Ontario Premier Doug Ford has ordered the province to sell a recently acquired Bombardier jet after a wave of criticism over the nearly $29 million purchase, conceding the public made clear the timing was wrong as households struggle with rising costs.
Speaking in Ottawa on Monday, Ford said he had directed provincial officials to begin the process of offloading the aircraft, a used 2016 Bombardier Challenger 650 bought for $28.9 million. The government had confirmed the purchase only days earlier, saying the plane would support travel across Ontario and to the United States for provincial business.
“I heard loud and clear from the people that this was not the time to purchase a plane,” Ford told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa Monday morning. “So I’ve directed the staff, provincial staff, to be in contact, which they are, with Bombardier, sell it immediately, and at the same cost we took possession last week.”
The reversal came after opposition parties and members of the public sharply criticized the expense, arguing the province had misread the moment. Ford acknowledged the anger, pointing to the financial pressures many Ontarians are already facing.
“I understand their concerns. I understand the cost of fuel is going up. I understand groceries are going up. I understand everything is going up and it’s costly. And I do appreciate the calls that I received saying, this is not the time right now,” Ford said.
Even as he backed away from the purchase, Ford defended the need for faster travel in a province as large as Ontario and rejected the suggestion the aircraft was intended solely for him.
“This was not Doug Ford’s plane. It was a government plane used by multiple ministries,” Ford said.
He also argued he was facing more criticism than other political leaders who travel by private aircraft.
“No scrutiny. But when I do it, I guess there’s a double standard,” he said.
Opposition presses Ford over taxpayer losses
At Queen’s Park, Opposition Leader Marit Stiles said cancelling the plan does not end the issue, and demanded accountability for any public money lost in the purchase and resale.
“The people of this province are outraged and rightfully so,” Stiles said in Question Period Monday.
She accused Ford of being out of touch, saying, “While the premier was obsessing over what colour leather would go in his private luxury jet, he was lecturing Ontario’s post secondary students, telling them to work harder and make better choices. So to the premier, how come when it comes to OSAP, there’s no money, but when it comes to shiny toys for the premier, there’s plenty?”
Ford was not in the legislature for the exchange, leaving Government House Leader Steve Clark and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy to answer on behalf of the government. Clark defended the turnaround as proof the premier responded when a decision missed the mark.
“You know, it shows leadership when our premier recognizes that a decision needs to be changed, and he changes it,” Clark said.
Interim Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser called Ford “a wannabe billionaire,” while Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner tied the controversy to the province’s proposed changes to Freedom of Information rules. The focus now shifts to whether taxpayers will absorb penalties, resale losses, or other costs linked to the brief life of Ontario’s jet purchase.
