That blatant balderdash is the sorry excuse for a trip to the polls in February, a cruel choice in a cruel month where people are either huddling in their homes or fleeing to warmer climes. (However, I have been informed that there is a vote-by-mail option, a link to which I shall put at the end of this post.) Am I rash in predicting a record low turnout that will cost us at least $150 million, and the spectre of four more years of economic mismanagement?
However, judging by some letters to the editor, I don't think I am the only one feeling deep disenchantment over Ford's contempt for the citizens and taxpayers of Ontario.
With an Ontario election looming, it’s time to reflect on what has gone on under Doug Ford’s premiership. Anybody been to the hospital recently? How were the wait times? I hear ORs at SickKids are not able to function properly due to a lack of nurses. Anybody have a kid in public school or at an Ontario college? Given the chronic lack of funding during Ford’s tenure, how’s that working out ? Have you been to the grocery store? We know consumers are being gouged, but has Ford stepped in to help us? Instead of listening to voters, Ford pushed through with the closure of the Ontario Science Centre, and he plans to add a foreign-owned luxury spa to Ontario Place. People need to recognize that other leaders are as well suited to talk business with Trump, or even better. Ford is not the people’s premier. He’s in it to make himself and his buddies rich at the expense of public education, health care, and affordability. He’s not our guy.
Jennifer Chambers, Toronto
Dear Doug Ford: do not call an early election. Ontario is facing a threat of epic proportions in President Donald Trump. You already have a mandate to deal with him. Aware of the seriousness of the current situation, the opposition parties have pledged to work with you. Do not get distracted. This is not the time for crass, self-serving politicking. A real Captain Canada wouldn’t abandon the fight just as it was about to begin.
Trish Plant, Toronto
Ford’s plan to announce a provincial election on January 29 is a sham. He is again wasting taxpayers’ money to keep himself in power, and he is clearly using Trump’s tariff threats as a pretext for doing so. Ford already has a clear majority to do as he and his party see fit. Why does he need a “clear mandate” to address potential American tariffs? I feel that this just an excuse to deflect attention away from the issues Ford is facing. These include the RCMP investigation into the Greenbelt scandal; the underfunding of health care, education, and social programs; the closing of safe-injection sites; and delays to the Ontario Line and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. Ford may get a clear mandate to fight the tariffs, but that will take his government away from dealing with issues that are more relevant to Ontarians.
Joe Bortolussi, Toronto
The election Ford craves will reportedly cost between $150 million and $175 million. If you include the total cost of the $200 buy-a-vote cheques that the government is sending out now — which will add about $3.2 billion to the deficit and thus the total debt — the election will really cost nearly $3.4 billion. Last election, about 4.7 million votes were cast. To allow for some population growth, let’s estimate that maybe 5 million votes will be cast. That would make this the most expensive election ever, at about $700 per vote.
My cheque, labelled the “Ontario Taxpayer Rebate,” arrived today. It will be pinned to the wall and never cashed so that I will not be responsible for having added to the debt that Ford is using his existing strong mandate to create. Goodness knows how much more debt he can create with a “very” strong mandate. Curiously, the blurb attached to the cheque says, “to help with the costs of the federal carbon tax and interest rates, the Ontario government is putting money back into peoples’ pockets by providing a tax-free, $200 rebate....” I already get a much, much better rebate on the federal carbon price from the federal government.
Say, wasn’t it Doug Ford who, during his first strong mandate, scrapped the cap-and-trade plan that existed when he took office and thus forced the federal carbon tax on the people of Ontario? Can we afford any more mandates for Doug Ford?
Graeme Elliott, Toronto
This is the link providing information on how to vote by mail in Ontario:
https://www.elections.on.ca/en/voting-in-ontario/voting-in-provincial-elections.html
