On The Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast

It's earlier than expected, but Queen's Park is back and some would say 'with a vengence'. Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions, John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications, and veteran Queen's Park journalist, Keith Leslie take their weekly look at Ontario politics from their perch "On the Ledge". The Ontario Superior Court ruling that overturned BILL 5...has been met with brute constitutional force. Premier Ford came out swinging - determined to ensure that his agenda is not going to be fussed or tinkered with by an unelected judge. The premier has invoked section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms - otherwise known as the Notwithstanding Clause...to follow through on his plan to reduce Toronto City Council from 47 to 25 wards.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 summer session at Queen's Park has wrapped up after five busy, if not chaotic weeks that include a long laundry list of legislative tasks accomplished by the new provincial government led by rookie MPP Doug Ford. Premier Ford faces New Democratic Leader Andrea Horwath as the leader of the Official Opposition in the legislature. They may be barely 'two sword lengths' apart in the House, but they are miles apart on what they think is best for the province. Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions, John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications, and veteran Queen's Park journalist, Keith Leslie take their weekly look at Ontario politics from their perch "On the Ledge". The "Ledge" is now in recess until September 24th. That means ON THE LEDGE will be parked while the Park isn't sitting. We will be back as soon as the session resumes. In the meantime, the fifth week in the legislature was marked by another flurry of activity as the Tories put the finishing touches on BILL 5 - which reduces Toronto's City Council from 47 to 25. The government also told us how they plan to deal with cannabis sales in October AND it would appear the Premier's team took the good advice offered in Episode 4 of On The Ledge...and taken their collective foot off the gas pedal to regroup for what will be a busy and eventful Autumn 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 Writ Race has been run and Ontarians elected a new Progressive Conservative majority government on June 7, 2018 - led by rookie MPP Doug Ford. Premier Ford faces New Democratic Leader Andrea Horwath as the leader of the Official Opposition in the legislature. They may be barely 'two sword lengths' apart in the House, but they are miles apart on what they think is best for the province. Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions, John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications, and veteran Queen's Park journalist, Keith Leslie take a weekly look at Ontario politics from their perch "On the Ledge". We are almost through the Dog Days of Summer and there's no sign that the Ontario legislature is ready to take a break from it's 'rare' summer session following the June election. The Ford government has opened the valve on a fire hose of announcements and new initiatives, including an end to the York University strike, scrapping cap and trade, blowing out the Hydro One CEO as promised. But the new government has decided to take on Toronto City Council, gangs and gun violence, and a commitment to have buck-a-beer on a shelf near you by Labour Day. It's been an unprecedented and breathless approach for a cast of new MPPs (on both sides of the house) who haven't had much if any time to get settled in their new political skin. John, Keith and Dave say the Tories need to realize they won the election - stop the campaigning, (including the "round of the clap" that seems to accompany every ministerial news avail at the Park). Take a break from the Ledge and come up with a thoughtful plan on how they're going to prepare for the next 12 months of governing.  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 Writ Race has been run and Ontarians elected a new Progressive Conservative majority government on June 7, 2018 - led by rookie MPP Doug Ford. Premier Ford faces New Democratic Leader Andrea Horwath as the leader of the Official Opposition in the legislature. They may be barely 'two sword lengths' apart in the House, but they are miles apart on what they think is best for the province. Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions, John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications, and veteran Queen's Park journalist, Keith Leslie take a weekly look at Ontario politics from their perch "On the Ledge". Week number three of this Queen's Park session started with fireworks in the Ledge over the Ford plan to downsize Toronto City Council. Both the Tories and NDP are convnced they're siding with the angels on this issue but who really cares about it beyond the 416 area? Meanwhile the Ford disruption continued. The government announced plans to cut the basic income pilot project, rolled back welfare payments and detailed their plans to launch a court battle against the federal carbon tax.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 Writ Race has been run and Ontarians elected a new Progressive Conservative majority government on June 7, 2018 - led by rookie MPP Doug Ford. Premier Ford faces New Democratic Leader Andrea Horwath as the leader of the Official Opposition in the legislature. They may be barely 'two sword lengths' apart in the House, but they are miles apart on what they think is best for the province. Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions, John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications, and veteran Queen's Park journalist, Keith Leslie take a weekly look at Ontario politics from their perch "On the Ledge". This week, we're pleased to include Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner join us for this episode. The second full week at Queen's Park started with a show of unity in the Legislature and among governments of all levels as the City of Toronto came to terms with a mass shooting on Danforth Ave late Sunday night. But by the end of the week Doug Ford went from being 'cheerleader in Chief" for Toronto to political enemy number one when he announced his plans to cut City Council in half...and he's going to do it now...in the middle of the municipal 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.

