By Liam Casey Ontario ministers defended keeping secret the province’s payout to Elon Musk’s SpaceX over a cancelled Starlink contract, as critics accused the government of obfuscation during the recent release of its latest financial statements. Several of Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet members said the government had the public’s backing to kill the $100-million satellite broadband internet deal last year, and revealing the kill fee would give away the province’s competitive advantage. In late 2024, then-infrastructure minister Kinga Surma announced the deal with SpaceX to deliver Starlink internet to 15,000 customers, largely in remote First Nations and rural Ontario. The deal, hailed by Ford and Musk himself, was set to go live in June 2025. But not long after the announcement, Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency and soon started… <\/p>\n
By Liam Casey Ontario ministers defended keeping secret the province’s payout to Elon Musk’s SpaceX over a cancelled Starlink contract, as critics accused the government of obfuscation during the recent release of its latest financial statements. Several of Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet members said the government had the public’s backing to kill the $100-million satellite broadband internet deal last year, and revealing the kill fee would give away the province’s competitive advantage. In late 2024, then-infrastructure minister Kinga Surma announced the deal with SpaceX to deliver Starlink internet to 15,000 customers, largely in remote First Nations and rural Ontario. The deal, hailed by Ford and Musk himself, was set to go live in June 2025. But not long after the announcement, Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency and soon started... <\/p>\n