Doug Ford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Doug Ford MPP
Ford in 2024
26th Premier of Ontario
Incumbent
Assumed office June 29, 2018
Monarch	Elizabeth II Charles III
Lieutenant Governor	Elizabeth Dowdeswell Edith Dumont
Deputy	Christine Elliott Sylvia Jones
Preceded by	Kathleen Wynne
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office June 29, 2018
Premier	Himself
Preceded by	Kathleen Wynne
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Incumbent
Assumed office March 10, 2018
Preceded by	Vic Fedeli (interim)
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Etobicoke North
Incumbent
Assumed office June 7, 2018
Preceded by	Shafiq Qaadri
Toronto City Councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North
In office December 1, 2010 – November 30, 2014
Preceded by	Rob Ford
Succeeded by	Rob Ford
Personal details
Born	Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (1964-11-20) November 20, 1964 (age 60) Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouse	Karla Middlebrook
Children	4 (including Krista)
Parents	Doug Ford Sr. (father) Ruth Diane Campbell (mother)
Relatives	Rob Ford (brother) Michael Ford (nephew)
Residences	Princess Gardens, Etobicoke, Toronto
Alma mater	Humber College (no degree)
Occupation	Businessman politician

Douglas Robert Ford Jr. MPP (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018. He represents the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

With his brother Randy, Ford co-owns Deco Labels and Tags, a printing business operating in Canada and the United States that their father founded, Doug Ford Sr., who served as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1995 to 1999. Ford was a Toronto city councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North from 2010 to 2014 at the same time that his brother, Rob Ford, was mayor of Toronto. Ford ran for the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, where he placed second behind John Tory.

In 2018, Ford entered provincial politics and won the Progressive Conservative leadership election. He led the PCs to two consecutive majority victories in the 2018 and 2022 general elections. As premier, Ford has made investments in public transportation, decreased the size of Toronto city council, led the province through the COVID-19 pandemic, passed Bill 60 to expand the use of private healthcare services, and has faced criticism for his government's handling of the greenbelt scandal.

Early life, family, and education

Born in Etobicoke, Ontario, Ford was the second of four children of Doug Bruce Ford Sr. and Ruth Diane Ford (née Campbell). His paternal grandparents were English immigrants. He graduated grade twelve from Scarlett Heights Collegiate Institute. He then attended Humber College for two months before dropping out with no diploma.

Business career and early political involvement

In the 1990s, Ford became involved in the running of Deco Labels and Tags, a business co-founded by his father in 1962. The company makes pressure-sensitive labels for plastic-wrapped grocery products. Doug Jr. became president of the company in 2002 and was responsible for the company's expansion into Chicago. Nearing his death, his father divided up the company, leaving 40 percent to Doug Jr., 40 percent to Randy and 20 percent to Rob. In 2008, Doug Jr. launched the purchase of Wise Tag and Label in New Jersey and fired Wise Tag's manager. Former Deco employees suggest that the Chicago branch was well-managed under Doug Jr., and that he was well-liked but that the company declined under Randy's leadership after Doug Jr. entered politics in 2010. As of 2011^[update], Ford and his mother were directors of the company, managed by his brother Randy.

Ford's first involvement in politics came when Doug Holyday approached Deco to print stickers for signs for his 1994 mayoral campaign in Etobicoke. Ford took it upon himself to canvass for Holyday. He then assisted in his father's campaigns as a PC MPP candidate in 1995 and 1999. He also ran his brother Rob's council campaigns in 2000, 2003, and 2006, and Rob's winning mayoral campaign in 2010.

Municipal politics

Toronto City Councillor

On October 25, 2010, Ford was elected as councillor to Toronto City Council in Ward 2. He succeeded his brother, Rob, who ran successfully for mayor of Toronto. Upon election, Doug Ford announced that he would donate his $100,000 annual salary to community organizations.

As a city councillor, Ford voted to privatize garbage pickup west of Yonge Street, declare the Toronto Transit Commission an essential service, reduce the office budget of city councillors and eliminate the vehicle registration tax.

Boards and agencies

While on city council, Ford served on the board of Build Toronto, an arm's-length city body responsible for developing and selling city land. He was also a director of the Canadian National Exhibition, and served on the Budget Committee, the Civic Appointments Committee and the Government Management Committee at Council.

