As we close out 2025 we look back at what was.

And what a year it was.  Two general elections to start us off.  The political landscape shifting dramatically for two major parties.  One at the federal level and the other at the provincial.

And of course all of this under the threat of tariffs aimed at crippling our economy.  Brought on by our once most trusted and valued ally.  What will 2026 look like with America under the rule of the impulsive Donald Trump? 

I think it’s easy to say that 2025 has been a change year.  No matter what, from here on out, things aren’t really going to be the same.

So all that being said, what was the greatest story of 2025?  The biggest scandal? And what should we expect for the future?

Well to dive into these questions and more, I asked a few friends back to the podcast to discuss the year that was.

Joining me today are Theresa Lubowitz, former Queen’s Park staffer, principal of Lightbulb Narrative and host of the Progress Canada Podcast

Opposite her, is Nathaniel Arfiin, one of the key organizers of the New Leaf Liberals  who challenged former Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie’s leadership and forced her resignation.

I invited them to join me today and look back on the year that was and what we should look forward to in 2026. 

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According to the Ontario government, this will grow the rental supply in Ontario and take care of bad actors in the rental market.

Critics, however, say all this will do is hasten evictions and exacerbate the homeless crisis in our cities.

One organization is Acorn Canada. Who had one of their members infamously ejected from the legislature with Doug Ford calling on him to 'Get a Job'.

I reached out to Acorn to invite them on to this episode to talk about why they think that Bill 60 will make the housing situation in Ontario even worse than it already is.

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Elected board trustees are being replaced with hand-selected Tory loyalist supervisors, who are being promised $350,000 a year. The Skilled Development Fund is being turned into a transfer of tax dollars to whoever donated the most to the Ontario PC's coffers. Recently, $75 million was spent on an ad campaign that ended up derailing the Tariff talks.

All of these issues should be enough to brand the Ontario PC party in scandal for a generation. However, according to the polls, they are riding high. Where is the opposition on this? Have they given up?

We asked Frank Domenic to return to the podcast to discuss what's going on at Queen's Park and just where exactly the opposition is in Ontario politics.

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To that end, the Festival went to the City of Burlington council to find a way to preserve the funding in some capacity. The City voted down the proposal. At the same time, the City has reached out to citizens to see what they want in a new Festival organizer going forward.

What is the future of the festival in Burlington? Is there enough time to find a new organizer for next year? Is the Burlington City Council willing to let this icon of the community die?

To answer these questions and more, I invited Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns to explain the city's decision-making process and what the city is hoping for going forward.

Our previous episode with Brent Kinnaird from the Sound of Music Festival can be found here:

https://905er.ca/2025/09/who-will-save-the-sound-of-music-festival/

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Currently, the park is closed, no longer generating revenue, and, according to its remaining shareholders, it is unable to pay its bills. But it's one valuable asset remains, it's real estate. The only problem is that real estate could be worth billions if it were not for the animals remaining on the property.

Marineland sought to fix that by transferring thirty beluga whales to China, where they would live out the remainder of their lives. However, the federal Liberal government decided otherwise. The Minister in charge of that decision denied Marineland's request.

In response, Marineland cited that the deaths of said belugas would be on the Mark Carney government's hands. St. Catharine's MP, Chris Bittle, though, took issue with that statement and issued his own response. Citing Marineland as a stain on Niagara Falls, and putting the welfare of the animals back on the park's ownership.

As a follow-up to our previous episode on the matter, Joel reached out to Chris Bittle to invite him on to discuss the government's reasoning in denying the request, and his views on the state of Marineland as it stands currently. Furthermore, we explore what options are available to ensure the welfare of the remaining wildlife at the park.

Our previous episode on Marineland is here:

https://905er.ca/2024/10/does-marineland-have-a-future-in-ontario/

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The Ford Government is keen on eliminating trustees from Ontario school boards. As of the recording of this episode, Minister of Education Paul Calandra has removed elected trustees from four school boards in the province. Appointing a supervisor to oversee decision-making at the board level.

In our previous episode, we had Nokha Dakroub explain why she thought trustees ought to be appointed rather than elected in the province.

For this episode, we have Andrea Grebenc, former Chair of the Halton District School Board, to explain why electing our School Board Trustees ought to remain an important part of our democracy. And to help ensure a better education system for all of our children.

Our previous episode with Nokha is here:

https://905er.ca/2025/10/do-we-need-school-board-reform-with-nokha-dakroub/

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However, there is one that we wanted to focus on for the next two episodes, and that is the question of the removal of school board trustees from multiple boards in Ontario. Minister of Education, Paul Calandra, has hinted that he might remove the positions from all school boards in the province. This, of course, has sparked a bit of debate.

The elimination of a democratically elected position is indeed something that should not be taken lightly. However, is it the right one regardless? That's something we're going to examine over the next two episodes. We'll interview two former school board trustees from the 905. Each with opposing views on the matter. The hope is that you'll be able to come up with your own opinion, free from spin.

Today's episode is with Nokra Dakroub, who wrote an Op-Ed in the Toronto Star, advocating for the elimination of elected trustees. Instead, advocating for an appointed board, akin to that of a police board. Responsible solely for making decisions on the application of tax dollars towards local schools' needs.

You can find Nokra's Op-Ed here:

I was a school trustee. The role isn’t working as it should

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That trend has stopped, though.

The recent actions of Doug Ford's invocation of the Notwithstanding Clause to force CUPE back to work, as well as the Federal government's legislation mandating flight attendants to mediation, were met with a defiant no. This line in the sand has sparked a revival of the labour movement in the province drawing a line in the sand.

I reached out to discuss this newfound confidence with the President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, Laura Walton. I speak with her about the new strength the movement has found, as well as LiUNA's parting from the OFL over their treatment of Doug Ford. As well as the future of labour in general in Ontario.

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Imagine if you're a kid, then, trying to focus on learning math, science, history, geography, as well as participating in phys-ed on an empty stomach? Too many kids go to school hungry, for multiple reasons. Which is why the federal government created the National School Food Program. Where federal tax dollars are sent to the provinces and territories, who in turn pass it along to third-party providers to ensure our kids start the day with full bellies.

However, does it work? Or work well? We asked Sarah Keyes and Heather Thoma from the Ontario Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food if the money we are sending to Ontario is getting where it's supposed to go. As well, if it's doing what we expect it to.

https://www.healthyschoolfood.ca/

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Ryan walks us through:

• How a spur-of-the-moment season-pass purchase became a full-blown remote-work experiment

• The hacks that make a theme park surprisingly productive (yes, reliable Wi-Fi and quiet corners do exist)

• Why breaking routine in a post-pandemic work world can spark fresh energy and creativity

• What his viral TikTok series reveals about the future of flexible work and the places we choose to call an office

Whether you’re curious about hybrid work culture, love a good behind-the-scenes amusement-park story, or just want inspiration to shake up your own nine-to-five, this episode is a ride worth taking.

Follow Ryan and his projects:

ryanzeitz.ca

Mental HELLth Comedy Night in Support of CMHA Toronto tickets are here:

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I’m joined by urban researcher and writer Sean Marshall to dig into why this is happening, what it means for our communities, and whether there’s actually a future for these spaces. We talk about how malls went from being the centre of suburban life to fading into irrelevance, and what might replace them as developers and cities scramble to reinvent these properties.

If you’ve ever hung out at the food court, worked your first retail job, or just killed time wandering the mall, this episode will make you think differently about what’s happening to these familiar spaces.

SeanMarshall.ca

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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A less-than-stellar performance, failed to deliver them out of third place in the Ontario Legislature. Their leader, Bonnie Crombie, failed to win her seat. The only gain that was won was a return to official party status.

As we discussed with Nathaniel Arfin, of the New Leaf Liberals before our summer break, this was unacceptable. As is often the case in Liberal circles, the knives are out for their leader. Bonnie Crombie has spent her summer vacation travelling the province trying to quell dissension in the ranks and keep her position as Ontario Liberal Party leader.

Is it working? Well, we will find out this weekend at the party's AGM on Saturday. During that meeting, Ontario Liberals from across the province will vote on whether or not Crombie should stay on as leader, or should another leadership race be triggered.

With such stakes on the line, I thought it would be good to talk with an expert on Ontario politics. So to do so, I reached out to Sabrina Nanji, of the QP Observer, to talk about the summer of Ontario Liberal infighting, who might succeed Crombie, and what is at stake for the third-place party of Ontario.

https://905er.ca/2025/07/nathaniel-arfin-talks-about-the-new-leaf-liberals/

https://qpobserver.ca/

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⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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Over the Father's Day weekend, Canada's largest free music festival is held on the shores of Lake Ontario in Burlington. Acts such as The Trews, The Arkells, Big Wreck, Walk Off the Earth, and Finger Eleven have all graced its stages.

In recent years, troubled times have come to the festival. Keeping this festival free has become harder and harder to do. The situation has become so dire that this year's festival might be its last. That is, unless private sponsors come forward to help keep this legendary event going.

To talk about the situation the festival finds itself in, we've invited to the podcast Brent Kinnaird, the Executive Director of the festival.

You can find out more about the festival on their website, as well as how to support it on their website here:

https://soundofmusic.ca/

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They are held accountable for their actions, truly, once every four years at the ballot box. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a system that is woefully inefficient at maintaining civil politics. The matter has been raised a few times at Queen's Park to amend legislation and make it easier to hold such misbehaviour to account. Yet no legislation has actually been passed.

In this current legislative session, Bill 9 has been brought forward to deal with this matter again. A grassroots group called The Women of Ontario Say No has been working hard to highlight the need for this legislation.

To talk about the work this group is doing and the importance of finally getting this legislation across the finish line, we've invited to the podcast Emily McIntosh, the organizer of this movement.

https://www.thewomenofontariosayno.com/

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills.

⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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The Ontario Liberals have returned to official party status with some new faces sit in the legislature. Ontario Liberal Executives are proclaiming this as a huge win for the party. However, the fact that this is the only victory the party can claim from the election isn’t sitting well with a number of grassroots Liberals.

They were looking for a return to power. The fact that they are still a distant third place party in the legislature does not sit well with them. These failures are being blamed solely on the leader Bonnie Crombie‘s lacklustre performance. The fact that she did not win her own seat does not help her case with them either.

They are calling themselves the New Leaf Liberals, and we invited on to the podcast one of their organizers, Nathaniel Arfin, from Burlington in the 905 to discuss this movement, what they hope to achieve and where they hope to take the Ontario Liberal Party.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills.

⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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That is becoming the question on the minds of every municipality in the region. Last week, we had St. Catharine's Mayor Mat Siscoe to discuss Niagara's housing plan. In that episode, we mentioned the encampment bylaw that the city enacted.

To say that this is a controversial bylaw is an understatement. A critic of the bylaw is Sean Vanderklis, a friend and previous guest of the podcast. Sean was the host of the One Dish One Mic podcast and is an indigenous journalist and advocate in the Niagara region. He has been critical of the approach to unhoused encampments in the region, in particular with the treatment of indigenous people.

Frankly, the image of police forcibly removing First Nations people from land they are living on is not one we would think any government in Canada would want to repeat. However, the safety of public parks and spaces needs to be maintained for all residents of the city. So, what do we do to remedy this dilemma?

Well, that's what we discussed in this episode with Sean.

https://905er.ca/2020/11/18-sean-vanderklis-and-karl-dockstader-converse-about-caledonia-2/

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⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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Last month, the region passed a plan to fund subsidized housing for low-income individuals. As well St. Catharines passed a by-law enabling the city to remove encampments from public areas. A move that followed up on our previous episode with the mayor.

We invited Mayor Siscoe back to the podcast to talk about these changes to Niagara Region and St. Catharines and see how this part of the 905 is trying solve the biggest crisis of our generation.

Our previous episode with Mayor Siscoe is here:

https://905er.ca/2024/11/mayor-mat-siscoe-backs-his-decision-to-request-the-notwithstanding-clause/

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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Upon taking office, one of the first actions she undertook was to create a Housing Task Force to review Mississauga's by-laws, zoning and policies to find ways to spur new housing development. Talking with city staff, developers, and stakeholders, this was a comprehensive mission to identify the barriers to addressing the crisis of a generation.

100 days later, that task force delivered its recommendations, and the city council enacted them. The result has seen a boost in housing starts, particularly rental purpose builds.

To discuss this approach, we sat down with Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish to talk about the task force and its goals for reshaping Mississauga.

Our Previous Episode with Mayor Parrish is here.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca.

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At the cost to the taxpayer, so high, we've often questioned the logic of this public works project. Traffic is a problem, no doubt, but is this the solution to our woes? Well, one person seems to think we can do better. With the tools already available to us.

Spacing.ca editor John Lorinc has written a piece for the magazine highlighting how better funding and planning of GO Transit along the northern communities of the 905 can help alleviate much of the congestion we are experiencing. At the cost of millions to increase bus service between communities, we can save billions over the single use of a tunnel.

I invited John on to speak about his thoughts and how we can get moving again in the 905.

John's Piece in Spacing

John's Piece in The Star

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Normally, this is done fairly and with little drama. However, this time around, conspiracy theories are being thrown into the mix. Bad-faith actors are trying to undermine the process by spreading rumours that Elections Canada denies ballots or adds them to the final tally.

The facts are that our elections are some of the most transparent and definitive electoral processes on the planet. Our elections are reliable. An example of which happened right here in the 905. The newly created riding of Milton East - Halton Hills South and forth between Conservative Parm Gill and Liberal Kristina Tesser Derksen. At the end of the day, Kristina Tesser Derksen won by only 21 votes.

We invited Laura Steiner of the Milton Reporter to talk about what has been happening in Milton and to set the record straight on the reliability of our electoral process.

https://miltonreporter.ca/

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Since that interview, case numbers have steadily risen in Ontario. As the time of recording this episode, over 1400 cases have been reported and that number doesn't seem to be slowing down.

Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health Silvia Jones and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kiernan Moore seem reluctant to take direct action on this file. Rather, deciding to serve platitudes and a shoulder shrug to encourage vaccine uptake in communities affected by this outbreak.

How did we get to this point? Well, we invited Globe and Mail health columnist Andre Picard to the podcast to discuss how we let one of the most preventable illnesses on the planet get away from us and what needs to be done to get back in control of this public health crisis.

Our previous episode on measles is here:

https://905er.ca/2025/04/measles-is-making-a-comeback-what-are-we-doing-about-it/

You can read Andre Picard's column in The Globe and Mail here:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/andre-picard/

And visit his website here:

https://www.andrepicard.com/

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That didn’t mean we didn’t keep an eye on what was going on in the 905 City Halls. One particular story caught our eye in Hamilton.

In early April, a long-awaited report was released. The Mayor’s Task Force, consisting of 5 volunteers, reported on the gap of distrust between Hamilton’s City Hall and its citizens. Approximately 80% of respondents found that City Hall lacked transparency and accountability, and as a result, Hamilton’s City Council has not won the trust of the people it serves.

This came as a bit of a blow to the council that was elected on a ‘Change’ platform. With only a little over a year left to go in their mandate, is this too little, too late to change the tide? And what will it take to rebuild trust in Hamilton?

To talk about all, we sit down again with Joey Coleman of The Public Record to discuss all of this.

https://thepublicrecord.ca/

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With the dust of the federal election finally settling, it’s time to look to the future of Canada and the 905.

Joel gives his brief summary of what comes next for each political party.

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Elections are democracy at its purest. Candidates and parties put forward their best to persuade us to vote for them. A key part of that process is the all-candidates' debate, a tradition going back to the town square. The public is able to pose questions to candidates and hear straight from them what they think are the solutions to the problems we face.

In Burlington, that tradition was ended because of the People's Party of Canada's supporters. At Port Nelson United Church, an all candidates debate was canceled at the last minute, because according to the organizers, a convoy organized by the Peoples Party of Canada was going to protest. Rather than risk the safety of attendees, the Church decided to cancel the event.

Roland comes back to talk with Joel about this form of intimidation and what it means for our democracy.

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The decision is looming, and a choice will need to be made. However, how do we know we're making the right choice? Ironically, just before the election, Joel read a book called Too Dumb For Democracy, by former guest David Moscrop. The book is a fascinating insight into how we construct our political behaviour. Many factors, from biology to our personal histories, to our environment, all contribute to how we choose who we vote for.

We thought it would be interesting to invite David back to discuss the book in general, as well as how we can apply it to this election cycle.

https://www.davidmoscrop.com/

You can find our previous episode with David here

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The Toronto Star for the past week has published a series of articles on abuse and inhumane conditions at Maplehurst Correctional Facility in Milton. The facility is an Ontario-owned and operated jail, where most inmates are charged with crimes and are awaiting their day in court to have the charges proven in a court of law. It is important to highlight that the majority of these inmates are still considered innocent in the eyes of the law.

The stories have focused on conditions in which the facility is over capacity, leading to overcrowding in cells. Toilets are backed up for weeks on end, leading to inmates being forced to use noodle cups instead. Lack of basic needs like toilet paper abounds. And one inmate reported a rash on their body, due to not being able to shower regularly. The big standout issue, though, is the reporting of the use of the Institutional Crisis Intervention Unit, the Riot Squad, to strip search and punish inmates in December of 2023.

