Premier Doug Ford has moved Stephen Lecce from education to the rebranded Ministry of Energy and Electrification, which will oversee electric vehicle infrastructure and Ontario’s nuclear power generation fleet. Todd Smith will take over education.
In a major overhaul, Premier Doug Ford has shuffled his cabinet — swapping longtime education minister Stephen Lecce and energy minister Todd Smith — ahead of an extended summer hiatus.
Ford on Thursday ended the legislative session a week early before launching a massive revamp, moving 14 ministers and expanding his executive council to 36.
The move comes as the premier is considering an election next spring, a year earlier than the scheduled June 2026 date and against the backdrop of an RCMP investigation into the $8.28-billion Greenbelt land swap scandal.
“We’re at an important moment in our province’s history with clear choices,” Ford said in a statement.
The premier is so confident the Mounties’ probe will not touch his office that he has brought back Steve Clark — who resigned as housing minister last September over the Greenbelt imbroglio — to be government house leader. However, that role will no longer be a cabinet position.
Clark takes over the job from Paul Calandra, who keeps his other duties as minister of municipal affairs and housing.
The most significant change is plugging Lecce into the rebranded Ministry of Energy and Electrification, with increased responsibilities for electric vehicle infrastructure as well as boosting Ontario’s nuclear power generation fleet.
“It has been a very inspiring experience for me to learn from young people in Canada and Ontario,” he told reporters after being sworn in.
This story is from the June 07, 2024 edition of Toronto Star.
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This story is from the June 07, 2024 edition of Toronto Star.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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