Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Jenny Lee Shee @jennyleeshee.bsky.social · 20h

Here you go.

A blue button with white text that reads: This is why Ontario can't have nice things. In the middle of the image of Doug Ford grinning ghoulishly, as usual.

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soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 23h

wow

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Ron Sexsmith @ronsexsmith.bsky.social · 1d

Some Elton John music for your Saturday RS
youtu.be/tEP3m5hI_s4?...

RON SINGS "BORDER SONG" WRITTEN BY ELTON JOHN & BERNIE TAUPIN

YouTube video by Rawnboy

youtu.be

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soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 23h

#Onpoli #ParisWedding #OntarioSkillsDevelopmentFund

a man covering his face with a brown jacket with the hashtag #thefbis

ALT: a man covering his face with a brown jacket with the hashtag #thefbis

media.tenor.com

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 23h

Is it starting to smell any better yet? #Onpoli #ParisWedding www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/poli...

‘Something doesn’t smell right’: $100 million in Skills Development Fund grants traced to lobbyists with ties to Ontario premier

Clients of lobbyists with ties to Ontario's premier and his office snagged at least $100 million in Skills Development Fund grants, according to an analysis of the data by CTV News.

www.ctvnews.ca

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soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 1d

so lovely

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Ron Sexsmith @ronsexsmith.bsky.social · 2d

In honour of the late great John Prine's birthday here's John and I performing "Please Don't Bury Me' some year ago
at Massey Hall RS
youtu.be/BnNMjaug70I?...

John Prine & Ron Sexsmith - (Massey Hall 2016)

YouTube video by ShakyShorty

youtu.be

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Norm Di Pasquale🇨🇦 @normsworld.bsky.social · 1d

Doug Ford is not the mayor of Ontario!
“Simply put, the local issues that directly affect city residents should be decided by them and their local representatives.
Local affairs are not improved by having Mr. Ford blunder into them.” www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit... #topoli #onpoli

Globe editorial: Doug Ford is not the mayor of Ontario

The premier’s continual interventions in municipal affairs diverts attention from pressing provincial issues

www.theglobeandmail.com

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soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 1d

the best

My IRL friends call me Chris @christyceeck.bsky.social · 2d

The Trillium is hammering this story.

"Months before he was put in charge of Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, cabinet minister David Piccini was at a Toronto Maple Leafs game in front-row seats with a director of a company his office would later give $7.5 million in taxpayer-funded grants to. #OnPoli

Labour minister was in Leafs glass seats with director of company he granted funding to

The ‘lower-scoring’ company got $7.5M of tax dollars through David Piccini’s office and is a client of the lobbyist whose Parisian wedding the minister recently attended

www.thetrillium.ca

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Marit Stiles @maritstilesndp.bsky.social · 2d

Two years ago, the RCMP launched a criminal investigation into Doug Ford’s Greenbelt Grab.

Two years later, it’s déjà vu — Labour Minister David Piccini admits he personally picked which of his friends got millions from the Skills Development Fund.

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soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 1d

big ol' lasoo

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soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

Tighter and tighter
www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...

Labour minister was in Leafs glass seats with director of company he granted funding to

The ‘lower-scoring’ company got $7.5M of tax dollars through David Piccini’s office and is a client of the lobbyist whose Parisian wedding the minister recently attended

www.thetrillium.ca

1

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

#Onpoli #ParisWedding #Corruption #WillyNiceDay #Piccini

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

"Have a Willy nice day"
💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...

Labour minister was in Leafs glass seats with director of company he granted funding to

The ‘lower-scoring’ company got $7.5M of tax dollars through David Piccini’s office and is a client of the lobbyist whose Parisian wedding the minister recently attended

www.thetrillium.ca

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

So anyway, what happened here?
www.ontario.ca/orders-in-co...

Order in Council 854/2022

www.ontario.ca

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

youtu.be/RFI83pIa6ZE #onpoli

Tom Sawyer (Rush Cover) by Peter Zakarow (Co-Founder of Tom&Sawyer Pet Meals)

YouTube video by Tom&Sawyer Fresh Prepared Gently Cooked Pet Meals

youtu.be

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soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

"Have a Willy nice day"
💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...

Labour minister was in Leafs glass seats with director of company he granted funding to

The ‘lower-scoring’ company got $7.5M of tax dollars through David Piccini’s office and is a client of the lobbyist whose Parisian wedding the minister recently attended

www.thetrillium.ca

1

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

A small article worth reading...https://conseroglobal.com/resources/rapid-growth-lessons-and-learnings-with-keel-digital-coo-jay-fischbach/

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic... #onpoli

Ontario labour minister attended lobbyist’s wedding after granting his clients millions in training funds

Two clients of lobbyist Michael Rudderham have received more than $8.5 million in Skills Development Fund grants, records show

www.thetrillium.ca

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

Except for the wind at Danforth and Woodbine. It is never dead. Always alive. Blows right on past Brand Brandford's office. Everything else sticks there. Not the wind. Whoosh!

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soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 2d

He can own his conflict of interest. He can own his corruption #onpoli #pariswedding

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 3d

At the end of the day he can go to a scrum & declare how he picked the poor to middling project because, well, because to help donors enrich themselves by unlocking the power of taxpayer dollars.

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 3d

At the end of the day he can go to a scrum & declare how he picked the poor to middling project because, well, because to help donors enrich themselves by unlocking the power of taxpayer dollars.

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 3d

If David, like the former Minister is going to forego arms-length procedures and just pick the project of his lobbyist buddy, we, as taxpayers needn't be paying for his access to the expertise our civil servants. 1/2

Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 4d

NEW: David Piccini, the minister whose office picks Skills Development Fund recipients, was in Paris this weekend at the wedding of a lobbyist whose clients received millions from that fund.

From me and @charliepinkerton.bsky.social.

www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...

Ontario labour minister attended lobbyist’s wedding after granting his clients millions in training funds

Two clients of lobbyist Michael Rudderham have received more than $8.5 million in Skills Development Fund grants, records show

www.thetrillium.ca

1

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 3d

wow

soddenly @soddenlymoved2.bsky.social · 3d

that was a hard thing to watch

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Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 3d

New: Ontario's labour minister said he was personally involved in picking “lower-scoring” Skills Development Fund recipients.

He held up one whose lobbyist's wedding he attended as an example of a lower-ranked applicant with sizeable impact.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news...

Labour Minister David Piccini said he was personally involved in picking “lower-scoring” recipients of a $2.5-billion training fund that the province's auditor general recently labelled "not fair, transparent or accountable."

The auditor general found that less than half of the recipients of the Ministry of Labour's Skills Development Fund (SDF) were given "high" scores on their proposals by non-partisan civil servants who evaluated them, while the majority — 54 per cent — were ranked as having “lower” quality proposals.

Piccini defended the fund in a Newstalk 1010 radio interview on Wednesday.

"I mean, there were projects that were lower-scoring that we did select — and that's a conversation I have with our officials here — that align with government priorities,” he said.

“I mean, Peel Police — we supported (a) lower-scoring project. It supports mental health. Our first responders are more likely than the general population to commit suicide. That's a real reality,” Piccini added.

The minister was referring to a project by Keel Digital Solutions — the company represented by the lobbyist whose Parisian wedding Piccini attended this past weekend.

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