Macdoc wrote: ....tho Trudeau likely would not have a majority now ....

Rachel Bronwyn wrote:Shit's getting worse before it gets better.

Ontario makes history with record number of female MPPs
By KRISTIN RUSHOWYQueen's Park Bureau
Sun., June 17, 2018
Voters’ desire for change not only swept in a new provincial government — but also sent a record-breaking influx of female MPPs to Queen’s Park.

Of the 124 ridings in Ontario, 49 will be represented by women. At 39.5 per cent, that’s the highest of any provincial legislature across the country.

Doug Ford will give us the carbon tax we never had
By MARTIN REGG COHNOntario Politics Columnist
Fri., June 15, 2018

Far from killing a (non-existent) carbon tax, Ontario’s incoming Progressive Conservative government is laying the groundwork for a brand new carbon tax of its own making. That’s because, as Ford’s very own Ontario PC Party acknowledged last year, Ottawa fully intends to impose a carbon tax in any province without a plan to fight global warming.

Ontario’s incoming premier has set aside $30 million to fight a losing legal battle over Ottawa’s undisputed right to regulate the environment with carbon pricing. Virtually all legal and constitutional experts believe the federal government has an airtight case. But even if Ford’s Tories believe they have a stronger case, shouldn’t they level with the people of Ontario about the risk of losing in court?

Litigation, like politics, is inherently unpredictable. You can’t prevail in the Supreme Court of Canada merely by repeating campaign slogans.

That’s not leading the way, it’s misleading all the way.

Until Ford became leader in March, the Progressive Conservatives had fully accepted Trudeau’s carbon tax. Now Ford is in charge, but on Friday he still couldn’t answer basic questions about his party’s reversal, such as:

Will your government fully reimburse companies that have already paid more nearly $3 billion at auction under the terms of cap and trade?

While you wage war with Ottawa in court, will your government face lawsuits of its own from participants and organizers of previous carbon auctions linking Ontario to Quebec and California?

The bottom line with cap and trade is that it lowers the cap on greenhouse gas emissions every year. Business can then buy and sell (or “trade”) carbon allowances — effectively buying time until they find the most efficient ways to meet their obligations. It translates to about 4.3 cents a litre at the pump for motorists, a figure dwarfed by the ups and downs of global oil prices.

Is he going to just keep up the strategy that seemed to work during the campaign, of being as inaccessible as prossible?

Credit ratings agency Fitch has an unpleasant welcome gift for Ontario Premier-designate Doug Ford: A downgrade to the province's credit outlook.

Fitch announced Friday it's maintaining its "AA-" credit rating for the province, but is downgrading the future outlook to "negative" from "stable" on account of Ontario's return to deficit spending — a trend started under Kathleen Wynne's Liberals, but one that will continue under Ford.

If the negative outlook were to lead to a lower credit rating, Ontario could face higher borrowing costs, making its budget problems worse. Fitch says it could downgrade the province's credit rating if the incoming Progressive Conservatives were to signal an "extended" period of deficits ahead.

After working for years to bring Ontario back to balanced budgets after the Great Recession of 2008-09, the provincial Liberals announced a return to deficit spending in this year's budget, ahead of the spring election.

"The departing government's tabled 2018 budget for fiscal 2019 forecast a return to annual deficits financed by debt issuance, a trajectory that appears likely to remain in place by the incoming PC party," Fitch said in a statement.

Holyday said he supported Martino in the Etobicoke Centre nomination battle, not expecting that Surma would make a last-minute run there.

“What prompted (she and Ford) to co-operate and to seek that nomination, I have no idea,” he said. “I was a bit surprised that Doug didn’t support Pina … He never told me why he didn’t.”

Ford ousts Hydro One boss and the utility’s board of directors
By ROB FERGUSONQueen's Park Bureau
ROBERT BENZIEQueen's Park Bureau Chief
Wed., July 11, 2018

Premier Doug Ford has zapped the Hydro One boss he dubbed “the $6 million dollar man” without an expected $10.7 million severance payment and is replacing the company’s board of directors.

Chief executive Mayo Schmidt, whom Ford promised to fire during the June 7 election campaign over his $6.2 million annual compensation, is taking “retirement” with a $400,000 lump sum, Hydro One said Wednesday.

Shares of Hydro One Ltd. fell Thursday after the Toronto-based electricity utility announced a deal with the government of new Ontario premier Doug Ford that will replace the company’s board of directors and retired its chief executive.

Hydro One’s stock price closed down 3.2 per cent at $20.17, having fallen as low as $18.57 in earlier trading.

Macdoc wrote:Well credit where credit is due

Ford ousts Hydro One boss and the utility’s board of directors
By ROB FERGUSONQueen's Park Bureau
ROBERT BENZIEQueen's Park Bureau Chief
Wed., July 11, 2018

Premier Doug Ford has zapped the Hydro One boss he dubbed “the $6 million dollar man” without an expected $10.7 million severance payment and is replacing the company’s board of directors.

