Ford Criticized for Home Depot Tale as Ontario Jobs Dip

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is under scrutiny after recounting a story about threatening an alleged shoplifter at a Home Depot, prompting criticism from NDP and Opposition leader Marit Stiles that his focus should be on the province’s growing unemployment crisis.

On Tuesday, Ford described chasing a person at a Home Depot earlier this summer, telling them to empty their bag and threatening physical retaliation if they did not return the allegedly stolen items.

“I said, ‘Buddy, I’m going to kick your ass all over the parking lot, show me what’s in your bag,’” Ford told a packed audience.

“I went on to tell him if I ever see him in the parking lot, he’s going to get a beating like he’s never gotten before. That’s what you have to do,” he added.

Stiles called the story “a tall tale” and criticized the premier for diverting attention from pressing economic concerns.

“He is not Batman, he is not Captain Canada — when is he going to start being premier?” she said.

“We have 7.9 per cent unemployment across Ontario right now, 800,000 Ontarians without a job. Is it going to take one million? At what point does the premier of this province decide to play premier and not Batman?”

Unemployment on the Rise

Ontario’s unemployment has been steadily increasing. In September, it rose to 7.9 per cent, up from 7.7 per cent the previous month. This is higher than Quebec’s 5.7 per cent and British Columbia’s 6.4 per cent.

Youth unemployment, which covers those aged 15 to 24, has been particularly high, reaching 16.5 per cent in September 2025, up from 10 per cent in March 2023 and peaking at 18 per cent in December 2024.

Stiles emphasized that Ford should be prioritizing economic recovery over anecdotal tales of personal vigilante justice.

“He should be doing his job. He should be chasing down jobs in Ontario, not chasing people across a Home Depot parking lot,” she said.