November 18, 2019
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Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report November 18, 2019 Quotation of the day “Hard to find out through the media that he wasn’t invited on the cool kids’ plane. Little harsh.” Alberta NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley throws shade at Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who was not on the chartered flight that carried premiers and their spouses from Calgary, where they attended Stampede, to Saskatoon for the Council of the Federation meeting in July — leaving taxpayers on the hook for $16,764. Ford’s office says he took a commercial flight instead. Today at Queen’s Park On the schedule The only constituency week of the truncated fall session is up; the house convenes at 10:30 a.m. for question period. Second reading of Bill 136, the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, is on the order paper for afternoon debate. Last week Ontario’s top court overturned a lower court decision that prompted Bill 136 by ruling the now-ceded OSPCA-led enforcement system gave unconstitutional policing powers to the private charity. The government could also put forward Bill 116, Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions Services Act. Committee this week The Standing Committee on General Government will take Bill 132, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act — the PC’s omnibus red-tape reduction legislation — on a tour around the province for public feedback, stopping in London on Thursday and Peterborough on Friday. The witness roster thus far includes representatives from environmental groups, the Retail Council of Canada, the Federation of Public Libraries, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, an anti-quarry citizen group and CUPE, among others. On Tuesday, the government agencies committee will interview R. Gail Goodman, currently secretary and director at synagogue Darchei Noam, and Courtney Grzybowski, an investigator at Barker Hutchinson, about their pending appointments to the Consent and Capacity Board. The independent board hears cases involving the Mental Health Act, Health Care Consent Act and Personal Health Information Protection Act, a law the Ford government is proposing to shake up, prompting privacy concerns from experts. The estimates committee meets Tuesday and Wednesday to review this year’s spending estimates for the education and transportation ministries. The latter may give some insight into what potential transit project delays the PC government may be bracing for, which is something the financial accountability officer has sought more clarity on. The public accounts committee convenes behind closed doors Wednesday to draft reports reviewing the auditor general’s 2018 audits and special 2017 report on the Liberal-era “Fair Hydro Plan.” A slew of private bills will go under the microscope at the Standing Committee and Regulations and Private Bills on Wednesday. In the park MPPs are back from a constituency week break, which means lobbying receptions are also back on at the Pink Palace. The Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario, Ontario Environment Industry Association and Canadian Beverage Association are slated to lobby MPPs over breakfast. In the evening, the Ontario Real Estate Association and Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario will hold their receptions. Premier watch After addressing the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s economic summit on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford headed to the Toronto Police Chief’s gala in support of Victim Services, where he defended auctioning off exclusive dinners and raised $45,000 for the charity by offering them again, something that some observers say is akin to cash-for-access, per the Globe and Mail. Ford also addressed LIUNA Local 506 at a members appreciation night to mark its 100-year anniversary and new training centre opening on Saturday. Toronto takes PC’s council-cutting move to Canada’s top court Toronto City Hall wants the Supreme Court of Canada to weigh in on the Ford government’s controversial move to slash the size of city council in the middle of last year’s civic campaign. The city is seeking leave to appeal a September ruling from the Ontario Court of Appeal that sided with the government in ruling its Bill 5 — the Better Local Government Act that cut the number of seats from 47 to 25 — constitutional, overturning an earlier decision from a lower court. “This case raises important constitutional questions in the context of substantial interference with a democratic municipal election,” Toronto said in its application. The city argues that such a “substantial change” in the middle of an election campaign that was already well underway “without notice to the City, candidates or electors” caused “widespread disruption and confusion.” The lower court previously found the law unconstitutional because it violated candidates’ and voters’ right to free expression. At the time, Premier Doug Ford had threatened to use the notwithstanding