The 905er Podcast

The 905er

About

The 905er is a news, politics and discussion podcast for the GTHA region focusing on the region outside central Toronto where 4 million people live, but where news coverage and discussion hardly exists. Presented by Roland Tanner and Joel MacLeod, long-time activists, volunteers and sometimes even wannabe-politicians, we aim to provide a lively weekly podcast featuring interviews with people in the news, round-table discussions, analysis and more. It aims to be intelligent, though-provoking, lively and entertaining.

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288 episodes

Mayor Liz Roy Asks Where's Whitby's Hospital?

For years, the Doug Ford government has promised Whitby a new hospital. As the region continues to grow it is becoming apparent that the status quo in terms of its health care will not do. In a notoriously safe PC riding like Whitby and Durham, it seems like they would be a shoo-in for a brand spanking new hospital, just like Doug promised. So where is it? Why hasn't the Doug Ford PC's started the process of fulfilling their promise to the people of Durham Region? In a notoriously safe conservative part of the province like Durham and Whitby, it shocked us to hear about Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy's campaign to put public pressure on the Ontario PC party to own up to their promise. Why did she have to start a PR push last month to ask the province to spend only $3 million to start the process of development for a badly needed hospital? To answer those questions and learn more about how dire the situation is in Whitby's healthcare system, we invited her to the podcast. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

43m
Mar 26
Scott Radley on Hamilton's Looming Gridlock

A few weeks ago, Hamilton City Council voted to redesign its major street running into its downtown core. The new plan is to essentially divide Main St, a one-way six-lane wide boulevard running through the middle of its downtown into a two-way street, despite concerns from city staff that this would create a problem with traffic, leading to congestion. Their concern is that this move will limit the ability to travel down and through the downtown. Is this a pointless and ultimately futile move on the part of Hamilton City Council? Or is this a brave decision to take steps to transform a decaying downtown into a vibrant pedestrian and people-friendly place to live, work and play? One person who is highly critical of Hamilton City Council's decision is Hamilton Spectator columnist Scott Radley. His opinion piece criticizing the council's decision caught our eye and so we invited him to share his opinion in-depth and see if we were wrong in our approval of the city council's decision. What happened was a great conversation with two sides of the topic on how best to revitalize and improve one of Canada's most important cities. Did either side win? Not sure, but some great ideas hopefully popped out for you to listen to. This is how these debates are supposed to go, isn't it? Scott's Column in The Spec It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

50m
Mar 19
Paolo De Buono on Catholic Education in Ontario

Coming off our previous episode, we wanted to examine the state of Catholic education in Ontario. Sparked by the recent York Catholic school board controversy, along with the stories of Catholic school boards fighting against raising the Pride flag, we were wondering about its future in Ontario. What is the support for Catholic education, and does it have a purpose in today's multicultural and diverse mosaic in Ontario? To dive into this topic we reached out to Paolo De Buono. Paolo is a former Catholic school teacher in Ontario as well as a lawyer, who has been highly critical of the institution in recent years. Citing its curriculum encourages homo and transphobia, and that in a modern diverse society such as Ontario and Canada, it is outdated and harmful. He is also behind the website Stop the Catholic Harm. He joins us today. https://stopthecatholicharm.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

57m
Mar 12
905 Round Up - York Catholic Sex Ed and Higher Education Woes

A few things in the world of public education cropped up on our radar this week. In the York Catholic District School Board, the Our Lady of the Lake Academy, saw students upset at what they viewed as an inappropriate presentation from a right-wing anti-abortion organization. The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethics gave a presentation in the school auditorium, as reported by City News contained graphic depictions of aborted fetuses and upset many students and teachers with its content. In light of its history with the PRIDE flag debate, we were pondering what was happening at YCDSB. How was this permitted to happen? And is this a symptom of a larger issue in Catholic education across the 905 and Ontario? After the break, we look up to higher education and another new potential scandal emerging from the Doug Ford government. Despite being elected on a promise to stop cash-for-access fundraisers, it seems the Ford government can't help itself. As reported by The Trillium, this time it's Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop who is in the hot seat. This time seemingly encouraging donations from Presidents and Executive Directors of private colleges. The same private colleges which have encouraged a spike in foreign students in Ontario, to fill seats in what are essentially degree mills. Little credentials are being offered but big bucks are being taken in from foreign students. It is coming to light that these executives of the private colleges have been donating to the Minister and the Ontario PC party for some time now. What does this mean for higher education? Especially when their funding problems are coming to light due to the inaction of the Ontario PC government. The Story from City News on YCDSB The Story from The Trillium on Min Jill Dunlops Private College Fundraisers It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

51m
Mar 05
How to Fix Political Culture in Ontario?