We reached out to the investigative reporter who is covering this story to come on and talk about this in depth. Joining Joel today is Brendan Kennedy from the Toronto Star, to discuss how this happened at Maplehurst, what led to this culture and what is being done or not done to address the issue.

Brendan's journalism can be found here:

Ontario's Jails are Deadlier than Ever - and This One is Worst in Every Respect

She thought leaving her nephew in jail would help him get clean. His fatal

overdose raises hard questions about how drugs get inside

‘Welcome to Wong-tanamo Bay’: Maplehurst jail officials conspired to ‘cover up’ mass strip-search of inmates, court document alleges

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Their efficacy and safety are reliable. And they are the best way to prevent public health outbreaks of preventable diseases.

We all remember the pandemic, lockdowns, and the toll that all took on us. So why are we seeing a resurgence of measles in Peel region, along with other areas of the province? Outbreaks of measles are being reported by public health agencies, predominantly amongst unvaccinated populations.

Public Health agencies are putting out the warning for all people to get their vaccinations updated. However, could more be done? What are the consequences if we don't take the necessary actions?

To talk about why a vaccination campaign is so important, as well as what Peel region is doing to get ahead of this situation, we invited to the podcast Alvin Tedjo, Mississauga Councillor, as well as Jill Promoli, a vaccination advocate.

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Less than a month out of the Ontario provincial election, Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a federal election for April 28th.

Last year, the idea of a federal election struck terror in the hearts of Liberals across the country. However, in only a month, Mark Carney has flipped the script on Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. The Liberal Party is leading in the polls and the idea of a fourth term is not out of the question.

All of this is based on one question of who is best to deal with American President Donald Trumps, threats against Canada? We here in the 905 are only an hour away from the American border, which puts us on the front line of this unprecedented period in Canadian-American relations. So what do we do now?

Well to talk about this moment, I sit down with a long-time friend of the podcast Laura Babcock. Laura is the host of The O-show and President of the Powergroup.

The O-Show

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Pressure is on for definitive action to be taken on auto thefts in Canada. Police have been saying stricter penalties are required to send a message of deterrence to criminals. To make sure that criminals pay the price when they are arrested and to truly break up these organized crime rings.

In Halton, Chief of Police Steve Tanner issued a statement in February stating clearly that the federal government needed to implement tougher penalties for those found guilty of auto thefts. Will that be enough to put an end to this scourge in the 905 and Ontario? To find out, Chief Tanner joins the podcast to talk about this and give us the facts.

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We are entering into an unprecedented period of antagonism between Canada and the United States. What was once the most prosperous trading relationship in the history of the world is being dismantled arbitrarily by the American government.

What will this mean for Canada, Ontario and the 905? To discuss this we invited to the podcast Chris Emanuel, President of the Central York Chamber of Commerce as well as Terry Caddo, President of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce to talk about what lies ahead for our region, province and country in a trade war.

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It was an election that didn't see the dynamic at Queen's Park change all that much. Doug Ford and the Ontario PC returned with a third majority mandate, Marit Stiles and the NDP returned to the official opposition, and the Ontario Liberals returned as the third-place party.

The biggest shock of the night was the fact that Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie failed to win not just her seat in Mississauga but any seat in Peel region. A fact that flew in the face of the promise she made to Ontario Liberals when they elected her as leader. That she would be able to win the 905 region handily.

What does this failure mean for the party's future and Bonnie Crombie, and what can we expect going forward? To answer some of these questions and more, we invited Theresa Lubowitz back to the podcast. A former communications staffer for Kathleen Wynne and the Ontario Liberal Party, to give her insight on the path forward.

What is the Future of the Ontario Liberal Party?

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It seems that people are finally starting to check in to the fact that we are having one, and we're starting to see some change in the polls. But is it enough to change the government? What happens if nothing changes? What would happen to Bonnie Crombie or Marit Stiles's leadership? Both made promises to their members but are they going to be able to deliver this election?

We invited back to the podcast Ahmad Elbayoumi, from Policorner.ca. Ahmad has been covering the Ontario election in detail and we welcome him to talk about what's at stake for the various parties this election day. And what might come after all the ballots are counted?

Policorner.ca

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That's the risk in our first-past-the-post system. Without the anti-Ford vote coalescing around one party or leader at the moment, those who want a change in government are forced to consider strategic voting. The question is, does this work? Well, one person is hoping it will.

JB Burrows of TikTok fame has created a website to help progressive voters make the best strategic vote in their riding this election. His website Smartvoting.ca aims to let voters know which party is best positioned to unseat the incumbent Ontario PC choice. Will it work? Well, we sit down and talk with him today to find out.

https://smartvoting.ca/

Our Episode on the London Municipal Ranked Ballot Election

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Housing, development fees, homelessness. These were the things that we were covering in previous episodes. The matters which were front and centre for many 905ers. Going so far as to potentially invoke the notwithstanding clause to deal with encampments in cities. So why isn’t this the top issue of this election?

What is it that our municipalities are looking to hear from the party leaders that will help them deal with the supposed top issue of Ontario? To talk about that we invited on to the podcast Jonathan Scott, Councillor for Bradford West-Gwillimbury. To hear from the municipal government perspective about what a provincial government ought to be doing.

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Trudeau resigned, sparking a Liberal Leadership race, and most recently, as this podcast is being recorded, President Donald Trump is imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, sparking a trade war in North America.

In the shadow of all of this, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has decided to call an election. Citing the need for a strong mandate from the Ontario people to deal with Donald Trump. Despite the fact, that he has an overwhelming majority already. There has never been a greater level of uncertainty in our provincial politics at this time.

We wanted to take a moment and get a lay of the land for what is going to be a wild 27 days in Ontario.

Sabrina Nanji of the QPObserver joins us to talk about the provincial election. Why it's happening and whether this gamble on the part of Doug Ford is going to blow up in his face? Can Bonnie Crombie and Marit Stiles take advantage of this to win government?

You can read Sabrina Nanji's fantastic work here: QPobserver.ca

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With the cost of living increasing this was a blow to their brand and hurt consumers where it matters most. What was most shocking perhaps about the story is how it wasn't that shocking at all. This isn't the first time Loblaws and Sobeys were caught in a price-fixing scheme. In 2018, it was discovered that they were fixing the price of bread in their favour, which led to them admitting their fault and Loblaws paying out $500 million to customers in the form of prepaid cards.

It is clear that this behaviour isn't an isolated incident. The rising price of groceries and this kind of behaviour spurred our guest today to take action. Emily Johnson is the organizer of the Loblaws boycott. We had her on previously to discuss the boycott just after she met executives with Loblaws.

We invited her back again to talk about this latest news and what powers people need to tackle this exercise in corporate greed.

The CBC Article on the Meat Pricing Scheme at Loblaws and Sobeys

CBC Article on Bread Pricing

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His government has announced several big policy initiatives. Minister of Energy, Stephen Lecce announced that the Ontario PC government will be building more wind farms and solar projects in rural Ontario. As well as a green energy home retrofit tax credit, for windows, doors and other energy-saving upgrades. Including Solar panel installation. And most recently, Doug Ford instructed Metrolynx to invest in "GO Transit 2.0."

A lot of this should sound familiar to you. All of these projects were what Doug Ford initially ran on dismantling from then-Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne in 2018. Ford campaigned on the premise that these projects were costly to Ontario taxpayers and bad policy from the then Ontario Liberal government. So where did this 180 come from?

To discuss this reversal 6 years later, we invited back to the podcast Kathleen Wynne. We ask her about this sudden change in heart from Doug Ford and why the Ontario Liberals brought in these policies to begin with as well as what could have been had Ontario not hit pause on these projects 6 years ago.

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We are back in the saddle for what is shaping up to be a huge year in Canada, Ontario and the 905.

As we start the new year, we found some good news to reflect on. Rents in the 905 are dropping. As more and more inventory comes onto the market the laws of supply and demand the price of rent is dropping.

After that, we look at Hamilton Wentworth District School Board's decision to hire private investigators to go after teachers they suspect are taking unjustified sick days. We ask...' who cares?' With only 11 sick days permitted, why not let adults take care of themselves? No other profession would accept this so why should teachers?

Toronto Star Article on Rents

Six Hamilton-area education stories to watch in 2025

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Our second story focuses on how Premier Doug Ford of all people in Canada is the one punching back at President Donald Trump. In retaliation to Trump's proposed 25% tariffs, his promise to cut off electricity to American states is the standout statement in what is shaping up to be a trying time between our two countries. Joel walks back his initial statement on social media and both of our hosts ask, is this what's needed?

Ontario Liberal Housing Plan

Doug Ford on Donald Trump

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This sharp turn to the right, in search of chipping away at Doug Ford's base, has alienated many progressives in Ontario. Many of them are Ontario Liberal supporters who now feel alienated from the party. Will this rebranding of Bonnie Crombie 2.0 pay off?

To discuss this, we invited onto the podcast Evan Scrimshaw of Scrimshaw Unscripted. Evan has been openly critical of the Ontario Liberals as of late and his recent substack article has taken to task this recent strategy of the Ontario Liberals and made us question how viable their chances are of winning a majority of seats now in the 905.

Evan's Article on Scrimshaw Unscripted is here

CBC's Article on Bonnie Crombie's Leadership Dinner

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This is something our guest today resigned their position on Peel's Police Board for. Newly elected Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish resigned from the Peel Police Board over a proposed 23.3% budget increase which would lead to increased property taxes for Mississaugans. Something as Mayor, she was concerned with but not allowed to discuss openly due to the code of conduct for Police Board members not being able to openly criticize decisions.

We discussed a similar issue with Hamilton Councillor Cameron Kroetsch when he was disciplined by the Hamilton Police Board over his objections to their proposed budget increase. If duly elected municipal officials cannot publicly debate the spending of public tax dollars what does that mean for oversight or accountability?

These are some of the questions we put forward to Mayor Parrish as she joins us today on the podcast.

Our episode with Cameron Kroestch on the Hamilton Police Board can be found here.

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Following the release of that episode though, a rebuttal letter was released signed by 40 councillors from municipalities across Ontario. The letter laid out the clear opposition to the Mayor's request for the notwithstanding clause to be used and made a direct appeal to the Premier to refuse their request. One of the signatories to that letter was Councillor Haley Bateman. Councillor Bateman represents St. Catharines in the Niagara Region. As Councillor Bateman and Mayor Siscoe represent the same constituents they would also be familiar with the details of St. Catharines' homeless population. We thought this would be a good apples-to-apples examination of the issue.

As such we welcome to the podcast Councillor Haley Bateman of St. Catharines to discuss why she thinks the notwithstanding clause is a step too far in dealing with the homeless encampments in our cities.

Last week's episode with Mayor Mat Siscoe is here.

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In the letter, the mayors went the extra step to request the Notwithstanding Clause be used if necessary to give them the ability to override court decisions regarding the Charter Rights of homeless. Needless to say this has proven to be a controversial point. Some have gone so far as to say it’s an overreach of government and a step too far. Mayors on the other hand are saying they have exhausted the limited powers granted to them to deal with this problem.

We wanted to reach out to one of the signatories from the 905 to find out what made them decided to request such a controversial and impactful option with the Notwithstanding Clause.

Joining us today is Mayor of St. Catharines Mat Siscoe, who outlines his argument for why this option needs to be on the table.

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This issue came to the forefront last week during Mississauga City Council's deliberation over whether or not to fund the Trillium Health Partner's request for $450 million to help fund the Peter Gilgan Hospital redevelopment. The main reason cited was that the funding of health care is the sole responsibility of the province. Municipalities do not have the funds or fundraising mechanisms to invest in healthcare infrastructure of this size. According to the city, to fulfill this request would mean that the city would need to raise property taxes to pay off the debt for many years to come.

Stepping back away from this specific issue, the matter of municipalities paying for what is essentially the province's responsibility is one that we keep coming back to time and time again on this podcast. If this is going to be the expected model going forward, then perhaps a new deal for cities is required.

To discuss the city's rationale, and the matter of who pays for what in Ontario, we invited back to the podcast Alvin Tedjo, Mississauga City Councilor for Ward 2. He joins us to give us insight into how the city is pushing back on the province's pressure to fund their responsibilities and to discuss why Ontario's cities need new ways to fund their responsibilities.

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The Mississauga LRT project is under threat of not being completed due to questions of where funding to pay vendors and suppliers will come from. The funding has turned into a mess of who's owed who and who is paying for it. Metrolinx is the Ontario government's transit corporation in charge of this project so why isn't the province stepping in to sort this out? Another project that the current government is leading to failure.

In Hamilton, The Spec reported how a new distribution model for home care supplies has left major gaps in the way they are distributed to patients. The result is that patients and home care providers are not operating with the tools they need. All due to the current government's need to upend the old way of doing things, resulting in a mess.

Lastly, we look at the fact that Burlington is raising property taxes again. We face the reality that it's due to the Ford government's upending the municipal funding formula but not replacing it with a new model for 905 municipalities to operate with.

What is the common thread we mentioned at the beginning of this note? We describe it as malicious incompetence. Listen to the episode to understand what it means.

Hurontario LRT track trouble and delays threaten credit rating, completion timeline

‘We’re panicking,’ says home care co-ordinator dealing with supply shortage crisis with ‘no end in sight’

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Too many teachers are leaving the profession with fewer new teachers joining their ranks. The Ministry of Education is predicting that as early as 2027 we could start seeing a gap in available teachers and the number of students. If this continues we could see an already burdened education system stretched to its limits.

The current Minister of Education Jill Dunlop says that this looming crisis will be addressed by dealing with absenteeism as well as shortening the time for teaching candidates to get in front of classrooms.

Our guest today though has a different viewpoint. Karen Brown is the president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. Previously she was on to discuss the issue of violence against teachers in the classroom. Today she joins us to expand on that topic and discuss why Ontario has enough teachers. Just the province isn't stepping up to the plate to make the profession attractive to the qualified.

Classroom Crisis: Ontario student, teacher disparity to ‘widen’ more, internal document warns

Previous Podcast: Karen Brown of ETFO Talks Violence in Our Schools

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For years now, the Niagara Falls-based theme park has been under intense scrutiny, after evidence of animal mistreatment and deaths have emerged at the park. The Ontario Solicitor General has stated that the park is under inspection by the province but will not divulge what it has been examining or looking for. Meanwhile, the park has reduced its operations to a mere shadow of its former glory.

The idea of Marineland overcoming its current woes and becoming a prestige destination attraction in Ontario is long gone. As people speculate on what the future of the park will be, the remaining Beluga Whales and Dolphins welfare is questioned.

We invited on to the podcast the whistleblower who brought to light the mistreatment and condition of the animals at Marineland, Philip Demers to discuss the current state of the park and what its future might be.

His not-for-profit organization to protect marine animal life is called UrgentSeas, and today he joins us to talk about Marineland

https://urgentseas.org

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Normally this isn't newsworthy, but this time a few items put it on our radar. Policy proposals to change the nature of the party's provincial council, limiting the number of Young Liberals on it, as well as potentially changing the leadership review process allowing current Leader Bonnie Crombie to stay on, even if she does not deliver for Ontario Liberals in the next election.

The proposals ultimately failed. However, the fact that such divisive motions made it as far as they did caught our attention. Furthermore, accounts from the AGM show a party that is not unified together. A problem for the Ontario Liberals as it appears Premier Doug Ford may try to call an early election early next year. So what actually went down in London?

To get the inside scoop, we reached out to Ahmad Elbayoumi, the publisher of the Policorner.ca substack. Ahmad is a political reporter, covering Queen's Park politics for the last four years and is now an independent journalist. He was one of a handful of journalists to cover the AGM and published a detailed account of what he saw. We asked him to come on the podcast to give his account and insight into what is happening to the Ontario Liberal Party leading into a potential election in 2025.

Policorner Substack on the Ontario Liberal Party AGM

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A visit to Hamilton saw him brush off criticism of his failure of the housing file by stating that the plight of homeless encampments in 905 cities would be solved if those living there got off their quote 'A-S-S' and applied for jobs. The fallback position of him to a Ronald Reaganesque quote demonstrates how out of touch he is with the problems his lack of action has caused on the number one problem of the province.

Not letting that statement stand alone though, later in the week, Ford announced a multi-billion boondoggle in the waiting of promising to build a tunnel under the 401 from Brampton to Scarborough to alleviate traffic on Canada's busiest stretch of highway. Rough estimates state that it could cost over $100 Billion. Not to mention the fact that government projects never end on time. The money could be spent infinitely more wisely and have a better impact on Ontarians.

This week we have to look at the staggering incompetence and realize that when it comes to the people of Ontario, we are last in priorities for this Ontario PC government.

Doug Ford's A-S-S Comment

Doug Ford's announcement of the 401 Tunnel

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The federal tax court recently shut down citing gun violence.

Tent encampments are a feature in city parks, and most recently the President of LiUNA made the outrageous claim that busloads of homeless people were being brought into the city to take advantage of services in the downtown core.

The problems downtown Hamilton is facing are monumental. Development of affordable housing is desperately

needed, as well as encouragement of economic development. These problems didn’t pop up overnight. They have been stewing for decades. And are the result of a myriad of policies from all levels of government.

However, that is no excuse to stop trying to solve the problem. But are our government’s up to the task?

