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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen
@jackhauen.bsky.social
4.9K followers 270 following 52 posts
Queen’s Park reporter for The Trillium. Sleek, vigilant puma.
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 1d
I have this thought every time I listen to the radio in the States. Especially talk radio. Every ad is either "Do you feel terrible? Take this frightening drug," "Do you have no money? We can nonspecifically help," or "Are you a patriot? Invest in this obvious scam"
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 1d
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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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 1d
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
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 3d
The federal government says it will be getting in touch with the province about the fund, and doesn’t sound happy.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news...
Feds to review effectiveness and transparency of Ontario’s Skills Development Fund after scathing auditor general report
The grant program slammed by the province’s auditor general as ‘not fair, transparent or accountable’ was partially funded by the federal government
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 3d
Two former chiefs of staff to Michael Ford, the premier’s nephew, represented clients that received millions of dollars from the Skills Development Fund.

Both are relatively new to the lobbying scene.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...
Clients of lobby firms connected to premier, his nephew given tens of millions in training funds
Groups represented by a lobbying firm owned by the premier’s campaign manager got more than $100 million in grant money, a Trillium analysis has found
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 3d
Clients of one firm owned by Kory Teneycke, the premier’s campaign manager, have received more than $100 million from the Skills Development Fund.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...
Clients of lobby firms connected to premier, his nephew given tens of millions in training funds
Groups represented by a lobbying firm owned by the premier’s campaign manager got more than $100 million in grant money, a Trillium analysis has found
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 3d
New: Clients of lobbying firms with close connections to Premier Doug Ford and his nephew have been hugely successful in applying to the province’s Skills Development Fund.

Full analysis: www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...

#onpoli
Clients of lobby firms connected to premier, his nephew given tens of millions in training funds
Groups represented by a lobbying firm owned by the premier’s campaign manager got more than $100 million in grant money, a Trillium analysis has found
www.thetrillium.ca
1 7 11
jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 8d
NEW: The organization that’s supposed to be making sure the people building your home aren’t cheats, liars or swindlers is asleep at the wheel, Ontario’s auditor general has found.

From me and Steve Cornwell.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news...
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 8d
BREAKING: The Ford govt has given groups hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars against the advice of civil servants who’d evaluated their applications, per Ontario’s auditor general.

@thetrillium.bsky.social has been covering this story in depth.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...
BREAKING: Ford government skills training funding ‘not fair, transparent or accountable’: auditor general
Ford government labour ministers overruled civil servants to fund skills training by groups with lobbyists, according to a scathing new report
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 9d
Facing pressure from above, Ontario's psychologist regulator has voted to cut training requirements and allow unlimited exam attempts.

It's a fascinating debate. What's more important: the highest bar for mental health docs — or more of them?

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/health/...
College looks to cut psychologist training requirements, citing Ford government changes
National association warns proposal a ‘serious threat to public safety’
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 14d
Premier Doug Ford says speed cameras don't slow people down.

They do.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
Ontario to ban speed cameras, fund other road-calming measures instead
Ford makes series of false claims in announcement
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Aug 22
Ontario's highest court will now decide whether Doug Ford's government can have its way with three major Toronto bike lanes.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
Ford government appeals decision blocking its bike lane removals
Lower court 'exceeded its jurisdiction' and 'made multiple errors of law', Ontario argues
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Aug 18
The premier thanked Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown for following his lead on RTO, and called on everyone else to follow suit.

Not all municipalities are into the idea.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news...
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1 1 2
jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Aug 6
New: Doug Ford is leaving open the possibility of invoking the notwithstanding clause to remove three Toronto bike lanes.

“Let's see what happens at the Court of Appeal, and then we'll go from there."

#onpoli #topoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
Ford floats use of notwithstanding clause in Toronto bike lanes case
‘Let’s see what happens at the Court of Appeal,’ Premier Doug Ford told reporters
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 30
The decision likely won’t “open the floodgates” to similar challenges, he wrote.

"Most road and traffic decisions are well-grounded in data and safety concerns, as one would expect, and are unlikely to be challenged as arbitrary."

#onpoli #topoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
Court strikes down planned Toronto bike lane removals
Tearing out Bloor, Yonge, University lanes violates right to life, security: judge
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 30
No, you don't have a constitutional right to bike lanes now.

Governments can make decisions that harm, but when they do so “arbitrarily,” the Charter comes into play, the judge wrote.

#onpoli #topoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
Court strikes down planned Toronto bike lane removals
Tearing out Bloor, Yonge, University lanes violates right to life, security: judge
www.thetrillium.ca
1 4 14
jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 30
Cycling advocates have won.

The Ford government's plan to remove three major bike lanes in Toronto violates the Charter, Ontario's Superior Court rules.

Story to come.

#onpoli #topoli
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 25
New: Ontario could make up to $800,000/day from a U.S. electricity surcharge, according to internal estimates.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news...
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 25
Metrolinx facing $8.2 billion in legal claims

www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news...
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3
jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 17
The Ontario NDP is calling for "urgent action" after an increase in overdoses after CTS site closures.

During the recent campaign, I repeatedly pressed Marit Stiles on whether she would reinstate CTS sites. She was noncommittal.

thetrillium.ca/insider-news/s…
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 17
In which a Toronto cop gives $325 tickets to cyclists who slow-roll a changing red light, but two videos beforehand, ignores a driver who slow-rolls a stop sign because he’s a “fair and reasonable person.”
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 15
62% of Torontonians say main streets should "offer a balance to all road users" including transit, pedestrians and cyclists — but not many PC voters agree.

Most Toronto Tories said main streets "should be prioritized for car traffic or parking."

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
Most Torontonians for building protected bike lanes: poll
Faults emerge along partisan lines, though a majority of respondents support mixed-use roads and more space for bikes
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 10
After responses about expanding GO train service to Vancouver and an electrification schedule 18,000 years into the future, Metrolinx says GO Transit will no longer respond using AI.

#onpoli

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
GO Transit X account will no longer respond to riders with AI: Metrolinx
'We recognize that we did not meet our customer support standards, and we have provided clear direction to our vendor that AI cannot be used under any circumstances,' the agency said
www.thetrillium.ca
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Reposted by Jack Hauen
jm-mcgrath.bsky.social
John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 8
Ancient Doug Ford lore requires me to remind people of the time Ford said changerooms and showers at City Hall would be overrun by public sex acts.
jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 8
New: Therme says the public park around its future spa will have multiple swimming points and free, year-round changing rooms with showers.

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
Therme shows off design of Ontario Place water park
Its new design is half the size of the original 65,000 square metre proposal
www.thetrillium.ca
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jackhauen.bsky.social
Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · Jul 8
New: Therme says it'll be about $40 for a day's access to its 20 water slides, 14 saunas and 10 pools.

Daytime will be family-oriented, while Saturday nights may have a "rave vibe" or floating movie screenings.

www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...
Therme shows off design of Ontario Place water park
Its new design is half the size of the original 65,000 square metre proposal
www.thetrillium.ca
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