Ford was a member of the board of Toronto Transit Infrastructure Limited, a corporation set up to finance a Sheppard Avenue subway extension, which Council later cancelled. In 2011, Ford promoted an alternative plan for the Port Lands district of Toronto, including a monorail, a boat-in hotel, the world's largest Ferris wheel and a mega-mall. The plan was ridiculed in the media and council voted it down—including by members of the mayoral executive committee.

2014 mayoral election

In June 2013, Ford announced that he would not run for re-election as councillor in the next Toronto election, scheduled for 2014: "I won't be running next time, at least down here I won't be running, I'll be running away from this place in 16 months", expressing his frustration with municipal politics. It was speculated at the time that Ford may be a Progressive Conservative candidate for a future Ontario election, or interested in the leadership of the PCs. On February 20, 2014, after meeting with PC leader Tim Hudak, Ford announced that he would not be a candidate in the next provincial election, which was called for June 12, 2014, so that he could focus on his brother's re-election campaign. Ford explained, "The timing right now just doesn't work."

After his brother Rob withdrew from the race after being diagnosed with an abdominal tumour, Doug Ford entered the mayoral campaign.

Doug Ford maintained the support that Rob had in the polls and made no significant ground against frontrunner John Tory, but maintained his lead over Olivia Chow. Ford lost the election to Tory, having 34 percent of the support compared to Tory's 40 percent. Ford's campaign was fined $11,950 for placing 478 illegal lawn signs during the campaign, including placing signs on the Don Valley Parkway, the Gardiner Expressway, and on civic buildings and parks.

Following his unsuccessful mayoral candidacy, there was speculation that Ford would become a candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Ford told reporters: "It's on the table, I would really consider it", and added: "Our campaign is ready to go. Our people are itching to get involved. We are miles ahead of the other candidates." On November 27, 2014, Ford announced that he would not be a candidate for the position and endorsed the candidacy of family friend Christine Elliott.

Integrity commissioner ruling

In December 2016, the City of Toronto's integrity commissioner concluded that Ford broke the city's code of conduct when he was a councillor finding that Ford improperly used his influence in municipal matters pertaining to two companies that were clients of his family's company. Integrity Commissioner Valerie Jepson ruled that: "Councillor Ford took no steps to establish clear lines of separation between his responsibilities as a member of Council and his duties as a principal of Deco."

Since Ford was no longer a councillor by the time the ruling was issued, the commissioner did not recommend any sanctions for Ford.

2018 mayoral election

On September 9, 2017, Ford announced at his family's annual barbecue that he would run for mayor of Toronto in the 2018 election, saying "this one's for you, Robbie", referring to his younger brother Rob who had died the previous year. Ford said that his opponent, John Tory, was "all talk and broken promises". On February 1, 2018, Ford announced that he no longer planned to run for mayor that year because he intended to focus entirely on his campaign for Ontario PC leader.

Provincial politics

2018 Progressive Conservative leadership campaign

Ford for Leader

Candidate	Doug Ford
Affiliation	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Status	Won
Headquarters	Toronto
Slogan	Strong Party, Strong Ontario

Following the sudden resignation of Patrick Brown on January 25, 2018, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario announced a new leader would need to be chosen before the 2018 Ontario general election in June. Ford was the first candidate to announce, on January 29, that he would seek the leadership of the party. On January 31, 2018, Ford announced he would seek the PC nomination in Etobicoke North and run for the seat in the 2018 election. He was one of the four official candidates running for the PC leadership along with Christine Elliott, Caroline Mulroney, and Tanya Granic Allen.

Ford promised to represent the interests of Northern Ontario in Queen's Park. He called his opponents "insiders" and "political elites", who did not represent the interests of the residents of Northern Ontario like he could. Ford pledged several northern-focused policy initiatives including moving forward with resource development in the Northern Ontario Ring of Fire and reinstating the Ontario Northland Railway's Northlander train service.

Ford called the Ontario health care system "broken" while relating the hospital experience of his brother Rob. He explained that Rob fell while being guided to a chair, and as the hospital was understaffed Doug had to rush down eleven floors to find security guards to help. He stated that the province should support transportation to allow Northern Ontarians to travel quickly and easily to the south to receive medical care and should increase provincial support for Ontario's small and medium-sized hospitals.

Polling results ahead of the leadership ballot were mixed. A February Ipsos/Global News poll found that Ford had the most support of all the PC leadership candidates in Toronto and would beat the Liberals in the city by nine points, but a Mainstreet poll showed him doing only marginally better than the other PC candidates except Patrick Brown, and a Forum Research poll suggested he would have less support than the other candidates.

