Toronto the Politics the Show

In this episode I share why I decided to start a local news podcast two weeks ago, and get in to some of the stories going on in local Toronto politics lately.

Christopher's IG - instagram.com/ChristopherChiasson

Toronto the Politics the Show the IG: - instagram.com/

TorontoThePoliticsTheShow

Email: [email protected]

(Recorded Jul 18 2026)

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Toronto the Politics the Show is a thrice weekly show covering the news and politics of the greatest city on earth, Toronto. Hosted and Produced by Christopher Chiasson

On July 1, new auto-insurance rules took effect in Ontario. Most statutory accident benefits are now optional.


That means policies are no longer automatically required to include benefits such as income replacement, non-earner benefits, caregiver benefits, housekeeping assistance, or death and funeral benefits.

Medical, rehabilitation and attendant-care benefits remain mandatory.


These changes should be especially concerning for pedestrians, cyclists and passengers who do not own a vehicle and are not covered under a family member’s auto-insurance policy.
In Ontario’s no-fault system, someone struck by a vehicle can still apply for mandatory accident benefits.

But under the new
rules, optional benefits generally cover only the policyholder, their spouse, their dependants and drivers listed on the policy.

That means an unrelated cyclist or pedestrian may not be entitled to the striking driver’s income-replacement or other optional benefits - even when the driver purchased them.
Imagine that you are walking or cycling with your child and a driver strikes you.

If neither you nor your child is covered under an applicable auto policy of your own, you may now be left without many of the financial supports that were previously available through the accident-benefits system.In other words, people who do not own cars may have less control over the protection available to them after being injured by one.

Today, I wanted to bring Dave Shellnut, AKA The Biking Lawyer, onto the show to discuss these changes. Dave started his law firm in 2020 to assist cyclists injured in by traffic violence.



Since then, his firm has assisted hundreds of cyclists get the compensation they deserve.


The Biking Lawyer Law Firm: thebikinglawyer.ca

The Biking Lawyer on IG: instagram.com TheBikingLawyer

Christopher's IG instagram.com/ChristopherChiassonToronto the Politics the Show the IG: instagram.com/TorontoThePoliticsTheShow

(Recorded Jul 11 2026)

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Toronto the Politics the Show is a thrice weekly show covering the news and politics of the greatest city on earth, Toronto. Hosted and Produced by Christopher Chiasson

In theory, stakeholder engagement should ensure that development adequately considers its negative consequences and provoke remediation. In practice, stakeholder engagement in Toronto can feel singularly focused on blocking any new development. But what if we could find a new way to pursue development in communities. One which actually enables local neighbourhoods to view development as an opportunity not as an opponent. That’s what I spoke about with Cheryl Case and Dan Seljak of the Coalition for Responsible Community Development. The coalition launched last November and they’re calling for councillor candidates to pledge to include community led projects in the 2027 City budget.Cheryl Case is the Founder and Executive Director of the Coalition for Responsible Community Development. She is an Urban Planner and in 2022 was selected by the University of Toronto’s School of Cities as its inaugural Early Career Canadian Urban Leader. Dan Saljak, returning guest, is an urbanist who publishes under Another Glass Box, a multimedia project Covering Toronto, Architecture and Urban Life. Coalition for Responsible Community Development: https://crcd.to/

Community in Public: https://communityinpublic.ca/Another Glass Box: https://www.anotherglassbox.com/Dan Seljak IG: https://www.instagram.com/anotherglassboxChristopher's IG instagram.com/ChristopherChiassonToronto the Politics the Show the IG: instagram.com/TorontoThePoliticsTheShow(Recorded Jul 11 2026)_____Toronto the Politics the Show is a thrice weekly show covering the news and politics of the greatest city on earth, Toronto. Hosted and Produced by Christopher Chiasson

Parkdale - High Park Councillor candidate Diana Chan McNally joins Chris to chat Premier Doug Ford's Billy Bishop Airport takeover, the housing crisis, and her time as an Italo Disco DJ.

Diana's Website: dianachanmcnally.ca

Diana's IG: instagram.com/dianachanmcnally

Christopher's IG instagram.com/ChristopherChiasson

Toronto the Politics the Show the IG: instagram.com/TorontoThePoliticsTheShow

(Recorded Jul 7 2026)

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Toronto the Politics the Show is a thrice weekly show covering the news and politics of the greatest city on earth, Toronto. Hosted and Produced by Christopher Chiasson

Rodney Chan joins me today to discuss how he managed to get Church Street pedestrianized and how its success is snowballing across the city. Rodney's IG: instagram.com/_chanface/"Church Street Needs to be Pedestrianized" by Rodney Chan (Spacing) - https://spacing.ca/toronto/2026/04/24/church-street-needs-to-pedestrianized/Dwell Time Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dwell-time-a-transit-podcast/id1866768494Christopher's IG instagram.com/ChristopherChiassonToronto the Politics the Show the IG: instagram.com/TorontoThePoliticsTheShow(Recorded Jul 5 2026)_____Toronto the Politics the Show is a thrice weekly show covering the news and politics of the greatest city on earth, Toronto. Hosted and Produced by Christopher Chiasson

Dan Seljak joins me today to discuss Sneaky Dee's and the state of development and cultural spaces in Toronto. Dan's Website: anotherglassbox.comDan's Substack: https://danseljak.substack.comDan's Twitter: x.com/anotherglassboxDan's IG: instagram.com/anotherglassboxChristopher's IG instagram.com/ChristopherChiassonToronto the Politics the Show the IG: instagram.com/TorontoThePoliticsTheShow(Recorded Jul 5 2026)_____Toronto the Politics the Show is a thrice weekly show covering the news and politics of the greatest city on earth, Toronto. Hosted and Produced by Christopher Chiasson