Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

[Midtown Urbanist]

I could have grown up with a subway line on my street. The reason I did not was because of Mike Harris.

I was too young at the time to realize why my classroom size increased from 22 to 36 kids, but today I know that was also because of Mike Harris.

As was the amalgamation of the City against its will, which resulted in the replacement of a functional municipal government with one that largely has spent it's existence dawdling instead of taking action to manage Toronto's immense growth.

I suppose I should thank Mike Harris. I probably would not have been so concerned with governance, transportation, and city planning if not for the legacy of his premiership.

 

[Northern Light]

Others may disagree.

Former Ontario premier Mike Harris ranked top premier since 1981: report

I think what you meant to say is "Everyone with a three-digit IQ and conscience would disagree"

The entire survey is profoundly skewed; and not methodologically sound.

Lets review, Quebec now has a surplus budget; it is lowering its taxes; it has a universal childcare program that is hugely popular and the most generous parental leave in the country; it was also a leader in addressing assisted dying and did so in a non-partisan fashion. Those premiers are all last.

Alberta; has flushed its Heritage fund down the toilet, had 3 massive recessions related to oil prices during the time period in question, has refused to implement a sales tax which is why it keeps running into huge fiscal troubles; has a spiraling debt, and can't take credit for piloting a single program adopted throughout the country; while leading the nation in GHG production and environmental degradation; and one of its former premier's was a raging alcoholic who regularly made a fool of himself in public, but they're mostly first.

Wait times for Cataracts, Knee replacements Hip replacements (percentage done within recommended times)

Alberta, 66,70,49
Quebec77, 80, 83

Which place would you rather live again?

Come on now; don't ask anyone to take that seriously.

 

[zang]

Others may disagree.

Former Ontario premier Mike Harris ranked top premier since 1981: report

For every terrible opinion, there is a level headed rebuke:

Reevely: Well, that's one way of ranking Canada's premiers

Mike Harris was the best of any premier in Canada since 1981,

ottawacitizen.com

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

Others may disagree.

Former Ontario premier Mike Harris ranked top premier since 1981: report

It's about as convincing as an Entertainment Weekly ranking of the "50 greatest songs of all time", that somehow has only one song before 1980 on it, and concludes that Taylor Swift is ranked as the greatest songwriter in history.

 

[Towered]

I think what you meant to say is "Everyone with a three-digit IQ and conscience would disagree"

The entire survey is profoundly skewed; and not methodologically sound.

Lets review, Quebec now has a surplus budget; it is lowering its taxes; it has a universal childcare program that is hugely popular and the most generous parental leave in the country; it was also a leader in addressing assisted dying and did so in a non-partisan fashion. Those premiers are all last.

Alberta; has flushed its Heritage fund down the toilet, had 3 massive recessions related to oil prices during the time period in question, has refused to implement a sales tax which is why it keeps running into huge fiscal troubles; has a spiraling debt, and can't take credit for piloting a single program adopted throughout the country; while leading the nation in GHG production and environmental degradation; and one of its former premier's was a raging alcoholic who regularly made a fool of himself in public, but they're mostly first.

Wait times for Cataracts, Knee replacements Hip replacements (percentage done within recommended times)

Alberta, 66,70,49
Quebec77, 80, 83

Which place would you rather live again?

Come on now; don't ask anyone to take that seriously.

BurlOak soundly trounced, as usual. How he/she still has the nerve to continue posting despite enduring humiliating rebuttals every single time displays a near-sociopathic lack of insight.

 

[BurlOak]

I am waiting for an article to be posted about Harris being the worst Premier - to counteract the one about him being best.
I know facts don't carry as much weight on this forum as feelings, but here's another chart to back up my original statement.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Out of curiosity, what supplemental health benefits do the MPP's get? Do the MPP's have to take out travel health insurance should they travel inside Canada but outside of Ontario? Do the MPP's have to take out travel health insurance should they travel outside of Canada, including family? Do the MPP's pay for that travel insurance and supplemental health insurance or does the government pay it for them?

 

[PinkLucy]

You might find something here https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-36/session-1/bill-42

 

[zang]

I am waiting for an article to be posted about Harris being the worst Premier - to counteract the one about him being best.
I know facts don't carry as much weight on this forum as feelings, but here's another chart to back up my original statement.

Will you give up the cherry picking, false equivalency and confirmation bias?

