SCOOP: Gila Martow's grievances leaked
Plus: Electricity pricing pilot, staffing up at Infrastructure and Energy, Christmas cancelled in York Centre, Ford talks Bradford bypass
UPDATE — Martow dished about the drama with Calandra in a follow-up interview, which you can check out here.
ABOVE THE FOLD
Premier DOUG FORD took a campaign-style swing through Bradford to tout the controversial bypass, which he promised will be fully funded despite it not being fully costed yet — but first, PC MPP GILA MARTOW (Thornhill) has a bone to pick with her bench mates.
I got my hands on a letter Martow sent to her fellow PC caucus members last week, in response to the government whip’s office asking if she could help out with House duty and show up to vote in the Legislature. Martow didn’t hold back — accusing PC House Leader PAUL CALANDRA of bullying and alleging that her rival in the federal Conservative nomination race got a leg-up.
She says she was a “team player” for seven years but “unfortunately, I believe I was intentionally bullied by Paul Calandra one year ago. I was told the situation would be repaired; it was not.”
That’s when Martow decided to “try to move on federally only to be told I would not be welcomed back.” She also claims she “experienced being locked out of all my CIMS data [the Conservatives’ supporter database] while my well-connected federal nominee opponent had access.”
Martow had been told that she can’t run again under the provincial PC banner after she threw her hat in the federal ring — ultimately losing a heated Conservative nomination race to top Tory strategist and now-MP MELISSA LANTSMAN. The PCs are now having trouble securing a provincial candidate.
“Instead of power struggles and games, we can win next June with a huge majority!” Martow went on to say. She also seemed to turn down the whip, saying that she was focusing on her constituency and a new project with her son.
Martow’s caucus mates seemed unfazed. “It was incoherent…the whole thing was just really weird and confusing,” one PC MPP told me.
FORD’S MONDAY — BOASTING THE BYPASS: Against the backdrop of construction machinery, Ford gave a teeny bit more detail on his government’s plans for the Bradford bypass. While there’s still no specific cost breakdown or timeline for the controversial highway project, Ford said it will be bankrolled by taxpayers and it won’t be tolled.
As for the delays on highway construction overall, Ford blamed “ideological activists” and past governments who “turned their backs on commuters.”
Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER took issue with Ford’s suggestion that it could help the environment, as commuters wouldn’t be idling on the road for so long. “More highways create more congestion, traffic and emissions through induced demand. We need to crush climate pollution, not create more,” he said.
HAPPENING TODAY
— 9 a.m.: Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues JANE MCKENNA will make an announcement in Hamilton.
— 10 a.m. (9 a.m. central): Labour Minister MONTE MCNAUGHTON and Indigenous Affairs Minister GREG RICKFORD will make an announcement about job opportunities for First Nations people in Kenora.
— 10:30 a.m.: Social Services Minister MERRILEE FULLERTON will make an announcement alongside Little Canada and True Patriot Love Foundation in Toronto.
— 1 p.m.: Economic Development Minister VIC FEDELI will make an announcement in St. Jacobs.
— 1:30 p.m.: NDP Leader ANDREA HORWATH will be at the Up Shot Coffeehouse in Thunder Bay to call for more mental health and addictions resources.
— 3 p.m.: Colleges and Universities Minister JILL DUNLOP will make an announcement in Waterloo.
— Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER is touring around North Perth, Wellington, and Waterloo regions.
— THE HOUSE IS OUT: MPPs are in their ridings for a constituency week break and will be back at it on November 15.
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION — In case you missed it, I joined the On The Ledge podcast crew to debrief the Fall Economic Statement and hopped on The Writ with Éric Grenier to talk about the latest on the campaign front.
MAKING HEADLINES
— CHRISTMAS CANCELLED IN YORK CENTRE: Ex-Tory ROMAN BABER has postponed his first holiday party as an Independent — originally slated for the same day the PC Party will nominate his replacement to run in York Centre. In a message to supporters, Baber said he decided to postpone the event because the venue requires proof-of-vaccination — a policy the anti-lockdown MPP has been fighting. “In good conscience, I cannot permit any York Centre resident to be excluded from any of my events,” he said, adding that he’ll reschedule for when the passport policy is lifted early next year.
