In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario politics podcastThe Greenbelt is still a quagmire for Premier Ford's government but it's the fallout from the war in the middle east that fuels a growing concern in the legislature and, more particularly in NDP backrooms. Sarah Jama's censure by the majority government and expulsion from the New Democrat caucus continues to create challenges for party leader Marit Stiles. The Hamilton Centre riding association is calling for a leadership review. The association says Stiles has “consistently obstructed and silenced” caucus and party members for their pro-Palestine stance.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!On the other side of the aisle, PC MPP Goldie Ghamari is taking political heat for speaking out against the Islamic Republic of Iran.The current environment and broader discussion make it clear balanced debate and free speech in the legislature are being suppressed or avoided to varying degrees against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.

NEW: 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!And chances are you'll have something to say after listening to this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario politics podcast.Keith Leslie and Sabrina Nanji are at the table and we welcome David Coletto, CEO at Abacus Data, (filling in for John Wright!)We wonder whether pay increases for ECE workers and new worker-friendly labour laws is good politics or good policy for the Ford government.Are they simply hoping and trying to change the channel from the Greenbelt quagmire?SPOILER ALERT: Good politics gets the nod from the panel.Ford et al are nibbling around the edges of the affordability issues while ignoring the latest report from the Daily Bread Food Bank that says 1 in 10 Torontonians needed a food bank last year. And it ALL attributable to policy failures at all levels of government.And David Coletto says it comes down to a leadership void right across the country."Good politics leads to bad policy as opposed to good policy leading to good politics. And when you ask Canadians, do you think the country's headed in the right direction? Do you think the province is headed in the right direction? Overwhelming majorities, higher than it's ever been since I've been tracking for 20 years, say no "No". "It feels to me that there's just a sense of laziness and unseriousness, (among our political leaders) willing to pass the buck."

In this edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario Politics Podcast:Dave Trafford, John Wright and Keith Leslie read the entrails following a week where the three main parties at Queen's Park were hobbled by sel-inflicted wounds.The Ford government is already stuck in the Greenbelt quagmire. In the past week, the interim Auditor General has opened inquiries into the Therme land deal at Ontario Place and the plans to move the Science Centre from beauitful downtown Don Mills to be an added lakeshore attraction at Ontario Place. That announcement came a week ago as MPPs headed home for a week in their ridings.Meanwhile, it's since been discovered that pharmacies across the province are bailing out of the Fall COVID vaccine plan because team Ford has given Shoppers Drug Mart exclusive access to the vaccine supply. That means other pharmacies are having to rely on the kindness of Shoppers to get doses. Word is, they're not so they're sunsetting the offering.AND ANOTHER THING...A handful of Ontario mayors say "we don't need your stinking Strong Mayor Powers!" They've outright refused to nibble on the poltical treat dangled by Team Ford,. knowing full well they won't get any of the provincial cash set aside for municipalities to meet their housing targets.That might have something to do with the whinging we heard from Doug Ford and all the other first ministers this week over the federal government's abilitiy and willingness to get cash out the door and shovels in the ground to build new homes in towns and cities across Canada. They had the nerve to complain that Ottawa was going around them to deliver housing - while they've done next to nothing to move that needle.Now, it's not just all about the Tories. This should all be great fodder for the Official Opposition but the NDP is proving to be politically immature. Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observer reports the NDP Kitchener Centre riding association fired off a missive demanding the resignation of Leader Marit Stiles BUT didn't bother looping in Debbie Chapman. She just happens to be the NDP candidate they're supposedly supporting in the byelection campaign THAT'S IN FULL SWING! And to round things out, the Ontario Liberals are getting closer to choosing their next leader. Voting days are November 25 and 26 with the winner of the ranked ballot contest being announced December 2nd.And two weeks ahead of voting day, candidates Yasir Naqvi and Nate Eskine-Smith are asking their supporters to rank the other guy as their second choice on the ballott. The twisted logic is that, by doing so, they'll stunt the presumptive front-runner, Bonnie Crombie's ability to win it on the second ballot.Beyond the fact this move is an explicit admission by both that one of them will have to finish LAST on the first ballot for it to make any difference, it's also opened internecine battle of party insiders.In the November 10 edition of the Queen's Park Observer, Sabrina Nanji quotes fromer Kathleen Wynne staffer, Noah Zatzman as saying, "Someone explain to me why Yasir and Nate are tougher on Bonnie than Hamas."Enjoy the show!

