Doug Ford is back at Queen's Park today: Here's what to expect from his government

It's been nearly five months since MPPs sat in Ontario's legislative chamber at Queen's Park, so Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives have a lengthy to-do list.

After making change at a breakneck pace during thefirst year in office, the Ford government has more recently taken the pedal off the metal. Expect the pace to pick up againnow that the federal election campaign is over, eliminating the risk of causing controversies that could hurt their Conservative cousins.

Since the PCs adjourned in the legislature in early June,Ford has altered the face of his government. He made a significant cabinet shuffle, and his controversial chief of staff Dean French resigned amid accusations of nepotism.

Here's what the Ford government is expected to do in the coming weeks and months:

Teacher negotiations

The biggest challenge facing the Ford government this fall will be getting contract deals with the three big teachers'unions without a strike. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) are inthe midst of taking strike votes and their contract talks have bogged down. The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) is also preparing to take a strike vote that would conclude by mid-November.

The biggest sticking point in negotiations so far involves high school class sizes. While the government had set out a four-year plan to increase the average class size to 28 (from 22 last year), Education Minister StephenLeccerevealed last week that he's now proposing an average class size of 25. OSSTF president Harvey Bischofsays the move would still result in the elimination of some 5,000 teaching jobs. The province wants annual wage increases capped at oneper cent, while the unionwants an increase in line with inflation.

• Here's the latest on contract talks for teachers

Retail alcohol sales

Movement on the Ford government's promise to allow corner stores to sell beer pretty much ground to a halt in recent months. That's in large part because the province is struggling to negotiate its way out of a contract that would potentially see taxpayers paythe Beer Store conglomerate hundreds of millionsof dollars incompensation for the big increase in retail competition.

The government tabled a bill in late May toterminate the Beer Store contract but Government House Leader Paul Calandranow says getting it passed into law is not one of his priorities.

Meanwhile, Ontario winemakers are also pushing for a more liberalized sales regime. And the big supermarket chains are keen to get a piece of the lucrative booze distribution market. In this multi-billion-dollar industry, there's plenty at stake, even if you don't drink.

• Ford government's alcohol adviser defends plan for ending Beer Store domination

Fiscal update

New Finance Minister Rod Phillips will deliver his first "mini-budget" on Nov. 6when he tables the fall economic statement in the legislature. Last year's fall statement contained the controversial moves to scrap the province's French-language services commissioner, environmental commissionerand the children and youth advocate.

The statement will include a new, more accurate deficit figure for the 2019-20 fiscal year, as the shortfallprojected back in April in then-minister Vic Fedeli's budgetwas $10.7 billion. Expect Phillips to revise the 2019-20 number downward by several billion dollars.

That's because the true deficit figure for 2018-19 was revealed last month to be $7.4 billion (nowhere near the $15 billion that Ford's team repeatedly insisted it was). A deficit-cutting government does not want its shortfall to grow year-over-year.

• Ontario's deficit last year ended up half what the Ford governmentoriginally claimed

Health sector reforms

The government is poised to announce the creation of its first wave of Ontario Health Teams: joining hospitals, long-term care providers and home care agencies in organizations that will receive a single pool of funding from the province, with an aim of spending health-care dollars as efficiently as possible.

It's part of the government's plan for tackling the problem of hallway medicineby relieving the pressure on hospitals.

Watch for the hallway medicine statistics as flu season arrives: evidence so far shows the government has made next to no progress on reducing the extent of the problem since it took office.

• Wait times at Ontario emergency rooms hit record high in June

Housing plan

In front of a business-friendly audience last week, Ford revealed that his government will soon reveal a plan for what he calls "affordable ownership" of homes.

He did not offer details, telling people to "stay tuned," but added, "We're going to unleash the contractors and let them start developing." The government laid out a housing supply plan back in May, but Ford hintedthis new programwill involve some provincial government help to makeit easier for people to buy homes.

• Ford government aims to cut costs of building secondary suites, rental housing

Public sector wage cap

On the next-to-last-day before the legislature adjourned in June, the government introduced a bill that would cap public sector wage increases at one per cent annually for each of the next three years.

The cap would apply broadly to teachers, college and university staff, hospital workers and provincial government employees.Passing this bill into law is one of the government's legislative priorities,Calandratold CBC News last week.

Carbon pricing battle

After hinting in August he'd consider dropping Ontario's court challenge of the federal carbon tax if JustinTrudeau's Liberals won the federal election, Ford slammed the door on that less than 48 hours after the Liberals actually won the election.

He called the carbon price "the worst tax you could ever face" and vowed to continue the court battle. Ontario's top court ruled against the Ford governmentin June, saying Ottawa has the constitutional right to impose the carbon price. The province is now waiting to learn if the Supreme Court will hear anappeal.

Cannabis retail outlets

More than a year after recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada, just 24 legal retail stores are currently operating inOntario.Through a lottery in August, another 42 retailers won the right to apply for a licence, but none have reached the stage in the approval process to open a store.

The government has insisted a shortage of legal supply of weed was the reason for theslow expansion of stores, but far larger numbers of retail outlets are operating in othersmaller provinces. There's pressure on the government to kick the retail cannabis system into high gear, so look for changes in the coming months.

• Why Ontario pot users still buy fromthe illegal market
• Ontario Cannabis Store considers private sector involvement in pot distribution

Autism program changes

One of the Ford government's biggest stumbles in its first year was the backlash it faced over changesit made to the Ontario Autism Program. The government has hitthe reset button, with the new Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Todd Smith admitting the previous plan was a mistake.

The province has held lengthy consultations and convenedan expert advisorypanel to make recommendations for a revised program. Smith says he expects to receive the recommendations in the next few weeks, and will make them public.

• Ford government changes course on controversial autism program

Ontario Place

Last month was the deadline for bids to redevelop Ontario Place, the province's theme park space alongToronto's waterfront.

Although the government ruled out a casino for the space, it's open to proposals for anything from a convention centre tosport and entertainment venues to retail shops and recreational facilities.

Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Lisa MacLeod has been non-committal about when decisions will be made.