The Doug Ford government is looking to protect political staffers in Ontario's city halls. As reported by The Spec on February 21, 2024, Minister of Municipal Affairs Paul Calandra will be tabling legislation that would see Mayors and Councillors thrown out of office for workplace harassment. Ontario Liberal MPP Stephen Blais had similar legislation defeated by the Ford Government, at the time Min Calandra cited that the voter should be the one with the final say to remove an elected official from office. So what brought about this 180 degree reversal? Activists for better workplace protections in political settings have put pressure on the government to reverse their reversal. Our question is, does this go far enough? What about Queen's Park? Exactly how does the political workplace differ from an everyday workplace? We thought it would be prudent to dive into this topic. To that end we invited to the podcast Jennifer Olchowy a former federal Conservative staffer, and Prof. Julie MacFarlane of the website: https://www.cantbuymysilence.com/ A group advocating for the end of Non-Disclosure Agreements in workplaces. The Spec: https://www.thespec.com/politics/provincial/ford-government-says-law-to-punish-local-politicians-who-harass-staff-coming-soon/article_79feb4c5-dd4f-5c2a-9049-f55c32497add.html#tncms-source=hamilton-region It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

45m
Feb 27
Lorraine Sommerfeld Returns

Lorraine Sommerfeld, author of the long-running Motherlode column in the Hamilton Spectator and multi-award-winning journalist at Driving.ca returns to discuss her new novel "A Face at the Window", before taking the time to dive into what on earth is going on with the recent driving-related announcements from the provincial government. "A Face at the Window" by Lorraine Sommerfeld is published by Winding Road Stories and is available from your local independent bookstore, as well as from Chapters, Indigo and Amazon. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

40m
Feb 20
The Coming Change in the 905

Anyone who has looked at the news in the past 6 months knows of the enormous shift in political leanings happening. Polls from various sources have shown that an enormous shift is coming in the federal government. According to the polls, the overwhelming number of Canadians in the 905 and the country at large want Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada to form the next government. However, on the ground, it's almost impossible to find someone who is eager for this shift in politics. We saw this as a sign of our social media bubble and thought it would be prudent to step outside and find a different perspective. To that end, we welcomed Kerri Black, an entrepreneur, mother and wife from Hamilton. She is a former political agnostic who has said in recent years she's drifted right. While we're not sure that this conversation isn't going to change anyone's political leanings, it was a welcomed insight into what apparently the majority of people in the 905 are embracing. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes!

1h 13m
Feb 13
Laura Babcock on Mayor Horwath Abandoning Hamilton's Homeless

In previous episodes, we examined the City of Hamilton's flirtation with the Tiny Shelters project—a collection of shed-sized shelters with heat and power for the homeless to get back on their feet. However, the project has bordered on failing for the better part of last year. Hamilton City Council has yet to build support for the project and find a suitable location. In the meantime, homelessness has continued to grow. Tent encampments are becoming increasingly common in Hamilton's parks and streets. It is becoming a crisis. In response, Hamiltonians look to their leaders for answers and plan to tackle this issue. To that end, Mayor Andrea Horwath has remained silent mostly on the file, failing to take leadership on the HATS project and refusing to declare a plan of action to address the encampments in parks. Mayor Horwath hasn't been visible on numerous issues facing Hamilton. The city is starting to notice, that their Mayor doesn't seem to take the lead on anything of importance at Hamilton City Hall. One critic of the Mayor's lack of leadership is a long-time friend of the podcast, Laura Babcock. Laura has been especially critical of the Mayor's absence on the homelessness file. As well Laura has a unique perspective on the matter, having been volunteering with the homeless in Gore Park, getting to know the families, individuals and volunteers literally on the front lines of this crisis. She gives us her insight on the matter of what is happening on Hamilton's streets. She also helps us answer the question that is on everyone's mind with this crisis...Where's Mayor Horwath? To volunteer with the Gore Park Outreach visit their website here: https://goreparkoutreach.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

56m
Feb 06
The 905 Round-Up: Niagara & Gaza, Foreign Student Shortfalls and Liberal Milton

