Doug Ford boasted in 2019 that he was the only Ontario Premier who didn’t use private aircraft.Sergio Flores/The Globe and Mail
Ontario has purchased a $28.9-million private jet for Premier Doug Ford, which the government says is needed for more flexible and secure travel.
Mr. Ford’s office confirmed Friday the province bought the preowned 2016 Challenger 650, made by Quebec company Bombardier Inc.
Mr. Ford recently announced plans for the province to take over the City of Toronto’s stake in downtown’s Billy Bishop Airport, which he wants to expand to allow for jets. However, Hannah Jensen, a spokeswoman for the Premier, said the plane will operate out of the larger Pearson Airport.
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The Ontario government’s decision to purchase an aircraft puts it offside with many of its provincial counterparts, including Alberta and British Columbia, whose premiers fly on commercial airlines.
The government defended the decision to buy the jet, saying Mr. Ford travels frequently across the country for meetings with fellow premiers and the Prime Minister.
He was also recently in Texas, a trip he said was intended to shore up support for Ontario businesses and argue against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The purchase of the used jet was first reported by the Toronto Star.
“As part of the job of being Premier of Ontario, there is extensive travel within Ontario, a province twice the landmass of Texas. This is in addition to travel across Canada for Council of the Federation and First Ministers’ meetings, which have increased in frequency, as well as travel to the United States to help make the case against President Trump’s tariffs,” Ms. Jensen said in a statement.
She also spoke to the purchase price. “This is significantly less than the $107-million Quebec paid for its fleet of one pre-owned and two brand-new Challenger 650s or the $753-million the Government of Canada paid for its six new Global 6500 jets,” she said.
The plane seats up to 12 passengers and has a range of approximately 7,400 kilometres. The government took possession this week after extensive mechanical checks, according to a senior government official. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the official because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal government matters.
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It was previously owned by a company that operated out of South America, and the Ontario Provincial Police surveyed its flight logs prior to the purchase, the official said. The plane will also feature a provincial logo.
The Ontario government previously owned two King Air turboprop planes, but they were sold. Mr. Ford travels frequently by private chartered jet, including on his recent trip to Texas.
The notion of a buying a jet for an Ontario Premier to use has long been controversial.
In 1981, PC premier Bill Davis ignited a political firestorm when he purchased a $10.6-million (about $35-million in current dollars) Challenger jet. Critics charged it was a needless luxury amid the high unemployment and high interest rates pummelling Ontario’s economy.
After 15 months of outrage from the opposition, Mr. Davis relented and sold it.
Mr. Ford also boasted in 2019 that he was the only Ontario Premier who didn’t use private aircraft.
“I’m the only Premier in history that refuses to use the Premier’s plane, the King Air, that costs the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. I prefer to drive around and talk to the people about things that matter,” he said in the legislature at the time.
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, asked about Mr. Ford’s plane on Friday at an announcement in Carston, Alta., said she trusted Ontario was “able to do their own assessment on the business case for that.” But she said that she flies commercial or travels by vehicle. Her office later followed up to say any use of non-commercial aircraft has to be approved and disclosed to the ethics commissioner.
Representatives for Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said their premiers fly commercial, as did B.C. Premier David Eby’s office. Mr. Eby’s office added that charter flights may be used for rural or remote areas.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized the purchase, saying the money should be used for classrooms, homes and health care.
She said the Premier should start flying economy class “like the rest of us.”
“Ford ran on a promise to stop the gravy train only to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on his gravy plane. This is ridiculous,” Ms. Stiles said in a statement.
Interim Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser said people can’t afford groceries and gas while the Premier buys himself a private jet, calling it “tone-deaf.”
Norm Di Pasquale, of the activist group NoJetsTO, which opposes Mr. Ford’s push to lengthen Billy Bishop’s runways to allow jets, says the plane purchase is linked to the airport expansion.
“The timing of Premier Ford’s purchase of his taxpayer funded ‘Gravy Plane’ and his sudden interest in expanding the island airport is not a coincidence,” Mr. Di Pasquale said in a press release.