Channelling Mel Lastman, Tory MPP wants Toronto to separate from Ontario

Bill Murdoch, Tory MPP for Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, is pretty confident that he knows what Ontario is and what it isn’t. And what it isn’t is Toronto. The Brantford Expositor reports:

Bill Murdoch says it’s time Toronto separates from the rest of Ontario.

“The province is run totally by the mentality that is coming out of Toronto. The government of the day can’t get anything done because they are overruled by Toronto,” said the maverick MPP.…

Murdoch suggested that the new province of Toronto would be limited to the 416 area code.

“The 905 area code stays with Ontario. We’re still going to have cities, like London, Windsor, Ottawa. We could put the capital in London,” he said.

Sound familiar?

If this is the bargain Murdoch wants to make—Toronto gets more power and the “real Ontario” (or “Murdochland”) is left with fewer people and less money—then maybe we should consider it. Just a few questions remain: Why slice Toronto away but keep Mississauga? Could we put tolls on the 401 for out-of-province tourists (Delaware pretty much does this already)? Will they take Queen’s Park to London brick by brick? And, finally, how many senators do we get?

• Should Toronto Go It Alone? [Toronto Star]
• MPP says it’s time for Toronto to separate from the province [Brantford Expositor]