Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province has sold a recently purchased used private jet for the same price it was bought for.
Ford says Bombardier has bought the plane for $28.9 million, the exact amount the province agreed to pay.
The province reversed course on purchasing the used Challenger 650 jet, a decision initially announced by the premier’s office last week and slammed by opposition parties at Queen’s Park, who pointed out that the expensive purchase came amid an extended affordability crisis for many Ontarians.
The premier’s office stated that officials proceeded with the purchase to support Ford’s travel across the province, Canada, and the United States.
The province emphasized at the time that the cost was significantly lower than what other governments have paid for similar aircraft, noting that Quebec spent $107 million on a fleet that included one used and two new Challenger 650s, while the federal government paid $753 million for six new Global 6500 jets.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said Ford only got “buyer’s remorse” because of the backlash he faced following the plane’s purchase. Days later, Ford maintained that the plane would have paid dividends.
“I just want to explain to the people, our province is massive, I have to get to the north numerous times, there’s no charter flights up in the north,” he said from Ottawa on Monday. “They are cancelling stops in the majority of all northern jurisdictions … so I’ve got to find another mode of transportation, that’s what it comes down to.”
Despite his justifications for the private plane and his acknowledgment that past premiers have had them, Ford ultimately said he listened to the people of Ontario.
“I heard loud and clear, because I’m the only person in the world who gives out his cell number, and I heard loud and clear from the people that this was not the time to purchase a plane, so I’ve directed the staff to be in contact with Bombardier [to] sell it immediately at the same cost,” he said.
With files from Michael Talbot of CityNews