Mike Harris lowered the debt by forcing municipalities to shoulder the tax burden of previously provincial assets (community housing, highways, etc.). It was a shell game for public show, and drastically forced the reduction of services for all Ontarians by reducing economy of scale. Not to mention that graph includes the proceeds from the one-time sale of rights to the 407, which no other political party has had the "option" of doing before or since. So it's great that he reduced provincial taxes, but reduced provincial income (forcing either higher taxes, higher debt or greater austerity on proceeding governments) and caused the increase of municipal taxes, which in reality did nothing for the average person.

That you cannot get that tells me you either don't have the mental capacity to understand that, are blindly ignorant, or (and this is what I suspect) are only here to troll.

Seeing as you'll only accept "equivalent" documentation, I present opinions from others–and don't try to pretend that your "study" written by a conservative communications firm isn't opinion. One call's him the worst. At least one says he isn't—the one that claims that Ford stole that title from him:

Worst deal ever? The 407 is worth $30B today – Ontario sold it for $3.1B in 1998

SNC-Lavalin sold 10.01% of its stake of the 407, valuing it at $30 billion. In 1999, Ontario sold it for a fraction of that.

ca.finance.yahoo.com

Ontario’s worst premier - IT World Canada

By: Sandford BorinsIf journalism is the first draft of history, then commissions of inquiry and policy studies are the second. At this point, former Ontario Premier Mike Harris's evaluation is not looking good.The Walkerton Inquiry concluded that the Harris government's deregulation of water...

www.itworldcanada.com

https://www.ourwindsor.ca/opinion-story/9355998-why-doug-ford-is-worse-than-mike-harris/ (well, he was worst until Ford)

Prudent Press | The Provincial Downloading - How Ontario Became a Have Not Province Pt 3 - Prudent Press

 

[W. K. Lis]

Wind Turbines Are Not Killing Fields for Birds

From link.

President Trump (and Premier Doug Ford) continues his years' long dispute with wind turbines, claiming that wind turbines diminish home property values, cause cancer, and “kill all the birds.”
Wind turbines have not been found to diminish home values of nearby properties or cause cancer. According to numbers aggregated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, cats are a bigger scrooge to the overall bird community than wind turbines. The most recent estimate places the number of bird deaths at the paws of cats at 2.4 billion. Collisions from wind turbines on land killed a small fraction of birds in comparison to the damage that cats and glass buildings cause to the general bird population. Land wind turbines were responsible for over 200,000 bird deaths while collisions from building glass are estimated to be responsible for nearly 600 million bird deaths. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not provide estimates for deaths resulting from offshore wind turbines.

As the wind power industry grows and expands, the renewable’s relationship to its environment is coming under more intense scrutiny. While the relationship between wind turbines and different types of bird populations, particularly apex birds, is understudied, there is some evidence that turbines can hurt those populations. Hawaii, home to many endangered species, has taken extra steps to protect species that could be vulnerable to wind energy. The state requires all potential wind projects on both private and public land to have permits and conservation plans for the bird and bat population. Hawaii also documents animal mortality data from independent, third-party experts, with some wind farms subjected to steep fines for killing any federally protected birds.

As wind turbines become more common, reforms in this spirit could help alleviate some of the drawbacks of the new energy source.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Remember that Doug Ford cancelled the paid sick days. See link.

Wants Ontario to be more like the USA...

'I just don't call out sick anymore at all': New report says Walmart punishes employees for taking sick days

From link.

Walmart, the single largest employer in America with 2.3 million employees worldwide, has come under fire for its attendance policy.
Based on conversations with Walmart employees and results of a survey of more than 1,000 current and former
Walmart employees, worker advocacy group A Better Balance issued a report Thursday claiming the retailer has punished its workers for taking sick days and time off to care for loved ones and violated a number of worker-protection laws including the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

"Walmart should fully comply with the law so that no one is illegally punished for a disability-related absence or for taking care of themselves or a loved one with a serious medical condition," Dina Bakst, founder and president of A Better Balance, the advocacy group that prepared the report, told the New York Times.

"Walmart should fully comply with the law so that no one is illegally punished for a disability-related absence or for taking care of themselves or a loved one with a serious medical condition," Dina Bakst, founder and president of A Better Balance, the advocacy group that prepared the report, told the New York Times.

Among the complaints A Better Balance received, employees have said they're afraid to call out sick, they've been penalized and even fired after taking sick time, and they face financial ruin as a result.

Randy Hargrove, a spokesperson for Walmart, issued a statement to Business Insider in response to the report:

"Like any company, we have an attendance policy that helps ensure our customers are being taken care of and that our associates are protected from regularly having to cover other's work duties. This policy requires that all of our hourly store associates be on time and work their scheduled shifts and manages against excessive absences.

