A power trip is no way to lead a province | Unpublished
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Unpublished Opinions

Mike Schreiner's picture
Mike Schreiner
Toronto, Ontario
About the author

A leading advocate for independent businesses, local food and sustainable communities, Mike Schreiner is well known for his leadership in co-founding the award-winning Local Food Plus organization. He brings a proven track record in business and non-profit leadership roles to the Ontario political scene. Schreiner was elected leader of the Green Party of Ontario (GPO) on November 14, 2009. Schreiner, a 43-year old father of two, started his career in the Guelph region as an entrepreneur and advocate in the local food movement. As co-founder of WOW Foods, an award winning local organic food distribution company, Schreiner worked for over 10 years to connect local farmers with consumers in the GTA and Guelph. His business was awarded the Citizen’s Bank of Canada Ethics in Action Award for socially responsible business and the Toronto Food Policy Council’s Local Food Hero Award. He is also co-founder of Earthdance Organics, a Guelph-based food production business that supplied area health foods stores and farmer’s markets in the early 2000s. Building on that success, he helped establish Local Food Plus (LFP), a non-profit that brings farmers and consumers together to promote financially, socially and environmentally sustainable local food systems. While at LFP, the organization won the Canadian Environment Award for Sustainable Living, a Green Toronto Award of Excellence--Health Category, a Green Toronto Award of Excellence--Market Transformation Category and NOW Magazine’s Best of Toronto Award for best new environmental initiative. Family and community are important to Mike. His wife Sandy and their two daughters are active, spending their free time gardening, hiking, fishing, cycling and volunteering in community activities.

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A power trip is no way to lead a province

December 25, 2018

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I am wondering if Doug Ford understands how this famous phrase relates to his role as premier.

The premier denies that the appointment of his friend Ron Taverner as Ontario’s top cop is a conflict of interest. News flash: being premier does not mean you get to put your friends in charge of the police or interfere with police operations, as the premier’s chief-of-staff is alleged to have done. Being premier is a responsibility to serve, not an opening to consolidate power. The allegations of power overreach swirling around the premier’s office are shocking, but they are not isolated.

Since day one, Ford has been using his power to enlarge his power. The most egregious example came when Ford threatened to use the Notwithstanding Clause to slash Toronto City Council midway through the election Many speculated what the next power grab would be. But in reality it was not the first. It started when the Premier ejected the CEO of Hydro One and ripped up clean energy contracts. The Business Council of Canada and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce warned that such unilateral actions could have a chilling effect on business investment. They were not wrong. Earlier this month, US regulators nixed a $6.7 billion deal between Hydro One and Avista over fears of political meddling.

The premier’s power grabs are costing taxpayers, big time. The Avista cancellation alone will cost up to $200 million. The halting of the White Pines project added another $100 million onto the ratepayers’ tab. And now we learn the premier wants the OPP to buy a customized camper van purchased off the books through a sole source contract. Although Premier Ford is not yet at Liberal gas plant numbers, the costs of his power grabs are adding up. And trying to hide the cost from taxpayers is simply wrong.

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