SCOOP: Meet Stiles' star campaign recruit
Plus: inside Allison's exit, the Dippers' rules, improved; a new Liberal fundraiser — and Crombie's winter dinner, a mystery candidate in Spadina, nomination tracker, booze strike and more
THE LEDE
SCOOP — With the rumour mill churning about the threat of an early election, the parties are kicking campaign mode into full gear.
While Premier Ford has been elusive about the if and when, Marit Stiles and Bonnie Crombie both have their work cut out for them — assemble an experienced war room, nominate a slate of candidates, bolster their parties’ cash arsenal, formulate policy and polish messaging — and have recruited partisan juggernauts to help ready up their election machine.
Brian Topp has been named chair of Stiles’ election preparation committee — which was struck in March — and is expected to be central to the party’s provincial campaign. Dave Clark will report to Topp as campaign director.
That’s per several sources familiar with the party’s tactical strategy.
It’s the recruit of a party titan. The chair of the Broadbent Institute who once ran for federal leader, Topp served as a top aide to former Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and was a key architect of both Jack Layton’s orange wave and Wab Kinew’s recent win in Manitoba.
“Brian has quite a storied history,” said a senior party source, speaking anonymously to discuss internal matters. “We’re very happy and proud to have him guiding and overseeing the process as chair.”
Privately, there’s much optimism on the orange camp about Stiles’ pick for chair.
“He wins. He’s a prairie New Democrat that’s used to targeting government and not settling for less,” a second senior source said. “We can’t fix the housing crisis by begging Doug Ford to change his spots. We can only fix it by electing a Premier Marit Stiles to work for the many, not the money.”
“Brian knows how to win and New Democrats have a lot of trust in him,” a third explained. “He has every intention of extending his winning legacy here in Ontario with Marit Stiles as Premier.”
The committee, with more than two dozen members from all over, each “with expertise” in their own scope, will ensure that “the party is focused on being election ready,” with the resources, staff, candidates and a communications blueprint in place.
Once a campaign director is in place, their work will be passed over to the campaign team — supported by the leader’s team, so that the focus can be “on election readiness and we're not distracted by the day to day.”
The top order of business is candidate nomination. The committee is expected to scale up the recruitment process, the source explained, with a strategy developed to identify “as many candidates, as early as possible.” The plan is on par with an internal review that found, in many cases, candidates “were nominated too late” to properly campaign.
At last weekend’s provincial council, the party overhauled their nomination procedure, to improve “accountability and transparency.”
A timeline for vetting has been established with an appeal process in place. While candidates are typically OKd by the provincial director, a mechanism to appeal a rejection — with other party personnel involved in the protocol — will be implemented. The provincial director will also be able shorten the nomination process if an election is deemed imminent.
In the last round, the review found that for wannabe candidates, “it was not clear who was making decisions, how they were being made and the timelines” for a decision.
For Stiles, it’s about speed — and quality. “We are looking for the best and brightest to be part of this mission,” she said. “People who are real advocates for their communities and are ready to serve in a new, progressive government.” An “equity fund” has been launched to “support equity deserving candidates right across the province.”
It’s also about cash — and privately, with the Tories’ war chest ahead of the pack, the Dippers admit: “we’re worried.”
In an internal email blast yesterday, Stiles’ team made clear: “In the coming months, we have to take all our fundraising goals and double them, triple them, quadruple them.”
The Tories are “putting out one ad after the other,” the email read. “And, starting next year, we can only spend what we fundraise because the Conservatives’ are scrapping the per vote subsidy, which has historically given us access to crucial campaign resources.”
But the captain says she’s ready. “We’re ready to take on Doug Ford and kick some serious butt this election — whenever they decide to call it,” Stiles said in a stump speech to a raucous crowd of supporters at the Sheraton Centre last Saturday.
“And as we get ready to put in the work, remember these words: we’re going to win.”
Over in Liberal land, there’s a big switch on Crombie’s crew, a nomination torpedo at full speed and a splashy fundraiser penciled in.
Tom Allison — who ran Dipika Damerla’s mayoral bid in Mississauga — is out as Bonnie Crombie’s provincial campaign director, with Chad Walsh and Genevieve Tomney set to replace him. Allison will become campaign chair.
We had the scoop on the switch earlier this week.
“With Chad’s deep organizing experience and network, and Gen’s immense skill set in strategy, digital engagement and communications, we will be ready for anything Doug Ford throws at us,” Crombie wrote in an internal memo. “I encourage you to reach out to Chad and Gen as they build up our team.”
Walsh replaced Patricia Sorbara as former Premier Kathleen Wynne's end campaign director, while Tomney, a former journalist, was a senior advisor to Wynne.