In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario Politics PodcastKeith Leslie (CH TV), John Wright (SVP Maru Public Opinion), Sabrina Nanji (QP Observer) and Dave Trafford (SSN Chief Executive Producer) weigh in on the latest in the Greenbelt Quagmire.As noted in last week's show, we were expecting, and recieved, a 7 thousand page document dump that did two things. First, it put Premier Doug Ford squarely in the middle of the Greenbelt land swap scandal. Second, it took some of the heat and attention away from the NDP's self-immolation in the face of the Middle East crisis.Documents released this past week make it abundantly clear the Premier's Office was looped in on the land swap process on a number of occassions. And Sabrina's reporting in the Queen's Park Observer says it's clear the "PO also asked for a copy of a map to make sure that two properties in Nobleton were part of the boundary changes."Still, Doug Ford maintained a straight face when asked if he lied to the Integrity Commissioner and told reporters he couldn't remember specifics from something that happened two years ago. You can't deny something you don't remember!And all of this effectively swamped the Fall Economic Update, which, by itself, was something of a communications-dog's-breakfast, including Ford's commitment of $3 billion to create an Ontario Infrastructure Bank. Except for the dollar figure, there are virtually no details on who or how the bank would run.

In this week's edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast:We said, a few weeks ago, Olivia Chow may be Doug ford's unlikely saviour. Today, we're getting more hints of that.There have been rumbles for a while and now the Toronto Star is reporting the Ford government is considering plans to upload the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway and could be picking up more of the TTC costs to support public transit in Toronto.If that's good news for the Ontario PCs, they're happy to see the Marit Stiles led NDP imploding over the Sarah Jama drama. The NDP riding association in Kitchener Center is calling for the Stile's immediate resignation.The crisis in the middle east is not only affecting the Official Opposition and the business of the day at Queen's Park, it's seeping into the reporting on the story. Rather than informing the situation, reporting is viewed as an exercise in taking sides.It's all been a major distraction from the Greenbelt scandal and any traction the Opposition had made since Premier Ford walked back the land swap plans. But Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observer says we should expect that dumpster fire to flare up next week. The Toronto Star is expecting a significant document dump generated during former Steve Clark's tenure in the Housing Ministry.And if the Greenbelt walk-back helps team Ford's polling, can the same be said for Prime Minister's Trudeau decision to make major changes to his carbon tax scheme? Is it government doing the right thing or is it a demonstration of "people power"?Finally, just a pro tip for politicians who want to want to get their Question Period clip in the news: You might wanna check what happens when you encourage the Official Opposition to call 1-800- Jagmeet.

In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario politics podcast!The Ford PCs and the NDP continue sniping at each other over New Democrat Sarah Jama's controversial tweet and non-apology-apology re/; the state of affairs in Israel and Gaza.Half of the NDP caucus walked out of the assembly on Thursday, while the house voted on a Tory motion condemning the slaughtering of Israelis by Hamas and endorsing that country’s right to self-defence. The remaining New Democrats abstained from the vote saying it should have included a call for the feds to “advocate for the immediate release of all hostages, the protection of civilians in accordance with international law and end to the siege and bombardment of this issue”Meanwhile, Jama's prepared to sick her lawyer on Premier Doug Ford who took to Twitter and, among other things, accused Jama of supporting the "rape and murder of innocent Jewish people."Meanwhile, new polling shows the PCs have bounced up following the premier's decision to reverse the Greenbelt swap.

In this edition of On the Ledge:The Premier's Office is in chaos at Queen's Park now that the RCMP is conducting a criminal investigation into the Greenbelt land swap.How can Doug Ford lead his caucus and cabinet, never mind the government, with that hanging over his head. There is a good deal of potential political jeopardy for the Progressive Conservatives in the coming months. And while there are already calls and questions about Ford stepping down, the premier does have time on his side.Remember, Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals were re-elected with a majority AFTER the gas plant scandal - and that involved criminal charges and jail time for Dalton McGuinty's former Chief of Staff. So, there's nothing to say the electorate won't pass similar judgement on the Tories at Queen's Park.Can Ford change the channel? Can he give voters a reason to be distracted from the Greenbelt?Could that distraction come in the form of a most unlikely political alliance with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow? Could a new "Toronto Deal" with the province make a big enough splash to swamp the poltical fallout from the Greenbelt scandal?

