Premier Doug Ford is reminding residents and small businesses that they can call him if they have any concerns or questions.
On Friday, Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy were in Toronto announcing that alcohol will be sold at convenience stores across the province starting in August, ahead of the initial rollout plan for early 2026.
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While speaking with reporters, Ford was asked if he’s concerned about a perception that people, companies or municipalities have to hire lobbyists or sources close to Ford to get an objective achieved by his government.
Ford responded that he’s “not at all” concerned and that “we (the government) focus on the people.”
He then reminded the public that anyone can call him with their concerns.
“Anyone who wants to call me, they can pick up the phone and call me directly on my cell phone. I get a couple hundred messages. I deal with everything from dogs to cats to cracked sidewalks to businesses, permits. You name it, they call me.”
In the past, Ford gave out his personal cell phone number to the public for residents to reach him directly with their inquiries, However, back in 2019, Ford reportedly had to cancel his personal cell phone number after being inundated with calls. The numbers to the Premier’s office and his Etobicoke North Constituency office, however, continue to be available for the public to access.
Ford said every warden and mayor in the province has his number and that he deals with a minimum of half a dozen calls every day, and urges anyone to reach out to him.
“So folks, you need something, you call me direct, call my office, call my colleagues. We return the calls, we get back to every single person. And it’s not big corporations that call me. Small mom and pops, people that have a problem,” he shared.
Ford proceeded to mention a recent call he got from a resident who was upset that they weren’t able to take their dog on a VIA train ride.
“They couldn’t get their pet on the VIA trains… so (to) the president of VIA, let these people bring their pets, it’s part of the family. If they’re going to visit relatives somewhere, let them hop on the train. They’re well-behaved and full disclosure, I’m a dog lover, (my) family has dogs,” Ford said.
“That’s just one of hundreds of calls I get about anything you could possibly think of,” he added.
According to VIA Rail’s website, the company allows only small dogs and cats to travel in cars with their owners only on corridor trains (Quebec City-Windsor), and pets must be small enough to fit in a carrier that meets their standards.
