Our Now and Next C.A.S.T. (Comms and Strategy Team) weighs in in the chaos ignited on Parliament Hill by the sudden resignation of Finance Minster and Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland.

Nobody saw it coming. But the Prime Minister should have expected it - considering he FIRED Freeland from Finance mere days before she was expected to table the Fall Economic Statement.

The strangest thing in a weird political week us Trudeau wanted Freeland to present the FES even after telling her he was moving her out of Finance!

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Meet the NOW and NEXT C.A.S.T!  

Brad Ross has made a career leading the communications strategies for the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission.   

Lindsay Broadhead brings her comms experience and insights base on her time leading teams at the Toronto Region Board of Trade and, most recently, the Chief Communications Officer at the City of Toronto.  

Bob Reid applies his earned experience as a major market journalist and a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario to his analysis of the communications "Touchdowns and Fumbles".  

Anne Marie Aikins is a "media relations maven", a sought after pundit and speaker, and a strategic comms adviser specializing in public transit in Ontario.  

Dave Trafford   is a “Podcast Journalist”, the Chief Executive Producer at Story Studio Network, and a Recovering News Director, (having led the news operations at Global News Toronto, Newstalk 1010 and AM640 radio in Toronto) with more than forty years of experience in Canadian media.

It's a NOW and NEXT first!

Our Comms and Strategy Team (C.A.S.T.) presented this edition of the podcast LIVE at the Public Affairs Association of Canada conference in Toronto. It was held in November at the waterfront campus of George Brown College.

We riffed on the emergence of podcasting a powerful weapon in the comms and stategy arsenal for brands and organizations in a day and age when "earned media" is increasingly more difficult to land.

We also talked about the political power of podcasting - particularly against the backdrop of the US Presidential election that gives Donald Trump another four years behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

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Let us know what you think. Comment on the discussion. What would you like us to talk about. 

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YOU CAN ALSO WATCH THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE
 
Meet the NOW and NEXT C.A.S.T!
 
Brad Ross has made a career leading the communications strategies for the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission. 
 
Lindsay Broadhead brings her comms experience and insights base on her time leading teams at the Toronto Region Board of Trade and, most recently, the Chief Communications Officer at the City of Toronto.
 
Bob Reid applies his earned experience as a major market journalist and a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario to his analysis of the communications "Touchdowns and Fumbles".
 
Anne Marie Aikins is a "media relations maven", a sought after pundit and speaker, and a strategic comms adviser specializing in public transit in Ontario.
 
Dave Trafford   is a “Podcast Journalist”, the Chief Executive Producer at Story Studio Network, and a Recovering News Director, (having led the news operations at Global News Toronto, Newstalk 1010 and AM640 radio in Toronto) with more than forty years of experience in Canadian media.

This week on NOW and NEXT:

Phil Verster has QUIT as CEO of Metrolinx - catching the Ford government by surprise and leaving a litany of of billion dollar transit project in disarray. Not one project has been completed during Verster's leadership. They're running over time and over budget with no clear sign as to when they'll be delivered.

And we've got the best brains to talk us through the fallout. We've assembled our NOW and NEXT 
C.A.S.T. (Comms and Strategy Team), starting with Anne Marie Aikins, who spent a good deal of her career as the Comms leaders at Metrolinx; Brad Ross brings his insights as the former Comms Director at the Toronto Transit Commission; Lindsay Broadhead who spent time leading the corporate comms at Toronto City Hall and worked with Metrolinx when Verster joined the agency in 2017; and Bob Reid - a former Senior Adviser to former Ontario Premier Mike Harris.

We also weigh in on the congestion crisis in Toronto - including talk at City Hall to limit ride-sharing licences.

And nobody saw it coming, but Justin Trudeau showed Prime Ministerial strength when he paid an unplanned visit to Mara-lago and THEN sat down with the Opposition Leaders in Ottawa to brief them on the Trump-Trudeau convo.


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This week on NOW and NEXT:

Cliff Young, President of Polling and Societal Trends at Ipsos in the US joins the podcast and breaks down how and why the Democrats got it wrong, the GOP got it right and addresses pollsters' under estimation of Trump's support.

