In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario politics podcast The Greenbelt is still a quagmire for Premier Ford's government but it's the fallout from the war in the middle east that fuels a growing concern in the legislature and, more particularly in NDP backrooms. Sarah Jama's censure by the majority government and expulsion from the New Democrat caucus continues to create challenges for party leader Marit Stiles. The Hamilton Centre riding association is calling for a leadership review. The association says Stiles has “consistently obstructed and silenced” caucus and party members for their pro-Palestine stance. - REMINDER: You can now leave us a RECORDED or TEXT message about anything you hear on the show. It's EASY. Click https://podinbox.com/davetrafford Hit the RECORD button. Enter your name and email address so we can respond to your comment! On the other side of the aisle, PC MPP Goldie Ghamari is taking political heat for speaking out against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The current environment and broader discussion make it clear balanced debate and free speech in the legislature are being suppressed or avoided to varying degrees against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.

NEW: You can now leave us a RECORDED or TEXT message about anything you hear on the show. It's EASY. Click https://podinbox.com/davetrafford Hit the RECORD button. Enter your name and email address so we can respond to your comment! And chances are you'll have something to say after listening to this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario politics podcast. Keith Leslie and Sabrina Nanji are at the table and we welcome David Coletto, CEO at Abacus Data, (filling in for John Wright!) We wonder whether pay increases for ECE workers and new worker-friendly labour laws is good politics or good policy for the Ford government. Are they simply hoping and trying to change the channel from the Greenbelt quagmire? SPOILER ALERT: Good politics gets the nod from the panel. Ford et al are nibbling around the edges of the affordability issues while ignoring the latest report from the Daily Bread Food Bank that says 1 in 10 Torontonians needed a food bank last year. And it ALL attributable to policy failures at all levels of government. And David Coletto says it comes down to a leadership void right across the country. "Good politics leads to bad policy as opposed to good policy leading to good politics. And when you ask Canadians, do you think the country's headed in the right direction? Do you think the province is headed in the right direction? Overwhelming majorities, higher than it's ever been since I've been tracking for 20 years, say no "No". "It feels to me that there's just a sense of laziness and unseriousness, (among our political leaders) willing to pass the buck."

In this edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario Politics Podcast: Dave Trafford, John Wright and Keith Leslie read the entrails following a week where the three main parties at Queen's Park were hobbled by sel-inflicted wounds. The Ford government is already stuck in the Greenbelt quagmire. In the past week, the interim Auditor General has opened inquiries into the Therme land deal at Ontario Place and the plans to move the Science Centre from beauitful downtown Don Mills to be an added lakeshore attraction at Ontario Place. That announcement came a week ago as MPPs headed home for a week in their ridings. Meanwhile, it's since been discovered that pharmacies across the province are bailing out of the Fall COVID vaccine plan because team Ford has given Shoppers Drug Mart exclusive access to the vaccine supply. That means other pharmacies are having to rely on the kindness of Shoppers to get doses. Word is, they're not so they're sunsetting the offering. AND ANOTHER THING... A handful of Ontario mayors say "we don't need your stinking Strong Mayor Powers!" They've outright refused to nibble on the poltical treat dangled by Team Ford,. knowing full well they won't get any of the provincial cash set aside for municipalities to meet their housing targets. That might have something to do with the whinging we heard from Doug Ford and all the other first ministers this week over the federal government's abilitiy and willingness to get cash out the door and shovels in the ground to build new homes in towns and cities across Canada. They had the nerve to complain that Ottawa was going around them to deliver housing - while they've done next to nothing to move that needle. Now, it's not just all about the Tories. This should all be great fodder for the Official Opposition but the NDP is proving to be politically immature. Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observer reports the NDP Kitchener Centre riding association fired off a missive demanding the resignation of Leader Marit Stiles BUT didn't bother looping in Debbie Chapman. She just happens to be the NDP candidate they're supposedly supporting in the byelection campaign THAT'S IN FULL SWING! And to round things out, the Ontario Liberals are getting closer to choosing their next leader. Voting days are November 25 and 26 with the winner of the ranked ballot contest being announced December 2nd. And two weeks ahead of voting day, candidates Yasir Naqvi and Nate Eskine-Smith are asking their supporters to rank the other guy as their second choice on the ballott. The twisted logic is that, by doing so, they'll stunt the presumptive front-runner, Bonnie Crombie's ability to win it on the second ballot. Beyond the fact this move is an explicit admission by both that one of them will have to finish LAST on the first ballot for it to make any difference, it's also opened internecine battle of party insiders. In the November 10 edition of the Queen's Park Observer, Sabrina Nanji quotes fromer Kathleen Wynne staffer, Noah Zatzman as saying, "Someone explain to me why Yasir and Nate are tougher on Bonnie than Hamas." Enjoy the show!

In this edition of On the Ledge - Your Ontario Politics Podcast Keith Leslie (CH TV), John Wright (SVP Maru Public Opinion), Sabrina Nanji (QP Observer) and Dave Trafford (SSN Chief Executive Producer) weigh in on the latest in the Greenbelt Quagmire. As noted in last week's show, we were expecting, and recieved, a 7 thousand page document dump that did two things. First, it put Premier Doug Ford squarely in the middle of the Greenbelt land swap scandal. Second, it took some of the heat and attention away from the NDP's self-immolation in the face of the Middle East crisis. Documents released this past week make it abundantly clear the Premier's Office was looped in on the land swap process on a number of occassions. And Sabrina's reporting in the Queen's Park Observer says it's clear the "PO also asked for a copy of a map to make sure that two properties in Nobleton were part of the boundary changes." Still, Doug Ford maintained a straight face when asked if he lied to the Integrity Commissioner and told reporters he couldn't remember specifics from something that happened two years ago. You can't deny something you don't remember! And all of this effectively swamped the Fall Economic Update, which, by itself, was something of a communications-dog's-breakfast, including Ford's commitment of $3 billion to create an Ontario Infrastructure Bank. Except for the dollar figure, there are virtually no details on who or how the bank would run.

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: - What would be worse for Doug Ford? An RCMP investigation or a public inquiry? - Does Doug Ford have the political stamina to deal with the Greenbelt fallout until 2026? - Does the PC caucus have the premier's back? - 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?