On The Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast

The On The Ledge roundtable crew discusses Kathleen Wynne's final speech in the Ontario legislature, her legacy as the MPP for Don Valley West and as premier of the province between 2013 and 2018.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.

Not only is the Ford government spending at a faster rate than the previous Liberal government, according to the Fraser Institute, the PCs are lining voters' pockets with cash. That includes dropping licence plate fees, no more tolls on highways 412 and 418, and a promise to cut taxes at the gas pumps in July. But is it enough to hang onto a majorit at Queen's Park. John Wright's polling at Maru Public Opinion suggests the cost of living - particularly at the grocery store - is going to play a major role in this election campaign.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.

Masks are no longer mandatory in most public spaces in Ontario. And a week into it, some places are either no masks or all masks. I was in a couple of auto dealerships this week and nearly NO ONE wore a mask (I did). Then earlier today, nearly EVERYONE was masked in the local grocery store. Today on the podcast we kick around the latest in Ontario politics. From star candidates to the childcare plan, and who's the bigger spender - Justin Trudeau or Doug Ford?  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.

The latest numbers from Angus Reid suggest Ontario Premier Doug Ford's approval rating has jumped 13 points in the past month or so. He's riding in the low 40s and he's out performing the Ontario PC party, which, if an election were held today, would likely hold onto it's majority at Queen's Park.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, the On The Ledge crew marks the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic noting some school boards intend to extend the mask mandate for students. It's also two years and a few days since Steven Del Duca became the Liberal leader in Ontario and this week marks the fourth anniversary of Doug Ford's ascendancy to the PC leadership. Just so happens to be the same week Patrick Brown and CTV News settled an $8 million dollar lawsuit. Brown alledged CTV defamed him by inaccurately reporting he was involved in inappropriate sexual relationships with two women. The scandal caused Brown to lose his job as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives. CTV issued a statement reading in part: “On Jan. 24, 2018, four months before a provincial election, CTV broadcast a segment concerning Patrick Brown. Key details provided to CTV for the story were factually incorrect and required correction,...CTV National News regrets including those details in the story and any harm this may have caused to Mr. Brown.”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.

Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman has announced he will not seek re-election in the fall. Instead, he is expected to land the Liberal nomination in the riding of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte and challenge the incumbent Doug Downey, who is the Attorney General in Doug Ford's government. We also talk about Health Minister Christine Elliott's decision not to run for re-election in June.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.

The calendar says we're ten months from Christmas but the gift giving season is already upon us in Ontario. The Ford government is already trotting out pre-budget trinkets aimed at helping folks cope with the increased cost of living. That includes giving up an estimated $1 billion dollars in annual revenue by cancelling annual licence plate fees. That amounts to less than 33 cents a day. Not even enough for you to buy a coffee at Timmie's.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.

The Ontario legislature is set to get back to business next week following a 2 month recess. And there's no shortage of STUFF to get at today. Keith Leslie, John Wright and Sabrina Nanji from the Queen's Park Observer join me to review the latest in the Ottawa Occupation and the use of the Emergencies Act. How will that shape the ballot question for Doug Ford as we we head towards the June election here in Ontario.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.

Here's an OTL Bonus episode for you!  This is from today's (Feb 11, 2022) edition of The Daily Brief. OTL Contributor, Founder and Editor of the Queen's Park Observer, Sabrina Nanji joins us. Get-tough plans at Queen's Park are great but they're still just talk unless the OPP and local police forces are prepared to enforce the measures. Cutting off fuel and funding for the blockaders is a long game that might get results in weeks(?) The need for action is immediate. The border crossings need to be open now. The Ottawa occupation needs to end now. Police attempts to avoid violence to date seem to have made it more likely this won't end quietly.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.

It's been a minute since the Ledge rose for the Christmas break at Queen's Park. We will be back at the roundtable in a couple of weeks with the usual suspects parsing the provincial politics in Ontario. But today, we have a treat for you. John Wright and I sat down Thursday of this week, the morning after the federal Tories dispatched Erin O'Toole and discussed the future of the Conservative Party of Canada. It's a new podcast I launched this month called The Daily Brief. Check it out.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.