David Israelson
Special to Niagara Now/The Lake Report

I guess I should be pleased that Doug Ford came to Niagara District Airport on Feb. 8 to tell Ontarians how he’ll resist Donald Trump, but it’s not enough of a reason to vote for him in the Feb. 27 provincial election.

The Progressive Conservative leader deserves credit for speaking loudly and repeatedly about how he’ll protect our province. But the measures he proposes are only part of what we need to thrive, and the announcements he made, while perhaps a step forward, are underwhelming. 

Ford announced that the province will provide two additional H-135 helicopters to support Niagara Regional Police and Windsor’s police force to boost border patrols.

First, isn’t patrolling the border the job of Canada Border Service Agency? And if CBSA needs more help — which might be the case — shouldn’t we call on our military before we ask the local police to take on more work?

Secondly, is this the best that Ford can offer to Niagara, a region that would be particularly hard-bitten if the U.S. president imposes tariffs on Canadian products and services and we’re forced to retaliate?

Local politicians gushed about Ford’s government being “in talks” for a $35 million investment in the Shaw Festival, its $3.6 billion investment in the South Niagara Hospital and investment in the airport, support for the GO Train and local wineries and “assistance in heritage preservation.”

Really? Support for the Shaw would be most welcome, and Niagara residents should be glad that the hospital is finally going up after what feels like a generation’s worth of talk. But it takes a special kind of gall for local officials to praise Ford for transit support and heritage preservation. 

Let’s remember: Ford was the premier who promised that “we won’t touch the Greenbelt.” Then he did. When he was caught, he backtracked, but it appears that well-connected developers acquired land within the Greenbelt before Ford and his minions tried to carve it up. 

Now the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating. Conveniently, their investigation might not be concluded until after the provincial election.

On transportation, Ford’s record is no better, and his promises are either vague or counterproductive. He plans to spend as much as $28 billion on highways, including ramming a massive multi-lane road that would cut right through the Greenbelt and which studies have already said would do little or nothing to cut congestion. 

Meanwhile, GO Train service to Niagara Region, while better than it used to be, is still embryonic and sporadic compared to what Niagara residents and visitors need. Where is Ford on that?

Let’s not even get into the chronic underfunding Ontarians — including Niagara residents — suffer when it comes to health care services and schools, including postsecondary schools. And housing and heritage protection: under Ford’s direction, local governments and local decision making have been disemboweled. 

Affordable housing just hasn’t happened since Ford took office, and policies have been forced on municipalities that encourage the kind of ugly sprawl that would weaken Niagara’s appeal for residents and visitors alike. We have seen some of the results in Niagara-on-the-Lake already, where several highly unpopular, discouraging decisions have been made. 

This is not to endorse or discredit any of the candidates in the provincial election. While I have been involved in previous elections, this time I’m not. 

The point is this: whoever aspires to govern Ontario and be premier does need to show leadership in opposing the destructive cross-border policies of Donald Trump and fighting for Canada. But running Ontario will take more than this — a lot more. 

Ford deserves some credit on the Trump-fighting front, but on all the other fronts, voters should ask: Where’s the beef?

David Israelson is a writer and non-practising lawyer who lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake.