Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

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Ontario solicitor general sought 3-row, 8-seat replacement after vehicle stolen | Globalnews.ca

Critics argue that the energy Kerzner and his staff spent trying to source him a three-row replacement vehicle was a sign of misplaced priorities.

globalnews.ca

Ontario solicitor general sought 3-row, 8-seat replacement after vehicle stolen​

The minister in charge of law and order in Ontario insisted on a three-row replacement government vehicle and asked about how it could be customized, Global News can reveal, after his car was broken into twice in the space of three months.

Solicitor General Michael Kerzner’s government vehicle was stolen from the parking lot of a Home Depot near Premier Doug Ford’s home in July 2024 and eventually recovered by Ontario Provincial Police.

After months of expensive repairs, it was returned to the minister’s care in late October of the same year, before being broken into and badly damaged within days.

According to a series of internal emails and invoices obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws, the minister’s office ruled out any replacement vehicles that didn’t have three rows.

Staff also complained rental replacements were insufficient and asked what customizations could be made to new vehicles during two repair jobs that were billed to the Ministry of Solicitor General for more than $39,000.

The emails show Kerzner’s office spent months considering alternatives while his stolen vehicle was down for repairs, giving civil servants specifications on what size he would accept.

But they ultimately decided to wait.

The vehicle was first stolen in July 2024, and repairs were finished in October, largely because of a backlog in parts.

The minister’s office said staff had looked for the replacements because of how long the car was down for repairs, but eventually decided to stick with the mended car.

A spokesperson said in a statement that the civil service manages vehicle purchases and replacements.

“Vehicles for Cabinet Ministers are chosen from a pre-approved Vendor of Record list to ensure vehicles purchased are cost effective while meeting operational needs,” they wrote.

Critics argue that the energy Kerzner and his staff spent trying to source him a three-row replacement vehicle was a sign of misplaced priorities.

“I guess when you think it’s OK for the premier to buy a luxury private jet, $40,000 to trick out your government ride is small potatoes,” Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser said.

“The solicitor general should spend more time worrying about the 150 criminals he let out by mistake than dwelling on his personal needs for his government vehicle.”

Vehicle stolen near premier’s house​

The documents obtained by Global News show Kerzner’s vehicle was first stolen at the Home Depot in Etobicoke, where Premier Ford said he had threatened to give an alleged shoplifter “a beating.”

Kerzner is one of at least four ministers who have had their government vehicles stolen in recent years.

According to an incident report filed after the event, the vehicle was stolen on July 11, 2024, and eventually recovered. When officers were able to get it back, the interior had been severely damaged, with repair work estimated at over $20,000.

Soon after the theft, Kerzner’s staff started sending regular messages to the civil servants who look after government vehicles, complaining about the rental the minister had been given and asking if they could get a new car.

“Is it possible to order the Minister a new car and use this one for the fleet service?” one staffer wrote in August 2024.

“The rental was sufficient for a couple of weeks on short-notice but we require a more permanent solution. We have concerns about costs with the rental car and that the size doesn’t meet our ongoing requirements.”


Minister demanded larger car

What followed was a series of messages between Kerzner’s staff and civil servants in which the minister appeared to reject several replacement vehicles, including a Nissan Pathfinder and VW Atlas.

Early in the process, Kerzner’s staff made it clear he wouldn’t accept any vehicle with fewer than three rows and eight seats for his official government car.

“If you know off the top that any of these models are not 3-rows that seat 7-8 passengers, feel free to remove them from consideration,” one message read.

It’s not clear why Kerzner would need to carry eight passengers in his government vehicle.

Another email underscored the ask. “Can you please do a search for a new Toyota Grand Highlander and any of the others you listed below which have a third row?” one of Kerzner’s advisers wrote. “I believe, for example, the Hyundai Palisade has a third row.” As they considered alternatives, Kerzner’s staff also tried to work out what additions could be made to any new vehicle. “Do you have the specs for Minister Kerzner’s current Grand Highlander?” one wrote. “He mentioned to me that his Grand Highlander has some customizations and I’m curious how it compares to the Nissan Pathfinder that Holman found.”

