Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

[tiffer24]

Just in case we start to think it is just us:

Alberta cabinet to gain power to remove councillors, change bylaws as province also adds political parties to municipal politics

The Alberta government's Bill 20 also proposes allowing party affiliations to be listed on municipal election ballots.

edmontonjournal.com

Why would anyone bother to vote in an Alberta municipal election if this bill passes? The election could be cancelled, candidates removed, results ignored.


Edmonton elected officials and political scientists are skeptical about proposed changes to legislation by the Alberta government, which they say would affect the way municipalities govern.
"I see Bill 20 as an attack on local democracy," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active Thursday. "This is going to undermine local decision-making and it's going to hurt our communities."

Introduced in the legislature Thursday, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act would give the Alberta cabinet authority to dismiss councillors in any municipality and repeal bylaws already passed by a council.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmo...nce-s-new-municipal-governance-bill-1.7185720

 

[lenaitch]

Why would anyone bother to vote in an Alberta municipal election if this bill passes? The election could be cancelled, candidates removed, results ignored.


Edmonton elected officials and political scientists are skeptical about proposed changes to legislation by the Alberta government, which they say would affect the way municipalities govern.
"I see Bill 20 as an attack on local democracy," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active Thursday. "This is going to undermine local decision-making and it's going to hurt our communities."

Introduced in the legislature Thursday, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act would give the Alberta cabinet authority to dismiss councillors in any municipality and repeal bylaws already passed by a council.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmo...nce-s-new-municipal-governance-bill-1.7185720

I realize it's not a direct comparison since municipalities are not constitutionally protected, but it strikes me that Alberta is doing to its municipalities what they are complaining the federal government is doing to them.

 

[christiesplits]

Doug Ford and the PCs keep both seats in today's by-elections, including increasing their vote percentage in Milton over 2022.

https://www.elections.on.ca/en/election-results.html (link updated)

 

[Northern Light]

Doug Ford and the PCs keep both seats in today's by-elections, including increasing their vote percentage in Milton over 2022.

Elections Ontario Real Time Results

rtr.elections.on.ca

While I would not dispute some significance in the above...........

I would suggest that, the fact these seats are either Conservative seats or seats that sometimes flip to team red needs to be stated right off the bat.

There are not wide open races.

Voter turn out was very low, as it tends to be in by-elections.......

It was not a tight race in Lambton, nor was it expect to be; but Milton was contentious.

Not a walk for the Tories, though by no means particularly close either.

I wouldn't give this undue weight, anymore than the Liberal win outside Ottawa. (earlier)

 

[Dan416]

Not sure if this has been talked about but some of the regions are having their planning responsibilities removed as of July 1 (Peel, Halton and York).

Provincial review update - Peel Region

Proposed legislation on governance for Peel

peelregion.ca

Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, 2024

Bill 185 from Parliament 43 Session 1 of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, 2024.

www.ola.org

SCHEDULE 12
PLANNING ACT

The Schedule makes various amendments to the Planning Act. Here are some highlights:

1. Currently, the Act provides for two different classes of upper-tier municipalities, those which have planning responsibilities and those which do not. Amendments are made to provide that the Regional Municipality of Peel, the Regional Municipality of Halton and the Regional Municipality of York become upper-tier municipalities without planning responsibilities on July 1, 2024 and to provide that four other specified upper-tier municipalities will be upper-tier municipalities without planning responsibilities on dates to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor. Other related amendments are made in the Act.

 

[Jonny5]

Sort of cross posting: the 16 month acceleration for the changes to beer and wine sales announced today go in line with the whispers that Ford will call a snap election around this time next year.
It's a legitimate good populist talking point to throw out there for his "I got it done" persona.

 

[DSC]

Sort of cross posting: the 16 month acceleration for the changes to beer and wine sales announced today go in line with the whispers that Ford will call a snap election around this time next year.
It's a legitimate good populist talking point to throw out there for his "I got it done" persona.

This time next year is a year away - a LOT can happen so any 'whispers' are not fact based.

 

[Jonny5]

This time next year is a year away - a LOT can happen so any 'whispers' are not fact based.

Not fact based, but whispers are the funnest part of politics.

 

[christiesplits]

Early provincial election rumours abound.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-election-questions-1.7213950

 

[afransen]

I guess Ford is more worried about Crombie than I thought, to consider an early election. And I suppose also worried about what will likely be a rapidly unpopular PP government taking the wind out of his sails for re-election.

It seems short notice. I imagine a lot of retailers will be scrambling to make arrangements to sell beer. I'm sure this has been telegraphed that it would happen eventually, but the timing seemed further in the future.

 

[christiesplits]

More chatter of an early election:

Tory insiders say fear of a Pierre Poilievre victory has Doug Ford considering an early election call

Premier Doug Ford is considering an early election call before the scheduled 2026 vote over concerns about cuts a future federal Conservative government might impose, the Star has learned.

www.thestar.com

Sources say Ford is worried that if, as polls suggest, Pierre Poilievre wins an election expected in October 2025, there would be reduced transfer payments to the provinces, a scrapping of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s electric-vehicle strategy that is a cornerstone of Ontario economic policy and other slashed spending that would hurt the Progressive Conservatives.

A third PC source conceded that an earlier than anticipated election could get the Tories ahead of any fallout from the ongoing RCMP criminal probe of the $8.28-billion Greenbelt land swap scandal.