#ONpoli

I WONDER WHY DOUG FORD IS CHANGING THE LCBO BAGS



#ONPoli

Oh - Doug Ford for sure knows these guys!

6 minutes from DECO Packaging, where Doug Ford worked for years!

#ONpoli

HOLY SH*T - people in the UK have connected the dots on Therme Group

https://twitter.com/SusanChubb1/status/1768423042848358834

There is a LOT of connections and details in there... but the one I focused on was China Merchants Bank.

#ONpoli

I dug into this a bit... the reporting is a bit off.

thread 🧵

https://twitter.com/CityNewsTO/status/1762802247245971683

1/ It isn't really accurate to say PWC has "little history with software". There are many different teams within the company, including technology. Those are separate from the accountants.

#ONpoli

NEW: the Ontario Integrity Commissioner has posted all of the updated disclosures from MPPs (as of Sept 1, 2023).

Follow this thread 🧵 for interesting findings in the disclosure statements…

https://twitter.com/ON_Integrity/status/1755265373232926735

1/ Doug Ford and Karla Ford still both have mortgages, even though they sold their house in August for $2.7M???

#ONpoli

On the same day that Putin kills his political opponent, Doug Ford awards ANOTHER massive construction contract to Strabag (partially owned by Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska)
🤮🤮🤮🤮

https://twitter.com/InfraOntario/status/1758529059502408122

To be 100% accurate, it does appear that Deripaska is transferring his stake in Strabag to another firm… still a Russian company though:

vindobona.org/article/russia…

#ONpoli

Thread 🧵on Doug Ford's ties to the international student scandals at Ontario's colleges, which also intersects with the foreign influence scandals.

Let's dive into Doug Ford and St. Clair College...

1/ St. Clair College is based in Windsor with over 16,000 total students, including almost 5,300 international students. There is even a GEM residence exclusively for international students (more on that later).

#ONpoli #OSCBusinessCase

Thread 🧵 of my observations from the Ontario Science Centre business case.

I'll post things here as I note them: #OSCBusinessCase
1/ it is assumed that the new Ontario Place location for the Science Centre would have 53 fewer staff (356 vs 409), a reduction of 13%.

#ONpoli

NEW:

Kensington Capital is the owner of Clearpoint private health clinics, and is also invested in Alayacare - software used by Home Care & Nurse Staffing Agencies - the private providers Doug Ford has allowed to grow substantially within Ontario's healthcare system.



So, just to summarize: there is a ton of money flowing into private healthcare services AND private healthcare technologies from this one Canadian investment firm (Kensington).

#ONpoli

NEW:

Ontario Line construction firm involved in multiple bid-rigging investigations in Italy.

The "Connect 6ix" consortium that won a $9B Ontario Line contract includes WeBuild Group.

WeBuild saw 7 guilty verdicts in a 2022 case over a $8.3B USD high speed rail deal.





And - the most recent investigation was announced on August 30, 2023. It is looking into bid-rigging over a $1B USD construction contract for building a dam near Genoa, Italy.

#ONpoli

NEW:

Another connection between Doug Ford's government and Ares Management (the investment firm that purchased Ford's DECO business in the U.S.).

Ares also acquired X-Energy, which is a Canadian nuclear reactor company. Ontario Power Generation also invested $45M.



And - this gets interesting:

"Mr. X" John Mutton is also a lobbyist/influencer for the nuclear industry (and Chairman of the Ontario Nuclear New Build Council), and has long been pushing for more nuclear reactors at Darlington.

#ONpoli

At this point in the Greenbelt story, I feel like we need a tracker that lists each developer and which corruption scandals link to them.

I'll try to summarize in this thread 🧵over the next couple of days.

1/ First, here are the 15 properties:

2/
Some developers own multiple parcels - there are 12 companies:
> TACC
> Green Lane Bathurst LP (Rice Group)
> Flato/Torca
> Streamliner
> Fieldgate
> Buena Vista
> Penta
> Desantis/Melrose/Valery
> New Horizon
> 1550909033 Ontario Inc
> Wyview
> Minotar/Beechgrove/Halvan

#ONpoli

Doug Ford is now at the point in his political career that he can’t keep track of all his lies, and is even using his past lies as the basis for new lies!!!

This exchange with @ColinDMello was just Ford completely making stuff up!!! (Thread 🧵) 1/ First of all, attacking a reporter for owning a home and somehow using that to try and support your claim that this whole Greenbelt scandal is just to help build homes is completely ridiculous and inappropriate.

