The Ontario Legislature is back in session, so it's time to reconvene On the Ledge, your Ontario politics podcast!

Today,

There's the Greenbelt. Then there's the Greenbelt. And, oh ya, the Greenbelt.

Ford Nation might have wished it was a mere typo, but no! It seems the premier's team has messsaging issues and massaging issues - all laid bare this week as the Legislature got back to business at Queen's Park.

John Wright, Sabrina Nanji, Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford agree this might be one of the worst quarters a government has suffered at Queen's Park in recent memory. All all agree, "This ain't over yet."

The Greenbelt land swap has turned into the political version of a Haggersville Tire Dump Fire.

Questions:

1. What would be worse for Doug Ford? An RCMP investigation or a public inquiry?
2. Does Doug Ford have the political stamina to deal with the Greenbelt fallout until 2026?
3. Does the PC caucus have the premier's back?
4. Has the Ford housing initiative gone up in smoke?

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It's a BONUS edition of On The Ledge featuring an episode of our daily podcast, NOW and NEXT where we sift through the entrails of the post mayoral election results.

We're joined by Bob Reid, Principal at Broadway Strategy and Communications, John Wright, SVP at Maru Public Opinion and Queen's Park Observer Founder and Publisher, Sabrina Nanji.

Olivia Chow will face a number of challenges in her new role as Mayor of Toronto, beyong balancing the city's budget. Does she have the political capitial to drive her agenda through Toronto City Council? Then, can she come to terms with Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make Toronto whole?

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In this edition of On the Ledge:

MPPs take their leave from Queen's Park for the summer break. They're back September 25th.

Will Doug Ford's approval rating rebound? How will he respond to Toronto's new mayor?

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In this week's edition of On the Ledge:

Lots of chatter about a cabinet shuffle coming at Queen's Park and specualtion puts Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney in Doug Ford's cross hairs as the minister most likely to land in the back benches. For some unfathomable reason, Health Minister Sylvia Jones is immune from any possibility of losing her portfolio. It might be a different story if the people in Minden had a say in the matter after the Emergency Department was shuttered at the local community hospital. But they don't so, Jones will keep her gig but local PC MPP Laurie Scott will take the heat. Residents are already vowing to bounce the long-time rep out of office in the next election.

The York Region Catholic School Board's refusal to fly the Pride flag has re-ignited calls for the province to eliminate the catholic boards all together. Doing so, would not only save money, it could provide a stable educational funding opportunity AND create affordable rental housing in communities right across the province.

And the stalled Stellantis project in Windsor Ontario may well be driven by the federal government but a third of the corporate welfare bill will be come out of Queen's Park's coffers.

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In this episode of On The Ledge - your Ontario polticis podcast:

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

• Bonnie Crombie makes it clear, she wants to be leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. Doug Ford's shoot-from-the-lip response makes it sound like the 2026 campaign has started.
• Robo pollsters are deciding who gets on the debate stage in the race for the Mayor's chair in Toronto. John Wright gives us a How to Poll the Horse Race 101 lesson.
• Six of the top candidates to succeed John Tory have a lot of plans and wish lists; some are running against Doug Ford. But they're all running away from the harsh realities facing Toronto.

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In this episode of On The Ledge:

Dave's flying solo as the rest of the crew heads off for the long Victoria Day weekend. We take a closer look at the adminstrative challenges and the politics at play now that the Ford government has decided to dissolve the Regional Municipality of Peel.

Is Doug Ford hoping this move stops any aspirations or plans Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie may be entertaining to lead the Ontario Liberals? Does this reinforce the PC's stranglehold on all the ridings in Peel Region and the 905 region at large?

And can Crombie and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown get through this civic divorce in a civil manner? Brown started the deebate by accusing Crombie of either misleading the people of Peel or lying to the people of Peel when she offered her version of the financial facts and who's owed what in this process.

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Okay, one minor edit. This podcast started as a daily show covering the 2018 Ontario Election Campaign. John Wright and I decided to jump in with both feet and we haven't looked back! Episode 1 kicked off on May 9th, 2018, the day the election writ was issued and the started the campaign that would result in Doug Ford's win.

This is the 233rd episode. Today, we take a look at how much has changed in the province while, at the same time, noting how little things have changed in voting preferences.

John and I are joined by The Queen's Park Observer founder and editor, Sabrina Nanji. Her newsletter, by the way, is two years old on May 10th.

So a collection of anniversary shows today On The Ledge!

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In this episode of On The Ledge, your Ontario politics podcast:

Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford wander down a podcast path about podcasts! (You won't believe how much it costs to produce a narrative podcast at CBC!)

Also:

• the Health Minister has no co-ordinated plan to support people living with Long Covid.
• the University of Ottawa bails on Huawei over Chinese security issues.
• Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie's seriously assessing whether to throw her hat into the OLP leadership ring.
• Horse race polls on Toronto's mayoral race are campaign vehicles intended to generate earned media. They don't really mean much in who might be the favoured candidate among nearly 70 names on the ballot!

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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.

In this episode:

• We've learned the Therme has landed a 95 year lease at Ontario Place but still no details on the structure of the contract. And Jeff Gray reports in the Globe and Mail, the province is in talks with Ontario LIVE to "lease a prime spot in its Ontario Place redevelopment". Turns out the prinicipal and sole director of Ontario LIVE is a long time "social" friend to the Ford family.
• The Eglinton Crosstown, by every measure, has been a complete failure of the P3 procurement model. Neither the Transportation Minister, Carolyn Mulroney, nor Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster can say when the largest transit project in Canada will be completed. It was supposed to be up and running TWO YEARS AGO. Now, Verster is citing 260 quality control issues that have caused the delays. Where is the accountability? This project was budgeted at just over $9 billion. The projected budget is now well over $13 billion - a nearly 50% overrun.
• And is Ford's $112 million dollar commitment to track violent offenders who are out on bail an admission of failure? Why has it taken five years to come up with this program?

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The OTL gang is assembled! 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:

• The Ford government made it "official" this week, unveiling fancy new renderings of the Ontario Place park that now includes a new and improved Ontario Science Centre. But beyond colouring inside the lines, there isn't a great deal of detail about the overhaul plans. We still don't know what's in the Therme Spa deal, how the parking garage worked its way into the deal AFTER the winning bid was announced.
• Toronto's "plan" to allow multiplex housing in ALL areas of the city will have to be a province-wide requirement. It will create more supply but there's nothing to guarantee any of these initiatives will make housing more affordable.
• AND the Ontario Liberal Party have set a date for the leadership vote. The party's third leader in three years will be chosen December 2,2023.

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