Ontario Premier Doug Ford did not say whether he plans to appoint a new cabinet minister from Ottawa after Merrilee Fullerton's sudden resignation.
"We make sure that we listen to all 444 municipalities no matter if they have a cabinet minister or not a cabinet minister," the premier told reporters in Hamilton, Ont. on Thursday. "We'll always be there for Ottawa."
After Fullerton's sudden departure last week, Ottawa - the province's second-largest city - now has no representative at the cabinet table.
Asked what plans he has to address that, Ford said he has been on the phone with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe "almost every single day."
"I was on the phone this morning with him. I'm on the phone all the time," he said. "So you're well-represented in Ottawa. We'll always take care of you."
The closest cabinet representative to Ottawa is Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, who represents Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.
Two Progressive Conservative MPPs represent Ottawa ridings: Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari and Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod.
MacLeod was in cabinet during the Ford government's last term but was not reappointed.
Stéphane Sarrazin’s riding, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, includes the eastern tip of Ottawa, but the lion's share is outside the city.
Ford also said Fullerton was a "wonderful minister."
"I know she wants to spend time with the family. There's no harder worker than Merrilee Fullerton. She contributed a tremendous amount to our team," he said.
Fullerton, a family physician, left medicine for politics in the lead-up to the 2018 election when she won her seat and won again, handily, in 2022.
"A strong sense of duty brought me to politics after decades as a family physician serving my community, to continue my work toward solutions that would address the shortcomings of our health-care system and improve health services for individuals," she wrote in her resignation letter to Ford on Friday.
"To serve the people of this province has been a profound honour."
Fullerton held three cabinet posts in her time in government, starting in 2018.
Richmond Hill MPP Michael Parsa has replaced Fullerton as minister of children, community and social services.
Ford also couldn't resist taking a jab at former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson during his answer.
"He's a great mayor, by the way," Ford said about Sutcliffe. "I've had more phone calls probably in the last week than I did in four years from the previous mayor.”
There is no love lost between the two. The public inquiry into the Emergencies Act heard that Watson, in a conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accused Ford of shirking his responsibilities during the 'Freedom Convoy' protests.
Commissioner Paul Rouleau wrote that a lack of engagement by the premier had residents of Ottawa feeling abandoned by their provincial government.
"I find the province of Ontario’s reluctance to become fully engaged in such efforts directed at resolving the situation in Ottawa troubling," Rouleau wrote.
Ford has denied that, suggesting Watson and former police chief Peter Sloly didn't do their jobs properly.
- with files from The Canadian Press
Paul Bernardo should be returned to a maximum-security prison, the lawyer representing the families of his young murder victims said as he called on the Correctional Service of Canada to be more transparent about what led to his transfer to a medium-security facility in the first place.
Prince Harry's phone hacking trial against the publisher of the Daily Mirror kicked off Monday without him present -- and the judge was not happy.
A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation's capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region.
Special teams played a difference on Sunday night as the United States scored two short-handed goals en route to a 6-1 victory over Canada in the World Para Hockey Championship gold-medal game.
Mosquitoes have always been pesky, but this spring it seems the bloodsuckers are thirstier than ever, a trend one expert says is increasing.
Prince Harry is set to testify in the first of his five pending legal cases largely centred around battles with British tabloids. Opening statements are scheduled Monday in his case.
Apple appears poised to unveil a long-rumoured headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter's ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public's imagination.
France will be sending firefighters to aid Quebec as the province continues to battle massive forest fires, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.
A wildfire that tore through homes and businesses in the Halifax area is 100 per cent contained, but a historic fire in southwestern Nova Scotia remains out of control.
A wildfire that tore through homes and businesses in the Halifax area is 100 per cent contained, but a historic fire in southwestern Nova Scotia remains out of control.
The Nova Scotia government says it is investigating the theft of personal information stolen through a global privacy breach to a third-party file transfer system the province was using.
One person has died and two others are in hospital with serious injuries after a three-vehicle collision in Springfield, P.E.I.
Olivia Chow has continued to grow her already commanding lead in the polls with just three weeks left before Toronto’s mayoral election.