"We understand associates may have to miss work on occasion and we have processes in place to assist them. This includes legally protected and authorized absences, such as medical-related accommodation, FMLA leave, pregnancy and bereavement, that are not counted against our attendance policy. Associates may request a leave of absence or other reasonable accommodation at any time by talking with any salaried member of management or an HR representative. Each associate's circumstance is addressed individually, in compliance with company policy and the law.

"We have countless Walmart associates who successfully partnered with the company to authorize their absences from work. We believe we have the right training measures in place to help communicate our attendance, disability, and pregnancy policies to our associates."

'I just don't call out sick anymore at all.'

"I've called in sick I think three times last winter, but each time I've been told I've just ‘lost points' (of which I have no idea what that means nor how to tell how many ‘points' I have). Therefore, I think I must be getting close to the ‘limit of points' so I just don't call out sick anymore at all. For all I know, I might have a week of paid sick leave, however no one will show me how to see how many hours I actually have, so I act like I have none left. . . It's very easy to use them up too quickly, thus I won't use any more until I have an explanation."

—An anonymous employee from California

'I passed out at work. They sent me to the hospital. The next day, they fired me for it.'

"My daughter was having seizures, I had to take time off to monitor her. They counted it against me. I passed out at work. They sent me to the hospital. The next day, they fired me for it. Walmart is a joke. People have lives outside of work, we get sick, we have children, things happen, and Walmart literally covers NOTHING."

—An anonymous employee from Ohio

'The front manager then said that they wouldn't accept the doctor's note from the hospital ...'

"I got into a car wreck on my way to work and was sent by ambulance to the hospital. I had two fractured ribs and a concussion. I reached a manager from the hospital, who said it would be ok, and I came into work the next day with wrapped ribs and a concussion. The front manager then said that they wouldn't accept the doctor's note from the hospital, and they fired me for missing that day."

—An anonymous employee from Oklahoma

'I should have been able to leave to go to the ER and not worry about losing my job.'

"My appendix ruptured while at work and because I already had eight points, I could not leave work to go to the ER without pointing out and losing my job. I should have been able to leave to go to the ER and not worry about losing my job. I had even said to management, 'So if I fall out because of my appendix and have to go out in an ambulance…I will get a point and lose my job?' The response from management was, 'Yes.'"

—An anonymous employee from Kentucky

According to the report, if you have worked at Walmart for less than six months and receive four points, you will be terminated, and if you have worked at Walmart for six months or more and receive nine points in a six-month rolling period, you will be terminated.

Also why shopping at Walmart is a last resort for me.

 

[AlbertC]

List of programs the Ford government backtracked on in the last year

The Canadian Press Staff
Published Friday, December 27, 2019

List of programs the Ford government backtracked on in the last year

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative government have backtracked on a number a commitments since winning the provincial election last year.

barrie.ctvnews.ca

 

[old boy]

List of programs the Ford government backtracked on in the last year

The Canadian Press Staff
Published Friday, December 27, 2019

List of programs the Ford government backtracked on in the last year

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative government have backtracked on a number a commitments since winning the provincial election last year.

barrie.ctvnews.ca

One good thing though....we don't have to look at his fat mug or listen to his schoolyard jabber as much any more. It seems even he has learned a little something in the past year. Now if we can only get him to reduce the glare of that phony, pasted on smile....

 

[Admiral Beez]

Wind Turbines Are Not Killing Fields for Birds

From link.

Forget about the birds, Ontario’s sweetheart deals with turbine firms has contributed to massive costs to Ontarians.

Randall Denley: The Liberals screwed up hydro in Ontario and now Doug Ford has to clean up the mess

When the PCs took over in 2018, they were in a difficult spot. The Liberals’ fake power prices had become the new normal

nationalpost.com

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-does-electricity-cost-so-much-in-ontario/article33453270/

It’s time for Ford to bring Ontario’s true hydro costs into the light.

Hydro Facts - Ontario Most Expensive in Canada

Have you had enough of escalating electricity rates, outrageous delivery, regulatory and debt charges, billing mistakes, and excuses from Hydro One and the Wynne Government?

www.randyhilliermpp.com

Then we must cut and cancel any deals or contracts that make Ontario’s electricity rates uncompetitive vs. other provinces and neighbouring US states.

 

[TossYourJacket]

And yet electricity costs have gone up under Doug have they not? But of course it's all Wynne's fault somehow.