NOW and NEXT

I'm sure many of you were face to face with friends and family this Easter weekend. In our case, we had a great chance to visit with people we have seen (save a video chat) for years thanks to COVID. That is good news for our collective psyche and it's also good for businesses and cultural events that rely so heavily on the in-person experience. Myseum Toronto's annual festival is among the many b...

All kinds of flack and full throated complaining over the appointment of Marina Glogovac as the new CEO at Torstar. It all stems from her comments about the pandemic - particularly her insistence that the "pandemic is over". It's not. And anyone who reads the pages of the Toronto Star would know that. So, should she be held to account for her misleading twitter posts? Is she suitable to lead a maj...

We are finally starting to step out into the light a little more with each passing week. We're still being cautious, many people choosing to continue wearing masks in larger gatherings. And that's not a bad thing. And it's also good for our psyche and good for the economy. We were at a large trade show on the weekend in Toronto and it was as busy as I would have expected in the "before times". The...

We are celebrating our FIRST YEAR in business at Story Studio Network! It's been a wild and exhilarating ride since Erin and I first kicked the idea around of creating an executive production service for organizations, brands and personalities who want to use podcasting as part of their communications and branding strategy. Among the shows we've been working on, I'm excited to introduce you to Eng...

After 70 years as a "clothier for gentlemen" in Toronto, Korry's will be closing its doors on the Danforth. The pandemic lockdowns surely contributed to the "retirement" of this store - just over a year since Saul Korman, the Duke of the Danforth, the Mayor of Greektown, passed away. Businesses come and go all the time - not to ignore or diminish that - but Saul's character and quality of customer...

Today on the Daily Brief, the On The Ledge roundtable crew discusses Kathleen Wynne's final speech in the Ontario legislature, her legacy as the MPP for Don Valley West and as premier of the province between 2013 and 2018. 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 voice comment...

April 7th always has a certain historic ring in these parts. It was April 7th, 1977 when my grandfather, my dad, my brother and I sat through snow showers coming in off of Lake Ontario as we prepared to watch the FIRST Toronto Blue Jays Home Opener at Exhibition Stadium on the CNE grounds. I still have the Opening Day program "Vol. 1 No. 1". It cost a buck. Half the ticket price of the left field...

I know, I know we're seeing high community transmission of the latest Omicron variant and that's just a signal that this ain't over yet - by a long shot. AND it's also a sign that we're leearning to live with the beast. I understand why some among us are "clutching their pearls", as John Moore would put it. That's become something of a reflexive reaction. On the other hand, I believe we are witnes...

April 5th is Family Caregiver Day in Ontario. Quite frankly, if you are a family caregiver - every day is family caregiver day.  Based on our COVID experience in Long-term care homes, we know how important caregivers are to support the system. So, how will the needs of family caregivers play in Ontario's election campaign.  Today, we're joined by Daniel Nowoselski, Chair, Communications and Awaren...

Thought it was interesting to see how careful people were on social media this weekend, vetting posts to make sure they weren't being punked by April Fool's jokes. Too bad we are all that careful every day on social media! Today on the Daily Brief, it's our weekly Roundtable visit with our crew from On The Ledge - the Ontario Politics Podcast!!   You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouT...

Not to put too fine a point on it, but we've institutionalized poverty in Canada. New research from the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary makes it clear there is a direct link between government policy and the number of food bank visits in a given year. The researchers found that a $1 increase in the minimum wage would amount to nearly 39 thousand fewer food bank visits in Toron...

How can we afford NOT to do all we can to eliminate poverty, when pre-COVID estimates suggest poverty costs the province of Ontario $33 billion every year. In this episode of the Daily Brief, we highlight the 2030 Project. It's a podcast we produced with the Daily Bread Food Bank team in Toronto. The series is focused on the mission to reduce poverty by 50% by the year 2030. You can watch OR liste...

