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It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
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It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Is your name Bob Wright or Kathryn McGarry? I want to hear from you and I’ll keep you anonymous. If you’re not Bob or Kathryn, I also want to hear from you. See you next Monday.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Is your name Bob Wright or Kathryn McGarry? I want to hear from you and I’ll keep you anonymous. If you’re not Bob or Kathryn, I also want to hear from you. See you next Monday.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Is your name Bob Wright or Kathryn McGarry? I want to hear from you and I’ll keep you anonymous. If you’re not Bob or Kathryn, I also want to hear from you. See you next Monday.
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It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Is your name Bob Wright or Kathryn McGarry? I want to hear from you and I’ll keep you anonymous. If you’re not Bob or Kathryn, I also want to hear from you. See you next Monday.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Is your name Bob Wright or Kathryn McGarry? I want to hear from you and I’ll keep you anonymous. If you’re not Bob or Kathryn, I also want to hear from you. See you next Monday.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Is your name Bob Wright or Kathryn McGarry? I want to hear from you and I’ll keep you anonymous. If you’re not Bob or Kathryn, I also want to hear from you. See you next Monday.
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It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Is your name Bob Wright or Kathryn McGarry? I want to hear from you and I’ll keep you anonymous. If you’re not Bob or Kathryn, I also want to hear from you. See you next Monday.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
It’s crunch time for Bonnie Crombie.
T-5 until her leadership review, Team Crombie is racing to shore up delegate support — and facing allegations of a “double standard” on phone-list use. The Liberal leader took every delegate slot in Brampton. Meanwhile, the complete tally is in. Later on, Speaker No. 1, revealed.
First, keep in mind: The long-awaited campaign post-mortem will be released today. Watch for it on the party’s site.
Now, let’s get into it.
No. 1 — Rivals say Crombie’s contact list access — used to line up delegates — reeks of a “double standard.”
In the last week, Team Crombie has been ringing delegates to gauge how they’ll vote in the leadership review. According to one person who was called, they were asked if they knew about the leadership review and whether “Bonnie Crombie [has your] support.”
The rub: The party shut executive council candidates out of phone-list access, pointing to privacy concerns. Early on, the plan was to hand over nothing more than a list of delegates. But a bare list of names meant no way for candidates to reach delegates directly.
That decision, characterized as a source of “major inequity between people on the inside and those on the outside,” triggered internal dissent, including from current executive council members. In the end, the party folded.
Following “feedback from candidates and executive council, candidates in contested races will receive delegate lists with email addresses,” wrote Sean Torrie, the chief returning officer, in a memo. “For clarity, there is no rule that provides for candidates to receive any contact information.”
Bob Wright, headed for an uncontested re-election as a regional vice-president, was among those unhappy. “He thought it was unacceptable and really fought for it,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In an email, Wright tore into the party’s decision, describing it as “idiotic.”
He did not respond to a request for comment.
In the end, a list with emails was released — but not until late last week, though they were told to expect one by the end of August. Candidates were told by email there would be “three versions of the delegate list.” The first, a copy dated Aug. 26, landed a week late. The second copy, promised for Sept. 2, hasn’t shown up. A third copy will be a “dynamic list at the convention,” with “real-time information on delegate registration.”
(Read on for more, though a second source blamed the delay on the sheer size of the count).
Now, rivals are crying foul over a) incumbents with a leg-up, carrying pre-existing lists or access to Liberalist and b) Crombie’s phone-list access.
“I’m sure it’s not been to deliberately disadvantage new candidates — good people work at the party, but it does give an opening to speculation,” said Noah Parker, who is running for regional vice-president. “[Bonnie] Crombie’s team using lists and data newcomers don’t have access to is either bad optics or bad faith.”
“Team Bonnie is the embodiment of the revised golden rule: (s)he who has the gold makes the rules,” one Liberal texted. “If you think things are bad right now for those outside Team Crombie, just wait until when she passes the leadership review — there will be no accommodation or inclusion for outsiders.”
Pile on: The New Leaf Liberals — the group trying to topple the Liberal leader — were quick to pounce. “We’re not asking for anything more than a fair shot,” said Evan Sambasivam, a co-founder. “Our candidates are running on a vision for change, where the best ideas win out. When it appears that the establishment is giving themselves an advantage, we risk souring the party faithful on our movement, and question their own ability to make their voices heard.”
Sambasivam warned that win or lose, the result has to be seen as “fair and credible.”
The party didn’t respond to our request for comment.
No. 2 — Over in Brampton, every delegate went Crombie’s way.
For background: In some ridings, more people wanted to be delegates than there were spots available. To deal with that, the party allowed those extra volunteers to “transfer” — in other words, to represent another riding that had empty delegate spots. Most agreed.
Not in Brampton, where those who registered refused to transfer out, leaving 75 delegate spots on the line. Team Crombie swept them all, we’re told.
To one source on Team Crombie, it’s proof that “from an organizational perspective, people are willing to come out and vote.”