A lot of stories have come through the news cycle this week. Roland and Joel have taken several of them to follow up with for a 905 Round-Up! Coming off our episode on Anti-Semitism in the 905, we travel down the QEW to Niagara Region. This week past at Niagara Regional Council, the Middle East found its way onto the Council's agenda. A motion was made to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be endorsed by the Niagara Regional Council. St. Catharines Mayor and Chair Jim Siscoe put a stop to it by removing it from the agenda before the vote, citing it being a divisive topic for citizens of the region. We talk about why he's right and why our political leaders in the region want to weigh in on topics outside their mandate. Then after our break, the federal government is restricting the number of foreign students able to come into Canada. This is already proving to play havoc with post-secondary institutions as overnight it seems that a major source of their funding has dried up. At Queen's University alarms are sounding on the viability of programs and bankruptcy is being floated in the air. How many more post-secondary institutions are under threat, from decades of underfunding about to catch up with them overnight? The Ford government needs to ensure that post-secondary education remains vibrant and accessible to all. Will they make the necessary funding adjustments? Lastly, the PC MPP for Milton, Parm Gill is stepping aside to run federally for the Conservatives. If you can do the math like we did, this leaves an opening for newly elected Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie to run and win a seat in the Ontario Legislature. Will she do it though? We have thoughts on why she should. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 2m
Jan 30
Doug Ford Sells Us Out to Staples

In the last few months of 2023, while we were all preparing for Christmas and New Year, Doug Ford was busy with plans to further privatization of Ontario's public service. Namely Service Ontario. This month, Richard Southern of CityNews reported that Doug Ford sold several privately operated Service Ontario locations to Staples Canada. The sale would see Staples Canada move the locations inside their stores and operate by Staples employees. To further complicate matters, the contract was sole-sourced and is still not entirely public knowledge. All of this under the guise that it would save Ontario tax dollars. There is a lot to unpack in this deal. To do so as best we can, we invited you back to the podcast Frank Domenic. Frank is a well-known social media political commentator, that you might know from Twitter and Tik Tok. He has been focusing on this story for a while. He joins Joel for a discussion on what the ramifications of this deal going through would mean for the Ontario taxpayer, our privacy rights and what the costs truly might be. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

50m
Jan 23
Confronting Anti-Semitism in The 905

In October, Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,300 people and kidnapped 250 hostages. Israel launched a retaliatory strike campaign into the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas and rescue its citizens. Around the world, countries saw protests against Israel's retaliation and for it pop up. Here in Canada and around the province, news has been highlighted with Pro-Palestinian organizations marching along overpasses, at city halls and interrupting public gatherings. Along with those protests, there have been reports of anti-semitic rhetoric used by the protestors. Reports of Jewish businesses being targeted and vandalized, and even violence towards people. In Vaughan, two individuals were targeted with violence, for no other reason than that they were Jewish. While peaceful expression and protest for opinions that one may find objectionable is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it is not an excuse to explicitly target businesses or people on the basis that they are Jewish. Such behaviour can only be described as one thing: Anti-Semitism. As more and more anti-semitic actions have been reported we thought it would be important to talk about this dangerous rise in Canadian politics. We wanted to discuss the anti-semitism we are seeing in our streets. We do not dive into the Middle East's issues, mostly as that is not our beat and is not our experience. However, a community in our region, province and country is feeling isolated and alone. That is something we can talk about. To do so, we reached out to the Hamilton Jewish Federation and invited Jazmyn Rymberg to discuss this rising trend, and what can be done about it. Links to the Federation's website are here: www.jewishhamilton.org It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

34m
Jan 16
Life with Peel Region: Doug Ford Goes Back On His Word for Mississauga

Happy New Year 2024! After a welcomed break we are back and ready to dive into what awaits us in 2024! To start the year though, it appears that for Mississauga and Peel region, it will be more of the same. As loyal listeners of this podcast know, we interviewed then-Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie back in May about her push to see Mississauga leave Peel region. Shortly after that episode aired, Premier Doug Ford announced a special team to investigate how to accomplish this within two years. And then...shortly after that, Bonnie Crombie announced her bid to become Ontario Liberal Party Leader. In November, her bid to win was a success and apparently, Doug Ford's commitment to Hazel McCallion's dying wish wasn't there anymore. In December, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra announced that the province would no longer be dissolving Peel Region citing a possible increased tax burden on the residents of Peel. This reversal upset a few folks on Mississauga's City Council. One of whom is Ward 2 Councillor Alvin Tedjo. Alvin has taken to social media to make the continued argument for Peel Region's dissolution. We reached out to invite Alvin to the podcast to discuss what is behind this sudden reversal from the Ontario government and what's next for the city of Mississauga. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

47m
Jan 09
Merry Christmas 2023! A year-end Recap and Whats Next for 2024!!!