As this newsletter reported, with Damerla placing a distant third, questions about the veteran’s role on Team Crombie were abound. “By choosing to run a mayoral campaign at this time shows where his priorities are — and it’s clearly not with Bonnie.”
Per another, it became unclear whether Allison could throw his full force as Crombie’s campaign director. “Tom wasn’t moved because he was unsuccessful in getting Dipika elected. He was removed because he prioritized Mississauga over the party,” a source said.
Despite the move, Crombie named a campaign committee — a separate team responsible for approving nomination rules — and Allison, like Walsh and Tomney, is on the roster and is still expected to be involved in the operation.
Most are optimistic. But still, some Liberals say the duo come with their own past. “Why would Bonnie hire the captain of the titanic,” one insider asked, in reference to Wynne’s fall. “Does it make sense to have the person who ran the worst campaign in history, run the campaign?”
Meanwhile, the Liberals’ nomination blitz has been set in motion, with an initial “tranche” — about half their slate — set to be approved by September, including past candidates and likely, Crombie. According to three sources, outreach to former candidates, to gauge their interest in a second bid, took place in mid-May.
In an internal memo from commissioner Stevie O'Brien — who is leading the process, in conjunction with the chief returning officer Simon Tunstall — earlier this week, riding association presidents were instructed to initiate that process.
A local nomination race planner was sent out — with a draft expected to be completed and sent to the party. A fresh copy of the party’s candidate nominations rules is out as well — but as one source put it, “they look exactly the same.”
The lone tweak: With the “electoral urgency” clause invoked, the commissioner can provide a nomination plan for any riding that has not nominated a candidate, can amend or revise the set schedule. They “may amend, suspend, or vary any of these rules or impose additional rules,” per the document.
As for the cash arsenal: The Liberals are falling behind — but Crombie’s team is preparing for a glitzy leader’s dinner on December 3. They have enlisted Karen Miller — who has previously collected cash for Ana Bailão, John Tory and planned similar extravagant banquets for the Tories under Tim Hudak and Patrick Brown — to handle the fundraising.
In the meantime, Elections Ontario is also readying up for the next election — whenever it is.
“Part of our mandate is to always be prepared to deliver fair and efficient elections whenever they are called,” said spokesperson Patrick Smith. “We are committed to the prudent use of public funds and are cost-effective in the delivery of elections.”
AT THE PALACE
— The House is out for the summer.
— A sleepier week on the committee circuit is ahead.
With ministerial spending still being parsed over, Economic Affairs will meet for an early Monday hearing on the budgetary state of the cabinet and premier’s office. Expect the opposition to grill on the ballooning costs and six-digit salaries. No word yet on who’s up.
— Nomination tracker: John Fraser — the veteran Liberal who twice served as the party’s interim captain — was nominated to carry the Grit banner in Ottawa South.
The party unveiled Fraser as “Bonnie Crombie’s candidate,” which some Liberals slammed.
The crowd size also drew some sneer — though per the photographer, it was just “poor photography” that didn’t capture the audience too well.
With the nomination frenzy in full force, this newsletter will keep track of all the nitty gritty. As of next week, we’ll have a handy riding-by-riding list available, updated weekly. Reach out if you’re running — or planning to.
— Premier Ford headlined a splashy summer opening — one grand per plate — at the Rebel last night. It was a packed house for the Tories’ biggest fundraiser of the year, replacing the fancy Leader’s Dinner, which was scrapped in the wake of the controversial Greenbelt swap.
“The night was great!” texted one attendee. “Good energy, good turn out.”
— SCOOP — Norm Di Pasquale — a former trustee who’s led the charge against Ontario Place’s redevelopment — is set to become the federal NDP’s candidate in Spadina—Fort York. Di Pasquale placed a close second behind independent Kevin Vuong in the last election.
Di Pasquale is set to debut as the party’s candidate on Thursday. RSVP here.
IN THE NEWS
— Job action is in sight for unionized LCBO workers. Here’s more on why the union says “Premier Ford is trying to sell us a bad deal, one that hands over more of the alcohol market to big grocers and convenience chains.”
In response: Management has extended store hours “to ensure the best possible service in the face of a union strike,” per an internal memo.
— Fresh from a cabinet move, Stephen Lecce took to Romania as the new energy minister to announce that a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation has secured a deal to help refurbish a nuclear plant abroad.
“What we will not do, and I cannot underscore this enough, is we will not pursue a path, an ideological path, that will deny some forms of energy when we need all of them to help fuel our economy,” Lecce said on the province’s use of natural gas.
