Slimy, greasy strategy by a slimy, greasy politician. But are we really that surprised? From the moment this chump entered the political ring, didnβt we foresee stuff like this?
This guy on the basis of being the βanti-Wynneββ¦and to a large extentβ¦
β¦it was successful. There was lots of talk about gravy trains and ending the party with tax payer money. But youβd have be pretty naive and / or willfully ignorant to not see the cronyism and the grift.
Hwy 413 is a prime example. Look who stands to benefit.
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Ford buddies Ron Taverner and Dean Frenchβ¦more examples of the grift. And the list goes on.
- Katherine Pal
- Taylor Shields
- Tyler Albrecht
- Gavin Tighe
- Cam Montgomery
- Jenni Byrne
- Ian Todd
- Rueben Devlin
- Charles McVety
β¦.to name but a few.
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In order to hide it all, Ford lays on the populist schtick. He ate the fries and the chips; he made the cheesecake; he drove the pickupβ¦all in an effort to look just like you and me.
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But itβs a thin facade. Underneath it all, we find things like:
- gas pump stickers
- dysfunctional licence plates
- funding for horse racing
- Greenbelt development
- the misogyny against Horwath
- blocking a bill against Islamophobia
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- the dumpster fire that is the Education ministry
- invoking the notwithstanding clause
- the LTC homes disaster
β¦not to mention the complete hatchet job of Ontarioβs COVID response in general.
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So when see Doug Ford raising funds by sending out invoices to unsuspecting citizensβ¦should we really be that surprised. Weβre three years deepβ¦the slimy stench isnβt new. The invoices are just the latest addition.
Iβm absolutely gobsmacked by what Iβve been seeing and hearingβ¦especially these last few weeks. People who I would normally consider sane, educated, stable, well-informed, community minded, are now peddling blatant disinformation.
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Many of them, and those that defend them, are passing it off as harmless βdifferences of opinionβ.
Really?
If so, Iβm missing something.
I just recently read a report that COVID patients are pulling vital resources away from paediatric patients, patients withβ¦
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β¦heart conditions, patients who need certain surgeries, etc. According to that report, most if not all of the COVID patients were/are unvaxxed.
Widely accepted research indicates that these hospitalizations were avoidable.
Iβm sorry, but βdifference of opinionβ doesnβtβ¦
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It was kinda funny when Doug Ford showed up hawking cheap beer. Kinda. But it stopped being funny a long time ago.
Fast forward to 2021.
We now have a massive pile (words purposely chosen) ofβ¦
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β¦failures, hostility, disinformation, and outright attacks on the very things that many hold dear in this province: healthcare, education, care of our elderly, key elements of our social safety net, and the environment to name but a fewβ¦
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β¦and much / all of it has been in the interest of privatization, corporate greed, cronyism, self-service, self-promotion, ego and pure profit.
In addition, this government has sowed division and hate. Racists have been subtly, and not so subtly, nudged into action.
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In light of the sudden outcry for the (potentially) premature return to school by people who are βnewlyβ concerned about youth mental health...
Iβll echo the thoughts of many friends/colleagues when I say:
βWhere were you before now?β
Iβm reminded of a student...
...of mine from earlier in my career. She struggled with mental health issues and often flirted with suicide. In addition to reporting the situation (as my job required), there were a number of occasions where I counselled her, and encouraged her to βstay with usβ...
...and to keep moving forward. I specifically remember telling her that the world was a better place with her in it.
Thankfully, she did βstayβ, and is now married with kids of her own.
Her story is a happy one. But Iβve also witnessed students (too many)...
2007 - charged with uttering death threats against MP Jeff Watson.
2010 - Campaign manager / chief of staff for Rob Ford. (Kouvalis was once described as the βFord Whispererβ.
2011 - Engaged in purposeful disinformation campaign about Irwin Cotlerβs βupcoming retirementβ.
2016 - Pleads guilty to driving under the influence.
2017 - Campaign manager for Trumpian Con leadership candidate Kellie Leitch.
2017 - Resigns after calling U of W prof Emmett Macfarlane a βtraitorβ and a βcuckβ.
2017 - Charged with public intoxication and break / enter into a Kelseyβs restaurant.
More recently...
2021 - Hired as Doug Fordβs senior adviser.
This past week, as a βstart-to-the-day-reflectionβ, I shared one of those βIf the World Was A Village of 100 Peopleβ type videos with my class.
Iβve seen them before. But the stats are always sobering.
Eg.
15% are illiterate.
13% have no clean water.
20% donβt have electricity. 25% donβt have adequate shelter.
75% donβt have internet access.
90% canβt access post secondary education.
A staggering 70% are malnourished.
1% are starving...a βsmallβ number, but that translates to 75 million people.
What does it all mean?
It means that despite the struggles of the past year...with lockdowns, masks, sanitizing, virtual this and that...in many ways, weβre very lucky.
In no way does this minimize the suffering that COVID has brought...particularly with those in LTC homes, those who have...