Articles by Laura Stone

Aug 12 2020 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — The Ontario government’s deficit will balloon to $38.5-billion in 2021, almost double the size predicted in March, as Finance Minister Rod Phillips declared the province is in a recession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Progressive Conservative government released its first quarter financial report on Wednesday, which revealed it will now spend $30-billion […]

Aug 4 2020 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — A labour union representing Ontario’s construction industry says its members won’t use the federal government’s new COVID-19 tracking app because it requires the use of smartphones, which are prohibited on job sites for safety reasons. Instead, Joseph Mancinelli, the international vice-president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA), is urging the government to […]

Jun 4 2020 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government has appointed former federal cabinet minister Jane Philpott to lead its pandemic data effort, in a bid to better integrate the province’s fragmented health care system in the face of the COVID-19 fight. Dr. Philpott, a family physician and former health minister in Justin Trudeau’s government, will serve as the province’s […]

Apr 20 2020 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Premier Doug Ford says Ontario is preparing for the “gradual” reopening of the economy as new modelling shows the province has likely reached its peak in the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the situation in long-term care homes continues to worsen. Mr. Ford said Monday that his jobs and recovery committee, made up of key cabinet […]

Mar 8 2020 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Rookie Conservative MP Eric Duncan struggled with it initially – being the first. “I don’t want to be the token gay guy,” he said. But he is also keenly aware of the historic role he plays in his party’s caucus: the first openly gay Conservative member of Parliament. “I’ve kind of reluctantly embraced it,” Mr. […]

Nov 1 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Opposition parties are calling on the Ford government to release copies of its contract with the Daisy Group consulting firm after The Globe and Mail reported that the company, led by Warren Kinsella, provided strategic advice and media training to Minister Lisa MacLeod and her political staff. The Globe reported that after the government work […]

Oct 7 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney told a room of Chinese-Canadian supporters of the federal Conservative Party on Sunday that it’s time to bring fairness back to this country’s immigration system, arguing the Liberals have blown “huge holes” in the process. Mr. Kenney, a former federal immigration minister, spent the weekend campaigning for the federal Tories in […]

Sep 26 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Independent candidates Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould have shut down donations to their federal election campaigns, saying their financial goals have been exceeded and they don’t need any more money. The former Liberal ministers, who resigned from cabinet and were kicked out of Justin Trudeau’s caucus over the SNC-Lavalin affair, said they have been flooded […]

Aug 28 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — The Ontario Liberal cabinet approved more than $450,000 in enhanced severance packages for two top staffers in the premier’s office days after the party lost the 2018 election. Details about the severance paid to former premier Kathleen Wynne’s top aides, Andrew Bevan and Mary Rowe, were released to The Globe and Mail under a Freedom […]

Aug 20 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Brampton’s newly appointed integrity commissioner has publicly expressed support for Mayor Patrick Brown in the past and her spouse’s company did paid work for the Ontario Progressive Conservative party under the former leader. Muneeza Sheikh, a Toronto labour lawyer and frequent media contributor, was appointed by Brampton city council to the dual post of integrity […]

Jul 30 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is starting to make changes to his inner circle, with a former aide to his late brother becoming principal secretary as more staff announce they are leaving for the private sector. The Globe and Mail has learned that Amin Massoudi, a former communications director to late Toronto mayor Rob Ford, has […]

Jul 10 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — The chair of a committee that helps choose justices of the peace has resigned from his paid post after The Globe and Mail revealed his ties to Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s former chief of staff. Andrew Suboch resigned on Wednesday after a two-week review into his appointment, a Premier’s Office spokeswoman said.

Jun 6 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s office says it did not ask Premier Doug Ford to delay his government’s return to the Ontario Legislature until after the general election, although federal Tories acknowledge they are hearing about Mr. Ford in their ridings. The Progressive Conservative government faced backlash on Thursday over its decision to adjourn the legislature […]

May 26 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — Ontario is set to join British Columbia in a class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and wholesalers, as part of a new mental health and addictions bill to be introduced on Monday by the Progressive Conservative government, The Globe and Mail has learned.

May 15 2019 — Laura Stone — Globe and Mail — When Ontario Premier Doug Ford travelled to New York late last month to meet with U.S. business leaders, Canadian media were given less than a day’s notice about the trip. Mr. Ford brought his own TV crew: Ontario News Now. The communications service, run by Progressive Conservative staffers, is fronted by Lyndsey Vanstone, a former […]