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John Bowker

@johnbowker.bsky.social
730 followers 497 following 526 posts

Policy researcher, retired record & book peddler. Transit, housing, land use, energy, infrastructure & misc #onpoli wonkery. #ONDP. Tweets my own

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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 6h
Nearly two years into an escalating trade battle with the United States, the Ford government’s signature $5 billion ‘Protect Ontario’ account has spent just $140 million to shore up tariff-impacted businesses globalnews.ca/news/1207783... #onpoli
globalnews.ca
Ford government ‘Protect Ontario’ tariff program spent $140 million so far | Globalnews.ca
On Tuesday, during committee at Queen's Park, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy was grilled by opposition MPPs on how much of that cash has actually been deployed.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 8h
Update: the regulator has suspended the licence of Slater’s condo management company, alleging missing deposits www.cmrao.ca/newsroom/med... #onpoli
cmrao.ca
CMRAO Takes Regulatory Action Against SIREG Management Inc., Including Immediate Licence Suspensions
TORONTO, ON, September 29, 2026 – Today, the Registrar of the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) ordered the immediate suspension of the Condominium Management Provider Licence of SIREG…
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The Hill Times @hilltimes.com · 28/09/2026
Gerry Nicholls: Harper sees Carney as his ideological heir www.hilltimes.com/2026/09/28/h...
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
FATF slams Canada’s dozy financial watchdogs: FinTRAC fined TD less than $9 million in 2024 for having faulty money-laundering controls, then US regulators fined TD more $3 BILLION after TD pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com... #cdnpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Regulators deservedly get their knuckles rapped in review of Canada’s anti-money laundering regime
Rating their overall effectiveness as ‘moderate,’ FATF finds Canada’s efforts to fight financial crime had numerous supervisory shortcomings
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Jim Stanford @jimbostanford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is an outstanding refutation of PM Carney's double-speak on proposed Canada Labour Code amendments, from Colleen Bauman and Mark Rowlinson: www.thestar.com/opinion/cont.... Previous misuse of Section 107 would be codified & routinized, even though it's still facing court challenges. #canlab
thestar.com
Mark Carney says he’s protecting Canadian workers. It’s Orwellian doublespeak
Subject to ministerial review, the right to strike is likely to be much weakened by Bill C-39.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Todd Slater’s Simple Investor ads & podcasts were once everywhere, promising easy money to condo investors. Then the payments stopped. Now Ontario’s condo management regulator has opened an investigation, as tenants struggle to get answers www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #onpoli
cbc.ca
Ontario investigates condo management company as investors scramble, tenants left confused | CBC News
Ontario's condominium management regulator is investigating SIREG Management after the company told investors it could no longer guarantee rent payments, leaving some owners scrambling to collect rent...
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Tabatha Southey🇨🇦 @tabathasouthey.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"They include — contrary to the premier’s anti-Trump rhetoric — a form enabling U.S. firms to participate." Doug Ford isn’t even promising to buy local vandalism.
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Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 28/09/2026
We've also pulled all three stories on this out from behind the paywall.
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Graeme Bayliss @gbayliss.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I wrote about Premier Doug Ford's apparent indifference to human life for @thestar.com: www.thestar.com/opinion/star...
thestar.com
Graeme Bayliss: His cyclist friend was killed. Why did Doug Ford’s response include ‘lmao’?
No one is expecting the premier to mash out the Bixby letter on his iPhone. Yet we might expect more than this.
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Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 28/09/2026
If I’m reading this correctly, Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford’s campaign is asking volunteers to give them full access to their contact lists on their *personal* cell phones? www.nationalobserver.com/2026/09/28/i...
'You don't need to freak out about this'
Introducing Bradford's supporters to the app on the Zoom call, Punia instructed them to give the app permission to access all of their contacts.

"Do not give it partial contact ability, give it full. And what I want to say to you guys here is, you don't need to freak out about this," said Punia. He reassured them that only contacts they marked as known or potential Bradford supporters would be given to the campaign.

One attendee hesitated as she had over 2,400 contacts on her phone. She was instructed to give the app access to all of them and mark them one by one according to their level of support for Bradford.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
“A really boldly anti-democratic move”: the Ford government is regularly violating legal orders from Ontario’s Information & Privacy Commissioner. Unlike in other provinces, the IPC can’t take the government to court to have these orders enforced www.cp24.com/politics/que... #onpoli
cp24.com
Ontario transparency watchdog warns government is dodging its orders
Ontario’s transparency watchdog is warning that the government is dodging its orders more frequently, including orders that would shed light on how a multi-billion dollar government fund pushed grants...
