The Ontario Liberals have been calling on Ford to cancel the take care of ‘damaging man baby’ Musk
EDITOR’S NOTE: This text initially appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media web site devoted solely to protecting provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is defending his authorities’s resolution to enter right into a $100-million take care of Elon Musk’s Starlink — however did not rule out cancelling it because the province fights the specter of U.S. tariffs.
The premier was requested in regards to the deal at a press convention Friday as a result of the Ontario Liberal Celebration has known as on him to cancel it to face as much as United States President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, as Musk is a key Trump adviser.
Requested about that, Ford replied that he’d “regulate that.”
The Liberals are additionally circulating a petition calling on the province to cancel the deal, full with an image of Musk making a gesture on stage throughout a Trump inauguration occasion that resembled a Nazi salute.
“Why did Doug cozy as much as Elon within the first place? It is a damaging man baby who proudly types his management after a dictator, and is championing the 25 per cent tariff on Canada,” stated chief Bonnie Crombie in an announcement.
Ford shot again, saying it is “ironic” that the Liberals are utilizing Musk’s X.com social media platform to get their message out.
He additionally defended the deal itself, which raised eyebrows when it was introduced shortly after the U.S. election in November. It breaks all the way down to $6,667 per connection and recipients will nonetheless should pay month-to-month charges — whereas Starlink kits retail for about $500. A authorities spokesperson instructed Village Media on the time that up to $92 million of the price will “cover capacity reservation from Starlink for Ontario, hardware and installation costs, and (an) Indigenous Engagement and Participation Plan.”
“We went out for a clear bid. They got here out (on) prime. They’re the most important in all the world, as everybody is aware of. Different corporations could not even deal with the infrastructure, however I can guarantee you, we’ll regulate that. However we have to ship web as we promised,” he stated.
In keeping with Infrastructure Ontario, Starlink was one in every of two satellite web service suppliers it shortlisted within the procurement course of for the challenge “primarily based on technical and monetary standards recognized via a request for {qualifications} (RFQ) course of that started in August 2023.”
NDP MPP France Gélinas, who represents the Nickel Belt using in northern Ontario, denounced the federal government’s Starlink settlement again in November.
“Am I happy we will have an option for fast internet? Yes, absolutely,” Gélinas said. “Am I disappointed that taxpayer money will go to a rich for-profit corporation with no regard for the users? I am.”
The satellite web service is because of be up and working by June 2025.
“As the primary aggressive means of its type in Canada, ONSAT will leverage fashionable expertise to offer high-speed web entry (50/10 Mbps) to unserved and underserved houses and companies throughout Ontario the place fibre optic or mounted wi-fi companies usually are not at the moment obtainable,” Infrastructure Ontario stated on the time.
Ford additionally confirmed Friday that he’ll set off an early election marketing campaign that can start Wednesday, placing election day on Feb. 27, 2025.
-With recordsdata from Sneh Duggal
