On The Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast

This week it’s all about Canada's first ministers. They met in Montreal to wrap up the week and that marked the end of the fall sitting for MPPs at Queen’s Park. While Premier Doug Ford was taking aim at the Prime Minister’s agenda, the Opposition was taking aim at Ford’s involvement in the hiring of the new OPP Commissioner and the appointment of a new Hydro One CEO.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.

We're approaching the six month mark for the Doug Ford government in Ontario and it has been a veritable sprint in the early stages of this marathon. This week it’s all about General Motors leaving Oshawa, the Premier’s battle of word with UNIFOR President Jerry Diaz, the province’s new initiative to curb Green House Emissions, and the first Tory MPP to quit the governing caucus.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.

More Ontario government announcements made "for the people", including welfare reforms and musings about future public transit plans. But who are "the people" benefiting? Even in the wake of the provincial economic update, it's becoming increasingly difficult to determine exactly what the Ford government stands for. John Wright, Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford say it all comes down to a failure to communicate.  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 took a week off but there's been plenty of activity including a cabinet shuffle, the fall Economic Update, the publication of Patrick Brown's tell-all book and new polling that suggests the shine may be coming off the Tories and the NDP.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.

Lots to talk about on the education file in Ontario politics with the new provincial government pulling the pin on three new university campuses in the GTA. A decision to roll back Liberal labour reforms sparked protests and death threats targeting Tories And then, there is the carbon tax. The Prime Minister not only weighed in, he scheduled a photo op in Premier Ford's backyard.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.

Did you know the Sex Ed consultations were going on? You're not alone. We also get a hint this week of how the Ford government might be handling the issue of slot machines at horse race tracks across the province. And John Wright has some new numbers on the Premier's popularity four months after he led the Progressive Conservatives to a majority government 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.

The Ontario legislature was quiet this week, thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday, but there was no shortage of activity at the Park. We had announcements on the cannabis file, healthcare, and more on the price of beer. (Pretty soon they'll be paying you to take the beer!) It also included some speculation on Premier Ford's political ambitions.  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 we are approaching the first 100 days for the Ford government in Ontario and the agenda continues to be dominated by commitments to undo initiatives launched by the previous Liberal government. That includes repealing a labour law that guarantees equal pay and time off for part-timers. The Health care review panel was announced - aimed at ending hallway healthcare. The Premier was also demanding the federal government take care on Ontario dairy farmers after coming to terms on a revamped trade deal with Mexico and the US.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 almost felt like a 'business as usual' week at Queen's Park - the 8th week in the legislature since the Doug Ford Tories won a majority government back in June. They managed to tick off a number of boxes - promises made-promises kept: including moves to kill the Green Energy Act, stopping the minimum wage increase and putting the brakes the Drive Clean program. But then there was the Cannabis file, plans to probe the Wynne government's handling of the finances and Doug Ford's photo with Faith Goldy.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 another week that's felt like a month at Queen's Park - probably because there was no real break. MPP's sat through the weekend including a Sunday midnight sitting that rolled into Monday morning trying to speed up legislation aimed at reducing the size of Toronto's City Council. The Bill included section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a.k.a, the Notwithstanding Clause. The outcome? The Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday that Bill 5, (the original bill) is constitutional - so no need for the Nothwithstanding Clause. That gave the Ford government the opportunity to change the channel and focus on the state of the box left behind by the Wynne Liberal government.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.