Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

[W. K. Lis]

Use the free postcard you may have received and send it to:

Premier of Ontario ​

Legislative Building ​

Queen's Park ​

Toronto ON M7A 1A1​

along with a comment of your choosing.

I'm using: "Get your fingers out of your ears, Doug Ford, and actually listen to the people of Ontario!" on my postcard and sending it in.

#WriteHereWriteNow

Over the next few weeks, Canadian households will be receiving a free postcard from Canada Post. #WriteHereWriteNow Write something to someone you miss,...

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[W. K. Lis]

How Steve Clark is tripling down on his controversial planning powers​

ANALYSIS: The minister of municipal affairs and housing is, once again, expanding his personal MZO power to approve developments in Ontario. But there’s a difference this time

From link.

It’s a great time to be a planning nerd, because the current Progressive Conservative government has made the land-use powers of the provincial government a higher-profile issue than it’s been in years —maybe longer. Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark has made much broader use of the power he inherited from the previous Liberal government to issue ministerial zoning orders and has, through changes to Ontario’s Planning Act, expanded the ways in which that power can be used.

On Thursday afternoon, the government is doing it again, with Minister of Infrastructure Laurie Scott presenting a bill proposing new changes to the Planning Act. A brief section of Bill 257, the Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, would allow the minister of municipal affairs to make MZOs without regard to the provincial policy statement (PPS), one of the key policy documents governing land use in Ontario.

If passed by the legislature, the change to the act would, at a stroke, render one of the few substantial challenges to a Clark-penned MZO moot by retroactively declaring it to have always been allowed under the law. Clark acknowledges that the move is likely to stir up even more controversy on a topic that’s already been very controversial.

Any of the seven pieces of legislation I’ve had passed since we became the government in June 2018 have come with comments,” Clark says. “I understand that — I’m realistic. That’s part of the consultation.”

MZOs have become one of the distinct features of the Doug Ford government, though the power was already in provincial law when the Tories won in 2018. When the Liberals under Kathleen Wynne created the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal, in 2017, they exempted ministerial orders from the LPAT appeals; Clark has taken the loaded pistol the Liberals left him and used it far more than the Wynne government ever anticipated. (That’s not speculation; I asked then-minister of municipal affairs Bill Mauro about it when they introduced the legislation.) Some uses of the power have been lightning rods for criticism, but not all: the government has also used MZOs to allow for transitional housing in Toronto, as well as for the successful CaféTO program that assists restaurants during the pandemic.

“I’ll be honest with you — we’ve done a number of MZOs as a government, and we think it’s been a very useful tool,” Clark says. “While an MZO is a great help to our municipal governments, we have to have some certainty moving forward.”

The “certainty” Clark and the Ford government are seeking with this change specifically relates to the Durham region’s Durham Live development, which was approved by the councils of Durham and Pickering (but opposed by Ajax). Durham Live and some associated warehouses would be built in part on Duffins Creek, a natural feature that’s been designated a provincially significant wetland.

Any planning decision, whether by Clark’s ministry or a local council, is currently required to comply with the PPS; the PPS says that development on provincially significant wetlands is forbidden. Because of that, conservationists brought the province to court to try to overturn Clark’s MZO. The changes of Bill 257 would end that protection, rendering the case moot.

It’s a significant departure from past expansions of Clark’s MZO powers: previous uses amounted to a “fast forward” button that allowed councils to skip public consultations (and appeals to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal, formerly the Ontario Municipal Board). But an MZO didn’t necessarily give councils the ability to simply ignore other relevant laws. This change would mean councils that want to pursue major projects otherwise prohibited by the PPS would now have another path forward.

“The provincial policy statement is a very important document that governs land-use planning, but we also need to ensure in our conversations with municipal partners that there can be other factors that I can consider,” Clark says. “Those priority projects cannot be delayed — there cannot be unnecessary barriers put forward.”