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Charlie Angus @charlieangus104.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
California company accused of shipping pesticide laden berries to Canada. We can't trust American product we should be able to trust that our government has adequate numbers of inspectors in place to protect us. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Whistleblower alleges millions of Driscoll’s berries sent to Canada with excess chemical levels | CBC News
A whistleblower lawsuit in California is alleging millions of pounds of Driscoll's fruit containing non-compliant levels of pesticides and chemicals crossed the border into Canada, and the company tri...
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Michelle Cohen @docmcohen.medsky.social · 26/09/2026
It's been a rough week, and ranting is my therapy. I wrote about the seemingly COVID conspiracist-inspired shooting at my local synagogue and the simultaneous promoting of COVID conspiracism by Jesse Brown. medium.com/@michelle.co...
medium.com
Guns, Threats, and the Clown King of Jewish Safety
It’s been a bad week. It’s been a weird week. I awoke Monday to photos of bullet holes in the beautiful stained-glass windows of my local…
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Manuela Vega @manuelavega.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A group of Parkdale tenants have ended their six-month rent strike after they say property management company MetCap Living agreed to withdraw a request to hike rents at their rent-controlled apartments 5.4% above the guideline amount. Latest @thestar.com www.thestar.com/real-estate/...
thestar.com
Parkdale tenants end six-month rent strike after landlord withdraws AGI request
Landlord MetCap had asked Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board to raise rates in the rent-controlled Toronto building 5.4 per cent above the provincial guideline.
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Mary Grace @emgeekay.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Good fact check. Yes, the Carney government is attacking the right to strike. www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
cbc.ca
Fact check: Is Carney changing the right to strike?
Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government’s proposed set of changes to the Labour Code “absolutely reinforces the right to strike.” Here are the facts.
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Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I often think about the speed camera chopping vigilante who returned to the scene of their crime on Parkside Drive multiple times but Toronto police didn’t catch them & it led to Doug Ford banning speed cameras for 16 million people & now speeding is at epidemic levels & people will die.
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Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Is it weird the police have never said why they couldn’t catch a criminal who returned to the same place to commit the same crime over & over? Is it curious? We will never know in secret Canada.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“The FAO estimates that real provincial operating funding will decrease to $15,074 per student in 2026-27, $14,850 per student in 2027‑28 and $14,775 per student in 2028-29” www.thestar.com/politics/ont... #onpoli #onted
thestar.com
Ontario’s education funding per student is decreasing after inflation, watchdog finds
The government says Financial Accountability Office of Ontario’s figures don’t provide the full picture.
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Isaac Callan @isaaccallan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
What input did Therme or Live Nation have (if any) crafting the MZO that was eventually issued to bypass approvals for Ontario Place? We’ll never know. And somehow it took the government two years to decide those communications were privileged. #OnPoli
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Bethany Lindsay @bethanylindsay.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
My plan was to tally how many "crisis pregnancy centres" had lost charity status or beefed up disclosure of their anti-abortion stances since tighter restrictions were announced in 2024. Instead I discovered the Liberals had quietly abandoned this promise. theijf.org/article/otta...
theijf.org
Ottawa promised to crack down on anti-abortion ‘crisis pregnancy centres.’ Carney’s Liberals have abandoned that goal
Abortion rights activist who lobbied for changes says surprise news is ‘such a shame’
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Even though expanding Hamilton’s urban boundaries into the Greenbelt was unlawful, the developer argued its proposal should be approved anyway based on “prospective changes to legislation” www.thespec.com/news/hamilto... #onpoli #hamont
thespec.com
Ontario Land Tribunal rejects Ancaster Greenbelt development bid
OLT must “respect the limits” of provincial legislation, says ruling on Sulphur Springs homes proposal.
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T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦 @tryangregory.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Told ya. www.ctvnews.ca/canada/artic...
ctvnews.ca
Transport minister won’t guarantee prices won’t go up after airport privatization, promises fees will be ‘partially regulated’
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon won’t guarantee the cost to fly won’t go up for travellers if the federal government follows through on its plan to privatize Canada’s four largest airports but doe...