Police have released images of two suspects who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in downtown Toronto in April.
Two people have been rushed to a trauma centre in critical condition and a third person sustained serious injuries after a multi-vehicle collision in Caledon, paramedics confirm.
Paul Bernardo should be returned to a maximum-security prison, the lawyer representing the families of his young murder victims said as he called on the Correctional Service of Canada to be more transparent about what led to his transfer to a medium-security facility in the first place.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) have identified the adult victim of a fishing incident that claimed five lives over the weekend, most of them children. Keven Girard, 37, was among a group of 11 people swept up by the tide late Friday night while fishing along the shore in Portneuf-sur-Mer, a village about 550 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Wildfires in northwestern Quebec prompted thousands to evacuate the area over the weekend, as the number of blazes pushed past 150 and firefighters and the military poured into parts of the province to fight the encroaching flames -- even as that threat eased slightly Sunday on the North Shore.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) have identified the adult victim of a fishing incident that claimed five lives over the weekend, most of them children. Keven Girard, 37, was among a group of 11 people swept up by the tide late Friday night while fishing along the shore in Portneuf-sur-Mer, a village about 550 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Mosquitoes have always been pesky, but this spring it seems the bloodsuckers are thirstier than ever, a trend one expert says is increasing.
The number of forest fires in northern Ontario continues to grow with a total of 48 active fires in the region, including 33 that are not yet under control. Only two months into the fire season and there have already been more than double the total number in 2022.
A much more seasonal week, temperature wise, is on the way for the London area. The sunshine remains but temperatures will drop a few degrees to between 20 C and 24 C — the normal for this time of year being around 24 C.
Mosquitoes have always been pesky, but this spring it seems the bloodsuckers are thirstier than ever, a trend one expert says is increasing.
It was a colourful congregation inside Norwich United Church (NUC), in Norwich, Ont. during its second annual Pride service. The celebration comes six weeks after Norwich Council decided not to fly the pride flag on municipal property during the month of June.
Sunday saw the largest Pride Parade in Winnipeg’s history.
A Manitoba couple have completed a two week journey by Red River cart to raise money for children in Ukraine.
Winnipeg and parts of eastern Manitoba are under a severe thunderstorm watch.
A business owner in Kitchener says he’s feeling defeated after his business caught fire again early Sunday morning.
Waterloo regional police say two large ‘uncontained’ boa constrictors were found in a vehicle while police were conducting a traffic stop.
Wellington North Fire says around 60 firefighters from multiple stations were needed to knock down two early morning fires, which have caused estimated damages exceeding $1 million.
A public meeting will give Calgarians an inside look into the exact details of an agreement in principle that could land the city a new event centre, but critics are already skeptical of the cost breakdown.
Thousands came out to the 32nd annual Lilac Festival on Sunday to mark the unofficial start of summer in Calgary.
It seemed like everyone and their dog was out Saturday at North Glenmore Park.
After a long hockey season, most kids are done with the cold rinks by spring. But for the chance to rub shoulders with a locally grown hockey superstar, you dust off the gear and skate in June.
A talented motocross racer from the Saskatoon area has achieved a remarkable feat.
Following days of storm activity, much of Saskatchewan is now under heat warnings as temperatures climb to far above seasonal.
The internet memes starting meme-ing within days of Monday's Alberta provincial election and the comments reflect concerns that the province is becoming increasingly polarized.
It's been three months since the Edmonton Chinatown and Area Business Improvement Association started its long-term "Chinatown Solution" project, and the organization said things are going well.
Alberta is no longer under a provincial state of emergency.
The family of a missing 23-year-old man held a large search party on Granville Island Sunday afternoon.
People who use drugs and advocates are vocalizing their support of a downtown overdose prevention site in response to some residents — and a prominent developer — who no longer want it in their backyard.
Nick Cannon is gearing up for a running race to support a cause close to his heart.
The 2023 'Gutsy Walk' took place across Canada as well as in Regina, and it was more than just a walk in the park.
Following days of storm activity, much of Saskatchewan is now under heat warnings as temperatures climb to far above seasonal.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have updated their roster following their 2-0 performance in the 2023 pre-season.
