Premier Doug Ford's trip to Windsor on Friday was for official government business, his office says, even though he attended a party event while he was there.
A planespotter's video of an Ontario Provincial Police plane landing at the Windsor airport on Friday, with a caption noting that it had "Doug Ford aboard for Ford Fest," got some traction on the social media site formerly known as Twitter this week, with critics of the Ford government questioning why the police would be flying the premier to a political party event.
Asked to confirm if the premier was on the plane, Ford spokesperson Caitlin Clark would only say the premier's security detail travels with him at all times.
She also noted the premier took care of some official government business before he headed to the Progressive Conservative party event.
“The premier travelled to Windsor for official government business, including a tour of the University of Windsor’s CHARGE lab and a presentation of the SHIELD lab capabilities, as well as a meeting with the university president," said Clark. "The Ontario PC Party hosted and funded all costs related to FordFest on the same day. The premier’s official protection detail travel with him at all times. As is custom, the costs associated with government business were covered accordingly.”
She did not answer a followup question seeking to clarify if taxpayers footed the whole bill for the flight, saying again the premier always travels with the OPP. The party did not answer a question about whether it covered any of the costs.
It's not unusual for any premier to include both political and government business on the same trip, said two sources with significant experience in Ontario politics, one of whom is an opponent of Ford and the PCs. They told The Trillium that it doesn't cost the party to add a partisan event to the itinerary. Because the premier needs to be accompanied by a security detail whether the event is partisan or government business, it's most efficient to combine events on one trip.
One of the sources added the premier and his office would have no say over the OPP's logistical decisions concerning the protection of the premier.
But NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she shares the concerns of those upset about the flight and has "a lot of questions" that she intends to follow up on.
"So when Doug Ford goes out to his Ford Fest and gives out his free wieners, you know, good on him. As long as the PC party is paying for that," she said on Tuesday at an unrelated press conference in Pickering.
The new Pilatus turboprop was purchased this year and is registered to the OPP's field support bureau. Its publicly available flight history indicates it's used daily, making frequent flights to Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout and other northern Ontario locations.
OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said the OPP began procurement of the plane, the force's second Pilatus, during the pandemic and it arrived in May 2023, at a cost of $8.91 million.
"OPP aircraft are used to transport officers and personnel to the site of serious incidents, criminal investigations, emergency situations or for other public safety reasons across the entire province of Ontario," he said. "It also allows for the rapid transportation and deployment of OPP officers into rural and remote communities, which allows for better response times. The Pilatus assists with security details, transportation of prisoners and some search and rescue operations."
"The OPP’s Protective Services Section provides security services for the premier of Ontario, as well as the lieutenant-governor and the executive council. The Protective Service Section is assigned to ensure that neither violence nor intimidation influences the political process nor government decision-making, and the OPP takes the safety of protectees very seriously," he added. "One part of the protection is that the OPP is responsible for the transportation of protectees in order to ensure their safety. For the safety of those we protect, we cannot divulge the operational information regarding the movement or security of protectees."
—With files from Jack Hauen
Editor's note: This story was updated to remove a description of FordFest as a "fundraising" event. While attendees had to register and were taken to a website where they could donate to the party, donations were not mandatory.