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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 19/09/2026
Carney government promises upcoming "Operation Strike Destroyer" legislation won't discourage future strikes
thebeaverton.com
Carney government promises upcoming "Operation Strike Destroyer" legislation won't discourage future strikes
OTTAWA — After multiple labour sources warned that the Federal government would likely be issuing binding mediation legislation as early as next week, Mark Carney personally assured Canadians that eve...
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Westjet mechanics, Canada Post workers, Vancouver & Montreal dockworkers, CN & CPKC rail workers, and Air Canada flight attendants are some of the workers whose right to strike was compromised by the Liberals in *just the last two years* www.cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnpoli #canlab
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“Several union sources CTV News spoke with are on red alert over the possibility of this legislation and contend it will strip workers of their right to strike” www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art... #cdnpoli #canlab
ctvnews.ca
Feds could introduce new labour legislation as soon as next week: sources
A senior government source tells CTV News that plans are underway to introduce such legislation following a review of the Canadian Labour Code that began in April.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
To be clear, the Ontario government still owns the underlying land and assets of Highway 407, which under private control became one of the costliest toll highways in the world. It’s still privatization, and the Carney Liberals should stop falsely claiming it isn’t #cdnpoli
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Rachel Gilmore @rachelgilmore.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
OH MY GOD PEOPLE THINK THIS BECAUSE THE GLOBE AND MAIL’S BUSINESS COLUMNIST MADE A VIDEO, ON THE GLOBE’S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT, MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE AND IT’S STILL UP!!!!!! UNCORRECTED!!!! CONCESSION AGREEMENT DOESNT JUST MEAN FOOD OH MY GOD THIS IS OUR MOST “SERIOUS” BUSINESS MEDIA BRO 😭😭😭😭
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"Bird wrote that one of the most concerning allegations in the case is that York police only 'stumbled upon' the alleged police corruption ... 'it demonstrates that a trusted public official can engage in widespread illegal conduct and go undetected'" www.thestar.com/news/gta/stu... #onpoli #TOpoli
thestar.com
Explosive corruption allegations within the Toronto Police Service detailed in newly unsealed court records
A thwarted assassination attempt of a Toronto jail official helped break open one of the biggest police corruption scandals in the city’s history.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The Ford government is spending more public money on for-profit, private MRI & surgical clinics, while letting publicly funded facilities sit idle for hours every day, says a new report from @onthealthcoalition.bsky.social www.haltonhillstoday.ca/local-news/h... #onpoli #ONhealth
haltonhillstoday.ca
Hospital MRIs sit idle overnight as province funds private clinics: report
New report from Ontario Health Coalition lays out why private health clinics are 'not benefiting the public'
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NDP transportation critic @jennkfrench.bsky.social asked the minister about this last year www.ola.org/en/legislati... #onpoli
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Ford government used Microsoft Teams to direct staff to halt all FOIs earlier this year, and repeatedly refused to provide the directives in writing. Why? Teams messages are automatically deleted after 30 days, suggesting an intent to avoid paper trails globalnews.ca/news/1206027... #onpoli
globalnews.ca
Ontario government Microsoft Teams messages set to automatically delete | Globalnews.ca
In May civil servants in charge of processing freedom of information requests were told to put down their pens. The message was sent via Microsoft Teams.
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Damien Moule @damienmoule.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Better get ready for some new boxes Europeans, Canada is coming to town.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
According to Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer, the Ford government has underfunded health, education & social services budgets by billions necessary to maintain existing service standards. Are more service cuts being planned? fao-on.org/en/report/eb... #onpoli
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Myself, I’m having Harris-era Highway 407 flashbacks, but yeah … #cdnpoli
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Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Who else is having Mulroney-era flashbacks?
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Liberals gotta Liberal ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #cdnpoli
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Metrolinx — whose rail operation, fare payment & infrastructure delivery functions are all privately managed, badly — is a strong argument AGAINST the murky public-private arrangement Carney is proposing for Canada’s big airports, as is the fact that the feds recently hired Phil Verster #cdnpoli
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Avi Lewis @avilewis.ca · 15/09/2026
Privatizing airports is a terrible deal for travellers, workers, and the public purse. Around the world, it has led to higher travel costs, fewer jobs and worse working conditions.
