10 Recurring Tactics

The Auditor General (AG) documented the Greenbelt scandal; both ministers resigned but the Premier stayed. The AG found $742M in Skills Development Fund irregularities; no policy changed. The Gillese Inquiry recommended LTC staffing minimums in 2019; implementation was delayed for years while thousands died. Oversight reports are produced, acknowledged, and filed away.

Minister's Zoning Orders (MZOs) increased 17x over the previous 20 years combined — each one bypassing environmental review, public consultation, and municipal planning. Bill 212 exempted Highway 413 from environmental assessment. The Ontario Science Centre demolition proceeded despite the Rimkus report finding it structurally sound. Speed replaces scrutiny; by the time anyone objects, the concrete is poured.

The Skills Development Fund directed $742 million to organizations where 56% of funding went to lower-ranked applicants overridden by the minister's office, without competitive process. According to the Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner, Greenbelt removals benefited developers who met privately with the Housing Minister's chief of staff Ryan Amato. Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) appointments went to party loyalists who created a 50,000+ case backlog. The pattern is consistent: public money flows to private allies.

Bill 124 capped nurse wages at 1% from 2019, a period during which inflation exceeded 7%. Ontario now faces a projected 33,000 nurse and PSW shortfall by 2028 (Financial Accountability Office (FAO)). 800+ ERs closed. The government cited "system under pressure" and approved 57 private clinics charging 250% of public rates. The crisis wasn't discovered — it was manufactured. Cost: $725M/yr in agency nursing alone.

Cancelled 750+ renewable energy contracts on day one, costing taxpayers $231 million in penalties the government itself acknowledged. The Beer Store contract renegotiation cost hundreds of millions. Ontario Place's Therme deal ballooned from $350M to $2.2B+ (Auditor General, 2024). Every cancelled or renegotiated contract enriches lawyers and penalizes taxpayers while the government claims "savings."

No legislation was titled "Privatize Healthcare." Instead, Bill 124 drove nurses out, Bill 60 invited private clinics in, and home care contracts quietly shifted to for-profit providers charging 2-3x more. Clearpoint Health — for which Christine Elliott registered as a consultant lobbyist through Fasken Martineau DuMoulin (Ontario Integrity Commissioner lobbyist registry) after leaving her role as Health Minister — saw a 278% funding increase. No wrongdoing has been alleged. The transfer of public resources to private interests happened without a single vote on privatization.

When the Greenbelt RCMP investigation intensified, the government announced a "buck-a-beer" renewal. When ER closures dominated headlines, a Toronto casino proposal surfaced. When LTC death tolls mounted, the Premier held a beer tent photo op. Critics have noted a pattern — when damaging news breaks, a high-profile announcement often follows within days.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) distributed $5.2 billion in surplus rebates to employers instead of injured workers living in poverty. Cap and trade cancellation cost the treasury $3 billion in lost revenue. Municipalities absorbed transit, housing, and social service costs after provincial cuts. The pattern: province declares fiscal discipline while transferring the bill to cities, workers, and families.

Bill 5 cut Toronto council from 47 to 25 seats mid-election. When the court struck it down, Ford threatened the notwithstanding clause — the first time it was invoked in Ontario was later, for Bill 28 (CUPE). Strong mayor powers let mayors override council with one-third support. Conservation authorities were stripped of planning authority via Bill 229, then Bill 97 (2026) proposed consolidating all 36 into 9 provincial bodies — eliminating the majority of independent conservation governance. The French Language Commissioner was nearly eliminated. Bill 97 also exempted the Premier and ministers from FOI law, retroactive to 1988. Each move concentrates power at Queen's Park while weakening local and independent institutions.

The Greenbelt removal handed $8.3 billion in land value to developers who attended a Ford fundraiser, according to the Auditor General's 2023 special report. After the Auditor General's report and RCMP investigation, the government "reversed" the decision — but developers had already profited from rezoning expectations. The same pattern played out with the French Language Commissioner, the autism funding caps, and Toronto council cuts.