In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario Politics Podcast:We are heading into the Thanksgiving weekend and the latest numbers from Maru Public Opinion suggest 63% of Ontarians have dinner plans with family and friends. We appear to be past any significant concerns about gathering in groups even though COVID is still in the community.Being more relaxed about large gatherings is one thing. It's clear we're feeling the after effects of COVID on everything from our jobs to our household routines. There are some troubling signs on the economic horizon, yet the Ford government at Queen's Park remains mired in and distracted by the self-inflicted poltical scandal around the Greenbelt land swap.It's stunts the "Get it done" agenda and any meaningful appearance that the premier and his cabinet are focussed on the kitchen table issues affecting people across the province.Now, there's more fuel for the dumpster fire. The question is now being raised, somewhat loudly, whether the province's insistence on changing municipal boundaries is just another layer of Greenbelt mess. Farmlands have been rolled into municipalities like Hamilton and Ottawa in order to accomodate new housing builds. The cities have long said they don't need the extra space to meet their housing goals.Who benefited?

The Ontario Legislature is back in session, so it's time to reconvene On the Ledge, your Ontario politics podcast!Today,There's the Greenbelt. Then there's the Greenbelt. And, oh ya, the Greenbelt.Ford Nation might have wished it was a mere typo, but no! It seems the premier's team has messsaging issues and massaging issues - all laid bare this week as the Legislature got back to business at Queen's Park.John Wright, Sabrina Nanji, Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford agree this might be one of the worst quarters a government has suffered at Queen's Park in recent memory. All all agree, "This ain't over yet."The Greenbelt land swap has turned into the political version of a Haggersville Tire Dump Fire.Questions:What would be worse for Doug Ford? An RCMP investigation or a public inquiry?Does Doug Ford have the political stamina to deal with the Greenbelt fallout until 2026?Does the PC caucus have the premier's back?Has the Ford housing initiative gone up in smoke?

It's a BONUS edition of On The Ledge featuring an episode of our daily podcast, NOW and NEXT where we sift through the entrails of the post mayoral election results.We're joined by Bob Reid, Principal at Broadway Strategy and Communications, John Wright, SVP at Maru Public Opinion and Queen's Park Observer Founder and Publisher, Sabrina Nanji.Olivia Chow will face a number of challenges in her new role as Mayor of Toronto, beyong balancing the city's budget. Does she have the political capitial to drive her agenda through Toronto City Council? Then, can she come to terms with Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make Toronto whole?

In this edition of On the Ledge:MPPs take their leave from Queen's Park for the summer break. They're back September 25th.Will Doug Ford's approval rating rebound? How will he respond to Toronto's new mayor?

In this week's edition of On the Ledge:Lots of chatter about a cabinet shuffle coming at Queen's Park and specualtion puts Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney in Doug Ford's cross hairs as the minister most likely to land in the back benches. For some unfathomable reason, Health Minister Sylvia Jones is immune from any possibility of losing her portfolio. It might be a different story if the people in Minden had a say in the matter after the Emergency Department was shuttered at the local community hospital. But they don't so, Jones will keep her gig but local PC MPP Laurie Scott will take the heat. Residents are already vowing to bounce the long-time rep out of office in the next election.The York Region Catholic School Board's refusal to fly the Pride flag has re-ignited calls for the province to eliminate the catholic boards all together. Doing so, would not only save money, it could provide a stable educational funding opportunity AND create affordable rental housing in communities right across the province.And the stalled Stellantis project in Windsor Ontario may well be driven by the federal government but a third of the corporate welfare bill will be come out of Queen's Park's coffers.

In this episode of On The Ledge - your Ontario polticis podcast:Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion, and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.Bonnie Crombie makes it clear, she wants to be leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. Doug Ford's shoot-from-the-lip response makes it sound like the 2026 campaign has started.Robo pollsters are deciding who gets on the debate stage in the race for the Mayor's chair in Toronto. John Wright gives us a How to Poll the Horse Race 101 lesson.Six of the top candidates to succeed John Tory have a lot of plans and wish lists; some are running against Doug Ford. But they're all running away from the harsh realities facing Toronto.

In this episode of On The Ledge:Dave's flying solo as the rest of the crew heads off for the long Victoria Day weekend. We take a closer look at the adminstrative challenges and the politics at play now that the Ford government has decided to dissolve the Regional Municipality of Peel.Is Doug Ford hoping this move stops any aspirations or plans Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie may be entertaining to lead the Ontario Liberals? Does this reinforce the PC's stranglehold on all the ridings in Peel Region and the 905 region at large?And can Crombie and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown get through this civic divorce in a civil manner? Brown started the deebate by accusing Crombie of either misleading the people of Peel or lying to the people of Peel when she offered her version of the financial facts and who's owed what in this process.