This is it! Our final episode for 2023! As is usual for our year-end spectacular, and is the norm for every other news podcast and show, we wanted to focus on the year that was. What were the big stories, and how close did we get our predictions for this year? Well, as it turns out...we were pretty close. In 2022, we thought that the Greenbelt scandal would still prove to be a thorn in the side of Premier Doug Ford. Little did we realize how big of a thorn it truly was. We talk about the fantastic reporting by the Narwhal and the grassroots activism of Environmental Defense in bringing to light the depth of the corruption and incompetence surrounding the Greenbelt scandal and the Doug Ford Progressive Conservative government at Queen's Park. What at first looked like a bit of a faux pas by the Ford government has turned out to be one of the biggest political corruption scandals in Canadian History. The Federal, Justin Trudeau government finally got off the sidelines and into the housing file. Many guests on this podcast, concerning that file, from Mike Moffatt to Jennifer Keesmaat and Michelle Bilak have all said that the federal government could loosen the purse strings and change the tax code to promote affordable housing to be built. Well this summer after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre jumped in the polls, it seems that it has triggered this government to get involved. Will it change the game? Time will tell, but at least movement is being made. Lastly, we turn to a theme we returned to time and again on this podcast. The issue of trans rights in our school system. This year conspiracies of teachers forcing students to identify as trans encouraged people to protest en masse at school boards across the 905 and province. We spoke with former Premier Kathleen Wynne about the matter, as well as our first-hand coverage of the protest outside the Halton District School Board. Where was the outcry from the provincial government to set the record straight about what policy is in Ontario schools? What does it bode for the future as more and more Ford government policies fail and they need to mobilize a base that is open to believing such conspiracies? We predict 2024! Our past episodes this year for reference: https://905er.ca/2023/05/mike-moffatt-critiques-canadas-housing-plan/ https://905er.ca/2023/09/jennifer-keesmaat-draws-the-line-on-the-greenbelt-scandal/ https://905er.ca/2023/08/the-summer-of-the-tent-is-a-failure-of-housing-policy/ https://905er.ca/2023/10/what-comes-next-in-the-greenbelt-scandal/ https://905er.ca/2023/09/the-hon-kathleen-wynne-on-what-is-at-stake-with-student-pronouns/ https://905er.ca/2023/09/from-the-frontlines-of-the-1millionmarch/ https://905er.ca/2023/09/special-a-follow-up-from-the-frontlines/ This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. https://freepodcasttranscription.com/transcription/bce7a67e5d23a45a7ec3dcdbc52504436659a927.srt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

46m
Dec 25, 2023
905 Round-Up: Proof of What We've Been Saying All Along

It's a good old-fashioned 905 Round-Up! There have been a few stories that have cropped up in the last few weeks that have caught our eye. Rather than try to pick which one to spend time on, we decided to do a few for this episode. Our theme has been stories which back up things we've stated in the past on this podcast. Hamilton City Centre has been slated to be redeveloped into a four-tower condo project adding some 2,000 badly needed units for the city. Last year, the city approved the proposal and the new landlord began the process of getting the remaining small business tenants out of the site to begin demolition. Last week, the developer announced that it would put the project on hold due to financial concerns. Namely, it's no longer viable for the developer to make their projected profit on the development. Leaving Hamilton City Centre empty and Hamilton short 2000 housing units. Speaking of Hamilton, an inquiry into what happened with the report on the issues of the Red Hill Valley Parkway was released. Showing that a culture in city halls still exists to protect their own. Rather than serve the public good. Lastly, how do 905 cities plan for the future when they are addicted to sprawl? Burlington recently passed their budget. Instead of looking to build a transit system that served a denser community. It puts off any road safety initiatives. How are cities supposed to build themselves in the 21st century if they still rely on 1950's planning to do so? Burlington isn't alone in this thinking. New ways are needed if 905 cities are going to build themselves for the future. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

51m
Dec 19, 2023
What is the Future of the Ontario Liberal Party?