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Let us know what you think. Comment on the discussion. What would you like us to talk about. Go to davetrafford.com and hit the TALKBACK button and record your message.

This week on NOW and NEXT

Our C.A.S.T. (Comms and Strategy Team) is here!

We go deep on the grassroots ground game that's grooming the political landscape at Toronto City Hall. Was Anthony Furey a victim of a voter suppression campaign or did he just lose the Don Valley West byelection to a well oiled Orange Machine?

Donald Trump's photo op with RFK eating a Big Mac says all you need to know about the president-elect's next administration.

Who's on Bluesky Social? 

And who considers a banana taped to the wall as ART? And who's going to pay 7 figures for it?

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Let us know what you think. Comment on the discussion. What would you like us to talk about.

Use this LINK https://www.speakpipe.com/NOWandNEXT and LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE!

Meet the NOW and NEXT C.A.S.T!

Brad Ross has made a career leading the communications strategies for the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission.

Lindsay Broadhead brings her comms experience and insights base on her time leading teams at the Toronto Region Board of Trade and, most recently, the Chief Communications Officer at the City of Toronto.

Bob Reid applies his earned experience as a major market journalist and a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario to his analysis of the communications "Touchdowns and Fumbles".

Anne Marie Aikins is a "media relations maven", a sought after pundit and speaker, and a strategic comms adviser specializing in public transit in Ontario.

Dave Trafford is a “Podcast Journalist”, the Chief Executive Producer at Story Studio Network, and a Recovering News Director, (having led the news operations at Global News Toronto, Newstalk 1010 and AM640 radio in Toronto) with more than forty years of experience in Canadian media.

This week on NOW and NEXT:

First, a passion project. 
I'm producing a benefit concert for St. Clare Inn - transitional housing for homeless women in Toronto who have mental heath challenges.

The performance dates are Dec. 20 and 21. Three shows. It's music I wrote for a youth choir over a fifteen year period.

Buy tickets or make a donation. http://www.stclareinn.com/events/ Help us make room at the Inn this Christmas.

ALSO this week...

Retired RCAF Major General Scott Clancy weighs in on Trump's next term in the White House. 

A Trump Presidency means:

• NORAD is at risk.
• A potential quick end to the war in Ukraine and that may well mean the end of Ukraine.
• Putin has no reason to negotiate a peace. He has no reason to think he's losing.
• The world is a more dangerous place.

LEAVE US A VOICE MESSAGE ABOUT THE SHOW! Let us know what you think. Comment on the discussion. What would you like us to talk about.

Use this LINK https://www.speakpipe.com/NOWandNEXT and LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE!

This week on NOW and NEXT:

First, a passion project. 
I'm producing a benefit concert for St. Clare Inn - transitional housing for homeless women in Toronto who have mental heath challenges.

The performance dates are Dec. 20 and 21. Three shows. It's music I wrote for a youth choir over a fifteen year period.

Buy tickets or make a donation. http://www.stclareinn.com/events/ Help us make room at the Inn this Christmas.

ALSO this week!

Daily Bread Food Bank released its annual Who's Hungry Report and the numbers are not only alarming, they're being wilfully ignored by all levels of government.

CEO Neil Hetherington says the current course at the Food Bank is not sustainable.

LEAVE US A VOICE MESSAGE ABOUT THE SHOW! Let us know what you think. Comment on the discussion. What would you like us to talk about. Use this LINK https://www.speakpipe.com/NOWandNEXT and LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE!

The NOW and NEXT C.A.S.T. (our Comms and Strategy Team), weighs in on the historic election win by Donald Trump.

The Democrats were too busy trying to "connect" the WRONG dots for voters while Trump played to the concerns that resonated with more than 70 million American voters.

Get ready for the MAGA CARTA, (Project 2025). The election result not only gives Trump a strong mandate, it gives the MAGA movement permission to do what it wants.

YOU CAN NOW LEAVE US A VOICE MESSAGE ABOUT THE SHOW! Let us know what you think. Comment on the discussion. What would you like us to talk about.

