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“The Liberals have put us in terrible debt and hydro and taxes are through the roof,” he said in an interview. “This province cannot compete and we are going to make Ontario open to business.”

The 15 years has been disastrous because, in part, the Tories have not gotten their act together. But this time, Ford is likeable and credible and, even if he wasn’t, polls have shown for quite a while that the Liberals will lose.

Debts are up 300 per cent in 15 years, Ontario has the highest sub-national debt in the world, and credit ratings have tumbled as a result, most recently from “stable” to “negative.” Interest payments are $1 billion a month and on this trajectory the province is a Greece waiting to happen.

This province cannot compete and we are going to make Ontario open to business. Doug Ford

“We are going to audit everything,” said Ford. “We will bring in independent auditors to analyze the budget line by line. We are going to find four per cent and cut it. The Auditor General has highlighted the areas of concern.”

Ford promises tax cuts to low income individuals, relief for corporations and will roll back Bill 148, which gives Cadillac benefits to part-time workers that’s forced businesses to cut 90,000 jobs directly.

And scandals remain top of mind in Ontario, such as the payment of $1.3 billion to cancel two gas plants to win seats in a couple of ridings (that sent Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty’s top aide to jail recently); an $8-billion e-health fiasco; budget overruns of $8 billion squandered on a smart meter scheme and a Presto transit payment system; and another $1.1 billion spent beyond the budget allocation for the Pan Am Games.