MPPs are returning to the legislature at Queen’s Park today for the first time since rising for a winter break from the chamber in December.
It has been 102 days since Ontario’s legislature was last in session and the new session is expected to be a busy one. Premier Doug Ford and his ministers have already thrown out a number of ideas and proposals in the past few weeks and the government’s latest budget is expected to be tabled on Thursday, just days after MPPs get back.
MPPs will take a one-week constituency break the week of April 6-10 but will be back at Queen’s Park on April 13.
Here’s some of what to expect in the next few weeks.
Education changes
As of now, eight Ontario school boards – including the Toronto District School Board – are under the control of provincially appointed supervisors.
Education Minister Paul Calandra has seized control of the boards for various reasons, including alleged financial mismanagement and infighting, and has promised to make changes to school board governance.
He has suggested that the province could move to eliminate the role of elected school board trustees altogether, or introduce changes to the current system.
In the fall, the government passed an education bill that made it easier for Calandra to take control of school boards at his own discretion.
Calandra promised that he would provide certainty around school board governance as soon as MPPs returned to Queen’s Park this spring. Just two weeks ago he said he has still not sent a recommendation to Premier Doug Ford on the matter.
For his part, Ford has refused to guarantee that school board trustees will be on the ballot when voters head to the polls in municipal elections next fall.
Either way, the government is expected to announce changes in the coming weeks.
FOI changes
In a surprise move earlier this month, the Ford government announced that it would introduce legislation to exclude the premier’s office, as well as those of his minister’s from Freedom of Information laws.
Ford said he was taking the move to be consistent with other jurisdictions in Canada and in order to protect the privacy of constituents, though there was no evidence given that constituent information was at risk.
Critics have slammed the move, which will make it harder for opposition MPPs, journalists and members of the public to find out how the government is making its decisions.
The loss of the tool is likely to make hazier the inner workings of Queen’s park.
Scarborough byelection and Liberal leadership race
While the government plows ahead with its agenda, Ontario’s opposition parties are grappling with challenges outside the legislature.
In February, the deputy leader of the Ontario NDP surprised political watchers and her own party with the announcement that she would be stepping down from her role in order to run as a Liberal candidate in a federal byelection in the riding of Scarborough Southwest.
Doly Begum’s departure left an open race in a riding long held by the Ontario NDP, while also dealing a blow to NDP Leader Marit Stils.
Premier Doug Ford has not yet called a date for a byelection to fill the seat, but the vote will likely be considered a test of Stiles’ leadership.
At the same time, the leaderless Ontario Liberals have finally set to pick a new leader to replace former leader Bonnie Crombie. The party has said a new leader will be revealed on Nov. 21.
That means the spring session will likely be a time for potential leadership candidates to try and gain the spotlight.
Liberal MPP John Fraser will continue to serve as interim leader for his party in the legislature this session.
Spring Budget
After a long winter break, the government will be laying out its agenda in a new budget the first week back.
Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy is expected to deliver the budget on March 26. In a recent speech to the Empire Club of Canada in Toronto, Bethlenfalvy laid out some of the themes it will include, such as continuing to counter U.S. tariffs and investing in future technologies.
One of the measures already announced is spending cards for classroom supplies for elementary school teachers.
But with the latest numbers showing Ontario’s economy lagging amid the ongoing trade war, it’s unlikely the province will have much cash to toss at big projects.
Premier Doug Ford has promised the budget will not include any cuts to health care, but it remains to be seen whether it will include sufficient funding to keep up with inflation and the growing demands on the system.
Other changes recently announced or prosed by the Ford government ahead of the spring sitting include:
- Premier Ford has said he wants the province to start live-streaming bail hearings
- The government has said it is looking at allowing lone drivers to use HOV lanes during certain hours
- Allowing changes to alcohol laws to enable municipalities to allow people to bring their own alcohol to cultural events
- A proposal to build a massive new convention centre at Toronto’s waterfront, possibly by creating a new island in Lake Ontario.
- Legislation to ban resale of events tickets above face value
- A new electronic medical records system for family doctors
