The 905er Podcast

Joey Coleman, editor of The Public Record, joins us for part 2 of our examination of the reasons and justifications for Hamilton Council launching an Integrity Commissioner investigation into a citizen volunteer on an advisory committee. Joey has explored the legal context in detail and suggests there are major problems with the City of Hamilton's arguments that Cameron Kroetsch released confident...

This week, for the first time, we shall be releasing two episodes of the 905er podcast, on Tuesday and Thursday. In our 'two part' episode, we take a deep dive into Hamilton politics, and explore why Hamilton City Council decided to launch an investigation by its Integrity Commissioner into the actions of a volunteer chair of one of its advisory committees - Cameron Kroetsch. We speak to Cameron t...

Originally Aired October 6, 2020   ______   There cannot be two people better placed to speak about Ontario's Basic Income Pilot than Deirdre Pike and Jessie Golem. Created by the Ontario Liberal government in the final years before it lost power, and canceled (contrary to assurances to the contrary) by the incoming PC government in 2018, the Basic Income Pilot was intended to provide hard data on...

Some of the industries hit hardest by Covid-19 are those providing some of the more fun things in life - for instance food and drink, entertainment and tourism. As we find out this week, the Niagara Peninsula's wine industry touches on all three of those categories, with many smaller wineries dependent on tourist 'cellar door' purchases to remain profitable. But like so many other areas, businesse...

Politics is a rough business, but is it ever ok for councillors to insult and belittle members of the public? Lately some councillors in Hamilton appear to be making a habit of behaving towards the public and other council members in ways that - well, let's just say they lack 'decorum'. We're joined by Hamilton Spectator columnist, National Post auto journalist and onetime city hall volunteer Lorr...

This week we're pleased to welcome Dave Meslin to the podcast. Dave was described by Andrew Coyne as ‘a force of nature - a one man think tank/pressure group who won’t stop until he sees his ideas for better democracy put into action’. He’s also been called a ‘wizard’, ‘mastermind’, ‘ultimate ideas guy’ and a ‘mad scientist’. His Ted Talk, “The Antitdote to Apathy” has nearly two million views. Da...

A new generation moving out of Toronto want more than just a house with a double garage. Audra Williams and her partner Haritha Nanaratna have created a website named ninetyminutesfrom.com. It's a website that quantifies and categorizes the communities of the 905 region on factors you won't find on many real estate websites.  Such as Black Lives Matter support, LBGTQ and Pride organizations, indig...

After 4 years, is Burlington's Official Plan almost complete? The marathon process of developing a new Official Plan for Burlington has in many ways typified the challenges being faced in every city in the 905 region - both in creating coherent visions for our future, and in implementing local democracy. This week we discuss the provincial background to how our cities are run with Zac Spicer, Dire...

Perhaps no industry has been hit harder by Covid-19 than the hospitality industry, and even as businesses reopen there is no avoiding the massive challenges that still exist for restaurants, cafes bars and the places where people have always gathered to eat, drink and socialize. But in the midst of crisis we came across a story of innovation and hope developing in Hamilton. This week we speak to J...

This week on the 905er podcast we are delighted to be joined by two people intimately involved in planning for children returning to school in September. Andréa Grenbenc, chair of Halton District School Board and a trustee in Burlington, and Marvin Duarte, vice-chair of Halton Catholic District School Board, trustee for Milton, join us an answer questions on the preparations being made for a safe...

On June 4th, an estimated 7 to 10,000 people marched in Burlington in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests then happening across the US. It was an astonishing and unexpected display for a city not known for mass activism, overwhelmingly made by younger Burlingtonians. This week Joel and Roland speak to Isabella Mallon and Korede Balogan, two of the organizers of the event, about their m...

Roland Tanner and Joel MacLeod are joined by Cindy Cosentino, who recently retired after 32 years as a teacher in Hamilton and Halton school boards teaching science and math. Cindy shares her concerns, and the concerns of many of her colleagues, at what is being asked of teachers as children head back to school, and we explore the many unanswered questions about how the province's plan can be impl...

Roland Tanner and Joel MacLeod introduce the 905er podcast - a podcast for the Ontario GTHA's 905 region outside Toronto. "The 905" is the economic powerhouse of Canada and home to 4 million people and growing, but receives little media coverage. We'll be uploading a weekly podcast discussing the important issues for our region, with interviews, round-tables and analysis of what's happening in our...