The Rundown

Repair backlogs. Classroom sizes. Staff shortages. Attendance issues. A pandemic that disrupted learning across the province. Ontario's education system faces a lot pressures this election. How has it fared under the PC government? What do the other parties have on offer? And are we paying enough attention to a system that accounts for almost a 1/5th of Ontario's budget?

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Premier Doug Ford's snap election is underway. Only a few days away from Ontario's 2025 election day, The Agenda invites Amanda Munday, Executive Director of New Majority to tell us why everyone in this province needs to get out and vote.

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It's almost time to vote and Ontarians consistently rank housing as a top issue. Which party has the best housing platform? We're joined by three candidates who acted as housing critics in the last legislature: Jessica Bell (NDP), Dr. Adil Shamji (Liberal), and Aislinn Clancy Green).

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How will Ontarians with disabilities be affected by this election? And what have the various parties pledged in terms of improving accessibility? We're joined by David Lepofsky, Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance.

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The Agenda's week in review examines the state of hallway medicine, Ontario's doctor shortage, and to what extent the four major parties are addressing these and other ailments in our health care system.

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From George Drew in 1943 to Leslie Frost in the 50s then onto John Robarts and finally Bill Davis, the Progressive Conservatives had quite the run in Ontario spending more than four decades in power. But, it would all come unraveled in 1985 after Premier Bill Davis announced his resignation. In episode four of Ontario Chronicle Steve Paikin tells the story of the raucous 1985 PC leadership convention. It involved plenty of strategic backstabbing, chicanery, and "just a little bit of antisemitism" and would ultimately lead to the end of the Tory dynasty.

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Ontarians have now gotten to see the leaders face off on the debate stage twice - in North Bay on Valentine's Day, and in Toronto on Family Day. PC leader Doug Ford, NDP leader Marit Stiles, Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie, and Green leader Mike Schreiner took questions on everything from health care to what they like to do in their spare time. Were Ontarians watching - and have the debates changed the race? To discuss, Steve Paikin is joined by Erin Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Advanced Symbolics Inc., who's been tracking this election using Polly, the AI pollster.

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Premier Doug Ford cited President Donald Trump's tariff threats as the reason for the early election call. But according to a recent Nanos survey for CTV News, the top concern for Ontarians is health care: 28.1 per cent said that's the issue that will influence how they'll vote. So what kinds of health-care challenges are we facing in the province, and what do the parties propose to do about them? To discuss, we'll be joined by: Dr. Sarah Newbery, a family physician in Marathon and the assistant dean of the Physician Workforce Strategy for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine Erin Ariss, provincial president of the Ontario Nurses'Association Dr. Dominik Nowak, president of the Ontario Medical Association and a family doctor at Women's College Hospital and Dr. Jobin Varughese, president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians and interim assistant dean of primary-care education for the School of Medicine at Toronto Metropolitan University.

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In 2023, dental hygienist Jose Moreno Garcia took a bold step by leaving his office job to launch Universal Dental Center, a mobile dental hygiene clinic. Discover how independent dental hygiene practices are booming in Canada, with a 48% increase in solo practitioners over the last 5 years (Canadian Dental Hygienists Association). Join field producer Jeyan Jeganathan as he takes a ride across Toronto with Jose to explore how he's filling the gaps in dental hygiene and changing the industry.

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Marit Stiles has been the leader of the Ontario NDP and Official Opposition for two years, but this is her first general election. What do voters need to know about what she has on offer before they go to the polls on February 27? How does she plan to unseat Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives? And how does the NDP distinguish itself from Bonnie Crombie's Liberals?

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