“Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!” Fans of the 1960’s sci-fi TV show Lost in Space will instantly recognize those words of warning issued by Robot to protect young Will Robinson. In 2026 , Robot would be blasting out that warning to a new generation of Ontarians as the Ford Conservative manic majority government pushes through Bill 100, the Better Regional Governance Act, 2026.
For an extra dose of danger, couple Bill 100 with Bill 97, Plan to Protect Ontario (Budget Measures) Act, which was just pushed closer to passing in a rare late night meeting of our provincial government. Bill 97 would amend the Freedom of Information Act, restrict public access to information and “explicitly excludes records held by the Premier, Cabinet Ministers, and their political staff.”
Doubling down on danger, Will Robinson!
This attitude has infected municipal politics as well. Claire Ayigh, my research assistant, has noted. “Reports have highlighted that ‘misinformation’ and ‘confidential’ complaints are being used to shut down debate and prevent public scrutiny on key issues, such as land-use planning and legal proceedings.
Consider that the recently passed Bill 97 applies retroactively for 40 years! That mean the office and phone records of Premiers and cabinet ministers shrouded in secrecy for decades, effectively keeping the Mike Harris reign of terror years under wraps. Birds of a feather lie, steal and cheat together. “Hey Mike, what happened to those Ipperwash, Dudley George murder, Municipal health care budget cuts and Walkerton death files?” “Gee whiz Doug, I guess we’ll never know now.” Hearty old boys’ club laughter.
The beat goes on. Yesterday, when I asked my research assistant, Claire Ayigh, who would most likely be the government appointed new Chair for the Region of Peel, this is the answer I received:
“[Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing] Rob Flack is anticipated to appoint [Strong Mayor Annette] Groves as the new Chair of Peel. This aligns with the [Conservative Ford] government’s strategy to streamline regional governance and enhance decision making efficiency.”
That statement is possibly an AI error in accessing questionable sources, but it sure fits Bill 100. If it comes true, Robot’s warning may already be too late. The way I see it.
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NOTE: At the private Annette Groves Community Fundraising Gala (NOT a Mayor’s event sanctioned by the Town of Caledon) held yesterday, Premier Ford announced that current Chair Nando Iannicca would likely be nominated to retain his position. This choice had been indicated previously by the now disgraced former Municipal Affairs Minister, Steve Clark, Ford’s scapegoat for the Greenbelt Scandal that opened up previously protected lands to favoured developers.
UPDATE: Breaking on Facebook: Annette Groves has announced her retirement as Mayor of Caledon. Stay tuned for verification and commentary. And don’t trust AI.