Ontario Premier Doug Ford, province to sell $28.9M private jet 'as quickly as possible'

Ontario is looking for to sell the $28.9 zillion buck private gush that was lately purchased for Premier Doug Ford's use "as quickly as possible."

It comes just days after the purchase of the Bombardier Challenger 650 was publicized and confirmed by the province. The decision was promptly met with backlash from opposition parties and advocacy groups.

Ford said in a statement Sunday that he agrees with the concerns that were raised.

"Despite the best of intentions, I have heard and agree that now is not the right time for the expense of a government plane," he said.

Ford said the province is working with Bombardier "and other partners to sell the plane as quickly as possible."

Ont. Government buys private jet for Doug Ford to use

The plane was purchased directly from Bombardier and was previously owned by someone in South America, the source said. Ontario Provincial Police and Bombardier performed security and mechanical checks on the plane, and no upgrades were needed, according to the province.

The province said Friday that the jet, which was made in Canada in 2016, would have allowed for "more certain, flexible, secure and confidential travel" and not be used for personal travel.

The premier wants to live like a billionaire, just with taxpayers' money, said interim Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser in a statement Sunday.

“Doug Ford didn’t see the light. He felt the heat," said Fraser. “Now, only after intense backlash, he’s scrambling to sell his gravy plane."

He said the sudden decision to sell could mean the jet could be sold at a loss "and sit on the books as a liability for taxpayers for months."

“How much is this going to cost Ontarians? We may never know."

Opposition NDP Leader Marit Stiles called the jet a "gravy plane" in a social media post Friday — a throwback to the term "gravy train" that was repeatedly used by Ford and his brother Rob Ford when they served as councillor and mayor at Toronto City Hall, respectively.

Stiles said Friday the premier should be "flying economy like the rest of us," especially as Ontarians struggle with the rising cost of living.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) also pushed back on the costly purchase Friday, demanding Ford reverse plans due to the province's mounting debt.

Debt servicing costs alone for Ontario were listed at $17.2 billion in this year's budget, which is more than the province is spending on post-secondary education.

The statement issued by Ford's office Friday contrasted the price of Ontario's plane to the $107 million Quebec allegedly paid for one used and two new Challenger 650s, and $753 million the federal government paid for six new Global 6500 jets.

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