On The Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast

In this week's edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast:We remember the legendary broadcaster Bob Cole and then dig in on the latest stories coming out of Queen's Park including:The Ford Nation reversal of the week.The fallout from the NOT GUILTY verdict in the trial of Umar Zumeer - accused of murdering Toronto police Det-Constable Jeffery Northrup.And would the premier seriously consider calling an early election?You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

In this week's edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast:Happy 3rd birthday to Story Studio Network!Doug Ford goes on an operatic RANT about gas price hikes and manages to lay it all at the feet of Justin Trudeau and Bonnie Crombie!All four provincial party leaders want the Speaker to reverse his refusal to allow the keffiyeh to be worn in the legislature. The housing file keeps getting more and more complicated and that's driving up the cost of home building.Vic Fideli doubles down on government insistence that the addition of Long Term Care beds qualify as "new home" builds.The Transportation Minister may need whiplash therapy. He was forced to make a fast and strenuous about face mere hours after announcing service reductions on the Metrolinx UP Express!It's hard to imagine we don't have a gambling problem in Ontario when we learn 1.3 million Ontarians bet $63 billion online in fiscal 2023-24.You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

In this week's edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politic podcast:We're joined by Tim Hudak, CEO at the Ontario Real Estate Association, tp talk about the housing initiatives annoucned at Queen's Park and in Ottawa this week.Tim says there've been some positive steps taken, such as increasing the amortization period and providing assistance for modular homes and apartment construction.However, he also highlights the gaps and the need for more bold and comprehensive solutions.The discussion touches on topics like the role of municipalities, the impact of land transfer tax, the importance of leveling the playing field for first-time homebuyers, and the need for a balanced approach to housing and employment lands.the competing announcements has everyone "talking housing" but will they do enough for help meet the housing goals by 2031?You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

In this episode of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast:It's been a busy "media week" for Doug Ford - making almost daily annoucements about government spending plans one week after the 2024 budget was tabled at Queen's Park.But announcements aside, the PCs are spending a good deal of time and political capital defining Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie as the Carbon Tax Queen and re-defining Premier Ford as a guy who listens to the people when his government "gets it wrong" versus a leader who has spent two years of this mandate flip-flopping on key plans and policies of his government.As noted in last week's show, the Ontario government has commited to historically record spending in the latest budget - beating the record spending promises tabled in 2023. Doug Ford's government has commited to more than $420 billion in spending over the last two budgets. The question is, how has that record spending improved life for Ontarians? You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

In this episode of On the Ledge - Your Ontario Politics Podcast, John Wright, Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford tackle the Ontario budget, the rhetorical distraction that is the Carbon Tax, and remembering Roy McMurtry.  Ford Nation has coughed up another RECORD spending plan and, in so doing, have made it abundantly clear, budgets have become a nearly meaningless exercise.The rhetoric surrounding the carbon tax at Queen’s Park has completely distracted from the obvious point that the Ford government has done nothing to present an alternative to the the tax.Why isn’t the government focussed on the need to boost productivity in Ontario? The week the nation remembered and celebrated the legacy of Brian Mulroney, former Ontario Attorney General and Chief Justice of Ontario’s Superior Court Roy McMurtry. passed away. Dave highlights clips from a sit down interview he did with the Chief Justice when he retired from the bench in 2007.You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario Politics Podcast from Story Studio Network: Dave Trafford, John Wright and Keith Leslie get into the tangled debate around the carbon tax, its impact on the economy and everyday life.Will a three cent per litre increase at the gas pump really be noticed? How effective is the carbon tax in addressing climate change? The crowded agenda and competing priorities of the government are also explored.  Also: The Ontario Superior Court has  approved a class action lawsuit against long-term care home operators in Ontario. The lawsuit cites the horror stories and outcomes in private nursing homes during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The provinces and the feds are wilfully ignoring a predictable health crisis. Takeaways The carbon tax is a contentious issue that has captured political attention across the country.There is a need for a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change, rather than relying solely on the carbon tax.The crowded agenda and competing priorities of the government make it challenging to effectively address climate change.There is a disconnect between the cost of the carbon tax and its impact on everyday life. The long-term care system in Ontario is facing a class action lawsuit due to the negligence and poor outcomes in private nursing homes.There is a need for better home care and access to primary care physicians to address the healthcare crisis.Technology and innovation can play a crucial role in improving healthcare outcomes and providing better care options.Government leadership and a long-term vision are essential to address the challenges in the healthcare system.Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Carbon Tax03:26 Complexity of Carbon Tax06:31 Crowded Agenda and Competing Priorities11:16 Need for a Comprehensive Approach 16:06 Disconnect between Cost and Necessity19:24 Carbon Capture and Storage20:50 Alberta's Potential for Carbon Capture21:50 Long-Term Care and Home Definition22:14 Horror Stories and Outcomes in Private Nursing Homes23:09 Mortality Rates and the Need for Home Care24:36 Decline in Home Care and Access to Primary Care Physicians26:13 Shortage of General Practitioners and Lack of In-Between Care27:44 The Need for Federal Vision and Standards in Healthcare28:42 Aging in Place and the Gradual Transition to Long-Term Care29:08 Provincial Responsibility and Lack of Long-Term Vision30:35 The Role of Technology and Innovation in Home Care31:36 The Urgency of Addressing the Healthcare Crisis32:07 Lack of Strategy and Willful Ignorance in Healthcare33:06 The Role of Private Industry and Lack of Government Strategy34:18 The Need for Relationship and Emotional Contact in Healthcare39:00 The Importance of Technology and Innovation in Healthcare40:19 Lack of Strategy and Prioritization in Government41:11 The Need for Leadership and Legacy in Healthcare42:28 The Catastrophe Waiting to Happen in Healthcare43:22 The Destructive Path of Inaction in Healthcare44:02 The Importance of Experience and ReflectionYou can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

In this episode of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast,The Ford government was patting itself on the back this week after announcing a Ring of Fire agreement with two First Nations on next steps to build a road into the environmentally sensitive, mineral rich region of Northern Ontario. The announcement was long on self-congratulations but short on any commitment to ensure the project doesn't poison the air. The Ring of Fire is located on peatlands that cover an area the size of Germany. The peatlands naturally store carbon extracted from the atmosphere. Disrupting the peat bogs means releasing carbon or - worse - methane into the atmosphere.It's estimated, the peatland around the mine claims stores about 2 gigatons of carbon. Releasing that into the atmosphere would make the site the largest carbon emitter in Canada - three times the emissions coughed up by fossil fuel ignition.Also:Pollster John Wright, veteran Queen's Park watcher Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford, Chief Executive Producer at Story Studio Network debate whether the Ford government deliberately poked the bear when the Premier insists he wants to appoint "like-minded" provincial judges. AND:There are loose canons, then there's newly elected FEDERAL Conservative Party Durham MP Jamil Jivani. He used his victory speech to tear a strip off the Stephen Lecce led provincial education ministry.Does a leader's "likeability" matter when it comes to politics? You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

In this week's edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast,The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney passed away February 29, 2024 at the age of 84. Mulroney served as Canada's 18th prime minister from 1984 to 1993.John Wright, Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford set Queen's Park aside this week and reflect on Mulroney's legacy and career.You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

In this week's edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast:Ford Nation is getting around to "getting it done" two years after running on the Tories' "git 'er dun" campaign that won them a majority government in June of 2022.Ontario's MPPs were back in the Ledge for the first time in 2024 following their long winter's nap, AKA the Christmas recess. Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observers says it was only three days in the house but it felt a "lifetime" on the poltical beat with the introduction of Ford's "Get It Done" omnibus bill aimed at everything from toll roads to requiring a referendum on a carbon tax.Sabrina says it feels like the checkered flag has dropped on the next election. "2026 is a long ways away, but it feels like we're in campaign mode weirdly. And I think this theme of getting back on trackis what we're going to be looking at from the Ford government (because) they want to change the channel from a year of policy reversals and backtracks and scandals."Bonnie Crombie, the recently elected Ontario Liberal leader, doesn't have a seat the Ledge but her name echoed the halls of the house. Keith Leslie, political commentator at CH TV in Hamilton, says the Tories used a lot of their Question Period time ensuring Crombie's name landed in Hansard. "Bonnie Crombie's name was virtually in every answer from a Conservative minister in the legislature. That's because if she does run and wins that seat in Milton, they can no longer use her name. They have to use the writing. And so they're using the name Bonnie Crombie and every tax raising answer they can give. Their answers, of course, had absolutely nothing to do with the question!"As John Wright, EVP at Maru Public Opinion has often noted, the PCs are defining Crombie especially on the question of the carbon tax."Ya, they've defined her on taxing. I mean, that's been (the PCs) big card. And I have to say, I've been relatively surprised at how slow and how diffuse Bonnie Crombie's responses to all of this stuff has been. Even when she got asked outside of the legislature on the carbon tax."With all the noise and usual fanfare, Sabrina says NDP leader Marit Stiles was barely noticeable in this first week back in the Ledge. "This is probably the worst week of all for the NDP and Marit Stiles because Bonnie Crombie doesn't have a seat in the house, but she's a bit of a media darling" effectively stealing the spotlight from Stiles.The big question is "Should Crombie seek a seat in the legislature or wait for the next election?"You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.

This week's edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast - wraps up the fall session at Queen's Park with SSN's Chief Executive Producer, Dave Trafford, John Wright EVP at Maru Public Opinion and Keith Leslie, political commentator on CH television.There's A LOT to talk about including the government's lack of strategy in healthcare, the Auditor General's report, Bonnie Crombie's leadership win, and the need to revive the Liberal Party. The hosts discuss the tactical decision-making of the government and the importance of addressing the concerns of young voters. They also emphasize the need for substantive policy discussions and consultation. Overall, the conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities facing Ontario's political landscape.REMINDER: You can now leave us a RECORDED or TEXT message about anything you hear on the show. It's EASY. Click RECORD YOUR MESSAGE. Hit the RECORD button. Enter your name and email address so we can respond to your comment!TakeawaysThe government's lack of strategy in healthcare, particularly in addressing the use of agency nurses, is a major concern.The Auditor General's report highlighted the government's lack of consultation and strategy in decision-making.Bonnie Crombie's leadership win in the Liberal Party requires a focus on rebuilding the party and connecting with voters, especially in rural and non-urban areas.Tactical decision-making and a lack of substantive policy discussions are prevalent in Ontario politicsBut with the Tories riding high in the polls, it seems most voters aren't all that fussed by the political scandals and lack of legislative substance..Chapters00:00 Introduction and Holiday Break02:18 Government's Lack of Strategy in Healthcare05:10 Paying Nurses What They're Worth06:27 Auditor General's Report and Government's Response08:35 Lack of Consultation and Strategy in Government Decisions10:57 Shift in Public Perception of Accountability Officers13:20 Bonnie Crombie's Leadership Win and Party Rebuilding23:09 Ford Chow Deal and Tactical Decision-Making26:54 Low Voter Turnout in Liberal Leadership Race32:50 Reviving the Liberal Party36:32 The Government We Deserve39:38 Conclusion and Holiday BreakYou can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!)Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and XAnd you can leave us a voice comment here!For more information go to Dave's website.