Ontario Premier Doug Ford is doubling down after telling someone in the public gallery to “find a job,” claiming they were a paid, professional protester.
As the Ford government passed its controversial rental reform omnibus legislation, Bill 60, on Monday, furious shouts of “people over profit” and “you’re putting people on the street” rained down from the public gallery.
As protesters were escorted from the chamber, Ford appeared to shout at one of them to “find a job” from his seat within the legislature.
Opponents said the comment shouldn’t have been made.
“That’s uncalled for. He’s got a short fuse, and that’s just inappropriate,” Ontario Liberal MPP John Fraser said. “It’s totally unbecoming of the office of the premier.”
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the comments were “really insulting” and “shocking.”
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Asked about the comment on Tuesday, Ford showed no sign of retracting it and doubled down on his criticism.
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“I’ve seen those folks all the way back to my city hall days; they’re professional protesters and it’s unbecoming of anyone to go in there and act the way they did,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park.
“The NDP signed some people up, they come in, they should be held responsible. I can tell you, if we brought our supporters and they acted that way, oh my goodness, it’s a whole different story.”
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He alleged the protesters “do have a job, by the way, they’re getting paid by the groups.”
Bill 60, the legislation that sparked the protests, is an omnibus rental reform bill which tenant advocates are concerned will tip the scales against renters.
It will block renters from introducing any new evidence and issues during Landlord Tenant Board meetings and end the right to challenge voluntary evictions when they have been pressured or misled.
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It cuts the appeal time for unfair decisions to 15 days and eliminates the requirement for landlords to pay compensation to tenants if they reclaim the home for their own use. It also cuts the grace period for unpaid rent.
Elsewhere, a number of unrelated changes are included in the bill.
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It makes sweeping unrelated changes to stop cities from reducing the number of lanes of traffic and creates municipal water service corporations. It overhauls how developers are compelled to follow planning laws.
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Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles visits Peterborough to talk Ontario rental prices, Bill 60, Doug Ford
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