses’ Association president CATHRYN HOY will hold a virtual presser to discuss ways to fix the nursing shortage. Hint: Both have been adamant that wage-capping Bill 124 be revoked.
— 11 a.m.: Economic Development Minister VIC FEDELI will make an announcement alongside PC MPP SAM OOSTERHOFF (Niagara West).
— 7 p.m.: Speaker TED ARNOTT’s electoral competition is shaping up. Card-carrying NDPers in Wellington—Halton Hills will officially nominate their 2022 challenger, Wellington County councillor DIANE BALLANTYNE. RSVP.
— 7 p.m.: Liberals in Markham—Stouffville will hear from contestants vying to fly the red banner in 2022, including RAY LAI, a tech-focused entrepreneur who ran municipally in 2018, and KELLY DUNN, a teacher and community volunteer. The vote goes down virtually on Saturday. The riding is currently repped by PC Minister PAUL CALANDRA — but the Liberals held it before that, and still do federally. Invite.
COUNTDOWN: 140 days until Election Day…111 days until the official start of the 2022 campaign…40 days until the House reconvenes…77 days until the budget is (legally) due out.
MAKING HEADLINES
— SCIENCE LESSON: With the return to class looming large, Ontario’s Science Table put out a new deck that highlights the mental health harms of school closures and points out the five-to-19-year-old crowd appears to be at a lower risk of hospitalization due to Omicron. Full deck.
— STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: Steve Paikin, host of TVO’s The Agenda, on the edge Oppo parties may get over the PCs after teaming up this week to fight Covid: “When the premier talks about his ‘Team Ontario’ approach, what he really means is his blue team. Yes, he’s said in the legislature that he’ll take good ideas wherever he can get them, even if they’re from the orange, red, or green teams. But he’s never (to my knowledge) gone so far as to share the microphone with any of the opposition parties, despite the potential positive influence all four of them singing from the same hymnbook could have.”
Fun fact: It wasn’t such a kumbaya moment behind the scenes. The NDP said “despite the lack of advanced notice” from the Liberals for their hospital-themed summit, their health critic FRANCE GÉLINAS was still able to make it.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
First in Queen’s Park Observer — THE FORD CONNECTION — Premier DOUG FORD has poached a longtime staffer from his nephew, Toronto city councillor MICHAEL FORD, who represents the same Etobicoke North district as his uncle does provincially. Meet NICOLAS DI MARCO, who signed on as executive assistant to principal secretary AMIN MASSOUDI in the elder Ford’s office this week.
HR AT OPS — KAREN ELLIS has been named to the Public Service Commission, a body of bureaucrats in charge of human resources and ensuring proper employment practices in the Ontario Public Service. Ellis is currently Deputy Solicitor General for Correctional Services. The commish is chaired by DEBORAH RICHARDSON, Deputy Minister at Treasury Board.
2022 TICKET — A familiar contender will run for the PCs in Kingston and the Islands: GARY BENNETT, the ex-city councillor and two-term mayor who made an unsuccessful bid for Queen’s Park in 2018, losing to rookie NDP MPP IAN ARTHUR, who isn’t seeking re-election this spring.
Context: Incumbents tend to get a leg-up on the ballot — not least because of name recognition — so Arthur’s exit may make the race more competitive. Liberal candidate TED HSU, former MP for the riding, mused about the lack of a press release for Bennett’s acclamation:
SPOTTED:
The latest entry to the Queen’s Park Wordle frenzy: TRAVIS KANN — Premier DOUG FORD’s deputy chief of staff in charge of strategic comms.
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Jeffrey Bangs, Pathway Group: Young People's Theatre, Bruce Trail Conservancy
— Robert Belanger-Polak, Cumberland Strategies: OnX
— Peter Van Loan, Aird & Berlis: Charter Development LP
In-house organizations: Toronto Children’s Care — Canadian Coalition for Good Governance — Human Resources Professionals Association — First Gulf Corporation — Bird Canada — Landlab — Stem — Greenfield Global.