The Ontario government is abruptly selling a $29-million private jet purchased for Premier Doug Ford, a reversal that comes just days after the acquisition was made public and triggered a storm of criticism.
Premier Doug Ford acknowledged the public's concerns in a statement on Sunday, stating he agreed it was the wrong time for such an expense.
His office is now working with Bombardier and other partners to facilitate the sale of the 2016 Bombardier Challenger 650. This marks a sharp pivot from the government's initial justification that the premier's frequent work travel warranted the aircraft, which they noted cost $28.9 million, significantly less than the $107 million Quebec recently spent on its fleet of three jets.
Opposition questions cost and transparency
The purchase was immediately condemned by opposition parties as a wasteful extravagance during an affordability crisis. NDP Leader Marit Stiles and interim Liberal Leader John Fraser dubbed the aircraft Ford's 'gravy plane,' a term that quickly gained traction online and in media reports. Fraser expressed skepticism that taxpayers would avoid a financial hit from the sudden reversal. He warned the government could be forced to sell the jet at a loss and criticized what he described as a lack of transparency around the deal, pointing to the government's recent changes to freedom-of-information laws. Similar issues of transparency around government spending have been recently highlighted, where digital tools increase public access to records.
Now, only after intense backlash, he’s scrambling to sell his gravy plane. But it could easily be sold at a loss and sit on the books as a liability for taxpayers for months. How much is this going to cost Ontarians? We may never know.
“Ontario can’t afford a Premier who lavishes himself in luxury and operates under the cover of darkness and secrecy, while he messes up everything under his control,” Fraser added, connecting the jet purchase to a broader pattern of alleged mismanagement.
The criticism extended beyond Queen's Park. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a fiscally conservative watchdog group, also lambasted the decision.
“It is completely unacceptable Ford is billing taxpayers for a private jet so he can fly around the province in luxury,” said Noah Jarvis, the federation's Ontario director, in a statement. “Especially when this government is borrowing billions of dollars this year and wasting more than a billion dollars a month on debt interest charges.”
Public discontent in a time of crisis
The fierce backlash over the jet did not occur in a vacuum. It landed amid widespread public dissatisfaction with the Progressive Conservative government's handling of core issues. A recent poll from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute found that overwhelming majorities of Ontarians believe the government is performing poorly on the top three issues they care about: the high cost of living (81 per cent), health care (79 per cent), and housing affordability (83 per cent).
For many, the purchase of a multi-million dollar luxury aircraft while residents struggle with everyday expenses was seen as profoundly tone-deaf. The incident exemplifies the disconnect that critics say plagues the Ford government, which has faced scrutiny over other large spending projects, such as its multi-billion dollar jail expansion, and for issues of accountability, including the improper release of inmates from provincial jails.
Ironically, Ford himself has a well-documented fear of flying, particularly in the smaller OPP planes he often uses for travel within the province. “You hit wind turbulence, and you're. at least my heart. it just drops, and you drop 100 feet, and you're holding on for dear life,” he said at a press conference late last year. In 2019, he had also brushed off the idea of the government buying a plane.
What's next for the premier's plane?
Despite these criticisms and Ford's perennially low personal approval ratings, the Progressive Conservatives have secured three consecutive majority governments. The Angus Reid data suggests this success is partly due to a fractured opposition, with the NDP and Liberals splitting the anti-Ford vote. The poll found Ontarians are nearly evenly divided on whether the PCs (44 per cent) or an opposition party (41 per cent) are best equipped to lead the province.
The government's quick U-turn on the jet demonstrates the potent influence of public opinion, but questions about the financial consequences remain. The process of selling a specialized asset like a Challenger 650 is complex and may not recoup the full purchase price, potentially leaving taxpayers to cover a loss.
This lack of clarity is amplified by what critics like Fraser describe as a growing veil of secrecy over government operations, a concern that has been raised in other contexts, including recent government moves impacting governance at Toronto's school board.
The government has confirmed it is working with Bombardier to offload the plane, but has not yet provided a timeline or an expected sale price. As the province moves to divest from the aircraft, Ontarians will be watching to see the final cost of the short-lived decision.
