Year-End Festivities
As the Ontario Legislature prepares to wind down for the holiday break, the auditor general reignited key issues for the government, while Premier Ford launched a national U.S. advertising campaign.
From the Auditor General's Desk
Yesterday, Ontario’s new auditor general, Shelley Spence, released her annual report, which contained value-for-money audits, an assessment on government advertising, and follow-ups on performance audits.
Key Findings
Government Advertising: spending tripled from the previous year, reaching $103.5 million in 2023–24, which is an all-time high for provincial spending on ads.
Opioid Strategy: the province lacks an “effective process” for managing the opioid crisis, and its current strategy is “outdated”.
Ontario Place Redevelopment: project costs have increased by $1.8 billion and the process surrounding the redevelopment was “irregular” and “subjective."
Ministerial Zoning Orders (MZOs): the issuance 114 MZOs from 2019 to 2023 lacked assessments of necessity.
Toronto District School Board: the estimated repair backlog of Toronto public schools is $4.1 billion.
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program: occupations with the highest vacancies often had little focus through the program, most notably for nursing-related jobs.
ServiceOntario Digitization: Despite $100 million spent on digitization over the past decade, ServiceOntario has not been effective in digitizing government services. Online options do not exist for more than half of its subservices.
The Government's Response
The Ministers of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Health, as well as the Treasury Board President were joined by Infrastructure Ontario’s Michael Lindsay to respond to yesterday’s auditor’s general’s report. With a commitment to build on the report’s recommendations, the government’s top-line message remained disciplined, focusing on delivering value for money and practicing prudent fiscal management.
Opposition Crossfire
Ontario’s NDP was quick to respond to the auditor general’s report, alleging financial mismanagement and negligence by the Ford government. Leader Marit Stiles has leaned into the auditor’s general’s findings regarding the Ontario Place redevelopment, initiating a call for the resignation of Infrastructure Minister, Kinga Surma. While Bonnie Crombie’s comments around the report remained limited, her caucus colleague and MPP for Don Valley East, Dr. Adil Shamji, accused the government of lying about the cost of moving the Science Centre to Ontario Place.
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Verster Out
Phil Verster’s 7-year run as Metrolinx’s President and CEO is coming to an end. Verster, who has accepted a position elsewhere, will be succeeded by Infrastructure Ontario’s President and CEO, Michael Lindsay, on an interim basis.
Zoom in: Verster was appointed in 2007 under the Kathleen Wynne Liberal government. Since then, his mandate drastically expanded to include Premier Ford’s priority subway projects in the Greater Toronto Area.
Zoom out: Following the leadership change, Michael Lindsay has been given a direct mandate from Premier Ford to open the Eglinton Crosstown LRT as soon as it is safely to do so.
Why it Matters
“Renewing” Metrolinx’s leadership has been demanded by transit users and advocates for years, as critics have pointed to Verster’s ballooning salary and the delay-ridden Eglinton Crosstown. As the search begins for a permanent replacement, the Ford government has a new opportunity to demonstrate its resolve to get the Crosstown done and re-commit to ensuring the delivery of the Premier’s priority subway projects stay on time.
The Crossfire
Despite her criticisms around transit-related delays, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow remained forward-looking in her response to Verster’s resignation, saying the next CEO must prioritize “getting transit projects completed and open”. On the other hand, NDP leader Marit Stiles took credit for the leadership shake-up, claiming her party’s “pressure forced the change”.
Tariffs Talk
As President-elect Trump’s threat of tariffs looms, Premier Ford launched a national U.S. advertising campaign, positioning Ontario as an “ally to the North”.
Why it matters: Premier Ford is gently reminding our American neighbours of the enduring partnership between the U.S. and Ontario. The ad campaign follows previous comments from the Premier, in which he called President-elect Trump’s potential tariff policy “the biggest threat we’ve ever seen”.
The reaction: While NDP Leader, Marit Stiles, expressed her support for promoting Ontario’s economic interests in the U.S., she also expressed caution around the government’s use of “vanity ads”. On the other hand, Liberal Leader, Bonnie Crombie, claimed Premier Ford has not done enough to forge relationships in the U.S.
ICYMI
Have any questions about the news out of Queen’s Park? Reach out to our political experts at info@navltd.com.
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4wInteresting. Politicians need these reminders regularly: The most basic role of governments is providing the parameters for everyday behaviour for citizens, protect them from outside interference, and often provide for their well-being and happiness.