On March 10, Ford won the PC leadership on the third ballot. The results were too close to call and there was a dispute over whether some votes were allocated to the correct electoral districts, so the announcement was not made at the originally scheduled convention. A news conference was held later that night after a recount was completed. Elliott conceded the next day and endorsed Ford as leader.

On March 27, 2018, Ford was named the party's candidate in Etobicoke North.

2018 general election

In March 2018, the Liberals tabled a pre-election budget in the provincial legislature which promised billions of dollars in new spending for free childcare and expanded coverage for dental care but replaced the government's previous balanced budget with a $6.7 billion deficit projected to last until 2024–2025. Ford called the budget a "spending spree". He said he would condense the Conservative platform adopted under former leader Patrick Brown, reducing "about ten percent of [it]", into a five-point plan focusing on health, education, creating jobs, getting rid of the province's cap and trade program for carbon emissions, and reducing electricity rates.

In terms of economic policy, Ford said he would revive manufacturing in Ontario by easing regulations, cutting taxes, and ensuring competitive electricity rates. Ford criticized the Liberal government for not proceeding quickly enough to develop the Northern Ontario Ring of Fire, saying that he'd get on a bulldozer himself if necessary.

Ford announced at an April 3 rally in Hamilton, Ontario, that if elected his government would allow Hamilton City Council to reallocate the $1.3 billion allocated for the city's proposed rapid transit system to roads or other infrastructure. Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger responded saying that city council had already decided the issue and that cancelling the LRT would mean $100 million would "be thrown away".

Ford and the PC Party received the endorsement of former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman and former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion. In the media, Ford was compared to U.S. President Donald Trump. The Guardian described Ford as a "businessman turned anti-establishment politician", a "son of a wealthy entrepreneur" who "rails against elites" and "often shuns expertise", while noting a sharp difference with Trump by pointing out that during his 2014 Toronto mayoral campaign "Ford drummed up strong support among some of the city's most diverse neighbourhoods, suggesting his populist touch resonates with immigrants and racialized minorities who have traditionally self-identified as disenfranchised". Ford rejected the comparisons while praising some of Trump's policies. Late in the campaign, the race became a battle between the PCs and the Ontario NDP.

Ford led the PC Party to a majority government in the general election held on June 7, 2018, taking 76 of 124 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, including his own riding of Etobicoke North. Ford had been PC leader for less than 100 days when his party won the election.

Premier of Ontario

Ford was sworn in as premier on June 29, 2018, incorporating a ceremony outdoors on the lawn of Queen's Park. Ford is the first newly elected MPP to take office as premier since Mitch Hepburn did so in 1934.

Provincial finances

Ford's government cancelled the basic income pilot project. He opposes the laying off of government workers. He supports the use of attrition to eliminate government jobs that he believes are not needed. Ford believes in hiring independent auditors to audit government spending. Jay Goldberg of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation labelled Ford's spending excessive and noted Ontario's large debt increases under his government.

Liquor pricing

Ford campaigned on "buck-a-beer" and reduced the minimum price of beer from $1.25 to $1. The program saw low adoption by breweries and resellers. As a result of lowering the price floor, a regulation that capped annual increases in pricing that was tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was also eliminated and is projected to result in increased prices overall.

Low-Income Individuals and Families Tax credit (LIFT)

On November 15, 2018, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli tabled the 2018 Ontario Economic Outlook which included a tax cut representing as much as $850 a year for individuals and $1,700 for couples. LIFT would mean that a single person working full-time in minimum wage job, would pay no provincial personal income tax. Minimum wage workers would still pay federal income tax which represents 75 percent of the tax rate. LIFT is a variation on Ford's promise to cut taxes on those making less than $30,000 a year. The amount of the tax credit applies only to minimum wage earners with full-time jobs. An individual who works part-time at $20 an hour but only earns $20,000 a year, would not be eligible. Economist Sheila Block said that a $15 minimum wage would represent about $1,100 more a year for low income earners than Ford's tax credit. In September 2018, Ford's government froze the minimum wage at $14 per hour and cancelled a planned increase.

Cap and trade

On June 15, 2018, then premier-designate, Ford announced in a statement that one of the first actions of his newly formed cabinet would be to eliminate the province's cap and trade program under the 2016 Climate Change Mitigation and Low-Carbon Economy Act, a polluter pay bill that "generated funds for climate change mitigation and adaptation," put in place by the Liberal government. As premier, through the Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018 which was tabled on July 25, 2018, Ford repealed cap and trade as part of his promise to lower gasoline prices by 10 cents per litre. A court later ruled that as Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights required the government hold public consultations before removing the program, the government's unilateral decision broke the law. As federal law requires provinces to have in place their own pollution pricing system, as a result of Ontario withdrawing from the Western Climate Initiative, a carbon tax was automatically imposed on the province.

