MidlandToday received the following Letter to the Editor from reader Debbie Palmer, in regards to the upcoming Provincial Election:
Doug Ford has appointed himself leader in the fight against Donald Trump and insists he needs a new four-year mandate to do so. I beg to differ.
He had almost 18 months left in his existing mandate and the full cooperation and support of the opposition parties. He could have addressed Trump's tariffs for a good year ( assuming they go on that long) and then turned to the people of Ontario for either their approval or not. His decision to call the election is a blatant example of opportunism given the media has given him free coverage in the Trump tariff fight and the RCMP investigations that are currently underway.
We must remember that there is more than one issue on which to cast a vote this election. We need to address many others, such as lack of family doctors, wait times in hospitals, concerns in education, lack of qualified teachers in schools, especially in French immersion, lack of affordable housing, construction and inspection of long term care facilities, the environment etc.
This election should hold Ford to account in his manhandling of the Greenbelt, closing of the Science Centre, auctioning off Ontario Place to build a spa, interfering in municipal affairs in matters ranging from creation of super mayor powers, overturning Official Plans, cutting development fees and even closing of bike lanes.
His decision to scrap the deal with the Brewers of Ontario a year ahead of time, to bring beer to corner stores, has cost hundreds of millions of dollars (according to the Financial Post, estimates are as high as $612 million) money which could have been invested in many other areas of need including health care.
His government has interfered in the court system placing the decision of who to appoint as Ontario's Chief Justice in the hands of one man (currently Doug Downey) instead of the previous acclaimed arms length and reasonably non-partisan selection process, making the courts more favourable to his ideas, the danger of which is something we have seen in Trump's Supreme Court selection.
Ironically, this government has failed to appoint enough judges to clear the backlog of cases facing the courts, meaning that trials are delayed resulting in criminals being set free because their right to a trial within a reasonable timeframe has not been met, and then he complains that criminals are being put back on the streets.
Where is the government in serving tenants who face evictions and/or struggling to get a hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board or, in some cases, hearings for the landlords themselves?
This election should be a referendum on Ford's record to date and his view for our future; instead, he is trying to wrap himself in the flag to make it a "single issue" Trump/tariff election.
Ontarians shouldn't be fooled. Politicians of every level and every party are ready to step up for their municipalities, their province and their country. A loud voice and catchy hat do not make him the right choice.
Oro-Medonte, Ont.
