Swooning on Ford

I have just finished listening to a CBC radio interview with Doug Ford.  I am about to swoon.  I don’t swoon often, but no provincial taxes for those making under $30,000 a year. It won’t help me, I will still be paying taxes, but with job churning, I am surrounded by people who make under $30,000 who are really struggling just to get by. But the real swoon moment came when he said he was in favour of the privatization of pot stores – can I get an ‘Amen’.

Now he did say, he needs to consult and discuss this issue with his caucus and hear their thoughts, but in his personal opinion, he favours letting the private sector run it.

I haven’t been able to determine just how much Wynne intends to spend getting into the retail pot business, but the most recent article I have on the January 2018 CBC article suggests it could take at least 2 years before the province sees a return on their initial retail investment.

We do know that the Liberals have already spent $650,000 for the new logo and branding/marketing strategy. Although, why the Wynne government believes they need an officially branding/marketing strategy for a product that is already widely consumed illicitly and the government will have an absolute monopoly on the legal retail trade once legalization happens this July - providing the Liberals win the election …but hey, it’s Wynne and another Liberal spending cluster fuck…so Bob's your uncle.

The truth is, no one knows, what the demand/market for legalized pot will be but letting the private sector take the risk for establishing  retail pot stores  makes far more sense than a top heavy investment by government in the retail sector and hoping to break even in a few years.

I suggest you listen to the full interview.  Robyn Bresnahan is rather hostile but the Doug keeps his cool and keep in mind the kind of efficiencies Ford is discussing is not making multi-million dollar investments in the risky retail sector or even buying Canada Goose Jackets youth correctional facilities workers….oh yes, the Wynne government did.