It's a new year, but the same old priorities for the Government of Ontario: Housing, affordability, and healthcare. Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath discuss how they're going to, as Doug Ford says, ,Get it done?,

Toronto has released a first look at its budget. The city has a huge deficit to fill and a property tax hike seems to be the answer, but how have Torontonians responded to that? Not well.

Cyber-attacks seem to be growing and it feels like it's only a matter of time before the province gets attacked. The guys are joined by Donald Blair, an IT director, to discuss how to prevent a disaster.
Kat Eschner's piece on social-assistance rates: https://www.tvo.org/article/social-assistance-rates-in-ontario-should-set-off-alarm-bells-report
More from Kat: https://www.tvo.org/author/kat-eschner
Donate to TVO: http://tvo.org/give See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New year, same priorities for Doug Ford

#onpoli, a TVO podcast, is all about Ontario politics. Join hosts Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath for candid interviews and a deeper understanding of how politics touches our day-to-day lives. When it comes to #onpoli, we're here to give you the bigger picture.

News

Queen's Park announces that ,back to basics, in Ontario schools means a cellphone and vape ban. Meanwhile, debates ensue over whether the Ford government's new Core Education Funding is a meaningful increase for our public schools.

 Ottawa gets their own regional office and the most vocal critic is from Doug Ford's own backbench, Nepean MPP Lisa Macleod.

 But first, a look into the byelections Thursday night, where Progressive Conservatives have kept their grip on Milton and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex seats.

You can also see the podcast on the TVO Today YouTube channel and every Friday night at 8 and 11 pm ET as the first half of The Agenda.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Progressive Conservatives win byelection

Earlier this week, a second unanimous consent vote to reverse a ban on wearing keffiyehs at Queen's Park failed to pass. Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath follow up on the ban at Queen's Park and ramifications of it.

The Province of Ontario is investing billions into electric vehicle plants from car manufacturing giant Honda. The new plants announced this week are part of a larger plan to make the province into an EV powerhouse, but there have been a few stumbles along the way.

The Ontario Basic Income pilot was abruptly cancelled in 2019 when Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservative Party formed government. Many years later, a class action lawsuit certified by the Ontario Superior Court has the government paying for legal fees and the plaintiffs seeking millions more in damages. Steve and John Michael discuss what the program did and what the cancellation meant to participants.

UDPATE: On Thursday after this week's episode finished recording, Independent MPP Sarah Jama was asked by Speaker Ted Arnott to remove her keffiyeh while in the chamber at Queen's Park, and when she refused she was asked to leave the chamber, which she declined to do. That came after the events on Tuesday that we discuss in this week's episode. We'll have an update on all of this in next week's episode.
John Michael’s column: Former basic-income recipients are taking Ontario to court. Do they have a shot? | TVO Today 
You can also see the podcast on the TVO Today YouTube channel and every Friday night at 8 and 11 pm ET as the first half of The Agenda See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lightning rod issue at Queen's Park

The federal government has tabled its budget, which includes money for municipalities on housing and a tax on the rich. Details have been released piecemeal over the last several weeks, but now Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath will finally be able to digest the whole thing.
 
 Highway 413 has cleared a major hurdle with the federal government removing the need for an environmental assessment. So, will shovels finally get into the ground for this new project? Not so fast, because there are several other issues that could get in the way.
 
 Several MPPs at Queen's Park were quietly removed from their committee assignments last week. Steve and John Michael discuss these unusual removals and what they might mean.
 
 Steve's column:
 
 John Michael's column:
 
 You can also see the podcast on the TVO Today YouTube channel and every Friday night at 8 and 11 pm ET as the first half of The Agenda. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Takeaways from the federal budget 2024

Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Paul Calandra unveiled The Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, a new piece of housing legislation designed to get more housing built. Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath break down the omnibus bill and look at the housing policy blitz we've seen from both the federal and provincial government.

The Office of the Premier has 48 staff members on the Sunshine List, which makes it one of the most expensive incarnations of this office ever. How does this expense square with Doug Ford's brand of fiscal responsibility?

The Ontario New Democrat Party recently hit a record for donations, leader Marit Stiles is travelling the province, and the party has been putting forward strong legislation. So, why isn't Doug Ford taking notice? Steve and John Michael discuss the premier's choice of opponents.
Steve’s column: https://www.tvo.org/article/do-doug-ford-and-pierre-poilievre-get-along
John Michael’s column: https://www.tvo.org/article/the-ford-government-needs-to-get-real-about-its-own-housing-statistics
You can also see the podcast on the TVO Today YouTube channel and every Friday night at 8 and 11 pm ET as the first half of The Agenda. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breaking down the latest housing policy blitz

The Canadian government has announced a new infrastructure fund that would provide billions to provinces and territories to build up wastewater treatment capacity and housing. The money comes with strings that include a pledge to build ,missing middle, housing, which Premier Doug Ford has opposed. The premier says he would rather let municipalities decide what and where to build. Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath break down the premier's hesitancy to change course.

Ontario has decided where its allotment of international students will go, and public universities and colleges are the big winners. Private career colleges will see a drop in enrolment and could be the first casualties from this new federal cap.

There's a deadline to call a by-election and the time has come for Lambton Kent Middlesex, the former riding of MPP Monte McNaughton. Steve and John Michael discuss who will be running.

You can also see the podcast on the TVO Today YouTube channel and every Friday night at 8 and 11 pm ET as the first half of The Agenda.
Steve’s column: https://www.tvo.org/article/a-conversation-in-hamiltons-tent-city

John Michael’s column: https://www.tvo.org/article/renters-in-canada-need-all-the-help-they-can-get-will-a-bill-of-rights-make-any-difference See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New year, same priorities for Doug Ford

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