Ontario

Now that Ontario’s controversial Bill 5 is law, all eyes are on what Premier Doug Ford does with the new powers it gives his government.

Bill 5, also called the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, empowers the government (among other things) to create special economic zones, where cabinet can exempt companies or projects from having to comply with any provincial law, provincial regulation or municipal bylaw.

Ford pitches Bill 5 as a way of shoring up Ontario’s economy in the face of Donald Trump’s tariffs by speeding up major infrastructure and resource projects.

I expect a great deal of pushback despite Bill 5 being a good thing for our moribund province.

The Ford government’s controversial mining legislation has passed its third reading and is set to become law, potentially triggering a face-off with First Nations communities in Ontario.

Among other changes, Bill 5, or the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, will create so-called special economic zones where a range of laws, ranging from municipal approvals to environmental rules or even labour law, won’t apply.

‘With the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald set to be unboxed in Ontario, better must be expected of Ford’s semi-Conservatives going forward.’

After five long and shameful years, a three-term Conservative majority is finally unboxing Sir John A. Macdonald on the front lawn of Queen’s Park. Everyday Ontarians helped pressure them into doing the right thing — some were even arrested for it — but now, better must be expected of a Ford government drawing frequent unflattering comparisons to the legacies of Dalton McGuinty, Kathleen Wynne, and the federal Liberals.

Woe Canada, Ontario claims to stand on guard for thee.

With the economy battered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and unemployment rising, Premier Doug Ford’s government has tabled a record $232.5-billion provincial budget to “protect Ontario” and promote national unity.

“When all of Canada wins, Ontario wins,” Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said Thursday in a boosterish speech that noted “it is amazing to witness the burst of patriotism across our province and our great country” in the face of Trump’s tariffs.

Premier Doug Ford government’s plan to rip up Toronto’s bike lanes faces its first legal challenge on Tuesday morning, with a hearing scheduled for a temporary injunction that could pause their removal for three weeks.

Cycle Toronto sought the injunction after Justice Markus Koehnen “strongly” urged the provincial government on Jan. 8 to pause its removal of bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge and University Streets until the cycling advocacy group’s Charter challenge hearing scheduled for April 16.

Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives’ victory in Thursday’s Ontario election came as the result of a campaign that focused ruthlessly on the one issue capturing the minds of Canadians right now, a leader who worked relentlessly to make the most of his opportunity, and perfect political timing.

Ford’s PCs were elected or leading in 80 of Ontario’s 124 seats early Tuesday, making him the first leader since the 1950s to win three consecutive majorities in this province

Success in politics means winning elections, so the majority three-peat means the name Doug Ford must now be included with the likes of Bill Davis, Leslie Frost, James Whitney and Oliver Mowat in conversations about the most successful Ontario premiers of all time.

Doug Ford wins third majority after gambling on winter election

Doug Ford’s $189-million gamble on an early Ontario election has paid off with a historic trifecta.

Ford defied the odds Thursday becoming the first premier to win three consecutive majority governments at Queen’s Park since Leslie Frost in 1959.

But the Progressive Conservative three-peat was tarnished by a record-tying low voter turnout of about 44 per cent — echoing the June 2022 results — and the fact he failed to win the larger mandate he had sought.

Well we were right about low voter turn out. Of course the Star is doing its best to make it look like a massive Ford Fail.

338Canada Ontario [Final Pre-Election Seat Projection: PC 92 seats (46% popular vote), ONDP 16 (18%), OLP 14 (28%), Green 2 (6%)]

Uninspiring political leadership across the board, larger national concerns, a mild snow storm and general apathy should be enough to set a new low voter turnout record.

Doug Ford‘s Progressive Conservatives are poised to win a third straight majority in Thursday’s provincial election, a new poll suggests.

But the Abacus Data survey for the Star indicates Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals could leapfrog Marit Stiles’ New Democrats into second place forming Official Opposition.

In the final poll of the campaign, Ford’s Tories were at 46 per cent support, well ahead of Crombie’s Liberals at 28 per cent, Stiles’s New Democrats at 16 per cent and Mike Schreiner’s Greens at five per cent.

Susan Delacourt: I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Matt, but we are days away from an Ontario election. While it’s dangerous to make predictions in politics these days, you want to take a guess at what we might see when all the votes are tallied Thursday night?

Matt Gurney: You know, I’ll get to your question in a moment. But I have to share something first. Readers will have guessed how Susan and I do these. We message back and forth, clean up the text and then send it to the editors. Do you know what happened, Susan, between you sending the first message and me replying with this one? It’s very funny.