Thursday December 26, 2024

Ontario's 2024 saw Premier Doug Ford balancing bold showmanship with policy improvisation, as headline-grabbing ideas like alcohol sales expansion and a 401 tunnel met serious challenges in healthcare, housing, and climate action, leaving residents eager for real solutions amid the theatrics.Graeme Gallery 2024: Ontario

Ontario as we knew it in 2024 | December 26, 2024 | Substack Newsletter

Posted on December 26, 2024 to The Hamilton Spectator.

In Ontario, 2024 was a year where Doug Ford played both the showman and the improviser, juggling promises, policies, and populism with mixed results. From resurrecting long-deferred plans for expanded alcohol sales to his head-scratching tunnel proposal under the 401, Ford’s penchant for bold but often impractical ideas kept the province guessing. Meanwhile, serious issues like healthcare, housing, and climate action lurked in the shadows, occasionally breaking into the spotlight. The year unfolded like a theatrical production, with Ford as the headliner, opposition leaders providing the counterpoint, and Ontarians left wondering what kind of act might follow.

Premier Doug Ford has fulfilled a 2018 election promise to expand alcohol sales in Ontario, allowing beer, wine, and other beverages to be sold in 8,500 new outlets by January 1, 2026, but the process has taken decades due to long-standing industry agreements.Friday, December 15, 2023:
 Premier Doug Ford finally makes good on his 2018 promise to expand alcohol sales, with 8,500 new outlets set to roll out by 2026. The delays, bogged down by industry agreements, draw comparisons to Scrooge’s ghosts, as living and dead premiers visit Ford in an Ontario twist on A Christmas Carol.

 

Ontario's hospitals and universities are facing major financial challenges, resorting to loans and projecting deficits, underscoring the urgent need for increased government support to safeguard essential services in healthcare and education.Friday, January 26, 2024:
 Ontario’s hospitals and universities, strapped for cash, start eyeing sketchy loan offers to stay afloat. Like gullible shoppers duped by fast-cash jingles, the desperation exposes just how underfunded essential services have become.

 

Premier Doug Ford's populist measures, including halting tolls and eliminating fees, may provide short-term relief but risk sacrificing essential revenue needed for crucial infrastructure and public service improvements, totaling over $1 billion annually.Saturday, February 17, 2024:
 Doug Ford’s populist cuts, from nixing tolls to scrapping fees, might feel good now, but the billion-dollar revenue hole left behind threatens Ontario’s infrastructure. His off-ramp to popularity seems to end in a fiery pile-up.

 

Doug Ford's "Get It Done Act" is criticized as a political distraction from Ontario's healthcare and housing crises, with opposition leaders questioning the effectiveness of performative measures in the omnibus bill.Thursday, February 22, 2024:
 Ford’s “Get It Done Act” is slammed for tackling easy, flashy projects while healthcare and housing monsters loom large in the shadows. His love of low-hanging fruit leaves critics questioning his priorities.

 

Doug Ford's "Get It Done" Act, while criticized as a political gimmick prioritizing highway construction over environmental concerns, contrasts with positive collaborative efforts with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow on housing initiatives.Saturday, February 24, 2024:
 While critics call Ford’s “Get It Done Act” a gimmick prioritizing highways over the environment, his rare collaboration with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow on housing shows he can dance to a more constructive tune—awkwardly, but earnestly.

 

Both Bonnie Crombie and Pierre Poilievre's opposition to the carbon tax raises questions about their alternative plans for addressing climate change, leaving voters to wonder: if not a carbon tax, then what specific measures do they propose to tackle this urgent issue, if any at all?Friday, March 22, 2024:
 Bonnie Crombie and Pierre Poilievre’s anti-carbon tax rhetoric harmonizes in a familiar populist chorus. But as they play the same tune on different instruments, voters wonder if either has a meaningful climate solution in their repertoire.

 

In the fabric of Ontario's legislature, the ban on kaffiyehs is a threadbare excuse for suppressing cultural expression and selective enforcement of political neutrality.Friday, May 9, 2024:
 The Ontario Legislature’s kaffiyeh ban puts hypocrisy on full display, with party leaders draped in their own political colours while demanding conformity from others. Queen’s Park is as fashionably inconsistent as ever.

 

Doug Ford’s proposal to build a tunnel under the 401 is an impractical, costly distraction that would worsen traffic congestion instead of solving it, diverting attention from more effective solutions like public transit investments.Wednesday, October 2, 2024:
 Ford’s vision for a tunnel under the 401 comes off as an expensive, impractical digression. Like a wayward Buzz Lightyear, he promises to bore Ontario “to infinity and beyond,” while neglecting practical fixes like better transit.

 

A distracted and weakened federal government has created a leadership vacuum, forcing the provinces to step up in addressing the existential challenges posed by a potential second Trump presidency.Wednesday, December 18, 2024:
 With Ottawa distracted and weakened, Ford briefly steps into the superhero role, filling the vacuum in the face of a looming Trump presidency. For one shining moment, Ontario’s Premier dons the cape—but the jury’s out on whether he can actually fly.

As 2025 approaches, Ontario faces familiar challenges with a mix of hope and apprehension. Will leaders prioritize meaningful solutions over political theatrics, or will the province continue its dance of distractions? From infrastructure debates to a looming federal leadership vacuum, the stage is set for new acts of ambition and accountability—or more of the same spectacle. For better or worse, Ontario’s future will be shaped by how well its leaders can “get it done” where it really matters. The audience remains seated, ready to see what the next act holds.

Please subscribe to the Graeme Gallery on Substack.

Graeme Galleries:  Ontario 2023 | Ontario 2022 | Ontario 2021 | Ontario 2020