The 905er Podcast

With the federal election happening, a front-page news story from here in the 905 is not getting much attention. 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 hav...

It feels like we were settled on the case for vaccinations after COVID-19. 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 ar...

Just when we think we're out, they pull us back in. Back into election season that is folks! 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 Co...

It is impossible to not hear a story from your city, town or neighbourhood about a car theft. You can find doorbell cameras of thieves stealing cars right out of a driveway in the middle of the night. Or you can hear stories of cars being stolen in mall parking lots. Auto thefts are an organized, big business in Ontario. Pressure is on for definitive action to be taken on auto thefts in Canada. Po...

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Canada with on-again-off-again tariffs. Canada has in turn replied with reciprocal tariffs on American products. 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 th...

We recorded this episode the Friday morning after the 2025 Ontario Election. 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 tha...

We are into the final week of this Ontario election. 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 ab...

As this Ontario Election moves, the polls slowly shift away from Doug Ford's Ontario PC. Is there time for the opposition parties to capitalize on this trend? Or will the opposition once again split the vote? 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...

As the Ontario Election moves a long, we seem to drifting further and further away from the issues that were prominent in our provincial dialogue only a few months ago. 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...

It has been a whirlwind 2025, and we're only through January. 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 mand...

Earlier this month, the CBC broke a story detailing how Loblaws and Sobeys were overcharging customers for meat, but underweighting the amounts sold. 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...

Whether or not we're going to an early provincial election has been hanging in the air over Ontario for a few months now. Doug Ford has been playing coy with will he won't he'll call one. However, the hints that he's keen to have been in the news recently. His government has announced several big policy initiatives. Minister of Energy, Stephen Lecce announced that the Ontario PC government will be...

Happy New Year 2025! 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...

Coming off our previous episode with Evan Scrimshaw, the Ontario Liberals announced a major part of their housing platform. Their plan would eliminate development charges from municipalities, replace them with a provincial fund, end the Land Transfer Tax for new home buyers and bring in phased-in rent controls for renters. Is this what progressives seek to win themselves to the Ontario Liberals? A...

The Ontario Liberal Party attempted something of a rebrand of their leader, Bonnie Crombie at the start of December. At their leadership dinner fundraiser, the party brought in $1.65 million for their coffers before an expected spring 2025 Ontario election. However, what made headlines was her keynote address where she broke ranks with their federal cousins and denounced the Carbon Tax, calling it...

Police budgets are the biggest line item on any municipalities budget. It would logically follow that it would also be the most scrutinized. As it turns out it is virtually impossible to openly criticize and debate the use of tax dollars when it comes to policing in Ontario. This is something our guest today resigned their position on Peel's Police Board for. Newly elected Mississauga Mayor Caroly...

We rarely expect to return to the topic so soon when we air our episodes. However, that was the case with our last episode with St. Catharine's Mayor Mat Siscoe. We spoke with him about his reasons for signing a letter with 12 other Ontario Mayors requesting Premier Doug Ford give municipalities the power under the Notwithstanding Clause to remove homeless encampments from public parks and spaces....

On October 31st, 12 Mayors from across Ontario wrote a letter to Premier Doug Ford, requesting more powers to deal with the growing homeless and encampment crisis in our cities. Five of those mayors were from 905 cities. 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...

For the better part of a decade, municipalities have been expected to chip in a portion of new hospital infrastructure. This practice was brought in under the previous Ontario Liberal government and is continued by the current Ontario PC. When hospital infrastructure runs upwards into the billions of dollars this can become quite the burden on a municipality's bottom line. This issue came to the f...

There have been a few stories that popped onto our radar recently that made us think we ought to do a 905 Round-Up Episode to cover them all. In the course of our discussions about them though, we discovered a common thread. All of the problems we discuss are a result of the poor decision-making of the Ontario PC Government. The Mississauga LRT project is under threat of not being completed due to...

As reported by Global News earlier this month, an internal document to then Minister of Education Todd Smith states that the province could be facing a teacher shortage. 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....

Last week saw news that another beluga whale died at Marineland. 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 ha...

Last month the Ontario Liberal Party held their AGM in London. 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 delive...

The last week has seen many out-of-touch comments on the part of Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford. 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 demonstrat...

It seems that downtown Hamilton has been under fire for the last few months. 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...