cronies – mackaycartoons

Thursday December 7, 2023

December 7, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 7, 2023

Doug Ford’s Ontario Science Centre Move: A Skeptical Look at Taxpayers’ Interests

November 22, 2023

The recent decision by the Ontario government to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place has raised eyebrows and skepticism among taxpayers. Premier Doug Ford’s claim that the move will save over $250 million appears to be a complex equation that doesn’t add up when closely examined.

Firstly, the province’s acting Auditor-General, Nick Stavropoulos, highlights significant flaws in the government’s cost analysis. Stavropoulos points out that the business-case report failed to include essential elements such as the price tag for legal assistance, financing, and other transaction costs for the new facility. Moreover, the estimated cost of repairing and rehabilitating the existing building, pegged at $370 million, was conveniently left out of the equation.

News: Ford government’s decision to move Ontario Science Centre based on ‘incomplete’ info, AG finds

March 10, 2022

The government’s assertion that the move will benefit the struggling science centre financially is met with skepticism, given the omission of crucial costs. It raises questions about whether Doug Ford has the best interests of Ontario taxpayers in mind or if there are ulterior motives at play.

Furthermore, the lack of proper consultations with the city, school boards, and other relevant authorities is a cause for concern. The Auditor-General’s report emphasizes the absence of discussions with the Toronto area’s school boards and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Such a significant decision impacting public resources warrants thorough consultation and transparency, which, in this case, appears to be lacking.

October 15, 2021

The suspicions surrounding the motivations behind the move gain traction when considering the potential financial gains for developers. The plans to allow a private Austrian-based company to build a large spa and waterpark complex on the Ontario Place redevelopment site could enrich connected cronies of the government. The absence of clear details about the fate of the existing science centre building and the potential for condo development raises red flags about the true intentions behind this decision.

The released business case, after multiple delays, does little to alleviate concerns. Liberal MPP Adil Shamji points out that the math only works because the science centre’s footprint is being “slashed in half,” despite the province claiming there will be more exhibition space. The opposition, including NDP Leader Marit Stiles, criticizes the government’s justification, describing it as relying on “shaky 50-year guesstimates” without accounting for crucial expenses.

News: Moving Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place would save $257-million, report says

August 10, 2023

The move, planned for 2028, also seems to lack consideration for the potential decline in attendance from suburban families and schools, as noted by the Auditor-General. The government’s focus on job creation and operational savings, while valid considerations, should not overshadow the broader implications and potential costs hidden in the fine print.

Premier Doug Ford’s decision to move the Ontario Science Centre prompts skepticism about its true motives. With financial calculations that appear incomplete and a lack of transparent consultations, there are concerns that the interests of Ontario taxpayers might not be at the forefront. The potential for enriched developers and the absence of a comprehensive, well-reasoned plan contribute to the prevailing skepticism surrounding this controversial move. (AI)

Tuesday January 17, 2023

January 17, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 17, 2023

Ontario expanding number and range of surgeries offered at for-profit clinics

Ontario is significantly expanding the number and range of medical procedures performed in privately run clinics as the province deals with a surgical backlog made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

November 9, 2022

The change will be introduced over three phases. The first will see surgical and diagnostic clinics in Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo and Windsor perform an additional 14,000 cataract operations each year, representing about 25 per cent of the province’s current wait list for the procedure.

Next, more private clinics will be able to offer MRI and CT imaging, as well as colonoscopies and endoscopies.

“These procedures will be non-urgent, low-risk and minimally invasive and, in addition to shortening wait times, will allow hospitals to focus their efforts and resources on more complex and high-risk surgeries,” the province said in a news release.

The government intends that by 2024, the third phase will see hip and knee replacements performed at for-profit clinics.

The impending changes were outlined by Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones at a news conference Monday.

December 1, 2021

Ford and Jones said several times the care will be covered by OHIP, and Ford stressed patients will “never use their credit cards” at the clinics. He didn’t directly answer a reporter’s question about whether or not clinics would be allowed to upsell patients on associated elements of care.

While the changes are needed because of the province’s long surgery wait lists, Ford said, they will be kept in place permanently even after the backlog is cleared.

There are currently about 900 privately operated surgical and diagnostic clinics open in Ontario, Jones added. The province plans to approve licences for additional clinics in the future, she said.

Legislation set to be introduced in February would “strengthen oversight” of private health facilities, the news release said, and the province will continue to update its standards for how they deliver care.

Various health-care professionals told CBC Toronto last week they are concerned that the plan would drain resources from publicly funded hospitals and benefit the owners of private-sector clinics without improving patient care.

