The sleepiest of campaigns turned out to be one for the history books on a number of counts. First Doug Ford won a second majority in Ontario. Second, he won more seats in this election than he did in 2018. Third, he won more of the popular vote this time around than he did in 2018. Fourth, both main Opposition leaders called it quits after the results were obvious. Fifth, the Liberals failed, for the second time in a row, to gain official party status.
Jun 03, 2022•32 min
Bob Reid at Broadway Strategy and Communications spent time advising Mike Harris when he sat in the Premier's chair in Ontario. What's it like for the leaders and the staffers on Election Day. The campaign is over. It's up to us to mark our ballots.
Jun 02, 2022•16 min
The Toronto Star says Doug Ford broke their Fact Checker because, for the most part the far and few between statements he made between May 25 and May 29 stated uncheckable facts. To me, that means he's spent the bulk of what little time he's spent speaking publicly uttering meaningless slogans. On average, he's spending 5 minutes a day speaking publicly in the final stretch of the campaign. On the other hand, a guy like Mark Towhey hosts Ontario VOTES and talks campaign stuff for four hours a ni...
Jun 01, 2022•25 min
Sabrina Nanji just gets on a roll over Steven Del Duca's prospects of winning his seat in Vaughan-Woodbridge when she falls off the internet! No injuries reported. But it speaks to the shift in media coverage at Queen's Park and on the campaign away from in-person scrums in favour of remote video links and a one-question-one-followup format.
May 31, 2022•31 min
May 31, 2022•20 min
Before we get to the poll, we begin this edition of the Writ Race with a Friday FART JOKE! That's what the Ontario election campaign has come to with less than a week to go before Election Day on June 2. The Toronto Star's got its hands on ANOTHER set of leaked polling numbers - this time from the NDP. Surprise, surprise! The NDP's confidential, internal memo says they've got the "wind at their back"! More likely that leader Horwath has figurative knives at her back. And the latest from Angus Re...
May 27, 2022•27 min
We are a week away from counting the final ballot tally that will determine who will sit in the Premier's Office in Ontario. And here's where we stand. Andrea Horwath is running to keep her job. Steven Del Duca is running to win his seat. And Doug Ford is sleep walking his way towards another majority. Will the final week make any difference in the campaign? Probably not. All but one number has stayed steady in most of the polling since the Leaders' Debate. The one that's shifted smartly is the ...
May 26, 2022•25 min
All agree Doug Ford's below-the-radar approach to this election campaign is working for him. All indications are, he'd have to stumble hard to be reduced to a minority government. But does the peek-a-boo strategy hurt when several communities were hit by a deadly and devastating spring storm? Meanwhile, have the Liberals admitted they can't win? Internal party polling was leaked to Rob Benzie at the Toronto Star, suggesting the Liberals believe they can hold the PCs to a minority if they can win...
May 24, 2022•30 min
Polling and seat projection numbers seem to be fluid, with less than 2 weeks to go before Election Day in Ontario. In three separate stories over the Victoria Day weekend, the Toronto Star says the Liberals could hold Ford Nation to a minority, the NDP is gaining at the expense of the Liberals, and the Liberals out poll the NDP but would finish third. So, we turn to John Wright, SVP at Maru Public Opinion to get some clarity on what's going on. He expects voting intentions firmed up while friend...
May 24, 2022•32 min
It seems the United Conservative Party of Alberta's not all that united. Jason Kenney's spectacular fall from grace suggests the "big tent" approach is an unmitigated failure for conservatives in Alberta. And this is in Canada's conservative heartland! You've got to think Kenney's meagre 51.4% support in this week's leadership review reflects a similar schism in the federal ranks. Today on the WRIT RACE, we're joined by Bob Reid, Principal at Broadway Strategy and Communications and Bob Richards...
May 20, 2022•18 min
Local candidates from four of the six provincial ridings in Scarborough gathered on May 18th to highlight the social and economic issues that are unique to this community. Official census numbers put the population at nearly 630 thousand, but local agencies and businesses estimate the real popluation is more than 800 thousand. Public transit, affordable housing and healthcare top the list of issues. But poverty and the need for social assistance and support is the real issue. More than one in te...
May 19, 2022•29 min
More than one in ten adults living in Scarborough Ontario, survive month to month on a welfare cheque or the Ontario Disability Support Program. That's estimated to be close to 60,000 people in Canada's largest urban centre. In and of itself, that's a good sized city! For the first time during this election camapaign, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner cited the cost of poverty in Ontario. It's a $33 billion dollar cost! It would rank among the most expensive line items in the provincial budget. ...
May 18, 2022•28 min
The Ontario Leaders' Debate did little to change much in the campaign except reinforce expectations. First, the format was a complete failure. Thanks to the media consortium, leaders' debates have been reduced to a complete waste of time. They do nothing to inform voters or the campaign. Because of that, Doug Ford didn't have to do much to do well. And he excelled at doing the least he could do. Mike Schreiner managed to punch above his weight - speed bagging Ford on a couple of occassions. He d...
May 18, 2022•33 min
Had the chance to join Mark Twohey this past Friday on his nightly radio show - Ontario Votes - on Newstalk 1010. Trevor Mayoh and I were part of the Week in Review Roundtable.
May 16, 2022•23 min
Bet you didn't know that 16% of Scarborough's popluation relies on the Ontario Disability Support Program or an Ontario Works cheque every month. It's the highest level of "working poverty" in Canada. Scarborough is often neglected, if not ignore outright, when it comes to speaking truth to the politically powerful. In this episode, we talk to David Hardy, President of Hardy, Stevenson and Associates. He, along with members of the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization are attempting to catc...
