NOW and NEXT

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?

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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!

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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!

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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?

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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?

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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?

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Today on NOW and NEXT EXTRA:

We welcome the OTL gang again!
Keith Leslie at CHCH-TV, John Wright SVP Maru Public Opinion, Sabrina Nanji, Publisher and Editor of the Queen’s Park Observer and SSN Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford are around the table.

In this episode:

• Ana Bailao has made it official. She is running for Mayor of Toronto. Bailao is a former city councillor and served as Deputy Mayor during John Tory's first term in office. Bailao told John Moore on Newstalk 1010 it's time for the province to pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway. She says that would free up cash to spend on upgrades to transit and other city services.
• You can hear the entire interview here.
• The NDP win in Hamilton Centre. No surprise. But voter turnout was around 22%!
• The provincial accountability officers are a joke. The Integrity Commissioner all but admits he hasn't gpot much clout when it comes to holding government to account.
• And don't expect too many surprises in the upcoming budget.

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Today on NOW and NEXT:

Pressing questions.

• Do you own the copyright on content you create with ChatGPT?
  • Corrine Boudreau, host and producer of Get It In Writing has the answer.
• Could you rebuild the Gardiner Expressway out of wood?
• Can we convert bank tower commercial space into apartments or condos?
• How can you defend yourself against attack on the subway?

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Today on NOW and NEXT:

It was mere weeks ago when we were talking about the marvels of ChatGPT - the AI app that can generate written content on demand, on virtually any subject based on the commands you provide.

Ground breaking! A game changer when it is combined with the search capabilities of BING!

Today, I see OpenAI is already boasting about GPT-4 being the head and shoulders better than ChatGPT! The article I saw in the Semafor newsletter says "it “hallucinates” less than earlier models, making fewer reasoning errors and providing fewer fake facts. It can assume different personalities too, such as a “Socratic tutor” who guides students with questions rather than handing them answers. Arguments over whether it’s “really intelligent” are increasingly academic."

Wait! What? It hallucinates less??

Time to call Ritesh Kotak to talk about this. He's coined a new phrase "Chat Search Optimization". Ritesh also weighs in on efforts to make big tech PAY for news links on their platforms. That's at the essence of Bill C-18 in Ottawa.

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Today on Now & Next:

I know it's allowed. I know it's legal. But Toronto City Councillor Brad Bradford should announce he's resigning his Ward 19 Beaches- East York seat before he registers as a candidate for mayor of Toronto. His housing announcement at City Hall makes it abundantly clear running for mayor while keeping his council seat, engaging in decision making, preening for media gives him (and any other councillor) an unfair advantage. It also blurs the lines between campaigning and his constituency work.

Also today:

Some former Canadian Olympians are demanding the COC withdraw its support of "neutral" Russian athletes being allowed to compete at the 2024 games in Paris. Former Canadian Triathlon Coach, Barrie Shepley asks how can we allow Russian athletes to compete next year when it may take a generation to rebuild the sports infrastructure in Ukraine?

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