Clark also defended the ecological impact of the Durham Live project, saying that there are opportunities for the developer to remediate an area of the GTA that has suffered from both water pollution and invasive species.

But the changes the government is proposing go far beyond Duffins Creek. The PPS is supposed to guide all aspects of land-use planning in Ontario, and, for more than a decade, one of its goals has been to encourage compact, more efficient developments that require the support of less expensive infrastructure. That’s another policy — like protecting provincially significant wetlands — that municipalities would in theory be able to circumvent. The PPS also protects farmlands and watersheds with different policies.

Clark emphasizes, however, that — except for cases in which the province itself owns the property, such as the Dominion Foundry site in Toronto, which has also led to a court challenge — he’s leaving elected municipal councils in the driver’s seat for requesting MZOs.

“The focus here doesn’t reside in my ministry; it resides in a local council chamber,” Clark says. “It doesn’t give me unfettered access to a planning tool — it gives municipalities the same powers they have today.”

Clark stresses that he still will not approve any MZOs for developments or site alterations in the Greenbelt and that that prohibition is spelled out in the proposed amendment to the Planning Act. He acknowledges that the government could do a better job of communicating how many applications it has rejected in the Greenbelt, not least to the municipalities who still ask Clark to do what he’s repeatedly said he won’t — his office provided copies of nine letters he’s sent rejecting applications on the area of protected land that girdles the GTA.

“I remain steadfast that we will not be entertaining any development request from a municipality on the Greenbelt,” Clark says. “We’ve got to communicate that better.”

 

[jelbana]

How Steve Clark is tripling down on his controversial planning powers​

ANALYSIS: The minister of municipal affairs and housing is, once again, expanding his personal MZO power to approve developments in Ontario. But there’s a difference this time

From link.

This quote, just wow.

The “certainty” Clark and the Ford government are seeking with this change specifically relates to the Durham region’s Durham Live development, which was approved by the councils of Durham and Pickering (but opposed by Ajax). Durham Live and some associated warehouses would be built in part on Duffins Creek, a natural feature that’s been designated a provincially significant wetland.

Any planning decision, whether by Clark’s ministry or a local council, is currently required to comply with the PPS; the PPS says that development on provincially significant wetlands is forbidden. Because of that, conservationists brought the province to court to try to overturn Clark’s MZO. The changes of Bill 257 would end that protection, rendering the case moot.


Ford government once again changing the law to avoid being punished in court. Whatever happened to a democratic system with checks and balances. While the Ford government is democratically elected; it's dangerously using its executive power to the maximum. I guess it's expected from a government that used the notwithstanding clause from day 1.

 

[W. K. Lis]

What Doug Ford & the PCs Have Done in Ontario​

From link.

Intro & Disclaimer​

Thanks to Debra Gallant, Antonia Zerbisias and Kev Holman for the initiation of this compilation. This list was originally posted Jan 24th 2019 on Facebook. I kept requesting a flow-chart, and couldn’t find one, so …

Please note that this record is ongoing. There are items here that were proposed that have either been abandoned, or not realized as of yet, as well as items that have been only partially implemented. The the PC’s 2019 “Protecting What Matters Most” budget was released April 11, 2019 and already there are revisions.

For most revisions and/or additions since April 11, please see the “Protecting What Matters Most” Budget section here. If I have omitted anything, or made a serious error, please let me know in the comments. I will try to keep up as things develop.

