Stephanie Bowman

Ontario promised $5 billion to protect workers and businesses from U.S. tariffs, but by September 2026 only about $140 million had gone out, and the $4 billion it redirected into a privately managed investment fund with no named manager is "not advancing."

After a September 29, 2026 committee hearing where the deputy finance minister said about $40 million had been approved from Protect Ontario applications plus $100 million for Algoma Steel, Bowman said: "Only $40 million in funding to help Ontario businesses ... clearly the program is not working" (Global News).

Doug Ford spent $28.9 million in taxpayer money on a private jet — then reversed the decision 48 hours later after a public backlash, announcing the province would sell the aircraft "as quickly as possible." Ford made no reference to his 2019 boast that he was the only premier in history to refuse a government plane, and the financial cost of the reversal — including any cancellation penalties or resale loss — has not been disclosed.

At a September 29, 2026 committee on the premier's office spending plans, asked Minister Andrea Khanjin how much of the office's $73,100 travel budget was earmarked for leasing private jets; Khanjin did not answer directly (The Trillium).

Doug Ford signed a $100-million Starlink broadband deal to appeal to Trump's inner circle, then abruptly cancelled it in response to Trump's tariffs. He then negotiated a confidential settlement to pay Elon Musk an undisclosed sum — and refuses to tell Ontario taxpayers how much public money they're handing over to the world's richest person, citing a confidentiality clause that he could have negotiated away.

Said it was odd that the SpaceX payout is nowhere in the Public Accounts and that the Liberals will keep pressing when the legislature returns: "Where is that money? How much was it? And why is the government hiding it in the public accounts?" (The Canadian Press, September 30, 2026).