Wag The Doug

Allison and Jonathan answer listener questions, such as: Will the government really give a boost to personal-support workers? And what's the deal with Doug Ford's brother's hat? Join them as they venture into the Ford Family Extended Universe.

Guaranteed more Fords per minute than any other podcast.

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Doug Ford is getting ready for next year's election by increasing donation limits, shuffling his cabinet, and overriding the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to pass a law limiting the criticism he'll face. This sudden bonfire of political capital has our hosts wondering: given the state of Ontario's opposition parties, just what is Ford so afraid of?

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In Doug Ford's Ontario, there's no problem that can't be solved by giving police new powers. This time, the issue is human trafficking— which, well that makes sense, right? The reality is far more complicated.

Allison and Jonathan talk to Elene Lam of Butterfly, the Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network, who explains how the government's new Bill 251 will actually cause harm to vulnerable populations that are already criminalized and over-policed.

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With the pandemic reaching new levels of crisis each day, and public anger at the government rising in proportion, how has Doug Ford chosen to spend his evenings? Fundraising!

The Ontario PCs have built an enormously effective big-money operation and just passed a new law to entrench it. Allison and Jonathan explore the ways the party collects cash — and how such contributions appear to inform the government's life-or-death decisions.

This episode is sponsored by Images Festival.

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The GTA has become the site of a massive tow truck turf war. Vehicles have been fire-bombed, a law office has been shot up, and cops face criminal charges for their involvement. And the person in charge of reining in the violence and corruption? Doug Ford. Allison and Jonathan talk with Peter Edwards, the Toronto Star's organized crime reporter, who explains how this tow truck tumult puts everyone at risk.

Correction (March 17 at 4:06 p.m. EDT): This episode erroneously describes Sol Mamakwa as “Ontario's first and only Indigenous MPP.” He is, in fact, the second member of a First Nation to sit in the legislature, following Peter North in the 1990s, and serves alongside NDP colleagues Guy Bourgouin (who is Métis) and Suze Morrison (who is of mixed Indigenous and settler heritage).

This episode is sponsored by Dispatch Coffee.

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Laurentian University has filed for creditor protection, while another, opening this fall, has attracted just 47 applicants. What is going on with Ontario's postsecondary sector? And what can the premier's own brief college experience tell us about his government's peculiar approach?

Allison and Jonathan also talk to Alex Usher, president of Higher Education Strategy Associates, about how the whole business model for Ontario's colleges and universities has changed dramatically in the past several years.

This episode is supported by Dispatch Coffee

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It's the second annual Douggie Awards, where Allison and Jonathan take stock of all the hilarity and abject horror that was the Year in Ford. Who carries home the trophies for “Best Sycophant,” “Most Surreal Moment,” and the always-popular “Most Blatant Conflict of Interest”? Take a stroll down the shoddily constructed blue carpet and join us as we celebrate the worst that Ontario has to offer.

Additional music:

Isolation Swing by Admiral Bob (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/admiralbob77/61465 Ft: SmoJos

The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628 Ft: Apoxode

Two Swords by _ghost (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/_ghost/26146 Ft: rocavaco, redhair

Moonlight Sonata (Shifting Sun Mix) by Speck (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/speck/57884 Ft: Snowflake

This episode is brought to you by Cullens Foods.

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Doug Ford vowed that those who couldn't afford rent during the pandemic wouldn't lose their homes. Instead, he made evictions easier than ever. And now, thanks to online hearings, the bleak indifference of that process is on display for all.

Allison and Jonathan look at what it means when housing is chiefly seen as an investment, not a right, and how the province has doubled down on facilitating shareholder profits at the expense of tenants who took the premier at his word. They also talk to Bryan Doherty of Keep Your Rent Toronto and Sam Nithiananthan of People's Defence Toronto, about resistance and solidarity in the face of a real-estate market that's slowly pushing everyone toward the same cliff.

This episode was brought to you by Cullen's Foods.

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Except when they're investigating members of his family, Doug Ford really loves the police. So much so that, earlier this year, when calls for defunding became inescapable, he responded by giving them more money.

In this episode, Allison and Jonathan look at his government's record on policing, and the extent to which it has and hasn't reversed recent attempts at reform.

They also talk to a fifth-grader (but about different things).

This episode was brought to you by Cullen's Foods.

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It's crowdfunding month! Support us at canadaland.com/join.

To be caught off guard by Covid's first wave was misfortunate. To be caught off guard by its second looks like carelessness.

Allison and Jonathan look at how Doug Ford's bungling of the pandemic's resurgence has squandered any earlier benefit of the doubt. And they talk to Dr. David Fisman, a U of T epidemiologist, whose pointed online criticisms of Ontario's Chief Medical Officer have softened of late — but not because he thinks he's doing a better job.

Additional music: Phase 4 by Xylo Ziko.

This episode is sponsored by CullensFoods.com.

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