To talk about the task ahead and to help sort through the hyperbole we invited back to the podcast downtown councillor for Hamilton, Cameron Kroetsch.

Cameron is the councillor for Ward 2 and has been most vocal on many of the issues affecting the downtown of Hamilton and what needs to be done to change the course

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In the previous decade Jo Brant hospital received a major expansion and renovation via a large new patient tower, funded by the province, the city and community donations. At the time this was described by people involved - even some in provincial government - as ‘Phase 1’, and there was a clearly appreciated need and perhaps even expectation of a Phase 2. At the top of the list of ‘Phase 2’ needs was the urgent need to upgrade the cramped and aging facilities used by Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Infrastructure built for a small suburban town in 1960s, today handles the needs of a major urban centre. And then COVID-19 hit in 2020. COVID may have been a virus that caused physical symptoms, but one of its greatest knock-on public health effects was a massive increase in demand for mental health services. I saw first hand mental health professionals exhausted by the increased demands being put on them in 2020, but that demand has never returned to pre COVID levels.

Despite these pressures, the staff at Jo Brant, like so many around Ontario, Canada and the rest of the world, have risen to challenge magnificently, providing excellent services to their community, even if their facility is almost literally bursting at the seams.

Walk to the Lighthouse aims to raise both awareness of this need, and practical money towards the day when ‘Phase 2’ finally happens. We wanted to learn more, and to help spread the word about this fantastic community initiative.

https://www.equilibriumburlington.com/

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We welcome back to the podcast Ajay Sharma for this episode.

As we prepared to cover this episode several news items broke ground in Ontario that we felt could not be ignored. First was the Ontario PC government's plan to back out of the $ 10-a-day daycare funding formula for private daycare providers. The result could be disastrous for parents, children, and ECEs who were enjoying a $2 an-hour pay increase. This sudden reversal is going to leave a big game and lead to what we think will be two-tiered daycares in the province. Result in greater costs for parents with less return.

The second and rather quite alarming news item was a story broke by Global News that under this Ontario government, wards of the state in Children's aid programs were dying at the rate of one every three days. A dishonour that should bring down any provincial government. So why is there so little outcry or attention being paid to this travesty?

Links to the articles and previous episodes mentioned in the episode are here.

Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Will the Province Blink First on Childcare?

Ontario cutting funding from daycare centres not in $10-a-day program

‘The system has fallen apart’: A child dies every 3 days under Ontario’s care network

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We thought it prudent to take a moment and look back on the summer that was. This summer, Doug Ford faced the first LCBO strike ever, suddenly shut down safe consumption sites across the province based on his gut feeling, and lost his Education Minister at the last minute just before the start of the school year. Normally this would be the cause for alarm and stress in the Ontario PC government. At least that's what probably should be happening if an effective opposition was present. Which begs the question: Where have Bonnie Crombie and Marit Stiles been all summer? Why haven't we seen the Ontario Liberal and Ontario NDP Leaders around the province much this summer? Have they blown their chance at making a good first impression with Ontarians in the 905?

These were the questions we posed to Sabrina Nanji of the QP Observer. Sabrina is the publisher, founder and reporter for the QP Observer a substack that covers the ins and outs of Queen's Park politics. We've had her on before to talk and we welcome her back this episode to discuss why the opposition in Ontario has yet to find traction in the province and what the fall might look like for the Ontario Liberals and Ontario NDP.

You can check out the QP Observer here: https://qpobserver.ca/

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After some needed time off Roland and Joel are back to talk shop and of course the first you do when getting back to work is...cleaning out the ol' email inbox. In the process, we discovered an interesting email from a San Francisco start-up Optiwatt.

Optiwatt is partnering with The Atmospheric Fund here in Ontario to offer an app that can lead to cheaper rates to charge electric vehicles in the 905. As the push for electrification of the auto industry intensifies, saving money on our energy bills is always a good thing. More importantly, saving money on charging new electric vehicles can help to make them more affordable to everyday consumers which in turn helps promote greener, less carbon-intensive measures on our environment—helping to take on climate change.

Small things like this always catch our eye. We want to look at any measure to help us take on climate change. So in that regard, we reached out to Optiwatt to invite them to discuss what their app will do exactly, what their plans are for the electrification of North America, and ultimately why they decided to do this in the 905 of all places on the continent.

If you'd like to learn more about the app you can visit their website at:

https://www.optiwatt.com

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Standing in for Joel, we have a return visit from Ajay Sharma, professor in the political science department at the University of Guelph, and a contributor to the Toronto Star on recent political events in Mississauga.

We take a look at a couple of stories. First, the decision of the Canadian Tax court to unexpectedly and apparently unilaterally close its doors in Hamilton, citing the danger posed to its staff and users of the court following a recent shooting nearby. Nobody claims Hamilton is perfect, but should the court be allowed to get away with this claim unchallenged? Should a court, which can presumably call on the daily protection of the provincial and federal police, really 'give up' so easily?

Then we take a look at the new regime in Mississauga, where it appears Carolyn Parrish's new mayoralty has been marked by a number of high-profile firings, followed by some high-profile resignations from people who've decided they want no part of the new order. And does the mayor have the power to do what's needed to handle the housing crisis?

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Joel's neighbourhood was one of the most intensely impacted by flooding, and thus he attended a neighbourhood meeting with his city councillor to discuss what came next. What he took away from the meeting is that ten years ago, the province, region and city response to this level of damage was monumentally different. All levels of government seemingly mobilized to help put people together and supposedly to take measures to mitigate future flooding.

Instead, the message is only the bare minimum will be done. Insurance is expected to pick up the tab, even though it won't cover all the damage for some. This echoed what Mark Cripps mentioned in our previous episode. As these climate change events continue to grow and become more common, the costs to people will mirror the severity. The question comes though, what happens when people who can't afford the costs are impacted? Are they to be written off as expendable?

Last week's episode with Mark Cripps is here: https://905er.ca/2024/07/the-905-flooding-is-only-the-beginning/

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This isn't an isolated incident either. In the last few years, the region and Canada have seen an increase in the frequency and severity of storms and conditions affecting our communities. The fact is that this is exactly what scientists predicted would happen as a result of climate change. As we emit greater quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, our weather and climate will become more and more extreme.

Unfortunately, the situation is too politicized to address it head-on. Politicians are making their careers on reversing climate change policies, and denialism runs rampant across all parts of Canadian society. There is one industry though that is taking it incredibly seriously. They are working on the numbers of what the true costs of this catastrophe will be. The insurance industry for years has been forced to pay out increasing sums due to climate change events.

We've talked about this before on the podcast, but in light of recent events, we thought it prudent to revisit the topic. To that end, we've invited back to the podcast Mark Cripps from the Insurance Bureau of Canada to explain that whether our leaders are taking climate change seriously or not, the insurance industry is. So whether we like it or not, we're going to end up paying for it, one way or another.

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Just as schools let out, the government's talks with LCBO Unionized employees broke down. All LCBO retail locations are closed for the summer, leaving only grocery and convenience stores available for Ontarios to purchase wine or beer. For the union, this is to ensure that LCBO locations retain the sale of ready-to-drink cocktails from private retailers.

The Doug Ford, Ontario PC Government isn't backing down. They are doubling down on moving ahead with greater privatization in the sale of alcohol to Ontarians, promising greater choice in the marketplace when it comes to where Ontarians can purchase their alcohol.

However is this what this strike is actually about? Who gains from this strike action? And in fact, are Ontarians trading a publicly owned monopoly for a private one in alcohol sales? These questions are being asked by our guest, from the independent news site Corruptario. Morgan Grenfell is a journalist who has looked into the makeup of the board of the LCBO and uncovered several conflicts of interest when it comes to who gains from the strike, and whether or not they do have Ontario's best interests at heart.

You can read the article from Corruptario here

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So with the pressure to move forward, one would think a plan and budget had been formulated for the project. Thanks to reporting by Emma McIntosh of The Narwhal, information has come to light about the lack of a solid plan and budget on this highway. Despite assurances that shovels will be in the ground next year to start the project, there is no budget, assessments or definitive plans on how this highway will be built or designed. So what does this mean going forward?

We have Emma McIntosh on the podcast to discuss her article and what's next for the Ford Government's legacy project.

Emma's article on The Narwhal Website is here

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During the visit, however, Premier Ford was asked about Hamilton's LRT project, and when it would begin construction. Ford reiterated his government's support for the project, but the question remains...when will it start being built? For almost 6 years now, the LRT has been just a promise on paper. No tenders have been issued for work and ground has yet to be broken on King St. Yet Ford re-committed to the building of Hamilton's LRT. The catch though, is this comes in light of the government's failure to sufficiently fund the Ontario Science Centre, forcing it to close due to the risk of collapse. In June, a heat wave raised concerns about sufficient air-conditioning in Ontario schools and the Ford government refusing to commit the necessary money to ensure schools are suitable for children. Our point is that this government is tepid on actually spending money, even on items that some would deem crucial. So why would they want to spend money on Hamilton's LRT?

After our break, we face facts that Conservativism is on the rise in North America. We recorded this episode the day after the disastrous debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the United States. Trump is going to be a real contender to become president. Here in Canada, we appear to be eager to select Pierre Poilievre as Prime Minister of Canada. And in Ontario, Doug Ford is riding high in the polls. Why is it, that we appear to be giving conservative right-wing authoritarian parties the keys to democracy for the foreseeable future? We have some theories, have a listen.

The CHCH News Clip that we reference in the episode is here.

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A column appeared in the Toronto Star, titled Good luck, Mississauga. With your new mayor, you’re going to need it. The column was written by Ajay Sharma, a university political science lecturer specializing in municipal governance. His column outlined many of the problems involved with the system we have for electing municipal politicians, and that the system itself does not reward change. A link to the column is below.

We reached out to Ajay to invite him on to the podcast to let him elaborate on his column and how our current system of municipal government promotes a passing-of-the-buck culture, resulting in many of the real problems we have never been properly addressed. Ajay has been a lecturer at the University of Guelph since 2010, specializing in Municipal governance and Environmental Policy

His column is here.

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Twenty people put their names in the ring to run for Mississauga Mayor. Of those twenty, four rose to the top as contenders for the job. Dipika Damerla, Alvin Tedjo, Steve Dasko and Carolyn Parrish. A close four-way race emerged, with polls showing Carolyn Parrish maintaining a lead while Dipika Damerla and Alvin Tedjo bit away at her support bit by bit. However, at the end of election day, Carolyn Parrish emerged as the duly elected Mayor of Mississauga.

This was the first election in Mississauga's history, with a real contest. No long-time incumbent, or heir apparent to the position, this was an election where real ideas were presented to Mississaugans. So, what is the future of Ontario's third-largest city? And what will the impact be on Ontario's provincial politics as politicians adjust to new political leadership at Mississauga City Hall?

That's where our guest comes in. Nokha Dakroub, a former school board trustee, co-hosted the Beyond the Ballot podcast for Sauga 960 AM for this by-election. She followed closely the ins and outs of the election and today she joins us to discuss how the election played out, what the people of Mississauga are expecting of their new mayor and how this will shape Peel and 905 region politics for the foreseeable future.

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The Ontario government is on break now until October. However, Doug Ford shuffled his cabinet before he let out the Ontario Legislature. It's not anything incredibly noteworthy in our opinion. However, one raised our attention, and we thought threw fuel on the rumours from last week of an early election in Ontario.

Stephen Lecce is out of the Ministry of Education and into the Ministry of Energy. With such little time left until the actual scheduled election, that doesn't leave a lot of time to execute an agenda or major plans in the energy field. It does, however, leave enough time to make some friends with industry insiders and those with deep pockets in the field who might help fuel Lecce's future political ambitions.

After our break, we looked at a local 905 story in Burlington that we weren't able to talk about until now. The rebellion of sorts of local councillors against the big mayor powers given to Mayor Marianne Meed Ward. Clearly, not all are comfortable with a big city mayor in the 905 having this much power. How tenable is council cohesion going forward? And why are they so timid to speak out about this?

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So is it no wonder that the Premier has been reluctant to stomp down persistent rumours of an early election call? However, is this just posturing or is there a real chance that we'll have an election in Ontario before June of 2026? We thought we'd dive into the rumour mill and see what is going on in the back rooms of Queens Park. So we invited back to the end the founder and publisher of the QP Reporter, Sabrina Nanji to discuss if there are any merits to the rumours running around and if we should be preparing for an election soon.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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In Newmarket, the town council heard pushback from the community over a proposed 9-story condo project, over concerns that a Tim Horton's drive-thru down the road could face increased times at the window. In Oakville, the Town Council received a harsh letter from Federal Liberal Housing Minister Sean Fraser threatening to withdraw their Housing Accelerator money due to its refusal to grant higher density in the city around Sheridan College.

Are we facing a pushback against the needs of density and development in our 905 communities? Despite the need for more housing, it seems that fewer and fewer communities are willing to let their neighbourhoods grow and change to accommodate that need. People want housing affordability to come down, but are they willing to see the change in their communities that will result in more affordable pricing? What might happen if NIMBYs win the arguments against change in the 905?

We invited back to the podcast, housing economic expert Mike Moffatt to discuss this new wrinkle in the housing crisis, and what might happen if we don't solve it.

‘Completely out of character’: Concerns raised about proposed Newmarket 9-storey condo building

Federal minister threatens to pull housing funding after Oakville reneges on promises

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Politicians like Pierre Poilievre like to espouse that it is taxation that has caused the increase in prices. Justin Trudeau on the other hand is saying he's keeping an eye on grocery stores about the increase in prices. So where does that leave the average Canadian?

For a subreddit community, it's forced them to take action on their own. To send a message to the corporate conglomerates that own the food retail business in this country, using the only tool available to them...their hard-earned money. The subreddit community, LoblawsIsOutOfControl is organizing a nationwide boycott of the country's largest supermarket conglomerate. What started as a small protest against the rising cost of groceries, has turned into a national movement of ordinary Canadians trying to send a message to the corporations that control food in this country. Canadians aren't going to take it anymore.

However, does this movement have legs? Especially in the 905? If this boycott can make an impact on the ledger of Loblaws it will be here in the 905. So to that end, we reached out to the organizers of the boycott, Emily Johnson. Emily is a single mother, who lives here in the 905 and is taking on Canada's richest grocer, Galen Weston. We spoke with her to talk about the origins of this boycott, how it's going, and what victory looks like to them.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Her reasoning was a common refrain from female politicians across all party lines. The misogynistic and violent threats to her personhood and family had become too great to make the job worth it. While it takes tough skin to make it in politics it's another thing entirely when it becomes impossible to go out in public to grocery shop or run errands because threats are lobbied across aisles.

What does it say about our politics that we consider threats a common part of our civil dialogue now? Where it's no longer satisfactory to simply vote out a politician we disagree with, we must now drive them from office under threats to their person? When political parties use rhetoric to drive support and build up anger in the populace? More important, what happens to that anger if it has nowhere to go?

We asked Pam Damoff to join us today to discuss how she came to this decision in her career, the state of political discourse at the moment in Canada, and where do we go from here.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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The people of Milton handily supported Zee Hamid and the Ontario PC’s to represent them in the Ontario Legislature until the next general election.

During the by-election, Doug Ford gave special attention to the riding.  

In the last week of the campaign, Doug Ford made a point to reiterate that the controversial Highway 413 construction would begin in 2025.

The proposed highway would connect Milton to King City bridging the 401 and 400 highways. Doug Ford says it will alleviate traffic congestion in the 905, while critics of the proposed highway say it will save a mere 30 seconds of travel time, at the cost of invaluable farmland and an unknown price tag, estimated in the billions.

With the by-election victory in Milton, Doug Ford is taking this as a sign of permission from the electorate to move ahead on this project. But is that what we all want? How much did this announcement play into winning Milton? What were the factors that led to the Tories keeping Milton?

To answer those and a few other questions we have, we reached out to a friend of the podcast Laura Steiner to join us.

Laura covered the Milton By-election for the Milton Reporter and today she joins us to discuss whether or not Highway 413 is wanted in Milton, how exactly the Tories won the Milton By-Election, and how they got a long-time Liberal supporter like Zee Hamid to carry their banner into the next general election. 

Our Episode with Sabrina Nanji of The QP Observer:

https://905er.ca/2024/04/sabrina-nanji-and-the-milton-by-election/

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Recently, Jessie has appeared in the news again with basic income, but this time on the offensive. Last week, it was announced that a class action lawsuit would be filed against the Ontario government for breach of contract over the basic income pilot project. This lawsuit marks another breach of contract that the open-for-business Doug Ford Conservatives have faced since taking office. To learn more about this case and what the repercussions might be we reached out to Jessie and Stephen Moreau the lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the matter.

You can listen to our previous episode with Jessie here:

https://905er.ca/2020/10/episode-11-hope-and-betrayal-the-human-stories-and-human-cost-of-ontarios-cancelled-basic-income-pilot

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This is not an isolated event though. Toronto Public Library saw its system become unusable for a year due to a cyber attack, and numerous small municipalities in Ontario have reported similar events over the years. This isn't going away. Cyber attacks and ransomware are the new norm. A common feature that governments and businesses alike need to face reality about. In the modern age, if you possess data you're a target, and everyone possesses data. Municipalities are ripe targets though, as they have a treasure trove of our data stored. Everything including tax records, business files, social insurance numbers, and credit cards, chances are goes through our municipalities at one point. So naturally we asked the question, are our municipalities up to the task of securing our personal information?