Global News asked Kerzner’s office why the minister needed a three-row vehicle, but they did not address the question.

Kerzner directly involved in push for answers​

Delays in delivering parts for the stolen, damaged Toyota Grand Highlander saw the replacement process drag on through the summer and into the fall.

As weeks turned into months, the requests from the solicitor general’s staff grew more urgent, referencing his desire to resolve the issue.

“The Minister is in the office tomorrow, so ideally searches are concluded today,” one email read.

A few days later, Kerzner intervened directly, asking for a Microsoft Teams call with the civil servants in charge of fleet vehicles.

“Are you available at 3pm for a Teams call? Minister Kerzner had a few questions on the vehicle available and options for his current Highlander,” a staffer wrote. “Might be easier for him to ask you directly.”

An email sent the next day suggested the call went ahead as planned.

Car returned, broken into again​

Sometime toward the end of October, after a series of delays in parts and repairs, Kerzner’s Toyota Grand Highlander was rehabilitated.

Then, someone tried to steal it again.

“I want to start off by thanking you for all the help with getting the Minister’s car fixed,” an email from one staffer to the government’s fleet services on Oct. 31, 2024, began.

“I wanted to let you know that the car was broken into last night in an attempt to steal it. It being towed to the shop where it was just fixed. (The driver) will be getting a rental car in the meantime.”

The estimated repair bill for the second incident was $18,790.88, taking the total cost over a matter of months to more than $39,000.

Days later, staff began to ask again for alternatives to the rental vehicle Kerzner had been given.

“While we appreciate the additional 30-days on the loaner, having the loaner until November 6th would be an untenable situation,” they wrote.

Last year my soccer team had someone new join for a couple seasons and it was Kerzner's chief of staff. The guy was friendly but on short notice he would suddenly not be able to make games and at the time I joked he was busy dealing with scandals and putting out fires... probably had more truth than I expected lol

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/79-of-ontarians-oppose-fords-jet-purchase-poll-12182832?utm_source=Villager&utm_campaign=Content&utm_medium=Twitter

An overwhelming majority of Ontarians oppose the government’s decision to buy a private jet for the premier’s use, and more than half of past PC voters say it makes them less likely to vote for the party again, according to a new poll.


Last Friday, the premier’s office confirmed that the government had bought a Challenger 650, citing Premier Doug Ford’s “extensive travel” within Ontario, across Canada and to the United States, mentioning no other uses for the plane.


On Sunday, his office then announced that, after hearing from Ontarians, Ford had decided to sell the plane back. On Wednesday, the premier announced that the government had already done so.


In the meantime, Ford has defended the decision to buy the 12-seater business jet in the first place, saying that it was never supposed to be “Doug Ford’s plane” and would have had other uses, such as transporting other cabinet ministers and aiding in emergencies.


He said Tuesday he’s been speaking with Ontarians about it since, and once he’s explained that, at least half have told him they think it’s a good idea.


“Right now it’s 50-50, probably even higher on the ‘keep the plane’ side now,” Ford said.


Shortly after that media conference, Pallas Data put a poll into the field, asking Ontarians on Tuesday and Wednesday for their views on the plane purchase.


Initially asked if they “support or oppose the Ontario government's decision to buy a private jet for $28.9-million to be used for the premier's travel,” 79 per cent of respondents said they oppose it, with 65 per cent opposing it “strongly.”



Just 18 per cent of respondents said they support it, eight per cent “strongly.”


A majority of respondents who identified as PC supporters — 54 per cent — still opposed the purchase.

That shifted, somewhat, when presented with the premier’s explanation.


Respondents were told that Ford “has since promised to sell the plane, but says he should have been clear in the first place that it would have been used for more government purposes than just his own travel, including transporting other government ministers and assisting in emergencies,” and that they could reconsider their view on the plane.


