Social media customers proceed to assert that Ontario Premier Doug Ford flew to Florida on Feb. 28, the day after his election victory — however CBC Information has confirmed that Ford was in Ontario when that flight took off.
The declare initially surfaced after social media customers identified {that a} constitution aircraft that was utilized by the premier’s Progressive Conservative marketing campaign was scheduled to fly to a Florida airport on Friday from Toronto at roughly 1:30 p.m. Flight tracking data confirms that the aircraft did fly to Florida, returning on Sunday morning.
Social media posts unfold the unique flight declare and plenty of others, together with one shared by former NDP MPP and federal NDP candidate Joel Harden on Monday, boosting the concept Ford was on trip.
Many urged the alleged journey was hypocritical since Canada and the U.S. are at the moment at odds over tariffs and U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of annexation, with Ford being one of many loudest voices within the battle.
I used to be honoured to attend the kick-off of the @WWE Elimination Chamber, a pivotal cease on the highway to Wrestlemania.
Thanks @TripleH for the ceremonial belt — and thanks for bringing your world-class occasion to Toronto. pic.twitter.com/E3GckBODaL
However CBC Information’ visible investigation’s workforce has discovered that Ford couldn’t have been on that Friday afternoon flight. Quite a few visuals posted by customers on numerous social media platforms place him in Toronto that night attending a WWE occasion, hours after the flight to Miami had already left.
Harden didn’t reply to CBC Information’ request for touch upon his social media submit by deadline.
Reached for remark, the premier’s workforce mentioned Ford was in Ontario the whole weekend, and didn’t fly to Florida.
Ford’s workplace additionally shared an authentic picture of Ford attending the WWE occasion in Toronto that was posted to X, and the picture’s metadata — data routinely appended to a photograph by digital cameras — exhibits it was taken after 5 p.m., about an hour earlier than doorways opened to most of the people.
Ford additionally appeared in a recorded live stream of a funeral service for the late Paul Bronfman held on Sunday afternoon in Toronto, displaying he was within the metropolis at the moment as properly. Whereas the constitution aircraft did return to Toronto earlier that morning, all out there proof signifies that Ford remained in Ontario and didn’t one way or the other fly to Florida after the WWE occasion.
CBC Information does not have visible proof of Ford from Saturday.
Ford’s deputy chief of employees, Ivana Yelich, had already earlier within the week denied the claim that Ford had flown on the Friday constitution flight.
“The marketing campaign is over, and so is the Ontario PC Social gathering’s use of the constitution providers. The tip,” she mentioned.
In the course of the provincial election, Ontario Liberal Chief Bonnie Crombie’s war room account posted a screenshot of the constitution aircraft’s flight log, saying that the premier’s “personal jet” had flown to Florida in the course of the marketing campaign.
The aircraft did go to Florida twice in the course of the marketing campaign, however Yelich said Ford and the marketing campaign had been elsewhere and that the constitution firm “continued to serve other customers” in the course of the marketing campaign.
CBC Information reached out to the constitution firm however nobody responded for remark.
Ford owns at the least two condos in Florida close to Miami, property data present, and the premier has spent time off there before.
On Monday, Ford — who has been among the many harshest critics of Trump’s tariff and annexation threats — said he “cannot inform individuals to limit their journey” to the USA.
Pushed on his personal plans, Ford mentioned “If I’ve gotta go down on enterprise, I am going to go down on enterprise. If I’ve to go to Washington, I am going to go to Washington, if I’ve to go go to governors, I am going to go go to governors.”
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