We are closing off a series of episodes we did at the beginning of the summer on the Ontario Liberal Party leadership. Originally we interviewed all the candidates in separate episodes so you'd have a chance to hear their priorities and plans for Ontario and the 905. When the Ontario Liberal Party chose former Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie to lead them into the next election, we thought it prudent to cap off those discussions and see what the path forward for them. The Ontario Liberal Party is a former shell of itself. The big red machine no longer seems ready to take them back to the government at Queens Park. So what is the path ahead for the Ontario Liberals with Bonnie Crombie at the helm? What does she need to do to rebuild this once mighty political force in Ontario politics? And more importantly is she what voters in the 905 and Ontario are looking for to replace Doug Ford and the Ontario PC government? To that end, we invited on to the podcast Ontario Liberal party veteran staffer, Theresa Lubowitz. Theresa spent the leadership campaign studying the various camps' policies and actions, finally settling on Bonnie Crombie herself as her choice for leader. We speak with her today about the reasoning behind her choice, and what exactly is needed to bring back the Ontario Liberals to power. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

49m
Dec 12, 2023
Michael Geist on the Hypocrisy of Bill C-18

Last week, the federal government announced a deal with Google to keep Canadian news indexed on their search engine. This was fortunate for us on a few levels. The first was that we had been waiting for a while to learn what Google would do in the face of Bill C-18. As we had reported earlier, we were caught up in the Bill C-18 fiasco when Meta decided to block our posts on their platforms. We were waiting to hear whether or not Google would follow suit. With this new agreement, it appears that the worries from Google are no longer there, however, Meta's holdout still affects us, which brings us to the purpose of our episode today. The second fortunate part of the news was that it coincided with our recording of this episode with our guest. We had invited Michael Geist to discuss what seemed to us to be some inherent hypocrisies in the federal government's Bill C-18 application. With the government trying to offset the losses for media giants, through payroll tax credits, we pondered where was the support for small operations like us in this scheme. What is the future of Canadian media in this environment? Will this help or hinder us? We asked Michael all about it. You can listen to our previous episode on Bill C-18 here: https://905er.ca/2023/07/matt-cundill-on-how-bill-c-18-will-hurt-podcasters/ This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

55m
Dec 05, 2023
Why Does Milton Want Doug Ford's Boundaries?

The provincial government has rolled back all of its greenbelt and development policies. Being caught in one of the biggest scandals in Canadian history tends to do that. Included in that rollback have been the urban boundary changes the province introduced for Halton, Hamilton and other communities in the 905. The consensus around this move is that it's a welcomed reset and in general what people in the 905 want. A return to protected environment and farmlands, and hopefully a renewed focus on intensification within our communities. This is why a story in The Globe and Mail caught our eye. According to the article by Jeff Gray, Milton Mayor Gord Krantz has written to Premier Doug Ford as well as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra to insist on the boundary reversal to be well...reversed. What is behind this move by Mayor Krantz? And how does it play into the larger picture of solving the housing crisis in the 905? We asked Milton Reporter, Laura Steiner to find out what's going on in Milton You can read Jeff Gray's story in the Globe and Mail here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-fast-growing-milton-asks-province-to-reinstate-urban-boundary/ This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

45m
Nov 24, 2023
Mayor John Taylor on Why Ontario's Housing Plan Falls Short

Part of the Ontario government's plans to address the housing crisis was to break up the 1.5 million new homes needed among the various municipalities in the province. Each municipality would be obligated to build an amount of the total housing in exchange for funds. Every municipality in the province signed on except for one. Newmarket Mayor John Taylor refused to sign the province's pledge, bringing the criticism of Premier Ford on him. He was often cited by the Premier as being an example of nimbyism in the province and not being on 'Team Ontario'. Is this the case though? Well according to Mayor Taylor, there is a very good reason for his refusing to sign the pledge. According to Mayor Taylor, along with many other Mayors in the 905, with Bill 23's elimination of development charges, they have lost the financial resources to ensure the supporting infrastructure for these new houses is built as well. For Newmarket in particular, it is a question of wastewater and how to dispose of the waste from thousands of new homes, safely. We had Mayor Taylor on to discuss Bill 23 when it was first signed into law, and many of his criticisms pointed to the loss of funding for needed infrastructure around the 905. As the urgency to build grows, how are we going to ensure that the infrastructure to support that growth is met? This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