clause to override the court, if necessary. The ruling was eventually stayed pending the outcome of the appeal, which allowed the election to go ahead under the 25-ward system. Then, in a split 3-2 decision this September, the Court of Appeal determined that the province’s move was “undeniably within the legitimate authority of the legislature.” The judges said the city’s case could not succeed because its arguments were “framed as a matter of protecting freedom of expression” — but in reality, concerned the timing of the province’s change to the composition of council weeks ahead of the municipal vote. Today’s events November 18 at 9:30 a.m. – Toronto Education Minister Stephen Lecce will provide an update on negotiations with education unions in the Queen’s Park media studio. November 18 at 1:30 p.m. – Toronto Premier Doug Ford will address the Ontario Realtor Party Conference, put on by the Ontario Real Estate Association at the Hilton Hotel. George W. Bush, Jean Chrétien and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath will also deliver remarks. Topics of conversation ● “Ford is peacocking.” Prominent political science professor Nelson Wiseman is among the experts telling CTV they’re skeptical Premier Doug Ford — whose polling numbers are in the dumps — has the political capital to be the national unifying force he’s positioned himself to be. The analysis may cast a cloud over the upcoming all-premiers’ Council of the Federation meeting set for December 2 in Toronto, which Ford offered to host. ● Mayors from Ontario’s 29 biggest cities and towns sat down for their regular meeting with Finance Minister Rod Phillips in his home riding of Ajax on Friday. Top of docket for the Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) was the recently tabled Fall Economic Statement, an upcoming review of property taxation and assessment, and aligning the provincial and municipal fiscal years, per a release. ○ The mayors passed a resolution calling on the provincial and federal governments to develop “comprehensive, adequately funded” strategies to deal with the growing opioid overdose crisis. ○ LUMCO will also be writing to Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney asking that she work with cities and towns on a previously announced review of municipal gas tax funding. ○ Meanwhile, the municipality of Clarington is being welcomed into LUMCO’s ranks after its population reached 100,000. ● Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Minister Lisa MacLeod has offered provincial help to the City of Ottawa, which is grappling with transit delays and disruptions after the launch of its LRT in September. It is unclear what the aid would look like, but Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson’s office says it is “assessing the province’s offer of assistance and will follow up in the coming days.” ○ MacLeod, who represents the riding of Nepean, said on Twitter that her constituents and local employers depend on the problem-plagued train line and called on the federal government to also lend a hand. ● Liberal leadership hopefuls Kate Graham and Steven Del Duca proffered duelling housing policy platforms on Friday. Graham released a 12-point plan including bringing back rent control provisions nixed by the Ford government, empowering municipalities to use inclusionary zoning and wiping out homelessness in Ontario by 2025. ● Graham also announced an endorsement from Toronto city councillor and 2018 Liberal candidate Shelley Carroll. ● Del Duca came out in favour of a vacancy tax a la British Columbia, as well as reducing the regulatory burden to spur housing construction and reviewing criteria for mortgages to determine if tougher rules have had the desired effect of cooling the market. ○ There’s been a smorgasbord of bold policy planks put forward by all of the currently registered candidates, including fare-free public transit from Michael Coteau, OHIP coverage for counselling to support survivors of gun violence from Mitzie Hunter and no more publicly funded Catholic schools from Alvin Tedjo. ○ There’s only one week until the deadline to enter the race to permanently replace Kathleen Wynne on November 25. The cutoff for members to join the party and be eligible to vote in the March 7 delegated convention is December 2. ○ This weekend the Toronto Star’s editorial board argued “Ontario’s Liberal leadership candidates need to step it up.” ● MVP MPP (again): New Democrat Bhutila Karpoche, who represents Parkdale—High Park, was voted Best Local Politician by Toronto Star readers. It’s her second prize. In October, the rookie MPP and first-ever person of Tibetan descent elected to public office in Canada took the Best MPP title in a NOW Magazine readers’ poll. News briefs — governmental Fedeli goes to India ● Trade Minister Vic Fedeli is jetting off to India this week with a delegation of a dozen infrastructure and information and communications technology firms to pump up investment in Ontario. ○ PC MPPs Nina Tangri, Fedeli’s parliamentary assistant, and Deepak Anand, the government’s “special advisor on India,” will be in tow.