Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

[adma]

I must say, too, that I get a whiff of Theranos about DoFo's leadership--and can see it all collapsing the same way...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Holmes

 

[W. K. Lis]

According to this link:

The (Queen's) park is nearly an enclave of the University of Toronto, which occupies most of the surrounding lands. In 1859, the land was leased by the University of Toronto to the City of Toronto for a 999-year term. In 1880, a "portion of the Queen's Park [was] selected [and given to] the Government of Ontario, as a site for the erection of new Legislative and Departmental buildings". The land that is occupied by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is owned by the Government of Ontario. The north park is owned by the University of Toronto and leased to the city. Ministry buildings of the Ontario government occupy other properties to the east of the park, in an area between Wellesley Street and Grosvenor Street. While not adjacent to the park, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Gardiner Museum are located nearby.

While the "building" is "owned" by the Government of Ontario, what about the parking (asphalt) spaces? Especially, the Premier of Ontario's parking spot?

Could the City of Toronto or the University of Toronto decide that the Premier's parking space and neighbouring parking spaces is a good location for a grove of new trees to be planted?

Since the Government of Ontario has given up its responsibility to the environment by stopping the planting of trees, maybe the city and/or university and others should plant trees. Surround Queen's Park and Doug Ford's home with trees, like a "stockade", so he can't get in.

 

[tiffer24]

It was a "great" week to cut funding by 50% for flood protections in Ontario....

Ottawa River flood levels smash records--and the river has yet to peak.

According to the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board's Sunday 5 p.m. update, the river is at record-breaking levels in LacCoulonge, east of Pembroke, Ont., Arnprior, Ont., and Ottawa.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-gatineau-floods-latest-news-1.5113912

 

[lenaitch]

Our daughter's in-laws have a place on the Quebec side near Pembroke. Saturday the water was on the lawn - today the basement is well over half full. Her FiL has cancer and just came out of heart surgery, the MiL has health issues; they are both devastated. They rebuilt the basement from the flood two years ago. Now we're suggesting just to gut it and turn it back into an unfinished basement. They were thinking of selling, but one flood is an event, two is pattern, they won't get much if they could find a buyer. They got burned out of their condo a few years ago. If it wasn't for bad luck some folks wouldn't have any luck at all.

 

[tiffer24]

Wait, I thought we were broke...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1123261885518884866

 

[steveintoronto]

Who should be featured in this pic but Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph, a friend and jam buddy (he's a drummer)(it can be cured!), and someone who campaigned as a Conservative, albeit with a heart. Cam's good people. He used to wear his conservatism on his sleeve though, but this is where the line has shifted:

CITY HALL
Ontario mayors angered by public health cuts blast province for ‘downloading by stealth’
Mayors from 28 major municipalities across Ontario have blasted the province’s plan to cut public health funding, calling on them to put that decision on hold.
-TorStar

Wow...Cam has shifted to Centre of late, the election by Guelph of Mike Schreiner has had an influence...I've never seen Cam as upset as this pic shows. It's a bellwether...

From the Guelph Mercury
'Download by stealth': Guelph mayor says Ontario cities left to pay for provincial cuts
NEWS 03:38 PM by Graeme McNaughton Guelph Mercury

Speaking in his role as the chair of the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario, Mayor Cam Guthrie says municipalities are being left to pay for the cuts in the recently released provincial budget. - Torstar file photo
Guelph’s mayor says the province’s cities are being left to pick up the tab for spending cuts by the province, and wants to see them held off for now.
Speaking on behalf of the Large Urban Mayor’s Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) — a group of the leaders of all 28 of the province’s cities with populations over 100,000, of which he is the chair — Mayor Cam Guthrie says provincial budget cuts are effectively downloading more responsibilities onto municipalities.
And with the added responsibilities, Guthrie writes, will come higher taxes.

“The Government of Ontario is effectively forcing municipalities to consider tax increases or service cuts to absorb the download in services it has proposed,” Guthrie writes in a statement posted on the LUMCO website on Tuesday.
[...]
https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-...tario-cities-left-to-pay-for-provincial-cuts/

 

[Hopkins123]

Who should be featured in this pic but Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph, a friend and jam buddy (he's a drummer)(it can be cured!), and someone who campaigned as a Conservative, albeit with a heart. Cam's good people. He used to wear his conservatism on his sleeve though, but this is where the line has shifted:

CITY HALL
Ontario mayors angered by public health cuts blast province for ‘downloading by stealth’
Mayors from 28 major municipalities across Ontario have blasted the province’s plan to cut public health funding, calling on them to put that decision on hold.

Wow...Cam has shifted to Centre of late, the election by Guelph of Mike Schreiner has had an influence...I've never seen Cam as upset as this pic shows. It's a bellwether...

I didn't notice Jonah Hill had entered politics. Lol!

 

[steveintoronto]

I didn't notice Jonah Hill had entered politics. Lol!

Is that the best you can do to understand a real Conservative instead of jump-up reactionary knee-jerking knock-offs like...well...no need to mention any names. After all, Whitewalkers can't dance...now, on the count of 1-2-3...you missed it.

 

[Hopkins123]

Is that the best you can do to understand a real Conservative instead of jump-up reactionary knee-jerking knock-offs like...well...no need to mention any names. After all, Whitewalkers can't dance...now, on the count of 1-2-3...you missed it.

Oh geez, have a sense of humour! There was nothing malicious intended behind my comment, only remarking on the uncanny resemblance.

