Joanne Chianello and Stacy Hushion join the podcast to discuss StrategyCorp's 2025 Ontario Municipal Chief Administrative Officer Survey . With a municipal election a year away, longstanding pressures facing local governments and Trump-induced uncertainty, it was an interesting time to engage with CAOs to hear their views. Our guests share the Survey's insights into the local impacts of geopolitics, incivility, strong mayor powers, and provincial-municipal relations.

After a busy summer for the government and opposition parties, Members of Parliament are back in Ottawa for the return of the House of Commons. Between the ongoing tension with the United States, the return of Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons, and an upcoming federal budget amid a slowing economy, there will be no shortage of political and economic developments to keep an eye on this fall.

Jeff Mahon joins the podcast to provide an overview of how geopolitical dynamics will influence Canadian politics and government priorities. Allyson Grant and Garry Keller also drop by to talk about what to expect from the Liberals, the Conservatives, the NDP, and the Bloc as Parliament returns.

Federal and provincial governments across Canada have been recording budget deficits for several years, which is raising concerns around their financial capacity in a time of heightened uncertainty.

Deficits and debt can get very political with opposition parties often attacking governments on their management of public finances. However, the financial market tends to look at government finances through a different lens and focuses on the ability to repay debt obligations. Credit rating agencies play an important role in this ecosystem by rating issuers.

To learn more about how credit rating agencies look at current financial situation of governments in Canada, StrategyCorp welcomed on the podcast Travis Shaw, Morningstar DBRS' Senior Vice President & Sector Lead for Global Sovereign Ratings.

The current Trump-induced uncertainty is impacting every aspect of the economy, including capital flows. When it gets harder to predict economic patterns, investors become more risk-averse and companies have a harder time accessing capital.

To get a better sense of the capital and funding landscape in Canada, the StrategyCorp Institute invited the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association on the podcast. Adriana Vega, VP of Government Affairs, and David Kornacki, Director of Data and Product, shared their insights on the trends in venture capital and private equity, and on the role government can play to support the sector.

Le retour de Donald Trump à la Maison Blanche et la mise en place de tarifs douaniers créent de nombreux défis pour les entreprises manufacturières québécoises. Les taux, la portée et même l'échéancier de ces tarifs ont changé à plusieurs reprises depuis janvier. Ces revirements de situation causent beaucoup d'incertitude pour les dirigeants d'entreprise et les travailleurs.

Afin de dresser un portrait de la situation dans le secteur manufacturier et de discuter des défis et des solutions, l'Institut de StrategyCorp a eu le plaisir d'accueillir Julie White, Présidente-directrice générale de Manufacturiers & Exportateurs du Québec, et Philippe Couillard, conseiller principal à StrategyCorp.

The first 100 days of the second Trump presidency have been a whirlwind. Between policy announcements on Truth Social, a barrage of tariffs and cuts to the civil service, the Trump White House has been moving fast and breaking things. Amid this breakneck pace, the Democrats are trying to oppose Trump on Capitol Hill while also getting ready for the 2026 mid-term elections.

Bruce Fisher, a veteran of American politics, joins the podcast to discuss how the Democrats are dealing with the Trump earthquake and preparing for the mid-term elections. He also shares his insight into how Canada should deal with Trump 2.0.

The 100th episode of Intended Consequences explores the impacts of the U.S. tariffs on economic development in Canada. Many Canadian communities are vulnerable to tariffs with Saint John (NB), Calgary and Windsor topping the list according to the U.S. Tariff Exposure Index developed by the Business Data Lab at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The Director of the Economic Development Program at the University of Waterloo, Brock Dickinson, joins the podcast to discuss how economic development is impacted by tariffs and what it could mean for sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. He shares helpful strategies local economic development officers can deploy to support companies and make their communities more resilient.

Much of Ontario – including most of the province's main urban centres – are served by local electricity distributors (LDCs) owned by municipalities. Both the federal and Ontario governments have recently announced measures that could enable more private sector or pension fund investment in those municipally owned LDCs.

This podcast looks at the current situation, the proposed changes and what more private or pension fund investment could entail for municipalities, investors and the Ontario Energy Board. We are joined by Mary Anne Aldred, Strategic Advisor at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, and StrategyCorp's very own Aleck Dadson and Michael Fenn.

In the face of an uncertain economic future, where housing starts have plummeted and residential sales are down, but demand shows no signs of abating, the key goal of the industry is to somehow make it through 2025.

StrategyCorp Ontario Developer Survey 2024

Dave Wilkes, President and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association, and Jason Burggraaf, Executive Director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association, join the podcast to discuss the state of the development industry in Ontario. They provide their insight on the development financial model and the barriers developers are currently facing. Our guests also highlight how the different levels of government can support the sector.

The StrategyCorp Municipal Chief Administrative Officer Survey 2024 highlighted that municipal finance is a top area of concern. The report noted that "many CAOs spoke of financial challenges not just in terms of the gaps and shortfalls they are trying to fill, notably with respect to infrastructure, but in the context of affordability for residents."

Two StrategyCorp Senior Advisors, Michael Fenn and Tony Haddad, join the podcast to talk about the state of municipal financial sustainability in Ontario. They provide their insight on the financial challenges municipalities face and the importance of financial planning to navigate uncertain times. Tony and Michael also discuss ways senior levels of government can help alleviate some of the financial pressures municipalities are dealing with.