Welcome to a whirlwind session
Everything you need to know and then some as the House comes back to life
Presented by the Ontario Professional Planners Institute
ABOVE THE FOLD
We’re back! One hundred and thirty-seven days later, the House is creaking back to life. Buckle up, because it’s going to be a whirlwind session. Before we dig into how the day is shaping up, here’s what politically savvy folks are watching for.
LARYSSA WALER, former executive director of communications to the Premier who’s launched her own public affairs firm Henley Strategies, says we can expect DOUG FORD to flex his government’s achievements — something he started doing during this unofficial campaign summer.
“The Premier is very, very popular. I think they’re doing all the right things; they’re responding to the mood of the population, especially outside of Toronto,” Waler says.
While Ford may be sitting pretty in the polls, there’s still room for mistakes. “The challenge for them is to stay disciplined — except, they are disciplined. They are very focused on the things that they’re focused on. They don’t tend to get sucked into debates that they don’t want to be sucked into.”
One thing that won’t pose much of a challenge for the PCs is the Opposition, Waler contends. “The Liberals and the NDP have not figured out the glaring truth that people like Doug Ford. They keep running these attack ads and they keep positioning themselves as though they’re running against this boogeyman, or this effigy that doesn’t exist, and they are limiting themselves to a voter pool of people who don’t like Doug Ford — and that pool isn’t very big.”
As for the possibility of an early election, Waler says the sooner the better. “My advice would be go as as soon as you can. It’s in the PCs interest to go anytime…So, it’s what do I think they would do versus what do I think they should do: I think they should go this fall. But what I think they will do is probably go after the spring budget.”
In the Opposition corner…
ASHLEY CSANADY, former staffer to then-Liberal Premier KATHLEEN WYNNE and current VP at McMillan Vantage, says it’s clear DOUG FORD is “going to continue to govern by polling.”
“He’s also still just so obsessed with fighting battles he lost at Toronto City Hall. The fact his first order of business is to meddle in municipal politics — again! — speaks volumes. I get the frustration with gridlock — it’s real and I live it like everyone else in Toronto. But to suggest the people of Ontario care more about bike lanes than their local ER closing is absurd.”
As for Liberal captain BONNIE CROMBIE, Csanady says she needs to focus on tackling “the real problem in people’s lives,” like the fact that 2.5 million folks are without a family physician. Crombie would also do well to keep “Ford’s failures” front and centre for the electorate, Csanady added, pointing to Crombie’s press conference last week that called out the PCs “$2-billion mega spa mega scam.”
“We need the people of Ontario to see that Ford is only in it for his rich friends and insiders,” Csanady said.
“When Ford was trying to bribe people with their own money, Bonnie teased a real middle class tax cut. That’s the kind of centrist Liberal leadership we need to see so that the party can get ready to take on Ford and win, whenever he decides to call an unnecessary early election to serve his own interests and no one else’s.”
Veteran NDP comms pro ERIN MORRISON, who worked for then-leader ANDREA HORWATH and is now deputy chief of staff to federal captain JAGMEET SINGH, said MARIT STILES is in a strong position coming into the session.
“Stiles and the NDP used the break wisely. They turned the heat up on Ford on things like his luxury spa…they got her out on the road to meet people, and they released an ad campaign to re-introduce Stiles. With that, they’re tackling their biggest enemy: Stiles’ lack of name recognition. And they’re doing it with some flair — the commercials are energizing and fun. Including the line ‘I want a Premier who gives a damn’ sets a tone that’s very much Stiles’ style — blunt and real.”
Morrison said the NDP’s trick in Question Period will be to contrast Ford’s priorities — like the Therme deal for Ontario Place and 401 tunnel — with that of the NDP’s — things like health care, housing and education.
“Stiles left the last session accusing Ford of ‘corruption’ and right before coming back for the fall she requested that the Integrity Commissioner look into the spa deal and whether there was favouritism or bias in how it was awarded. I think this shows the NDP is not backing down on their concerns that Ford is cooking up deals that aren’t solely driven by what’s best for Ontarians.”