1. Killed Cap & Trade resulting in between $3B and $4B in lost revenue (not including lawsuits). *edited
2. Fired Privatization Officer
3. Fired Chief scientist
4. Fired Investment Officer
5. Refused assistance to asylum seekers
6. Killed legislation to reduce scalping prices
7. Killed Bill 175 updating the police service act (police oversight legislation)
8. Delayed Immunization reporting rules
9. Ends electric & hydrogen vehicle incentive program
10. Cut the budget for school repairs ($ lost when Cap & Trade trashed)
11. Cut 700+ green projects ($100M to shut down 1 wind farm alone)
12. Rolled sex ed back to 1998
13. Cancelled TRC school curriculum after it had already been researched, paid for and was ready to put in place.
14. Cuts Toronto City council (almost) in half during an election campaign.
15. Cut promised 3% increase for OW & ODSP & will change definition of disability, leading to further poverty.
16. Basic Income pilot project stopped before pilot finished.
17. Cancels minimum wage increase (considering rolling back implemented wage increase in 2020)
18. Reduced Pharmacare availability for those with insurance
19. Cuts funding for guide dogs for visually impaired
20. Cuts advanced age allowance for elderly
21. Common law changes deleted
22. Cuts to funds to repair social housing
23. Cancellation of opening new overdose prevention sites
24. Buck a beer at taxpayer expense.
25. Launches “Ontario News Now”, a third world style propaganda news site payed for by taxpayers. Also, he hired fake reporters at news conferences
26. Reneges on $500,000 for after school music program for kids at risk
27. Muzzles civil servants from using words “climate change” in any social media release
28. Removal of For Profit Maximum Threshold - big box day care coming
29. Fired Howard Sapers - Correctional Reform
30. Fired Frank Iacobucci re: ring of fire consultations

...

125. Essentially they have cut the Indigenous Culture Fund. There are NO funds moving forward. Disbanded the 4 positions that oversaw the fund.
126. Cuts of nearly $1B from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services over three years
127. Ford cuts $350M from the Ministry of Environment, Conservative and Park’s annual budget.
128. Funding MNR Forestry budget slashed by $162M. Emergency Firefighting cut by 50% (announced recently that the 50 Million Tree Program was being eliminated)
129. 50% of the funding cut for provincial flood programs.
130. 30% cut to legal aid (to start with)
131. $1B cut from Toronto Public Health. Many of these are services the whole province uses. (i.e. SickKids Motherisk phone line)
132. Ends OHIP coverage for Canadians traveling outside of the country (#privatehealthinsurance)
133. Funding for libraries cut in half. (i.e. ALL inter-library loaning ended)
134. $1B in funding cut from education (programs, teachers, etc) Hundreds of educators have already been given notice. These cuts will impact class sizes, curriculum, resources for extracurriculars, help for students in need (i.e. breakfast programs, tutoring, mental health, learning disabilities, foreign or new student support, student unions, testing, etc.)
135. Cuts $25M from school board funding.
136. Makes e-learning mandatory for secondary students (despite the fact that many do not have computers or internet access - see #129 Library Cuts)
137. Cuts $300M from University & College expansions.
138. $1.1B slashed from transit repair (see #139).
139. Reduced gas tax transfer to cities, leaving TTC maintenance budget another $1B underfunded. ^^^
140. Moves to legalize tail-gate parties. (I have no better way to say this. Sorry.), drinking in public parks, hours from 9am, free drinks, happy hour adverts, etc.
*alcohol was referred to 60 times in the new budget. Education 25 times. Poverty 0 times.*
144. Rebranding the province's visual identity including the official government logo and slogan, licence plates and drivers’ licences. Will include new commercial licence plates with slogan “Open For Business”
145. Spends approximately “seven figures” on anti-carbon tax media campaign, including TV ads, radio commercials and social media posts. Will not reveal actual costs.
146. Implements “Income Tax Credit” in lieu of minimum wage hike, leaving minimum wage earners worse off.
147. Allocates 40M to horse race industry.
148. Open up online gambling opportunities (not sure what this means exactly), push to allow betting on single-game (currently prohibited under the Federal criminal code)
149. *Make Ontario a world class Combat Sport Destination.* (I really wish I was kidding)
150. Forces gas station owners to display stickers against the carbon tax. Will impose heavy fines ($10K/day) on owners failing to comply. (may have been over-ruled)
151. *$30B OFFER FROM FEDS SITS* Ontario losing out on a promised $30B, 10 year infrastructure fund promised under the Wynn government. $30 Billion lost because Ford refuses to work with the federal govt. This money was to go toward, infrastructure and public transit, etc. for the people of Ontario*

Kathryn Kaiser

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[Videodrome]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1367794070207295489

Should be higher....

