Good morning from the Region — three cities, one wire, zero time for small talk. Let's go.
### Ford's WFH hypocrisy just hits different here
You know, there's always something about politicians saying one thing and doing another, but Premier Ford telling civil servants to get back to the office while he's working from his cottage? That's rich, truly. Global News got their hands on his itinerary, and it shows him taking a fair few meetings from home, or even virtually, even as he pushed his own staff to return. It's a bit like telling everyone to use the ION LRT to ease traffic, then driving your SUV from Waterloo to Kitchener every day yourself. The optics are... not good.
Here's the thing about this Region. We're a hub for hybrid work, a real pioneer. Companies in the Tannery building, at Communitech, they've been figuring out flexible work for years, long before it was trendy. We know it works. We've got the tech for it. So to have the province mandate a return to office, and then for the Premier to seemingly not follow his own advice, well, it feels a bit like a slap in the face to all the innovation happening right here.
* **What this means for Kitchener-Waterloo:** * **Traffic:** More provincial employees back on the 401 means more congestion, which eventually spills onto the 7/8. * **Downtown Core:** Less foot traffic downtown for places like the Kitchener Market or the small shops on King Street if more people are stuck in Toronto. * **Trust:** It erodes public trust, especially for a region that values practicality and sensible governance.
We're all trying to balance things here, from our tech startups to our manufacturing plants along Shirley Avenue. This kind of "do as I say, not as I do" approach just doesn't sit well in a place that prides itself on being straightforward. It’s a bit of a schmear on the good name of public service, isn’t it?
Anja Baumann-Fong, MiTL Sports Desk, Kitchener-Waterloo.
The crew on the Morning Wire show breaks down all the local angles on this one — catch it live at mornings.live.