NOW and NEXT

Polling and seat projection numbers seem to be fluid, with less than 2 weeks to go before Election Day in Ontario. In three separate stories over the Victoria Day weekend, the Toronto Star says the Liberals could hold Ford Nation to a minority, the NDP is gaining at the expense of the Liberals, and the Liberals out poll the NDP but would finish third. So, we turn to John Wright, SVP at Maru Public...

It seems the United Conservative Party of Alberta's not all that united. Jason Kenney's spectacular fall from grace suggests the "big tent" approach is an unmitigated failure for conservatives in Alberta. And this is in Canada's conservative heartland! You've got to think Kenney's meagre 51.4% support in this week's leadership review reflects a similar schism in the federal ranks. Today on the WRI...

Local candidates from four of the six provincial ridings in Scarborough gathered on May 18th to highlight the social and economic issues that are unique to this community. Official census numbers put the population at nearly 630 thousand, but local agencies and businesses estimate the real popluation is more than 800 thousand.  Public transit, affordable housing and healthcare top the list of issu...

More than one in ten adults living in Scarborough Ontario, survive month to month on a welfare cheque or the Ontario Disability Support Program. That's estimated to be close to 60,000 people in Canada's largest urban centre. In and of itself, that's a good sized city! For the first time during this election camapaign, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner cited the cost of poverty in Ontario. It's a $...

The Ontario Leaders' Debate did little to change much in the campaign except reinforce expectations. First, the format was a complete failure. Thanks to the media consortium, leaders' debates have been reduced to a complete waste of time. They do nothing to inform voters or the campaign. Because of that, Doug Ford didn't have to do much to do well. And he excelled at doing the least he could do. M...

Bet you didn't know that 16% of Scarborough's popluation relies on the Ontario Disability Support Program or an Ontario Works cheque every month. It's the highest level of "working poverty" in Canada. Scarborough is often neglected, if not ignore outright, when it comes to speaking truth to the politically powerful. In this episode, we talk to David Hardy, President of Hardy, Stevenson and Associa...

National Post columnist Kelly McParland is of the opinion that "Pierre Poilievre is too big a risk to lead the Conservatives" McParland calls Poilievre's attack on Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem "reckless and dangerous". You might even call it the stuff of unhinged conspiracy theories. What a contrast between the CPC wannabe PM and Doug Ford, the wannabe re-elected premier of Ontario. Dull D...

It's as if they've taken a few laps to get their legs and jockey for positioning and now the provincial parties in Ontario are preparing for the final lap bell to ring.  The party leaders are all in debate prep mode and the dead gallop for the final two weeks leading up to Election Day on June 2nd. So far, Doug Ford's run a quiet campaign with fewer media avails than the other leaders and fewer da...

Doug Ford was, well, Git 'er Done Doug, running to stay out of his own way. Andrea Horwath was running to be Leader of the Opposition. Steven Del Duca was running to be Premier. And everyone was wishing Mike Schreiner was the Premier. You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!) Follow Dave on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and X And you can leave us a vo...

There is no urgency, no call for change, no sense that any of the major parties speaks for Ontarians who are facing historic inflation rates at the pumps and in the grocery stores. COVID isn't an "issue" but the pandemic fatigue may well be playing into the lack of interest among voters. If this keeps up, Doug Ford sleep walks back into the Premier's Office. You can watch OR listen to this episode...

Not sure what happened in the party war rooms in the past few days, but all four major parties have committed to increasing the Ontario Disability Support Program. The increases would range from about $60 to nearly $1200 a month. @CityCynthia joins the show to give her read of why this issue has spiked to the top of the political priority list at Queen's Park. You can watch OR listen to this episo...

Media, whether it be defined as conventional, traditional, terrestrial, digital, or social, has evolved at a breathtaking pacing over the past few years. And that evolution has forced or prompted new habits and behaviours among media and news consumers. In years past, media would have been viewed as a primary source to inform voters during an election campaign. But in 2022, the consumption behavio...