 

[steveintoronto]

Oh geez, have a sense of humour! There was nothing malicious intended behind my comment, only remarking on the uncanny resemblance.

For someone so avid on humour, you completely missed mine. Perhaps you're being too conservative with the Tums? I'll count in 4/4 time again, try not to miss it: 1-2-3....

 

[W. K. Lis]

It’s Official: Ontario Will Scrap Medical Coverage for Residents Travelling Outside of Canada

From link.

Take care on your next flight, Snowbirds. When you next head south for the winter — or venture abroad later in the year— Ontario’s emergency travel insurance coverage will be a thing of the past.

The Ontario government announced today it will move forward with the plan to cut the government funded program that offers basic out-of-country travel insurance.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says the Progressive Conservative government decided to make the change after holding a six-day public consultation that ended Tuesday.

Elliot says the program’s administrative costs are too high and the level of coverage too low to assist travellers who depend on private insurance as it is. The province estimates it spends $2.8 million to administer approximately $9 million in claim payments every year.


She says that broader public outreach will be necessary to remind travellers to purchase health insurance before they leave the country.

When the cut is made official, Ontario will become the first province to remove medical emergency reimbursement for people travelling abroad.

The program currently covers Ontarians for out-of-country inpatient services up to $400 per day for a higher level of care such as medical services provided in intensive care units or surgical wards, and $200 per day for other care. In addition, $50 per day is allowed for outpatient and doctor services.

Critics have said the move will particularly hurt older travellers, who make up more than half of all Canadians who embark on an out-of-country trip.

According to Vividata from 2018, of the 11 million Canadians who travelled overnight outside of Canada in the past 12 months, about 6 million — or 56 per cent — were 45-plus. And regardless of the length of the trip, the 45-plus crowd accounted for more than all other age groups combined making the proposed government cut very much an issue for older Canadians.

“CARP is very concerned about these recent cuts. Our members, and all older Canadians, may now be more vulnerable to health care costs out of country,” said Laura Tamblyn Watts, CARP’s Chief Policy Officer. “Canadians will also need to ensure that any extended coverage is not predicated on OHIP coverage.”

While OHIP’s current coverage for international trips doesn’t come close to covering most emergency medical costs and requires travellers to supplement their coverage with private insurance, the move could result in an increase in premiums. According to the Canadian Snowbird Association, the increase could be about 7.5%.

Perhaps even more worrying are cases where a traveller has pre-existing health conditions that can make the cost of private insurance exorbitant.

“The Canadian Federation of Pensioners is against these cuts. By the age of retirement, the majority of older adults have pre-existing conditions, which make private insurance unaffordable or ineligible, “ said Michael Powell, President of the Canadian Federation of Pensions, adding that some retirees may face yet another problem. “Many of those people are currently covered by extended benefits from their previous employer, and often to get a claim paid, OHIP coverage is required,” Powell said.


The government initially justified its plan by saying OHIP covers a small amount — just five per cent — of the cost of the typical medical emergency Canadians may face while travelling abroad, so purchasing travel insurance is already necessary.

Addressing the province’s $11.7 billion deficit, Progressive Conservative legislator Robin Martin said, “We don’t have an unlimited amount of money, obviously. We want to maximize value we get for people and we think that this is not an effective use of our resources.”

Calling the proposed cut “disturbing,” NDP legislator Marit Stiles called out the government for attempting to sneak the change past Ontario residents “without having a conversation with the folks who will be affected, who travel overseas or to the south during the winter months.”

“I don’t know how this government can be making this decision at all,” she told the CBC.

Even so, with provinces tightening budgets across the country, it raises the question: Ontario may be the first at eliminating out-of-country medical coverage, but will it be the last? Probably not.

How can the PC government have alleged "consultations", with their fingers in their ears?

 

[tiffer24]

Not good news for Toronto... looks like Section 37 funds charged to developers are about to be eliminated as well as the Land Transfer Tax.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1123713553947668481

 

[Thinker]

It’s Official: Ontario Will Scrap Medical Coverage for Residents Travelling Outside of Canada

From link.







How can the PC government have alleged "consultations", with their fingers in their ears?

Because the current PC circus at Queens Park doesn't know the difference between their ears and rectums. The PC's aren't a bunch of "folks" who engage in consultation unless it involves friends and family appointments. When Doug says he consulted 1000's of "people" I would estimate he "spoke" to a friend or two who would probably profit from his decision. Just like hallway medicine, it isn't cured by cutting budgets and consolidating services, it is solved by providing adequate family medicine clinic services possibly on a 24 hr operation and educating patients not to go to the ER to seek help for that cough or hangnail. ER's are to be used for patients referred to by a family doctor and emergency situations. In the summer routinely beds are reduced as staff goes on holidays, I have come across situations where procedures could not be performed due to lack of staff and beds. Hallway medicine isn't just something that happened under Wynne it's been a symptom that has been worsening over the last 3 decades.

 

[toonderly]

I strongly suspect that Ford thought opening up beer sales involved just legislation. Sort of like them figuring out the severance they had to pay after terminating Hydro One's CEO. They didn't think it would cost them much....until it did.

They don't deserve a pass for that. It's their job to know the costs and benefits of the legislation and factor them into the decision.

 

[kEiThZ]

Not good news for Toronto... looks like Section 37 funds charged to developers are about to be eliminated as well as the Land Transfer Tax.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1123713553947668481

Interesting. This would result in massive tax increases for current homeowners to fund breaks for developers. I don't see how this would work without biting the PCs in the six. If my property tax bill jumped 10-20% overnight, why would I vote PC in the next election?