Carbon tax

Ford had warned that the imposition of the federal carbon tax would result in an increase in the price of gas in Ontario. According to fuel price analyst Patrick DeHaan, the average retail price of gas increased from 114.3 cents per litre before the carbon tax to "117.9 cents on April 1, the first day of the new tax" and 125.3 cents per litre in mid-July. There has been a 9.2 per cent drop in gasoline prices across Canada over the last year, according to the July 17, 2019 Statistics Canada report which resulted in inflation falling nationally in June 2019 to 2.0 per cent. DeHaan said that in July 2018 the average price of gas in Ontario had been 130.1 cents per litre. He added that the retail price of gas reflects the drop in the price of oil prices from US$72 per barrel to US$60 a barrel in 2019 and is not related to the carbon tax. As a result, rebates for electric vehicles funded through the program were cancelled, and a program known as the Green Ontario Fund, which was financed by the proceeds of cap-and-trade auctions and aimed to help homeowners reduce their carbon footprint and reduce hydro bills, was eliminated.

In July, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that provinces that do not adopt a carbon pricing mechanism by September 1, 2018, would be subject to a federal carbon tax of $20/tonne starting in January 2019. Ontario's "fiscal watchdog" and other analysts said that the province will have to refund an estimated $3 billion in carbon credits over four years purchased under the cap and trade program. By mid-November 2018, The Globe and Mail reported that the Ontario government had "lost $2.7-billion in revenue" which included the $1.5-billion loss of revenue from the elimination of the cap-and-trade program.

Ford has worked with the premiers of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick to fight the federal government's carbon tax legislation, and has also supported campaigns to repeal the carbon tax led by federal Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer and Alberta United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney. Ford believes the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, which imposes a carbon tax on provinces that do not have their own pollution pricing regime is unconstitutional. He committed $30 million to challenge the federal legislation, $4 million of which was spent on anti-carbon pricing advertisements including printing anti-carbon pricing stickers and imposing fines for gas station owners failing to display the stickers. The province mandating the display of the stickers was later ruled to be itself unconstitutional, in violation of section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees business owners' freedom of expression.

On March 25, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the constitution allows for the federal government to introduce pollution pricing on behalf of provinces who do not have their own regime.

Debt

While Doug Ford promised a balanced budget in 2018, the Ontario debt has increased by $86 billion since Ford took office as of December 2024. This is an increase much greater than his predecessor's, whose budget Ford criticized. At the same time, Ontario's high income taxes have been called 'uncompetitive' by critics, with some also highlighting unnecessary spending by the government.

Healthcare

In 2018, Ford expressed support for publicly funded healthcare and a belief that funding should be increased to create 30,000 additional long-term care beds. In 2020, Ford's government spent $3.5 billion less on health care than budgeted.

In 2018, Ford said he believes that the provincial government should fully subsidize dental costs for low-income seniors, something he enacted in 2019 as the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program. The federal government also later enacted the Canadian Dental Care Plan, which partially subsidized dental care for qualifying individuals with a household income under 90k. Applications were open to seniors, kids and teens, and adults with qualifying disabilities as of December 2024.

Ontario Health

The Ford government introduced the Ontario Health agency in 2019, with the goal of centralizing services. The province expects to save $350 million a year by 2021–22.

The introduction of the agency has been criticized however, as similar approach was introduced in Alberta, which has the highest per capita healthcare spending in the country, with the NDP noting that "In British Columbia and in Alberta, health centralization wasted billions of dollars", and as wasting "time, money and energy on reshaping the health bureaucracy" rather than "specific solutions to well-identified problems."

Bill 60

Ford has been accused of attempting to privatize healthcare in the province of Ontario. In August 2022, Ford suggested additional private deliveries of healthcare in order to supplement existing public healthcare in response to a hospital staff shortage throughout Ontario.

In May 2023, Ford's government passed Bill 60, also known as the Your Health Act, to allow private clinics to perform more surgeries (including cataract surgeries, minimally invasive gynecological surgeries and eventually knee and hip replacements) and procedures (including MRI and CT scans) covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Health Minister Sylvia Jones argued the legislation was necessary to reduce the province's large surgical backlog (according to the province, more than 200,000 Ontarians have been waiting for surgeries). Ford's government said new clinics must apply for a licence to operate and include thorough staffing plans "to protect the stability of doctors, nurses and other health-care workers at public hospitals" as part of their applications. To ensure that quality and safety standards are met at every clinic, the government declared that it will name "expert organizations" to collaborate with Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health. If necessary, the ministry or the director of this third party may order an examination of a facility.