Okay, one minor edit. This podcast started as a daily show covering the 2018 Ontario Election Campaign. John Wright and I decided to jump in with both feet and we haven't looked back! Episode 1 kicked off on May 9th, 2018, the day the election writ was issued and the started the campaign that would result in Doug Ford's win.This is the 233rd episode. Today, we take a look at how much has changed in the province while, at the same time, noting how little things have changed in voting preferences.John and I are joined by The Queen's Park Observer founder and editor, Sabrina Nanji. Her newsletter, by the way, is two years old on May 10th.So a collection of anniversary shows today On The Ledge!

In this episode of On The Ledge, your Ontario politics podcast:Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford wander down a podcast path about podcasts! (You won't believe how much it costs to produce a narrative podcast at CBC!)Also:the Health Minister has no co-ordinated plan to support people living with Long Covid.the University of Ottawa bails on Huawei over Chinese security issues.Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie's seriously assessing whether to throw her hat into the OLP leadership ring.Horse race polls on Toronto's mayoral race are campaign vehicles intended to generate earned media. They don't really mean much in who might be the favoured candidate among nearly 70 names on the ballot!

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:We've learned the Therme has landed a 95 year lease at Ontario Place but still no details on the structure of the contract. And Jeff Gray reports in the Globe and Mail, the province is in talks with Ontario LIVE to "lease a prime spot in its Ontario Place redevelopment". Turns out the prinicipal and sole director of Ontario LIVE is a long time "social" friend to the Ford family. The Eglinton Crosstown, by every measure, has been a complete failure of the P3 procurement model. Neither the Transportation Minister, Carolyn Mulroney, nor Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster can say when the largest transit project in Canada will be completed. It was supposed to be up and running TWO YEARS AGO. Now, Verster is citing 260 quality control issues that have caused the delays. Where is the accountability? This project was budgeted at just over $9 billion. The projected budget is now well over $13 billion - a nearly 50% overrun.And is Ford's $112 million dollar commitment to track violent offenders who are out on bail an admission of failure? Why has it taken five years to come up with this program?

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion, Sabrina Nanji, Publisher and Editor of the Queen’s Park Observer and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:The Ford government made it "official" this week, unveiling fancy new renderings of the Ontario Place park that now includes a new and improved Ontario Science Centre. But beyond colouring inside the lines, there isn't a great deal of detail about the overhaul plans. We still don't know what's in the Therme Spa deal, how the parking garage worked its way into the deal AFTER the winning bid was announced.Toronto's "plan" to allow multiplex housing in ALL areas of the city will have to be a province-wide requirement. It will create more supply but there's nothing to guarantee any of these initiatives will make housing more affordable.AND the Ontario Liberal Party have set a date for the leadership vote. The party's third leader in three years will be chosen December 2,2023.

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion, and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:The Globe and Mail has exclusive reporting on the state of Long Term Care homes in Ontario. The Globe has discovered several for=profit LTC operators have opted to sell their properties to housing developers rather than pay for legislated upgrades.The province knew this was coming! Where's the plan to make up the shortfall of beds that will hit in 2025?It sure sounds like the Ford government is preparing to move the Science Centre from Don Mills to Ontario Place and the price tag to subsidize the Therme Spa and Live Nation's Budweiser Stage is something north of $650 million!And John Wright gets all nostalgia about his student days, working at Ontario Place.

The On the Ledge crew is taking the week off for the Good Friday holiday. But, we've got a great panel assembled to talk about the need for some form of a basic, guaranteed income.This is an episode of The 2030 Project - a podcast series produced for the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto recorded in May 2022 and was released November 9, 2022.This week, Daily Bread released the latest stats on food bank visits in Toronto. They have hit an all-time high since the Daily Bread opened its doors forty years ago.There were more than 270 thousand visits to Toronto food banks in the month of March 2023. That's more than four times the number of monthly visits prior to the pandemic. Daily Bread CEO Neil Hetherington is calling on the province to reinstate the emergency income supports that were extended to Ontarians on social support in the early months of the pandemic.It occurs to us that this is a good time to revisit a serious discussion about the need for a basic, guaranteed income.The COVID experience made it abundantly clear that the federal CERB program rescued millions of Canadians from the economic disaster brought on by the pandemic lockdowns. Yes, there were problems, considering the speed with which the program had to be rolled out. But it is undeniable that $2000 a month for those in need kept families and businesses afloat in the face of an economic disaster. Why waste a good crisis? How has the COVID experience affected the narrative about a stable income “floor” for all Canadians?Joining us around the table for this episode of the 2030 Project are John Wright, SVP at Maru Public Opinion. Sheila Regehr chairs the Basic Income Canada Network and Evelyn Forget is an economist and professor in community health sciences at the University of Manitoba.