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Toronto Star @thestar.com · 15/09/2026
#Breaking: The federal government will allow private ownership of four major airports — including Toronto’s Pearson, Canada’s busiest — in a move that breaks with a decades-long arrangement that saw them run by non-profits on government-owned land.
thestar.com
Carney government will allow private ownership of Canadian airports
The federal government will allow private ownership of four major airports — including Toronto's Pearson, Canada's busiest — in a move that breaks with a decades-long arrangement that saw them
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Greg MacEachern @gregmaceachern.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
NDP upsets UCP stronghold in Calgary-Shaw byelection results www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/arti...
ctvnews.ca
NDP upsets UCP stronghold in Calgary-Shaw byelection results
Kyle Campbell has been elected to be the next MLA for Calgary-Shaw.
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TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Some teachers can’t access Ford government's Staples portal until October
dlvr.it
Some teachers can’t access Ford government's Staples portal until October
Teachers still seeing price discrepancies, restricted items and shipment delays, weeks after initial launch of $750 program
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Ford government's plan for a second giant ferris wheel in Niagara Falls, in historic Queen Victoria Park, is cancelled: "Together, we made our voices impossible to ignore," said NDP MPP @waynegates.bsky.social. Instead, the existing ferris wheel will be expanded www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #onpoli
cbc.ca
Plug pulled on Ford government's giant ferris wheel planned for Niagara Falls, Ont. | CBC News
The controversial plan for a giant observation wheel in historic Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls, Ont., is now dead and buried, with the Niagara Parks Commission announcing it's cancelled a reque...
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John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"The self-response rate also reached a new record of 91.2%." oh my homeland, my beloved nation of dork keeners, I love you so much
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“Any account of Canada as outlier has to contend with the ways in which we ... aren’t. In truth we have gone some way in that direction. We’ve just done it under the Liberals” www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #cdnpoli
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: The populist right is rising around the world. Why not in Canada?
Part of the explanation has to do with the Liberal party’s new, more conservative positioning
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Union Station derailment: Metrolinx’s private maintenance contractor repeatedly failed to notice missing screws in its twice-weekly inspections, and an inspection blitz conducted after the resulting derailment found 40 more track defects nearby www.thestar.com/news/gta/new... #onpoli
thestar.com
Metrolinx report pulls back curtain on what led to GO train derailment outside Union Station
Visual inspections, maintenance issues led to poor track conditions near Union Station where a GO train derailed and caused chaos across the GO network.
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TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Ontario Labour Ministry violating legal orders to fulfil delayed Skills Development Fund freedom of information requests
dlvr.it
Ontario Labour Ministry violating legal orders to fulfil delayed Skills Development Fund freedom of information requests
Ontario institutions increasingly failing to comply with freedom of information orders: commissioner
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Forensic engineer: “The damage highlights a gap in Ontario's regulatory framework ... The 2023 Building Code amendment on demountable stages, which came out of the 2012 Radiohead stage collapse at this same site, does not expressly cover demountable spectator stands” diact.ca/case-studies... #onpoli
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
In the wake of the Greenbelt scandal, Ontario’s Information & Privacy Commissioner flagged the Ford government’s habit of avoiding paper trails by issuing directives verbally, warning that this “raises serious accountability concerns and undermines public trust” www.ipc.on.ca/en/2024-annu... #onpoli
ipc.on.ca
Ontario’s Greenbelt: Access to information and government transparency
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Anna Mehler Paperny @mehlerpaperny.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The Greenbelt. Ontario Place. Billy Bishop Airport. Explore what Ontario's government doesn't want you to know in our interactive: ijb.utoronto.ca/news/freedom...
ijb.utoronto.ca
Freedom of information? Here’s what Ontario’s government doesn’t want you to know - Investigative Journalism Bureau
We filed an FOI for refused FOIs. Here’s what we found.
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
FOI clampdown: Ford govt verbally told shocked staff to halt all FOI requests & repeatedly refused to put the directive in writing: “I can’t believe this is the intent– to put a hold on all work in the FOI community. Can you double-check…This doesn’t seem right” globalnews.ca/news/1204843... #onpoli
globalnews.ca
Inside the Ford government’s pause on all freedom of information requests | Globalnews.ca
The Ford government made the unprecedented decision to pause all transparency requests for more than a week. Here's what happened behind the scenes.
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