SCOOP: Something's missing in the East Wing
Plus: Circle June 11 for Step 1, biggest MPP spenders, and Ford gets feisty
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Good Friday morning. This is Queen’s Park Observer.
ABOVE THE FOLD
SCOOP — BUSTED: If you’re wandering around the third floor of the Legislature, you might notice a big blank space on the wall outside the office of Official Opposition Leader ANDREA HORWATH.
That would be where the portrait — and a bust — of Egerton Ryerson used to hang, in a corner of the East Wing. Both have been removed at the leader’s request, a source close to Horwath confirmed, so that Indigenous MPPs and staff “don’t have to walk past that stuff to get in and out of her office.”
It’s a topical move. Not far from Queen’s Park, a statue of Ryerson — an architect of the residential school system — was defaced at its namesake university following the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children at a former school in Kamloops. It prompted a fresh wave of calls for the university to change its name and scrap the statue.
Similar calls for the government to fund an Indigenous-led survey of all former school sites are swirling around Queen’s Park this week, with NDP critic SOL MAMAKWA leading the charge. (The PCs committed to such a survey, but details are scant.)
The Speaker’s office agreed to move the bust to a less conspicuous location on the third floor, but it wasn’t immediately clear where the portrait wound up.
Background: Speaker TED ARNOTT is reviewing all statues on the grounds after Sir John A. Macdonald was defaced on the south lawn during BLM protests last summer.
More hints for an earlier reopening: Ontario could trigger Step 1 — patio dining and non-essential retail shopping included — before June 14 as planned. Health Minister CHRISTINE ELLIOTT intimated that could happen “a few days earlier” but not quite “a week” ahead of schedule.
June 11 is the tentative date that’s floating around PC circles. But top doc DAVID WILLIAMS poured cold water on the notion, pointing to a recent uptick in Covid cases driven by variants and “less promising” data after the May Two-Four long weekend. “Let’s hope we can turn that around fairly assertively and see if the numbers drop and then we’ll have some better answers for the Premier and Minister next week.”
Williams also dismissed Ford’s student-inspired outdoor graduation plan for all grades, echoing school boards in saying that’s a “major undertaking” at this point.
HAPPENING TODAY
— At 1:30 p.m.: Lieutenant Governor ELIZABETH DOWDESWELL will present the James Bartleman award to six Indigenous youth during a virtual ceremony.
— The House is not in session — and won’t be until after the summer recess on September 13.
— AROUND THE PRECINCT: A small rally for the reopening of schools will take place on the south lawn this afternoon.
MAKING HEADLINES
— Fodder for the cabinet shuffle rumour mill: Pressed on buzz that he’s about to shake up his executive council, Premier DOUG FORD insisted he’s never “seen a better group of ministers, better caucus anywhere.” He went on to tell the House: “I’ve been in politics some 30-odd years, and I’ve never seen a better team.” Later on, House Leader PAUL CALANDRA also downplayed the chatter, saying he’s happy to serve in any portfolio. Calandra also reiterated what he told me earlier this week, that he’s optimistic the Legislature will be back to normal in September.
— BLUE BOX UPSHOT: Single-use products like plastic and paper cups and straws will be accepted as part of an expanded blue box recycling program that’s shifting costs away from municipalities and over to waste producers. Environment Minister JEFF YUREK announced the finalized changes as part of a long-studied overhaul, which will standardize what goes into blue bins across each municipality (except the Far North). But the plan — which will roll out from 2023 to 2025 — has been criticized for having too-low diversion targets and reporting requirements, which were reduced from earlier proposals.
— As expected, folks who got AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine for their first dose will have three options for their booster starting Friday: Pfizer, Moderna, or AZ.
— “Brief hugs” get the all-clear: Life in long-term care is cracking open as of June 9, thanks to high immunization rates and improved public health indicators. Fully-immunized seniors will be able to leave for day and overnight trips, while those with serious health conditions or mobility issues can have a general visitor indoors, beyond an essential caregiver. Physical contact such as handholding is also A-OK, as long as both the resident and visitor have received two doses.
SPOTTED:
— Premier DOUG FORD on a photo-op tour of the CAA Centre “Hockey Hub” mass vaccination site, run by Peel Public Health and Bruce Power, in an NHL-sized rink.
— Environment Minister JEFF YUREK hosting an $825-a-ticket Zoom fundraiser for the PC Party last night.
— A parody Twitter account for ARTHUR, the province’s most powerful lobbyist and student who convinced the premier to push for outdoor graduation ceremonies after they confabbed in his Etobicoke backyard.
BIGGEST MPP SPENDERS
Expense reports are in. Here’s which MPPs spent the most on the commute to and from Queen’s Park, office rent, communications and more:
Most expensive commute: Unsurprisingly, the MPP representing the northernmost riding, SOL MAMAKWA (Kiiwetinoong) with $25,575.
