What to know
- Newly released government documents show Ontario spent nearly $200,000 in additional aviation, legal and consulting fees tied to the purchase and rapid resale of a $28.9-million Bombardier Challenger 650 jet.
- The province purchased the aircraft on April 15 and sold it less than two weeks later on April 27 after backlash over the government’s use of taxpayer money for the deal.
- The extra costs included about $140,000 for aircraft management services, nearly $33,500 in legal fees and roughly $17,800 for acquisition support services related to the transaction.
Newly released documents by the premier’s office show nearly $200,000 in taxpayer money was spent by the Ontario government for the controversial purchase and sale of a $28.9-million private jet.
Premier Doug Ford’s office confirmed last month that the government had purchased a Bombardier Challenger 650 for governmental use, which was sold days later by the province after extensive backlash from other officials and the public.
After being pressured by other officials to come clean about the purchase and sale of the plane, including by NDP Leader Marit Stiles who called on the Auditor General Shelley Spence to investigate the acquisition, Ford said earlier this week he would be releasing paperwork regarding the jet.
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The highly-awaited documents were finally unveiled by the premier’s office on Wednesday afternoon, containing details of the agreement with Bombardier to purchase the jet, according to the Canadian Press.
The documents show that the Ontario government in fact bought and then resold the jet for $21 million USD before taxes, which is approximately $28.8 million CAD. According to a ministry note, the purchase of the jet was completed on April 15, and its resale just under two-weeks later on April 27.
However, the government also took on $190,865.56 CAD before taxes in aviation expenses related to the purchase. This included:
- Approximately $17,800 in acquisition support services to Services Lyne Barbeau Inc., including contract review and transactional guidance for the process;
- Nearly $140,000 in aircraft management services such as maintenance, training, storage and inspections to Execaire Aviation;
- About $33,500 to Miriam Kavanagh Professional Corporation for legal services regarding the transaction.
The newly-released documents come after Ford was heavily criticized for the jet purchase, with members of the public and other politicians calling the move “out of touch.”
Despite acknowledging the criticism and deciding to sell the plane, Ford previously defended the acquisition, pointing out that other levels of government have also recently purchased private aircrafts, including Quebec and the federal government.
“There’s no one in this country that is scrutinized more than I am,” he said at the time. “When I do it, I get a serious double standard, and that’s my position, I have to take that.”