Opposition to the sale shrunk to 74 per cent (from 79 per cent) and to 45 per cent (from 54 per cent) among PC supporters. Supporters of other parties were largely unmoved.


Pollster Joseph Angolano said the findings suggest Ford is mostly hearing from PC voters when he talks to people on his phone or at events.


“The explanation lands among some PC voters, which is good for the premier, but the explanation is not landing with everybody else,” Angolano said.


The poll also asked if people’s support for the PCs was affected by the plane purchase.


It found that 18 per cent of people said they’d voted in the PC party in the past and, considering the plane purchase, won’t vote for the party in the future. Another 14 per cent said they’d voted PC in the past but the plane purchase makes them less likely to vote PC in the future.


Meanwhile, 26 per cent said they’d voted PC in the past and they’ll vote PC again in the future.


The remainder of voters said they hadn’t voted PC in the past, and a few — five per cent — said they’re more likely to, now.

Angolano said this shows that when people are thinking about the jet purchase, their support for the PCs falls to its historic low — the base of roughly 30 per cent of voters that the party can rely on, but doesn’t win elections for it.


“The good news for the premier is that this is happening today, and the election is three years from now, and whether the voters will have a long enough memory to remember this is to be seen,” he said. “Generally, people tend to have a short-term memory when it comes to errors by politicians of this nature.”


“There's a lot of time before the next election, but this jet purchase has stung him,” he added. “Parts of his base are looking at him a lot less favourably because of this.”


That said, the party remains in the lead. Before asking respondents any questions about the plane, the poll asked voters who they’d support in an election held tomorrow.


Among decided and leaning voters, 37 per cent said they’d vote PC, compared to 32 per cent for the Liberals, 24 per cent for the NDP and six per cent for the Greens.


That’s down from 43 per cent for the PCs in a similar Pallas poll conducted on April 8, prior to the plane news, and the lowest level of support for the party in more than two years.

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

Ford government's controversial budget bill passes final vote at Queen's Park

The Ford government's budget, which includes controversial changes to freedom of information laws, passed a final vote at Queen's Park.

toronto.citynews.ca

Ford government’s controversial budget bill passes final vote at Queen’s Park​

The Ford government’s omnibus budget bill, which includes controversial changes to freedom of information (FOI) laws, passed a final vote at Queen’s Park on Thursday.


The budget bill had been sitting for several weeks at the committee stage with no movement before a rare late-session at Queen’s Park on Wednesday night to push it through.


Both the NDP and Liberal parties accused the Ford government of trying to rush through the controversial FOI changes, which would shield Ford and cabinet members from public access to documents, including the premier’s cellphone records.


A normal legislative process sees bills go to committee, where affected groups and members of the public have a chance to weigh in, and committee members from the government and opposition can propose and debate amendments. But last week House Leader Steve Clark proposed bypassing the committee sessions and public hearings in order to expedite its passing.


The bill also includes changes to the province’s conservation authorities, new rules to cap resale ticket prices, and a one-year HST rebate for new homes, among other items.


The FOI law, retroactive to January 1st, 1988, would shield Ford and cabinet members — along with their offices — from public access to documents, with Ford admitting that part of the rationale is to kill media requests to obtain his cellphone records.


The government has fast-tracked several pieces of legislation over the past year or so, including laws to ban speed cameras, close supervised consumption sites and boost the education minister’s powers, as well as a law known as Bill 5 that allows the government to suspend municipal and provincial laws in the name of mining or economic development.

 

[lenaitch]

He's entitled to his entitlements.

How does someone manage to get their car broken into twice in short succession?

A high end vehicle is very marketable offshore. I'm actually surprised they got back - twice. Maybe it has an onboard tracker the thieves forgot to disable or it has airtags or similar installed. I'm not aware the SolGen's vehicle would have any particular security additions.

It sounds like he needs to stay out of certain neighborhoods.