Riding health check: Independent's land
Plus: Pre-election barbs...More patio hints...A well-liked staffer bids adieu
Good Thursday morning. This is Queen’s Park Observer.
ABOVE THE FOLD
RIDING HEALTH CHECK: With a year to go until the June 2 election, I’m gauging how the leading political parties are doing when it comes to their riding-level finances. Today’s batch features ridings where erstwhile PCs were turfed or defected, perhaps enabling those incumbents to give the ruling party a run for its money in 2022. According to annual financial statements filed with Elections Ontario:
— In CAMBRIDGE, currently represented by New Blue MPP BELINDA KARAHALIOS: The PCs closed out 2020 with a surplus of $34,772, raking in $700 from contributions and about $1,100 from membership fees, plus $9,859 from the per-vote subsidy quarterly allowance. Notable expenses include $17,460 for professional fees and $163 for flowers. (There was a surplus of $44,174 in the year prior.)
New Democrats followed with $29,372 in the bank, including $5,670 from donations and $6,417 from the subsidy. The Liberals weren’t far behind with $26,783 at the end of the 2020 reporting period, pulling in $11,218 from contributions and forking over $9,092 for party transfers.
— In LANARK—FRONTENAC—KINGSTON, represented by Covid skeptic RANDY HILLIER: a handsome money-pot for the PCs, with a surplus of $82,883 as of December 31, 2020. That includes $1,786 in contributions, $14,026 from the taxpayer subsidy, and $45,000 held in a trust. (Hillier pushed the government to let Independents fundraise beyond campaign periods, something it did via Bill 254 by allowing them to register constituency associations.)
The Liberals trailed with $23,417 followed by the NDP with $4,648.
— In YORK CENTRE, repped by anti-lockdown crusader ROMAN BABER: His former PC benchmates logged $33,054 at the end of 2020, bringing in $17,997 from contributions and coughing up $6,894 on advertising and $6,525 on professional fees.
The NDP reported $13,279 on the books last year, spending $1,383 on furniture and other equipment and $55 on masks. The Grits wound up with $3,668 and were fined $351 by Elections Ontario for an unspecified reason.
— In GLENGARRY-PRESCOTT-RUSSELL, where PC defector AMANDA SIMARD is running for the Liberals: The PCs led the pack with a $36,897 surplus last year, including $448 in contributions and $11,112 from the quarterly allowance. The NDP recorded $16,375 for 2020.
A big asterisk: There’s no statement yet for the Grits, who missed Elections Ontario’s May 31 filing deadline. The party ended 2019 with $13,291 in the riding.
PATIO TEASER FROM THE PREMIER AND SCHOOLS OFFICIALLY SHUTTERED: DOUG FORD doubled down on what PC sources have been hinting at all week — that Ontario may enter Step 1 of its reopening plan sooner than June 14 as planned, which would bring back outdoor gatherings, patio dining and non-essential retail (with restrictions).
One source tells me the government is still waiting on Covid data from the May Two-Four long weekend to manifest — any resulting uptick in cases would make an earlier reopening less likely.
Not so fast, cautioned ANTHONY DALE of the Ontario Hospital Association. While hospitalizations are trending downward (and vaccinations hitting requisite thresholds) — ICUs are still packed, with at least 576 patients as of Wednesday.
Ford also made official the heavily anticipated announcement that students will not be back in classrooms for these last three weeks of the academic year, saying it was “a hard choice to make” but he’s not willing to “take unnecessary risks with our children right now.”
Between the lines: The government has gotten flak for what some advocates, experts and labour unions have said is an about-face admission about the severity of Covid transmission in schools (an up to 11 per cent spike in daily cases if they reopened, per the Science Advisory Table) — but Ford maintained the situation is much more dire now than before because of the new variants.
Polling may have played a part in the decision-making on schools. From CTV’s Queen’s Park bureau chief Colin D’Mello: “The decision…is partly based on public opinion polling, commissioned by the Progressive Conservative government, which pitted schools against the economy…Most — 56 per cent — who responded rejected the idea, and instead said the province ‘should not reopen schools for three weeks in June if that means Ontario’s reopening plan is delayed.’”
HAPPENING TODAY
— At 9:30 a.m.: Labour Minister MONTE MCNAUGHTON and his Parliamentary Assistant JANE MCKENNA will make an announcement about career opportunities for youth.
— 12:15 p.m.: Environment Minister JEFF YUREK has an announcement about finalizing changes to improve blue box recycling.
— 3 p.m.: Health officials are up with their latest Covid briefing in the Media Studio.
ON THE ORDER PAPER
The final sitting day of the spring session will see a vote on Associate Small Business Minister PRABMEET SARKARIA’s latest red-tape reduction package, Bill 276. Debate on the omnibus legislation was heated — Opposition parties aren’t happy with a smorgasbord of clauses, which among other things sever the Northern Ontario School of Medicine from insolvent Laurentian University and change the way social assistance is paid out and delivered.
Two PC backbench bills are up for third-reading debate: GOLDIE GHAMARI and MICHAEL PARSA’s co-sponsored bill to proclaim March Persian Heritage Month, and VINCENT KE’s bill to establish Food Day Ontario.
