'Shenanigans? How can there not be': Calandra
Plus: Paging Dr. Moore...Mulroney losing key staffer to Metrolinx...Baber for Mayor?
Good Monday morning. This is Queen’s Park Observer — a step ahead of Info-Go.
ABOVE THE FOLD
Breaking news over the weekend: there’s a new top doc in line — Dr. KIERAN MOORE, the local medical officer of health for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, who will step in for Dr. DAVID WILLIAMS, who’s retiring. Williams’ term was initially set to expire in February when the PCs asked him to stay on and extended his appointment until September, but he’s only hanging around until June 26.
Moore said it’s a “great honour” that he doesn’t take lightly, and vowed to “provide all necessary advice to the government to ensure the health and safety of all Ontarians,” especially during Covid times.
The next move is to table a motion to make it official, which the government will do later today — starting off the last sitting week of the session with a bang (more on that below). The motion will pass thanks to the PC majority, and even Opposition Leader ANDREA HORWATH signalled New Democrats’ support — though they’ve got some qualms, and may drag on the debate. “It’s fishy that yet another person at the top of DOUG FORD’s pandemic response is leaving before the pandemic is over — first General [RICK] HILLIER, and now Dr. Williams.”
Horwath also pointed out the top doc is typically chosen and vetted by an all-party committee, and wanted to know why Ford is “skipping that process to ditch another player at the core of his team? He certainly has some explaining to do.”
Reporters and citizens may agree with Horwath’s point that “a replacement who can give sound public health advice and communicate it clearly” is welcome. Williams has taken much flak for his often muddled pandemic messaging — and sources tell me it’s the same way during his briefings to cabinet — which has led some medical experts to call for his resignation.
Moore, on the other hand, has a reputation for being clear-cut and straightforward.
More from the Globe and Mail’s profile on the low-key, well-connected doc: Moore is “known for a mastery of disease surveillance, pandemic statistics and YouTube — a résumé that has received near-universal approval from the province’s public-health community…That attitude of open communication and collaboration is the biggest change Dr. Moore is expected to bring to Queen’s Park.”
SESSION ENDER: Q+A WITH PC HOUSE LEADER PAUL CALANDRA — It’s the final sitting week before MPPs are set to break for the summer recess on Thursday. Up for debate are four big government bills, a slew of private members’ items (a.k.a. PMBs) and motions to extend the Tories self-imposed emergency powers and bring in a new top doc. Here are the highlights from our conversation:
What can we expect on the agenda this week? “The last week is always a busy week, right, because it brings everything that’s sitting in committee together. So the bills that we have on the order paper, I really want to get all four of them done. The Human Trafficking bill — the Ontario College of Trades bill that Minister MCNAUGHTON has — and then the Red Tape bill and the Health Bundle — which I’m particularly pleased with because it finally gives PSWs the representation that they’ve been asking for. Actually one of the first meetings I had as an MPP was with a PSW asking for a representative organization. So I’m quite happy with this one.”
Will there be any late nights? “I’m not going to skip out on the time. I have no desire to be out of there early — we’ve got the ability to do midnight sittings to get all of these bills done. If I have room, I’d like to get PMBs done as well. Because we have support on Human Trafficking and I think a good level of support on the Trades, I’m optimistic we can get all four done. But will there be shenanigans? How can there not be. We just came off a six-week session where people were just getting so miserable.”
Miserable how? “The six-week session, I’ve discovered, is kind of a long stretch for members, especially in the [Covid] cohorting era because when your cohort is on, you’re literally either in your office isolating — or in the House all day and into the evening. It’s tough on the members, a full-on six-week session. Towards the end, everyone just gets a bit tired and grumpy with each other. So I was happy that we had the break week, that’s for sure.”
Premier DOUG FORD rarely shows up to Question Period. Will he make an appearance this week, or does he just not like QP? “Well, the problem is he loves Question Period [laughs]. But look, it’s been no secret that he takes responsibility for a lot of different things that are happening on the Covid front. Personally, he likes to be informed about everything across all of the ministries, so that sometimes keeps him out of the House on Question Periods. But it’s not that he’s not paying attention — he’s briefed everyday by me. For the most part, we like to respect what the Opposition asks for, make sure that we can get people there. Predominantly they’ve been wanting the Ministers of Education, Long-Term Care and Minister ELLIOTT to be fixtures of Question Period.”
