Will these MPPs jump from the Pink Palace to the Clamshell?
Also: Fresh stag and doe dirt as Ford doubles down, Mike Harris Jr.'s next move, staffing up at Treasury Board and Mental Health, PC puts a ring on it, a special milestone and lots more
ABOVE THE FOLD
Lots of #onpoli action over the weekend.
The latest: A visibly agitated Premier DOUG FORD was on the defensive over his developer pals’ attendance at his daughter’s stag and doe, while fresh details emerged on the spiked story that led two reporters to quit in protest.
But first: Cue the speculation over who could replace JOHN TORY as Toronto’s next strong mayor — including some familiar faces around Queen’s Park.
Why it matters: The Ford government has skin in the game. Whoever takes over from Tory will get strong mayor powers, which the province granted in order to spur housing construction. Naturally, the PCs at Queen’s Park are paying close attention to the race and are encouraging folks who align with their policies to make a bid.
As one insider put it, the PCs are worried about a more “left-leaning” and therefore “unpredictable” candidate getting elected because it could upend their ambitious housing promises.
Here’s who could be on the ticket:
STAN CHO — Both Grits and Tories are pumping up the Ford government’s Associate Transportation Minister and two-term MPP for Willowdale. Rumours that Cho could make a mayoral bid in 2026 have been swirling around for a while, but with Tory’s abrupt departure, the situation is gaining steam. Sources close to Cho tell me he’s making calls and meeting with potential supporters of all political stripes — but it’s not a done deal yet.
MICHAEL COTEAU — The Queen’s Park alumni, now federal MP’s phone has been blowing up since Tory’s shocking announcement. The longtime Don Valley East rep has already been approached by Grits and Tories alike — and he’s pretty palatable to the Ford government operatives I spoke with. Despite being a Liberal, the PCs like Coteau because he doesn’t “drink the Kool-Aid” like some other Liberals and is seen as someone who can work across party lines, said one source.
MITZIE HUNTER — The veteran Scarborough—Guildwood MPP and former minister isn’t ruling out a mayoral bid — and while not impossible, that could complicate her potential run for Ontario Liberal leader. Hunter and Tory go way back — they’ve been close ever since he appointed her head of CivicAction over a decade ago — so expect the dust to settle before Hunter makes anything official.
BHUTILA KARPOCHE — The two-term NDP MPP for Parkdale—High Park could throw a wrench in the PCs vision for the city. As someone who is opposed to many of the Ford government’s housing policies — in particular, the lack of more support for renters and affordable units — Karpoche could shake things up big time as a strong mayor. Plenty of progressive-minded folks are asking Karpoche to run, and while she’s still considering it, she believes the city needs a “change of direction,” per TVO.
Beyond Queen’s Park, plenty of other names are being floated for mayor, including federal MP AHMED HUSSEN, urbanist and distant mayoral runner-up GIL PENALOSA, and councillor BRAD BRADFORD — who has already been approached by PC operatives to run.
A byelection to replace Tory is expected as soon as May.
Speaking of MPPs who might jump into another political arena: Word on the street is MIKE HARRIS JR. (Kitchener—Conestoga) could make a bid for a federal seat. Perhaps inadvertently, Harris got the rumour mill churning again with a visit to the House of Commons.
FOR BETTER OR WORSE — A noticeably irked Premier DOUG FORD got testy with reporters on Friday as questions and criticism mount over revelations that developers and lobbyists attended the stag and doe for his daughter’s wedding.
Ford called the questions “ridiculous” and insisted it was a “private family situation.” He also seemed to double down, noting two of his other daughters are tying the knot this summer and that he’d be happy to share the guest list.
“I know the difference of what we should or shouldn’t do,” he said at an unrelated presser. “Our family has been in politics for 30 years — we know tens of thousands of people — and I went to the integrity commissioner. He cleared it 1,000 per cent, not 999 — 1000 per cent.”
But according to Global News, which broke the bombshell story, some Conservatives felt uncomfortable and that their attendance amounted to “pay for play.”
More juicy nuggets: Remember our scoop on the reporter who quit QP Briefing in protest after their similar story was spiked by ownership? That’s now been published in the Star. Upshot: Ford also dined with developers at his daughter’s wedding.
MEANWHILE, SPOTTED: A video circulating of RON TAVERNER — Ford’s cop pal who was controversially appointed OPP commissioner, then backed off amid an integrity commissioner investigation — showing him popping champagne at another summer event for Ford’s daughter’s wedding.
The actual announcement: Ford was in Oshweken alongside Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND to announce a new battery storage facility. The pair, who have a friendly relationship, sang the other’s praises — but they didn’t offer any new details on the status of the health care funding proposal from the feds.
