Premier Doug Ford’s popularity is sure to be tested following the bombshell report by auditor general Bonnie Lysyk.
The report alleges Ford favoured developers known to be close to him when he made the controversial decision to open up the green belt for development. Among the damning findings contained within the 93-page report in that homebuilders with ties to Conservative government could stand to make $8.28 billion from the deal. Ford’s decision to make the section of the green belt located in Hamilton and the GTA available for development always had its share of opponents, these findings certainly aren’t going to help the situation.
For his part Ford has denied the report, insisting there was no preferential treatment for any particular developers. Instead he insists it was strictly about streamlining the process to meet his party’s goal of building much-needed homes in the province as they attempt to keep up with demand.
Though the Ford family is no stranger to political controversy, by in large they’ve always managed to whether the storm rather unscathed. Doug’s brother, the late Rob Ford, did things as Toronto’s mayor that would have gotten most people criminally charged and almost certainly fired from lesser jobs, yet still enjoyed popularity that most politicians can only dream about. Doug’s run as premier has had its share of hiccups but still he cruised into a second term with a majority. Even as the green belt report scandal continues to unfold, Ford carried on with business as usual, hosting a Ford Fest barbecue to the Windsor area last Friday.
This scandal is bigger than anything Ford has faced in office to date, which makes it interesting to see how his team will attempt to spin it. Indeed even the Ontario Provincial Police are determining whether or not they want to get involved in the investigation. Though it’s common practice these days for members of the public to call for a politician they don’t like to be investigated by the police-so much so it’s become somewhat of a cliché-it’s a little different when the OPP are actually considering doing it.
Whether anything comes of it-and ultimately whether it affects public opinion in the polls-remain to be seen. One thing is clear; this story appears to only be getting started.
-Meta made good on its threat to ban all Canadian media from its site this week.
After weeks of warning, the hammer finally came down last Monday when any media page on Facebook was blocked out to users in Canada-the Napanee Beaver included. While we had held out hope that an independent such as ourselves would somehow slip through unnoticed, that was not the case. Though it was a bit slow on the uptake-initially anything posted to the Beaver page would be followed with a message saying the content couldn’t be seen in Canada even though followers were still commenting and sharing it-they seemed to have tied up all loose ends.
What this means going forward, we’re not sure. Until then our content can still be enjoyed through print and online at www.NapaneeBeaver.ca.
-Adam Prudhomme