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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: Clients of lobby firms connected to the premier and his nephew were given tens of millions from the Skills Development Fund.

Clients of Rubicon — a lobbying firm owned by the premier’s campaign manager — got more than $100M, records show.

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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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: The feds are going to be in touch with the province on the AG's Skills Development Fund report, and they don't sound happy.

They want to ensure their funds were spent “effectively and transparently," and are seeking "due diligence" and "mitigation measures."🔒
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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · 7d

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/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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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · 12d

New Skills Development Fund story from @charliepinkerton.bsky.social

A company that specializes in helping dentists sell their practices was given $2 million to train workers when its CEO worked closely with the wife of the then-cabinet minister responsible for the funding program.

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 12d

Millions from Ontario training funding went to dentists’ brokerage with ties to then-labour minister’s wife

Dentacloud received more than $2 million through the Ford government’s Skills Development Fund

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · 12d

Update to this story on a group that trains people to work in clubs run by Zlatko Starkovski, a longtime Ford Nation figure: Ontario's public accounts show the group got an additional $3.3M in grants from the Skills Development Fund last year, for a total of more than $9.8M.

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 20d

Group training workers for ‘Rob Ford’s favourite nightclub owner’ got $6.5M in provincial skills development funding

Training takes place at Zlatko Starkovski’s event venue at Exhibition Place

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · 19d

More on the Skills Development Fund from me.

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 19d

Critics blast millions in Skills Development Fund grants given to PC-friendly companies

A law firm, a private animal hospital and a large commercial bakery are among the recipients with ties to the PCs

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 20d

Group training workers for ‘Rob Ford’s favourite nightclub owner’ got $6.5M in provincial skills development funding

Training takes place at Zlatko Starkovski’s event venue at Exhibition Place

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 25d

Main voting closed at Ontario Liberal convention, Bonnie Crombie awaits her fate

Meanwhile, party members got pro-Bonnie robocalls and texts urging them to 'Please vote no to a leadership contest'

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 27d

VIDEO: Bonnie voyage? Liberals decide this weekend if Crombie stays or goes

Tonight on Village Media's new 'Closer Look' podcast: We preview a big weekend for the Ontario Liberals — and revisit our recent interview with the party leader who insists she's 'not going anywhere'

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 27d

Father of boy with autism charged with threatening to kill Doug Ford

‘I just want our kids supported’: Ryan Nelson, charged earlier this year in connection with violent online content, spoke to The Trillium about his experience with autism services in Ontario

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TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 28d

Minister’s office insisted restaurateurs be granted millions despite ‘late’ and ‘low’ scoring application: emails

One of the company's owners had donated thousands to the PC party and was friendly with a key Ford aide, according to three well-placed sources

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · 29d

Ontarians split on Liberal leadership race: poll

A Pallas Data poll shows no clear consensus among Liberal supporters or Ontarians at large about whether to replace Bonnie Crombie, and no clear successor waiting in the wings

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · Aug 28

Ford friend's company seeking $500M from Metrolinx in expropriation dispute

A development group wants a tribunal to force the transit agency to compensate it for air rights in downtown Toronto that it agreed to buy, but hadn’t paid for

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · Aug 27

Doug Ford's PCs spent six figures on 'Canada Is Not For Sale' hats in election campaign

The hats were central to Ford's Conservatives' branding during their successful 2025 campaign

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · Jul 23

Meet the bagman: the Ontario PC fundraising chief and his developer ties

The top fundraiser for Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives works for developers, while also raising money from them for the party

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · Jul 23

Meet the bagman.

www.thetrillium.ca/news/the-tri...

Meet the bagman: the Ontario PC fundraising chief and his developer ties

The top fundraiser for Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives works for developers, while also raising money from them for the party

www.thetrillium.ca

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · Jun 24

Ontario reveals five-storey Ontario Place parking garage; Science Centre still TBD

'You'll barely even see' the garage: Ford

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · Jun 19

Ford apologizes for ‘hat-in-hand’ comment about First Nations

Anishinabek Nation chiefs accept his apology but Bill 5 issues remain, grand chief says

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Reposted by Jessica Smith Cross

TheTrillium.ca @thetrillium.bsky.social · Jun 19

Leak allegation sparks row between 'Mr. X' and local mayor

John Mutton, a former mayor of Clarington, is demanding an apology from the current mayor over a public allegation about a leaked document concerning a piece of land granted a provincial MZO for an affordable housing development

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · Jun 10

NEW: How Metrolinx’s plan to deliver European-style train service went off the rails

@jackhauen.bsky.social got excruciating detail on MX's split with Deutsche Bahn on the GO expansion, and the scope reduction for all-day, two-way GO

www.thetrillium.ca/news/the-tri...

How Metrolinx’s plan to deliver European-style train service went off the rails

GO Expansion will still transform Greater Golden Horseshoe transit — but likely won’t be as ambitious as what was planned just three years ago

www.thetrillium.ca

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · May 28

New: The Ford government has announced a plan to use its proposed "special economic zones" bill to create "Indigenous-led economic zones," after consulting with Indigenous partners over the summer.

It comes after increasing pressure from Indigenous communities.

www.thetrillium.ca/news/indigen...

Ford government announces plans for 'Indigenous-led economic zones' under Bill 5

Facing mounting opposition from First Nations, the premier's office announced a pivot

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · May 27

So,👆seems aimed at forcing the government members to swallow having to vote down preventing the powers from being used in those ways — a fear of labour groups — or amending the bill so they actually can’t be.

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · May 27

The NDP also got amendments in — they would prevent the special economic zone powers from being used to exempt any proponents or projects from the Labour Relations Act, Employment Standards Act, or Human Rights Code.

The NDP also recommend voting against that schedule altogether.

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · May 27

The government has put forward some amendments to Bill 5 but I’m told there are more coming. These initial ones are mostly technical tweaks, plus the promised preamble change to reflect Indigenous rights.

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Jessica Smith Cross @jessiecatherine.bsky.social · May 22

"I think a lot of people have probably been caught up in the hype around woolly mammoths and dire wolves," he said.

"Technology isn't going to save these species," said zoo CEO Dolf DeJong. "Safe spaces will."

www.thetrillium.ca/news/energy-...

Toronto Zoo proposes biobank 'backup' for species at risk if Bill 5 passes

But technology that can bring back woolly mammoths and dire wolves won't save species — safe habitats will: Zoo

www.thetrillium.ca

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