The Ontario government was also found to be paying for-profit clinics more for publicly funded surgeries than they do for hospitals. Ford and his health minister have said that this is a cost-efficient method of expanding healthcare, but the chief of surgery at an Ontario hospital called the overpayment 'egregious'.

Emergency Room Closures

In 2023, Ontario saw 1,199 ER closures, mostly impacting rural areas. This problem further increased in 2024, to nearly 15,000 hours of ER or urgent care closures. The main reasons cited were staff shortages, specifically of nurses, which combined accounted for 96% of closures. The Ford government pledged $44 million in July 2023 to combat the closures and $500 million in November 2024 for educating more nurses and specialized training for current ones.

Education

Immediately after taking office in 2018, Ford proposed to cut 3,475 Ontario teaching jobs over four years to save $292 million a year, Ford also cancelled the Green Ontario Fund residential rebate program which included a $100 million fund for public school repair, free prescriptions to youth 24 and under, and an initiative to add indigenous peoples content to school curriculum, and eliminated free tuition for low-income students (while reducing tuition fees by 10 per cent),

Ford believes that financial literacy education should be expanded and included in school curricula, and believes Ontario's math curriculum should drop discovery learning and put a greater emphasis on arithmetic and memorization of the multiplication table.

Ford used back-to-work legislation to end the 2018 strike at York University prior to the start of the 2018–2019 school year. The strike had gone on for over four months, making it the longest post-secondary strike in Canadian history. Ford ordered all public universities and colleges in Ontario to develop free-speech policies that meet his government's expectations and stated that universities and colleges that do not comply will face funding reductions.

By June 2019, the Ford government had removed or decreased funding for "school programs like after-school jobs for youth in low-income neighbourhoods", "tutors in classrooms", "daily physical activity for elementary students", "financial assistance for college and university students", "free tuition for low-income students", and "three satellite university campuses". He also "increased class sizes" and "cancelled three summer curriculum-writing sessions—one mandated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and two others.

2022 CUPE strike

Ford's government introduced Bill 28, known as the Keeping Students in Class Act, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on November 3, 2022, amid ongoing labour negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). CUPE had given notice of job action October 30 after negotiations broke down with the Ministry of Education, and would have been in a legal strike position on November 4. Bill 28 imposes a contract on CUPE, and makes it illegal to strike, setting fines of $4000 for workers. The bill invokes the notwithstanding clause, shielding it from being struck down by the courts by allowing the bill to operate despite the right to collective bargaining granted by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The legislation was widely condemned, including by opposition parties, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti, the Ontario Bar Association, and other unions including those which had previously endorsed the PC Party.

Despite the government's bill, CUPE went on strike anyway, resulting in province-wide school closures and protests in support of education workers. The government challenged CUPE at the Ontario Labour Relations Board. On November 7, 2022, Ford announced that he would rescind Bill 28 and that he would resume negotiations with CUPE. Following the strike, Ford said he did not regret his use of the notwithstanding clause in imposing the contract and said that it helped both sides "come to their senses".

Municipal affairs

Prior to his election as premier, Ford was a Toronto city councillor during the tenure of his brother, Rob Ford, as mayor of Toronto. In 2014, Doug took over this brother's mayoral campaign, running against Olivia Chow and eventual winner John Tory.

Provincially, Ford's riding as a member of Provincial Parliament is in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke.

Doug Ford has also been accused of meddling in Toronto's politics, such as through his policies of Toronto-specific bike lane removals and shrinking the city council.

Toronto City Council

Ford believes that the constitution does not prevent provincial governments from changing the size of municipal councils, even after an election campaign has already begun. After his government's legislation to reduce the number of wards represented at Toronto City Council was ruled unconstitutional, Ford pledged to invoke section 33's notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which would allow him to bypass the Charter and implement the legislation regardless of the court's ruling. The Ontario Court of Appeal later ruled in Ford's favour and allowed his modification to the council. The matter was further appealed by the City of Toronto and is now under consideration by the Supreme Court.

