Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie told local seniors that Premier Doug Ford is trying to "hang onto his job" in anticipation of him calling a snap election as early as next Wednesday, during an Aurora visit Thursday.
Crombie echoed a call from party colleagues Chris Ballard, candidate for Newmarket-Aurora, and Jason Cherniak, candidate for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, against Ford calling the early election. An election is scheduled to take place June 2026.
“He says he needs a new mandate,” Crombie said at the Aurora Seniors Association visit at the Aurora Seniors Centre. “He didn't need a new mandate to spend billions of dollars during COVID. He didn't need a new mandate to issue $3.1 billion worth of pre-election checks. He didn't need a new mandate to give $2 billion to Therme spa at Ontario Place. He didn't need a new mandate to build a tunnel under the 401 or to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising.”
“Now suddenly he needs a new mandate in the dead of winter and a polar vortex so he can hang onto his job."
On Monday, Ford said he needed a “clear mandate” to help combat the threat of tariffs from the U.S. and President Donald Trump.
Municipalities need a ‘new deal’
During a wide-ranging round-table discussion, Crombie said municipalities need “a new deal” to provide long-term sustainable funding.
Crombie proposed waiving development cost charges, and covering those lost funds for municipalities with money from the Ontario Building Fund, a $3-billion provincial infrastructure fund.
Crombie described the move as a “short-term fix,” and said she would meet with municipal leaders to discuss long-term solutions and a “new deal.”
Cutting DCCs has proved a controversial idea locally, with Newmarket Mayor John Taylor critical of a proposal that York Region reduce the charges in a bid to encourage more housing construction. Crombie said the move would create “pressure in the market” for developers to lower the cost of housing, she estimated by up to as much as $170,000 depending on local fees.
Crombie also proposed waiving the land transfer tax for first-time home buyers, seniors and not-for-profit organizations.
The provincial government collects a land transfer tax on new houses sold, and the federal government collects GST, with both putting the money in their respective collective revenue funds.
Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas made his own proposal for changes to how land transfer tax is distributed back in November, calling on the provincial government to allocate a portion of that money to municipalities to help with infrastructure costs.
“He's looking for a new deal, a new deal for municipalities,” said Crombie when asked what she thought of Mrakas' proposal. “They all have a different idea, and this is one and this is a good one. But there are others, too."
"What I want do is get them all into a room and see what works," she added.
Crombie, who was formerly the mayor of Mississauga, said municipalities need more revenue amid a series of downloading responsibilities. She pointed to homelessness and mental health as issues that need planning at the provincial level.
During her round-table discussion, the Ontario Liberal leader also suggested establishing a bail court to handle bail cases for repeat offenders, as well as cutting the carbon tax, a middle-income tax cut, and reducing the backlog with the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Crombie also said she sees herself as a “strong centrist” and a departure from previous Ontario Liberal leaders Kathleen Wynne and Steven Del Duca.
“I'm quite a departure from both of them,” she said. “Quite frankly, I'm probably closer to Dalton McGinty because I see him as a strong centrist who believed in public education, as I do and I believe in public health care.”