HAPPENING TODAY
8 a.m.: PC TYLER ALLSOPP will be sworn in after winning the Bay of Quinte byelection. Critics aren’t happy Allsopp was already named Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care, which comes with a pay bump.
FLOOR PLAN — This summer saw a cabinet shuffle, byelection and MPP ouster, and that means a new seating chart in the chamber. Check out who’s on the front bench, the PC “rump” and the Independents’ corner.
8:30 a.m.: Energy Minister STEPHEN LECCE, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister PAUL CALANDRA, and Associate Minister of Energy Intensive Industries SAM OOSTERHOFF are making an announcement in Toronto.
9 a.m.: Liberals BONNIE CROMBIE, JOHN FRASER and ADIL SHAMJI are in the Media Studio to talk about the “declining state of health care.”
9:30 a.m.: NDP Leader MARIT STILES follows, to talk about her priorities for the session.
1:45 p.m.: Transportation Minister PRABMEET SARKARIA and TODD McCARTHY, who is also acting as Environment Minister while ANDREA KHANJIN is on parental leave (scooped here), will discussed their newly tabled legislation (more on that momentarily).
FUNDRAISING WATCH
5:30 p.m.: The PCs are hosting a $1,000-a-plate event in Toronto. There’s no ministerial lineup, so — you guessed it! — DOUG FORD could show. RSVP.
6:30 p.m.: BONNIE CROMBIE is on her home turf in Mississauga-Lakeshore with Liberal supporters who cough up $250. Featuring candidate LIZ MENDES. Invite.
A message from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute:
OPPI’s diverse membership of Registered Professional Planners (RPPs) are eager to partner with the province to further improve the planning system and tackle Ontario’s housing crisis.
Good planning leads to more equitable and sustainable communities with the infrastructure that Ontario’s growing population needs. RPPs are the experts who plan complete communities, connecting homes, parks, transit, schools, and other services while meeting long-term goals like addressing the housing shortage, preparing for climate change, and improving overall health and wellbeing.
Let’s work together to further improve the planning system and create the communities Ontarians deserve. Learn more about OPPI and RPPs here.
ON THE ORDER PAPER
Strap in: There are just seven sitting weeks to go until MPPs rise for the winter recess on December 12, and three weeks until the constituency week break on November 11.
First up: MPPs kick off the fall session with the national and royal anthems, then get right into it with Question Period around 10:30 a.m.
What MARIT STILES will ask: The Official Opposition leader is raring to go. One well-placed source texted me that “you can bet there will be some questions about how much time and $ is being wasted” by the Ford government “on shady vanity projects” while ignoring “the real issues.” Expect that complaint to Integrity Commish J. DAVID WAKE re: allegations of “preferential treatment” and “irregularities” in the Therme deal to feature prominently. Ditto aging school infrastructure and the Greenbelt investigation.
Her caucus will hammer the PCs on the Wilmot situation (read on for more), the ever elusive Eglinton LRT, home-care supply shortages, DriveTest fraud, and licensing for truck drivers.
The debate takes shape: Across the aisle, it’s Transportation Minister PRABMEET SARKARIA’s big day. At least one of his omnibus packages will hit the Clerk’s table this afternoon, the Reducing Gridlock and Saving You Time Act, which will flesh out the fine print for the bike-lane ban, among other things.
Also: Bill 197, Sarkaria’s spring legislation that cracks down on carjackers, impaired motorists and stunt drivers, is slated for second reading.
It’s all part of the Ford government’s motorist-friendly, populist-minded pitch that would appeal to suburban electors in vote-rich ridings.
