Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced several changes to his cabinet, including moving David Piccini into a new portfolio amid an ongoing integrity commissioner investigation into his handling of the Skills Development Fund. Piccini was announced as Ontario’s new minister of infrastructure as part of the cabinet shuffle, replacing Kinga Surma who takes over the role of President of the Treasury Board. That role was left vacant following the resignation of Caroline Mulroney in June. Trevor Jones will take over Piccini’s former portfolio as Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Jones previously served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, a role that will now be held by Niagara MPP Sam Oosterhoff. Ontario’s integrity commissioner previously launched an investigation into Piccini’s handling of the Skill Development Fund last December after Ontario’s auditor general found that the selection of applicants to the $2.5 billion fund - which was set up to help train workers for in-demand professions – was not fair, transparent or accountable. The auditor general ultimately identified approximately $750 million in grants from the Skills Development Fund (SDF) that were given to applicants hand-picked by political staff. Piccini, for his part, has defended his handling of the fund and has previously said it is important that elected representatives “ultimately have a say in where these grants are going.” The integrity commissioner’s investigation, meanwhile, remains ongoing. On Thursday, Ford was asked by reporters whether the decision to move Piccini into a new portfolio had anything to do with his handling of the Skill Development Fund but said that was not the case, calling it a “good move” for Piccini. “I think it is a natural move. He trained over the last two years close to about 750,000 people and now it is a natural move to go into infrastructure,” he said. “We have about $235 billion of infrastructure, no matter if its building $80 billion of the largest transit system in North America, $64 billion building 50 hospitals or $30 billion on schools and long-term care so it is a natural move.” ‘Can’t be trusted’ CTV News has previously reported that at least $100 million in Skills Development Fund grants went to companies that had hired lobbyists with ties to Ford. There was also nearly $10-million in grants given to a company tied to an “adult entertainment club.” In a statement, NDP Leader Marit Stiles called the shuffle, including the decision to keep Piccini in cabinet, “a desperate act by a flailing premier.” “David Piccini is under investigation by the Integrity Commissioner for his actions as Minister of Labour. He mismanaged an important public fund, rewarding insiders and lobbyists while his own donations skyrocketed. Instead of accountability, the premier just rewarded him with another job. This is ridiculous. His track record shows he can’t be trusted with public dollars and contracts,” Stiles said. Shuffle follows summer resignations Ford’s cabinet shuffle comes following the resignation of three different ministers over the summer. The shuffle will see nine MPPs take on new portfolios. Some of the other highlights include Milton MPP Zee Hamid taking over as Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. He replaces Stan Cho who resigned from cabinet over the summer following a scandal over thousands of dollars in expense claims for hotel stays in Toronto. Former Olympic rower Brian Saunderson also joins cabinet for the first time, taking over as Ontario’s Minister of Sport following the retirement of Neil Lumsden in August. The total size of the cabinet stands unchanged at 37, including the premier, after the government opted to remove the portfolio of the Associate Minister of Auto Theft and Bail Reform after deeming its mandate “fulfilled” while simultaneously adding a new role - associate minister of artificial intelligence adoption. The premier told reporters the goal behind the shuffle was to create the right team to help craft Ontario’s response amid an ongoing trade war with the U.S. “I think it is always good to have a fresh outlook and fresh blood going into different ministries, we were very thoughtful when we did this,” he said. Ford’s revamped cabinet is as follows: This is a breaking news story. More updates to follow.
