Congestion has become a regular complaint in Toronto these days. Photo Credit: iStock. For those on the progressive side of the political spectrum who don’t understand why Ontario Premier Doug Ford, well into his second mandate, is still riding high in public opinion polls, look no further than his government’s recent announcements over bike lanes.   […]

Philpott will chair a new primary care action team with the heady objective of connecting every person in Ontario to a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Pictured: Dr. Jane Philpott. Photo Credit: Jane Philpott/X.  Ontario Premier Doug Ford seems to be having fun, stirring up a whirlwind of speculation about early election calls with constant […]

Canada’s is not a perfect history, but it is one that does not deserve to be vilified unfairly or torn down as something shameful.  Photo Credit: iStock.  A characteristic of getting older is that “the good old days” are remembered more fondly than today’s environment.  But this time, as we gaze out at our country […]

  What is needed is a clear policy prohibiting indoctrination nonsense and the ability for the province to enforce it. Pictured: Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop. Photo Credit: Jill Dunlop/X.  If teachers and school boards spent as much time “indoctrinating” our children in how to read and do math, instead of dragging them into “social […]

Predicting a federal election date is now a mug’s game. Pictured: Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Photo Credit: Doug Ford/X.  Last week, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh reneged on his promise to support the minority Liberal government on any non-confidence votes, thereby preventing an early election.   This not only complicates life for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. […]

The new sites will focus on recovery and treatment, mental health and social services, employment support, shelter beds, supportive housing, showers and food.  Photo Credit: iStock. Government rarely has right or wrong solutions to the problems it faces, but rather, faces a series of less wrong choices.  That is clearly the situation before the Ontario […]

Ontario’s approach, directing a portion of its considerable existing advertising budget towards local media publications, follows long-established practice. Pictured: Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Photo Credit: Doug Ford/X. Every so often, a government gets it right.  The recent announcement of the Ontario Government that 25 per cent of its advertising budget will be directed to Ontario […]

Rather than the current controversy, accusing the Ontario Government of anti-science biases and secret plots, let’s ensure there is a sound, master plan for the centre’s future.  Pictured: Ontario Science Centre. Photo Credit: Trip Advisor. Okay, everybody, let’s take a valium.  Given all the challenges Ontario and Toronto are facing, the future of the Ontario […]

The stakes are high. The energy portfolio, like education, is critical to Ontario’s future economic success. Pictured: Energy Minister Stephen Lecce. Photo Credit: Stephen Lecce/X.  Stephen Lecce certainly didn’t waste any time after the recent cabinet shuffle landed him in the expanded portfolio of energy and electrification, ending a relatively successful five-year run as minister […]

Lecce has launched another series of welcome changes to the education system that will benefit our students and improve their chances for success. Pictured: Education Minister Stephen Lecce. Photo Credit: Stephen Lecce/X.  Perhaps the Toronto Star headline, summed it up best – “Taking the home ec out of the kitchen.”  The story refers to Ontario […]

Good leaders heal divisions; they should not stoke them in search of political gain. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  For a politician that likes to chide others for being divisive, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is certainly providing a master class in how to divide a population. Who can forget his comments […]

Premier Doug Ford said Toronto’s request was the “craziest thing he’s ever heard.” Photo Credit: Doug Ford/X.  Some days Premier Doug Ford nails it. Last week, in response to the City of Toronto’s request of the federal government to decriminalize drug use in the city, he said it was the “craziest thing he’s ever heard.” […]

There is a long-standing rule in the Legislature that MPPs are not allowed to wear visible symbols in support of controversial or political issues. Photo Credit: Legislative Assembly of Ontario.  The divisive ripples emanating from the Middle East war between Hamas and Israel continue to spread.  This past week it hit the Ontario Legislature.   MPP […]

Watching the many eulogies at former prime minister Brian Mulroney’s funeral this past weekend, reading and listening to the deluge of commentary from journalists and public figures, past and present, what shines through is a man, whose life and career mattered in ways that have shaped and will continue to shape our country’s future. Pictured: […]

In this current era of hyper-partisan political theatre, voters want politicians who can find solutions to their problems and not just score political points. Pictured: Newly elected MP Jamil Jivani, former Ontario health minister Christine Elliott, Premier Doug Ford and Energy Minister Todd Smith. Photo Credit: CityNews.  Usually, political by-election winners make a breathless victory […]

Dividing people as the school board’s manual does, wanting teachers to react to students according to their membership in a racial or other specially designated group is wrong and it is divisive, and it undermines the whole purpose and value of education. Pictured: Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and Premier Doug Ford. Photo Credit: […]

If Ontario wants to be able to meet our future energy needs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time, then nuclear energy must remain in the mix with natural gas, hydroelectric, wind and solar. Pictured: Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith. Photo Credit: Twitter/Todd Smith. What often gets lost in the debate over creating […]