Use this LINK  https://www.speakpipe.com/NOWandNEXT and LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE!
 
YOU CAN ALSO WATCH THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE
 
Meet the NOW and NEXT C.A.S.T!
 
Brad Ross has made a career leading the communications strategies for the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission.
 
Lindsay Broadhead brings her comms experience and insights base on her time leading teams at the Toronto Region Board of Trade and, most recently, the Chief Communications Officer at the City of Toronto.
 
Bob Reid applies his earned experience as a major market journalist and a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario to his analysis of the communications "Touchdowns and Fumbles".
 
Anne Marie Aikins is a "media relations maven", a sought after pundit and speaker, and a strategic comms adviser specializing in public transit in Ontario.
 
Dave Trafford   is a “Podcast Journalist”, the Chief Executive Producer at Story Studio Network, and a Recovering News Director, (having led the news operations at Global News Toronto, Newstalk 1010 and AM640 radio in Toronto) with more than forty years of experience in Canadian media.

This week on NOW and NEXT:

Catherine Tait makes a scorched Earth retreat from her third and final appearance before the parliamentary Heritage Committee in Ottawa. The outgoing CBC President and CEO accused the committee, (mostly the Conservatives at the table), of attempting to "villify" her and the CBC.

Our NOW and NEXT C.A.S.T., (Comms And Strategy Team), says Tait not only failer herself with that performance, she failed the CBC and Canadians.

• We also weigh in on Robert Fife's reporting in the Globe and Mail this week, suggesting high level government officials "leaked" intelligence information about India to the Washington Post, just before the RCMP said there is evidence Indian government agents "have been linked to homicides, extortions and other violent criminal activities in Canada."
• We may still be in recovery mode after COVID, but did we learn anything?
• And Pierre Poilevre's getting top marks from the C.A.S.T. for his approach to provincial disability support programs. (Anti-poverty advocates even admit the Conservative Leader's on the right track!)

YOU CAN NOW LEAVE US A VOICE MESSAGE ABOUT THE SHOW!

Let us know what you think. Comment on the discussion. What would you like us to talk about.
Use this LINK and LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE!
 
YOU CAN ALSO WATCH THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE
 
Meet the NOW and NEXT C.A.S.T!
 
Brad Ross has made a career leading the communications strategies for the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission. 
Lindsay Broadhead brings her comms experience and insights base on her time leading teams at the Toronto Region Board of Trade and, most recently, the Chief Communications Officer at the City of Toronto.
Bob Reid applies his earned experience as a major market journalist and a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario to his analysis of the communications "Touchdowns and Fumbles".
Anne Marie Aikins is a "media relations maven", a sought after pundit and speaker, and a strategic comms adviser specializing in public transit in Ontario.
Dave Trafford is a “Podcast Journalist”, the Chief Executive Producer at Story Studio Network, and a Recovering News Director, (having led the news operations at Global News Toronto, Newstalk 1010 and AM640 radio in Toronto) with more than forty years of experience in Canadian media.

This week on NOW and NEXT:

Great to have Barb DiGuilio and Kym Geddes return to the N&N podcast!

• Barb and Kym riff on the state of NEW media post secondary education programs. Are there any jobs for grads coming out of the broadcast and journalism streams? You might be surprised.
• Taylor Swift descends on Toronto in a few weeks. She's not just a force of nature in the entertainment and music industry, her presence has forced a major infrastructure upgrade in downtown Toronto!
• META has fired a numnber of employees, some making healthy six-figure salaries, because they misused $20 or $25 food coupons.
• Will the cult of Justin Trudeau lead to an extinction event for federal Liberals in the soon-to-come national general election?
• Catholic school board trustees offer a mea culpa after spending $145k on a trip to Italy to buy religious art for a new school. Is saying sorry "enough" or should the "penance" be tougher?
• And heading into the final days of the US Presidential campaign, Harris goes head to head at FOX while Trump takes the opportunity to tell profane jokes at a major Catholic charity event in New York City.

WATCH the show on YouTube: youtube.com/@davetraffordpodcasts
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