There’s nothing wrong with being positive and the premier is at heart a salesman, but it helps if your optimism is connected to reality

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford has built his political career on being in touch with the concerns of ordinary people, but is that still the case? Ford’s performance Tuesday at his first press conference of the year displayed a remarkable disconnect between his priorities and what ordinary Ontarians are telling pollsters about their own.

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People are understandably in a glum mood, and not just because it’s January. A recent Leger poll showed that 55 per cent of Ontarians polled said they believe the province is on the wrong track. Their top issues are housing and affordability. An Angus Reid Institute poll in December assessed satisfaction with government by province on a range of issues. The Ontario government received only a 20 per cent approval rating, lowest in the country and down nine points since last March.

Ford’s comments Tuesday did little to suggest that he understands Ontarians’ concerns and has a plan to deal with them. He didn’t talk about either housing or affordability. Instead, the premier offered an upbeat assessment focused primarily on Ontario’s economic prospects, one that is at odds with the facts.

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