Ontario: 1)Ford calls on Carney to extend gas tax cut or make it permanent; 2)Ontario launches reviews of large public agencies including Metrolinx, LCBO

1)Ford calls on Carney to extend gas tax cut or make it permanent

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Allison Jones, August 7, 2026

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to make a gas tax suspension permanent, or at least extend it beyond its looming expiry.

Carney announced in April that the government would pause collection of the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel until Labour Day, as a way to counteract rising gas prices.

It saves Canadians 10 cents per litre on regular gasoline and four cents on a litre of diesel.

Ford has written today to Carney asking him to keep the tax break in place until Jan. 1, 2027, or to make the suspension permanent.

Ontario first temporarily cut its provincial gas tax rate by 5.7 cents in 2022 and repeatedly extended it until eventually making it permanent last year, keeping the provincial rate of tax at nine cents per litre.

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also urged the Liberal government to suspend the federal fuel excise tax and the GST on gas and diesel, and to permanently eliminate the clean fuel standard and industrial carbon tax.

2)Ontario launches reviews of large public agencies including Metrolinx, LCBO

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Allison Jones, Aug. 5, 2026.

Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy speaking at a press conference with Premier Doug Ford in Toronto

The Ontario government is putting several large public agencies under the microscope, launching reviews that will look at efficiency and productivity.

The announcement Wednesday from Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy comes as government spending has been under increased scrutiny recently, due to Toronto-area Progressive Conservative caucus members billing thousands in Toronto hotel stays.

Premier Doug Ford has said he told them to pay back “every single penny,” but Bethlenfalvy could not say if that has happened.

Bethlenfalvy said the province is reviewing eight agencies starting this summer with an eye to ensuring their spending is sustainable.

“We are doing this work to ensure the front-line services that they deliver and that the people rely on every day are protected,” he said at a press conference.

“Provincial agencies are essential partners to us in our plan to protect Ontario, and that is why our government is ensuring that operations remain sustainable.”

The agencies being reviewed are: Metrolinx, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Supply Ontario, Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, Legal Aid Ontario, Agricorp, and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said Metrolinx in particular should have more oversight, with more than 120 vice-presidents.

However, she said she is skeptical about the timing of the announcement, coming as the government faces questions about expenses.

“If this is simply an excuse for the government to distract from their own scandals, let me tell you this: if you want to find efficiencies, you want to save taxpayers a few dollars, start by not taking the dollars out of their pocket and spending it on things like private jets and luxury hotel suites,” she said.

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser also tied the announcement to the now-reversed purchase of a $29-million jet for Premier Doug Ford’s use and said the timing is suspect.

“On the eve of three byelections, the government wants to look fiscally responsible,” he wrote in a statement. “They’re not.”

Bethlenfalvy suggested the government has given the agencies some figures of savings it would like to see, but he did not share those publicly.