Ontario Loud

We're back baby! Temporarily! Recording an election night pod is just so damn fun that we put one together to talk about the new Liberal Minority government, despite the fact that we will continue to be on break for just a little bit longer while our hosts get their lives together to be able to do this again.

You all sent us so many questions to answer in our END OF SEASON MAILBAG! We talk about catholic schools, electoral reform, ranked ballots, Kyky's Kookies, affordable housing, civility in politics, and so, so much more. Thank you to all of you for a wonderful season, and we will see you in the Fall.

We took a bit of a breather this week, but Chris did sit down with Rebecca Jesseman, former chair of the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre Community Advisory Board (CAB), which was a community-led oversight body that had access to the facility and recommended ways to improve conditions. Naturally this was unacceptable to the Ford government. Sigh.

Sam, Chris, Alvin and Garima dive into all the politics that are underway as we head into summer. Between cabinet shuffles, election platform planks and new attack ads, it's clear Ontario's political parties are gearing up to take the fight to the streets in Hot Vax Summer.

While most Ontarians were out enjoying nice weather and the company of other humans, Doug Ford recalled the legislature to pass a bill to make more favourable campaign conditions for himself. Sigh. We also talk racism in the OPS, Maxine Bernier, floor crossings, and more. Big week. Big pod.

We talk about the pending cabinet shuffle, Doug Ford's negotiations over school closures with a child, pride, and so much more.

Garima, Sam, Chris, and Alvin talk about the horrendous truth Canadians were faced with, as 215 dead children were found at a residential school in British Columbia, and what more we need to do. A new Chief Medical Officer of Health and Secretary of Cabinet are also discussed, bum seem and are less important.

Good Bill/Bad Bill/Sketchy Bill returns, as we wrap up all the pending legislation in the Ontario legislature before the session ends for the summer. We also talk about the province's reopening plan, and the PEQAB rejection of Charles McVety's Canada Christian College.

Doug Ford's Premier's Office considers a bold new leadership strategy involving... keeping Doug Ford away from the spotlight. Is this smart politics? We dive into this, the recent pandemic decisions, and the auditor general report on $4.4B in COVID initiatives given the full auditor treatment.

This week we talk the province's new vaccine plans, paid sick days, and what the long-term care commission had to say about the Ontario government's handling of the long-term care sector, and why we saw the disaster we saw.

It's been a week of tears, frustration, agony, and many now capitulation on paid sick days? But probably not. Karim Bardeesy joins to talk about whot he conservatives could implement paid sick days while keeping their principles in tact. We talk about pandemic recovery & how the feds are thinking about it.

Folks, friends, we always tell you the truth. We always make the tough decisions. And today is no different. Chris, Alvin, Garima and Sam talk to you about the total catastrophe that is the Ford government's management of COVID-19 as Ontario is set to see cases exceed 10,000 per day. Oh - also an amazing federal budget was released. We talk about that too.

The engine light was on for miles before this, but Doug Ford kept driving that car. With the wheels now falling off the car completely, we are living through a very frightening time. We reflect on that, while looking ahead to what the NDP and the Liberal Party of Canada have to say about the kinds of policies progressives can look forward to if they form government.

We talk about the necessary, but late and incoherent announcement of another provincewide shutdown to deal with rising COVID-19 cases, the province's relationships with developers and how that might be informing it's advocacy over the 413, and the vaccine plant coming to Toronto just in time for the next pandemic.

Despite unprecedented challenges facing the province, Ontario announces a budget that puts our money into... underwhelming healthcare investments and reducing the deficit. While COVID case counts rise, the Premier's Office is embroiled in a scandal everyone knew about where the Premier's Press Sec is dating a QP Gallery member. Sigh.

We discuss the various impacts that Amazon is having in Ontario Politics currently, from almost destroying but then saving a protected wetland in Pickering, to giving a bunch of workers in Brampton COVID. We also discuss the Premier's racist remarks in the legislature.

The crew covers the FAO's report on affordable housing and homelessness, revelations from the long-term-care commission that Minister Merilee Fullerton recommended moving faster than the government was willing to in long-term-care homes, vaccines, and an interview with Miles Corak on EI.

Chris, Alvin, Garima and Sam talk about the Ford government's changes to elections and campaign finance, the secret deal to sell a downtown property over the wishes of the community, and a report on how social assistance administration will change. NDP MP Candidate Brian Chang joins to talk campaigning during the pandemic.

Chris, Alvin, and Sam dive through all the pre-budget legislation on-tap for Spring 2020. From privatization, to paid sick days, to porch pirates and cat-declawing - it's an electic one. Ontario Tech University's Dr. Barbara Perry joins us to talk about the reach of the far right in Ontario.

Sam talks to Gayle Nathanson of the Coalition to End Online Hate. Garima, Chris and Sam talk love, romance, upsetting COVID modelling and governance, Ontario's economic outlook, and a quick interlude about Phoebe Bridgers (letting Chris write these may be a mistake).