Looking ahead to the fall, are you talking about lifting Covid restrictions and bringing back the public galleries? “It’s my hope that when we come back in September, we are back as it was pre-Covid — that the galleries can be opened again, that all members can be there and that we can go back to voting in the House. I want to get back to as much as normal as possible. One of the things we’d like to continue is that portion of committees — we put a lot of money into making committees more accessible through video technology — so whilst all members will be back in person, expanding and continuing to use the virtual committees for people who want to testify has been very successful, and so that will continue. We’ve already spoken with the Clerks, and all the House Leaders I imagine will get together in mid-August. It would be nice to have you guys [in the media] back, have people back in the place, and all members back for the last year [before the election].”
RAPID FIRE: Most contentious legislation? “That would have to be the red-tape bill, the McVety one [Bill 213]. What I thought was going to be the most contentious was not a bill, but the take-note debate on Line 5. I thought, for sure that was going to be Conservatives on one side, NDP on another side. But that didn’t at all turn out to be the case, so that was the most surprising I would say.”
Best heckler? “On the Opposition side is for sure TARAS [NATYSHAK]. I don’t know how he does it, he can throw his voice. So he’s really good and he gets right through. [JOHN] FRASER as well, because he’s at the end of the of the place, he’s not often heard, but he’s gotten really, really good at it. On our side, [DAVID] PICCINI is the best heckler, by far. I don’t know that he means to heckle — something just happens, he gets really upset, and he screams it out.”
Most thoughtful questioner? “100 per cent [MIKE] SCHREINER. He’s not afraid to acknowledge parts that might be good, but he’s also true to what he believes, so they’re very well-rounded questions…Frankly, there’s very few members in the House that will throw me off, but he’s one of them…The one that causes the most stress, if you’re going to ask, would be MITZIE HUNTER — because it’s my job to decide who answers the question, and Mitzie puts so many questions into a one-minute question, that it could be literally anybody in the government. It’s an art form, how she does it. And then ROMAN [BABER] — he asks his questions really fast, I don’t really know what the heck he’s talking about.”
What will you miss most during the summer recess? “Seeing other people. What I miss most with politics, as much as you’re arguing, it’s seeing you guys and actually speaking to the Opposition crew and my own crew — when we’re not fighting it out over policy issues.”
HAPPENING TODAY
ON THE ORDER PAPER
The House is back in session after a constituency break. On the morning docket is second reading of NDP MPP SANDY SHAW’s private member’s Bill 296, which would dissolve the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority and transfer its enforcement functions to the Ministry.
First in Queen’s Park Observer — the government’s motion to extend its far-reaching emergency powers under the Reopening Ontario Act, a.k.a. Bill 195, until December 1 is up for a vote after Question Period. It will pass, but sans support from Oppo critics, who dubbed it a “power grab.”
Also up for a vote: Bill 282, which cracks down on stunt driving and motor-assisted bicycles, at third reading. Later on: MPPs will kick off third-reading debate on Bill 283, which would create an oversight authority for personal support workers and streamline vaccination data.
AT COMMITTEE
The special Select Committee in charge of emergency management oversight will hear about the government’s rationale for extending the latest round of emergency orders (Solicitor General SYLVIA JONES is typically the one who testifies). MPPs will also get cracking on their draft report.
AROUND THE PRECINCT
Small shoes and flags at half-mast to acknowledge the tragedy out of Kamloops where the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found near a former residential school. There was apparently some tension between Legislative security and advocates taking part in a smudging ceremony on the grounds. Premier DOUG FORD also asked that all flags at government buildings be lowered to half-staff.
— AT 9 A.M.: Budget watchdog PETER WELTMAN will release a report on the Ministry of Education’s 2021-22 spending plan, in support of the Estimates committee’s post-budget study on certain ministry expenditures.
— AT 3 P.M.: Health officials will provide a Covid update in the Media Studio.
— SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: I’ll be joining JOHN MOORE’s roundtable on Newstalk 1010 at 8:45 a.m. Tune in!
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
GREG MEDULUN, most recently executive director of communications and issues for Transportation Minister CAROLINE MULRONEY, is moving over to Metrolinx as director of community engagement. CHRISTINA SALITURO will replace Medulun as Mulroney’s interim director of comms; she serves as director of issues management.
