Ontario is also not Alberta: Smith’s cheques are signed by the oil industry, and you have to get deep into denialism to whitewash that industry, and denialism comes with a lot of anti-intellectual and protofascist baggage.
Ford’s are signed by real-estate developers and small-business douchebags (and the Venn with them and organized crime on it, well, has some overlap). They’re a very different crew, and they prefer to operate in the shadows. Shouty religious zealotry results in unwanted attention, which is bad for business.
Ontario is also not Alberta: Smith’s cheques are signed by the oil industry, and you have to get deep into denialism to whitewash that industry, and denialism comes with a lot of anti-intellectual and protofascist baggage.
Ford’s are signed by real-estate developers and small-business douchebags (and the Venn with them and organized crime on it, well, has some overlap). They’re a very different crew, and they prefer to operate in the shadows. Shouty religious zealotry results in unwanted attention, which is bad for business.