Public transit

Ford is a proponent of subways. He believed that the provincial government should assume control over the Toronto subway. In February 2020, Ford and Toronto Mayor John Tory signed a preliminary agreement which would see the province assume "sole responsibility for the planning, design and construction" for Ontario Line, the three-stop Line 2 subway extension into Scarborough, the Yonge North subway extension and the Eglinton Crosstown west extension. In 2020, construction began on the Hurontario LRT line in Mississauga and Brampton, with all of the subway projects beginning procurement or construction by June 2024.

Ford has been criticized for failing to open the Eglinton Crosstown, which reached its 14th year of construction in 2024. This prompted calls for a public inquiry by local city councillors.

Municipal spending cuts

In 2019, the government announced that it would adjust the cost-sharing arrangement for Toronto Public Health and Toronto Paramedic Services resulting in retroactive cuts that would total $177 million a year and $1 billion cut in Toronto over 10 years. The cuts were criticized by City officials including Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa, Health board chair Joe Cressy, and Mayor John Tory. The City projected that the additional financial pressure resulting from would result in further cuts to municipal services or increased taxes. Amidst backlash, Ford announced that the province would keep the cost-sharing arrangement and re-evaluate it at the end of the fiscal year.

Bill 66

On December 6, 2018, the Ford government tabled its omnibus bill, Bill 66. The bill allows municipalities to request a provincial government override of any regulations that currently deter businesses from locating in the region. Ford's political opponents and groups that promote environmental protection raised concerns that the "opaque", "vague language" in Bill 66 could mean clean water regulations and other bylaws that protect environmentally sensitive land could be bypassed. According to a December 7 Globe and Mail article, under Bill 66, municipalities would only be required to obtain permission from the minister of municipal affairs, to override sections of the 2006 Clean Water Act, the 2015 Great Lakes Protection Act, the 2006 Lake Simcoe Protection Act, and the 2005 Greenbelt Act.

Strong-mayor powers

In September 2022, Ford's government passed the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act that grants extra powers to the mayor of Toronto and the mayor of Ottawa within their mayor–council governments. The Act grants the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa direct control over the drafting of city budgets; the appointments and dismissals of their city managers and department leaders (except police chiefs, fire chiefs, or auditors general); vetoes over laws that may conflict with provincial priorities (which may be overturned if a supermajority of two-thirds of city councillors voted to do so); and the creation and reorganisation of municipal administrative departments.

Bike infrastructure

In September 2024, it was reported that the Ford government was working on legislation to restrict the construction of new bike lanes that would require the removal of lanes for motor vehicles. While speaking with reporters, he stated his belief that bike lanes increased congestion and emergency vehicle times (though the City of Toronto has disputed that claim), and that they should be built on side streets rather than major arterial roads. In October 15, Ford announced that any such lanes would require provincial approval to be built, and that municipalities would need to demonstrate that the lanes would not have a "negative impact on vehicle traffic". He also announced that he would remove bike lanes from some arterial streets, such as Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue in Toronto. This bill, named the Reducing Gridlock, Saving you Time Act also shielded the government from any lawsuits related to cyclist deaths, and passed on November 25, 2024. When Toronto bureaucrats estimated that the removal of the bike lanes would cost approximately 48 million dollars, Ford called their estimate "hogwash" and reiterated his claims that the bike lanes were responsible for traffic congestion. A court challenge was launched on December 11 to stop the removal of the Toronto bike lanes.

Hydro

During his election campaign Ford had promised to lower Ontario's electricity rates by 12 percent. During his campaign, in April 2018, he announced that in order to reduce electricity rates, he would redirect the province's dividends from partial ownership of Hydro One to subsidize market electricity rates, as well as absorbing the cost of conservation programs currently paid for by consumers, at an estimated cost of $800 million per year.

Ford attacked Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt, calling him "Kathleen Wynne's $6-million dollar man" in reference to his reported annual salary, and called on the utility's board of directors to resign. Ford vowed to fire them all if elected, although PC energy critic Todd Smith later clarified that the government cannot dismiss Hydro One's CEO directly. He opposed his predecessor's decision to privatize Hydro One, but does not plan to reverse the decision. His government passed legislation to publicly disclose and reduce the salaries of Hydro One's board members and executives. On July 11, 2018, Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt resigned along with the entire board.

According to Bloomberg News, by December 5, 2018, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, the state's regulators, rejected Hydro One's $3.4 Billion takeover of Avista because of "political risks in Ontario ... from provincial leaders who may not have the company's well being in mind". Bloomberg also reported that, if the merger was not approved by the state's regulators, Hydro One would have to pay CA$138 million break fee. Because Hydro One is partially owned by the Ontario government, Ontario ratepayers would also be paying the "Parent Termination Fee". Ford denies that he is to blame for the U.S. regulators' decision.