Cross-province consultations are underway to identify the spring budget’s priorities. One of them should be further steps for the childcare sector.  Photo Credit: Stephen Leece/Twitter.    January to March is pre-budget time for the Ontario government.  Cross-province consultations are underway to identify the spring budget’s priorities. One of them should be further steps for the […]

To all of our political leaders: please pledge to work with each other, regardless of your ideological bent, to find solutions to the many problems we face.  Photo credit: Freepik   With January 1st comes the time-honoured tradition of making New Year’s resolutions.  What might some of those resolutions look like for our governments? First […]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow broker a landmark $9 billion agreement, transferring control of major expressways to the province while allocating funds for crucial city priorities, including transit and homeless services. Photo Credit: Facebook/FordNation   The impression often left by Toronto city council over the years is that it always seems […]

Photo Credit: Facebook/Jill Dunlop   When judging the value of the recently released “Blue Ribbon” panel on the financial sustainability of Ontario’s post-secondary sector, it is helpful to remember why governments so often use such bodies to help make policy decisions.    Critics often accuse governments of passing the buck or ducking their decision-making responsibility when […]

Photo Credit: Facebook/Stephen Leece   If government action can curtail the recent, alarming rise in antisemitism, then Ontario may have a chance of checking the growing number of such incidents in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East. From street demonstrations to public statements, from university student groups, to violence and vandalism […]

Education Minister Stephen Lecce. Recent EQAO test results suggest the Ford government’s commitment to improving student outcomes is starting to pay off. Math scores, in particular, are trending upwards across all grade levels in both English and French school systems. Photo credit: Facebook/Stephen Lecce   It didn’t receive a lot of news coverage, but the […]

Only time will tell. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   It was a rare sight at Queen’s Park last week. A politician stood up, admitted he was wrong, took responsibility, apologized for breaking his promise and abruptly changed course.  After weeks of controversy and perhaps irreversible damage to his brand and to his government, Ontario Premier […]

The Premier has proven himself to be agile in the past, and he’ll need to do so again. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   It just keeps going from bad to worse. The controversy over developing some land in the protected Greenbelt, continues to dog the footsteps of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government.   After weeks of […]

And it still could help. It is a painful step for any minister, but for the political health and credibility of a government, it is a very important one. It shows that accountability matters. Pictured is Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark. Photo credit: Twitter/Steve Clark   If Ontario Premier Doug Ford loses […]

Photo credit: Twitter/Stephen Lecce   Cabinet ministers are frequently shuffled into different portfolios according to the changing political priorities of the day. It is a rare gift to be given a long enough tenure in one portfolio to actually develop and execute on a reform agenda.   Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce has been given such […]

  Instead of providing the media and Opposition members fodder to cry “patronage”, the PCs should focus squarely on the bevy of important initiatives and fundamental changes its successfully making across healthcare, education, housing, and energy. Pictured is Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Downey   Governments and politicians only have so much […]

Though it’ll be a monumental challenge, the province at least has a long-term plan to ensure Ontarians can keep the lights on in the years and decades ahead. Pictured is Ontario’s Energy Minister Todd Smith in Windsor announcing the government’s new ‘Powering Ontario’s Growth’ plan, July 10, 2023. Photo credit: Twitter/Todd Smith   Ontario Premier […]

Bonnie Crombie (pictured) may be a big city mayor, but she has never experienced the level of scrutiny or faced the kind of political challenge that exists when you are running for the province’s top political post. Photo credit: Twitter/Bonnie Crombie   The next provincial election just got more interesting. Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie has […]

Blackouts, brownouts, increased costs and the like, just how far is the province willing to go to close the carbon gap and achieve the federal government’s audacious environmental goals. Pictured is Minister of Energy Todd Smith. Photo credit: Twitter/Todd Smith   Right now, Ontario’s electrical power grid is already 90 per cent non-carbon emitting, carbon […]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with then-Governor General of Canada David Johnston in 2015. Photo credit: Facebook/Justin Trudeau   For those who have been involved in politics, there is a handy “rulebook” – “how to defuse a political crisis 101.”   Too bad the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not read it.   That is the […]

School boards argue uniformed officers ‘traumatizing’ to racialized, immigrant students. Photo credit: The Globe and Mail/Glenn Lowson   What is it with school boards these days? First, we had the bizarre episode of the Halton District School Board who couldn’t figure out what professional dress was for teachers after one insisted on wearing overwhelmingly large […]

There’s no question that updated and expanded training for and increased promotion of the skilled trades in Ontario were long-overdue. However, the province’s pendulum swing in focus over the last four-plus years has caused many traditional institutions of higher education to fall behind in a big way. Pictured is Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and […]

