Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

[PinkLucy]

That's our Doug, Mr. Everyman. PM comes for lunch, and you head to your local Pizza Nova. He's such a poser.

 

[wopchop]

That's our Doug, Mr. Everyman. PM comes for lunch, and you head to your local Pizza Nova. He's such a poser.

Should check if Primucci had a table at the wedding

 

[Northern Light]

Should check if Primucci had a table at the wedding

Ok. for the uninitiated I must elaborate on Wopchop's comment.

The Primucci family are the owners of the Pizza Nova chain.

 

[wopchop]

Ok. for the uninitiated I must elaborate on Wopchop's comment.

The Primucci family are the owners of the Pizza Nova chain.

Hah, sorry! I only know because of the commercial. "Hi, I'm Dominic Primucci!"

 

[Sauga89]

I'm not sure if there's a better place to put this, but in today's Mississauga city council meeting, Mayor Carolyn Parrish claimed someone (presumably from the province) had called her to offer to remove Mississauga from Peel region, and have Brampton and Caledon form their own municipality. The catch she said, was that they wanted to remove both the airport and Malton from Mississauga, and add them to Brampton. Parrish said she had broken down both the city's and the region's tax revenue by source, and found a big chunk of it comes from Malton.

Parrish was not happy with the proposal and said that Mississauga pays 59% of the region's tax revenue, but isn't getting the benefit it should from that.

"We're not giving up the airport. We're not giving up Malton, and I think we've got to start fighting harder with the amount that we're putting in. We're going to go back at the roads, we're going to go back at the waste, and we're going to go back at everything that we can hit, to try and make things easier on our taxpayers. The region of Peel is wonderful for Caledon, and wonderful for Brampton, but not so wonderful for our taxpayers."

Malton's councillor, Natalie Hart, was also upset.

"Malton is not for sale. Just like the rest of Canada, we're staying where we are."

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

This would of been far better received if they didn't make such ridiculous and untenable conditions...

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

I'm not sure if there's a better place to put this, but in today's Mississauga city council meeting, Mayor Carolyn Parrish claimed someone (presumably from the province) had called her to offer to remove Mississauga from Peel region, and have Brampton and Caledon form their own municipality. The catch she said, was that they wanted to remove both the airport and Malton from Mississauga, and add them to Brampton. Parrish said she had broken down both the city's and the region's tax revenue by source, and found a big chunk of it comes from Malton.

Parrish was not happy with the proposal and said that Mississauga pays 59% of the region's tax revenue, but isn't getting the benefit it should from that.

"We're not giving up the airport. We're not giving up Malton, and I think we've got to start fighting harder with the amount that we're putting in. We're going to go back at the roads, we're going to go back at the waste, and we're going to go back at everything that we can hit, to try and make things easier on our taxpayers. The region of Peel is wonderful for Caledon, and wonderful for Brampton, but not so wonderful for our taxpayers."

Malton's councillor, Natalie Hart, was also upset.

"Malton is not for sale. Just like the rest of Canada, we're staying where we are."

Why if "Toronto Pearson Airport" is prefixed "Toronto", why is it not part of the City of Toronto? Maybe the City of Toronto should annex Pearson?

 

[Richard White]

Why if "Toronto Pearson Airport" is prefixed "Toronto", why is it not part of the City of Toronto? Maybe the City of Toronto should annex Pearson?

Because Toronto is the larger city.

Nobody knows where or what Mississauga is. If you call is Mississauga International Airport you would confuse alot of people.

No we cannot annex Mississauga.

 

[zang]

Nobody knows where or what Mississauga is. If you call is Mississauga International Airport you would confuse alot of people.

But it was Malton Airport up until 1984, and there wasn't much confusion that it served Toronto. And people still know you can get to NYC from Newark airport.

 

[Richard White]

But it was Malton Airport up until 1984, and there wasn't much confusion that it served Toronto. And people still know you can get to NYC from Newark airport.

Very true.

The point I was making is that you would need to call it Toronto-Mississauga airport in the same way that London calls Gatwick "London Gatwick" .

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2016580295051399337

Doug Ford bans media from Progressive Conservative convention this weekend​

In an unusual move, the governing Tories have for the first time refused to allow reporters into any part of their conference.

From https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/doug-ford-bans-media-from-progressive-conservative-convention-this-weekend/article_6b071c96-24ef-427a-a0dd-9c2807f92a63.html

Premier Doug Ford‘s Progressive Conservatives have banned journalists from covering their convention this weekend.