To answer the question we invited on to the podcast Seyed Hejazi of MNP. Seyed is a cyber security expert who is hired by government institutions as well as private enterprises to consult on their cyber security needs. We spoke with him today to find out exactly how large of a problem this is, what is needed to secure our data from cyber criminals, and are our municipalities capable of meeting the challenge.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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When Parm Gill announced that he was stepping down from the Ontario PC's to run for Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives, it of course opened up a By-Election to replace him as Milton's MPP. Normally, By-Elections are sleepy affairs with little fanfare, however, this one has an undercurrent of importance to it. To start, the Ontario PC's need to show that they are still relevant in the 905, and to do so they have scooped former Ontario Liberal supporter as well as Milton Councillor Zee Hamid to run for them. Fans of the podcast will remember our interview with him when he ran for Mayor last municipal election.

For the Ontario Liberals, there were talks about whether or not new leader Bonnie Crombie would seek a seat in the Legislature via Milton. However it appears after a lot of back and forth over candidates, Galen Naidoo-Harris will carry the banner for the Ontario Liberals in this race. What does this say about Bonnie's leadership and the Ontario Liberal brand? Especially as they only lost this seat by a narrow margin in the last general election?

To discuss this all and to share her insight, we are joined by Sabrina Nanji. Sabrina is a former reporter with the Toronto Star and has since gone off to start her venture in journalism with the QPObserver. You can find her work here:

https://qpobserver.ca/

Our previous episode with Zee Hamid is here:

https://905er.ca/2022/09/the-race-for-milton-zeeshan-hamid/

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Last month, the Hamilton Police Board made headlines when it took disciplinary action against one of its members, Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch for asking questions surrounding its budgetary process. As of this airing date, Councillor Kroetsch is suspended from serving on the Police Board in Hamilton.

This bold action on the part of the police board raises serious questions about how much oversight and accountability do our elected officials have over the municipalities biggest expenditure. Do police in this province operate without the same conditions that other municipal agencies have?

We thought we'd get into this topic where it started, by asking Councillor Kroetsch to join us. We've had him on before to The 905er when we first launched this podcast a few years ago. Since that time, he was elected to represent Ward 2 on Hamilton City Council in the last election. Today he joins us to discuss what happened around the table at the Hamilton Police Board.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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On March 19th, without warning The Playhouse Cinema in Hamilton announced unilaterally it would be postponing the Hamilton Jewish Film Festival, slated to happen in April, citing concerns from emails and social media surrounding the event as justification for the decision. Later, the Cinema would clarify that no specific threats had been issued to the venue, just a general atmosphere towards the event itself because it was a Jewish Film Festival. Nevertheless, pressure on the Cinema to cancel the event because it was a Jewish cultural event can only be described as anti-semitic. We reached out to the Playhouse to invite them for comment, however they did not respond to our requests.

We did want to discuss this though with the organizers of the festival to hear their side. To that end, we invite back to the podcast Jazmyn Rymberg of the Hamilton Jewish Federation, to present their side and how this setback will not deter Hamilton's Jewish community from celebrating their heritage.

Tickets for the Film Festival can be found here:

https://www.jewishhamilton.org/film-festival

Our Previous episode with Jazmyn Rymberg can be found here:

https://905er.ca/2024/01/confronting-anti-semitism-in-the-905/

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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In a notoriously safe conservative part of the province like Durham and Whitby, it shocked us to hear about Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy's campaign to put public pressure on the Ontario PC party to own up to their promise. Why did she have to start a PR push last month to ask the province to spend only $3 million to start the process of development for a badly needed hospital? To answer those questions and learn more about how dire the situation is in Whitby's healthcare system, we invited her to the podcast.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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The new plan is to essentially divide Main St, a one-way six-lane wide boulevard running through the middle of its downtown into a two-way street, despite concerns from city staff that this would create a problem with traffic, leading to congestion. Their concern is that this move will limit the ability to travel down and through the downtown. Is this a pointless and ultimately futile move on the part of Hamilton City Council? Or is this a brave decision to take steps to transform a decaying downtown into a vibrant pedestrian and people-friendly place to live, work and play?

One person who is highly critical of Hamilton City Council's decision is Hamilton Spectator columnist Scott Radley. His opinion piece criticizing the council's decision caught our eye and so we invited him to share his opinion in-depth and see if we were wrong in our approval of the city council's decision. What happened was a great conversation with two sides of the topic on how best to revitalize and improve one of Canada's most important cities. Did either side win? Not sure, but some great ideas hopefully popped out for you to listen to. This is how these debates are supposed to go, isn't it?

Scott's Column in The Spec

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To dive into this topic we reached out to Paolo De Buono. Paolo is a former Catholic school teacher in Ontario as well as a lawyer, who has been highly critical of the institution in recent years. Citing its curriculum encourages homo and transphobia, and that in a modern diverse society such as Ontario and Canada, it is outdated and harmful. He is also behind the website Stop the Catholic Harm.

He joins us today.

https://stopthecatholicharm.ca/

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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In the York Catholic District School Board, the Our Lady of the Lake Academy, saw students upset at what they viewed as an inappropriate presentation from a right-wing anti-abortion organization. The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethics gave a presentation in the school auditorium, as reported by City News contained graphic depictions of aborted fetuses and upset many students and teachers with its content. In light of its history with the PRIDE flag debate, we were pondering what was happening at YCDSB. How was this permitted to happen? And is this a symptom of a larger issue in Catholic education across the 905 and Ontario?

After the break, we look up to higher education and another new potential scandal emerging from the Doug Ford government. Despite being elected on a promise to stop cash-for-access fundraisers, it seems the Ford government can't help itself. As reported by The Trillium, this time it's Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop who is in the hot seat. This time seemingly encouraging donations from Presidents and Executive Directors of private colleges. The same private colleges which have encouraged a spike in foreign students in Ontario, to fill seats in what are essentially degree mills. Little credentials are being offered but big bucks are being taken in from foreign students. It is coming to light that these executives of the private colleges have been donating to the Minister and the Ontario PC party for some time now. What does this mean for higher education? Especially when their funding problems are coming to light due to the inaction of the Ontario PC government.

The Story from City News on YCDSB

The Story from The Trillium on Min Jill Dunlops Private College Fundraisers

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Activists for better workplace protections in political settings have put pressure on the government to reverse their reversal. Our question is, does this go far enough? What about Queen's Park? Exactly how does the political workplace differ from an everyday workplace?

We thought it would be prudent to dive into this topic. To that end we invited to the podcast Jennifer Olchowy a former federal Conservative staffer, and Prof. Julie MacFarlane of the website:

https://www.cantbuymysilence.com/

A group advocating for the end of Non-Disclosure Agreements in workplaces.

The Spec: https://www.thespec.com/politics/provincial/ford-government-says-law-to-punish-local-politicians-who-harass-staff-coming-soon/article_79feb4c5-dd4f-5c2a-9049-f55c32497add.html#tncms-source=hamilton-region

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"A Face at the Window" by Lorraine Sommerfeld is published by Winding Road Stories and is available from your local independent bookstore, as well as from Chapters, Indigo and Amazon.

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Polls from various sources have shown that an enormous shift is coming in the federal government. According to the polls, the overwhelming number of Canadians in the 905 and the country at large want Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada to form the next government.

However, on the ground, it's almost impossible to find someone who is eager for this shift in politics. We saw this as a sign of our social media bubble and thought it would be prudent to step outside and find a different perspective.

To that end, we welcomed Kerri Black, an entrepreneur, mother and wife from Hamilton. She is a former political agnostic who has said in recent years she's drifted right. While we're not sure that this conversation isn't going to change anyone's political leanings, it was a welcomed insight into what apparently the majority of people in the 905 are embracing.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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In the meantime, homelessness has continued to grow. Tent encampments are becoming increasingly common in Hamilton's parks and streets. It is becoming a crisis. In response, Hamiltonians look to their leaders for answers and plan to tackle this issue. To that end, Mayor Andrea Horwath has remained silent mostly on the file, failing to take leadership on the HATS project and refusing to declare a plan of action to address the encampments in parks. Mayor Horwath hasn't been visible on numerous issues facing Hamilton. The city is starting to notice, that their Mayor doesn't seem to take the lead on anything of importance at Hamilton City Hall.

One critic of the Mayor's lack of leadership is a long-time friend of the podcast, Laura Babcock. Laura has been especially critical of the Mayor's absence on the homelessness file. As well Laura has a unique perspective on the matter, having been volunteering with the homeless in Gore Park, getting to know the families, individuals and volunteers literally on the front lines of this crisis. She gives us her insight on the matter of what is happening on Hamilton's streets. She also helps us answer the question that is on everyone's mind with this crisis...Where's Mayor Horwath?

To volunteer with the Gore Park Outreach visit their website here:

https://goreparkoutreach.ca/

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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Coming off our episode on Anti-Semitism in the 905, we travel down the QEW to Niagara Region. This week past at Niagara Regional Council, the Middle East found its way onto the Council's agenda. A motion was made to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be endorsed by the Niagara Regional Council. St. Catharines Mayor and Chair Jim Siscoe put a stop to it by removing it from the agenda before the vote, citing it being a divisive topic for citizens of the region. We talk about why he's right and why our political leaders in the region want to weigh in on topics outside their mandate.

Then after our break, the federal government is restricting the number of foreign students able to come into Canada. This is already proving to play havoc with post-secondary institutions as overnight it seems that a major source of their funding has dried up. At Queen's University alarms are sounding on the viability of programs and bankruptcy is being floated in the air. How many more post-secondary institutions are under threat, from decades of underfunding about to catch up with them overnight? The Ford government needs to ensure that post-secondary education remains vibrant and accessible to all. Will they make the necessary funding adjustments?

Lastly, the PC MPP for Milton, Parm Gill is stepping aside to run federally for the Conservatives. If you can do the math like we did, this leaves an opening for newly elected Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie to run and win a seat in the Ontario Legislature. Will she do it though? We have thoughts on why she should.

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This month, Richard Southern of CityNews reported that Doug Ford sold several privately operated Service Ontario locations to Staples Canada. The sale would see Staples Canada move the locations inside their stores and operate by Staples employees. To further complicate matters, the contract was sole-sourced and is still not entirely public knowledge. All of this under the guise that it would save Ontario tax dollars. There is a lot to unpack in this deal.

To do so as best we can, we invited you back to the podcast Frank Domenic. Frank is a well-known social media political commentator, that you might know from Twitter and Tik Tok. He has been focusing on this story for a while. He joins Joel for a discussion on what the ramifications of this deal going through would mean for the Ontario taxpayer, our privacy rights and what the costs truly might be.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Along with those protests, there have been reports of anti-semitic rhetoric used by the protestors. Reports of Jewish businesses being targeted and vandalized, and even violence towards people. In Vaughan, two individuals were targeted with violence, for no other reason than that they were Jewish. While peaceful expression and protest for opinions that one may find objectionable is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it is not an excuse to explicitly target businesses or people on the basis that they are Jewish. Such behaviour can only be described as one thing: Anti-Semitism.

As more and more anti-semitic actions have been reported we thought it would be important to talk about this dangerous rise in Canadian politics. We wanted to discuss the anti-semitism we are seeing in our streets. We do not dive into the Middle East's issues, mostly as that is not our beat and is not our experience. However, a community in our region, province and country is feeling isolated and alone. That is something we can talk about. To do so, we reached out to the Hamilton Jewish Federation and invited Jazmyn Rymberg to discuss this rising trend, and what can be done about it.

Links to the Federation's website are here:

www.jewishhamilton.org

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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After a welcomed break we are back and ready to dive into what awaits us in 2024! To start the year though, it appears that for Mississauga and Peel region, it will be more of the same.

As loyal listeners of this podcast know, we interviewed then-Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie back in May about her push to see Mississauga leave Peel region. Shortly after that episode aired, Premier Doug Ford announced a special team to investigate how to accomplish this within two years. And then...shortly after that, Bonnie Crombie announced her bid to become Ontario Liberal Party Leader. In November, her bid to win was a success and apparently, Doug Ford's commitment to Hazel McCallion's dying wish wasn't there anymore.

In December, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra announced that the province would no longer be dissolving Peel Region citing a possible increased tax burden on the residents of Peel. This reversal upset a few folks on Mississauga's City Council. One of whom is Ward 2 Councillor Alvin Tedjo. Alvin has taken to social media to make the continued argument for Peel Region's dissolution.

We reached out to invite Alvin to the podcast to discuss what is behind this sudden reversal from the Ontario government and what's next for the city of Mississauga.

It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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As is usual for our year-end spectacular, and is the norm for every other news podcast and show, we wanted to focus on the year that was. What were the big stories, and how close did we get our predictions for this year? Well, as it turns out...we were pretty close. In 2022, we thought that the Greenbelt scandal would still prove to be a thorn in the side of Premier Doug Ford. Little did we realize how big of a thorn it truly was.

We talk about the fantastic reporting by the Narwhal and the grassroots activism of Environmental Defense in bringing to light the depth of the corruption and incompetence surrounding the Greenbelt scandal and the Doug Ford Progressive Conservative government at Queen's Park. What at first looked like a bit of a faux pas by the Ford government has turned out to be one of the biggest political corruption scandals in Canadian History.

The Federal, Justin Trudeau government finally got off the sidelines and into the housing file. Many guests on this podcast, concerning that file, from Mike Moffatt to Jennifer Keesmaat and Michelle Bilak have all said that the federal government could loosen the purse strings and change the tax code to promote affordable housing to be built. Well this summer after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre jumped in the polls, it seems that it has triggered this government to get involved. Will it change the game? Time will tell, but at least movement is being made.

Lastly, we turn to a theme we returned to time and again on this podcast. The issue of trans rights in our school system. This year conspiracies of teachers forcing students to identify as trans encouraged people to protest en masse at school boards across the 905 and province. We spoke with former Premier Kathleen Wynne about the matter, as well as our first-hand coverage of the protest outside the Halton District School Board. Where was the outcry from the provincial government to set the record straight about what policy is in Ontario schools?

What does it bode for the future as more and more Ford government policies fail and they need to mobilize a base that is open to believing such conspiracies? We predict 2024!

Our past episodes this year for reference:

https://905er.ca/2023/05/mike-moffatt-critiques-canadas-housing-plan/

https://905er.ca/2023/09/jennifer-keesmaat-draws-the-line-on-the-greenbelt-scandal/

https://905er.ca/2023/08/the-summer-of-the-tent-is-a-failure-of-housing-policy/

https://905er.ca/2023/10/what-comes-next-in-the-greenbelt-scandal/

https://905er.ca/2023/09/the-hon-kathleen-wynne-on-what-is-at-stake-with-student-pronouns/

https://905er.ca/2023/09/from-the-frontlines-of-the-1millionmarch/

https://905er.ca/2023/09/special-a-follow-up-from-the-frontlines/

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There have been a few stories that have cropped up in the last few weeks that have caught our eye. Rather than try to pick which one to spend time on, we decided to do a few for this episode. Our theme has been stories which back up things we've stated in the past on this podcast.

Hamilton City Centre has been slated to be redeveloped into a four-tower condo project adding some 2,000 badly needed units for the city. Last year, the city approved the proposal and the new landlord began the process of getting the remaining small business tenants out of the site to begin demolition. Last week, the developer announced that it would put the project on hold due to financial concerns. Namely, it's no longer viable for the developer to make their projected profit on the development. Leaving Hamilton City Centre empty and Hamilton short 2000 housing units.

Speaking of Hamilton, an inquiry into what happened with the report on the issues of the Red Hill Valley Parkway was released. Showing that a culture in city halls still exists to protect their own. Rather than serve the public good.

Lastly, how do 905 cities plan for the future when they are addicted to sprawl? Burlington recently passed their budget. Instead of looking to build a transit system that served a denser community. It puts off any road safety initiatives. How are cities supposed to build themselves in the 21st century if they still rely on 1950's planning to do so? Burlington isn't alone in this thinking. New ways are needed if 905 cities are going to build themselves for the future.

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When the Ontario Liberal Party chose former Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie to lead them into the next election, we thought it prudent to cap off those discussions and see what the path forward for them. The Ontario Liberal Party is a former shell of itself. The big red machine no longer seems ready to take them back to the government at Queens Park. So what is the path ahead for the Ontario Liberals with Bonnie Crombie at the helm? What does she need to do to rebuild this once mighty political force in Ontario politics? And more importantly is she what voters in the 905 and Ontario are looking for to replace Doug Ford and the Ontario PC government?

To that end, we invited on to the podcast Ontario Liberal party veteran staffer, Theresa Lubowitz. Theresa spent the leadership campaign studying the various camps' policies and actions, finally settling on Bonnie Crombie herself as her choice for leader. We speak with her today about the reasoning behind her choice, and what exactly is needed to bring back the Ontario Liberals to power.

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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This was fortunate for us on a few levels. The first was that we had been waiting for a while to learn what Google would do in the face of Bill C-18. As we had reported earlier, we were caught up in the Bill C-18 fiasco when Meta decided to block our posts on their platforms. We were waiting to hear whether or not Google would follow suit. With this new agreement, it appears that the worries from Google are no longer there, however, Meta's holdout still affects us, which brings us to the purpose of our episode today.

