On The Ledge

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion, Sabrina Nanji, Publisher and Editor of the Queen’s Park Observer and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:Horwath, Del Duca, Brown, Tory and Crombie are likely to help Ford Nation move quickly on the affordable housing file.The province has a surplus! Good for taxpayers. Bad for Ford.What is Ford thinking by refusing to testify at the federal inquiry in the use of the Emergencies Act?We need to issue a BOLO for the Health Minister! Where is she?BTW, if you enjoy On the Ledge, you’ll probably enjoy our daily SSN podcast - NOW and NEXT with Dave Trafford and Erin Trafford.Support Now and Next! For $10 a month, you can subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA with Dave Trafford on Saturdays and Sundays - including the full length interviews featured on The Daily Brief, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMAs and our message board.You’re just a few clicks away. Start here: nowandnext.supercast.com

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion, Sabrina Nanji, Publisher and Editor of the Queen’s Park Observer and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:The Ford government is prepared to cough up $365 million to parents of school kids while telling education workers the government doesn’t have enough money to meet contract demands.So much for not negotiating in the media. Education Minister Stephen Lecce tells Newstalk 1010, the CUPE demands amount to a nearly 50% increase.Will the threat of strikes lead to a settlement? Will it lead to declaring education workers and essential service?Why isn’t Doug Ford a witness at the inquiry into the use of the Emergency Measures Act to deal with convoy occupation?And, Ford Nation will kick off its aggressive plan to build new homes in the province.BTW, if you enjoy On the Ledge, you’ll probably enjoy our daily SSN podcast - NOW and NEXT with Dave Trafford and Erin Trafford.Support Now and Next! For $10 a month, you can subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA with Dave Trafford on Saturdays and Sundays - including the full length interviews featured on The Daily Brief, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMAs and our message board.You’re just a few clicks away. Start here: nowandnext.supercast.com

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:Is there room for optimism in the education contract talks?Is it time to declare education an essential service?John Wright admits he’s not a Mathlete!Where is the Health Minister? Latest numbers say hospital wait times are up across the province..Newsrooms are dropping the ball when it comes to reporting on Queen’s Park!Does Alberta Premier Danielle Smith get a mulligan for referring to the unvaccinated as the “most discriminate against group” in her lifetime?BTW, if you enjoy On the Ledge, you’ll probably enjoy our daily SSN podcast - NOW and NEXT with Dave Trafford and Erin Trafford.Support Now and Next! For $10 a month, you can subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA with Dave Trafford on Saturdays and Sundays - including the full length interviews featured on The Daily Brief, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMAs and our message board.You’re just a few clicks away. Start here: nowandnext.supercast.com

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:Quebec re-elects Legault and the UCP in Alberta chooses Danielle Smith to succeed Jason Kenney and the province’s premier designate.It puts pressure on federal-provincial relations. Is Trudeau up to the task?An Angus Reid survey says Ontarians “overwhelmingly” say Ford Nation is mishandling the healthcare, LTC, and housing files four months into the PC’s second mandate.More than 20% of municipal election races are over. A record number of candidates have been acclaimed ahead of the October 24th election day.BTW, if you enjoy On the Ledge, you’ll probably enjoy our daily SSN podcast - NOW and NEXT with Dave Trafford and Erin Trafford.Support Now and Next! For $10 a month, you can subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to the full episode of The Daily Brief, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMAs and our message board.You’re just a few clicks away. Start here: nowandnext.supercast.com

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:We mark the second annual Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and the truth is dozens of First Nations communities in Ontario remain under boil-water orders.We hear from Sol Mamakwa, MPP for the riding of Kiiwetinoog in Northwestern Ontario. One of the communities in his riding has been under a boil-water order for 28 years!Keith and John get into a spirited debate over claims that nuclear energy is “green” energy.And the Eglinton Cock-up…er Crosstown is a P3 failure. The P3 was supposed to deliver on time and on budget. Dave says the Crosstown fiasco is going to mean infrastructure will only cost more and take even longer to complete in the future. BTW, if you enjoy On the Ledge, you’ll probably enjoy our daily SSN podcast - NOW and NEXT with Dave Trafford and Erin Trafford.Support Now and Next! For $10 a month, you can subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to the full episode of The Daily Brief, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMAs and our message board.You’re just a few clicks away. Start here: nowandnext.supercast.com