The premiers meet today to discuss the deal.
WE DID IT! — Queen’s Park Observer’s scoop on the spiked article about Ford’s daughter’s wedding that led two reporters to quit in protest is now our most popular story. Since it broke on Friday, our story has been viewed a record 36,000+ times — and counting! Thank you for reading, sharing and supporting my work — this newsletter wouldn’t be possible without subscribers like you.
HAPPENING TODAY
— 9:30 a.m.: NDPers JOEL HARDEN and JILL ANDREW are in the Media Studio to call on the Ford government to provide extended operating funding for public transit, “rather than pouring money into P3s.” Also on hand: The president of the ATU 113 union and the director of partnerships at Black Urbanism Toronto.
— 11:30 a.m.: PHIL VERSTER, Metrolinx president and CEO, addresses the Empire Club over lunch. The theme: “Progress on Transit Expansion in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.” Invite.
ON THE COMMITTEE CIRCUIT — 10 a.m.: The pre-budget consultation tour continues as the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs heads to Barrie. On the witness roster: the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Conservation Ontario, Ontario Sheep Farmers, Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy, and more. Full lineup.
IN OTHER NEWS…
— PAY TO OPERATE: “Private clinics across Canada are advertising to prospective patients that within weeks they can get surgeries that typically take six months or more under provincial health plans. The price for a single hip or knee replacement runs in the range of $20,000 to $28,000, depending on the clinic.” CBC reports.
— 911: “As Ontario’s health-care crisis intensified, the province was asked to double down on a policy created more than a decade ago to reduce how long ambulances are stuck in emergency rooms…[But] documents prepared for Ontario’s minister of health in the summer of 2022 show that, instead of improving, the situation worsened dramatically in the decade that followed.” Global News has the story.
— BURNED OUT: “Three years after the Ontario government threw open the doors to retail pot shops and sparked a boom that blanketed many parts of the province with cannabis retailers, January marked the first month not a single new store opened its doors to the public.” Per the Globe: “It’s the latest sign that a reckoning may be coming to an industry where expectations outpaced the market for legal marijuana.”
— POP CAN TAX: “An organization backed by some of the largest food and beverage companies in Canada is set to impose a new recycling fee on Ontario consumers, according to documents obtained by the Star — a move made possible by a new recycling system introduced by DOUG FORD’s provincial government.”
— JOB NUMBERS: StatsCan dropped its monthly jobs data report, showing Ontario’s unemployment rate was virtually unchanged in January, clocking in at 5.2 per cent, down 0.1 percentage points from December. The breakdown.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
First in Queen’s Park Observer — STAFFING UP: CINDY LEE is now senior manager of stakeholder relations and appointments to Treasury Board President PRABMEET SARKARIA.
— Associate Mental Health Minister MICHAEL TIBOLLO has poached a new director of policy from Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development Minister GREG RICKFORD: DREW MAHARAJ.
SPOTTED II:
Politicos paying respects to the late HAZEL MCCALLION as she lay in state at Mississauga City Hall over the weekend, including Premier DOUG FORD, Ministers STEVE CLARK and KALEED RASHEED and current Mayor (and oft-rumoured Liberal leadership contender) BONNIE CROMBIE…McCallion also got the New York Times treatment…Hard hat alert! Liberal TED HSU and fellow MPPs on the committee studying renovations at the Leg trek to Ottawa to glean lessons from the Centre Block makeover…This reporter’s attempt at Labour Minister MONTE MCNAUGHTON’s trademarked “Homemade Double Smash Cheeseburger” (Get the recipe):
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations since Friday:
Davin Shinedling and Jonathan Lesarge, Jenni Byrne + Associates: Toronto Centre for Medical Imaging
Peter Seemann, Grassroots Public Affairs: Association of Canadian Distillers
Sam MacMillan, Enterprise Canada: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association
Yara Salama, Policy Concepts: Heart Valve Voice Canada
Alex Armanious, Danya Vered and Kelly Baker, StrategyCorp: A Way Home Canada
Brian Teefy, Kyle Sholes and Alex Armanious, StrategyCorp: Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association
Carlo Oliviero, Edelman Global Advisory: Pure Storage, ServiceNow, Cisco Systems Canada, Oracle Corp.
In-house organizations: sanofi-aventis Canada — Whirlpool Canada — Notarius; a Portage Cybertech Company.
💍 HAPPY ENGAGEMENT: MATTHEW RAE, rookie MPP for Perth—Wellington, who proposed to MEGHAN THOMSON over the weekend. She said yes!
⌛ COUNTDOWN: T-minus 4 days until the Premier has to call a byelection in Hamilton Centre…8 days until the House reconvenes…46 days until the budget is legally due out.
