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The provincial government has purchased a pre-owned private jet for $28.9 million to be used by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
The premier’s office confirmed the purchase in a statement sent to CBC News Friday morning.
“As part of the job of being Premier of Ontario, there is extensive travel within Ontario, a province twice the landmass of Texas,” the statement reads.
“This is in addition to travel across Canada for Council of the Federation and First Ministers’ Meetings, which have increased in frequency, as well as travel to the United States to help make the case against President Trump’s tariffs.”
The province says the Bombardier Challenger 650, which was made in Canada in 2016, would allow “more certain, flexible, secure and confidential travel.”
Opposition NDP Leader Marit Stiles called the jet a “gravy plane” in a social media post Friday morning, adding that Ford should be “flying economy like the rest of us.”
“Groceries are up about 30% in just a few years. Gas is up 33% in the last few months. And 1,000 people a day are being treated in hospital hallways,” Stiles wrote.
“Meanwhile, Ford is refusing to ban AI-driven surveillance pricing, changing the law to hide his personal cell phone records, spending $30M on a private jet, and he’s on record saying the problem with health care is that he’s not spending enough of your money advertising how good health care is.”
Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser issued a similar statement, also using the “gravy plane” refrain, harkening back to Ford and his brother Rob Ford’s repeated use of the term “gravy train” while they were serving as a councillor and mayor at Toronto City Hall, respectively.
“People can’t afford groceries and gas, and Doug Ford is buying himself a private jet. That is tired and out of touch,” Fraser said.
“It is incredible that the Premier is so disconnected from the reality of Ontarians’ everyday lives that he could do something this tone-deaf. He should be focused on the simple things.”
The NDP also issued a statement Friday morning referencing a 2019 Toronto Star story, in which Ford said he was “the only premier in history” who would prefer to drive around the province than spend taxpayer dollars flying.
This was after details emerged about the camper van Ford wanted customized to his specifications at the time.
Bombardier’s website advertises the current iteration of the Challenger 650 as having the widest cabin in its class, and combining “world-class interior design with the ultimate value proposition.”
The statement issued by Ford’s office contrasts the price of Ontario’s plane to $107 million it says Quebec paid for one used and two new Challenger 650s, and $753 million the federal government paid for six new Global 6500 jets.
