Scott Thompson: Do Ontarians care about size of Toronto city council?

Considering how much we have all been fired, cut or downsized over the years, I don’t think there is a lot of sympathy for shrinking the number of politicians we employ on the public purse.

Perhaps that is the reason Premier Doug Ford has made cutting the size of Toronto city council a priority for his newly elected government.

Although there is lots of talk in the media, does the average Ontarian care if big fat Toronto gets its city council numbers shaved in half?

I’d say no, unless you’re a politician, inspiring to be one, or a special interest group trying to get their attention.

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Ford’s mistake was trying to ram this through during a municipal election campaign without making it part of his provincial election platform.

Changing the rules during the game only creates the perception there are ulterior motives at play. What’s the gain?

This has caught citizens off guard, wondering why he would tackle such an issue while most are waiting for relief on kitchen table priorities like jobs, healthcare, education and energy.

Plus, using terminology like the “notwithstanding clause” only adds fuel to a fire that is not a burning issue for most Ontarians.

Even more so, it is red meat for the opposition who will pounce on any reason to draw comparisons to a bullying Donald Trump and turn it into a tire fire.

I don’t get it.

The one comparison to Donald Trump I can see developing is this: Ford creating his own problems for himself out of issues that are only important to him (or his base) and not the rest of the province.

That’s hardly worth the political capital this early in the game — and hopefully not a sign of things to come.

Scott Thompson is the host of The Scott Thompson Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML.