TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford named a new cabinet Wednesday with many familiar faces, though he has shuffled his housing, education and environment ministers.
Paul Calandra is moving from housing to become the education minister, taking over from Jill Dunlop, who has moved to emergency preparedness. Todd McCarthy is taking on the role of environment minister, a higher-profile role than his previous job as minister of public and business service delivery.
Sylvia Jones remains deputy premier and health minister, while Peter Bethlenfalvy continues as finance minister.
Rob Flack, previously the agriculture minister, is taking the housing portfolio.
Ford also moved former environment minister Andrea Khanjin to red tape reduction. Graham McGregor is taking on the role of minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, a post previously held by Michael Ford, the premier's nephew, who did not run again the February snap election.
Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont was swearing in the premier and his executive council in a ceremony at the Royal Ontario Museum on Wednesday.
Ford has kept the cabinet the same size. He had increased the number of ministers since he was first elected in 2018, and his last cabinet grew to 37 people in August after he brought new associate ministers on board.
Many of the prominent ministers remain in their previous roles, including Doug Downey as attorney general and Michael Kerzner as solicitor general, and Caroline Mulroney as President of the Treasury Board and francophone affairs minister.
Former housing minister Steve Clark, who resigned in the wake of the Greenbelt land-grab scandal, remains as government house leader, though it's not a cabinet position.
George Pirie is out as mining minister and is moving to become minister of northern economic development and growth. Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is adding mining to his responsibilities, while Labour Minister David Piccini retains the same position.
Ford signalled before Wednesday's ceremony that he wasn't going to change his leadership group much.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2025.
Liam Casey and Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
