Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticised for $21m private jet purchase

Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticised for $21m private jet purchaseJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNadine YousifSenior Canada reporterReutersDoug Ford's office said the plane will be used to support the premier's "extensive travel", including to the US to help fight Donald Trump's tariffs.Doug Ford, the leader of the Canadian province of Ontario, has been criticised for his government's purchase of a pre-owned C$28.9m ($21m; £15.5m) private jet, with opposition leaders calling it a "gravy plane". News of the purchase was first reported by the Toronto Star newspaper on Friday and was later confirmed by the premier's office in a statement to media.The plane is a Bombardier Challenger 650 executive jet, built in Canada in 2016. Ford's office said it will be used primarily for his travel, including to the US "to help make the case against President (Donald) Trump's tariffs".The purchase drew heat from Ford's political opponents, who called it "out of touch"."He should be flying economy like the rest of us," said Marit Stiles, leader of the left-leaning Ontario New Democratic Party in a post on X. She added later on a morning breakfast television programme that "Ontarians are struggling to make rent, to pay for groceries, just to get by, and the premier of this province thinks now is a great time to buy a private jet? I think it's terrible timing."A taxpayers' advocacy group, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, has called on the premier to reverse the purchase and to "stick to flying commercial". Ford's office told the BBC in a statement that the plane will be used "for government business only."In a longer statement to Canadian media, Ford's office said the plane will help the premier conduct "more certain, flexible, secure and confidential travel" throughout Ontario, "a province twice the landmass of Texas.&...