38m
Nov 21, 2023
FORGEing a Dynasty in Hamilton

An underreported story in the 905 happened a few weeks ago. The Canadian Premier League championship was played at Tim Horton's Field. In extra time Béni Badibanga Diata, scored on a corner kick to win the game for Forge FC against their rivals Calgary Calvary FC. The victory secured a fourth championship title. In the five years since the league and the franchise's founding, Hamilton Forge FC has won 4 of the 5 championship titles. That level of accomplishment is rare in any professional sports league. So the question is being raised by soccer fans in Canada, are we seeing the creation of a soccer dynasty in Hamilton? Our host Roland Tanner was in the stands for the thrilling goal and caught Forge FC fever. He was won over by the fans and players. But coverage of the Forge's success in local media has often been slim to non-existent. So what's happening here? Fans and players are fiercely determined to see success not just in Hamilton but in the Canadian Premier League as a whole. We wanted to get a better insight into this phenomenon. To do that we extended an invitation to Kyle Bekker, Captain of Forge FC, and Erick Harrisson, the leader of Forge FC's official supporter group the Barton St. Batallion to come on the podcast. We talk about that game and how the landscape of sports fandom in the 905 and Canada might change. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

53m
Nov 14, 2023
The Story of Corruption in Ontario

Last episode we spoke with Tim Gray of Environmental Defense, about their ongoing legal action against the Ontario Government to get to the bottom of the Greenbelt Scandal. Little did we know how deep the rabbit hole went. A few days after the episode aired, Environmental Defense alongside Eco Justice released close to 7,000 pages of documents obtained under an FOI request. Those documents illuminated the shady backroom politics and deals that have been a symptom of this Ontario government. Newsrooms have put their interns and resources into plowing through the trove of documents to see what it tells us. At an early glance, the tale tells of a government which carved up the greenbelt and protected lands at the whims of particular developers who had their ear. Those stories are coming to light slowly but surely. We didn't want to repeat or take credit for the hard work of other journalists, so that's not what this episode is going to do. Instead, we're going to look for a pattern in what the documents reveal. How does the relationship between the development industry and this government work? What can they tell us about where we are in the housing crisis currently? Is there hope at the end of the tunnel to solve this crisis responsibly and efficiently? Or is there no process at all and it's clear that it is all just insider bag men and quid pro quo politics? This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

46m
Nov 07, 2023
What Comes Next in the Greenbelt Scandal?

The Greenbelt scandal is a fast-moving story. Each week it seems that a new layer to the shady backroom deal to carve up sensitive protected land for a select few developers is revealed. Just how far down the rabbit hole does this story go? Thanks to grassroots organizations like Environmental Defense and Eco-Justice, as well as independent news like The Narwhal, we are learning more and more about how this scandal operates. Last week, Environmental Defense and Eco-Justice announced that they would be suing the government to learn what more details were to be learned about the Greenbelt scandal. When Environmental Defense originally sued the provincial government to uncover what happened in the Greenbelt, it sparked an avalanche of information. At that time we invited Tim Gray, their Executive Director to discuss the action. So this time we extended the invitation once again, and Tim graciously accepted. However, in true Greenbelt scandal fashion, the morning of our recording the government announced that they would be rolling back their zoning orders concerning the urban boundaries of 905 cities. Nevertheless, we used the opportunity to discuss what more is there to uncover and what trust is left between Ontarians and this government. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

53m
Oct 31, 2023
Joey Coleman Weighs in on Doug Ford Silencing Sarah Jama

In the last few weeks, news of the horrific attacks by Hamas against Israel shocked the world. As was expected, Israel responded aggressively against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. We aren't going to get into the midst of that conflict on this podcast. That isn't our beat. What is our beat however is local politicians. Namely how they have responded to the attacks in the Middle East. One MPP has waded into the highly politicized and contentious issue through a public statement affirming her support for the Palestinian people while at the same time ignoring the attacks against Israelis. By now, you realize we are talking about Hamilton Centre MPP, Sarah Jama. Sarah Jama's statement has drawn much criticism, in the way it omitted any reference to the attack on innocent Israeli lives. The response to it has been calls from her leader to issue a retraction and apology for the statement. To this date, she has not retracted the statement. As well, Premier Doug Ford has taken the extraordinary step of issuing a motion in the legislature to prohibit the Speaker from recognizing her in the chamber. Essentially silencing her voice as a representative of the people of Hamilton Centre. While Ms Jama's point of view is indeed controversial it is a shocking step to bar her entirely from participating in the democratic process. At least that's the view of our guest today. Joey Coleman returns to the podcast today to discuss his opinion piece from his website The Public Record. In which he argues that the Ontario PC government is taking extreme and possibly dangerous measures to silence their opposition. That decision should be left to the citizens of Hamilton Centre at the next election. A link to his piece is below. We talk with him about his opinion as well as the greater risk to democratic norms and how the media is covering this. **NOTE**: We recorded this episode prior to Monday's announcement that Marit Stiles the NDP Leader was removing Sarah Jama from caucus. https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/2023/10/coleman-free-expression-sarah-jama-and-the-governments-motion-to-remove-her-from-the-legislature/ This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

33m
Oct 24, 2023
It's a Housing Crisis...Who's Doing the Building?