One of the most fundamental duties of government is to keep its citizens safe. Photo credit: CBC/Mark Bochsler   As one gets older, it’s not unusual to fear that society is “going to hell in a hand basket”, to use an old expression. Reading about the rapid increase in “unprovoked random attacks” on our country’s […]

As evidenced by their respective budgets last month, there is a major difference between how the province and feds view and intend to deal with government debt and deficits. Pictured is Canada’s Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick    Voters often complain that it doesn’t matter who you vote for, […]

And the contrast between Ottawa’s and Queen’s Park’s handling of the situation couldn’t be starker. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld   It’s hard to know what Canadians should be angrier about – China’s increasing efforts to interfere with our political processes or the Prime Minister’s appallingly bad attempts to deal with it.  For weeks […]

The Toronto Public Library recently launched a new initiative called the “Book Sanctuary”. Its aim is to protect literary works currently being challenged for not meeting the ever-changing rules of “wokeism.” Photo credit: Toronto Public Library   What do you think when you hear the word “sanctuary”? Most people associate it with refugees or illegal […]

To help fix our fledgling system, we need better data, more family doctors, higher-performing emergency wards, and greater involvement from the private sector. Photo credit: Getty Images/Brandon Bell   Yeah! The federal and provincial governments have done a deal to increase Ottawa’s share of health funding by $46.2 billion over ten years. While that is […]

From the growing disparity between public vs. private sector compensation, to healthcare, to inflation, to the latest “woke” disturbance, right now everything in Canada certainly feels broken. Some politicians, like Pierre Poilievre (pictured), seem to register the resultant pessimism among Canadians. Whereas others don’t appear to notice, or care. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot […]

When you dive into what the Premier and his health minister actually announced last week, you could be forgiven for asking “is that all?”. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   From all the hysterical caterwauling from Opposition parties, public sector unions and other assorted government critics, you would have thought that Ontario Premier Doug Ford had […]

By expanding affordable childcare options for families, Minister Stephen Lecce (pictured) and his team are making it easier for parents to enter or remain in the workforce. Photo credit: Twitter/Stephen Leece   For Ontario families looking for childcare support so parents can stay in the workforce, 2023 could be a good year. Ontario Education Minister […]

Though the province wants to be a part of the climate solution, gambling that we can successfully experiment with our electrical supply and prematurely cut out natural gas is not the answer. Photo credit: TVO/Sergey Bobok   Ontarians take electricity for granted. We assume that when we turn the switch, the power will go on. […]

Much to the delight of union brass and membership, Ontario’s superior court recently struck down the legislation that temporarily capped public sector wage increases. While the aggrieved are pleased, if the decision stands, it will not only let public sector unions ask for wage increases they might have received in the absence of Bill 124, […]

The status quo cannot be sustained, but getting over our societal paranoia about “innovation” in health care and the bureaucratic inertia that comes with change will be challenging. Photo credit: Getty Images/Mario Tama   For a generation – or two – we lulled ourselves into the complacent belief that our health care system was “better”, […]

Premier Ford’s government was just given another majority mandate by Ontarians to do exactly what it is currently doing in ongoing dispute with CUPE: look out for the public interest by way of keeping kids in school and protecting taxpayer money during tumultuous economic times. Pictured is Education Minister Stephen Lecce. Photo credit: CBC/Carlos Osorio […]

Ontario is fast-approaching an energy crisis and so-called “green” fuel solutions will hardly be able to fill the gap. Photo credit: Atura Power   Most voters don’t have high expectations of their governments. But they do expect a modicum of common sense. The Ontario government may be on the brink of ignoring it.  How else […]

Traditional evaluation methods develop students’ ability to plan, deal with pressure, cope with expectations and, on occasion, experience and learn from failure. Pictured is provincial Minister of Education Stephen Lecce. Lecce’s ministry recently confirmed that local schools and boards can now decide if they will administer an exam to determine a final grade for secondary […]

Direct data for Ontario is not yet available, but all signs from other jurisdictions point to extended school closures having had severe, worrisome effects on students’ academic progress. Pictured is Education Minister Stephen Lecce. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Tijana Martin   The quality of our children’s education should be a priority for parents and the […]

There are no quick fixes or silver bullet solutions. It will take time, increased resources, creativity, and better cooperation between government and those on the front lines. Photo credit: The Canadian Press   As one watches the Doug Ford government wrestle with the current health care crisis, several observations come to mind.  First, one needs […]

Anytime a government tries to talk about changing health care delivery for better outcomes, like the Ford government tried to do last week, the discussion is quickly shut down amidst the scare mongering over “privatization” and “budget cuts.” However, decades of excessive spending and exceedingly poor results indicate talks of change are not only worthwhile, […]

