Ford government says ‘people voted’ to cancel Starlink deal, won’t reveal cost

POLITICS Ford government says ‘people voted’ to cancel Starlink deal, won’t reveal cost By Isaac Callan & Colin D'Mello Global News Posted September 24, 2026 2:17 pm 2 min read WATCH: Ford government agrees to fee cancelling $100M deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink – Jul 30, 2025 LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE Ontario’s new treasury board president won’t say how much the Ford government spent cancelling a $100 million deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service, as public accounts show the decision has hampered rural broadband rollout. At the start of the trade war with the United States, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced he would rip up a deal with Musk, then a close ally of President Donald Trump. The province has previously said the kill fee for what was set to be a $100-million deal is “significantly less than the contract value,” and the amount paid out was part of a negotiated settlement. On Thursday, former infrastructure minister King Surma — who now oversees government spending as the president of the treasury board — again refused to confirm the cost. Get daily Montreal news Get daily Montreal news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories. SIGN UP FOR DAILY MONTREAL NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY. “I would say that the decision remained with the taxpayer, that was a big component of our election — and the people voted to cancel the contract,” she told reporters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT “So we continue to move forward with our broadband strategy.” Surma, who held the title of infrastructure minister until this month and signed the Starlink deal, directed detailed questions to her successor. “That specific question, you’ll have to ask the Minister of Infrastructure,” she said. The latest public accounts, which detail public spending, confirm concerns that cancelling the Starlink contract would hamper Ontario’s rural broadband rollout. “As you will see in public accounts, we’ve spent a little bit less on the broadband initiative only because we’ve found some challenges because we’ve cancelled that contract,” Surma said. “But the work continues.” MORE ON POLITICS MORE VIDEOS Nova Scotia’s government spent a record $1.9 billion outside of the…