On The Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast

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...

Had the chance to join Mark Twohey this past Friday on his nightly radio show - Ontario Votes - on Newstalk 1010. Trevor Mayoh and I were part of the Week in Review Roundtable.   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 here ! For more information go to Dave's web...

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...

Pierre Poilievre may well be an unintended secret weapon for Ford Nation. 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 w...

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. That pretty much sums up the first provincial Leaders' Debate in North Bay on Tuesday night. You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure...

It's the Seinfeld election in Ontario. A campaign about NUTHIN'! 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 i...

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...

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 among the major parties? You can watch OR listen to t...

The Ontario Progressive Conservatives were already at an advantage among decided voters prior to Budget Day. Now, Doug Ford and his team will run on the fiscal plan presented this past Thursday. The legislature will not sit Monday or Tuesday, meaning no vote on the budget before the Lt. Governor officially dissolves the legislature on Wednesday and officially sends Ontarians to the polls June 2nd....

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 can watch OR listen to thi...

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 here ! For more informatio...

Not only is the Ford government spending at a faster rate than the previous Liberal government, according to the Fraser Institute, the PCs are lining voters' pockets with cash. That includes dropping licence plate fees, no more tolls on highways 412 and 418, and a promise to cut taxes at the gas pumps in July. But is it enough to hang onto a majorit at Queen's Park. John Wright's polling at Maru P...

Masks are no longer mandatory in most public spaces 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 podcast we kick around the latest in Ontario politics. From star candidates to the childcare pl...

The latest numbers from Angus Reid suggest Ontario Premier Doug Ford's approval rating has jumped 13 points in the past month or so. He's riding in the low 40s and he's out performing the Ontario PC party, which, if an election were held today, would likely hold onto it's majority at Queen's Park. You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!) Follow Dave on...

This week, the On The Ledge crew marks the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic noting some school boards intend to extend the mask mandate for students. It's also two years and a few days since Steven Del Duca became the Liberal leader in Ontario and this week marks the fourth anniversary of Doug Ford's ascendancy to the PC leadership. Just so happens to be the same week Patrick Brown and...

Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman has announced he will not seek re-election in the fall. Instead, he is expected to land the Liberal nomination in the riding of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte and challenge the incumbent Doug Downey, who is the Attorney General in Doug Ford's government. We also talk about Health Minister Christine Elliott's decision not to run for re-election in June. You can watch OR lis...

The calendar says we're ten months from Christmas but the gift giving season is already upon us in Ontario. The Ford government is already trotting out pre-budget trinkets aimed at helping folks cope with the increased cost of living. That includes giving up an estimated $1 billion dollars in annual revenue by cancelling annual licence plate fees. That amounts to less than 33 cents a day. Not even...

The Ontario legislature is set to get back to business next week following a 2 month recess. And there's no shortage of STUFF to get at today. Keith Leslie, John Wright and Sabrina Nanji from the Queen's Park Observer join me to review the latest in the Ottawa Occupation and the use of the Emergencies Act. How will that shape the ballot question for Doug Ford as we we head towards the June electio...

Here's an OTL Bonus episode for you!  This is from today's (Feb 11, 2022) edition of The Daily Brief. OTL Contributor, Founder and Editor of the Queen's Park Observer, Sabrina Nanji joins us. Get-tough plans at Queen's Park are great but they're still just talk unless the OPP and local police forces are prepared to enforce the measures. Cutting off fuel and funding for the blockaders is a long gam...