In this week's edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast:

We said, a few weeks ago, Olivia Chow may be Doug ford's unlikely saviour. Today, we're getting more hints of that.

There have been rumbles for a while and now the Toronto Star is reporting the Ford government is considering plans to upload the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway and could be picking up more of the TTC costs to support public transit in Toronto.

If that's good news for the Ontario PCs, they're happy to see the Marit Stiles led NDP imploding over the Sarah Jama drama. The NDP riding association in Kitchener Center is calling for the Stile's immediate resignation.

The crisis in the middle east is not only affecting the Official Opposition and the business of the day at Queen's Park, it's seeping into the reporting on the story. Rather than informing the situation, reporting is viewed as an exercise in taking sides.

It's all been a major distraction from the Greenbelt scandal and any traction the Opposition had made since Premier Ford walked back the land swap plans. But Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observer says we should expect that dumpster fire to flare up next week. The Toronto Star is expecting a significant document dump generated during former Steve Clark's tenure in the Housing Ministry.

And if the Greenbelt walk-back helps team Ford's polling, can the same be said for Prime Minister's Trudeau decision to make major changes to his carbon tax scheme? Is it government doing the right thing or is it a demonstration of "people power"?

Finally, just a pro tip for politicians who want to want to get their Question Period clip in the news: You might wanna check what happens when you encourage the Official Opposition to call 1-800- Jagmeet.

In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario politics podcast!

The Ford PCs and the NDP continue sniping at each other over New Democrat Sarah Jama's controversial tweet and non-apology-apology re/; the state of affairs in Israel and Gaza.

Half of the NDP caucus walked out of the assembly on Thursday, while the house voted on a Tory motion condemning the slaughtering of Israelis by Hamas and endorsing that country’s right to self-defence. The remaining New Democrats abstained from the vote saying it should have included a call for the feds to “advocate for the immediate release of all hostages, the protection of civilians in accordance with international law and end to the siege and bombardment of this issue”

Meanwhile, Jama's prepared to sick her lawyer on Premier Doug Ford who took to Twitter and, among other things, accused Jama of supporting the "rape and murder of innocent Jewish people."

Meanwhile, new polling shows the PCs have bounced up following the premier's decision to reverse the Greenbelt swap.

In this edition of On the Ledge:

The Premier's Office is in chaos at Queen's Park now that the RCMP is conducting a criminal investigation into the Greenbelt land swap.

How can Doug Ford lead his caucus and cabinet, never mind the government, with that hanging over his head. There is a good deal of potential political jeopardy for the Progressive Conservatives in the coming months. And while there are already calls and questions about Ford stepping down, the premier does have time on his side.

Remember, Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals were re-elected with a majority AFTER the gas plant scandal - and that involved criminal charges and jail time for Dalton McGuinty's former Chief of Staff. So, there's nothing to say the electorate won't pass similar judgement on the Tories at Queen's Park.

Can Ford change the channel? Can he give voters a reason to be distracted from the Greenbelt?
Could that distraction come in the form of a most unlikely political alliance with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow? Could a new "Toronto Deal" with the province make a big enough splash to swamp the poltical fallout from the Greenbelt scandal?

In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario Politics Podcast:

We are heading into the Thanksgiving weekend and the latest numbers from Maru Public Opinion suggest 63% of Ontarians have dinner plans with family and friends. We appear to be past any significant concerns about gathering in groups even though COVID is still in the community.

Being more relaxed about large gatherings is one thing. It's clear we're feeling the after effects of COVID on everything from our jobs to our household routines. There are some troubling signs on the economic horizon, yet the Ford government at Queen's Park remains mired in and distracted by the self-inflicted poltical scandal around the Greenbelt land swap.

It's stunts the "Get it done" agenda and any meaningful appearance that the premier and his cabinet are focussed on the kitchen table issues affecting people across the province.

Now, there's more fuel for the dumpster fire. The question is now being raised, somewhat loudly, whether the province's insistence on changing municipal boundaries is just another layer of Greenbelt mess. Farmlands have been rolled into municipalities like Hamilton and Ottawa in order to accomodate new housing builds. The cities have long said they don't need the extra space to meet their housing goals.

Who benefited?

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.