The Ontario government purchased a private jet for $28.9 million
The gravy plane is now boarding
People on the front lines of health care and education have been sounding alarms about provincial under-funding for some time. We hope they’re sitting down when they read that Premier Doug Ford’s government just spent $28.9 million on a private jet.
“As part of the job of being Premier of Ontario, there is extensive travel within Ontario, a province twice the landmass of Texas,” said a statement sent from Ford’s office to the CBC. The statement confirmed the government’s purchase of a Bombardier Challenger 650, which was previously owned. (The premier is spending taxpayer dollars wisely, folks—this second-hand jet was manufactured in 2016.)
Related: People are wondering why Doug Ford’s daughter got a 33.9 per cent raise last year
“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 statement said.
Back in 2019, Ford proclaimed that he was “the only premier in history that refused to use the premier’s plane, the King Air, that costs the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.” He said that he preferred to drive because it allowed him to stop and talk to people about issues such as creating jobs and lowering taxes.
In a statement issued today, NDP leader Marit Stiles said that Ford’s “gravy plane”—a reference to former mayor Rob Ford’s frequent use of “gravy train,” which many online were quick to adopt—was at odds with the economic hardship currently faced by many.
“While Ford puts his hands in the taxpayer’s pocket to buy himself a private jet and build luxury spas, families are struggling to buy groceries,” Stiles said. “Maybe it’s time to start flying economy like the rest of us.”
Related: Most Ontarians oppose Doug Ford’s Freedom of Information changes
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
