Jun 29 2020 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — The Ontario Liberals are gearing up for an election two years away as the Progressive Conservatives celebrate two years in power. Premier Doug Ford marks his second anniversary of taking office Monday — ending almost 15 years of Liberal rule under Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty — at the same as the Grits are getting […]
Jun 11 2020 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — Queen’s Park and Ottawa are teaming up with a new $57.6-million “Digital Main Street” program to help thousands of Ontario small businesses boost their online sales, the Star has learned. Ontario’s Associate Minister of Small Business Prabmeet Sarkaria and federal Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly will announce the new initiative on a Zoom teleconference Thursday. […]
May 6 2020 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — Premier Doug Ford’s government is further liberalizing Ontario’s liquor laws as a prescription for helping an ailing restaurant sector stricken by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has lowered the minimum price that restaurants and bars are allowed to sell gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey.
Jan 24 2020 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — More than half the Ontario Liberal members running for delegate positions so they can vote for the party’s next leader are committed to front-runner Steven Del Duca. Del Duca, a former cabinet minister, has 2,684 supporters running to be his delegates at the Liberal leadership convention in Mississauga on March 7.
Jan 15 2020 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — The Ontario Liberals have vaulted ahead of the governing Progressive Conservatives even though the party will not elect a new leader for another seven weeks, a new poll suggests. According to the Pollara Strategic Insights survey, the Liberals are at 33 per cent, the Tories at 29 per cent, the New Democrats at 27 per […]
Jan 6 2020 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — The next leader of the Ontario Liberals will be elected by delegates chosen by 37,831 members. That’s how many people paid $20 to join the party that governed the province for almost 15 years before being toppled by Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives. While the membership cut-off to join the Liberals was Dec. 2, the […]
Dec 9 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — Premier Doug Ford could balance the budget a year earlier than planned if the Progressive Conservatives can limit the growth of program spending and avoid cutting taxes, says Ontario’s fiscal watchdog. Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman said if the Tories can stick to their promised 1.4 per cent average annual increase, they could almost be […]
Oct 16 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — The federal Liberals are prepared to back Toronto’s new Ontario Line with billions in transit funding, the Star has learned. If re-elected on Monday, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals will support the line that Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford announced in April.
Oct 1 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — Justin Trudeau is schooling Premier Doug Ford over the labour unrest in Ontario schools. The federal Liberal leader, who wants to link Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to the Progressive Conservative premier, sounded off against Ford on Tuesday in Richmond Hill. “I am a parent with kids in the Ontario public system and I really wish […]
Sep 30 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — Premier Doug Ford is itching to fire back at federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau for constantly attacking his provincial Progressive Conservative government, sources told the Star. Ford, who has shown remarkable discipline throughout the federal campaign in order not to hurt Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, has privately told associates he is growing fed up with […]
Sep 16 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — The Ontario Liberals will learn Thursday if their shrinking caucus will shrink some more. That’s when the federal Liberals are holding a much-delayed nomination meeting for the Ottawa-area riding of Orléans, where Grit MPP Marie-France Lalonde is running to succeed retired MP Andrew Leslie. If Lalonde (Orléans) gets the nod, she will resign as an […]
Aug 19 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — Premier Doug Ford’s ties to lobbyists have “alarmed” a Progressive Conservative riding association president, according to an internal party email obtained by the Star. In a letter to Ford, Tory executive director Mike Crase, and other PC officials, Lillo Ognibene complained about the premier’s appointment of a dozen lobbyists to his 17-member re-election committee. “These […]
Aug 13 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — The stickers are in the mail. Ontario’s controversial new gas-pump decals that warn against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon-pricing measures will be in place well before the official launch of the Oct. 21 federal election campaign. They are being sent to thousands of gas stations in time for the Progressive Conservative government’s self-imposed Aug. 30 […]
Aug 9 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — Doug Ford, who is struggling in public-opinion polls, insists federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is not “distancing himself” from an unpopular Ontario premier with an election looming. Ford told reporters Friday in Kitchener that he has a “good” rapport with Scheer. “I’ve talked to Andrew and I’m the premier of Ontario and I’ve got to […]
Aug 1 2019 — Robert Benzie — Toronto Star — Progressive Conservative MPPs from Scarborough, North York and Markham are urging their own government to save existing pediatric and obstetric services at the Birchmount hospital. Last week, six Tory MPPs met with senior aides to Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott to plead their case for stopping the maternity ward move from the […]