Premier Ford to face tough questions as legislative assembly meets again Monday

Premier Doug Ford could be facing some tough questions next week. He’s due back in the Ontario legislature Monday as it meets again following a summer off.

The Premier was making headlines this summer as he went around the province speaking out about a wide range of issues. But opposition MPPs say he hasn’t been dealing with some serious concerns and they’re getting ready to demand answers.

Since the Ontario legislature last sat in early June, the province has seen a lot of Doug Ford — from his story about confronting a suspected thief to tackling a whiskey company closing down an Ontario operation, warning the Prime Minister about Trump, and picking his own fight with municipalities over speed cameras.

But the opposition says it’s time to get serious when the legislature sits on Monday.

“It’s time for the Ford government to stop the distractions, going after bike lanes, speed cameras, ridiculous tunnels, and actually start investing in the people of Ontario,” Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner says.

“That’s what we’ll be fighting for this fall.”

Opposition MPPs say they’ve got some serious questions for the Premier.

“What are you going to do about the job situation where you’ve got 800 thousand people unemployed today?” asks Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates.

“What are you going to do about the crisis in health care? What are you going to do about the crisis in education?”

One of the biggest issues is the Auditor General’s concern about $740-million handed out under the province’s skills development fund.

“The idea that the government is using a fund that’s supposed to help those people looking for work, but it’s going to sources other than what’s going to help those folks,” said Liberal Parliamentary Leader John Fraser.

Nevertheless, the Premier seems to have had a good summer.

“Despite problems at schools and school boards, universities underfunding, the health care system and ER-waiting rooms, he still seems to be polling about 50 per cent in the polls,” says political analyst Keith Leslie.

“Once it comes to the legislature I think this is going to be a harder time for him. Especially this alleged slush fund around the $2.5-billion skills development fund. It sounds exactly like the Greenbelt scandal.”

The Ontario government says top of the agenda will be outlawing speed cameras.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria reaffirmed the Ford government’s commitment to that project, saying “introduction of that legislation will happen next week.”

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