May 13, 2021

Jones said the changes will not affect staffing levels at hospitals in the province, while Ford lamented “endless debates” about who should deliver health care.

“The way I can describe it, you have a dam, you have a log jam, are you going to just keep pouring the water up against the logs?” Ford said.

“Or are you going to reroute some of the water and take the pressure off the dam? You see what happens when the dam has too much water, it breaks.”

Speaking to reporters, presumptive NDP Leader Marit Stiles said MPPs should be called back to the legislature immediately so the details of the plan can be debated. Stiles accused Ford of manufacturing a staffing crisis in hospitals via his government’s wage restraint law and “following the privatization playbook to a tee.”

“Make no mistake, Doug Ford is misleading you when he says that funding surgeries in private, for-profit clinics won’t have an impact on Ontarians,” Stiles said at Queen’s Park, adding believes the changes mark early steps toward a two-tiered health-care system in the province. (CBC)

Thursday June 27, 2019

June 27, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 27, 2019

Doug Ford to review appointments after Dean French’s niece resigns

Premier Doug Ford is investigating the French connections in the wake of the cronyism scandal embroiling his Progressive Conservative government.

March 22, 2019

Ford “called for a review of all pending appointments” on Tuesday after a relative of his former chief of staff, Dean French, resigned from the province’s Public Accountants Council.

French, who stepped down after a separate nepotism imbroglio on Friday night, is the uncle of Katherine Pal, managing director of Pal Insurance.

Pal had been named as a provincial appointee to the council on Dec. 31.

“When the premier found out about this one, he hit the roof,” said a senior Ford official, speaking confidentially in order to discuss internal conversations.

“He didn’t know about this personal connection so he’s called for a review of all pending appointments. He was really unhappy,” the government insider said.

Indeed, Ford sent a damage-control note to Tory MPPs underscoring that French has been defenestrated.

March 8, 2019

“I need to be clear he no longer has a role in our government or the party,” the premier wrote to caucus members.

“Dean’s advice and support has been appreciated, but he no longer has any influence in this government.”

French was a source of aggravation for the premier due to his headline-grabbing antics, such as loudly berating Tory MPPs and staffers.

French resigned Friday night, just hours after the premier revoked two patronage appointments he had pushed through.

French had installed his wife’s cousin, Taylor Shields, as the $185,000-a-year Ontario agent general to London, England and his son’s 26-year-old lacrosse buddy, Tyler Albrecht, as the province’s $164,910-a-year trade representative in New York.

January 12, 2019

After Ford rescinded the appointments, two cabinet ministers personally urged him on Friday morning to fire French for embarrassing the government.

The Tories felt blindsided because they assumed they would have to defend the other two patronage appointees named Thursday afternoon as Queen’s Park was preoccupied with a massive cabinet shuffle.

The patronage debacle is especially problematic to Ford, who on Saturday railed against “the downtown insiders … (and) media who criticize us at every single step.”

He charged that his opponents are “a select few (that) can’t stand that we are taking their hands out of the cookie jar.”

But opposition parties say Ford is the one driving the “gravy train.” (Hamilton Spectator)

Friday March 22, 2019

April 1, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday March 22, 2019

Doug Ford didn’t breach rules in Taverner appointment, integrity commissioner says

Ontario’s integrity commissioner says Premier Doug Ford did not breach conflict of interest rules during the appointment of his friend Ron Taverner as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner.

March 8, 2019

“I found that the Premier stayed at arm’s length from the recruitment process and that he believed it to be independent,” J. David Wake said in the report released on Wednesday.

But the report on the Taverner’s selection does not fully exonerate the government. Wake said the appointment process itself was flawed and said there were “some troubling aspects of the recruitment process” — most notably communication between the then-secretary of the cabinet Steve Orsini and Dean French, Ford’s chief of staff.

“What I found most disconcerting in all the evidence were the text messages from the Secretary to Mr. French as Mr. Taverner’s progress throughout the process. There seemed to be a tacit acknowledgement by the Secretary that Mr. French was rooting for Mr. Taverner’s success,” the commissioner said.

July 30, 2015

“Anyone examining these messages would have serious doubts as to the fairness of the process to the other candidates.”

Wake’s investigation was launched after complaints from opposition politicians over Taverner’s appointment.

Taverner, 72, a Toronto police superintendent, initially did not meet the criteria listed for the position and the government admitted it changed the requirements to attract a wider range of candidates.

Earlier this month, Taverner withdrew his name from consideration for the job because of the controversy around his appointment. He said he needed to protect the integrity of front-line officers.

After he withdrew his name, the government named Thomas Carrique as the new OPP commissioner. Carrique is currently deputy chief of York Regional Police. (Source: CBC)