Chief executive Mayo Schmidt, whom Ford promised to fire during the June 7 election campaign over his $6.2 million annual compensation, is taking “retirement” with a $400,000 lump sum, Hydro One said Wednesday.

https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark ... ctors.html

Not sure how he pulled that rabbit from the hat but hats off to him.
Now we'll see what he does with the corporation as the large majority want Hydro and it's steady income stream to be owned by Ontario outright.

As the share price falls, retiring Hydro One CEO to get millions
By ROB FERGUSONQueen's Park Bureau
Thu., July 12, 2018
Thanks to his stock options, the ousted head of Hydro One will walk away with close to the $10.7 million he would have received in severance — far more than a $400,000 retirement payout Premier Doug Ford touted as a victory for ratepayers.

Ford’s cynical display of political patronage
By BOB HEPBURNStar Columnist
Wed., July 11, 2018
What Premier Doug Ford knows about Ontario’s health-care system you can place on the head of a pin.

What Ford does know well, though, is how to take care of his friends, even when it comes to this critical field affecting every resident in the province.

Energy minister dodges questions about cost of cancelling green contracts
By ROB FERGUSONQueen's Park Bureau
Mon., July 16, 2018

Energy Minister Greg Rickford is refusing to say how much it will cost taxpayers to cancel 758 renewable energy contracts in an effort to save $790 million, as opposition parties accuse him of leaving Ontarians in the dark.

“It’s still money out the door. The people deserve to know that,” said Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner. “It’s very disturbing.”

Rickford, a former federal cabinet minister defeated in the 2015 Trudeau sweep before making a provincial comeback under Ford, said Monday that critics should focus on the money that will be left in taxpayers’ pockets by axing the unnecessary projects across the province, which has a surplus of electricity.

Legislation will be introduced to ensure cancellation costs “are as low as they can be,” he added. “There will be some and we’ve put them in the perspective of how much we’re actually saving. And $790 million from where I come from is a lot of money.”

It’s believed the legislation will bar lawsuits.

But Rickford (Kenora-Rainy River) repeatedly evaded questions on the total costs after the new government faced its first question period in the Legislature, walking away from reporters who chased him down two flights of stairs to the lobby.

“When the net savings to the taxpayers is $790 million, I’m sure you guys know the word net…means a positive balance,” he replied when asked which gross number was used to reach the savings figure.

“We’ll get back to you,” an aide said as she tried to stop the flow of questions about the projects, which the government says have not yet reached “development milestones.”

Rickford announced the cancellations Friday afternoon in a news release with few details.

Rivals are using the cancellations to rekindle memories of the previous Liberal government’s gas plants scandal, where power stations slated for Oakville and Mississauga were scrapped before the 2011 election, with costs initially billed in the tens of millions. The auditor general later concluded the controversial moves could cost up to $1.1 billion over 20 years.

New Democrat MPP Peter Tabuns said the government is “forcing unknown costs” of scrapping the projects onto their proponents, which include small towns and First Nations communities.

“Why won’t the premier review these contracts in a transparent process that is based on evidence and the public interest?” he asked.

Schreiner said the governing party — which in opposition hounded the Liberal government over gas plants costs — is also mum on details about the purported $790 million in savings.

“Is that over a year? Is that over 10 years? Is that over 20 years? They haven’t been very clear on that,” Schreiner said.

The government will table separate legislation to axe the White Pines wind turbine project on Lake Ontario south of Belleville, and has promised similar legislation to limit the province’s liability. Proponents have said they are owed about $100 million.

Meanwhile, Transportation Minister John Yakabuski said the government is sticking to its plan to end taxpayer subsidies for electric and hybrid cars despite complaints from motorists who have paid deposits on Tesla models that won’t be delivered until after the deadline.

The incentives of up to $14,000 will still be paid on eligible vehicles that have been delivered to buyers, registered and plated by July 11.

For motorists who agreed to buy vehicles on dealer lots or ordered vehicles before July 11, the subsidies will be paid only if the cars are delivered, registered and plated by Sept. 10.

“We extended it to Sept. 10 so that people would have an ample amount of time,” Yakabuski told the Star.

“Tesla does not have a dealer network. They deal directly with the consumer and our intention in extending it for the other models was to protect the dealer networks that provide jobs and work for people here in Ontario.”

As first reported by the Star on June 20, the subsidies were cancelled because they were funded by the previous Liberal government’s cap-and-trade program to fight climate change, which the Ford administration is cancelling.

While Environment Minister Rod Phillips said Monday the government will come up with its own plan to fight climate change that does not put an onerous burden on the economy, Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said that’s not good enough.

“There is no plan and that’s very concerning,” he said. “I think most Ontarians expect their government to have a plan for climate change. This government does not.”