— With a sweltering heat wave in the province, Lecce says it’s taking a hit on the province’s power grid — with electrical usage the highest it’s been in over a decade earlier this week.
— Haldimand County councillors have voted to bar independent Bobbi Ann Brady from meetings at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference. Local councillors said her “presence would be “detrimental” to their provincial funding requests.”
Ann Brady and Ford have a complicated relationship. She mounted a standalone challenge in the traditional Tory riding and beat out former Haldimand Mayor Ken Hewitt. During a skirmish in the chamber, Ford told her: “by the way, you won’t have a job next election.”
— The University of Toronto’s request for a court injunction to end the pro Palestinian student encampment was heard by a provincial judge this week. Here’s the scene inside the court.
Word from the uni: “After a temporary pause in discussions, they were resumed after the university received a new proposal from the protesters yesterday afternoon to end the encampment,” president Meric Gertler said in an internal email.
“If we are awarded an injunction, the encampment would be required by law to be dismantled within a set period of time.” The university is requesting “provisions for the Toronto Police Service to assist in carrying out the order to vacate King’s College Circle if necessary.”
— Sarah Jama says she’s planning to run again as an independent in Hamilton Centre. “To be clear, at this time the NDP has not engaged in conversation about reconciliation,” she added.
ON THE MOVE
— Carolyn Parrish will become Mississauga’s next mayor on Monday, while Natalie Hart will be sworn in as a new councillor.
“Excited to get to work,” Hart said. “More exciting is that Canada Day celebration in Malton and the chance to connect with residents across the ward.”
One birdie told this reporter that while Parrish’s inauguration was initially set to take place inside the council chamber, it was moved across the street to the Living Arts Centre at her request. (Crombie’s three swearing-ins all took place at the same venue).
In our last dispatch, we told you about Crombie’s impromptu cameo at Parrish’s victory avail, which left Queen’s Park group chats chuckling — and even got a GIF going. “Right out of Veep,” texted one source.
But we’re told it wasn’t a surprise: Crombie visited all the victory parties — and Parrish was asked before the former mayor made a cameo to congratulate her.
— Ahmad Attia — a provincial appointee on the Peel Police board — has been named to the Trillium Health Partners’ board of directors. The Ford government brought him back on the police board after tension erupted at the end of his last term over Crombie’s decision to not renew.
Word on the street is that Attia, who organized for Parrish in the mayoral race, could be in the mix to become her next chief, whom she’s privately promised would be a Muslim.
— There’s a new NDP VP: Jason Wagar. A replacement to Alex Felsky on the executive council, Wagar most recently led Stiles’ communications. “Hadn’t stopped [working with the party] — but volunteering in a more formal capacity,” he said.
— It’s the second anniversary of Texture Communications, Melanie Paradis’ PR consultancy. “We are continuing to grow and have the capacity to take on additional clients,” she said. She welcomed her latest recruit this week: former iPolitics reporter Lindsay Campbell.
— Mike Van Soelen, Amanda Galbraith and James Sanders have launched a new shop: Oyster Group.
WHAT WE'RE READING
— The Ontario Science Centre is being shut down by the Ford government immediately after “a report this week found the roof is in danger of collapsing.”
— Tonda MacCharles on the “fascinating political petri dish under the microscope by parties, pollsters and pundits alike:” Monday’s Toronto St. Paul’s election.
— Premier Ford is calling on Ottawa to “match or exceed” the United States’ total cent tariffs on Chinese EVs.
— John Michael McGrath says Ford “should be asking whether there’s any kind of exit strategy” from the EV tariff train.
— Here’s what Ben Cohen found on his tour inside the King's College Circle student encampment, “searching for understanding of a movement whose nature and meaning have been bitterly contested.”
— Ontario’s big city mayors are pushing for a new deal on “housing, homelessness and public safety” with the province.
— A handful of A+ reporters — including Noor Javed, Charlie Pinkerton and Emma McIntosh — took home Canada’s top journalism award for their investigation into the Greenbelt carve-up.
— CEO of Toronto’s transit agency has quit after a seven-year tenure.
— The Independent Electricity System Operator says “the province should have enough electricity to meet growing demand this year and next, though it may have to import power during extreme heat.”
— A truck under police investigation “broadcasting Islamophobic messages on GTA streets” is owned by Rebel News — and the group says they’re taking the truck out again.
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you Brian Topp? Chad Walsh? Gen Tomney? Drop me a line — ahmad@newsbeyond.ca — with how you’re readying for the next vote. Have a tip, feedback, job move, hot nugget or top Tomneyism. Reach out and you’ll stay anon. We’re back in your inbox next Friday.