— DEL DUCA’S MILTON REDUX: If he’s elected Premier next spring Liberal Leader STEVEN DEL DUCA promises to make two-way all-day GO service a reality for Milton. Trains would run every 15 minutes along the Milton line during rush hour, and every half-hour during off-peak hours. Transportation Minister CAROLINE MULRONEY’s office clapped back, circulating a Hansard roundup of times when Del Duca, then the minister in charge of the file, committed to bringing the service to Milton, “but failed to deliver.”
— LOBBYING LAWSUIT: Democracy Watch is digging in its heels and again challenging Integrity Commissioner J. DAVID WAKE’s rulings on lobbyists’ activities. The latest allegations are that Wake effectively allowed three lobbyists who worked on campaigns for Ontario politicians, or gave them gifts, to lobby the politicians soon afterwards. The organization also argues that Wake failed to penalize those lobbyists even though he determined they violated the law.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Some new recruits over at Infrastructure Minister KINGA SURMA’s office: SOHYEN PAK is now the scheduler and operations manager; SYDNEY GUBBELS and JORDAN COLE have joined as comms advisers.
TRANSITION: In Energy Minister TODD SMITH’s office, CHRISTOPHER WARREN goes from director of policy to director of strategic planning. JOSHUA NAHMIAS has also joined Smith’s crew as executive and legislative assistant.
HARLEEN GILL is now policy coordinator to Citizenship and Multiculturalism Minister PARM GILL. AKSHATA GOSWAMI has joined as issues coordinator and administrative assistant and ILONA SIATKA is a special adviser.
PROMOTION: ROLANDO ONG is now executive assistant to ANDREA KHANJIN, Parliamentary Assistant to the Environment Minister.
BEYOND THE BUBBLE: Queen’s Park alumni MATTHEW GIBSON has joined Hill+Knowlton Strategies as a senior vice president and national energy and industrials sector lead. Gibson previously did stints working for Ontario’s then-minister of energy JOHN BAIRD and ex-PC leader, now Toronto Mayor JOHN TORY.
SPOTTED:
Agriculture Minister LISA THOMSON hosting her federal, provincial and territorial counterparts on a farm in Elora…One artist’s interpretation of ousted PC RANDY HILLIER — who’s starting his own Ontario First Party, as I scooped in yesterday’s edition:
REGULATORY ROUNDUP
Here are the government’s latest proposals on the regulatory registry — where the nitty-gritty of policy-making is hammered out:
ELECTRICITY RATE PILOT (GLOBAL ADJUSTMENT) — Proposal: To “facilitate an interruptible rate pilot to be developed in conjunction with the Independent Electricity System Operator…The pilot would be targeted towards large electricity consumers, where participants are charged [Global Adjustment costs] at a reduced rate in exchange for agreeing to reduce consumption during system or local reliability events, as identified by IESO.” Deadline for public feedback: December 20.
WILD TURKEY HUNT — Proposal: “To open fall seasons in [certain areas] beginning in October 2022. These open seasons include bow hunting from October 1-31, and a shotgun and muzzle-loading shotgun season from the Tuesday after Thanksgiving Monday to the second following Sunday.” Deadline: December 20.
FISHING EXPEDITION — Proposal: “To define rules in regulation for the automatic issuance of Licences to Collect Fish for Scientific Purposes for Stormwater Management Pond maintenance and standard salvage and rescue operations.” Deadline: December 20.
CONTINGENCY FEES — Proposal: “An updated standard form agreement to provide further options with respect to the structure of the contingency fee. Sophisticated clients would continue to be exempt from the requirement to use a standard form agreement and would further be exempt from the requirement to include prescribed information in their contingency fee agreements.” Deadline: November 17.
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Her Honour ELIZABETH DOWDESWELL, Ontario’s 29th Lieutenant Governor.