🇨🇦 Doug Ford citing $8.5B airport boost from a study that doesn't exist

Ontario's entire rationale for expropriating Toronto land and ramming jets into Billy Bishop rests on an economic impact figure the Toronto Port Authority admits it hasn't actually finished calculating. The province has announced the $8.5 billion annual benefit multiple times, used it to justify overriding environmental rules, and still won't say if they've done any independent analysis. Just trust the vibes.

This is governance by press release. Ford declares a special economic zone, Sarkaria tables legislation to seize municipal authority, and the supposed economic windfall is based on preliminary work that won't be done until fall. Experts are already calling it overblown, but why let missing data slow down a good land grab. The expansion may or may not make sense, but launching it on phantom numbers while bulldozing local input is pure Ford-era contempt for process.

🍁 Maple Chronicles