Douglas Robert Ford Jr. MPP (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018.

[20] Ford was a member of the board of Toronto Transit Infrastructure Limited, a corporation set up to finance a Sheppard Avenue subway extension, which Council later cancelled.

In 2011, Ford promoted an alternative plan for the Port Lands district of Toronto, including a monorail, a boat-in hotel, the world's largest Ferris wheel and a mega-mall.

[25] An investigative report by The Globe and Mail published in May 2013 alleged that Ford had sold hashish at James Gardens for several years in the 1980s,[26][27] based on interviews with anonymous sources.

[36] On February 20, 2014, after meeting with PC leader Tim Hudak, Ford announced that he would not be a candidate in the next provincial election, which was called for June 12, 2014, so that he could focus on his brother's re-election campaign.

[40] Though voters viewed the brothers as having the same ideological stance and gave them similar levels of support,[41] Rob's drug scandal received little attention with regard to Doug's campaign.

Integrity Commissioner Valerie Jepson ruled that: "Councillor Ford took no steps to establish clear lines of separation between his responsibilities as a member of Council and his duties as a principal of Deco.

[48] On September 9, 2017, Ford announced at his family's annual barbecue that he would run for mayor of Toronto in the 2018 election, saying "this one's for you, Robbie", referring to his younger brother Rob who had died the previous year.

[68] In terms of economic policy, Ford said he would revive manufacturing in Ontario by easing regulations, cutting taxes, and ensuring competitive electricity rates.

[73][74][75] The Guardian described Ford as a "businessman turned anti-establishment politician", a "son of a wealthy entrepreneur" who "rails against elites" and "often shuns expertise", while noting a sharp difference with Trump by pointing out that during his 2014 Toronto mayoral campaign "Ford drummed up strong support among some of the city's most diverse neighbourhoods, suggesting his populist touch resonates with immigrants and racialized minorities who have traditionally self-identified as disenfranchised".

[76] Ford led the PC Party to a majority government in the general election held on June 7, 2018, taking 76 of 124 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario,[77] including his own riding of Etobicoke North.

[84][85] Jay Goldberg of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation labelled Ford's spending excessive and noted Ontario's large debt increases under his government.

[89] On November 15, 2018, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli tabled the 2018 Ontario Economic Outlook[90] which included a tax cut representing as much as $850 a year for individuals and $1,700 for couples.

[104] Ontario's "fiscal watchdog"[91] and other analysts said that the province will have to refund an estimated $3 billion in carbon credits over four years purchased under the cap and trade program.

[109] On March 25, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the constitution allows for the federal government to introduce pollution pricing on behalf of provinces who do not have their own regime.

Ford's government said new clinics must apply for a licence to operate and include thorough staffing plans "to protect the stability of doctors, nurses and other health-care workers at public hospitals" as part of their applications.

[132] Immediately after taking office in 2018, Ford proposed to cut 3,475 Ontario teaching jobs over four years to save $292 million a year,[133] Ford also cancelled the Green Ontario Fund residential rebate program which included a $100 million fund for public school repair, free prescriptions to youth 24 and under, and an initiative to add indigenous peoples content to school curriculum,[134][135] and eliminated free tuition for low-income students (while reducing tuition fees by 10 per cent),[136] On July 11, 2018, Ford announced that Ontario's health curriculum including sexual education components, updated by the previous government in 2015, would be reverted to the 1998 curriculum before the next school year.

[145] Ford's government introduced Bill 28, known as the Keeping Students in Class Act,[146] which was passed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on November 3, 2022, amid ongoing labour negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

[183] On August 9, 2023, the Auditor General released a report on the Greenbelt swap-out which found the government's flawed process had favoured certain developers who stood to earn over $8 billion.

[188] He did not answer a reporter's question about reinstating rent control, nor did he comment on calls from First Nation Chiefs across Ontario to return traditional territories to the Greenbelt.

[191] On October 10, the RCMP announced it was opening a criminal investigation into the allegations around developer favouritism in the Greenbelt land swap process used by the Province of Ontario.

[194][195][196] While speaking with reporters, he stated his belief that bike lanes increased congestion and emergency vehicle times (though the City of Toronto has disputed that claim[197]), and that they should be built on side streets rather than major arterial roads.

[200] This bill, named the Reducing Gridlock, Saving you Time Act also shielded the government from any lawsuits related to cyclist deaths, and passed on November 25, 2024.

[213][214] According to Bloomberg News, by December 5, 2018, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, the state's regulators, rejected Hydro One's $3.4 Billion takeover of Avista because of "political risks in Ontario ... from provincial leaders who may not have the company's well being in mind".

[234][235] The Toronto Sun reported in a June 27, 2019, article that 26-year-old Tyler Albrecht, who had a "thin resume", was proposed for a "job that paid $165,000 a year, plus housing and other expenses" as Ontario's "new trade rep in New York City".

[236] TVO's Steve Paikin cited the example of Taylor Shields, who is French's wife's cousin, who was appointed as the trade representative in London, England,[234] with a salary of $185,000 plus expenses.

[235] Thomas Staples, who played on St. Michael's College Varsity Lacrosse team with French as coach,[233] worked in the office of Bill Walker, who was chief government whip.

[241] The Ontario government is also obligated to build a substantial parking component for the spa at taxpayers' expense (even as an expanded GO train station and a new subway line are being built nearby).

[247] In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China; it spread worldwide and was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020.

[256][257][258] On March 25, Ford and Finance Minister Rod Phillips introduced a $17-billion response package that includes an influx of cash for the health sector, direct payments to parents and tax breaks for businesses.