Doug Ford says he does not feel guilty about reversing decision to dissolve Peel Region
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says it’s “a good thing” that his government has reversed a number of policy decisions over the last few years.
Speaking at an unrelated news conference on Thursday, the premier said he doesn’t feel guilty about changing his mind on making Mississauga an independent city, something the late Mayor Hazel McCallion had strongly campaigned for.
“We’re open minded. We listen to people,” Ford told reporters in Etobicoke.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The legislation, known as the Hazel McCallion Act, passed in the summer after the Progressive Conservatives decided to skip public consultation.
On Wednesday, the same government announced that it would not be allowing Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon to become single-tier cities by 2025 as originally announced.
Instead, it will “recalibrate” the mandate of a transition board set up to deal with issues of governance, finance and shared services to focus on finding efficiencies.
“We are amending the legislation, not getting rid of it,” Ford said while sidestepping questions about why research about the impact of regional dissolution wasn’t conducted before the bill passed.
“You know what the biggest mistake is with elected officials, politicians across this country, they dig their heels in even though they know it may or may not be the right decision,” he said. “We don't do that.”
In just the last few months the Progressive Conservatives have reversed changes they had made to the Ontario Greenbelt and the urban boundaries of multiple cities.
Housing Minister Paul Calandra said that in both cases the “process was one that I was just not comfortable with.”
The reversals came after multiple scathing reports by the province’s auditor general and integrity commissioner found that policy decisions were made in a way that was not transparent and lacked leadership.
A more comprehensive list of policies reversed by the Doug Ford government includes the use of the notwithstanding clause to impose a contract on education workers, new blue licence plates that were barely visible at night, a revamp of the Ontario Autism Program, cuts to public health, and changes to e-learning and legal aid.
Ford hinted that the reversal of Peel’s dissolution was done so at the recommendation of the transition board, who said taxes would increase substantially and there could be problems with certain shared services such as emergency services.
It’s important to note that municipal leaders and experts cited these concerns prior to the legislation passing.
The findings of the transition board have not been made public.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Canada closes embassy in Ukraine after U.S. receives information on 'potential significant air attack'
The Embassy of Canada to Ukraine, located in Kyiv, has temporarily suspended in-person services after U.S. officials there warned they'd received information about a 'potential significant air attack,' cautioning citizens to shelter in place if they hear an air alert.
BREAKING Trump picks former congressman Pete Hoekstra to be ambassador to Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has nominated former diplomat and U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the American ambassador to Canada.
'They squandered 10 years of opportunity': Canada Post strike exposes longtime problems, expert says
Canada Post is at ‘death's door’ and won't survive if it doesn't dramatically transform its business, a professor who has studied the Crown corporation is warning as the postal workers' national strike drags on.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Is Justin Trudeau just playing out the clock?
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says Canada is facing critical issues that need an active, engaged federal government right now; but Prime Minister Trudeau seems to be running out the clock before the next election.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.