COVID-19 pandemic

Initial outbreak

In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China; it spread worldwide and was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The first confirmed case in Canada was in Ontario—reported on January 27, 2020.

On March 17, Ford declared a state of emergency in Ontario, closing bars and restaurants (with the exception of take-out and delivery services), as well as libraries, theatres, cinemas, schools and daycares and all public gatherings of more than 50 people (later reduced to 5 people on March 28). Furthermore, the government announced on March 17 that Ontario had "some evidence of community transmission" of COVID-19.

On March 23, Ford announced that all "non-essential" businesses be ordered closed starting 11:59 p.m. On March 24, Ford also stated that schools would remain closed past the original April 6 opening date (on May 19 it was announced that schools would remain closed until the following school year in September). A list of 74 "essential" businesses was published later in the day on March 23.

On March 25, Ford and Finance Minister Rod Phillips introduced a $17-billion response package that includes an influx of cash for the health sector, direct payments to parents and tax breaks for businesses.

Third wave

On April 9, 2021, Ford received his first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a local pharmacy in Toronto, and encouraged eligible Ontarians to get vaccinated.

Amid growing case numbers in mid-2021, the government moved to introduce a third province-wide stay at home order. As part of the response, Ford announced on April 16, 2021, that outdoor amenities including playgrounds would be closed, and that he would be authorizing police to require pedestrians and drivers to explain why they are not at home and provide their home address and other relevant details. The regulations raised concerns about a re-legalization of carding. The government experienced significant backlash with the new enforcement measures, with some commentators – such as the National Post's Randall Denley, a former PC politician – equating the province to a "police state" Members of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Table described the new restrictions as "absolute madness", and not based on science questioning the need to restrict "safe options from people as you do nothing to impact the places where the disease is spreading". After dozens of police services across the province announced that they would refuse to enforce the new measures, Ford promptly rolled back the new enforcement provisions the next day and reopened playgrounds, while keeping other outdoor amenities closed.

Over the weekend following the introduction of new orders, calls for Ford's resignation over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis grew, In April 2021, Ford revealed that he had been in isolation following contact with one of his staffers, who had contracted COVID-19. Ford announced on April 30, 2021, that he had asked the federal government to stop international students from coming into the province in an effort to curb the third wave.

Omicron variant

During the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in December 2021 and January 2022, Ford's government announced in December 2021 new restrictions on indoor settings. After growing calls for third or booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the government allowed all Ontarians over 18 years of age to receive a third dose on December 20, 2021.

On January 3, 2022, Ford announced that Ontario would be moving into modified Step 2 on January 5, closing indoor dining, gyms, movie theatres and schools. These restrictions were lifted on January 31. What followed was the end of all vaccine mandates on March 14, the end of most mask mandates on March 21, and the end of all COVID-19 measures (including the remaining mask requirements) on April 27.

On September 7, 2023, the Ombudsman of Ontario's Investigation into the Ministry of Long-Term Care's oversight into long-term care homes through inspection and enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic was released. The report detailed the collapse of the LTC inspection system and how the Ministry failed to protect residents by ceasing inspections for the first 7–12 weeks of the pandemic, and by only applying low-level enforcement action for serious infractions. It noted that the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, which came into force in April 2022, could help long-term care homes to be better prepared for future pandemics.

Cabinet mandate letters

Mandate letters requested by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation through a freedom of information request were not released to the public, despite being ordered to by the Ontario information and privacy commissioner in 2019. The final appeal of the decision is now being sent to the Supreme Court of Canada.

First nations relations

In March 2021, Ford publicly accused MPP Sol Mamakwa of "jumping the line" to receive his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, despite being eligible to receive it. Mamakwa went to his riding to receive the vaccine as an attempt to prevent vaccine hesitancy amongst his constituents. On Thursday, March 11, 2021, Ford apologised for his remark and later said he "got a little personal" when throwing the accusation at Mamakwa. Mamakwa did not say that he accepted Ford's apology but stated that he appreciated the call from Ford.

In September 2021, an Ontario judge issued an injunction on mining in Wiisinin Zaahgi'igan (an area sacred to the Ginoogaming First Nation peoples). The judge ruled that the Ontario government did not consult with the Ginoogaming as is their constitutional duty.