#ONpoli

Here we go folks... a more detailed thread 🧵 on the whole Doug Ford #GravyPlane story.

1/ When Doug Ford become Premier in 2018, he immediately got rid of the OPP security detail and demanded a smaller (loyal) team...

2/ Ford refused to use the Ontario Government's plane. This led to Ford pushing the OPP to pay to customize a van for him. Ford tried to spin this as being "the first Premier in history who didn't waste money using the plane", but that was just spin...
cbc.ca/news/canada/to…

#ONpoli

So many lies and misleading statements from Doug Ford at his press conference today.

He really wants people to believe that this is all about helping the little guy get a nice little affordable home.

Thread 🧵 on the lies Ford is repeating at every press conference… 1/ “we’re going to continue building the 1.5 million homes…”

Ford’s task force said 1.5M homes are needed in 10 years. That is 150,000 per year. Ontario’s housing starts are 1/3 behind that pace! And Ford’s own report says the Greenbelt land is not needed to meet the targets.

#ONpoli

Doug Ford’s press conference today was another disaster. Just a bunch of false statements, ignorant claims, and misleading talking points.

Thread 🧵 on Ford’s ridiculous response to a question about Greenbelt land flippers and the Auditor General’s investigation: 1/

Not the most critical point, but Ford saying "I don't interfere in the private sector" is nonsense.

Ford gives billions to private companies like EV battery makers (subsidies) and home builders (cutting fees), and his government interfered by re-zoning the Greenbelt land.

#ONpoli

This map showing the 413 route and the Greenbelt is all you need to know about why Doug Ford wants to separate Brampton and Caledon from Mississauga... #ONpoli

To summarize:

Patrick Brown is compliant - he will do whatever Ford wants.

Bonnie Crombie is not - she actually pushes back against Ford.

Doug Ford wants to ram through his Hwy 413 plans and carve out Greenbelt land for his developer buddies as quickly as possible.

#ONpoli #CDNpoli

Seems like the media ONLY want to cover the Chinese influence story at the Federal level, but ignore it if Trudeau isn't involved.

THREAD 🧵 on Chinese influence tied to Doug Ford's Ontario PC Party, specifically 2 names:

Ted Zhou and Zhaoan Sui 1/ Ted Zhou
- Attended Trudeau fundraiser in 2016, but mostly Conservative fundraisers since then
- CEO of Evertrust (developer w/ projects in Niagara & Bracebridge)
- Built companies worth over $2.6B in China
- Founded dozens of Canadian companies, including 10+ influence groups

#ONpoli

Carmine Nigro, who is in charge of Ontario Place:

- Developer (35 Years)
- Attended Ford daughter's wedding
- Received MZO for Walmart/burbs project

Patronage Appointments:
- LCBO Chairman
- Invest Ontario Board
- Runnymede Hospital Board (gave Ford's daughter a job) #ONpoli

LCBO strategy for Carmine Nigro:

1) Sell off the LCBO headquarters for condos

2) Privatize alcohol distribution - lobbied by Ford strategist and now Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman

3) Put booze in corner stores and cannabis in private stores

opseu.org/news/opseu-pre…

#ONpoli

When asked why he needs to open up the Greenbelt for developers, Doug Ford lies his face off like no politician I’ve ever seen!!!

(Thread 🧵 ) 1) "This so-called Greenbelt"

Doug Ford is pretending like the Liberal government randomly chose 2 Million acres of land and slapped a Greenbelt label on it with no actual purpose to the specific areas chosen.

This is false. It took years to sort out.

#ONpoli #CDNpoli

Amazing how Canada's media will immediately assume every possibly Trudeau connection in the world is sending him money, but have entirely moved on from Doug Ford stories where billionaire developers actually gave his family envelopes of money. Mary Ng gives friend a $17,000 contract:
RESIGN IMMEDIATELY

Doug Ford gives friend and DECO Customer Apollo Health & Beauty $62,117,432 in PPE contracts:
CRICKETS

#TOpoli #ONpoli

BREAKING:

Kinga Surma announces that she and Doug Ford have been working on a plan to move the animals from the Toronto Zoo into Riverdale Farm to allow developers to build condos with Ana Bailao.

The Ontario Line will also go there now, for some reason. #TOpoli #ONpoli

BREAKING:

Kinga Surma announces that she, Ana Bailao, and Doug Ford have been working on a plan to move all of the bodies from Mount Pleasant Cemetery to a new underwater Therme Mausoleum at Ontario Place and build 100,000 condos on the cemetery property.