 

[W. K. Lis]

Doug Ford is using COVID-19 as a cover or distraction from his legislation.

For example, from this link (dated Oct 22, 2020).

How Doug Ford's COVID-19 legislation helps advance his party's agenda​

A new bill from Ontario's government benefits a key conservative ally; another involves municipal elections

Premier Doug Ford is facing accusations of using the response to COVID-19 as a guise to advance his political interests.

Two new pieces of legislation that the government portrays as helping the province recover from the effects of COVID-19 contain provisions unrelated to the pandemic.

The government's proposed Better for People, Smarter for Business Act — framed as boosting the economy by reducing red tape — would transform Canada Christian College into a university with the power to grant bachelor of science and arts degrees.

The college is run by the prominent conservative evangelical pastor Charles McVety, a staunch ally of Ford and opponent of previous Liberal reforms to Ontario's sex education curriculum.

On Tuesday afternoon, the government tabled a separate bill to shield organizations from legal liability for spreading COVID-19, provided that they tried to follow public health guidelines. Included in that bill is legislation to ban Ontario municipalities from using ranked ballots in the 2022 elections for mayor and council.

"To the extent that they're using the pandemic as cover for these controversial initiatives, it just stinks to high heaven," said Emmett Macfarlane, an associate professor of political science at the University of Waterloo.

The politics of omnibus bills​

Governments of all political stripes — both at Queen's Park and in Ottawa — have long used so-called omnibus bills to pass measures without the level of scrutiny they would receive in standalone legislation.

By putting unrelated items into bills that are supposed to be about COVID-19, the Ford government's tactics could be considered worse than the typical omnibus bill, says Macfarlane.

"It does make one wonder to what extent the government was trying to sneak certain controversial amendments through," he said in an interview with CBC News.

The move to give Canada Christian College university status is coming under fire in large part because of McVety's political ties, his stance on sex ed and his views on same-sex marriage.

The Progressive Conservative campaign team selected McVety to be among the few attending the first leaders' debate in the province's 2018 election campaign. The reverend sat with some of Ford's top advisers. McVety did not respond on Wednesday to CBC's requests for an interview.

"I have a lot of friends within churches and in colleges," Ford said Wednesday when asked about McVety. "He went through the process like every other college, and the process is independent."

However, CBC News has learned that Canada Christian College has not actually completed Ontario's official independent process for approving degree programs.

The province's Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board, the independent agency that considers applications for new degree programs and makes recommendations to the minister for approval, is in the midst of considering two applications from Canada Christian College.

One of the applications is to change its name to Canada University and School of Graduate Theological Studies. The other proposal, submitted last month, is to create new Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs. In both cases, the board is yet to make any recommendation for approval.

A spokesperson for Colleges and Universities Minister Ross Romano said the college's applications are currently under review by the board and said the legislation will not come into effect until after the reviews are complete.

The college seems to think approval for the arts and science degrees is in the bag.

"The present legislation governing the college has disallowed further enhancements of our educational offerings in the liberal arts and sciences," says the college's 2020-25 academic plan. "We expect this situation will be rectified in the coming months."

Canada Christian College currently has the legal authority to grant degrees only in such fields as theology, religious education and Christian counselling.

"Charles McVety has a history of making Islamophobic and homophobic statements and for using Canada Christian College, of which he is the president, to host Islamophobic speeches," the NDP's anti-racism critic, Laura Mae Lindo, in question period this week.

"Why does this government continue to use the cover of a pandemic to make good on back room deals with the Premier's friends?" Lindo asked

The government's response didn't directly address her question.

