You won't believe what Ford did on your dime

Good morning from the gateway — Lake Simcoe's awake, the 400 is already packed, and Barrie's got growing pains. Let's talk about it.

Okay, so here's what's actually happening: Premier Ford, the guy who talks a lot about saving taxpayers money, decided to expense a trip to Disney World in Florida. Not just any trip, but to attend a union conference in mid-July 2025. The provincial expense disclosure list shows four individuals racked up $11,709 in commercial flights and hotels. This isn't just a quick jaunt; it's a Florida vacation on the public's tab, and it happened around the same time his government was finalizing the purchase of that new OPP jet. It makes you wonder about priorities, right?

### Your Tax Dollars at Disney

This isn't about whether attending a conference is necessary; it's about the optics, and frankly, the cost. We've got housing pressures in Barrie, traffic on Bayfield is up 40% since the new subdivision opened, and another 3,000 units just got approved on the south end. Every dollar counts when we're trying to figure out how to pay for the infrastructure to support all this growth. To see nearly twelve grand spent on a trip to *Florida*, especially Disney, just feels like a slap in the face for people trying to make ends meet and keep up with rising property taxes in places like Barrie. It's the kind of thing that makes you question how seriously our elected officials take the fiscal health of our province, and by extension, our city.

* **What was expensed?** Commercial flights and hotels.

* **Where?** Disney World, Florida.

* **When?** Mid-July 2025.

* **Total cost?** $11,709 for four individuals.

For us here in Barrie, who are constantly pushing for better funding for our waterfront projects, for more transit options beyond the GO train just connecting us to Toronto, and for real solutions to our growth challenges, seeing this kind of expense just feels tone-deaf. It’s a reminder that while we’re dealing with the day-to-day realities of a rapidly expanding city, some decisions feel very detached from those realities.

Alright, that's the buzz for today.

You know Keith and the gang are absolutely going to go off on this one — catch them live every morning at mornings.live.