The second fortunate part of the news was that it coincided with our recording of this episode with our guest. We had invited Michael Geist to discuss what seemed to us to be some inherent hypocrisies in the federal government's Bill C-18 application. With the government trying to offset the losses for media giants, through payroll tax credits, we pondered where was the support for small operations like us in this scheme. What is the future of Canadian media in this environment? Will this help or hinder us?

We asked Michael all about it.

You can listen to our previous episode on Bill C-18 here:

https://905er.ca/2023/07/matt-cundill-on-how-bill-c-18-will-hurt-podcasters/

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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The consensus around this move is that it's a welcomed reset and in general what people in the 905 want. A return to protected environment and farmlands, and hopefully a renewed focus on intensification within our communities. This is why a story in The Globe and Mail caught our eye. According to the article by Jeff Gray, Milton Mayor Gord Krantz has written to Premier Doug Ford as well as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra to insist on the boundary reversal to be well...reversed.

What is behind this move by Mayor Krantz? And how does it play into the larger picture of solving the housing crisis in the 905? We asked Milton Reporter, Laura Steiner to find out what's going on in Milton

You can read Jeff Gray's story in the Globe and Mail here:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-fast-growing-milton-asks-province-to-reinstate-urban-boundary/

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Every municipality in the province signed on except for one. Newmarket Mayor John Taylor refused to sign the province's pledge, bringing the criticism of Premier Ford on him. He was often cited by the Premier as being an example of nimbyism in the province and not being on 'Team Ontario'. Is this the case though? Well according to Mayor Taylor, there is a very good reason for his refusing to sign the pledge.

According to Mayor Taylor, along with many other Mayors in the 905, with Bill 23's elimination of development charges, they have lost the financial resources to ensure the supporting infrastructure for these new houses is built as well. For Newmarket in particular, it is a question of wastewater and how to dispose of the waste from thousands of new homes, safely. We had Mayor Taylor on to discuss Bill 23 when it was first signed into law, and many of his criticisms pointed to the loss of funding for needed infrastructure around the 905. As the urgency to build grows, how are we going to ensure that the infrastructure to support that growth is met?

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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The Canadian Premier League championship was played at Tim Horton's Field. In extra time Béni Badibanga Diata, scored on a corner kick to win the game for Forge FC against their rivals Calgary Calvary FC. The victory secured a fourth championship title. In the five years since the league and the franchise's founding, Hamilton Forge FC has won 4 of the 5 championship titles. That level of accomplishment is rare in any professional sports league. So the question is being raised by soccer fans in Canada, are we seeing the creation of a soccer dynasty in Hamilton?

Our host Roland Tanner was in the stands for the thrilling goal and caught Forge FC fever. He was won over by the fans and players. But coverage of the Forge's success in local media has often been slim to non-existent. So what's happening here? Fans and players are fiercely determined to see success not just in Hamilton but in the Canadian Premier League as a whole. We wanted to get a better insight into this phenomenon. To do that we extended an invitation to Kyle Bekker, Captain of Forge FC, and Erick Harrisson, the leader of Forge FC's official supporter group the Barton St. Batallion to come on the podcast. We talk about that game and how the landscape of sports fandom in the 905 and Canada might change.

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A few days after the episode aired, Environmental Defense alongside Eco Justice released close to 7,000 pages of documents obtained under an FOI request. Those documents illuminated the shady backroom politics and deals that have been a symptom of this Ontario government. Newsrooms have put their interns and resources into plowing through the trove of documents to see what it tells us. At an early glance, the tale tells of a government which carved up the greenbelt and protected lands at the whims of particular developers who had their ear. Those stories are coming to light slowly but surely. We didn't want to repeat or take credit for the hard work of other journalists, so that's not what this episode is going to do.

Instead, we're going to look for a pattern in what the documents reveal. How does the relationship between the development industry and this government work? What can they tell us about where we are in the housing crisis currently? Is there hope at the end of the tunnel to solve this crisis responsibly and efficiently? Or is there no process at all and it's clear that it is all just insider bag men and quid pro quo politics?

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Each week it seems that a new layer to the shady backroom deal to carve up sensitive protected land for a select few developers is revealed. Just how far down the rabbit hole does this story go? Thanks to grassroots organizations like Environmental Defense and Eco-Justice, as well as independent news like The Narwhal, we are learning more and more about how this scandal operates. Last week, Environmental Defense and Eco-Justice announced that they would be suing the government to learn what more details were to be learned about the Greenbelt scandal.

When Environmental Defense originally sued the provincial government to uncover what happened in the Greenbelt, it sparked an avalanche of information. At that time we invited Tim Gray, their Executive Director to discuss the action. So this time we extended the invitation once again, and Tim graciously accepted. However, in true Greenbelt scandal fashion, the morning of our recording the government announced that they would be rolling back their zoning orders concerning the urban boundaries of 905 cities. Nevertheless, we used the opportunity to discuss what more is there to uncover and what trust is left between Ontarians and this government.

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Sarah Jama's statement has drawn much criticism, in the way it omitted any reference to the attack on innocent Israeli lives. The response to it has been calls from her leader to issue a retraction and apology for the statement. To this date, she has not retracted the statement. As well, Premier Doug Ford has taken the extraordinary step of issuing a motion in the legislature to prohibit the Speaker from recognizing her in the chamber. Essentially silencing her voice as a representative of the people of Hamilton Centre. While Ms Jama's point of view is indeed controversial it is a shocking step to bar her entirely from participating in the democratic process. At least that's the view of our guest today.

Joey Coleman returns to the podcast today to discuss his opinion piece from his website The Public Record. In which he argues that the Ontario PC government is taking extreme and possibly dangerous measures to silence their opposition. That decision should be left to the citizens of Hamilton Centre at the next election. A link to his piece is below. We talk with him about his opinion as well as the greater risk to democratic norms and how the media is covering this.

**NOTE**: We recorded this episode prior to Monday's announcement that Marit Stiles the NDP Leader was removing Sarah Jama from caucus.

https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/2023/10/coleman-free-expression-sarah-jama-and-the-governments-motion-to-remove-her-from-the-legislature/

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As such, we think we've been keeping you informed on the intricacies of developments and housing before they became household topics. In that spirit, we wanted to focus this episode on an aspect of the housing crisis that hasn't had a lot of focus to date.

Our federal political leaders like to speak about tax cuts and red tape elimination to spur development, and here in Ontario, the provincial government is mired in the Greenbelt scandal in an attempt to free up land to developers. However, what none of our political leaders seem to be focused on is who will be building the new housing that is needed. It is not news that we are currently in a skilled labour shortage in Ontario. So how will we find the carpenters, electricians and plumbers we'll need to build millions of new homes?

We turned to Craig Brockwell to ask that question. Craig is a former tech teacher in Ontario high schools and worked in government relations for the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation as well as Support Ontario Youth, a not-for-profit that helped put students into the skilled trades. He joins us today to talk about this important yet often secondary concern of the housing crisis.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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However, we are getting back on schedule and talking to set the matter straight on the issue of housing in the 905 and Ontario at large.

This summer, it seemed that the Conservative Party of Canada would be taking the lead on the housing issue. Pierre Poilievre surged to take a massive lead in the polls over Justin Trudeau with his addressing the housing crisis and placing that at the centre of his political identity. And then, Trudeau changed the script. At the end of the summer, the federal Liberals announced a policy that affordable housing advocates that we've had on this podcast have been advocating for. The elimination of HST on new rental accommodation builds. While this was happening, however, in Ontario the provincial government became embroiled in the largest land speculation scandal in the province's history. As it sounds now, the Greenbelt scandal is continuing to unfold and shows no end in sight.

Amongst all of this whirlwind in the news, we got wind of some mistruths and rumours that started to circulate. Myths that landlords would be the beneficiaries of the tax cut. We took it upon ourselves to sit down and review everything we've learned about the housing crisis so far from our episodes surrounding it and put together this episode to clear the air and set the facts straight. So plug in and have a listen as we set the record straight on the myths and realities of the housing crisis in Ontario.

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September is supposed to be busy for students as they head back to school. Get acquainted with new schedules and expectations for a productive school year.

Instead at four Hamilton high schools, a total of 16 bomb threats have forced four high schools to close for student safety over four separate days. Hamilton police have open investigations into all of them, and preliminary reports have the threats linked to anti-LGBTQ+ and Trans rights motives. In September, the 1 Million March for Children came through Ontario advocating for policies that would put Trans students' safety at risk and eliminating pro-LGBTQ and Transgender policies from schools in the province. We don't believe in coincidences, at least not ones this big or obvious. So the question we had on our minds was, why is no one speaking up about this risk to student safety?

To date, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce have issued no statement condemning the threats to student safety. We invited on to the podcast, long-time friend and colleague Laura Babcock to dive into what is going on with this issue. As well we take the opportunity to broaden our inquiry into Ford's attitude towards Hamilton, as a prominent business Collective Arts Brewing is threatened with a massive tax bill from archaic and harmful tax laws. For a pro-business government, they seem to not care about policies that are hurting Ontario industries.

We talk about it all!

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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We bring to you a special follow-up episode from our report on the front lines of the 1MillionMarchforChildren.

As our host, Joel MacLeod reported in our last episode at the end of the protest he had the opportunity to speak with a group of teenagers who attended the Halton District School Board who identified on the trans spectrum. At the time, it was peculiar that a protest which was essentially held to protect their issues and concerns, would not include them. At no time during the protest did Joel see a protester reach out to them to converse with them or to hear their concerns. Even though they were only 50 feet away.

Amongst the national rhetoric and politicking on both sides, the voice that seems to be ignored the most in this debate is that of teenagers who identify as transgender. In Joel's chat with the teenagers, one of them came across as quite passionate and articulate on the nuances and intricacies of the topic. As it's easy to find advocates for both sides to argue back and forth over what trans teens need in our schools, we thought it would be prudent to just ask them directly. To that end, and with their parent's permission, we invited on to the podcast Jayden Hill. Jayden is a grade 12 student in the Halton school system and identifies as a trans student. We invited them on to the podcast to allow them to share their unique story and what they want both sides to understand in this national debate about what is actually going on in our school system.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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On Wednesday last week, crowds appeared in cities across the country protesting pro-LGBTQ+ student policies in school boards. Remnants of the Freedom Convoy, have transformed from being anti-vaccine mandates into anti-LGBTQ+ policies in school boards. Under the guise of protecting students, these groups argue that pronouns should be disclosed to parents, as well as the elimination of gender identity and sexual orientation education from the Ontario curriculum. At the same time, pro-LGBTQ+ organizations and individuals want to ensure that students who identify as such are protected and kept safe while attending school and at home.

Both sides met face-to-face at many school boards across the country last week. At the Halton District School Board in Burlington, protesters and anti-protesters met. Our host, Joel MacLeod, went down to see the protests in person and talked to people from both sides to see if there could be any common ground on this divisive topic. As well as to get a sense of what is driving this latest aspect of the culture war in Canada.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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Last week a civic meeting at the Bennetto Community Centre in Hamilton was shut down due to attendees' disruptive behaviour. The issue of the meeting was to inform the local community about the proposed site for the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters, or HATS.

We've spoken about the HATS project before on the podcast. However, over the last year, what seemed to be an innovative way to address the tent encampments and rising homelessness around Hamilton, has turned into a lightning rod of controversy. Seemingly the city has been unable to take the leadership to find a suitable location and encourage local support for this project. While cities around Ontario, namely Waterloo and Kingston have embraced the concept, Hamilton still seems in turmoil over whether or not it wants HATS to succeed.

As the housing crisis continues across the country, where could HATS fit into a new housing strategy that seeks to help people get back on their feet and climb the social ladder again? We reached out to Tom Cooper, one of the co-founders of the HATS project and director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction to talk about where the project stands and what is at stake with it's success or failure.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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The Greenbelt scandal continues to grow and become a bigger and bigger albatross around his government's neck. Each day new revelations add a new level to the scandal. How deep does this scandal go? And how is it undermining our belief in good and responsible government?

Our guest today wants to examine exactly that.

Jennifer Keesmaat is the former city planner for Toronto, and founder of the not for profit development firm Markee Developments. She joins us to examine how Doug Fords actions threaten our democratic norms and distracts us from taking action on the housing crisis.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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As families and students get prepared to return to school for another year, the LGBTQ+ community is coming under undo scrutiny once again.

Over the summer, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan provincial governments changed their policies regarding notifying parents of a student's wish to change their pronouns or assigned name from birth. Here in Ontario, the Minister of Education Stephen Lecce voiced support for the policy and opened the door to Ontario making a similar change to its policy. This of course kicked open the hornet's nest of public debate with those on the right arguing for the policy under the guise of 'parental rights'. LGBTQ+ advocates, unions, and education professional organizations have stated that this policy would in fact harm students who wanted to change their pronouns. All of this comes under the umbrella of an Ontario government that is desperate to change the channel on its ongoing Greenbelt scandal.

We thought it would be prudent to discuss the politics and practicalities of what a change in this policy might have on Ontario schools and students. To that end, we invited to the podcast the Hon. Kathleen Wynne to discuss the matter. Ms. Wynne is a former Toronto School Board Trustee, Ontario Minister of Education, Canada's first openly gay Premier, a mother and a grandmother. We thought her expertise on the topic would be invaluable.

She joins us today.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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Now and again we come across what seems to be a small idea that could have a significant impact.

The Burlington Public Library has one of those ideas. Their Digital Archive was recently launched, putting their collection of historical documents online for the world to see. Now while most would see this as just an added service that the library would offer to its citizens, we see it as something more profound.

When we started this podcast, we knew that the 905 region was changing into something different something more than what it used to be. What that is is yet to be realized, however, if the people who live, work and play in the cities of the 905 are to take charge of that change and steer it in the direction they want it to go, then they need to know where they've been. The Burlington Digital Archive can help make that story more accessible to not just Burlingtonians but all of the world.

We invited the Library's CEO Lita Barrie to share with us the importance of this project what it could mean for Burlington going forward and what lessons can be applied to other cities around the province.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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We bring to you our second part of our dive into the homelessness crisis in the 905.

In our previous episode we talked with Michelle Bilek of the Ontario Alliance to End Homelessness, to get the grassroots perspective of the issue.

This episode, we speak with two councillors of two of the largest cities in the 905 to find out what barriers our cities are facing to address the issue of affordable housing and homelessness head on. Joining us are Maureen Wilson, Hamilton Ward 2 Councillor and Joe Horneck, Mississauga Ward 6 Councillor.

They help us to better understand the limitations of what a municipal council can accomplish on this national file.

You can listen to our episode with Michelle Bilek of the Ontario Alliance to End Homelessness here:

https://905er.ca/2023/08/the-summer-of-the-tent-is-a-failure-of-housing-policy/

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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We know we were supposed to bring you the second episode in our discussion about homelessness this week. That is still coming however something really important happened in the week between.

Ontario's Auditor General, Bonnie Lysyk released her report on the Ontario PC Government's Greenbelt opening, and it did not go well for Premier Doug Ford and Minister Steve Clark. Essentially everything that we and every other respectable pundit has been saying about this deal has been confirmed. From the insider dealing to the too intimate arrangements between developers and the powers that be in this government, to the fact that the deal itself is unnecessary to achieve our housing needs.

So...we couldn't pass up the opportunity to reflect, criticize and opine on the scandal that very well could bring down the Doug Ford dynasty in Ontario.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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As housing prices continue to skyrocket and wages remain stagnant, a very real and very immediate economic crisis has emerged. More and more people are being forced out of their rental properties and homes due to them becoming more and more unaffordable. The result has seen a crisis of homelessness on our streets. It is virtually impossible for one to walk through their community and not see those suffering from homelessness in an alcove or a tent in a park.

We wanted to talk about this crisis on the podcast from a different approach however. To that end we devoting the next two episodes on the topic from different perspectives.

This episode is devoted to learning about the homelessness crisis at the grassroots perspective. We invited on Michelle Bilek from the Ontario Association to End Homelessness. Michelle is a grassroots organizer in Peel, devoted to ended homelessness across Canada. She is a former candidate for all levels of government and is a tireless advocate for homeless and affordable housing in Ontario.

She joins us today.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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We complete our interviews with the Ontario Liberal Party Leadership candidates by sitting down with the last candidate to jump into the fray, Adil Shamji.

Adil is one of two leadership candidates who currently has a seat in the Ontario Legislature. He is also a doctor who was on the front lines of COVID and ran and won in the last provincial election. So what drove Dr. Shamji to leave a promising career in medicine to jump into the mess that is Ontario politics and then to say he wants to lead the third place Liberal party back to government?

Well we thought we'd ask him.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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A few weeks ago, we received an alarming notification on our Instagram page. Meta would no longer be sharing our content in Canada, in retaliation against the Federal government's Bill C-18.

We had though that maybe we'd be too small to be affected by this move, however it turns out we were wrong. Instead we have found ourselves to be reduced to collateral damage in the fight between the federal government and two tech giants. So then, what are our options, and what can we do to protect ourselves going forward?