Existing teachers’ contracts are set to expire August 31. High-performing Minister of Education Stephen Lecce (pictured) and his team started negotiations early to ensure educators are back and remain in the classroom this fall so that students can enjoy the “full school experience” after two years of closures and uncertainty. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Nathan […]

Photo credit: Getty Images/WPA Pool   Perhaps it’s the summer doldrums. Or maybe it is just because this writer is getting older. Whatever the reason, it seems that our country is just not working well these days.      Wherever you look, there is disfunction. Airport chaos and the total meltdown of the country’s passport and visa […]

Janet Ecker, former senior cabinet minister under Mike Harris and Ernie Eves, contemplates the likely contents of key cabinet ministers’ mandate letters from Premier Ford – like that of newly promoted Minister of Health and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones (pictured). Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette    The cabinet shuffle is over and Ontario Premier […]

Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   What’s wrong with this picture? For weeks during the provincial election we heard Premier Doug Ford promise to “get it done.” To build badly needed transit, highways, schools, hospitals, housing. You name it, he was going to build more, faster, and better than the other parties, to create more jobs […]

Both PC leader Doug Ford (pictured with wife Karla) and Liberal leader Steven Del Duca handled the provincial election results with professionalism and tact. NDP leader Andrea Horwath, on the other hand, used her farewell speech on election night to be petty and spiteful. Photo credit: CBC/Evan Mitsui    How one deals with victory or […]

For their efforts, the Tories will almost certainly be rewarded another majority mandate Thursday. As it stands, it’s still unclear which left-of-centre party will become Ontario’s Official Opposition. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   If current provincial election polls are right, Premier Doug Ford is sliding into home plate with another majority government. The question is, […]

Costs continue to rise, while student outcomes continue to go down. It would be nice if Ontario’s major political parties would tell us how they intend to fix the problem – which is, fundamentally, about the quality not quantity of educators, as well as the curriculum and testing mechanisms employed. Photo credit: Rodnae Productions   […]

NDP leader Andrea Horwath (left) and Liberal leader Steven Del Duca. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn and The Canadian Press/Chris Young   You have to hand it to the politicians running in this election campaign. Never let it be said that they are not laying out what they would do if elected.   Since the […]

Heading into the June election Doug Ford and his team have a good shot at forming government again, but they’ll have to work for it. Anything can happen in Ontario politics, and a well-run campaign is necessary to any victory. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   Campaigns matter. Just ask former premiers Mike Harris and Bob […]

Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton. McNaughton has done yeoman’s work promoting and modernizing the skilled trades since taking up his portfolio in June 2019. Photo credit: Twitter/Monte McNaughton    It used to be that parents wanted their children to grow up to be doctors or lawyers or teachers. Having one’s […]

Ford and feds come together on $10 a day childcare program. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   It seemed like it would never happen. But after months of Ontario Premier Doug Ford saying a deal was coming “soon”, the province and the federal government finally signed an agreement to create “$10 a day” childcare for children […]

Premier Doug Ford. Photo credit: CTV News   In politics it’s the little things that can kill you. And if the Ontario government is not careful, they may undermine what look like decent odds for being re-elected.  A recent example was a modest dust up in the legislature over how many backlogged surgeries there are […]

Whether blocking a railway, burning a church, blockading a border, or choking the main arteries of our nation’s capital, destructive acts of civil disobedience must be measured with the same yardstick. Photo credit: Reuters/Carlos Osorio   Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh may have inadvertently put his finger on one of the root causes of so […]

Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette   After two weeks of truckers’ protests/occupation/blockades across Canada, there was a palpable sense of relief last Friday when Ontario Premier Doug Ford stepped up to the microphones to declare a state of emergency and announce tough steps to try and end the mess.   Support him or criticize him […]

With less than four months to go until the next provincial election, Ontario’s former minister of finance and government house leader provides an early assessment of where the parties and their respective leaders stand. Pictured left to right: Doug Ford (PC), Andrea Horwath (NDP), Steven Del Duca (Liberal). Photo credit: Postmedia/The Canadian Press   If […]

Photo credit: AAMC   Watching the continual and increasingly strident demonization of individuals who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 prompted a melancholy and sobering reflection by this author.  It brought to mind a visit, several years ago, to Yad Vashem, the museum in Israel dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews who […]

Ontario’s former minister of education under Mike Harris and minister of finance under Ernie Eves weighs in on the province’s recent decision to renew lockdown measures, as well as governments’ handling of the pandemic more generally. Photo credit: University of Pennsylvania   In early 2021, a clever person posted on the internet: “I want to […]

Blanket closures of restaurants and schools, for example, are not sustainable options. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Dominic Chan   As we end the year, much like we started – fighting a never-ending pandemic called COVID – Ontarians may well be wondering what next… plagues of locusts, perhaps? Just when everyone thought we could get back […]