Doug Ford is facing public scrutiny for his changes to Freedom of Information and his “gravy plane” fiasco. But throughout his career, Ford has leveraged his folksy persona to deflect and distract from his scandals. Behind the shtick is a calculated and effective political communications strategy, but has the “Uncle Doug” routine finally run out of steam?   

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Host: San Grewal

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Sabrina Nanji

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Further reading: 

• Anti-Doug Ford rallies take place across Ontario to protest OSAP, FOI changes | CBC News
• Doug Ford regularly worked from home after ordering civil servants back to office | Globalnews.ca 
• Ford government passes bill gutting Ontario freedom-of-information access - Toronto Star
• Ford says no one in Canada is scrutinized like he is after backtracking on $28.9M private jet purchase | CBC News 
• Opinion | Doug Ford's problem wasn't the plane, it was the politics - Toronto Star
• Canada Says Its Gold Is Traceable and Clean. So We Traced It. - The New York Times 
• Manitoba to ban social media, AI chatbots for youth, premier says | CBC News 

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