People organizing a monthly protest are highlighting what they see as questionable actions by Ontario’s premier.
Since February, the peaceful “Fighting Doug Ford Protest” has been held on the last Saturday of each month, spreading to over 60 cities.
The June event is set for Saturday from 1 p. m. to 3 p. m. outside Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey’s office at 805 Christina St. N.
Spokesperson Lorrie Hodgin mentioned that there have been many controversies involving Ford that the public should know about.
She said Ford often makes decisions without consulting anyone.
“To start off, it was the spa on the waterfront in Toronto. The taxpayers are paying for the parking, which is $140 million, I think,” said Hodgin. “He started with the $29 million jet. Because there was so much upset, he reneged on it. But what was not said at the time, only 10 per cent of the airports in Ontario could accommodate that jet. The Billy Bishop Airport is owned by JP Morgan in New York. And of course, they would like it expanded. But it will impact on all the people around it, and the plane’s coming in and out because of the noise.”
Hodgin emphasized that their main goal is to inform everyone about these issues.
“We recognize too that he has three years left. And if there is enough public protest, obviously things have to change. The classic example just last week was when the Angus Reid poll came out, and he was at 21 per cent. And he sounded so Trump-like by saying, fake, fake. And of course, Angus Reid sent a letter to him saying, oh no, sir, it was real.”
She’s also worried about changes to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act that she believes make it harder for journalists and citizens to access certain information.
Documents, emails, text messages, and phone records held directly by the premier’s office, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants, and their political staff are completely exempt from FOI requests.
The deadline for government institutions to respond to an FOI request has now been extended from 30 calendar days to 45 business days.
Other concerns include healthcare issues, selling Life Labs to a U. S. company, cuts in education funding, and Bill 60 known as Fighting Delays and Building Faster Act.
This extensive legislation passed in late 2025 modifies 16 laws mainly related to transit and housing regulations.
An email sent to Sarnia News Today from a Minister of Health spokesperson stated that OHIP-insured laboratory services remain publicly funded and completed in Ontario.
“Our government is making record investments in our healthcare system including in laboratory services and expanding the health-care workforce – investments the NDP have continuously voted against,” read the email. “Through programs such as the Learn and Stay Grant which has already supported nearly 3 ,800 students , we are also growing and strengthening Ontario’s pipeline of highly skilled medical laboratory technologists. We will continue to deliver more connected , convenient care in every corner of this province , always ensuring that people are accessing health care they need with their OHIP card , never their credit card.”
The Ministry of Transportation also provided a statement regarding Billy Bishop Bridge.
“Our government is supporting long-term modernization and expansion of Billy Bishop Airport which is a critical part of Ontario’s transportation infrastructure,” read an email. “The economic benefit to Ontario from expanding Billy Bishop Airport is too important not move forward.”
The first step in this plan involves completing expropriation for city-owned land; legislation recently passed marks significant progress toward this goal.
“Once expropriation is complete , we’ll continue working closely with Toronto Port Authority along with federal government partners on this vital project. We look forward collaborating with all partners involved regarding Billy Bishop Airport expansion project , expected strengthen our economy generating up $8.5 billion annually contributing thousands jobs making travel easier millions users across Ontario North America beyond.”
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