May 16, 2022•18 min
Pierre Poilievre may well be an unintended secret weapon for Ford Nation. National Post columnist Kelly McParland is of the opinion that "Pierre Poilievre is too big a risk to lead the Conservatives" McParland calls Poilievre's attack on Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem "reckless and dangerous". You might even call it the stuff of unhinged conspiracy theories. What a contrast between the CPC wannabe PM and Doug Ford, the wannabe re-elected premier of Ontario. Dull Doug's approach to the prov...
May 13, 2022•36 min
It's as if they've taken a few laps to get their legs and jockey for positioning and now the provincial parties in Ontario are preparing for the final lap bell to ring. The party leaders are all in debate prep mode and the dead gallop for the final two weeks leading up to Election Day on June 2nd. So far, Doug Ford's run a quiet campaign with fewer media avails than the other leaders and fewer days shaking hands and kissing babies. And all indications suggest that's working. Ontario's okay with ...
May 12, 2022•33 min
Doug Ford was, well, Git 'er Done Doug, running to stay out of his own way. Andrea Horwath was running to be Leader of the Opposition. Steven Del Duca was running to be Premier. And everyone was wishing Mike Schreiner was the Premier. That pretty much sums up the first provincial Leaders' Debate in North Bay on Tuesday night.
May 11, 2022•34 min
It's the Seinfeld election in Ontario. A campaign about NUTHIN'! There is no urgency, no call for change, no sense that any of the major parties speaks for Ontarians who are facing historic inflation rates at the pumps and in the grocery stores. COVID isn't an "issue" but the pandemic fatigue may well be playing into the lack of interest among voters. If this keeps up, Doug Ford sleep walks back into the Premier's Office.
May 10, 2022•32 min
Not sure what happened in the party war rooms in the past few days, but all four major parties have committed to increasing the Ontario Disability Support Program. The increases would range from about $60 to nearly $1200 a month. @CityCynthia joins the show to give her read of why this issue has spiked to the top of the political priority list at Queen's Park.
May 09, 2022•27 min
Media, whether it be defined as conventional, traditional, terrestrial, digital, or social, has evolved at a breathtaking pacing over the past few years. And that evolution has forced or prompted new habits and behaviours among media and news consumers. In years past, media would have been viewed as a primary source to inform voters during an election campaign. But in 2022, the consumption behaviour says as much or more about the consumer than the content may say about a political platform. In t...
May 07, 2022•20 min
If Andrea Horwath were paying attention, she would commit to reinstating the licence plate fees to pay for her dental care plan. That $120 per plate per year, 10 bucks a month! would be enough to pay for 5 years of that plan at $360 million per annum! That would be an easy relatable sell. But the Writ Race crew says neither oppo party is prepared to roll back Doug Ford's $1.8 billion gift to voters.
May 06, 2022•34 min
Day one of the election campaign in Ontario was distracted by the abortion debate. Two weeks ago, the Liberals made headlines promising to ban handguns across the province. Neither issue is relevant in this campaign. But they consume editorial oxygen because newsrooms are lazy. They don't want to explore the issues that are top of mind for families and businesses across the province. They simultaneously flash a shiny distraction then follow it! It's worth noting, the latest polling from Nik Nano...
May 05, 2022•23 min
The provincial legislature was dissolved at 4pm on May3. That makes today the first full day of campaigning in Ontario. As it stands, this is Doug Ford's election to lose. It's also a last stand for Andrea Horwath. And survey says most voters don't who is standing as the leader of the Liberals. Affordability is THE ISSUE but what does that mean among the major parties?
May 04, 2022•24 min
The Ontario Progressive Conservatives were already at an advantage among decided voters prior to Budget Day. Now, Doug Ford and his team will run on the fiscal plan presented this past Thursday. The legislature will not sit Monday or Tuesday, meaning no vote on the budget before the Lt. Governor officially dissolves the legislature on Wednesday and officially sends Ontarians to the polls June 2nd. Most of what's in the budget has already been announced or leaked. But is it possible that what's N...
May 01, 2022•36 min
Is Doug Ford really buying your vote? Have the Liberals already lost if they think a handgun ban in Ontario is going to put them over the top on June 2nd. Polls consistently showing the Liberals a solid second choice among Ontario voters. Should Andrea Horwath just riff off Kathleen Wynne's 2018 script and admit now, "The NDP has no chance of forming a government."?
Apr 22, 2022•34 min
The On The Ledge roundtable crew discusses Kathleen Wynne's final speech in the Ontario legislature, her legacy as the MPP for Don Valley West and as premier of the province between 2013 and 2018.
Apr 08, 2022•27 min
Not only is the Ford government spending at a faster rate than the previous Liberal government, according to the Fraser Institute, the PCs are lining voters' pockets with cash. That includes dropping licence plate fees, no more tolls on highways 412 and 418, and a promise to cut taxes at the gas pumps in July. But is it enough to hang onto a majorit at Queen's Park. John Wright's polling at Maru Public Opinion suggests the cost of living - particularly at the grocery store - is going to play a m...
Apr 04, 2022•38 min
Masks are no longer mandatory in most public spaces in Ontario. And a week into it, some places are either no masks or all masks. I was in a couple of auto dealerships this week and nearly NO ONE wore a mask (I did). Then earlier today, nearly EVERYONE was masked in the local grocery store. Today on the podcast we kick around the latest in Ontario politics. From star candidates to the childcare plan, and who's the bigger spender - Justin Trudeau or Doug Ford?
Mar 25, 2022•28 min
The latest numbers from Angus Reid suggest Ontario Premier Doug Ford's approval rating has jumped 13 points in the past month or so. He's riding in the low 40s and he's out performing the Ontario PC party, which, if an election were held today, would likely hold onto it's majority at Queen's Park.
Mar 18, 2022•28 min