ON THE COMMITTEE CIRCUIT
12:30 p.m.: Committees kick off with a bang. NDPer CATHERINE FIFE will move her motion calling on Public Accounts to conduct a special audit into the farmland expropriation situation in Wilmot. Specifically: Fife wants too look into “the value-for-money of the Wilmot Township Industrial Land assembly, including whether the provincial government's decisions have been consistent with provincial plans, policies, laws, and the statutory responsibility under section 2(b) of the Planning Act to protect the province's agricultural resources.”
1 p.m.: The committee goes in camera to draft reports re: the Auditor General’s review of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp, and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority.
COCKTAIL CHATTER
Receptions are back in full swing, too. The Ontario Medical Association is serving up lunch and policy talk in Room 228. Icebreaker: They’ve launched a six-point “Stop the Crisis” campaign to help address health-system strain and shortages. In the evening, Kerry’s Place Autism Services takes over, while the Association of Ontario Midwives is hosting in the Dining Room.
Save the date — Speaker TED ARNOTT’s annual wine tasting event goes down Wednesday. MPPs and staff can sample vintages from across the province, vote for their favourite, and the winning red and white will be served in the Legislature’s Dining Room during the session.
🧁 Let them eat cupcakes: I’ve got your sugar fix! Come by Room 476 on the fourth floor of the east wing to catch up, vent about your political opponents (and your bosses), or just to slip an anonymous brown envelope under the door.
CLIPPINGS
— MAYORS MAKE IT OFFICIAL: “Ontario Big City Mayors are asking the province to review mental-health laws and whether to expand the scope of involuntary treatment for people who are addicted to drugs and live on the streets.” The Canadian Press has the latest.
— STRIKE WATCH: Also from CP, OPSEU, “the union representing faculty at Ontario’s 24 public colleges says its members have delivered a strong strike mandate.”
— ON THE CASE: “Human rights expert PATRICK CASE has been tasked with looking into troubles at the Toronto public school board after students as young as eight were taken on a field trip that ended up with them taking part in a protest” by Grassy Narrows First Nation at Queen’s Park, that also saw some pro-Palestine groups tag along. The Star has the story.
— SPEECH CRASHERS: BONNIE CROMBIE crashed DOUG FORD’s Empire Club speech last week and gave her verdict in this social media clip. It’s a two thumbs-down for Crombie.
Sponsored by the Ontario Professional Planners Institute
Here’s how planners can help Ontario meet its ambitious housing goals
The Observer is speaking with stakeholders from around the province to learn about the causes that are important to them and how Ontario’s decision-makers can help. Here, we chat with CLAIRE BASINSKI, chair of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, about ways to improve the planning system to help meet the province’s housing targets.
Tell us about the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) and its members. We’re the recognized voice of Ontario’s planning profession with over 5,000 members. OPPI grants the Registered Professional Planners (RPP) designation, governs member standards, provides training and education, and promotes best practices in planning.
Registered Professional Planners are planning experts with a critical role in creating great communities in rural, remote, urban, and suburban areas. RPPs specialize in a range of areas including environment, transportation, accessibility, heritage, Indigenous, and land-use planning, working in the private, public, or nonprofit sectors.
OPPI is eager to offer the expertise of our membership to the province so we can further improve the planning process and plan great communities together.
What does an RPP do in their day-to-day work? RPPs can work in a variety of sectors, but at its core, the job is about planning complete communities that consider the long-term and short-term needs of residents. It’s important that we plan communities thoughtfully, so people have access to the amenities that are important to them, and we make communities an enjoyable place to live, work, go to school, and spend free time.
If there is a park you visit near your house, a road network you use to connect to shops and amenities, or a bike trail you enjoy for getting in a healthy activity, these are all examples of some of the things that an RPP had a role in creating.
At the same time, RPPs also help to address larger policy priorities like building more housing, improving the health of residents, increasing accessibility, protecting farmland, and achieving sustainability goals.
As RPPs, we believe that planning should reflect the diversity of Ontario communities, and that’s why public consultation plays an important role in what we do. Our work focuses on gathering feedback from the community and working to ensure all voices and priorities are heard.
