Doug Ford had a private plan to surprise Ontarians.His first budget would recast him as a kinder, gentler premier. Not too tough, not too soft — just right.It didn’t go according to plan.By holding back the bad news — under the guise of a good-news budget — Ford’s Tories are belatedly paying a heavy price. Not as high a price, however, as ordinary Ontarians facing the daily drip-drip-drip of cascading cutbacks in recent weeks.It all adds up to billions of dollars slashed from local education, transit, health care and social services. And it has provoked a growing backlash.On paper, the budget’s title is “Protecting What Matters Most.”In reality, it’s not protecting what matters most to Tories — their political survival.Ford’s popularity is tumbling. And his government is reeling from the worst budget rollout in years.Time for a change in plan. Read more: If Toronto sends out a second tax bill, councillors want to put Doug Ford’s stamp on it Slashing begins as TDSB wrestles with $67.8M budget shortfallToronto mayor says local MPPs are misleading voters over ‘massive’ provincial cutsInstead of moderation, desperation and disruption are Ford’s new watchwords — because desperate times allow for desperate measures. Rather than talking up Ontario’s prospects, the premier is now taking the province down — way down.Ford has announced a fiscal emergency that can now be revealed:Ontario has been declared bankrupt. By our own premier.B-A-N-K-R-U-P-T.“We already came in here with a bankrupt province,” the premier now warns Ontarians every chance he gets.“We were inheriting a bankrupt province,” he tells the legislature, a talking point faithfully repeated by his Progressive Conservative ministers and MPPs.Who knew? Not investors, lenders, auditors or credit rating agencies.But in Ford’s view, Ontario’s economy is coming apart like c ...
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