Today on NOW and NEXT:

Bob Richardson, Senior Counsel at National Public Relations is no stranger to organizing and running political campaigns. Bob says the shortened mayoral campaign in Toronto is going to put a good deal of pressure on each candidate's ability to build an effective ground organization.

At this stage there are as many as 8 credible candidates with a real shot at winning this race. But Bob says don't be surprised if another name ends up on the ballot. He expects Olivia Chow will be the standard bearer for the left. He also expects her campaign will be formidable.

Today on NOW&NEXT EXTRA:

David Schultz, professor of Political Science and US Constitutional Law joins us to read the tea leaves now that former US President Donald Trump has been indicted by a New York Grand Jury.

Aside from this being the first time anyone elected to the Presidency has ever been indicted, it's hard to quantify the amount of history that was made in that moment and harder still to predict how it will all play out legally and politically.

Today on NOW and NEXT:

Jeremy Diamond, Founding CEO of the RCAF Foundation joins us to mark an historic anniversary. The Royal Canadian Air Force begins it's centenary year on April 1st, 2023.

To mark the occassion, considering it's also FEED DROP Thursday, we highlight on of the four episodes we produced for the Foundation called Pathway to the Stars. We feature the story of William Barker.

You can find all four episodes here:

Who was William Barker?
The Amelia Earhart connections to Toronto
The Sky's No Limit - Women in Aviation
The Avro Arrow Legacy

Today on NOW and NEXT:

More Pride celebrations in the NHL this week and obvious by their absence are any gay NHL players who are leading the Pride events. It begs the question, why are gay pro hockey players unlikely to come out?

Toronto City councillors and mayoral candidates sound like they're ready to run against other levels of government. Neither the province nor the feds accounted for any support to help the city deal with a billion dollar shortfall in the the municipal budget. It's worth noting, the federal Liberals hold almost every seat in the 6 and none of them, including Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has done a thing to advocate for the city.

AND, we meet the folks behind the second annual Virtual Reality Moot Court at the University of Ottawa!

Today on NOW and NEXT

Veteran sportscaster Rod Black joins us to talk Blue Jays, Leafs and Raptors. Rod likes the pitch clock, would like to see the Leafs and Edmonton play for a Cup and says the Raptors may not go far in the post season but they'll be fun to watch!

But first we kick around the latest fallout from the sex assault allegations levelled at members of the 2018 Canadian Junior Hockey squad. Hockey Canada has banned all members of that team from playing in any international tournaments until the investigation is complete. Too little? Too late?

And when will the NHL take a leadership role when it comes to Pride events and inclusiveness in the league. For all the breathless reporting about individual players and a number of teams who balked at participating in Pride events. For all of the criticism and commentary, it's necessary to note there isn't a single NHL player who has come out. What does that say about the league culture if gay players don't feel safe coming out to their teams and fans?

Today on NOW & NEXT EXTRA!

The OTL gang is assembled! Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.

It's the morning after the latest Ford government budget. It represents the largest spending in the history of the province. It's also the largest revenue numbers. All BIG numbers but to what end? Will it have any ripple around kitchen tables across the province?

Meh.

But it will resonate in municipal assemblies. The province keeps kicking the can down the road on its promise to "make municipalties whole" now that Queen's Park has eliminated development charges for new construction condo and housing builds. That leaves cities and towns billions short when it comes to paying for the infrastructure to support that expansion.

Oh ya, and was Queen's Park right to sidestep the City of Toronto's billion dollar shortfall?

Have a listen. Share!

Today on NOW and NEXT:

A test of OpenAI's ChatGPT-4 has failed a "fact check" exercise by "internet trust tool" - NewsGuard. It's latest report found "the latest version of OpenAI’s artificial intelligence software scored zero percent in an exercise assessing its ability to avoid spreading significant misinformation." NewsGuard used 100 false narratives as the criteria for ChatGPT-4 articles. The bot regurgitates every bit of misinformation.

There are at least 7 credible candidates ready to run for Mayor of Toronto. And there will likely be a couple more once the campaign to replace John Tory starts next month.

AND it's Feed Drop Thursday. Today, we feature the great work being done by the team at Parachute. They've just launched a new series called "Change for Good Roads". Enjoy!

Today on NOW and NEXT:

We're joined by David Schultz, professor of political science and US constitutional law at Hamline University in Minnesota.

As we recorded this edition of the podcast, various legal proceedings involving Donald Trump are drawing closer to conclusion and the expectation is the former US President will be indicted in at least one case.

In the short term, it's amounted to a fundraising opportunity for Trump. But, longer term, does US law allow for an indicted or convicted individual serve as president?

Today on NOW and NEXT:

Bob Reid, Principal at Broadway Strategy joins the podcast as we wade thru the latest flurry of declared candidates joining the race for the mayor's chair in Toronto.

Former Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders, former Post Media columnist Anthony Furey and current Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow marked the first full day of Spring 2023 officially declaring their intentions to replace John Tory.

They join former city councillors Ana Bailao,Giorgio Mammoliti and Rob Davis have already launched their campaigns. Current Toronto City Councillor Brad Bradford is expected to also join the race.

How will these candidates distinguish themselves in what is shaping up to be a crowded field?

Today on NOW and NEXT:

We weclome veteran award winning broadcast journalist Barb DiGiulio to the podast. We talk about the state of broadcast and local media. They're both hurting!

[Listen for our LIVE RADIO moment part way through the show;)]

Also what does Barb think of the Globe and Mail's decision to allow the C-SIS whistleblower to publish an anonymous Opinion piece on March 18, 2022?

AND what's Barb's take on James Reimer's refusal to wear a Pride jersery during the a San Jose Sharks' warmup skate on the weekend?