The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

Ontario is close to a child-care deal with the federal government, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday, as his province remained the only jurisdiction without a deal with Ottawa for $10-a-day child care.

What’s taking them so long?

GUEST: Karina Gould, MP for Burlington and Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

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What are the best ways to keep Canada’s food supply strong while the cost of food is outpacing inflation? And is the shortage really being caused by the truck convoys?

GUEST: Mike von Massow, OAC Chair in Food System Leadership and an Associate Professor in Food Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday the extension of Operation UNIFIER for three years, and the deployment of 60 more troops to Ukraine in the coming days.

Trudeau made the announcement following a cabinet meeting, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, and Defence Minister Anita Anand.

ALSO: Canada will not send Ukraine weapons but boost cyber support, training mission

GUEST: Peter Graefe, Professor of Political Science with McMaster University

The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

The association that represents registered nurses in Ontario is blasting a move by the province to invite internationally trained nurses to do the work of personal support workers while not giving them credit for the practical work experience required by the College of Nurses of Ontario.

The memo ---- sent out by the Ministries of Long-term care and Health on Jan. 17 to long-term care licensees — says the move is in response to staff shortages due to COVID-19-related absences or isolation requirements. It states that select internationally trained nurses (IENs) who are applicants to the college will be eligible to work in long-term care facilities — but as personal support workers (PSWs) or unregulated care providers. 

In its program guide, the ministry also states that the work won't count towards IENs' college requirements to show evidence of practice.

GUEST: Morgan Hoffarth, President of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario

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Ontario has launched a new Crown agency for skilled trades services.

Skilled Trades Ontario replaces the Ontario College of Trades and will be used to promote the trades and develop training standards.

GUEST: Monty McNaughton, Ontario Labour Minister

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Three years after the Progressive Conservatives scrapped a program they falsely labelled a ‘carbon tax,’ businesses that lost money on emissions credits — including global giant Koch Industries — have filed legal actions against the government

GUEST: Fatima Syed, Journalist with The Narwhal

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The Bank of Canada is keeping its key interest rate target on hold at 0.25 per cent, but warning it won't stay there for much longer.

The trendsetting rate has been at its rock-bottom level since March 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as the economy went into a downturn and three million jobs were lost.

The central bank said Wednesday the rebound since then and especially over the last few months has been stronger than it anticipated.

GUEST: Brian Hogben, Principal and Owner of Mission35 Mortgages and author of “How to Get Mortgage Free Really F*$%ing Fast!: The Book on How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in Canada with 10 Simple Steps