The government is also facing criticism over its other recent move to insert unrelated legislation into a COVID-focused bill: scrapping ranked ballots at the municipal level.

In that system, voters rank all candidates in an election instead of simply choosing just one. If no one is ranked first on 50 per cent of the ballots cast, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes go to the second-ranked candidate on each ballot. The process is repeated for multiple rounds until someone surpasses 50 per cent of the votes.

London used ranked balloting in its municipal election in 2018. Voters in Kingston and Cambridge approved plans to switch to the method for 2022, and other municipalities have been considering such reforms.

Ford won PC leadership on ranked ballot​

The existing first-past-the-post system typically sees candidates win with far less than 50 per cent of the vote, but ranked ballots are "a small and simple change that make local elections more fair and friendly" said Dave Meslin of Unlock Democracy Canada, an electoral reform advocacy group.

Ontario's existing legislation for municipal elections "lets cities decide if they want to use ranked ballots or not," Meslin said in an interview with CBC Radio's Ontario Morning.

"What Doug Ford is doing is more of an iron fist approach, saying, 'Well, we're just going to ban ranked ballots. No one is allowed to use them anywhere.'"

Ford says first-past-the-post is simple and voters "don't have to be confused" by another system.

"We've been voting this way since 1867. We don't need any more complications of ranked ballots," the premier said Wednesday.

Almost every political party in Canada uses a ranked ballot system to choose its leader. Ford won the Ontario PC leadership on a ranked ballot vote in 2018.

"This is another gross abuse of power from a government that continuously undermines local democracy with snap decisions," said Green Party leader Mike Schreiner in a statement. "These overnight changes totally disrespect the rights of municipalities to improve democracy and encourage diversity on city council."

There's some evidence the government was hoping the move would slip under the radar.

The day before the legislation was tabled, officials with the attorney general provided multiple media outlets (including CBC News) with advance copies of the news release, so that stories about the COVID-19 liability protection measures could be published as soon as the bill was introduced.

Those advance copies of the news release did not mention the provision to ban ranked ballots.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Ford Government Blames Teachers’ Unions For Its Own Memo Revealing $1.6 Billion in Education Cuts and Thousands of Layoffs​

Office of Education Minister Stephen Lecce issues statement blaming ‘longstanding campaign to expand union membership’

From link.

Doug Ford’s Education Minister is blaming teachers’ unions for an internal memo posted on the ministry’s own website revealing that the government is planning over a billion dollars in education cuts and thousands of layoffs.

The memo, sent by Deputy Education Minister on February 26, warns Ontario school boards that the Ford government is planning to cut $1.6 billion before September.

The memo notes the funds were used to hire “over 7,000” staff to meet health and safety needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, although the memo identifies “principals and vice-principals, teachers, educational assistants, mental health workers, early childhood educators, professional / paraprofessional staff, custodians and other staff” as positions that could be impacted by the cuts.

The funding cut, the memo warns, will mean frontline education workers will face “redundancy notices” following this pandemic school year.

On Sunday, the Office of Education Minister Stephen Lecce issued a statement to PressProgress blaming the internal memo on teacher’s unions.

The statement, sent by Deputy Communications Director Caitlin Clark, dismissed the memo as part of a “longstanding campaign to expand union membership”:

“First teacher unions claimed that we never invested $1.6 billion – nor helped the hiring of 3,400+ new teachers and 1400+ custodians – now they claim the opposite, part of a longstanding campaign to expand union membership even with declining student enrollment.”

Lecce’s Office declined to clarify its statement accusing teachers’ unions of duplicity over the contents of a memo that was posted on the ministry’s own website.

Asked if Lecce’s Office disputed the authenticity of the memo detailing plans to layoff frontline education workers, Lecce’s spokesperson told PressProgress:

“The statement stands and we would hope that the government’s voice and response is included.”

In a separate statement to CityNews, the ministry “confirmed the contents of the memo” but noted details will not be finalized until the provincial budget is released.