We like to keep ahead of what we see as important to the 905 and Ontario. As such, we think we've been keeping you informed on the intricacies of developments and housing before they became household topics. In that spirit, we wanted to focus this episode on an aspect of the housing crisis that hasn't had a lot of focus to date. Our federal political leaders like to speak about tax cuts and red tape elimination to spur development, and here in Ontario, the provincial government is mired in the Greenbelt scandal in an attempt to free up land to developers. However, what none of our political leaders seem to be focused on is who will be building the new housing that is needed. It is not news that we are currently in a skilled labour shortage in Ontario. So how will we find the carpenters, electricians and plumbers we'll need to build millions of new homes? We turned to Craig Brockwell to ask that question. Craig is a former tech teacher in Ontario high schools and worked in government relations for the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation as well as Support Ontario Youth, a not-for-profit that helped put students into the skilled trades. He joins us today to talk about this important yet often secondary concern of the housing crisis. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 0m
Oct 17, 2023
The Myths and Realities of Housing in Ontario

We've been wanting to do this episode for a few weeks now—however, other more immediate stories needed to be addressed fully. However, we are getting back on schedule and talking to set the matter straight on the issue of housing in the 905 and Ontario at large. This summer, it seemed that the Conservative Party of Canada would be taking the lead on the housing issue. Pierre Poilievre surged to take a massive lead in the polls over Justin Trudeau with his addressing the housing crisis and placing that at the centre of his political identity. And then, Trudeau changed the script. At the end of the summer, the federal Liberals announced a policy that affordable housing advocates that we've had on this podcast have been advocating for. The elimination of HST on new rental accommodation builds. While this was happening, however, in Ontario the provincial government became embroiled in the largest land speculation scandal in the province's history. As it sounds now, the Greenbelt scandal is continuing to unfold and shows no end in sight. Amongst all of this whirlwind in the news, we got wind of some mistruths and rumours that started to circulate. Myths that landlords would be the beneficiaries of the tax cut. We took it upon ourselves to sit down and review everything we've learned about the housing crisis so far from our episodes surrounding it and put together this episode to clear the air and set the facts straight. So plug in and have a listen as we set the record straight on the myths and realities of the housing crisis in Ontario. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

52m
Oct 10, 2023
Ontario High Schools Face 16 Bomb Threats and Ford Says Nothing?

You can support our podcast by visiting our website at https://905er.ca September is supposed to be busy for students as they head back to school. Get acquainted with new schedules and expectations for a productive school year. Instead at four Hamilton high schools, a total of 16 bomb threats have forced four high schools to close for student safety over four separate days. Hamilton police have open investigations into all of them, and preliminary reports have the threats linked to anti-LGBTQ+ and Trans rights motives. In September, the 1 Million March for Children came through Ontario advocating for policies that would put Trans students' safety at risk and eliminating pro-LGBTQ and Transgender policies from schools in the province. We don't believe in coincidences, at least not ones this big or obvious. So the question we had on our minds was, why is no one speaking up about this risk to student safety? To date, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce have issued no statement condemning the threats to student safety. We invited on to the podcast, long-time friend and colleague Laura Babcock to dive into what is going on with this issue. As well we take the opportunity to broaden our inquiry into Ford's attitude towards Hamilton, as a prominent business Collective Arts Brewing is threatened with a massive tax bill from archaic and harmful tax laws. For a pro-business government, they seem to not care about policies that are hurting Ontario industries. We talk about it all! This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

56m
Oct 03, 2023
**Special**A Follow Up from the Frontlines

Please support us by visiting our website https://905er.ca We bring to you a special follow-up episode from our report on the front lines of the 1MillionMarchforChildren. As our host, Joel MacLeod reported in our last episode at the end of the protest he had the opportunity to speak with a group of teenagers who attended the Halton District School Board who identified on the trans spectrum. At the time, it was peculiar that a protest which was essentially held to protect their issues and concerns, would not include them. At no time during the protest did Joel see a protester reach out to them to converse with them or to hear their concerns. Even though they were only 50 feet away. Amongst the national rhetoric and politicking on both sides, the voice that seems to be ignored the most in this debate is that of teenagers who identify as transgender. In Joel's chat with the teenagers, one of them came across as quite passionate and articulate on the nuances and intricacies of the topic. As it's easy to find advocates for both sides to argue back and forth over what trans teens need in our schools, we thought it would be prudent to just ask them directly. To that end, and with their parent's permission, we invited on to the podcast Jayden Hill. Jayden is a grade 12 student in the Halton school system and identifies as a trans student. We invited them on to the podcast to allow them to share their unique story and what they want both sides to understand in this national debate about what is actually going on in our school system. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28m
Sep 28, 2023
From the Frontlines of the 1MillionMarch

