Doug Ford rewards his real estate backers

Premier Doug Ford has been laying low, letting his education minister Steve Lecce take the point in his fight against Ontario’s teachers.

But he hasn’t let up his quest to destroy public services and give real estate developers free rein to destroy safety regulations.

The latest Tory proposal is to allow developers to hire their own building inspectors. That will allow them to do an end run around municipal inspectors and regulations. Not surprisingly, real estate lobby groups are all in favour of the “modernization”.

Readers may recall a leaked video of a back room meeting between Ford and developers, where he promised to give them free access to protected Green Belt lands if they supported his election bid. 

Developers are at the top of the heap of corporate donors to the Tory Party and candidates. 

Mattamy Homes gave $61,394 to the Tories between 2014 and 2016. Nashville Homes donated $36,350. 

Merit Ontario, an organization representing union-busting contractors and builders, was the single biggest donor to Tory coffers, giving $900,000.

New research shows that modern homes are already bigger fire risks than those of the past. Cheaper materials and mass production techniques make houses that burn four times faster than they did 20 years ago.