The OTL gang is assembled! Sabrina Nanji from the Queen's Park Observer, Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:It's not debatable but we talk to Keith from his vantage point in Nova Scotia on his preparation plans as Fione bears down on NS, PEI and NL.The latest Angus Reid survey suggests Doug Ford’s approval rating has dipped four-percentage points settling in around 41%. John Wright says Ford Nation has nothing to worry about. Keith is surprised it isn’t lower considering the provinces new legislation to move people from acute care beds to LTC homes, even if it’s 70km away.And labour issues are percolating in the background: teachers, nurses, school bus drivers are all calling for more money. Can the government afford public sector upheaval in the wake of pandemic shut downs and crushing pressures on frontline workers?The cost of living and the cost of poverty continues to rise. Is anyone paying attention at Queen’s Park?BTW, if you enjoy On the Ledge, you’ll probably enjoy our daily SSN podcast - NOW and NEXT with Dave Trafford and Erin Trafford.Support Now and Next! For $10 a month, you can subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to the full episode of The Daily Brief, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMAs and our message board.You’re just a few clicks away. Start here: nowandnext.supercast.com

The OTL gang is assembled! Sabrina Nanji from the Queen's Park Observer, Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.In this episode:MPP's barely got back to business at Queen's Park and the Ford government has adjourned the legislature until AFTER municipal elections on October 24th.The “More Beds, Better Care Act" is a complete misnomer and does nothing to solve the long term problems in long term care.Barrie Mayor, Jeff Lehman says he's considering a bid for the Ontario Liberal leadership (still a couple of years out).The "Strong Mayor" model is going put pressure on voters to really conser their choices come election day.And as promised, here is information on how you can support SSN's daily podcast - NOW and NEXT with Dave Trafford and Erin Trafford.Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.nowandnext.supercast.com

Friday, September 9, 2022 is the first full day of the Caroline Era. King Charles lll arrived at Buckinham Palace midday, meeting and greeting some of the thousands of people who are holding vigil outside the palace to pay tribute to the new king and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth ll.Charles delivered his first public speech as the monarch at 6pm in the UK. He acknowledged the sacrifice and service his mother offered during her reign and made the same commitment. While he admitted he would have to step away from his pet projects and causes, it was interesting to note that he charged the newly "created" Prince and Princess of Wales (William and Kate) with the responsibility to help those who live on the margins of society.There is plenty of commentary suggesting Elizabeth set a bar to high for Charles to match. But unlike his mother, Charles had the opportunity to learn how to be king from Great Britain's longest serving monarch.Perhaps we underestimate the new king.

We've got a newish cabinet at Queen's Park. It's version 1.5 - not quite 2.0 considering how few changes we see around the table. One exception is the announcement of Michael Ford as Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism. The On The Ledge panel joins this edition of The Daily Brief to talk what's next and what to expect in the next Ford mandate.

All this talk about a Liberal-NDP merger in Ontario is utter nonsense. Why would the NDP waste any energy or time "merging" with the leaderless Liberals, when they're well positioned to stage a hostile takeover.  A re-energized NDP could easily render the Liberals irrelevant before the 2026 campaign.  Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observer quotes a pair of party insiders on their thoughts about the party's future. " — JONATHAN SCOTT, longtime operative who ran runner-up MICHAEL COTEAU’s 2020 leadership bid: “[2022] could be an extinction-level event for the party, if the party doesn’t learn the lessons voters are telling us. It’s time to modernize, throw the doors wide open and build a new party from the ground up. It’s time to be respectful and not talk down to people, especially in rural Ontario, and drop any attitude that we know best.” — KELLY FOOTE, veteran organizer and community activist: “The party’s problems can’t be fixed by the same people who presided over them.” Both great points. And both bits of advice should have been acted on 4 years ago.