How can OPPI help improve the planning process to support the province’s housing goals? As an organization, OPPI is proactively looking for ways we can further improve the planning system. Most recently, we convened a committee of our members to develop a set of recommendations to increase efficiency and improve outcomes of the planning process. This included how we can help to directly address the housing crisis, by finding smart ways to ensure that more homes can get built.
We’d be happy to share our latest recommendations with provincial stakeholders and walk them through our thinking so we can work together on important priorities. Please contact chair@ontarioplanners.ca.
Tell us more about the 12 recommendations and how they help improve the planning process. At a high-level, the recommendations help bring more efficiency to the planning process so that people can enjoy new housing, services, and parks faster. The process is important, but as the experts who work with it everyday, RPPs have helpful suggestions on how we can improve the planning system.
Our recommendations work to achieve the following five themes. You can read more details about all 12 recommendations here.
Timely & Focused Development Approvals: Accelerates development approvals through increased delegation, financial incentives, improved coordination and management, and policy stability.
Promoting Flexible Policies: Promotes flexible legislation and municipal collaboration to ensure zoning and Official Plans are forward looking and support the province’s future growth.
Improving Data & Transparency: Ensures planning data is made public to support more evidence-based research and decision making, while also providing funding to planning departments to ensure they have the resources to meet all reporting obligations.
Creating a Chief Planner of Ontario: Creates a non-partisan Chief Planner of Ontario who would advocate for greater transparency and accountability, advance key provincial housing priorities, and provide municipality oversight for provincial planning policy.
Capacity Building: Invites collaboration with Government Ministries and Industry Partners to create strategies to address the shortage of planners across Ontario and develop an ongoing training program for planners on recent provincial planning policy changes.
What are the two most important recommendations you would like readers to take away? Two key recommendations stand out as immediate next steps to accelerate Ontario’s housing goals.
Recommendation #1: “Delegation of Technical Approvals” under the theme “Timely & Focused Development Approvals” is a gamechanger. By delegating more decision making to expert Registered Professional Planner planning staff, we can speed up the development approval process without sacrificing expert review of each application.
Recommendation #7: “As-of-Right Zoning” under theme “Promoting Flexible Policies” would also help the province get shovels in the ground faster. The province made progress with Bill 23 which required zoning updates in Major Transit Areas, but we can go further by updating zoning in Strategic Growth Areas to achieve housing targets faster.
Let’s work together. Learn more about OPPI and RPPs here.
CLIPPINGS CONTINUED…
— ANNE MARIE AIKINS TELLS ALL: “I spent 12 years as the public voice of Metrolinx. This is the real reason our megaprojects keep going off the rails.” Via the Star.
— CLIMATE KIDS GET ACTION: “Ontario’s top court has ordered a new hearing for a youth-led constitutional challenge of the provincial government’s emissions target.” More from the Canadian Press: “The Ontario Court of Appeal’s ruling sends the case back to the lower court for a new hearing. It found the lower court judge’s analysis was flawed on some key points and the case raised important issues that should be considered afresh…Young people were arguing Ontario’s weakened emissions target violates their Charter rights.”
— OMG NDA: “Your lawyer could be under investigation for sexual misconduct against clients. Why won’t Ontario’s law society tell you?” More from the Star: “A law society committee has recommended improving its ‘outdated’ disclosure policies that put clients at risk.”
— UP IN SMOKE: “Tobacco companies set to pay $32.5-billion in landmark Canadian legal settlement…$7.1-billion is for Ontario,” via the Globe.
POLL WATCH
At the Clamshell…Fresh numbers from Liaison Strategies puts ex-mayoral contender and right-wing pundit ANTHONY FUREY over TDSB trustee RACHEL CHERNOS LIN in the race to replace the late JAYE ROBINSON in Don Valley West.