Most expensive accommodations in Toronto: A five-way tie between Ministers JEFF YUREK, GREG RICKFORD, LISA MACLEOD, MERRILEE FULLERTON and DOUG DOWNEY, who spent $29,207 each. In all, MPPs billed more than $1.7 million to stay in the 416.
Biggest support staff budget: New Democrat GUY BOURGOUIN, the MPP for far north riding Mushkegowuk—James Bay, with $263,044.
Priciest constituency office rent: Heritage Minister and Nepean MPP LISA MACLEOD at $71,157.
Biggest spend on office communications: Colleges and Universities Minister ROSS ROMANO (Sault Ste. Marie), with $84,521.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
— The Liberals acclaimed their 2022 candidate in Spadina—Fort York last night: CHI NGUYEN, described as a “community builder” who’s worked at several social and charitable organizations. Another “community development champion” was nominated to run for the NDP: ERIN HORVATH in Parry Sound—Muskoka, who established a local co-working centre and is working on a PhD in ethics and social entrepreneurship.
— MARK BAXTER, of the Brantford Police Association, has been elected president of the Police Association of Ontario and will immediately begin his three-year term, taking up the mantle from BRUCE CHAPMAN.
QUESTION PERIOD
And that’s a wrap! After skipping out on many a debate this session, Premier DOUG FORD was in the House for a feisty final Question Period.
Ford threw shade at NDP Leader ANDREA HORWATH (“Sitting in the bleachers, throwing sniper shots, she has done absolutely nothing during the pandemic”) and MPP TARAS NATYSHAK — a common foil who tends to get a rise out of Ford (who called him the “temporary member [for Essex] because we’re going to change that next election”). Horwath and Natyshak were chided by Speaker TED ARNOTT for calling out Ford’s absences — (“This is the first time this Premier has actually shown up to the field in a long time”) — which is against the Standing Order rulebook.
THE HIGHLIGHTS: Is there anyone in our schools who actually approves of this Premier’s scheme? — Public inquiry into Covid response — Why has the Premier lost confidence in his team of all-stars? — Where is the air conditioning? — Metrics for normalcy…Why not resign now, Premier? — Pushing the feds to drop legal battle with residential school survivors — Why wasn’t there a plan for schools? — Repeal Bill 124 — Bring in $10-a-day child care — “Stretch goal:” Mandate lower auto insurance rates in the 905 — Infrastructure PA has private holdings in Sienna and Chartwell — Thanks and farewell from the Speaker.
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Patrick Harris, Rubicon Strategy: Heddle Marine Services Inc.
— Jan O'Driscoll, Rubicon Strategy: The Ontario Pipe Trades Council
— Leslie Liversidge, L.A. Liversidge LL.B.: Construction Employers Coalition on WSIB Health and Safety Prevention
— Katrina Trantau, Grosso McCarthy: Belvedere Heights
— Rick Roth, Global Public Affairs: Canadian Life Settlements Inc.
— Andrew Retfalvi, Global Public Affairs: Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical Inc.
— Jim Burnett, Pathway Group: theScore Inc.
— Peter Curtis, Pathway Group: School Bus Ontario
— Kyle Sholes and Kailey Vokes, StrategyCorp: Colleges Ontario
— Aidan Grove-White and Kailey Vokes, StrategyCorp: City Of Burlington
— Kailey Vokes, StrategyCorp: McKesson Canada
— Plamen Petkov, Maple Leaf Strategies: Altis Excel Inc.
— Christopher Froggatt, Loyalist Public Affairs: LifeLabs
— Dan Mader and Jared Burke, Loyalist Public Affairs: Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association
— Jamie Crawford-Ritchie, Navigator: Fidelity Investments Canada ULC
— Michael Diamond, Upstream Strategy Group: Beef Farmers of Ontario
— Patrick Lavelle-Tuns, Endgame Strategies: Trillium Power Wind Corporation
— Jason Park, Devine Park LLP: Tridel Corporation
— Chad Rogers, Crestview Strategy: Tilray Inc.
IN-HOUSE ORGANIZATIONS: Ontario Energy Association — Canadian Snowbird Association — Canadian Microelectronics Corporation.
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY (ON SATURDAY): PC MPP GILA MARTOW (Thornhill)…NDP MPP JENNIFER FRENCH (Oshawa)…Canadian Press reporter PAOLA LORIGGIO…
ANNIVERSARY: NDP MPP JEFF BURCH (Niagara Centre) and wife LINDA.
What do you think about Ryerson getting removed from Horwath’s corner? Who should be next to go or stay put? I want to hear from you! Reach out to sabrina@qpobserver.ca, or just reply to this email.