 

[Thinker]

Ford Government Blames Teachers’ Unions For Its Own Memo Revealing $1.6 Billion in Education Cuts and Thousands of Layoffs​

Office of Education Minister Stephen Lecce issues statement blaming ‘longstanding campaign to expand union membership’

om link.

Moving right along.....Oh yeah... we’re coming after your jobs, slash the education budget, but folks we want you to keep it a secret... Ok?

 

[W. K. Lis]

Happening now in Alberta. Could happen in Ontario as well...

Alberta government library closure to save $1.2 million​

Library was a resource for public servants and academics​

From link.

The Alberta government is closing its library in downtown Edmonton at the beginning of July in order to save $1.2 million a year.

The facility in the 44 Capital Boulevard Building at 108th Street and 100th Avenue holds current and historical Alberta government reports and documents.

It also gives Alberta public servants access to libraries and databases across the country, and access to academic journals, which is often prohibitively expensive. The Government of Alberta library is a different facility than the library at the Alberta legislature which remains open.

The pending closure, which was revealed via a leaked internal email and later confirmed by government, has been met with dismay by public servants and academics.

Jared Wesley, an associate professor of political science at the University of Alberta, worked for the provincial government for six years in roles with executive council and the Alberta Public Service Commission.

Wesley said he used the library's services at least once a week. Taking away resources such as public policy academic journals will diminish the quality of government decision-making, he said.

"One of the first questions you get asked when you're preparing a briefing for a minister or for cabinet is, 'What is the rest of Canada doing? What is the rest of the world doing?'" Wesley said.

"(Public servants) rely on academics who have published in journals like Canadian Public Administration and Canadian Public Policy to provide them with that information so they can feed it into their briefings.

"And without that, the Government of Alberta is going to do without the kind of knowledge they need to make an informed decision."

Tricia Velthuizen, press secretary for Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish, said while the public can use the Alberta Government Library, the facility is used mostly by "a small percentage of government employees," about 1,000 over the past two years.

"Its closure will save taxpayers about $1.2 million each year, ensuring that government is prioritizing spending on the services that everyday Albertans use," she wrote in an email to CBC News.

The government plans to turn over the library's holdings to other libraries. Some material will be available on the province's open data portal.

Wesley said sending a collection to another library without the resources to manage them isn't helpful.

He said the government librarians have an expertise in assisting with public policy research. In addition to being a valuable resource, the librarians could locate and deliver materials without the requester even needing to set foot inside the physical location, he added

Velthuizen said the library employed 12 full-time equivalents. Two of those staff members will be moved elsewhere in government. Five of those positions had been left vacant.

From link.

 

[Northern Light]

MZO Fest continues; six more issued last night!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-mzos-toronto-development-1.5942671

 

[Johnny Au]

Happening now in Alberta. Could happen in Ontario as well...

Alberta government library closure to save $1.2 million​

Library was a resource for public servants and academics​

From link.

From link.

Ford: How dare those pinko kooks ban six Dr. Seuss books!

Ford then throws The Lorax in a bonfire.

Seuss fan: You complain about banning Dr. Seuss books. The books are simply removed from publication, not banned per se. I also saw you throw The Lorax in a bonfire.

Ford: That's different. The Lorax should be banned, not those six books.

Seuss fan: You don't understand anything. We aren't banning any book. We are simply going with the times (and those six books don't sell that well; The Lorax outsold those six books combined).

 

[DSC]

MZO Fest continues; six more issued last night!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-mzos-toronto-development-1.5942671

More on this HERE https://www.nationalobserver.com/20...ernment-approves-6-new-zoning-orders-backlash

 

[W. K. Lis]

More on this HERE https://www.nationalobserver.com/20...ernment-approves-6-new-zoning-orders-backlash

Copied and paste from behind the paywall...

‘We will never stop’: Ford government approves 6 new zoning orders as backlash grows​

The Ford government handed down six special land zoning orders Monday night, doubling down on the controversial method of fast-tracking development.

