Ford’s victory catches eye of McGuinty
Posted October 26, 2010 10:57 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Rob Ford’s victory is the talk of Queen’s Park, and his “Stop the Gravy Train” election win caught the eye of the Premier.
Dalton McGuinty said his government is willing to work with Ford, but he is downplaying the impact of the message, shrugging off suggestions Ford’s victory is a sign of what is to come when Ontario voters go to the polls next year.
“I’ll let others read whatever they choose to, into this or out of this. We’ll stay focused on our responsibilities,” the Premier told 680News.
“People are always concerned about good management of their tax dollars, as I said many times over, but they’re concerned about more than just that,” he added.
George Smitherman was McGuinty’s second in command, but the Premier won’t speculate on how electing a Conservative in a Liberal stronghold will impact his government’s re-election chances next year.
“When it comes to elections, the people are never wrong. So, you have got to start with that understanding, a profound understanding,” McGuinty said.
Part of Ford’s platform includes scrapping streetcars and building more subways.
The Province’s cash commitment was for a plan that was endorsing streetcars; however, the Premier said he is open to change.
“Our job, whether we’re talking about above ground or underground, is to find common ground,” he said, “at some point in time, their officials may want to talk to our officials, and we’re going to figure out where we’re going to go.”
“If mayor Ford and the council want to approach us with a new take on this, then obviously we have a responsibility to listen.”
McGuinty would not comment on whether he would approve Ford’s plan to slash the size of City Council in half – from 44 to 22 councillors – saying he will wait until there is a formal request.
Meanwhile, Ontario’s New Democrats said the results from municipal elections across the province should serve as a warning for the governing Liberals.
“I don’t think they were a right thing or a left thing”, NDP leader Andrea Horwath told the Canadian Press, “I think they were all about change and I think a two-term government that’s running out of steam and is out of touch with the people of the province should be pretty concerned about what happened in the elections.”
Conservative leader Tim Hudak also agreed that people across Ontario were starving for change.
