How can we afford NOT to do all we can to eliminate poverty, when pre-COVID estimates suggest poverty costs the province of Ontario $33 billion every year. In this episode of the Daily Brief, we highlight the 2030 Project. It's a podcast we produced with the Daily Bread Food Bank team in Toronto. The series is focused on the mission to reduce poverty by 50% by the year 2030.

If an election were held a year ago in Ontario, Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives would have had their hands full holding onto government. Now, it looks like Ford is poised to waltz into another majority government. Yes, yes. Campaigns matter and we'll get the final details on election day - June 2. But right now, the Ford brand is winning. Compare that to the existential crisis facing all three major federal parties. The NDP is politically y irrelevant thanks to the staggering lack of leadership from Jagmeet Singh. The Liberals aren't really "the Liberals" anymore. They're the Justin Trudeau party, leaning farther left than ever, essentially cutting Jagmeet's grass. And the Conservative Party of Canada is engaged in a leadership song and dance that appeals to its hard right core then "hopes" to appeal to political centrists abandoned by the traditional Liberal party. Maybe its a better thing that we won't have a federal general election for another three years. It's going to be a hit mess no matter who "leads".

If you're a regulare listener to the DAILY BRIEF, you will know my daughter, Erin, and I produce abroad range of branded podcasts for companies, not-for-profits, thought leaders and educators. Check out the offering at storystudionetwork.com. In this episode of the Daily Brief, we step away from the "news of the day" to let you know how you can become your own newsroom. That could include creating, producing and distributing your own brand story in your own voice. We'll get back to the headlines tomorrow. We'll talk about the struggling brands of political parties in Canada and the United States. Is it realistic to have a "big tent" party in 2022? And we'll highlight the best comments on the Will Smith v. Chris Rock incident.

Masks are no longer mandatory in most public space in Ontario. And a week into it, some places are either no masks or all masks. I was in a couple of auto dealerships this week and nearly NO ONE wore a mask (I did). Then earlier today, nearly EVERYONE was masked in the local grocery store. Today on the Daily Brief, we welcome the On The Ledge roundtable crew to kick around the latest in Ontario politics. From star candidates to the childcare plan, and who's the bigger spender - Justin Trudeau or Doug Ford?

The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law is taking mooting to the metaverse. The project was borne during the COVID pandemic, which restricted access and created procedural challenges for the courts. It looks cool. It sound cool. But is it workable? The universtiy will stage a moot trial session in a virtual reality environment this weekend. To talk about it, we are joined by Professor Anthony Daimsis from the University of Ottawa, Ron LeClair from LeClair and Associates, and Ritesh Kotak - a Digital and Cyber Security Strategist and a law student at the University of Ottawa.

He's the host and producer of the weekly podcast Chatter that Matters and he's been a frewuest guest on my podcasts and radio shows over the past 10 years or so! Tony Chapman always ponders the second thing that comes to mind and this week he posted a provocative piece on the state of political leadership in Canada. He joins us to talk about our transactional approach to the voting booth. Oh ya...and he takes a moment to boast about the newest addition to the Chapman clan!

Today on the Daily Brief, we draw the curtain back on the backroom deal between Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau aimed at guaranteeing the Liberals will govern until 2025. Two questions. 1. How does this affect the CPC leadership race? 2. What's in it for the NDP? We're joined by John Wright, EVP at Maru Public Opinion and Amanda Galbraith, Principal at Navigator.

F-BOMB WARNING: I know you're not supposed to utter the B-word in an airport (or an "aerodome" as it's called in the BOLD lettered WARNING as you enter the security area). But sweet, merciful baby Jayzus, it's almost impossible to avoid a carpet bombing of F-BOMBS when you attempt to depart from Stanfield International Airport in Halifax. I should buy lottery tickets more often, considering the number of times I am "randomly" selected to step into the full body scanner at security! The airport handles more than 4 million passengers in a good year (non-COVID) and I end up being selected 3-4 times out of the 3-6 times we might travel through that airport in a year. On this latest trip, more than half a dozen passengers booked on the first flight out were bumped off to a later flight because there was sufficient security staffing(?!!) There had to be 400 people in the security line at 6:30 am and they had a SINGLE lane opened to check carry-on! ONE LANE open. FIVE LANES closed. Enjoy your trip to Nova Scotia. It's a beautiful place to visit and vacation. It's just pain in the ass trying to get home!

Today on the Daily Brief, we check in with Glenn Crouter and his final installment for Season One of Head for the Hills.  We take a look ahead to see what spriing skiing will look like in Canada this year. We check in with Destination BC, Sunshine Village in Alberta and Blue Mountain Ski Resort in Ontario.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Huston is the most popular premier in the country with an Angus Reid approval rating of 72%! He enjoyed a 16 point spike in the last month.  But Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, despite getting poor grades for his handling of COVID, enjoyed a 13 point surge, pushing his approval rating into the low 40s and he's out performing the Ontario PC party, which, if an election were held today, would likely hold onto it's majority at Queen's Park.