SCOOP: Shuffle up
Also: Stiles takes NDP crown amid dissent, byelection inches closer for Hamilton Centre, a primer on health talks, finance ministers' pre-game, bleak autism stats, baby alert and loads more
ABOVE THE FOLD
MARIT STILES’s weekend coronation was a who’s who of NDPers and a whole lot of drama. A byelection is getting closer in Hamilton Centre. And the first ministers are teeing up for the big health meeting. But first — could it be shuffle time?
First in Queen’s Park Observer — SHUFFLE UP — Rumours of a cabinet shuffle are swirling around the Pink Palace.
The intel from our sources runs the gamut, but all are on the same page that there is plenty of chatter about Premier DOUG FORD shaking up his front bench soon. Some are more convinced than others, especially when it comes to the timing.
“Shuffling the deck is a great channel changer,” said one senior political operative, noting the Ford government is currently taking heat for tearing up the Greenbelt and facing tandem investigations from independent officers of the Legislature over the hot-potato move. Meanwhile, staffing shortages and backlogged surgeries continue to wreak havoc on the health system.
“Something…