Tory Turmoil: Ontario Landowners Threaten Hudak Again

This is a follow-up to the story of the OLA's threatening letter to Tim Hudak:

[Deborah] Madill says her letter to Hudak is a "gentle reminder" that her group, which she described as an "non-partisan and non-political," should not be seen as loyal to the PC party. The group will be flexing its political muscle in the upcoming election, she adds.

"In the past we've been quoted as being Conservative-minded, and that's not necessarily the case," Madill said in an interview. "We will throw our weight behind the political candidate who shows the political will to support landowner rights."


In practice, this means they might support a fringe party candidate, which could siphon enough votes from the PCPO to toss a few more seats Dalton McGuinty's way. Mind you, a Hudak capitulation to landowner demands could be a vote loser as well, as the OLA's tactics have made them enemies even in those parts of Ontario where they are strongest.

Quite a dilemma for Tim Hudak.

Tory Turmoil As Ontario Land Owners Grab Tim's Bits

Thanks to an anonymous FreeDer, here's the letter that Tim Hudak claims not to have seen:

This isn't the first time the OLA has written to politicians an various levels demanding respect. It will be a little more difficult for Hudak to blow them off, though, as they have a foothold in the PCPO caucus in the form of Randy Hillier. And of course Deb Madill insisting that the OLA is non-political is a bunch of nonsense. Here's former president Jack MacLaren outlining the groups political objectives back in February 2010. If there is any consolation, the group seems to have failed in almost every one of its iniatives (for example their attempt to have the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA) disbanded). Tim Hudak has to be worried that they will take the PCPO down with them.

PS. If the letter above is difficult to read, here it is in news release form.

Ontario Landowners Rejig The Brand

New OLA President Deborah Madill tries to soften the rough edges:

In this article, the Star described the Ontario Landowners Association as a “rural rights group.” That’s not quite right.

In fact, the OLA is an organization dedicated to defending the property rights of all Ontario citizens, whether they live in rural or urban areas.

And that's true in that the OLA has scrubbed most of the references to a "rural revolution" off their website. You can still see a few here, though:

And its true in that ex-OLA President Randy Hillier is no longer suggesting that rural Ontario should separate and form its own province. But he used to.

You can forget all that stuff, or not. But I sure won't