Across the ring were supporters of Navdeep Bains, who, sources say, had signed up a large number of delegates to vote in next weekend’s review. “[They] made calls towards the end of the early registration period to encourage their supporters to register,” one said, while another warned that it wasn’t just New Leafs doing the organizing.
What’s less known: In the last leadership race, the ex-minister privately threw his support — and his organizing machine — behind Nate Erskine-Smith over Crombie.
It wasn’t the opening round. In August, Team Crombie defeated Team Bains for control of the riding association in Mississauga-Malton, the very riding the ex-minister once held federally.
No. 3 — Meanwhile, the delegate count is in.
2,254 delegates — 1,555 voting delegates, 245 ex-officios and 453 alternates — have registered to vote this weekend. That’s well past the 2,000 delegates the party was bracing for.
If you’ve been following along: Next week’s annual general meeting is expected to be the largest in the party’s history. Whether that’s good or bad news for Crombie is anyone’s guess.
If a strong majority is on her side, high turnout could become an obvious advantage. Yet, a smaller convention would have played to her advantage — happy members aren’t as motivated to show up as those itching for change — and lower turnout would likely let the review slip by quietly. By contrast, higher turnout could undercut Crombie’s show of strength if too many delegates line up against her.
Here’s the caveat: No one really knows how card-carrying Liberals will ultimately vote. For one, a source warned that some Team Crombie delegates who won in Brampton could still break against her at the leadership review.
Delegates must register Friday between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or early Saturday between 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. That’s also when they’ll receive and submit their ballot.
Amid it all, a bright spot for Crombie: We hear the Liberal leader will welcome her first grandchild in February. Congratulations, Bonnie!
— The House is back in October.
— Here’s what’s up on the fundraising trail this week:
— Back in Liberal land, we’re learning more about the AGM’s agenda. Bruce Fanjoy — who, to many Liberals’ glee, unseated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton last April — will speak.
Another speaker is lined up. No, it’s not Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne. Bonnie Crombie will speak on Saturday at 1 p.m. Once Crombie’s done, it’s over to the executive council hopefuls for speeches. Earlier in the day, proposed changes to the party’s constitution go to a vote.
From the press row: Journalists and digital creators, including me, will only be allowed to sit through five sessions: the opening ceremony, both invited speakers, the Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crombie’s speech and the closing. Shut the door, I’ll still know what’s happening inside. IYKYK.
Are you a digital creator? Register here.
If you’re going to the convention, beware: The commute could be ugly. Some GO rail service will be shut down next weekend. Part of the Bloor line is already shut. The Toronto International Film Festival is on and Lady Gaga will be headlining at Scotiabank Arena.
“It was always a terrible weekend for this. Now, it’s exponentially worse,” wrote one fed-up delegate.
Around the city: The New Leafs will be hosting a pre-AGM event at Firkin’ on Yonge on Thursday night. RSVP.
— Niagara will host the NDP a weekend later. Marit Stiles is up for her own leadership review, which she’s expected to pass without trouble. More on that next week.
— Lock it in: Project Ontario will host “an evening of mingling and policy discussions that aim to kickstart a much needed dialogue about conservatism in Ontario” on Tuesday, September 30 in Toronto. Admission is $100.
According to the invite: “This will be a chance to connect in person, hear a few remarks, and continue building momentum behind the work we’ve started.”
— Lock it in: Premier Doug Ford will speak at the Empire Club on Tuesday, October 14. Expect a speech themed on “Delivering Our Plan to Protect Ontario,” followed by a sit-down with Ben Mulroney. RSVP.
On Wednesday, October 1, Gretchen Whitmer will speak to Steve Paikin on Michigan’s relationship with Canada.
— The Legislature’s website is being spruced up.
— Toronto’s slowest train: The Eglinton LRT has been delayed, again.
Metrolinx “had hoped to begin a 30-day ’revenue service demonstration’ in September, but it did not meet that target. Lindsay says he hopes the month-long operational test of trains running along the line will only be delayed a few weeks.” More from CBC.
— Scrap the boards: Paul Calandra says he’s “100 per cent looking at the elimination of the trustee position” from school boards, with a plan expected by the end of the year. Listen.
If trustees disappear, this is what the education system could look like.
Eye emojis: Steve Paikin lit up the speculation mill with this X post: “I’m hearing he’ll do the following: take all 72 boards and reduce them to just 4... That’s it.”
What we’re hearing: Word is the Ford government will table a school board plan when the House is back in October.
One education union isn’t too happy. “It’s reckless, undemocratic, and an outright attack on public education,” said David Mastin of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, alleging Ford is “manufacturing yet another crisis in education to tighten his grip on our schools.”
— Over in Parry Sound, where some high schoolers were forced to start the year online, Calandra has launched a full governance review into the Near North District School Board. In an August memo, he noted that the board’s own trustees voted to request an investigation, “underscoring the seriousness of the situation.” “This review will begin immediately,” he added. More from Parry Sound North Star.