Ford's 2024 Reducing Gridlock, Saving you Time Act removed the requirement for future Indigenous consultation for the upcoming highway 413 in a possible contravention of Ontario's Environmental Assessment Act. In addition, the Indigenous consultation period for the bill was only 30 days, decried by the regional chief as 'too short'.

Elections

2022

In late April 2022 – days before the election call – the PC government released its budget, promising to implement it if the government was reelected. The budget recorded a deficit of $19.9 billion and promised substantial spending on infrastructure (including for their proposed Highway 413) and tax breaks for some workers and seniors. On May 3, 2022, Premier Doug Ford met with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to advise dissolution of the legislature and for writs of election be drawn up. Ford led the Progressive Conservatives to another majority government in the 2022 provincial election. The PCs gained seven more seats than they had won in 2018, with an increased share of the vote. The election set a record for the lowest voter turnout in an Ontario provincial election, as only 44.06% of the people who were eligible voted.

2025

The upcoming 44th Ontario general election is scheduled to be held by June 4, 2026, due to fixed election date laws. However, there has been speculation that Ford will call a snap election to take advantage of a lead in the polls and fundraising, as well as a desire to hold the election before the next federal election, which the Conservative party is currently leading in polls and likely to win. Speculation was further fuelled by Ford refusing to commit to the June 2026 date when asked by reporters at multiple press conferences in May 2024. It further escalated when a story about Ford signalling an early election as soon as next week to have a 4-year term focused on Trump's tariffs. The possibility of a trade war is expected to be the main election issue.

Political endorsements and ideology

Ford actively supported the two Toronto mayoral campaigns of his brother Rob Ford and former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders. In federal politics, Ford supports the Conservative Party of Canada and several provincial conservative parties, including the Alberta United Conservative Party. However, federal Conservative leaders Andrew Scheer and later leader Erin O'Toole attempted to distance themselves from him. Ford did not campaign for O'Toole during the 2021 federal election campaign.

In 2018 and 2019, Ford was seen as a staunch critic of the federal government of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Ford opposed the Trudeau government's imposed carbon tax and urged voters to vote out the Trudeau-led Liberals in the 2019 federal election. However, since 2020, journalists have noted a change in Ford's attitude towards the Trudeau government. In April 2020, Susan Delacourt of the Toronto Star wrote Ford "forged an unlikely friendship" with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland when combatting the COVID-19 pandemic; in August of that year, Ford praised Freeland's appointment as finance minister. Around this time Ford insisted he was not a partisan politician. In March 2022, John Ibbitson of The Globe and Mail wrote that there was a "political bromance" between Ford and Trudeau. In October 2022, Ford said he supported the Trudeau government's invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to the Canada convoy protest.

After Ford led the Progressive Conservatives to another majority victory in 2022, his political ideology was described as centrist by columnists Kelly McParland and Susan Delacourt.

In 2018, Ford endorsed the economic policies of the Republican Party and the presidency of Donald Trump in the United States, saying his support for Trump is "unwavering". After Trump announced tariffs on Canadian aluminum imports in August 2020, Ford expressed his disapproval, calling Trump's policy "totally unacceptable". After the 2024 United States presidential election, Ford congratulated Donald Trump and said it was "time to bet big" on Ontario–US relations. However, after Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canada, he staunchly opposed them.

Ford called pro-Palestinian protests in Ontario during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war "hate rallies".

Personal life

Family

Ford and his wife Karla (née Middlebrook) have four daughters: Krista, Kayla, Kara, and Kyla.

In 2018, Ford's sister-in-law, through his late brother, Rob, sued Doug and Randy for mismanagement of Rob's estate, saying their actions deprived her and her children of due compensation while overseeing business losses at Deco Labels totalling half of the company's market value. In response, Doug alleged that the claims and the lawsuit's timing in the same week as the 2018 Ontario election amounted to extortion.

Ford's mother Diane died from cancer in January 2020.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford's daughter Krista has controversially engaged in the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories. In December 2021, Krista and her husband participated in The Christian Fight for Freedom, a panel discussion which included discussions that were anti-vaccine and anti-mask in nature. The event was advertised as having special guests "Dave and Krista Haynes, family of the premier Doug Ford".

Health

Ford became an "ethical vegetarian" after working in a meatpacking plant as a teenager, and while this is no longer the case, he was still not eating red meat as of 2011.

Philanthropy

In 2014, Ford and his mother donated $90,000 to Humber River Hospital, where Rob Ford was receiving care.

See also

In Spanish: Doug Ford para niños