Ernie Eves – mackaycartoons

Friday December 15, 2023

December 15, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday December 15, 2023

Ontario’s Boozy Awakening Just in Time for Christmas Cheer!

November 30, 2022

In a festive twist just shy of two weeks before Christmas, Premier Doug Ford has bestowed upon Ontario’s booze enthusiasts a gift as grand as old Ebenezer Scrooge’s change of heart. After a century of stringent liquor control, the provincial government is set to break free from the chains of the past, bringing a wave of merriment to beer and wine lovers across the land.

Ford, in his role as the newfound spirit of holiday cheer, unveiled plans to uncork additional choices for buyers of beer, wine, cider, hard seltzer, and premixed cocktails. The modernization of Ontario’s booze laws, set to be fully realized by “no later than Jan. 1, 2026,” promises a liberating experience for consumers. In an exuberant announcement at an Etobicoke variety store, one of the 8,500 new outlets destined to sell alcoholic delights, Ford joyfully declared the fulfillment of a 2018 promise to bring the spirit of celebration to convenience and grocery stores.

June 26, 2009

Opinion: Under the influence: Doug Ford and the strange history of Ontario’s liquor laws

Ontario, donning a festive cap, will join Quebec as the only provinces to embrace such widespread, liberalized corner shop sales, treating its citizens like responsible revellers. Premier Ford, a teetotaller with a heart full of goodwill, urged those who partake in libations to revel responsibly and avoid the pitfalls of inebriated sleigh rides.

The publicly owned LCBO will continue its monopoly on spirits but will now dance to the tune of “competitive pricing,” potentially offering a yuletide discount for consumers. Retailers, donning their holiday best, will be free to set their own prices, promoting a harmonious balance between merriment and social responsibility.

November 29, 2023

Amidst the jubilation, The Beer Store, adorned in festive spirits, will continue to control beer distribution until 2031, ensuring that the beer-loving citizens of Ontario have a frothy source of joy. The province will sweeten the deal by paying The Beer Store to continue its successful deposit and return system, diverting 97 percent of beer bottles and cans from landfill annually.

Archives: When beer and wine almost made it into Ontario corner stores

All across Ontario, supermarkets, big box stores, corner shops, and even gas stations selling snacks can now apply for licenses to become purveyors of liquid holiday cheer. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, acting as the guardian of the Christmas spirit, will ensure that underage revellers are kept at bay.

September 24, 2015

In a tale reminiscent of Scrooge’s awakening, the announcement marks the end of the 10-year “master framework agreement,” signed by former Premier Kathleen Wynne, allowing the Progressive Conservatives to keep their almost six-year-old campaign pledge of “beer in corner stores” just in time for the June 2026 election.

While some critics, akin to the ghosts of Christmas past, warned of potential consequences and international embarrassment, the Tories decided to let the master framework agreement run its course, heralding it as good news and a step towards a more spirited future.

News: Ontario unveils plans for beer and wine in corner stores

As a final touch to this holiday extravaganza, the Tories will eliminate a 6.1 percent tax at on-site winery retail stores, spreading joy among the Ontario wine industry. Despite uncertainties about how many Ontarians are clamuoring for more places to buy beer and wine, the government is convinced that this spirited initiative will be the toast of the next election.

Monday May 8, 2006

In this whimsical tale of policy changes and holiday revelry, it seems that even the most staunch defenders of the status quo, like the former Liberal Premier David Peterson, have embraced the spirit of change or, in his own words, “If people want changes, I’m OK with it. If they don’t, I’m OK with that too.” After all, in the grand tapestry of public policy, the expansion of beer and wine in corner stores may not be the most significant piece, but it surely adds a touch of festive sparkle to the political landscape. Cheers to a merrier and more spirited Ontario! (AI)

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro. If you’re creative, give illustration a try:

Tuesday August 10, 2021

August 17, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 10, 2021

Premier Bill Davis was the steady hand driving Ontario’s Big Blue Machine

William Grenville Davis, premier of Ontario for 14 years (1971 to 1985), was a baffling, contradictory figure – a shy, inscrutable man, who liked family and football yet spent his life absorbed by political issues, travelling up to 160,000 kilometres a year; a tradition-bound, non-intellectual with a passion for ideas and experimentation that gave birth to such intellectual playgrounds as the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

February 1, 2019

The press consistently panned the performances of Mr. Davis, reporting that he was bland and boring, but he charmed voters out of the trees. Right-wing conservatives described him as a left-wing socialist; left-wingers attacked him for pandering to the right.

“Bland works,” he once said. “The only time a politician gets in trouble is when he opens his mouth.”

He was renowned for his ability to appear prosperous, calm and confident, to say little, and to lead the province through dramatic, potentially unpopular changes.