— Silence on 407: “Ontario has had no talks to buy back Highway 407, despite repeated musings from the Doug Ford government over the past year about potentially re-acquiring the toll expressway to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area.” Read.
— Experiment in LTC: “The Ford government is launching a new pilot system to expand options for seniors living at home to receive extra help with things like showering, hot meals or health assessments, as well as additional socializing.” Global has it.
— Shovels in Scarborough: The Ford government “broke ground Friday on the first of three stations in the Scarborough subway extension that’s intended to replace a former subway line that derailed two years ago.” Catch up from CBC.
— John Tory Jr.: The son of Toronto’s ex-mayor is eyeing a run to replace Bill Blair in Scarborough. “A second source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, also said that talks about a potential run for the Liberals have focused on Blair’s riding. But Tory Jr. suggested he could try to represent other areas of Toronto.” Read up.
We’re told: Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson are poised to resign for diplomatic gigs. That would tee up a fall by-election in Scarborough-Southwest and North Vancouver-Capilano. Mark Carney, our sources say, is actively courting two star candidates who’d land in his cabinet later this year.
We’re on the hunt for that star candidate’s name. The wrinkle: Unlike their provincial kin, Team Carney is no leaky ship.
— A new Forum poll found that if an election were called today, Olivia Chow would stay on as Toronto’s mayor with 36 per cent support. John Tory, who has been toying with a run, is at 30 per cent, followed by Brad Braford at 18 per cent and Ana Bailão at 8 per cent.
Don’t look for a Tory run to come easy. Progress Toronto, which supported Chow, is out with fresh ads likening him to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and is running for mayor.
— Town Hall drama: “A former Clarington mayoral candidate is publicly accusing a sitting councillor of threatening to kill him and sexually assault his wife in a profane voicemail message.” More from The Trillium.
Over in Caledon, a big-name developer is set to gain from the mayor’s push to let him backfill and grade an ex-gravel pit. The Peel Report has more.
— “A judge blasted the provincial police college leadership for enforcing top-down orders and not encouraging a collaborative teaching approach during the sentencing of a former instructor who accidentally fired a loaded gun at a colleague.” Read in The London Free Press.
— All Moore, no less: a vaccine registry: Ontario’s top doctor is calling for “a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada — but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.” More from CBC.
— Reminder: Ontario is set to increase the minimum wage to $17.60 an hour starting October 1.
— The question of Bonnie Crombie’s leadership landed in a new Mainstreet poll this weekend.
The big ask: “In the upcoming leadership review, how will you vote or are you intending to vote? A) You want a new leadership race to replace Bonnie Crombie. B) You want Bonnie Crombie to remain as leader. C) You are unsure.”
Mainstreet says the poll “is independent research being done by Mainstreet Research” and is “not being conducted on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party or any candidate.”
— Pallas Data is also polling card-carrying Liberals on Crombie.
— Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead — and failed, says the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals.
— An ex-candidate says those who think there’s time for both a leadership race and grassroot reboot “are selling a pipe dream.”
— Jessica Smith Cross and Charlie Pinkerton dig in on the big Liberal split over Crombie.
— For Doug Ford, faster highways are the quickest road map to power, Martin Regg Cohn says.
— On Ford’s viral moment, Brian Lilley says Mr. Premier is trying to “bully” Diageo and “send the message that he will use the power of government to punish any company that crosses him.”
— Sylvain Charlebois says it “undermined the very principle of fair competition.”
— Laryssa Waler says it showed “the power of political theatre.”
— Seen: Bonnie Crombie headlined a “Meet Bonnie” event hosted by Sukhwant Thethi last night at Hansa Haus in Mississauga. Party president Kathryn McGarry joined in.
Why it caught our eye: Thethi is running for regional vice-president, up against Mark Kissel (who co-authored her leadership campaign’s education policy).
— Christine Wood — an ex-chief who served as Premier Ford’s spokesperson — has launched her own PR shop.
— Ex-PC MPP Patrice Barnes has joined Counsel as a senior advisor.
— She said yes: Ana Bailão is engaged. “It was the easiest answer I have ever given,” she posted on Instagram.
— Janelle Brady is seeking re-election as NDP president. “I want to support our movement,” she posted to X.
— The Tories’ January convention chair? Blair Hains.
— The party is seeking nominations for their Trillium Awards, “recogniz[ing] the outstanding contribution our many riding volunteers have made across the province.” One award has Rebecca Grundy’s name on it. Read her story.
— In memoriam: Mitch Sadowski, the Progressive Conservative caucus’ Director of Multimedia Services, passed away last Wednesday. “He transformed his department and left a lasting, positive impact on everyone he worked with,” said Speaker Donna Skelly on X.
— Jobs, jobs, jobs: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is hiring a Director of Policy and Government Relations. Ontario’s Energy Board is hiring a Procurement Manager and Manager, Information Technology. Supply Ontario is hiring a Director, Category and Sourcing Execution.
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