“Among decided voters Anthony Furey is leading by 5 points over Rachel Chernos Lin, 38% to 33% with LESLEY STOYAN the only other candidate to crack double digits (11%). SAM ROBINSON, son of late councillor Jaye Robinson, is in fourth with 6%,” said pollster DAVID VALENTIN.
Queen’s Park has some skin in the game when it comes to the Don Valley West byelection. Chernos Lin has been backed by ex-Premier KATHLEEN WYNNE, who used to represent the riding, as well as her successor, Liberal STEPHANIE BOWMAN. Wynne had worked behind the scenes in an attempt to head off vote splitting among the progressive candidates. The Star had that story.
Tories are spinning it thusly: “Left divided and right united.” That’s what one PC government staffer had to say about the situation, noting Grit operatives were split between the three liberal-connected candidates, while PCs, including staff, rallied behind Furey.
Case in point: STEPHEN LECCE was out on the stump.
A message from the Ontario Retirement Communities Association:
A group of health care, senior living, and real estate organizations are calling on the Ontario government to enhance its current Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit to help more seniors receive the right care in the right place. With Ontario’s 80+ population set to double between 2030 and 2040, enhancing the credit will ensure that the seniors of today and tomorrow live and receive care in their homes and communities longer and give them choice — saving long-term care homes and hospitals for Ontarians who need them most. To learn more and view the supporting research visit: seniorstaxcredit.ca
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
CANDIDATE TRACKER — More contenders are joining the ticket: PCs NOLAN QUINN (Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry)…SAM OOSTERHOFF (Niagara West)…ANDREW DOWIE (Windsor-Tecumseh)…NDPers JENNIE STEVENS (St. Catharines)…PEGGY SATTLER (London West)…JENNIFER FRENCH (Oshawa)…And non-incumbent alert: GEMMA GREY-HALL (Windsor-Tecumseh)…Liberal DOROTHY NORONHA (Northumberland-Peterborough South). Get the rest.
Over in the capital: “Former Ottawa city councillor and 2022 mayoral candidate CATHERINE McKENNEY has announced they want to represent Ottawa Centre for the Ontario New Democratic Party,” replacing JOEL HARDEN, who’s headed for the Hill.
LOBBY LIST
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations since Friday:
Cody Mallette, Atlas Strategic Advisors: Scale Hospitality Group Inc.
Sam Galea, McMillan Vantage: Robotics Centre, Inc
Dylan Brenneman, Santis Health: Breast Cancer Canada
Jessica Georgakopoulos, Sussex Strategy Group: Porter Airlines Inc., Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation
Bliss Baker, Sussex Strategy Group: Royalpark Homes
Francesca Grosso and Michael McCarthy, Grosso McCarthy: Medavie Inc.
Peter Van Loan, Aird & Berlis: Argo TFP, Sifton Properties Limited, Belmont Equity Partners Inc.
Jerry Khouri, Al MacDermid and Leanna Karremans, Pathway Group: Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses
Stefano Hollands, Crestview Strategy: Nokia Canada Inc.
Patrick Harris, Rubicon Strategy: Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc.
Sarah Letersky, Rubicon Strategy: Innovative Medicines Canada
Tim Smitheman, Rubicon Strategy: Joint Electrical Promotion Plan, Maplebear Inc. (d/b/a Instacart)
Mustapha Khamissa, Rubicon Strategy: Sheridan College
In-house organizations: Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians — Notarius: a Portage Cybertech Company.
🎊 WEEKEND WEDDING: On Saturday, ALEXANDRA ADAMO, deputy chief of staff to the Health Minister and Deputy Premier, tied the knot with LUCA CAMPAGNA, deputy chief of staff to the Transportation Minister. PC front-benchers and top staffers were spotted toasting the couple. Congrats!
🍽️ LUNCH SPECIAL: Butter chicken with rice and vegetables is on tap in the basement cafeteria.
⏳ COUNTDOWN: T-minus 9 days until the Fall Economic Statement…52 days until the winter recess.