Four other companies Doug Ford endorsed have donated to his party
After public donation records revealed that Doug Ford was endorsing Pelee Winery while receiving political donations from the company, Queen’s Park Today found that other businesses have had similar relationships with the provincial party.
Their analysis discovered four other Ontario businesses whose executives have donated to the party and were featured on PC-operated Ontario News Now.
The promotional videos are similar to one another in nature. Ford advocates for small businesses, often in relation to a policy he supports, and he tours their facilities with executives.
On July 26, ONN featured a similar video to the Pelee Winery promo. Ford toured a factory, “identifying ways that our government can reduce red tape” for small businesses like Curtainsider Inc., trailer manufacturer and Dutch Mill Gardens flower farms.
Imagine that your internet is so unreliable you need two providers just in case one goes down? Premier Ford met with workers and farmers to hear more about the ways our government can make life easier for Ontarians at work and at home. pic.twitter.com/KRlRIpTBzs
— Ontario News Now (@OntarioNewsNow) July 26, 2019
Queen's Park Today found Jim Kranendonk, the president of Curtainsider donated $500 to the PC Party in 2018 and $500 to the Brantford PC riding in 2017.
The Elections Ontario public donations page also revealed that Edward Scharringa, the founder of Dutch Mill Gardens donated $300 in 2018 and $115 in 2015.
These amounts may seem small compared to the sum of money collected by provincial party fundraising, but critics are more upset by the principle than the quantity of monetary funds.
This is corruption through and through. Using taxpayer funded resources to promote private companies for personal gain.
— G-Dubs (@producerguyca) July 30, 2019
Doug Ford’s govt is rotten to the core after just 1 year! We cannot allow Scheer the same opportunity, and must vote out Ford at the first chance we get.
In April, ONN featured Brantford-based metal supply firm Patriot Forge Co., in a video, whose founder, John M. Dimitrieff, donated $1,200 to the provincial party in 2018 and $500 in 2017.
On October 24, Ford visited Automatic Coating Ltd., for a video discussing Bill 148, which became law that same day and deregulated many of the labour reforms the past provincial government put in place. Critics say Ford’s changes favoured the employer over the employee.
In Ontario, Doug Ford set up a 'news' network that allows companies to advertise their products in return for donations to the PC Party. Taxpayers fund this.
— thesjessop (@thesjessop) July 30, 2019
Where does the @CPC_HQ stand on "Ontario News Now", will there be a "Canada News Now" under @AndrewScheer ?
Brad Bamford, the owner of the coating company, donated $1,050 to the PC party this year and $864 to Finance Minister Rod Phillips’ election campaign in 2018. Bamford’s wife Jocelyn separately donated $1,050 in 2019 and $1,222 to Phillips last year.
The premier’s press secretary said, “No one can buy Doug Ford,” in an email response to Queen's Park Today.
