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When Mr. Ford took over the reins of power in 2018 here in Ontario, we had a very successful cap-and-trade initiative with California.
“Ontario joined the emissions market in 2017 and has raised more than $2 billion from the quarterly auctions.” (CalMatters, 2017)
Doug Ford without any consultation immediately cancelled this very successful program that actually reduced greenhouse gases.
“It cost the province $10.5 billion in lost revenues, legal fees and compensation for cancelled contracts.” (National Observer, May 19, 2022)
In Ontario, we did not pay any federal carbon tax until Ford cancelled cap and trade in 2018.
So, ironically, Ford, who never stopped railing against the carbon tax, is actually the person responsible for people in Ontario having to pay this tax.
I personally was happy to pay if it meant my grandchildren would not have to live with the alarming outcomes of climate chaos. As well, with the rebate I received, I think I got more money back than I paid in carbon tax. Ford then wasted another $30 million of taxpayers’ money when he lost his ill-advised lawsuit against the carbon tax.
After reading about many other greenhouse gas reductions programs he cancelled, I am beginning to believe that, like Trump, Ford thinks global overheating is a hoax.
Why are civil servants not allowed to use the words “climate change” on social media?
“The cancellation of 750 green energy programs, many of which were with First Nations, cost taxpayers $230 million.” (National Observer, May 19, 2022)
One of the programs that he cancelled was the White Pines wind project. This cancellation left taxpayers on the hook for another $100 million.
Ford’s indifference to the ecological health of our environment was further reinforced by the slashing of $162 million in funding for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (April 18, 2019) along with the recent announcement that the 50 Million Tree Program was being eliminated. (April 25, 2019)
And, the end of the Drive Clean program demonstrates clearly Ford has no understanding of the relationship between human health and breathing clean air.
The Ford government has also shown a complete disregard for the welfare of our children by cancelling the $500,000 the Wynne government had set aside to begin to repair our crumbling schools.
As well, he callously reneged on $ 500,000 on the after-school music programs for kids at risk. (Aug. 25, 2018)
So far, he has cut education funds to the tune of over half a billion dollars, negatively impacting every single aspect of child development from breakfast to mental health programs. (Nov. 5, 2021)
Knowing full well that many students do not have computers or access to the internet, Ford made it mandatory that secondary students take courses online.
Finally, Ford recklessly cut nearly $1 billion from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services over three years. (April 12, 2019)
Then, just recently, he decided that all the residents of Ontario deserved a cheque of $200. I assumed it would be sent to only people who truly needed it to help make ends meet. You can imagine my shock and dismay when I discovered billionaires such as David Thomson with a net worth of $41.8 billion and Tobi Lütke with a net worth $8 billion got a cheque for $200 while many, many homeless people with a net worth of nothing got nothing.
So, by sending out tax payers’ hard-earned money to countless people who did not need it, Mr. Ford increased our debt load by another $3 billion.
Then, his very last gigantic waste of taxpayers’ dollars happened on the day he called an early election, which will cost taxpayers around $175 million.
I cannot think of a single premier of Ontario who has wasted more of taxpayers’ hard-earned money than Mr. Doug Ford.
Gwen Petreman
Barrie