If an election were held a year ago in Ontario, Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives would have had their hands full holding onto government. Now, it looks like Ford is poised to waltz into another majority government. Yes, yes. Campaigns matter and we'll get the final details on election day - June 2. But right now, the Ford brand is winning. Compare that to the existential crisis facing all thr...

If you're a regulare listener to the DAILY BRIEF, you will know my daughter, Erin, and I produce abroad range of branded podcasts for companies, not-for-profits, thought leaders and educators. Check out the offering at storystudionetwork.com. In this episode of the Daily Brief, we step away from the "news of the day" to let you know how you can become your own newsroom. That could include creating...

Masks are no longer mandatory in most public space in Ontario. And a week into it, some places are either no masks or all masks. I was in a couple of auto dealerships this week and nearly NO ONE wore a mask (I did). Then earlier today, nearly EVERYONE was masked in the local grocery store. Today on the Daily Brief, we welcome the On The Ledge roundtable crew to kick around the latest in Ontario po...

The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law is taking mooting to the metaverse. The project was borne during the COVID pandemic, which restricted access and created procedural challenges for the courts. It looks cool. It sound cool. But is it workable? The universtiy will stage a moot trial session in a virtual reality environment this weekend. To talk about it, we are joined by Professor Anthony Da...

He's the host and producer of the weekly podcast Chatter that Matters and he's been a frewuest guest on my podcasts and radio shows over the past 10 years or so! Tony Chapman always ponders the second thing that comes to mind and this week he posted a provocative piece on the state of political leadership in Canada. He joins us to talk about our transactional approach to the voting booth. Oh ya......

Today on the Daily Brief, we draw the curtain back on the backroom deal between Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau aimed at guaranteeing the Liberals will govern until 2025. Two questions. 1. How does this affect the CPC leadership race? 2. What's in it for the NDP? We're joined by John Wright, EVP at Maru Public Opinion and Amanda Galbraith, Principal at Navigator. You can watch OR listen to this e...

F-BOMB WARNING: I know you're not supposed to utter the B-word in an airport (or an "aerodome" as it's called in the BOLD lettered WARNING as you enter the security area). But sweet, merciful baby Jayzus, it's almost impossible to avoid a carpet bombing of F-BOMBS when you attempt to depart from Stanfield International Airport in Halifax. I should buy lottery tickets more often, considering the nu...

Today on the Daily Brief, we check in with Glenn Crouter and his final installment for Season One of Head for the Hills.  We take a look ahead to see what spriing skiing will look like in Canada this year. We check in with Destination BC, Sunshine Village in Alberta and Blue Mountain Ski Resort in Ontario.   You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!) Fol...

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Huston is the most popular premier in the country with an Angus Reid approval rating of 72%! He enjoyed a 16 point spike in the last month.  But Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, despite getting poor grades for his handling of COVID, enjoyed a 13 point surge, pushing his approval rating into the low 40s and he's out performing the Ontario PC party, which, if an election were held...

In this episode of the Daily Brief, I introduce you to two exceptional invidiuals who are Habitat for Humanity champions. First, we meet Habitat GTA homeowner Karen who was able to move her family out of an area of Toronto rife with gun violence and high crime to a safe, accepting neighbourhood in the city. We also meet a donor and volunteer who has been giving his time, his expertise, and even hi...

The NEXT NORMAL is the podcast series that officially launched Story Studio Network. The series views the issues, systemic gaps, and highlights the opportunities and lessons we learned over the course of the pandemic.   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 voice comment her...

Today on the Daily Brief, we highlight The 2030 Project. The podcast is produced for Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto and explores the poverty reduction strategy in Canada. The federal government presented the intiative in 2015 with a goal of reducing poverty by 50% by the year 2030. Needless to say, COVID-19 has not only staggered that effort, there are more Canadians living in poverty because of...

Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, infectious disease specialists will tell you we face a more dangerous health threat thanks to our overuse of anti-biotics and the issues around producing new drugs to fight new bacteria. Bacteria that are becoming increasingly resistant to over-used antibiotics, and it is no longer financially viable for pharmaceutical companies to invest in the...