this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2025
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Summary

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province will permanently cancel its $100 million contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink, even if U.S. tariffs are lifted.

The decision follows Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, which prompted Ontario to ban U.S. firms from contracts.

Ford cited Musk’s ties to Trump as a factor and said he is willing to fight potential legal fallout.

Musk previously responded to cancellation threats with a dismissive “Oh well.”

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[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 170 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Fords an absolute asshole, and this is a stopped clock situation. But let’s take the win. This is a policy change in the right direction.

From a southern neighbor: sorry about the smell and the noise. We are busy shitting the bed, and we’re just getting started.

[–] mPony@lemmy.world 33 points 3 days ago

Thanks bud. it's not our first rodeo, we're used to the smell of bullshit.
Still, you know, when it actually gets on you it stains things.

[–] lost_faith@lemmy.ca 14 points 3 days ago

Fords an absolute asshole,

and he is OUR asshole, for now (no telling if/when he will flip-flop, let's hope he sticks to it)

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[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 49 points 2 days ago

This is the right thing to do. Make responses permanent, otherwise trump will just continue his idiotic game of bouncing back and forth.

[–] Daelsky@lemmy.ca 66 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Good. We Canadians should stop relying on the US. Time to focus on local industries.

[–] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 16 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Cross country trade scales the economy way better than doing things locally though

[–] Dead_or_Alive@lemmy.world 34 points 3 days ago (1 children)

With a stable partner, I’d say you are correct.

However if your partner is willing to weaponize that interdependency then the calculation changes.

China weaponized trade and used wolf warrior diplomacy during Covid in an attempt to gain influence. Russia weaponized energy with Europe. Now Trump is having the US do the same for “reasons” with Canada.

You’d think we would learn there is more up side to cooperation than conflict but here we are again.

[–] commander@lemmings.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

How did China weaponize trade?

Seems to me like they just provide better deals because they're willing to do the same or better quality work for less than their Western counterparts.

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[–] rayyy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Excellent. Best to deal with local industries than loco ones.

[–] starshipHighwayman69@lemmy.ml 126 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Cue Elon crying about being blackmailed by canada on some podcast after a ket bender.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 94 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Imagine how much power his ketamine dealer has... One spiked bag could change America.

[–] in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 39 points 3 days ago

Imagine how much power his ketamine dealer has

Holy shit I never thought of that before.

[–] starshipHighwayman69@lemmy.ml 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Elon actually buys it by the "diaper load" not a bag but yeah you are correct.

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[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

A movie would be made about him.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Dude I know... I imagine he gets it from a doctor probably. Though if it's like a Matthew Perry situation, he might need multiple sources if the doctor refuses to give him more than x amount. However, being a billionaire might just make all of that moot... Also, if he was doing the heroic doses Perry was doing, he wouldn't even be able to sit up, let alone stand or speak. He would be in a permanent k-hole (and we would probably be better off).

Anyway, I have thought about this, and all it would take is such a small amount of fentanyl. Do the world a favor.

What incredible news that would be to wake up to.

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[–] d00phy@lemmy.world 64 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Oooh Trump’s gonna get in a fight with Canadian Trump! Get some popcorn y’all!

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 44 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Yeah, i was gonna say pp is canada trump, but on further reflection pp is more akin to mike Johnson. I guess marlaina Smith is a combo of mtg and bobo. Side note i forgot bobos name and looked it up.

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[–] DozensOfDonner@mander.xyz 44 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Feel bad for the people at Starlink. I can imagine a few astro-nerds really enjoying their work there and then some moldy bigwig rich guy thinking the world is his sims 4 just fuckes you with tweeting.

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 56 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Don't. The tech world has been aware that Musk is a piece of shit for more than a decade.

Anyone working for a Musk company approves of his craziness.

[–] HK65@sopuli.xyz 43 points 3 days ago

Or is stranded there on a H1B visa. Musk likes them both fanatical and vulnerable.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 days ago

Eh, idk. I'm sure there's smart people doing cool things at Starlink, but the actual product itself is basically a brute force approach to Internet access with a ton of downsides

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 37 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Doug Ford is the world's biggest douche.

But this is how you get Musk to behave.

[–] ThomasCrappersGhost@feddit.uk 15 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Doug Ford is the world’s biggest douche.

Interesting choice of words given this world has Trump and Musk, amongst others …

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

It's true.

Lots of high-profile douchebags in the world today.

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[–] rosco385@lemm.ee 3 points 2 days ago

Fight douches with douches

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 29 points 3 days ago

This is absolutely the right decision.

[–] Substance_P@lemmy.world 24 points 3 days ago (2 children)

It's frustrating that $100 million is only about 0.028760% of Elon Musk's total wealth ($347.7 billion). Let's hope more people abandon his failing companies and that other governments and big clients follow Fords lead.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago

I canceled my starlink after his nazi salutes, I hope a bunch more follow suit, then it could be a lot more lost reoccurring revenue for old Moscow musk

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[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Yeah “Oh well.” But then he cries like a baby who didn’t get a piggy back ride, and starts to sue people who won’t do business with his companies.

Just like all these people he’s paying off and then two days later realizes he made a mistake and wants to hire them back. Just like all these tariffs they are so fast to impose and then AFTER THINKING ABOUT SHIT want to start rolling it all back. These people are legit dumb as fuck.

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[–] sirico@feddit.uk 20 points 3 days ago

The name Ford making Elon cry again

[–] Litebit@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Build your own starlink type system like the rest of the world is doing.

[–] Cruxifux@feddit.nl 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Why tf we doing starlink deals with that fucking idiot in the first place?

[–] GreatBlueHeron@lemmy.ca 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

From a consumer perspective it's a good solution for internet in remote areas and Ontario has a lot of remote areas. I used it for a couple of years when my only other option was a local wireless provider with an expensive high speed plan with advertised downloads up to 10Mbps, but actually never got anywhere near that. I'm lucky that I now have fibre and my starlink hardware is collecting dust in the shed.

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[–] psmgx@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Ontario is a massive province and rural internet outside of a handful of areas is terrible. Satellite, esp. good, consistent satellite, is a godsend for those areas -- no one is running fiber out to a town of only 2000 bodies that's highly isolated.

It was a reasonable choice, assuming Musk was mostly sane and not onboard with MAGA.

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[–] Kalon@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago

Good. Should cut ties with that asshole. He is constantly pitching ideas that are not that great on their own and can only be accomplished with subsidies.

And all this tariff threat should have repercussions. Can't keep going back and forth, back and forth without saying enough.

I say this as an American who is disgusted with how this administration is treating our closest friends and allies.

[–] wasay@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (7 children)

EU citizen here, I see that Premier Doug Ford is doing good stuff, it is a good political figure in general?

[–] doxxx@lemmy.ca 35 points 3 days ago (11 children)

He’s a Conservative douchebag in general.

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[–] Banana@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Hahahahaha no, this is one of the very few odd times that I agree with him.

That being said, I come from one of the orangest (NDP), most union-ey provinces, Manitoba, so I'm a bit biased.

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