Mr. Davis died on Sunday at the age of 92 surrounded by family in Brampton, Ont., a family statement said. He was the fifth consecutive Tory leader to occupy the premier’s office since 1943 and held the office longer than any other.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Mr. Davis’s death. “The former premier of Ontario leaves behind an incredible legacy of service – and I have no doubt that the impact of his work will be felt for generations to come,” Mr. Trudeau tweeted.

Premier Doug Ford said Mr. Davis served Ontario “with honour and distinction” and flags across the province will be lowered to half-mast in his honour.

September 12, 2000

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney said in a statement that “Canada has lost a great statesman today, and I have lost a great and true friend. Bill Davis devoted his life to Ontario, to Canada and to his family. The progress he made on many fronts as premier place him in the front ranks as one of Canada’s greatest premiers ever.”

Mr. Davis supported the controversial energy policies and constitutional endeavours of then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s Liberals; under his premiership, the free-enterprise Tory government bought a 25-per-cent stake in Suncor, an oil company, and initiated tripartite industrial strategies advocated by the New Democratic Party. And as education minister, he reformed and vastly expanded the education system – all without upsetting too many of the people too much of the time.

Yet his skills as a politician failed to help his successor. Nearly 42 years of Conservative government ended 138 days after he stepped down as premier on Feb. 8, 1985. His successor, Frank Miller, called an election and failed to win a majority government in the May 2 election. Mr. Miller’s minority government lost a vote of confidence on June 18 and on June 26, he resigned. (Continued: Globe & Mail)

Friday February 1, 2019

February 8, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday February 1, 2019

1,000 Ontario hospital patients a day being treated in corridors: Report

Roughly 1,000 hospital patients in Ontario are getting medical attention in corridors instead of proper treatment spaces on “any given day,” Dr. Rueben Devlin says in his first report to Premier Doug Ford on improving health care and ending “hallway medicine.”

While the retired head of Humber River Hospital notes there is “much to be proud of” in the provincial health care system, his report found it is “too complicated” to navigate after hearing from more than 340 patients.

“People are waiting too long to receive care and too often are receiving care in the wrong place; as a result, our hospitals are crowded,” Devlin, an orthopaedic surgeon, wrote in the 32-page document titled “Hallway Health Care: A System Under Strain.”

“There needs to be more effective co-ordination at both the system level, and at the point-of-care. This could achieve better value (i.e. improved health outcomes) for taxpayer money spent,” he added. “As currently designed, the health care system does not always work efficiently.”

Animated!

One problem is people with mental health and addictions troubles often go to hospital emergency rooms when they could get better care from a family doctor or community agency, but wait too long and reach a “crisis point.”

According to one survey last year, 41 per cent of Ontarians who went to hospital emergency departments, and 93 per cent who went to walk-in clinics, were treated for conditions that could have been handled by a family physician or nurse practitioner in a primary care setting. This is often because hospitals are the only health care centre open 24 hours a day. (Toronto Star)

Election Throw-Back: September 3, 2003

May 29, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 3, 2003

Eves Calls the Election

Premier Ernie Eves is hoping that Ontarians will give him an election mandate on Oct. 2 but is facing an uphill battle against the Liberal Party after two controversial terms of Progressive Conservative government.

Mr. Eves, who served six years as deputy premier and finance minister under former Tory leader Mike Harris, was selected by the party in the early spring of 2002 but held off on calling an election until Tuesday.

The most recent poll for The Globe and Mail by Ipsos-Reid showed it will be an uphill struggle for Mr. Eves against the Liberals and their leader, Dalton McGuinty. Sixty per cent of those polled last month said they thought it was time for a change.

In a speech launching his campaign, Mr. McGuinty acknowledged that he has “been waiting for this for a long time,” adding: “I have never felt more confident, more experienced, more determined, more ready to get on with this.”

Mr. Eves alluded to his electoral difficulties by spicing his campaign announcement with a host of attacks on Mr. McGuinty.

More: Two decades of Ontario Elections

Tuesday June 17, 2003

June 17, 2003 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 17, 2003

The Year of the Great Student Squish

Universities in Ontario are turning tennis courts into classrooms to handle a surge in students this autumn after the province shortened high school from five years to four and is graduating two classes at once.

The province says the transition is going well, and students will not lose out. But teachers and students say the crush of the so-called double cohort will overload a system that is already strained by education spending cuts.

“The government has pressured the university presidents to put as many students into the university as possible because they promised parents there will be a place for your child. But they don’t say what kind of place.”

Ontario’s Grade 13 has been an anomaly in Canada for almost four decades, adding to education costs in the country’s richest and most populous province. The province decided five years ago to eliminate the added grade and this is its final year. (Reuters)