Eager to Please

This week, the government tabled new legislation (that my team developed) that will make it easier to expand natural gas services to parts of Ontario where - but for this new law, Bill 32 - it would be too expensive to do so.

Nothing too weird about that. Unless you're worried about climate change.

In his speech at the International Plowing Match in Pain Court, Ontario, the Premier maligned the previous government for its former program, a bureaucratic regime that forbade private sector involvement in natural gas expansion.  

Photo credit: CBC news.

The Premier's comments were his colourful way of describing a $100 million grant program, started by the last government, to help expand natural gas. There were twelve projects in the hopper when Ford was elected. Now there are three. And some former recipients are hopping mad. 

Because my team prepared the Bill, it's our job to review what the government wants to say about it. We keep an eye out for factual errors and over promising. 

We worked overtime on the materials for the natural gas legislation. Some of our advice was ignored, and not just the stuff about the old program.

A while back I predicted "the massive cost in political capital and actual dollars of cancelling cap and trade will be Ford's signal out-of-the-gate mistake."

I'd like to rephrase that. Cancelling cap and trade was Ford's out-of-the-gate signature move. And, until his heart stops or he's voted out of office, this is what governing in Ontario will look like.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen