It’s unusual for a premier, who wants to continue as premier, to criticize a former premier of the same political party. Not that Ontario premier Doug Ford gives a damn. Most Ontario voters who lived through conservative Mike Harris’ time as premier, twenty years ago, thought less of him when he left the premier’s office. One thing for sure about the current election, nobody will be inclined to erect statues honouring conservative Doug Ford either.
Mike Harris, for all his faults, left the Ontario premier’s office to later take over as chair of Chartwell Retirement Residences. These included long-term care residences that have been feeding ground for the Coronavirus COVID-19.
But that is not why Doug Ford criticized Mike Harris. The former premier did more that provide a feeding ground for the pandemic. He also sold Highway 407 across the top of Toronto that has become manna for the ownership consortium. Mr. Ford says he would not have done that.
Obviously to sell off 108 kilometres of controlled access highway on a 99-year lease for $3.1 billion—that is now worth about $30 billion—does not help make Mr. Harris seem very smart. Greedy yes. Smart no.
Mr. Ford made these remarks while congratulating himself for cancelling the provincial tolls on the short connecting roads of Highway 412 and 418. These are nickel and dime savings while leaving the tolls on the 43 kilometer provincially owned stretch of 407 from Pickering through to Highways 35/115.
Though it all seems to be in keeping with the nickel-dime election campaign that the Ford conservatives are currently running in Ontario. Not only can Ontario drivers save a nickel here and a dime there on road tolls but he is saying that if they just re-elect him, he will cut back five cents on the gasoline tax. Another nickel saved—as gasoline prices stretch for $2.00 a litre.
The only problem with all Mr. Ford’s promises is that he is saying that it can all be done with a little deficit financing. Mr. Ford has even got the right-wing Fraser Institute disappointed in him. If he continues as premier, the Fraser Institute believes he is likely to add another $100 billion to the province’s debt in the next five years.
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Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
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