If Andrea Horwath were paying attention, she would commit to reinstating the licence plate fees to pay for her dental care plan. That $120 per plate per year, 10 bucks a month! would be enough to pay for 5 years of that plan at $360 million per annum! That would be an easy relatable sell. But the Writ Race crew says neither oppo party is prepared to roll back Doug Ford's $1.8 billion gift to voter...

Day one of the election campaign in Ontario was distracted by the abortion debate. Two weeks ago, the Liberals made headlines promising to ban handguns across the province. Neither issue is relevant in this campaign. But they consume editorial oxygen because newsrooms are lazy. They don't want to explore the issues that are top of mind for families and businesses across the province. They simultan...

Today on the DAILY BRIEF: The Writ Race in Ontario. The provincial legislature was dissolved at 4pm on May3. That makes today the first full day of campaigning in Ontario. As it stands, this is Doug Ford's election to lose. It's also a last stand for Andrea Horwath. And survey says most voters don't who is standing as the leader of the Liberals. Affordability is THE ISSUE but what does that mean a...

Today on the DAILY BRIEF: Lindsay Broadhead, Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs at the Toronto Region Board of Trade weighs in on the number one issue for Ontarians during this election period: Affordability. And she says that starts with the cost of housing. You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!) Follow Dave on Facebook , Insta...

Story Studio Network is excited to announce Steve Cassar is joining the team as a Senior Executive Producer. Steve is a veteran broadcast journalist, leading award winning teams at CTV News in Toronto and Sportsnet. Steve was also a Supervising Producer for the Olympic Broadcasting Services in Beijing and Tokyo. Most recently, Steve jumped into the podcast production world, founding Podcasts that...

Here's our weekly Roundtable on Ontario politics with Sabrina Nanji, Keith Leslie, John Wright and Dave Trafford. On The Ledge will go "daily" as soon as the Lt. Governor dissolves the assembly and that's expected to officially happen on Wednesday! SO, the Daily Brief will be all about the WRIT RACE to election day on June 2nd. You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sur...

The Raptors are attempting to make NBA history in their playoff series with Philadelphia. Auston Matthews made history scoring his 6oth of the season. Now, the Leafs are just hoping to win a playoff series.  And the Blue Jays are as advertised - so far! Rod Black joins the Daily Brief to talk sports! You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!) Follow Dave...

Today on the Daily Brief: Daily Bread CEO, Neil Hetherington joins the show to talk about the number one issue facing Ontario as we head into a provincial election campaign.  The cost of living, housing and food affordability has to be addressed in a meaningful way and that will require courageous leadership. Are our politicians up to the task? You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTub...

If traffic reports are any indication, the commute in Toronto is getting close to the long haul you were making to and from work in the before-times! Offices and workplaces are getting back to doing in-person business.  In many cases, companies are considering a hydrid approach. Some staff will work in the office. Some will work from home. Some will split their time between the two. The discussion...

From phishing emails to ransomware attacks, misinformation and disinformation, it's estimated the global annual cost of cyber crimes will hit $10.5 trillion US by the year 2025. Jeff Musson, Executive Director at Coding for Veterans joins the Daily Brief to talk about the number of military vets who are shifting their defensive focus from the battlefield to cyberspace. You can watch OR listen to t...

Today on the Daily Brief: Is Doug Ford really buying your vote?  Have the Liberals already lost if they think a handgun ban in Ontario is going to put them over the top on June 2nd. Polls consistently showing the Liberals a solid second choice among Ontario voters. Should Andrea Horwath just riff off Kathleen Wynne's 2018 script and admit now, "The NDP has no chance of forming a government."? You...

Today on the Daily Brief, we introduce you to Sarah Thorne, President and CEO at Decision Partners.  Sarah was a co-host and producer on the first podcast series we produced at Story Studio Network. Sarah was joined by Lisa Taylor, Dave Hardy and Ujwal Arkagud in a 12 part series called The Next Normal. Sarah also hosts and co-produces the Engineering With Nature podcast with the U.S. Army Corps o...

It all started with a text message asking for a "quick call" and Story Studio Network was the outcome. Twelve months later, we've gone from one podcast series and three team members to 14 shows and a stable of major market talent. Our clients have proven podcasting is a great addition to their branding and marketing strategies. The power of podcasting allows them to tell their stories in their voi...