To talk about that we invited on podcast professional, Matt Cundill of Sound Off Podcasts and Crier Media, to discuss the ins and outs of Bill C-18, how it will affect the digital and new media marketplace.

You can visit Matt's website here: https://www.soundoffpodcast.com/

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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The Ontario government recently announced a new curriculum for teachers to implement this fall concerning literacy. While it is based on updated techniques and science concerning children's development, it is of course not without controversy. Usually in developing and unrolling curriculum, it is a slow process. Testing to see what works and doesn't and ensuring that all teachers have the best tools to implement it and ensure success for students across the province.

In Ontario's rush to implement this new curriculum it appears that one stakeholder has been left out of discussions. Ontario's teachers. Teachers are pointing out that they have been only given two webinars to learn how to implement an entire new process on teaching students how to read and write. One critic of the unrolling process is Nathaniel Arfin. Nathaniel is a former candidate for Trustee who is an advocate for public education. He is an entrepreneur and BIA board member. He has written an Op-Ed for the website and we invited him on to talk about it.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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We are venturing outside the 905 today. In fact outside the province all they across the prairies to the great province of Alberta.

Don't worry we aren't changing our address, but in light of the aftermath of the recent Alberta provincial election of Danielle Smith we wanted to look at the effects of it on the 905. This might seem like a stretch for an episode but there is a method to our madness. For sometime, the Alberta government has been encouraging 905 and Toronto residents to move to the province with the promise of bigger houses, bigger yards and a lesser mortgage. And it appeared to be working with more and more Ontarians moving out west. As we often talk about the housing crisis on this podcast we thought it would be prudent to see how the Alberta provincial election of a right wing Premier might encourage or discourage some 905ers from backing up and making the move.

We reached out to Nate Pike, the host of the excellent podcast The Breakdown AB. A similar venture in Alberta, focusing on that provinces politics and issues, much like we do here in Ontario. What happened was a lively and surprising discussion about the similarities between Ontario and Alberta and that despite what you often read in the media, the differences between the west and central Canada aren't that different to begin with.

The Breakdown is available on Apple Podcasts

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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Our conversations with the Ontario Liberal Leadership contenders keeps going!

We sit down with the only Ontario Liberal Leadership candidate who currently holds a seat in the legislatures. Kingston and the Islands MPP Ted Hsu joins us to discuss why he wants the top job in the Ontario Liberal Party.

In the 2022 Ontario election, Ted successfully won back his home riding of Kingston and the Islands from the New Democratic Party. He currently holds critic roles for the Liberal caucus in the following areas: Energy Mines Natural resources and forestry Citizenship and multiculturalism

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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In May, the York Catholic District School Board voted to not fly the Pride flag at it's properties for Pride Month. Followers of this podcast will know of our coverage of the Halton Catholic School Board's year long debate over raising the flag at it's properties and how contentious that proceeding was. The result was a questioning of how accepting are York Catholic schools for their LGBTQ+ students and staff? 

Opponents to the Pride flag often cite that the symbol goes against their Catholic beliefs and has no place within a Catholic School's walls. Which brings up the further argument of, in a multicultural and accepting society such as Canada, why should public tax dollars go to a system which is opposed to acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. The question often asked is why should Ontario continue to fund a Catholic school system at all?

One person who asked that question in an opinion piece on the TV Ontario website was David Moscrop. David has written about politics for numerous publications, hosts two podcasts and authors a Substack, and holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia in Political Science. His opinion piece titled "It's time to abolish the Catholic school system in Ontario" sparked our interest and we invited him on to discuss the matter in far more detail. 

It's time to abolish the Catholic school system in Ontario - TVO Today

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Our conversations with the Ontario Liberal Leadership contenders continues!

On his episode we sit down the Federal Liberal MP, Yasir Naqvi to talk about his career and why now he wants to run for the top job in the party.

Yasir is the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, and was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and President of the King’s Privy Council prior to stepping down to pursue this leadership bid. Prior to entering federal politics, Yasir was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa Centre and the former Attorney General of Ontario. He has also held several other Cabinet portfolios provincially, including the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Government House Leader, and Minister of Labour.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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For the last two election cycles, the Ontario Liberals have failed to attain even official party status in the Legislature. The party has failed to seemingly capture the imagination and the support of the Ontario public. Many are seemingly writing off the party as a shell of it's former self. No longer a contender in Ontario politics.

For Ontario Liberals though the hope is that this leadership race and rekindle momentum to government. The question for us on the podcast was whether or not that momentum would lead through the 905. In that spirit, Roland and Joel decided to invite on the declared Liberal leadership contenders for a sit down interview to put the questions to them about how they view Ontario's problems and how would they rebuild the Ontario Liberal Party and tackle solving those issues.

The first contender up is Nate Erskine-Smith. The Federal Liberal MP for Beaches-East York who is making the leap to provincial politics to lead the OLP rebuilding process. Nate is a former lawyer who left the profession for politics and is now seeking the Ontario Liberal Leadership. He joins us today.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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“I Like Movies” is the debut film from Chandler Levack, set in 2003, and telling the story of Lawrence Kweller, a 17 year old boy attending Aldershot School in Burlington who is obsessed with movies and movie-making and who is hired to work in his local video store.

Levack grew up in Burlington and attended the real-life Aldershot School, and so the film has a clear autobiographical side, but Levack chose to make her protagonist male rather than female, something that allows her to explore the world of obsessive young men in a fresh and interesting way. Isiah Lehtinen gives an outstanding performance as the awkward and sometimes infuriating Lawrence, and the movie features a number of other excellent portrayals from his co-stars, most obviously from Romina D’Ugo as Alana, Lawrence’s long-suffering boss at the video store.

If you would like to see I Like Movies, it is released today (June 6th 2023) to on-demand services such as You Tube movies and Amazon Prime for viewing at home. More details can be found online at Mongrelmedia.com.

We are delighted to welcome Chandler Levack onto the podcast to talk more about “I Like Movies”.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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We welcome back to the podcast Frank Domenic!

Frank joins Roland and Joel to recap two previous episodes and look at where we stand now on their issues.

Previously we had on Karen Brown, President of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario to discuss violence in Ontario schools against teachers. Frank is a teacher himself and so his insight into the dynamic in the classroom was invaluable. We also talk about how the trend hasn't decreased but has seemingly become more and more pronounced in our school system. What can be done about it and where are we falling short.

Then we follow up on the story we did with the Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra. The Ontario Healthcare Coalition is kicking off a referendum for Ontarians to weigh in on the status of healthcare in Ontario. As the Doug Ford government pursues more and more private options for health care, what are people's concerns and fears about the direction the province is going. For the first time, Ontarians will have a chance to directly weigh in on how they view their health care options in the province. How did this conversation get to this point, and are we doing the best to provide Ontarians with the best choices for healthcare?

Frank joins us for a lively discussion.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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Well its happening.

Last week, the Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark announced that they would be tabling legislation to break up Peel Region. The Town of Caledon, City of Brampton and the City of Mississauga after 50 years together will now be going their separate ways. What will this mean for the billions of dollars in shared costs and infrastructure between the municipalities? According to the Province they will have until 2025 to sort it out. Both Brampton and Mississauga Mayors are indicating that this may not be an amicable separation.

Prior to the announcement we had the chance to sit down with Mayor Bonnie Crombie of Mississauga.

In our interview we had the opportunity to dive into the question of why now and what did Mississauga hope to gain by going on their own away from Peel Region. As the 905 region is on the cusp of being changed irrevocably for the future, what could this mean for the region and for that matter future decisions on regional governance in Ontario? We pose the questions to Mayor Crombie and what the future is going to bring to Mississauga, Caledon, Brampton and the 905.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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Dale was in attendance at the Ontario Bike Summit in Hamilton that happened earlier this month. He was there to showcase the work he did in Vancouver to transform that city into a more cycling-friendly urban environment. We asked him to talk with us about the accomplishment, as well as the difficulties in transforming one of Canada’s major cities into a more cycling friendly one. More importantly, we ponder how can a city like Hamilton and other cities in the 905 to make the changes to allow more diverse modes of transportation to function in our cities.

Dale is a former manager of transportation with the City of Vancouver. There he helped to bring about the changes needed to introduce cycling infrastructure to the city. More recently he is the principal consultant with Mobility Insights. A consulting firm that aims to help Canadian cities become more cycling friendly.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win!

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Last week, in Hamilton the Ontario Biking Summit was held. A conference to discuss how we can implement new policies and build infrastructure to create safer biking communities.

This is a topic that comes up frequently in the 905. As we become a more denser and urban community, biking is a more and more viable option to get around. Biking lanes on major roadways, bike paths through our cities, and better infrastructure to support cyclists are often areas of contention and debate. However, does it have to be that way?

Part of the summit was to look internationally to Europe and other cities around the world who are trying to make their places they live more friendly to all modes of travel. Can we incorporate that here in the 905?

To dive into these ideas and questions we invited onto the podcast Eleanor McMahon. Eleanor is no stranger to the podcast. She was on previously to discuss the Trans-Canada Trail. Today she joins us as a founder of Share the Road. A not for profit to bring awareness to cyclists and cycling infrastructure in Canada. She was in attendance at the summit and we asked her to come on today to talk about the importance of cycling infrastructure and how we can make our cities better for all on the road.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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We are welcoming back to the podcast for his third time at the microphone Mike Moffatt.

We’ve been wanting to do this episode for sometime now but had trouble with scheduling. Finally the stars aligned and we were able to make it happen.

As no doubt you are aware both the provincial and federal governments layed out their budgets for the year. Billions upon billions are tabled to be spent. So one would expect that the number one issue for not just 905ers but all Canadians would be a top priority to be addressed.

I am of course talking about housing affordability. Consistently, the issue of house prices and being able to make rent and mortgage payments have been polled as top of mind for Canadians. In the age of inflation we are in, this is understandable. On the surface the federal government is committed to spending approximately $4 billion on housing. And well, the provincial government’s plans are well known to Ontarians, and they are controversial and confusing at the same time. So clearly a path towards housing affordability is there right?

Well not according to Mike Moffatt. He has been critical of both the federal and provincial governments for piecing together ad hoc policies and plans which don’t really seem to address the core problems Canadians are worried about. So what does he think ought to be done? Well, we invited him on again to give us his expertise and insight into this number one issue for Canadians.

Mike is an economist with the Smart Prosperity Institute. His work centres on the housing market and housing affordability. This is his third time on the podcast and we welcome his insight.

Have a listen.

This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending

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It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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Yet we took it a step further in our discussion. Exactly where is the oversight for our police services? They are meant to serve and protect us the citizens of the 905 and Ontario. Yet when scrutiny and oversight is wanted to be introduced, especially in the use of drones by our law enforcement departments, often cries of anti police sentiment are thrown against the ones asking the questions. Right wing politicians who often are the first to decry over spending and mismanagement of public funds, often go silent when police departments consistently get higher and higher budget approvals with little to know pushback. When did we let hero worship run amok, that often our elected officials are unable to hold police departments to account to justify their spending?

Roland and Joel look at what something like a police department owning a drone might mean for our Charter rights and where oversight and accountability might need to be brought into ensure abuse and mismanagement doesn't come into play.

https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/police-drones

It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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But here’s the thing. Speak to a teacher, and it’s unlikely that the issues that have been prominent in the media are remotely what they see as the important challenges currently being faced in Ontario’s schools. Instead it is their feeling of a worsening risk from violence in the classroom, and a lack of tools and supports to handle students with sometimes very serious behavioural problems that we have found dominates their experience. This extends to a feeling that teachers are sometimes undermined by school administrators and board staff in their attempts to maintain basic order and a safe classroom, and that there is a wide culture of discouraging staff from making official reports of serious incidents.

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, or ETFO, has made violence in schools one of its key priorities over the last half decade. We are therefore delighted today to be joined by Karen Brown, President of ETFO, to discuss this story in depth.

Karen began her career as a special education teacher with the Toronto District School Board in 1993. She has worked extensively in the area of autism and children’s mental health. Karen is passionate about the early years, and also holds a diploma in early childhood education. Since 2009, Karen has been a member of the ETFO provincial Executive, becoming president in 2021. She is committed to promoting equity, and social justice. 

It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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The Ontario government is in a race to build 1.5 million new homes by 2031 in the province. In an effort to do so Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark has reached out to the various municipalities to get them to pledge to build a specific number of homes by the provinces deadline. What is surprising to us is the number of municipalities in the 905 who are eagerly agreeing to the provinces demands.

A number of these municipal councils, such as Burlington were elected on a mandate originally to keep development as localized as possible. Others like Hamilton are resistant to being forced to build beyond their urban boundaries. So why are they bending over backwards to accommodate this demand from the province? Especially without any new supports from the province to help with this development push?

Laura joins us as we give an analysis over this new change to the political make up of the 905.

It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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In Doug Ford's second term as Premier, despite a promise not to privatize the system, it seems that is exactly what is happening in Ontario. For private clinics are now part in parcel for healthcare in this province. Brought in under the pretence that it would help to alleviate the overburdened and crumbling system. Or at least thats how it's being sold to us by the government.

A critic of that framing is the Ontario Health Coalition. A group of medical professionals and grassroots Ontarians who are committed to ensuring that the health care system remains a predominantly publicly funded one. Where Ontarians of all walks of life have equitable and efficient access to care, and are not forced to pay out of pocket for services that are normally covered by OHIP.

To get a better sense of the status of Ontario's healthcare system, how it go to be this way, as well as what would be required going forward to improve the quality of care, we asked their executive director to join us. Natalie Mehra has headed up the Ontario Health Coalition for over 22 years. In that time the Health Coalition has grown into the largest and broadest public interest group on health care in the province, representing more than 750,000 Ontarians in its network of more than 400 member organizations and more than 50 local chapters.

Natalie Mehra joins us today.

It takes money and time to this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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A while back we had Flavio on, to discuss their still just and idea concept car, Project Arrow. At that time we promised that we'd have him back on once it was completed and unveiled.

Well that time as come. This year Project Arrow was finally revealed to the public at the Consumer Electronics Show and later at the Toronto Auto Show. The potential of this car to reshape the automotive industry in Canada is unprecedented. As the industry shifts towards electric vehicle production, the importance of being able to show case our skills and talents to the world is more important than ever. We are a knowledge based economy so it's important for us to show off what we know. Project Arrow is hoping to do just that.

When we first talked about Project Arrow we promised our listeners that we would have Flavio back on to discuss in detail what this concept car has in it. So today faithful listener we are doing just that. Flavio Volpe returns to talk with Joel about Project Arrow. They discuss some of the companies that contributed to the project, what the technology that is in it, and how this simple concept car could go on to transform not just the 905 but the country as well.

It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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We're looping all of you in on our decision making process and announcing how we'll be producing this podcast going forward.

Have a listen.

It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn't like sharing your generosity with that other 'patron' website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you're not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win win!

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Its common place these days to find companies engaging in public relations campaigns to showcase their efforts to be more conscious of climate change. Whether that's in the promotion of a more sustainable product or service, or perhaps trying to highlight a campaign to give back to environmentally friendly causes. However one industry is taking a far more serious approach to the problem. Your insurance provider.

We've touched up on this before in previous episodes. The insurance industry in Canada has been crunching the numbers on the effects of climate change on their policies. For years now they have been raising the alarm. They do not like what they see. The costs of climate change are forcing the industry to see an increase in billions of dollars paid out under policies. That's a billion with a b, and that doesn't even go into what the uninsured costs can be.

It is clear that climate change is no longer a larger than us concept. It's real, it's here and it is already starting to affect us in the 905. So going forward what can be done in this province to help you and us, mitigate the costs of climate change to the most important asset we own, our homes? To answer that question we asked Mark Cripps from the Insurance Bureau of Canada to come on today.

Mark is a communications manager with the Bureau and works to help advocate to government and raise public awareness on the importance of shifting our mindset around climate change and how to prepare ourselves for it's effects. He has a background in communications and journalism as well, and he joins us today.

It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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It's not news per se, that Peel region is a hot bed of car thefts. It's so common now, that you can find videos of thefts in broad daylight posted on social media. Cars have been reported found in shipping containers in Montreal or Halifax destined for the other side of the world to be resold by organized crime rings. Police have yet to make a dent in the ring, and it appears to be expanding. Laura shares her reporting on Halton Police's recent discovery of a chop shop in Milton along with the workings of an organized crime ring preying on the affluent cars and neighbourhoods of Milton. The evidence is mounting that this is not the actions of a few young kids looking for kicks each night. Rather a coordinated organized effort to steal cars on a whim and deliver them to overseas markets, all at our expense. The question Laura and Joel ponder, is are Halton and Peel police in over their head trying to tackle an international car theft ring? Where is the OPP or the RCMP on this file?

Then after our break: The Hamilton Centre By-Election continues on. Recent reporting from early voting shows only 5% of eligible voters have cast a ballot in this election. Low turnout isn't new in a by-election. However, the recent stories of the two progressive candidates, Sarah Jama and Deirdre Pike accusing the other of anti-semitism and racism can't make for an enticing option for voters seeking an option rather than the Ontario PC party. Is this a case of just typical low voter turnout for a by-election, or is it an example of when you throw mud you only get dirty?

