I just read over my last blog post, from way back in March. In it I spoke of being tired of bullies like Trump, Putin and the trucker invaders. So who is it that has provoked me into writing again, after such a prolonged absence? Another bully - Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford.
With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning - How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.
1. Last week Ford introduced and passed legislation that forced CUPE members to accept a lousy contract and then took away their right to strike.
I don't believe Ford blinked on Monday because he cares about children being in the classroom. He withdrew the legislation because he realized that CUPE, along with many other unions, were perhaps poised for a general strike. Also, public opinion seemed to favour the support workers - the folks who actually keep our schools running.
In September, in a conversation with my husband's cousin, we learned that she would likely be going out on strike this fall. She's a member of CUPE - a secretary in the student services department of a high school - an essential worker, if ever there was one! (As a special eduction teacher, I relied on our student services secretary every day.) She was dreading a strike but it seemed inevitable.
If a strike seemed that likely to CUPE members a couple of months ago, why didn't the government take their concerns seriously and work to avoid the situation our schools found themselves in this past weekend? The untold hardship and stress that Ontario families found themselves in, could have been averted if this government had treated these workers with the respect they deserve.
At the start of the pandemic I thought we came to the realization that we can't really function as a society without our essential workers - teachers assistants in our schools , cashiers in our grocery stores, truck drivers who deliver our food, personal support workers in our long term care facilities, nurses in our hospitals. Remember the mantra - we're all in this together? Where did all that goodwill go? If the Ontario government really valued the contributions of these employees they would pay them what they deserve. But no, these education support workers needed to resort to drastic measures to get the government's attention.
Instead of negotiating fair contracts with nurses and school support workers Ford gives handouts to the rest of us, to keep us compliant. Right now any student in Ontario is eligible to receive a $200. benefit. ($250. for students with special needs) . The province has set aside 365 million dollars for this program. What will the benefit be ? $200. might buy you four sessions of tutoring, if that is how a family decides to spend the money... if you can find a tutor for $50. However, these "Catch Up Payments" are available to every student - the rich and the poor, the families with struggling students and the families with students who are at, or above grade level. What a foolish way to spend education dollars!
Why not spend those millions on hiring another special education teacher for every school? And more social workers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and psychologists for the schools?
2. This mindless gesture of giving every student cash, goes into the same category as the license plate rebate earlier this year. Sure, everybody loves to get a cheque in the mail but that giveaway was crazy. Well, maybe not crazy if you want to win an election.
The Ontario government made the announcement in March. They would scrap licence-plate renewal fees and sticker costs. They would also refund the sticker costs paid by private vehicle owners in the previous two years. Ford's vote-buying strategy worked - he was returned in June's vote with another majority.
In March's announcement, Ford said the move would cost the government $1.1 billion annually in revenue. The premier told reporters, “The best place for your money is in your pocket, not the government’s pocket. "
It was a ridiculous move. No one was asking for the license plate fees. When we vote for a government, we trust that they will take our hard-earned money and carefully consider where it can be spent, for the greater good of all members of society. Ford alluded to that in his statement this Monday, when he announced that he would go back to the bargaining table with CUPE.
"As stewards of taxpayers dollars, we also have a responsibility to the entire province. A deal with CUPE has massive impact on broader public service salaries, as well as the government's ability to invest in services like health care, transit, education and hospital infrastructure alongside other vital public services. " Duh...exactly. That's what we were thinking, when you gave us the 1.1 billion back, last spring. We thought you should have used that money for those vital services .
Don't give us back 1.1 billion just before an election , as if the province doesn't need that money, tell us we know better than government how to spend money, and then turn around a few months later and tell us you can't afford to pay our essential workers a decent wage. That's what our taxes and fees are for.
3. When Ford treats us to one of his prepared statements he usually ends his "speech" with a blessing. "God bless the people of Ontario." Where does that come from? Is he really a religious person? Does he think that copying the Americans' "God bless America" will bring him more followers ? Contrast his "God bless the people of Ontario," with his odious wire brush comment, revealed in this week's testimony at the Emergencies Act Inquiry. Which is the real Ford?
4. During the conversation between Ford and Trudeau, that was revealed in this week's inquiry session, Ford made it obvious that clearing the truckers protest in Windsor was his priority, not Ottawa's three week occupation. Thanks for nothing Premier Ford. Ottawa is actually located in Ontario. We deserved your support last winter.
5. "I'm always for helping the little guy, little gal. " Ford declared on Monday. I don't think so. Along with his reluctance to pay education workers a living wage, he recently tabled another bill, the More Homes Built Faster, bill. Among its many controversial regulatory changes is the decrease in requirements for affordable housing. (Click here for more details.) His government is ignoring the hard work and suggestions from cities like Ottawa and Toronto which would have required builders to provide a larger percentage of affordable units in new developments. Ford likes to promote his image as helper of the common man, but it's his developer cronies who benefit from his policies.
6. Last year Ford promised that he would never use Ontario's greenbelt for housing . That was then, this is now. His new housing bill will seriously curtail current environmental protection of the greenbelt, parkland and watersheds. The ability of conservation authorities to question development plans will also be scaled back. (Click here for more details. ) Clearly, the recent severe storms experienced in Ontario and all across the globe have had little impact on his understanding of climate change.
We've got a very long, four years ahead of us.