In an unprecedented move, the governing Tories are refusing to allow reporters into any part of their conference.

“The Ontario PC Party Convention is a closed event and will not be open to media attendance,” Peter Turkington, the party’s director of communications, wrote in a terse email Tuesday night.

Turkington’s missive came six days after the Star and other news outlets inquired about accreditation for the event at the Toronto Congress Centre on Dixon Rd.
In Ottawa for a meeting of the Council of the Federation, Ford defended the decision to keep the press out.

“Well, you know something, it’s a convention, and I’m out in the media almost every second day, and we’ll chat, but this is a party convention,” the premier said.

“So we’re going to keep it as a party convention, but I’m always open to sit down and chat with you folks anytime you want,” he told reporters.

“I’m focusing on this weekend, getting the message out to our Progressive Conservative base in Ontario and telling them the plan how we’re going to protect themselves, protect the jobs and their communities.”

But some senior Tories, speaking confidentially in order to discuss internal deliberations, questioned the move.

“This makes no sense to me,” said one party insider who will be in attendance.

“We’ve always let you guys (in the media) go to the dinner for the speech,” the Tory said, noting party brass “must be worried” about journalists interviewing delegates about controversies like the Skill Development Fund scandal or the Greenbelt fiasco.

Another veteran PC member who will also be there this weekend said the ban was “foolish” because it generates more negative media attention that any convention coverage would.

“This was clearly not thought through,” said the second party stalwart, noting Ford normally welcomes press attention.

Hundreds of Tories will be gathering Friday through Sunday to celebrate their election victory last Feb. 27, paying between $99 for youth members and $299 for adults.

“Non-member observers” will be charged $1,000 to enter and those wishing only to attend Saturday’s gala dinner can attend for $250.

“This exciting weekend will feature: remarks from Premier Doug Ford and members of the PC Caucus; inspiring speakers and policy discussions with fellow members; unforgettable hospitality suites and networking opportunities,” the Tories’ website boasts.

“Don’t miss this chance to connect, engage, and help shape the future of our party. We can’t wait to see you there!”

Traditionally, party conventions are at least partly open to reporters with leaders’ speeches usually receiving most of the news coverage.

Both the official opposition New Democrats and Liberals allowed reporters to cover their September conventions. The NDP met in Niagara Falls while the Grits held their event in Toronto.

According to an itinerary published on the Tories’ website, there will be a “welcome reception with caucus” on Friday night followed by a “state of the party panel” and an awards ceremony.

Saturday’s main draw is a 4 p.m. “fireside chat” with Ford followed by a reception and a dinner with the leader.

On Sunday, the party will announce its new executive.

The provincial Tories purposely scheduled their convention to coincide with the federal Conservatives’ convention that starts Thursday in Calgary.

That’s in part because Ford’s team knew federal leader Pierre Poilievre‘s leadership review would dominate weekend political coverage so there would be less interest in — and scrutiny of — the Ontario party’s internal machinations.

Poilievre’s convention is open to the media.

 

[zang]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2016580295051399337

Doug Ford bans media from Progressive Conservative convention this weekend​

In an unusual move, the governing Tories have for the first time refused to allow reporters into any part of their conference.

From https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/doug-ford-bans-media-from-progressive-conservative-convention-this-weekend/article_6b071c96-24ef-427a-a0dd-9c2807f92a63.html

Wanna bet $5 Brian Lilley will be there though?

 

[Thinker]

I can understand a desire to help mom and pop landlords deal with bad tenants but their proposal was essentially "every renter is going to have to move every single year unless they want to pay whatever exorbitant rent their landlord decides they need to pay to renew".

Can we find out how much UHaul was paying Doug behind the scenes? Cus they'd be the real winner in that scenario.

Anyway, glad they backed down. Shows how severe the backlash was that this didn't even survive the weekend.

Wanna bet $5 Brian Lilley will be there though?

Well yeah, he’s practically the party fluffer

 

[DSCToronto]

Well yeah, he’s practically the party fluffer

You have put a really disgusting image into my mind, off to take a bleach-bath! :->

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

From https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/i-fought-for-safer-toronto-streets-after-my-friend-was-killed-five-years-ago-now/article_7d5124e1-5f9b-47ac-a5af-ea7f09b46878.html

I fought for safer Toronto streets after my friend was killed five years ago. Now Doug Ford is undoing that work​

By Vanessa Gentile Contributor
Vanessa Gentile is a writer who lives in Toronto.

Five years ago, I wrote an op-ed in the Toronto Star about the death of my best friend, Alex Amaro. She was killed after being struck by three vehicles while cycling on Dufferin St.

In the years since, I have worked alongside her family, her friends, community advocates, and volunteers to push for safer streets — so that what happened to Alex would not happen to someone else. No one could ever replace her. No other family or circle of friends should have to live with the same relentless, haunting grief.

That work helped secure real safety measures, including automated speed enforcement and street design changes meant to protect people walking and cycling. Now, five years later, people continue to die — and the Ontario government, under Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, is actively dismantling the very infrastructure that so many of us fought to put in place.

In 2025, Toronto recorded 19 pedestrian fatalities and two cyclist deaths. These are not abstractions. They are parents, siblings, partners, friends — entire communities permanently altered by loss.

On Parkside Drive alone, the danger has long been undeniable. In 2024, a driver was recorded travelling 154 km/h on a road with a posted speed limit of 40 km/h. Another that same year was clocked at 146 km/h. Freedom of information documents shared by Safe Parkside revealed that the 10 highest-speed violations captured by automated enforcement cameras on Parkside were all 119 km/h or higher.

This evidence was not ignored because it was unclear. It was ignored because it was inconvenient.

On Nov. 14, the Ford government banned automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras across the province. Two weeks later, on Nov. 28, a driver struck and seriously injured a pedestrian near the former site of a speed camera.

This outcome should surprise no one. When accountability is removed, reckless behaviour increases. The result is not accidental — it is predictable. This is what happens when evidence-based safety measures are dismantled and human life is deprioritized by political choice.

Ontario Provincial Police data underscores the scale of the crisis. In 2024, cyclist fatalities doubled, while pedestrian deaths surged by 82 per cent compared to the previous year. By October, 296 people had already lost their lives on Ontario roads. Vulnerable road users — people who aren’t in cars — made up a devastating share.

The causes are well known: speeding, distracted driving, and impairment. Most alarming is the 40 per cent increase in fatalities linked to driver inattention — a clear signal that enforcement and deterrence save lives.

Yet, Ford and Sarkaria continue to frame enforcement and street safety as obstacles rather than necessities. The province claims it is supporting municipalities with $210 million for alternative measures such as speed humps, roundabouts, and increased police enforcement.

While these tools have value, they cannot replace speed cameras. Cameras were deliberately placed on arterial roads where traffic-calming infrastructure is prohibited or ineffective and reliance on police enforcement is both extraordinarily expensive and has well-documented inequitable impacts.

I know this not as a policy debate, but as lived experience. Alex was struck and killed on a major arterial road. No speed bump would have saved her. What could have saved her was a transportation system that treated road violence as preventable — one that enforced speed limits consistently and designed streets around people, not speed.

The data supports this reality. In 2024, Toronto’s automated speed enforcement cameras captured more than 560,000 speeding violations, generating approximately $40 million in fines. The city’s 75-camera network — largely located near schools and residential neighbourhoods — revealed a sobering truth: drivers speed most egregiously on arterial roads, including in places where communities and children should feel safest.

Instead of responding to this evidence, the Ford government is escalating its retreat from road safety. Bill 60, building on Bill 212 and championed by Sarkaria, would prohibit municipalities from reallocating vehicle lanes toward safer, more complete streets. If passed, planned cycling projects on Parkside Dr., Dupont St., and the Danforth Ave. extension would be cancelled.

These are not neutral planning decisions. They are choices that knowingly increase risk.

In 2024, Cycle Toronto and its co-applicants won a landmark court challenge against the province’s attempt to remove protected bike lanes on Bloor St., Yonge St. and University Ave. The court ruled that the legislation violated Section 7 of the Charter, which protects the right to life, liberty and security of the person. The ruling was unequivocal: government decisions that knowingly increase risk without evidence-based justification violate principles of fundamental justice.

I often think about where Alex would be now. She would be cycling through the city she loved, filling rooms with warmth, bringing life into people’s spaces through her floristry and her presence alone. Instead, her absence speaks — alongside the growing number of families left behind by policies that strip away enforcement, block safe street design and treat preventable road deaths as acceptable.

Road safety should not be ideological. The data is clear. The solutions are known. And the cost of inaction is not abstract — it is measured in futures erased, in love with nowhere to go, and in grief that never resolves. Five years on, I am still writing because Alex cannot. And because no one else should have to.