It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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And thus a man who, days later, would post a tweet ridiculing Jagmeet Singh's turban, and then furiously denied the tweet was racist asking why on earth would anybody think it was offensive, made the Hamilton Centre by-election worse for everybody, above all the people who live in Hamilton Centre.

Later in the episode we ask what happened to the climate emergencies declared in every 905 city in 2018/19? Can you guess?

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After our break, it appears that Doug Ford and the Ontario PC Government continue to rack up defeats in the courts. The latest loss is their Third Party Advertising legislation which was meant to curb the ability of unions and other grassroots entities from campaigning during an election. Third Party groups such as Working Families Ontario and Ontario Proud were legislated to limit the amount of money they could spend prior to a general election. Working Families Ontario took the government to court and won in the Ontario Court of Appeals, with the Court citing that the legislation infringed section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. What does this mean for Ontario Elections? More importantly, does Doug Ford and his government know how to legislate? This government has not had a lot of wins since taking office and would rather invoke the Notwithstanding Clause than try to build consensus or write proper legislation. What does the future hold?

Lastly, while Doug Ford can't write legislation apparently he can throw a party. To the tune of $6.5 million. That is the sum the Ontario PC Party took in at their last fundraiser dinner in Toronto. Attended by the who's who of the elite of Ontario and Toronto's society. Who says money is not an issue in politics? Clearly it can buy you a seat close to power with a chicken dinner to go with it!

It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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However, we also pride ourselves on offering the chance for those opposing viewpoints to come on and clear the record.

Which is sort of the story on how we invited our guest this week to the podcast.

Last week we listened to another local podcast called What's the Point, produced by the fine people at the Pointer. They had on to their podcast Stella Ambler, former Conservative MP for Mississauga South to discuss her new non partisan political watchdog organization Municipal Watch.

Municipal Watch is billed as being a grassroots funded, non partisan organization tasked with keeping an eye on how municipal governments function and spend our tax dollars. All seemingly good things and something that no one would have an issue with...right? Well we had questions. We always do when it comes to people saying that they are keeping an eye on government. Usually it ends up being too good to be true. How does the organization decide what is worthy of their time? What makes a scandal in their books? How do they balance the competing interests and needs of the communities that they portend to look after? This is where watchdogs have to trend carefully in our opinion.

To get answers, we thought we'd reach out to Stella Ambler to see if she'd want to come on. If you're a fan of this podcast you can understand our trepidation, as Conservatives do not tend to come on this podcast...ever. To our delight and surprise, Ms. Ambler agreed to take time from her busy schedule to share her vision and passion for Municipal Watch and to fill in some of the gaps we have on this project. We were thankful to have someone with a different political take on things on to the podcast for a lively discussion on matters and to see where this new organization could fit into the political landscape of not just the 905, but Ontario and Canada as well.

Stella Ambler joins us today.

Municipal Watch

It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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But how has the new council responded to these challenges? Who is doing well? Who is disappointing? And how are the novice councillors and old hands handling their most ... erm ... delicate relationship - the one every councillor in Ontario has with City Hall staff?

Because one thing appears to be clear: while there have been some big changes on council, the institution of Hamilton City Hall has begun the new era much as it ended the old one. With a host of baffling decisions and proposals that seem designed to highlight an institution with deep and systemic problems.

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A follow up on stories we've already touched upon on the podcast. Starting with the Halton District School Board. Last year, the board made international headlines when a transgender teacher was photographed wearing enormous prosthetic breasts in a shop class at Oakville Trafalgar High School. At the time the board stated that it had no dress code policy to enforce teacher attire. It's concern was over the potential human rights violations when it came to any other transgender teachers in their employ. At the time, freedom convoy protesters shifted their focus from COVID-19 to the high school and set up shop outside. At the time we had Caryma Sa'd on to share her coverage of the protests. Since that time however, the story hasn't gone away. Parents have organized and petition not just the school board but the Minister of Education Stephen Lecce to intervene. Pressure is on for the HDSB to come up with a workable policy to solve this issue. Last week, the Toronto Star published a story detailing the latest developments at the board. Surprisingly, parents are not pleased with the latest proposals for a policy and the board is looking to re work it. Joel and Roland debate who's really to blame for this predicament and how can a solution be found?

After the break, we look at the ongoing saga of Highway 413. The potential legacy of Doug Ford has had its problems. Despite the Premier's eagerness to see it built, he just can't seem to get the job done. It was one of the few promises he made during the campaign. Yet, it appears that not all the paper work is in order. According to the Toronto Star, the province is skipping over some of the environmental assessments that should be done prior to breaking ground on a project of this scale. This has caught the attention of the federal government and they have begun their own assessments of the project. Why the urgency to skip the rules in the first place? Could it have something to do with who will actually profit from this highway? Will it even be built? Joel and Roland discuss.

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Which is what Bill 23 was supposed to help solve.  Premier Doug Ford and Minister Steve Clark were going to unleash the power of the development industry by allowing them to do what they do best.  Build homes.  According to the Ontario PC government, the biggest impediment to doing that was the red tape and dastardly municipal governments around the province that held back the honest hard working developers.

So with that Bill 23 was enacted, the Greenbelt was carved up and we are all now living in a housing development paradise.  Well not quite.  This week, TVO published an opinion piece wondering what Plan B was for the province's housing plans?  According to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation new housing starts were down 31% in Ontario, in Toronto down 51% and only a 7% bump up in Hamilton.  In essense our housing plans are not working and we are not building enough to keep up with demand.  We need to build 1.5 million new homes over the next ten years so when is that going to happen?  Why are we not building like crazy at the moment?

In our second half of the episode, we flash back a few episodes to our chat with former Ontario Liberal candidate Kate Graham, who was a signatory to a now infamous letter asking Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner to run for the top job in the Liberal party.  Well Mike finally got back to everyone, and it's a no.  So what does that mean for the Ontario Liberal Party?  Was it a good plan to ask Mike? And what does the future of the Ontario Liberals look like?  In that regard what does the future of the opposition in Queen's Park look like for the next four years?  Should Marit Stiles and the NDP be worried?  Should Doug Ford?  

Plan A for Housing is Failing in Ontario. What's Plan B? - TVO Today

Mike Schreiner's Response to the Ontario Liberal Letter

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Each year through the month of February figures and prominent individuals of african origin whether they be activists, politicians, artists, musicians, authors or historical figures, are front and centre in our schools and libraries.

People of African descent have lived and worked on this continent since the first Europeans arrived.  Slavery was a part of colonisation of the continent and is tied to the foundations of Canada as much as it is the United States.  The struggles for equality existed here in the 905 and in Canada too.  And yet, how can over 400 years of history in North America be confined to merely one month of the year in our schools?  

No doubt you can agree this is very very surface level telling of a rich and complex history in Canada.

So does this mean we aren’t doing a great job of telling what ultimately is our own story? The story of black Canadians and for that matter other minorities who have worked to build what today is the country of Canada that we all wish to enjoy?

On that note, we welcome back to the podcast Kojo Damptey to talk on the importance of Black History Month, and how it ought to be a stepping stone to a much more rich and diverse conversation of the true history of this part of Ontario and Canada as a whole.  And how it can help to dismantle systemic racism that permeates our culture.

Kojo is the former executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion.  He is a former candidate for Hamilton city council, an award winning musician and instructor at McMaster University.

Kojo joins us today.

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For years the car guided how we designed and built our cities.  The idea was that we would alway require a car to get from place to place where we live.  Spawl became a way of life and almost official policy for development in the 905.  In recent years however, sprawl has become problematic.  We have come around to the notion that we cannot keep building over greenspace to accomodate the growth that the region is experience.

So what does that mean for our cities?  Well, for urban planner policy wonks, the notion of a city where the vital amenities of life would be within walking distance of our homes began to take hold.  Thus came the idea of the 15 minute city.  Groceries, doctors offices, small businesses, clinics etc, would all be within a 15 minute walk of one's home.  Is this doable? We honestly don't know.  But as a utopian goal for us collectively to build our cities around, it seemed like an interesting idea.  It's entirely a policy wonk's fevered dream.

Which is why we found it ridiculous to find it coming up in Op-Eds and rallies by the far right as an evil plot by the World Economic Forum.  That this was just another step in an evil move by the WEF, or George Soros or whichever boogeyman you want to substitute into the argument to put us in manageable pens and fenced off districts to limit our movements.  All of which is laughably ludicrous and not true.

However, in the world post-pandemic these conspiracy theories have a life of their own and often tend to poison discourse around good ideas.  We didn't want that to happen to the 15 minute city.  In that spirit we reached out to former guest of the podcast Glyn Bowerman of Spacing Radio to come on to discuss how we got here, and how we can work to keep the 15 minute city from becoming a bad word in politics.

You can catch Spacing Radio here

http://spacing.ca/podcast/

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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Yes. Yes it is.

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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The letter was a public invitation, signed by forty prominent Liberals, including such noteable party grandees as Greg Sorbara, Deb Matthews and Lyn McLeod, for Mike Schreiner, leader of the Ontario Green Party, to throw his hat into the ring to run for the Ontario Liberal leadership.

The reaction from Liberals, Greens and independents has been strong, and runs the gamut from strong support on one side to feelings of betrayal on the other. Some voices within the OLP (some likely supporting rival leadership candidates) are, quite simply, furious and feel the letter is damaging in both what it says about the once mighty Ontario Liberals, and what it says about prominent Liberals' faith in their own party.

And while many would agree that politics in Ontario needs to change, is headhunting a leader from a rival and less-successful party the way back to electoral relevance for the Ontario Liberals, or a demonstration of callous disregard towards both the Ontario Greens and the party grassroots?

Kate Graham joins us today to answer these questions and more in a fascinating exclusive interview.

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We recap privatization of health care.  It turns out Hazel McCallion, who made her reputation on sprawl in Mississauga is now over seeing the Greenbelt. And speaking of which it appears our property taxes are poised to take a hike.

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According to the Ontario Progressive Conservative government the land is too valuable to not build housing on.  However, is that the only way to view the Greenbelt?  As a plot of land waiting to build housing on?  Michael Twigg of the Smart Prosperity Institute says otherwise.

He helped to author a paper which views the Greenbelt as an invest waiting to be made in the conservation of the land.  Helping to preserve it to offset insurance costs, environmental concerns as well as the recreation values to be extracted from the Greenbelt.  The paper goes on to see how actual fiscal rewards can be extracted from the land now, rather than as land speculation down the road. 

We speak with Michael on this episode about his report and how we can shift our thinking on the Greenbelt to something more productive for all Ontarians.

Read the report here: https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/publications/investing-ontarios-greenbelt

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The last municipal election saw Hamilton being the only municipality which saw real change.  An old council was effectively replaced by fresh blood.  Bringing in new ideas and perspectives to solve long time problems in the city, and possibly re-shape the relationship between the city and possibly the 905 and the province.

A few months later, we ponder has the lustre been lost from that vision?  Laura chats with Joel about how new Mayor Andrea Horwath is settling into her new job as leader of the 6th largest city in Canada.  And if she's in step with the needs of Hamilton?

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If you’re on Tiktok and follow anything political, chances are you’ve come across Frank Domenic.  If you’re not entirely familiar with his online content we’ll provide a link to his profile in our show notes for you to get caught up.

Those of you who do follow Frank, you are no doubt familiar with his passion for social equality, justice and fair play.  As well as his equal criticisms of the Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau governments.  Especially as both awkwardly navigate the effects of runaway inflation and the growing inequality in our economy.  Frank caught our eye with his quick and effective criticisms of Doug Ford’s overreach in the Notwithstanding Clause against CUPE workers.  And he continues to target the growing scandal list of the Ford government in their second mandate.

As conservatives in Ontario seemingly enact more and more legislation without consultation of the public or accountability to anyone other than themselves, where does outrage and anger go?  Is there a role for individuals like Frank and to be truthful us, to inform and channel that anger into something productive?

Frank's Tiktok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@frankdomenic

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We pick up on our closing story of 2022, and how Doug Ford's greenbelt troubles are only starting.  This week the OPP announced they were looking into what actually happened in Bill 23.  As well what the results of no development charges will actually mean for a town like Milton and others like it in the 905.  And lastly, it seems Burlington got a win, or did it?

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Just prior to the New Year, word spread around the province of the tragic killing of OPP Officer Gzregorz Pierzchala in the line of duty, just outside of Hamilton.  The accused in that case have been apprehended and will face their charges in a court of law.  This episode is not about the details of that case.

Instead this is about a tweet.  Just after news of this tragedy spread across the province, condolences and messages of sympathy were expressed by all peoples towards Officer Pierzchala's friends, family and colleagues.  One of those messages came from the Halton Police in the form of the Thin Blue Line logo on their Twitter feed.  In response to that, Indigenous journalist and former guest to the podcast Karl Dockstader tweeted a response, advocating his unease at the imagery being used.  Shortly afterwards the Halton PD took down the tweet.

For many in the BIPOC community the Thin Blue Line imagery contains a lot of emotions and history to process.  And yet in a time like this, that image is perceived by many in the law enforcement community as a sign of respect and honour to a fallen comrade.  I wanted to chat with Karl to get his perspective on this and see where a common ground could be reached and what relations between all Canadians and their law enforcement services should look like in 2023 and beyond.

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As per a yearly tradition, Roland and Joel look back at what they saw as their top stories of 2022.  Without going too much into detail, the Halton Catholic School Board's fight over the Pride Flag as well as the surprising twists and turns of the Hamilton Municipal race topped out the stories.  As we highlight in the episode, Hamilton is turning into a new media ecosystem with more and more new media filling in gaps in coverage.  It's a trend we're proud to be a part of.  As well, we look forward to what's next.

Speaking of what's next, we look a head to 2023 and what we predict will be the top story for the beginning of the year at least.  Our suspicion is that Doug Ford's greenbelt troubles are only starting.  And that this will prove to be an even larger scandal as more and more details become known.

This is it for us in 2022!!! We'll see you in 2023!!!

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Last week Environmental Defence and Democracy Watch formally called for a police investigation into the circumstances surrounding apparent insider information leaks to developers ahead of the announcement of lands being removed from the greenbelt.

Joining us to discuss the nature of the evidence, and the implications for both the environment and our democracy if the allegations prove to be true, is Tim Gray of Environmental Defence.

Tim has over 25 years of experience developing and implementing environmental policy change efforts, and has worked with multiple governments across the political spectrum in pursuit of better environmental protections, working both with government, and alongside other activists on the front lines of the battles to combat climate change and defend the environment.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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And then after the break we look at whether or not the Ontario NDP might have hurt their soon to be new leader Marit Stiles by not giving her a leadership race.  How is it that the opposition couldn't find another person to run for the leader of that party and potentially becoming the next premier of Ontario?  What does it say that no one else wanted the job?  And does Ms. Stiles have a bigger problem now of introducing herself to the province?

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions.

Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions.

Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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Two years later, this is still a passion project for us but it's grown so much beyond just that for us.  We have been wanting to grow and expand to reach more people and take this project to a next level.  Recently an opportunity has presented itself to us to do just that.

On this podcast we are joined by radio personality as well as podcaster, Dean Blundell as we announce our joining with his network to bring The 905er to a greater audience and help us develop resources to expand our coverage and storytelling for the next 200 episodes.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions.

Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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This act is going to carve up 7,400 acres of the Greenbelt for developers to use free from oversight from conservation authorities and in violation of Premier Ford's word to Ontarians to leave the greenbelt alone.  A major critic of the act is the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, or AMO.  AMO is the go between organization for municipalities and Queen's Park to address the various issues and needs that would naturally arise.

AMO is critical of the act, as it frees developers from the fees that they incur as part of the development process.  Fees which go to pay for the upkeep of municipal services to the new developments and the cities at large.  AMO predicts that the total loss revenue would total approximately $5 billion per year.  As well as the unknown risk for municipalities in costs associated with flooding and other disasters, due to the stripping of oversight of Conservation Authorities.

To better understand AMO's position and concerns, we reached out to them to invite them to the podcast for today's episode.  Today we are joined by Amber Crawford, a senior policy advisor with AMO to present their case and to understand what the long term ramifications of this act could have down the road on the 905 and Ontario at large.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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A few weeks ago we talked with now Councillor Ted McMeekin about the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters or HATS.  For sometime they were looking for permanent site for the shelters, and it appears they are one step closer to it.  A site on Barton St is where they are currently housed. Will it last?

Lastly, Bill 23 has passed at Queen's Park.  Critics have been pointing out the costs that will be downloaded onto the municipalities of the 905 on top of the loss of greenbelt land.  However, the government is immediately going into spin mode to convince Ontarians that this will save them money.  Spoiler: It won't.

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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Safe Streets Halton is a community organization focused on the elimination of traffic-related deaths and serious injuries in Halton region while promoting sustainable and healthy forms of transportation. It is a resource for the community and local government in reaching these goals and making Halton a safer and healthier region for all.

We invited on Nick Morrison their founder to discuss with us Safe Streets Halton's vision for the 905.

https://safestreetshalton.ca

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions.

Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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As Doug Ford pursues his vision of paving over the greenbelt to help out his developer friends, resistance is popping up in unexpected places.  Most recently the Association of Municipalities of Ontario has made public their concerns regarding Bill 23.  Namely that they project a cost of approximately $1 Billion a year to municipalities due to loss of development fees.  As well as the untold projected costs of environmental damages due to the consequences of potentially building on flood plains or watersheds in the Greenbelt.  What is Doug Ford's response?  It turns out that AMO has been excluded from committee meetings.

