LTE: Doug Ford Is Dismantling Democracy in Plain Sight

Dear Editor,

As Donald Trump continues to smash his way through constitutional limitations, a No-More-Kings movement is building in American cities. People in Ontario are experiencing conditions that deserve the same response. Doug Ford is riding roughshod over time-valued parameters of democracy in the province and he’s doing it on an accelerated timetable.

In healthcare, despite repeated calls for critically needed reinvestment in public healthcare, the government funnels public money into alternative private for-profit systems.

In education, five school boards have been placed under supervision and their boards dismissed. The minister of education seems to like the central control and muses about dismantling all the province’s school boards. Indeed, the Ford government seems to find controlling everything easier from Queens Park.

In the environment, conservation authorities are being dissolved by Bill 68. Financed by local municipalities, comprised of local people with local experience with local insight and experiences the 36 authorities are being amalgamated and reduced to 7. In every sphere of public life in Ontario, local democracy is being trumped by political convenience and power is being centralized.

In municipal government, the same pattern holds. Power is being taken from councillors and increasingly concentrated in the hands of mayors, through the Strong Mayor Powers Act. Only 2 cities were granted the power in 2022 but 41 more were added in 2023 and now in 2025, 169 have been extended the powers.

Truly, Ontario is undergoing a revolution. Doug Ford is eliminating democratic checks and balances because they get in his way. Josephine and Joseph Lunch Pail are being written out of the public sphere. They are losing their say in the public services that are paid for by their taxes and it’s not over yet. On October 27, Doug Ford’s government announced its fourth round of major changes to the electoral system, the most notable aspect being the removal of fixed election dates. In every sphere of political activity in Ontario, democracy is losing out to expedience, convenience and whim. At every step, power is being transferred from the public and concentrated in the premier’s office.

Elaine MacDonald
Cornwall