The Writ Race has been run and Ontarians elected a new Progressive Conservative majority government on June 7, 2018 - led by rookie MPP Doug Ford. Premier Ford faces New Democratic Leader Andrea Horwath as the leader of the Official Opposition in the legislature. They may be barely 'two sword lengths' apart in the House, but they are miles apart on what they think is best for the province. Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions, John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications, and veteran Queen's Park journalist, Keith Leslie take a weekly look at Ontario politics from their perch "On the Ledge". Premier Ford recalled the legislature for a rare summer sitting to tackle a number of the issues the Tories have deemed to be critical. That includes passing legislation to end a months long strike at York University, repealing the provincial 'sex-ed' curriculum, cancelling the province's 'cap and trade' plans, tackling 'hallway healthcare', and ordering an audit on the provincial books. The 'git er done' attitude plays well with most Ontarians, who would appear to be willing to give the new government a chance to prove itself. The challenge of such a quick start is introducing rookie MPs into cabinet roles and scrambling to get up to speed.  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.

Thirty days. Thirty podcasts! Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions and John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications  take a daily swipe at the Ontario campaign until election day on June 7th. They chase the race and follow the leaders. What should you expect? What didn't you expect in this campaign? ELECTION DAY:It's ALL OVER! Ontario is officially FordNation. Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives won a majority government with 40% of the popular vote. As expected Andrea Horwath's NDP forms the Official Opposition and the Kathleen Wynne's Liberals were reduced to single digits in the legislature - winning 7 seats and losing official party status.  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.

Thirty days. Thirty podcasts! Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions and John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications  take a daily swipe at the Ontario campaign until election day on June 7th. They chase the race and follow the leaders. What should you expect? What didn't you expect in this campaign? DAY 29:There is a certain breathlessness about this final day on the campaign trail prior to voting day. Each of the party leaders playing the game trying to rallying the troops to 'get the vote out'. I compared this campaign to a marathon. Kathleen Wynne seemed to adopt the run-walk strategy - which is simply a 'finish the race' approach. Doug Ford's campaign resembled what we runners call a Fartlek: simply defined as periods of fast running intermixed with periods of slower running. Andrea Horwath ran a 'negative split' - which is finishing harder and faster than she started. But the polls haven't shifted. So unless a significant number of voters 'shift' in the next 24 hours - which is not inconceivable given the unprecedented nature of this campaign - the PCs are headed for a majority 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.

Thirty days. Thirty podcasts! Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions and John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications  take a daily swipe at the Ontario campaign until election day on June 7th. They chase the race and follow the leaders. What should you expect? What didn't you expect in this campaign? DAY 28: It's hard to see how the NDP can win this election. One day left in the campaign and Andrea Horwath's New Democrats remain tied with Doug Ford's PC's in the popular vote but those numbers break in favour of a Tory majority. The question is what will this new government do to manage, let alone fix, the issues that challenge this province? What opportunities will this new government make the most of to ensure economic success for the next generation? And if we are facing a generational collapse of the Ontario Liberal Party, who are the leaders who will change the channel, who will change the political rhetoric from gotcha to inspiration? Who will engage the millennial leaders to step up to offer a vision of the 21st century rather than re-litigate the problems of the 20th?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.

Thirty days. Thirty podcasts! Dave Trafford, Executive Producer of iContact Productions and John Wright, CEO - Insight of Dart Insight and Communications  take a daily swipe at the Ontario campaign until election day on June 7th. They chase the race and follow the leaders. What should you expect? What didn't you expect in this campaign? DAY 27: The public is still catching up to the Liberal bombshell that was dropped on DAY 25. But the campaigns are reacting. Kathleen Wynne is focusing her attention on Toronto ridings - trying to prop up incumbents in the 416. Andrea Horwath's NDP bus made 5 stops through the GTHA. Every stop was energetic and Horwath portraying her 'likeable' character. Doug Ford only had one stop on his public campaign itinerary in Scarborough. Media managed to catch up to him at a stop in Vaughan but were barred from the 'event'.  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.