Please support our work at our website https://905er.ca On Wednesday last week, crowds appeared in cities across the country protesting pro-LGBTQ+ student policies in school boards. Remnants of the Freedom Convoy, have transformed from being anti-vaccine mandates into anti-LGBTQ+ policies in school boards. Under the guise of protecting students, these groups argue that pronouns should be disclosed to parents, as well as the elimination of gender identity and sexual orientation education from the Ontario curriculum. At the same time, pro-LGBTQ+ organizations and individuals want to ensure that students who identify as such are protected and kept safe while attending school and at home. Both sides met face-to-face at many school boards across the country last week. At the Halton District School Board in Burlington, protesters and anti-protesters met. Our host, Joel MacLeod, went down to see the protests in person and talked to people from both sides to see if there could be any common ground on this divisive topic. As well as to get a sense of what is driving this latest aspect of the culture war in Canada. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

55m
Sep 26, 2023
Can Hamilton Find a Place to Hang it's HATS?

You can support the work we do by visiting our website at https://905er.ca Last week a civic meeting at the Bennetto Community Centre in Hamilton was shut down due to attendees' disruptive behaviour. The issue of the meeting was to inform the local community about the proposed site for the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters, or HATS. We've spoken about the HATS project before on the podcast. However, over the last year, what seemed to be an innovative way to address the tent encampments and rising homelessness around Hamilton, has turned into a lightning rod of controversy. Seemingly the city has been unable to take the leadership to find a suitable location and encourage local support for this project. While cities around Ontario, namely Waterloo and Kingston have embraced the concept, Hamilton still seems in turmoil over whether or not it wants HATS to succeed. As the housing crisis continues across the country, where could HATS fit into a new housing strategy that seeks to help people get back on their feet and climb the social ladder again? We reached out to Tom Cooper, one of the co-founders of the HATS project and director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction to talk about where the project stands and what is at stake with it's success or failure. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

45m
Sep 19, 2023
Jennifer Keesmaat Draws the Line on the Greenbelt Scandal

You can support us by visit our website: https://905er.ca The Greenbelt scandal continues to grow and become a bigger and bigger albatross around his government's neck. Each day new revelations add a new level to the scandal. How deep does this scandal go? And how is it undermining our belief in good and responsible government? Our guest today wants to examine exactly that. Jennifer Keesmaat is the former city planner for Toronto, and founder of the not for profit development firm Markee Developments. She joins us to examine how Doug Fords actions threaten our democratic norms and distracts us from taking action on the housing crisis. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

49m
Sep 12, 2023
The Hon. Kathleen Wynne on What is at Stake with Student Pronouns

Please support our work at our website https://905er.ca As families and students get prepared to return to school for another year, the LGBTQ+ community is coming under undo scrutiny once again. Over the summer, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan provincial governments changed their policies regarding notifying parents of a student's wish to change their pronouns or assigned name from birth. Here in Ontario, the Minister of Education Stephen Lecce voiced support for the policy and opened the door to Ontario making a similar change to its policy. This of course kicked open the hornet's nest of public debate with those on the right arguing for the policy under the guise of 'parental rights'. LGBTQ+ advocates, unions, and education professional organizations have stated that this policy would in fact harm students who wanted to change their pronouns. All of this comes under the umbrella of an Ontario government that is desperate to change the channel on its ongoing Greenbelt scandal. We thought it would be prudent to discuss the politics and practicalities of what a change in this policy might have on Ontario schools and students. To that end, we invited to the podcast the Hon. Kathleen Wynne to discuss the matter. Ms. Wynne is a former Toronto School Board Trustee, Ontario Minister of Education, Canada's first openly gay Premier, a mother and a grandmother. We thought her expertise on the topic would be invaluable. She joins us today. This Episode is brought to you by Graham Agnew of Dominion Lending https://grahamagnew.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

49m
Sep 05, 2023