Of the six directives ⁠— called ministerial zoning orders, or MZOs ⁠— an analysis by Canada’s National Observer shows half ⁠were used to override environmental concerns. All three environmentally sensitive proposals came from the same company, Flato Developments, whose founder donated thousands to the Progressive Conservatives in 2018.

The move came despite public backlash and questions raised by opposition critics in the legislature about the orders, many of which have benefited developers who donated significant sums to the Progressive Conservatives.

“Big donors like Flato Developments are getting priority status thanks to this government’s decision to quietly sign a whopping six new MZOs late last night,” Ontario NDP finance critic Catherine Fife said in question period Tuesday. (The Speaker later asked her to withdraw her comments.)

“Why is this government putting money and politics ahead of the province and our environment?”

‘Another addition to the terrible legacy of MZOs’​

Two of the Flato MZOs apply to land in Markham that lies close to the Greenbelt. Although the area isn’t covered by Greenbelt rules, development too close by can affect the quality of the protected land.

The other Flato MZO makes way for a residential development in New Tecumseth, Ont. ⁠— roughly an hour north of Toronto. It will add 1,000 units of housing targeted at seniors on an area adjacent to a floodplain. The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition, a local non-profit, has raised concerns about whether the area’s already stretched water supply can handle the development.

“This is just another addition to the terrible legacy of MZOs that benefits developers at the expense of the community,” Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition executive director Margaret Prophet said in a statement Tuesday.

Flato's president and founder, Shakir Rehmatullah, donated $2,400 to the PC Party in 2018, half of which went to the premier's leadership campaign. (The same year, he also donated $2,400 to the Ontario Liberals and $500 to the Ontario NDP.)

“Donations play no role in the issuance of MZOs, and as previously stated, they were requested by the local municipalities,” Clark’s office said in its statement.

Flato Developments didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Previous governments used MZOs a handful of times per year, but the Ford government issued 37 between 2018 and 2020 ⁠— including two for previous Flato projects ⁠— and used a similar power to rezone land in a 38th case. An Observer analysis released last month found 14 of the directives were used to override environmental concerns, and of those, nine benefitted developers who had donated significant sums to the Progressive Conservatives.

Including the MZOs issued Monday night and one order issued for lands in Hamilton earlier this month, the Ford government has now issued 44 in less than three years. That amount is more than twice as many as the previous Liberal government used during more than a decade in power.

The other MZOs issued Monday night apply to developments in the Greater Toronto Area.

One directive sets aside land in the Bolton area of Caledon, a growing suburb, for a future GO train station. Another in Clarington, northwest of Toronto, would allow a building supply outlet and garden centre.

In Vaughan, north of Toronto, an MZO issued Monday would allow an affordable housing development proposed by Cortel Group. The company is run by the longtime Progressive Conservative donor Mario Cortellucci.

 

[tiffer24]

A commission examining the impact of COVID-19 on Ontario's long-term care system has heard the government rejected proposals that could have helped protect vulnerable residents during the second wave because they were deemed too expensive.

Dr. Allison McGeer said the plans were presented by doctors largely to the Ministry of Health, though some may have gone before the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

"A number of proposals went to the ministry about what could be done; and all of them were deemed by the ministry to be too expensive," she told the panel.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid-ont-ltc-commission-1.5942776

 

[zang]

A commission examining the impact of COVID-19 on Ontario's long-term care system has heard the government rejected proposals that could have helped protect vulnerable residents during the second wave because they were deemed too expensive.

Dr. Allison McGeer said the plans were presented by doctors largely to the Ministry of Health, though some may have gone before the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

"A number of proposals went to the ministry about what could be done; and all of them were deemed by the ministry to be too expensive," she told the panel.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid-ont-ltc-commission-1.5942776

Doug's trying to best Mike Harris at being Mike Harris.