Politics isn't just about elections. It's also about what happens between elections. Doug Ford made that abundantly clear yesterday when he reversed his decision to build houses on Ontario's Greenbelt. Despite the change, the editors of The Toronto Star were not impressed:
Let’s be crystal clear. There is no redemption in doing the right thing only under extreme duress and after all excuses have been exhausted. By his own hand, Ford has done massive, perhaps irredeemable, damage to his credibility and government.
“It was a mistake to open the Greenbelt,” Ford told reporters in Niagara Falls as he announced the scrapping of a land-swap plan to remove 7,400 acres from the protected area in a plan that stood to make billions for developers.
His foray into Greenbelt development was not, as he put it, “a mistake.” To call it a mistake implies inadvertence.
Rather, his Greenbelt gambit was a conscious decision to reverse a previous commitment he had made to Ontarians not to open the protected zone for development.
He did it not out of error or ignorance, but because he thought he could get away with it.
He couldn't and didn't. I see clouds in Doug's future.
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12 comments:
The great greenbelt reversal could be one for the ages and is a definite mood enhancer!!
caution ....
When 'we won' the battle with TMX and they announced they were cancelling the pipeline, we felt elated.
It made the subsequent depression deeper when Jr. broke another solemn promise and revived the dead project with tax-money-breath-of-life.
We'll have to see if Doug has been humbled, PoV.
I hope that he doesn't try a backdoor move to try and get this done for his backers. I have only been to Toronto once ,and that was just to change planes to get to Ottawa. But I was really impressed when Looking out the planes windows how much greenbelt area there was. Toronto is very lucky as most large cities don't have this luxury. It would be a shame to lose this.
I'm happy that Ford has reversed himself, Terry. But I'm not convinced this is the end of the matter.
No-one changes from a mistake.. a mere "oops" moment. He MIGHT have acknowledged a legal or moral crime, had he known those words.
Doug doesn't think in those terms, hels. He's a pretty dull boy.
Off Topic, svp
"Alberta what's on your mind?
Alberta what's on your mind?
My heart is so sad 'cause you treat me so bad"
Asking for half of the CPP fund isn't really about achieving that end.
At best it is an opening position in a negotiation - a position that shows bad faith in itself.
It is all about creating yet another rage farming talking point.
e-coli 'killed-off' the Mike Harris regime, perhaps it will do the same for the crazy bunch in charge of Alberta .
It's about performance politics, PoV -- and self-absorption.
It is doubtful Ford would have "reversed" his decision, had those two MLAs not been caught. My question is, how more of them are there.
Living here in B.C., I've read about the Greenbelt for some years, ie developers wanting the land out of it, there was money to be made, etc. When Ford ran for the leadership, my first thought was, wonder what is going to happen to the Greenbelt now. Then we all saw. Two MLAS
later, the decision has been reversed so Ford says. My take on it is, if he can find a way around it, he'll try again. This isn't over. There is too much money to be made.
How will it impact a re election/ Don't know. Haven't read much about how the voters of Ontario feel about it. With two MLAs with their hands in the cookie jar, it may reflect poorly on the party and Ford. Next election cvould see changes. Of course that depends upon the other political parties ability to take advantage of this gift.
Would not be surprised if Ford put it to a vote, for the public. oh right they call them referedums. It is a way around and there is all that money to be made.
Who's to say, e.a.f? I would have never suspected that Rob Ford's brother would have been elected premier of Ontario. It's a good thing I didn't place a bet on that proposition.
Come on Owen,
A entrepreneurial drug dealer and college dropout with a personality that made you like Rob Ford? How could you not think that Doug would not make Premier.?
What really shocked me was his re-election. The NDP, badly, needed a new leader and the Liberals needed a leader whose name or face someone could remember but I was still amazed that after Doug's treatment of the health professions and the education professions, that he won.
Some of you readers may be interested in the video at What Happened In Vegas . Warning, somewhat crude language.
Lorne always gets directly to the point, jrk.
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