No committees on schedule: It’s summer! (Though the Estimates committee will continue working on its post-budget study of certain ministries for the next two weeks— fingers crossed for more accompanying FAO reports to dig through.)
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
— First in Queen’s Park Observer — RYAN COLE has exited the office of STAN CHO — parliamentary assistant to the finance minister — where he worked as executive assistant for the last three years. Cole is headed to government and public relations firm Policy Concepts in a few weeks.
— The Greens have nominated SHEENA SHARP as their next candidate in Don Valley West, an architect who designs buildings for “an emissions-free future.” The riding is currently held by KATHLEEN WYNNE, who isn’t seeking reelection in the Liberal bastion, where the party will be appointing a candidate (knocking out ROBIN EDGER from the race).
— A couple more incumbent NDPers locked in for 2022: JUDITH MONTEITH-FARRELL in Thunder Bay—Atikokan (where the PCs are still searching for their contender) and RIMA BERNS-MCGOWN in Beaches—East York.
SPOTTED:
— “Story time with the Premier”: DOUG FORD ended Wednesday’s presser with an unprovoked yet characteristic anecdote about a backyard visit with ARTHUR, a French-language student in his Etobicoke neighbourhood who wrote him a letter about schools — prompting Ford’s request that school boards make outdoor graduation ceremonies happen for all grades.
— Battle of the bad headlines: PCs are gunning for the Liberals, who are riding high in the polls a year out from E-Day.
— MEDIA WATCH: “Worst blunders in Ontario political history” — according to the Star’s Robert Benzie on last night’s episode of TVO’s The Agenda, that would be the RON TAVERNER saga in which Ford tried (and failed) to appoint the previously unqualified Toronto cop and longtime family friend as OPP commissioner. Host STEVE PAIKIN chatted up some of the youngest electoral contenders: PC MPP SAM OOSTERHOFF (Niagara West), and candidates EMILIE LENEVEU for the Liberals in Bay of Quinte and ABHIJEET MANAY for the Greens in Beaches—East York.
— AROUND THE PRECINCT: Anti-lockdown protesters were back on the Legislature’s south lawn yesterday.
MAKING HEADLINES
— Peel Region’s top doc LAWRENCE LOH: “Preliminary analysis from the science table suggests that in one month the Delta variant [that originated in India] will be the dominant strain in our region with the rest of Ontario weeks behind.”
— A bright spot: EDWIN NG — the PSW at hard-hit Roberta Place who contracted Covid along with more than 230 other workers and residents — is home from the hospital after a five-month battle with the virus and a double-lung transplant.
— MZOs pose a greater threat to dwindling farmland. From the CBC: “Over the past two decades, Ontario lost farmland at a rate of 175 acres (about 70 hectares) a day, the equivalent of five family farms each week, according to a recent analysis of census data from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.”
— Detroit exit: “Former longtime local MPP and Ontario cabinet minister DWIGHT DUNCAN has announced he will step down as chairman of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority when his current term ends later this year,” Windsor Star reports.
QUESTION PERIOD
The penultimate debate before the House rises for summer…If the days leading up to it are any indication, it’s going to be a raucous final debate today — and we shouldn’t hold our breath for Premier DOUG FORD to make an appearance, though he’s more likely to show on the last sitting day and after he finalized the plan for schools.
THE HIGHLIGHTS: Polling vs. paediatric advice — Why is Ontario the only province where kids aren’t in class? — A fully-vaccinated education workforce by September — “Actual” funding needed to back up Indigenous policy promises — “It’s time the Premier does his homework and gets schools open safely now” — To support Stratford Festival or not support it, that is the question — Opioid overdose deaths up 75 per cent — Let performers rehearse ahead of reopening — Getting Highway 427 up to speed — Pay raise for child-care workers — “He’s more worried about likes on Instagram than he is about getting his job done.”
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Lee Greenberg, Policy Concepts: Canlan Ice Sports Corp., Buckingham Sports Properties Co.
— Paul Sutherland, Sutherland Corporation: Veridos Canada Limited
— Mackenzie Taylor, Cumberland Strategies: Heliolytics, Taplytics Inc.
— Vince Amodeo, Global Public Affairs: Canadian Life Settlements Inc. (“CLS”)
— Felix Wong, Public Affairs Advisors: Nordion
— Christopher Froggatt, Dan Mader, Jill Wilson, Ryan Guptill and Jared Burke, Loyalist Public Affairs: Law Society of Ontario
— Jill Wilson, Loyalist Public Affairs: LifeLabs
— Jeffrey Bangs, Pathway Group: School Bus Ontario, theScore Inc.
— Jim Burnett, Pathway Group: Hamilton Forge FC
— Peter Curtis, Pathway Group: Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services, Foodservice Packaging Institute
— Calvin Lantz, Stikeman Elliott LLP: Tridel
— Caroline Pinto, Counsel Public Affairs: Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada - Ontario Chapter
IN-HOUSE ORGANIZATIONS: Ontario Motor Coach Association — Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association — Innovative Medicines Canada — Georgian College — Janssen — CommuniCare Technology — Bausch Health.
Are you ARTHUR from Ford’s neighbourhood? I want to hear from you! Reach out to sabrina@qpobserver.ca, or just reply to this email.