Friday marks the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic declaration. And now, just as we seem to be preparing for the recovery phase, we face the increased threat of a full-blown war in Europe - that could escalate into WWlll. Today on the Daily Brief, Mark Henick joins us to talk about the collective mental health crisis we're experiencing in the face of international threats that are out of our control.

It's Friday and that means we highlight On The Legde - the Ontario Politics Podcast as today's edition of The Daily Brief. Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman has announced he will not seek re-election in the fall. Instead, he is expected to land the Liberal nomination in the riding of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte and challenge the incumbent Doug Downey, who is the Attorney General in Doug Ford's government. We also talk about Health Minister Christine Elliott's decision not to run for re-election in June.

Today on the Daily Brief, Professor Christian Leuprecht from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario offers insights and clarity on the lack of Russian military preparation for the invastion of Ukraine.  He also suggests China will likely be a player in bringing the conflict to some resolution because the economic sanctions slapped on Russia will have a significant effect on the Chinese economy.

Today on the Daily Brief, we welcome Toronto Region Board of Trade President and CEO, Jan De Silva to talk about the critical path to recovering econmically from the COVID-19 pandemic.

How will we accelerate the transportation needs to support the two largest employment zones in Canada?  How will we re-create a "back-to-office" culture that will be criticial to support small and medium sized businesses in Toronto's core? How will we address the labour and skill capacity issues in construction, healthcare, education? Jan and the TRBOT have an eye on the answers.

Today on the Daily Brief: Preventable injuries cost the Canadian economy $29.4 billion in a single year - $20.4 billion in direct health-care costs (70% of the total). Pam Fuselli, President and CEO at Parachute joins us to talk about the 333,971 potential years of life llost in one year, mostly among young Canadians.

Today on the Daily Brief, Russia's invasion of Ukraine happened quickly and most expected it the operation to end quickly. But that isn't how it's played out. These five long early and deadly days make me think we will measure the duration of this war by years rather than weeks or months.

It's Friday! That means we drop this week's version of On The Ledge into the Daily Brief feed! It's all about Ontario politics. The calendar says we're ten months from Christmas but the gift giving season is already upon us in Ontario. The Ford government is already trotting out pre-budget trinkets aimed at helping folks cope with the increased cost of living. That includes giving up an estimated $1 billion dollars in annual revenue by cancelling annual licence plate fees. That amounts to less than 33 cents a day. Not even enough for you to buy a coffee at Timmie's.

Today on the Daily Brief, Digital and Cyber Security Strategist Ritesh Kotak says the war in Ukraine may be confined on the ground but it is an international battle in cyber space. Russia use cyber attacks on Ukraine government agencies and journalism outlets as the leading wave of the assault on a sovereign state. NATO may not be responding with conventional miltary weapons but how long will it be that this becomes a full blown cyber conflagration? A war with no borders and where the rules have yet to be written or tested.

Today on the Daily Brief, the crisis in Ukraine continues to escalate. Vladimir Putin declares Ukraine to be a Russian invention to justify military support for Ukrainian separatists. David Schults, professor of political science at Hamline University joins us to talk about the latest developments in this international crisis.

I've set this episode of the DAILY BRIEF to drop at 2:22 on 22/2/22, which is why is TWOs Day! BTW, it last happened in 1622 and won't happen for another TWO hundred years. We celebrate this historic day by welcoming veteran sports broadacster Rod Black to talk about everything from Olympic fails to Thelonius Monk!