POLL WATCH
Pollster NICK KOUVALIS is in the field gauging prospects for Toronto Mayor, and the results aren’t looking great for turfed-PC MPP ROMAN BABER, who may have a more challenging time running for provincial reelection as an Independent. While Kouvalis stresses the results are “early” — the sample size he posted so far is small, with 184 respondents — he tells me they’re in line with broader surveys. “When someone had 50 per cent and the other person has 15 per cent, then the margin of error on 184 samples is not going to change the general outcome,” Kouvalis said.
Baber was trounced by current Mayor JOHN TORY — with seven per cent support versus 53 per cent, respectively — and he came up short against JENNIFER KEESMAT, five per cent to her 29 per cent. When Kouvalis pit Baber against a fictional rival, SALLY SMITH-FALLS, he was again defeated, though by a slimmer margin, as 87 per cent of respondents said they weren’t sure.
(Kouvalis is also pollster to the PCs and worked on Tory’s campaigns.)
MAKING HEADLINES
— Still no final word on schools reopening (or not), but Premier DOUG FORD said Friday he wants to be “super cautious.” Meanwhile, responses to Ford’s open letter from last week are pouring in and run the gamut, making the “consensus” he’s seeking seemingly impossible. While the Porcupine Health Unit in Timmins and at least one other unnamed PHU have cautioned against a return to in-person learning in June due to a recent surge in Covid cases, GTHA units are prepared to give it a go. The Science Advisory Table is backing a regional reopening, saying that would mitigate the harms arising from school closures while managing the risks of transmission.
— The accelerated timeline for second doses begins today, starting with the 80-plus crowd. Popular Twitter account Vaccine Hunters Canada has a handy booking guide.
— Ford pivots from the pandemic and sets his sights on 2022, with pollster Kouvalis and reelection campaign manager KORY TENEYCKE in tow. From the Globe: “The most obvious change for the Premier is the rationing of his public appearances…His advisers say the move was a return to a more conventional approach to government communications — saving the Premier for the most significant announcements while allowing his cabinet to fight the day-to-day fires.”
— NO FANS IN THE STANDS: Unlike Quebec, Ontario will not allow in-person spectators watch the Leafs face off against the Habs for Game 7 tonight, including fully vaccinated health care workers, something Brampton Mayor PATRICK BROWN is calling for via a #Hockey4Heroes petition. UPDATE: 550 health workers were cleared to attend tonight’s game after all.
— “Vaughan Working Families took Elections Ontario to court over ads accusing teachers’ unions of using kids as ‘pawns.’” More from CTV News.
— Police chiefs and associations are up in arms over NDP Leader ANDREA HORWATH’s tweet referring to REGIS KORCHINSKI-PAQUET’s death as a “killing.” Korchinski-Paquet fell to her death while police were in her apartment last May, and while the police watchdog was called in to investigate, the six officers at the scene were eventually cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
— “Vaccine conspiracy theories are ‘running rampant’ inside the jails” in Ontario, which are also notoriously susceptible to Covid outbreaks. Per the Star, “the average vaccine uptake rate was approximately 50 per cent.”
— “About 65 per cent of eligible adults in Ontario have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine…But in Waterloo region, the vaccination rate is lower. As of Friday afternoon, the region's vaccine dashboard said just under 60 per cent…So what gives? ‘It’s just about supply’”: CBC reports.
PANDEMIC TRACKER
Covid infections continue to trend down (with the caveat of weekend lags), as 1,033 cases recorded Sunday, along with 18 more deaths. Hospitalizations are also coming down, but ICUs are still packed, with at least 614 patients.
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations since Friday:
— Peter Seemann, Grassroots Public Affairs: Fitness Industry Council of Canada
— Jeff Silverstein, Radius Public Relations: Innovation Health Group, OnPharm
— Christine Simundson, Rubicon Strategy: ProCom
— Jeffrey Bangs, Pathway Group: Gymnastics Ontario
— Michael Diamond, Upstream Strategy Group: Top Aggregate Producing Municipalities of Ontario
— Rick Roth, Global Public Affairs: Professional Association of Canadian Theatres
IN-HOUSE ORGANIZATIONS: La Cité.
🥳 HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY: GRAHAM PEDREGOSA, executive assistant to the Associate Minister of Transportation.
Are you watching the game tonight? Send me your predictions! If you’re right, I’ll publish it (if you’re wrong, I won’t). Reach out to sabrina@qpobserver.ca, or just reply to this email.