This isn't a unique trend.  The Ford government is moving ahead with plans to curtail the democratic authority of municipalities by allowing votes to pass with only 30% of councillors support.  With the recent use of the Notwithstanding Clause as a negotiation tactic, its clear to us that this government hates the idea of democracy.  The idea that consultation and compromise is important to ensure the democratic process is vibrant and we all have a say in how our government is run.  Instead this government continues to show that it is their way or the highway, consequences be damned.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

South River Brewing.  Listen to this episode to see how you can save money on your next order by visiting the link below:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions.

Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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The More Homes Built Faster Act would open up 7,300 acres of Greenbelt land to development.  Letting sprawl spread once again over Ontario's fragile farmland.  Despite the government's own Housing Task Force report last year citing numerous opportunities to build homes within in municipal boundaries already.

The Ontario Greenbelt Alliance is a network of environmental groups in Ontario working to preserve the vital part of land called the Greenbelt.  They are working hard to try and stop sprawl from taking over this delicate stretch of farm and green land.  Franz Hartmann of the Alliance joins us today to talk about the group the issue of Doug Ford's breaking his word to let developers destroy the Greenbelt.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions.

Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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We start off with a brief summary of the Halton District School Board's inability to come up with a dress code for it's teachers in light of the enormous controversy it found itself in last month.

Then we dive into the ongoing issue of the collapse of our health care system in Ontario.  As hospital after hospital reports their emergency rooms and ICU's closing due to staffing shortages where is the priority in fixing this crisis?

After our break, we examine the continuing shifting of rules around development in the province.  Under the guise of building homes, the rules are being stacked more and more in favour of developers in spite of democracy or the environment.

Lastly, the St. Catharines Standard's front page story was how a living wage in the Niagara region was roughly $20 an hour.  Yet the last big increase in minimum wage was only to $15.  In this age of inflation how are people supposed to make ends meet if they can't be paid properly?

As Ontario collapses we stay on top of it all...

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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The result was the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act.  A law which at the time was viewed as just rearranging the deck chairs of the issue and did not actively address the issues of safety surrounding sex work in Canada.  In 2015 Justin Trudeau promised in his campaign to rescind the law.  That never happened.  To this date the law is still on the books and in effect.  Although that may not be for much longer.

In a repeat of 2012, last month sex worker advocates took action and filed a lawsuit in Ontario Courts to challenge the constitutionality of the Protection of Communities and Exploited persons Act.  Should they succeed in their challenge laws surrounding sex work could be struck down once again in Canada, forcing Canada to once again update it’s laws.

One of the groups involved with the court case is a Hamilton advocacy group, Sex Workers Action Program Hamilton.  We reached out to their Executive Director Jelena Vermillion to chat with her about the court case and what they hope to accomplish.  As well as the issue of sex work and sex workers rights in general in Canada.

We would like to give our listeners a word of caution before beginning the episode as we do talk about sensitive and mature topics and our language can get rather frank in this one.  Discretion is advised.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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Doug Ford blinked before the entire province this week by capitulating to CUPE and revoking Bill 28.  Meaning the imposed contract on CUPE workers is nullified as well as the use of the Notwithstanding Clause to trample worker's rights.  All of this happened as a result of the mobilization and solidarity of the labour movement in Ontario.  The likes of which haven't really been seen in a few generations.

While that might sound like a reason to celebrate (it is), Doug Ford and his team haven't wasted any time to back track on previous promises that they've made to voters.  Namely to keep the Greenbelt in tact.  The Ford government has made announcements that they are intending to reallocate 7,400 acres of land to development.  This is direct violation of the promise he made to voters when he was first elected in 2018.

Will the people be able to stop this broken promise the way CUPE did?

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The reason why I’d do such a counterintuitive and counterproductive thing is, I learned about three years ago, because I have ADHD, like some three to five percent of adults, and have done my whole life. It’s a neurodevelopmental disorder - which, among many other things, means it’s something physically built into my brain that makes me bad at doing the things I’d ideally like to do at the times I’d ideally like to do them. But I'm an expert at delving into unexpected by-ways, rabbit-holes and tangents. For me, it’s both a blessing and a curse. It’s both what has caused me to do the things I’m most proud of in my life, and the thing which has lain behind the greatest unhappiness. For others, it can be anything from a daily irritation to a debilitating lifelong condition.

ADHD is the subject of today’s episode.

Heidi Bernhardt, is a psychiatric nurse by training, mother of three grown sons with ADHD and the founder of the Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada (CADDAC), a Canadian charity dedicated to awareness, education, and advocacy for ADHD. Heidi was the Executive Director of the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance (CADDRA), a national not-for-profit organization of the leading clinicians and researchers in ADHD in Canada, from 2006 to 2012. During these years she built CADDAC in her volunteer life, nationally incorporating CADDAC as a not-for-profit in 2006 and becoming the Executive Director and President from 2012 to 2019. Heidi currently focuses on the development of ADHD education and advocacy material and systemic advocacy while holding the role of Director of Education and Advocacy for CADDAC. She also continues to teach and present on ADHD for CADDAC.

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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As negotiations with CUPE hit an impasse, Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce are forcing a contract on CUPE members and invoking the Notwithstanding Clause in the process.  The Clause essentially ignores the fact unions have a Charter right to negotiate in good faith with their employers.  The precedent that this move would set is a dangerous one for all Ontarians going forward.  When the clause was introduced into the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it wasn't intended to be used as a negotiation tactic in union contracts.

This egregious overreach on the part of Doug Ford and his government is the entire topic of today's episode.  What are the repercussions for CUPE and other unions in the province, what would a protest actually look like, and what are the options going forward to ensure that Charter rights are exactly that...rights for all of us.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions.

Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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Which leads us to the most profound question of all. How does an auto journalist who says Canadian gas is still cheap and what Canada needs most of all is fewer cars, not better ones, survive at the National Post?

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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What did we learn from Monday night's results? Also what should we expect from council tables in the region.  All eyes are on Hamilton as the only city to actually embrace change in the region and elect new faces to their council.  What are the challenges to be faced going forward?  The Doug Ford government already is taking action to establish it's relationship with the municipalities in the province.  With the NDP and the Liberals leaderless it will fall onto the muncipalities to provide opposition and hold his government to account for the issues facing Ontarians.  Do the Mayors and Councils of the 905 have what it takes?

Speaking of Doug Ford, before any council had a chance to be officially sworn in and meet in person, his government was already gutting conservation authorities and declaring their enthusiasm for Ministerial Zoning Orders.  Ford and Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark laid out a clear plan to over ride the environmental stewardship of conservation authorities and to use MZO's to push ahead housing in prime land surrounding the 905.  What will this mean for development and council autonomy over the next four years?  More erosion of powers, that's what.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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And, you know what, the results were a lot of fun in some cities. There was genuine excitement in three cities at least where the mayoral race was extremely close, and it was an evening that saw a significant amount of change in quite a few places, even if other cities didn't see any change at all.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions.

Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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Last week in Ward 14, candidate Kojo Damptey's bus shelter ad was vandalized by a poster saying "White Lives Matter" along with a link to a social media platform advocating white supremacist literature.  The Hamilton Police Services have stated that they are treating this as a hate crime investigation.  When something like this happens it draws our attention.  

We wanted to speak with the target of this intimidation, the candidate himself Kojo Damptey.  Mr. Damptey is an Executive Director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusiveness.  He is also a community leader and advocate along with educator.  

Would this attach deter his drive to win?  What does this say about Hamilton and it's relationship with Anti-Black Racism?  Will Kojo Damptey shy away from this intimidation?  Find out by listening to the episode.

This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor:

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

Why not buy us a coffee?

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Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

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In the race for Halton Catholic School Board Trustees, a major debate was cancelled due to numerous candidates declining the invitation to attend.  The Regional Chair position isn't fairing any better.  These elections matter due to the power and influence they can have on the places we live.  What is driving this troubling trend?  What should we do about candidates not wanting to answer our questions?  Democracy depends on proper engagement with the voters.  When candidates don't show up to answer them, its a dark path we start down.  Roland and Joel get quite heated about this one.

Then, we look at how the Hamilton mayoral race is heating up.  Despite our misgivings that this would be a snooze fest and Andrea Horwath would walk into the mayor's office without a fight, the race has been quite interesting.  After a well publicized debate between Keanin Loomis and Andrea Horwath on Cable 14, the race has become a bit of a free for all.  Horwath's campaign has struck out against commentator Laura Babcock for her support of Keanin Loomis, and third place Bob Bratina is resorting to the tried and true law and order tactic.  Both Horwath and Bratina seemingly have their targets set on Loomis.  Does that make him the front runner?  We look at all of it and give you our analysis.

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Or, we assume they're contrasting, because two candidates have so far skipped all the debates, and also didn't reply to our invitation.

Andrea Grebenc, former chair of the Halton District School Board did reply, and joined us to set out why she thinks she's the right choice for the job. The Region of Halton is home to half a million people and growing. It is a region usually considered to be among the most prosperous and safe in Canada, but which is home to a city and two towns (each themselves cities in all but name) experiencing the growing pains of intensification in municipalities designed almost entirely around cars, with no coherent regionally organized transit system. How Halton will grow as a region over the next half century exemplifies the challenges facing the 905 region.

Andrea joins us to talk transit, housing, and more, as well as help us decide where exactly her two competitors are hiding.

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After the break, a former guest of the podcast TVO Reporter Justin Chandler wrote an interesting article highlighting the fact that four candidates in Hamilton are former activists in various backgrounds, who are stepping up to the plate this election. Should they win what sort of change might Hamilton see? As well are activists in general good politicians? Short answer yes...long answer? Well check out the podcast!

Coyote Watch Canada Blog:

https://www.coyotewatchcanada.com/site/blog/2022/09/21/wildlife-encounters-are-preventable-if-timely-action-is-taken?fbclid=IwAR2gnV9hDD6TfTmMCc_rqmIM6QGl6_8mucKhVhhHnDVNze7DvL_ut3mujd4

Justin Chandler Article:

https://www.tvo.org/article/what-happens-when-an-activist-runs-for-office

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We look at the latest stories from those two cities, asking whether Patrick Brown's main challenger is much of an alternative, and whether what some assumed was a 'slam dunk' win for Andrea Horwath is being undone by, well, Andrea Horwath.

Read and listen to Alan Kan at https://munipolimatters.substack.com/

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Also, is it dangerous for any politician who's able to make decisions on the affordability of housing to be able to directly create or vote on legislation which can affect the price of housing?  Roland and Joel have differing opinions on that one.

After the break, we ponder what is the hold up on the $10 a day daycare that was promised to Ontarians prior to the election?  Back then, we had on Minister Karina Gould to discuss the federal proposal and offer to fund the daycare program.  At the 11th hour the Doug Ford provincial conservative government signed the deal taking it off the campaign table so to speak.  Except we are now 6 months out from signing that agreement and we still do not have a roll out of the daycare plans.  The federal government is concerned about what seems to be the Ford government's changes to the way funds would be distributed to providers, and Ontarian families who need the plan are left in the lurch.  What's going on?

Davide Mastracci's Article: https://readpassage.com/nearly-40-of-mps-invested-in-real-estate-during-housing-crisis/

Toronto Star Article on Daycare: https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2022/09/23/ontario-weakened-its-10-a-day-child-care-funding-rules-now-the-federal-government-is-demanding-answers.html

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It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills.

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After the break, we travel up to Brampton to look at it's integrity commissioner finding Patrick Brown innocent of charges of using taxpayers funds to pay his staff for his failed Conservative leadership bid. But does that get him off the hook for everything else?

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Whatever the relative merits of Hamid and Krantz, we think this is a race worth watching. In our interview today, Zeeshan Hamid is detailed and refreshingly frank about the challenges facing Milton, and what he believes he can bring to the table if elected. Wherever you live, you should definitely listen to this interview before you go to the polls in October. If you live in Milton, because it will decide who leads your town. If you live elsewhere, because we need to hear what credible candidates are offering and demand the best from candidates where we live.

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Two stories from Burlington. Is City Hall successfully walking the fine line of allowing councillors to do their jobs without using it as part of their re-election campaigns? Or are we seeing pattern of weakness by the city manager and clerk in the face of a strong mayor and her most loyal councillor? Would mayoral hopeful Marianne Meed Ward have accepted in 2018 what Mayor Marianne Meed Ward insists is business as usual in 2022? Hmm.

And Burlington's coyote problem has escalated alarmingly and dangerously. Should things have been done differently? Should things change now? And what about those whistles? 

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Nevertheless, exactly who we interview will depend as much on the candidates as on us. We can only interview those willing to be interviewed. We hope to speak to the three frontrunners in the race for Mayor of Hamilton, but only time will tell if all three would like to be interviewed. But we're kicking off today with an interview with Keanin Loomis. Keanin certainly got out of the gate early, and has been up front with policy ideas since day one. Will that be enough to tip the balance towards him and away from names that may be more familiar?

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A story from the campaign trail in Hamilton highlights two points: the role of Third Party Advertising and the role of 'personal' donations which represent corporate interests. Did any good come out of the so-called ban on corporate donations, or were they just forced into a murky untraceable netherworld?

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That announcement was the plan to introduce 'strong mayors' in two Ontario cities - Toronto and Ottawa - with the possibility that Hamilton could follow shortly afterwards.

Prima facie, it's an idea worth at least discussing. Strong mayors exist in some of the world's most famous cities, and Ontario's 'weak mayors', some might suggest, are not so much weak and entirely lacking in power to do the job the public believes they are elected to do.

But are the PC's plans well thought out? Or even slightly thought out?

To discuss the implications and motivations, we are joined by André Côté, Head of the Secure and Responsible Tech Policy program at Toronto Metropolitan University. He also runs a mission-driven consulting firm that has worked with numerous clients on urban policy issues, as well as higher education, technology and public finance. Recent cities projects included a Canadian Urban Institute design lab for the new federal Housing Accelerator Fund; an Evergreen strategic foresight project with the City of Calgary; and supporting the Sidewalk Labs public consultations on behalf of Waterfront Toronto. These roles follow stints working for both the political and non-political sides of the government of Ontario, and as a manager at the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG).

The result is a fascinating discussion of what makes cities tick, and whether the, er, Great Minds that produce policy for the provincial government have complex ulterior motives, or are producing legislation without much of a clue about how it is likely to work in practice.

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Laura Steiner of the Milton Reporter and Alan Kan of the Munipoli Matters Substack join us to give us their expert analysis of what this falls' municipal election could look like. As  well as what to look for in the various races around the 905.

You won't want to miss out!

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After a restful recovery over the summer, from the tumult which was our most recent Ontario election, Joel and Roland decided to return to behind the microphones.  Just in time for another election!  This falls' municipal election.

With the deadline to register as a candidate recently passed, we decided to take a look at who was throwing their hat in the ring for this election to decide the course of action for our communities in the 905 for the next four years.  Let's just say our view of the playing field is less than optimistic.

We give you our honest and no holds bar take on this election's offerings and ponder where is the vision and bold ideas that we need for the serious problems we all face in the region.

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More specifically the rumours surrounding former Ontario NDP Leader, Andrea Horwath.  For a little while now, the rumour mill has been circulating that Ms. Horwath is possibly looking to throw her hat in the ring for Hamilton Mayor this fall.  What are her chances of winning?  Should she run?  More importantly, should the people of Hamilton reward another politician shopping around for elected offices?

After the break, we look at social media shenanigans on the part of Larry DiIanni, who has no problem identifying male councillors by name and yet can't seem to remember the names of Maureen Wilson and Narinder Nann.  Should we take such disrespect at face value as a slip of the fingers on Twitter?  Or should we call out sexist behaviour as we see it?

Lastly, yet another update on the ongoing saga at Burlington City Hall.  Councillor Shawna Stolte seems to be getting what she asked for.  The city is reviewing their procedures for in-camera sessions.  So why the need to drag her name through the mud in the first place?

Joel and Roland dive into all of this on this episode of the Round-Up!

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Then Roland shares his perspective on the fact that Burlington city council is shaping up to make a major purchase of land from a former high school in the city. What is the problem with this plan?  For starters, it all seems to be taking place behind closed doors.  Meetings regarding the potential cost to purchase the former Robert Bateman High location are taking place in-camera. Meaning that public consultation isn't happening and that a lot of the details surrounding the plan are being kept from public scrutiny.  Of course, we view this as bad, but why is it happening at all?  And why does this seem to be a trend lately in how the city conducts its finances?

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Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to you automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

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Don't worry, you didn't miss the week!  Due to a scheduling conflict, our Thursday episode of The 905 Round-Up is today!

This week had huge news in Hamilton.  Local area MPP Donna Skelly earned some local headlines, by saying that #Hamilton city council made the wrong call in not expanding its urban boundary earlier this year.

At the same time, the PC government tabled legislation based on the Housing Task Force report, and this gives a lot of power to developers, restricting municipalities in how they respond to proposals, and puts it all basically on the Ontario Land Tribunal to sort it out.

It appears that the Tories are showing their true colours on development.

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