Earlier this summer, we presented an episode on the Sound of Music festival. The free music festival is held each Father's Day weekend in downtown Burlington. The event has attracted big names in the past, like The Trews and The Arkells, to grace their stages. However, since COVID, the costs have risen steadily, and sponsorships have not kept pace. The festival is in dire straits, with 2025 possibly being the last unless a new model is discovered. To that end, the Festival went to the City of Burlington council to find a way to preserve the funding in some capacity. The City voted down the proposal. At the same time, the City has reached out to citizens to see what they want in a new Festival organizer going forward. What is the future of the festival in Burlington? Is there enough time to find a new organizer for next year? Is the Burlington City Council willing to let this icon of the community die? To answer these questions and more, I invited Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns to explain the city's decision-making process and what the city is hoping for going forward. Our previous episode with Brent Kinnaird from the Sound of Music Festival can be found here: https://905er.ca/2025/09/who-will-save-the-sound-of-music-festival/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The embattled Marineland, a Niagara Falls theme park, made news again this month. As we discussed in our previous episode on the matter, Marineland is nearing the end of its existence. Brought down by animal welfare scandals and changing perceptions of animal attraction parks. Currently, the park is closed, no longer generating revenue, and, according to its remaining shareholders, it is unable to pay its bills. But it's one valuable asset remains, it's real estate. The only problem is that real estate could be worth billions if it were not for the animals remaining on the property. Marineland sought to fix that by transferring thirty beluga whales to China, where they would live out the remainder of their lives. However, the federal Liberal government decided otherwise. The Minister in charge of that decision denied Marineland's request. In response, Marineland cited that the deaths of said belugas would be on the Mark Carney government's hands. St. Catharine's MP, Chris Bittle, though, took issue with that statement and issued his own response. Citing Marineland as a stain on Niagara Falls, and putting the welfare of the animals back on the park's ownership. As a follow-up to our previous episode on the matter, Joel reached out to Chris Bittle to invite him on to discuss the government's reasoning in denying the request, and his views on the state of Marineland as it stands currently. Furthermore, we explore what options are available to ensure the welfare of the remaining wildlife at the park. Our previous episode on Marineland is here: https://905er.ca/2024/10/does-marineland-have-a-future-in-ontario/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doingwhat we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keepimproving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get memberbenefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainlyfunding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here we are with part two of our series examining school board reforms. The Ford Government is keen on eliminating trustees from Ontario school boards. As of the recording of this episode, Minister of Education Paul Calandra has removed elected trustees from four school boards in the province. Appointing a supervisor to oversee decision-making at the board level. In our previous episode, we had Nokha Dakroub explain why she thought trustees ought to be appointed rather than elected in the province. For this episode, we have Andrea Grebenc, former Chair of the Halton District School Board, to explain why electing our School Board Trustees ought to remain an important part of our democracy. And to help ensure a better education system for all of our children. Our previous episode with Nokha is here: https://905er.ca/2025/10/do-we-need-school-board-reform-with-nokha-dakroub/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doingwhat we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keepimproving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get memberbenefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainlyfunding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ontario government has been busy over the last few weeks. Many wheels are in motion, including traffic cameras being forcefully removed from municipalities, as well as another brewing scandal involving the Skills Development Fund. However, there is one that we wanted to focus on for the next two episodes, and that is the question of the removal of school board trustees from multiple boards in Ontario. Minister of Education, Paul Calandra, has hinted that he might remove the positions from all school boards in the province. This, of course, has sparked a bit of debate. The elimination of a democratically elected position is indeed something that should not be taken lightly. However, is it the right one regardless? That's something we're going to examine over the next two episodes. We'll interview two former school board trustees from the 905. Each with opposing views on the matter. The hope is that you'll be able to come up with your own opinion, free from spin. Today's episode is with Nokra Dakroub, who wrote an Op-Ed in the Toronto Star, advocating for the elimination of elected trustees. Instead, advocating for an appointed board, akin to that of a police board. Responsible solely for making decisions on the application of tax dollars towards local schools' needs. You can find Nokra's Op-Ed here: I was a school trustee. The role isn’t working as it should It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, the Labour movement has struggled to find its footing. For decades, governments have compelled unions to return to work or to mediation. All the while, eroding the strength of both public and private sector unions. This has happened concurrently with diminishing buying power and wages for workers across Ontario. That trend has stopped, though. The recent actions of Doug Ford's invocation of the Notwithstanding Clause to force CUPE back to work, as well as the Federal government's legislation mandating flight attendants to mediation, were met with a defiant no. This line in the sand has sparked a revival of the labour movement in the province drawing a line in the sand. I reached out to discuss this newfound confidence with the President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, Laura Walton. I speak with her about the new strength the movement has found, as well as LiUNA's parting from the OFL over their treatment of Doug Ford. As well as the future of labour in general in Ontario. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know how difficult it can be to focus on the day ahead of us when we don't have a full belly. Hunger is a pretty good distraction from us succeeding in our day. Imagine if you're a kid, then, trying to focus on learning math, science, history, geography, as well as participating in phys-ed on an empty stomach? Too many kids go to school hungry, for multiple reasons. Which is why the federal government created the National School Food Program. Where federal tax dollars are sent to the provinces and territories, who in turn pass it along to third-party providers to ensure our kids start the day with full bellies. However, does it work? Or work well? We asked Sarah Keyes and Heather Thoma from the Ontario Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food if the money we are sending to Ontario is getting where it's supposed to go. As well, if it's doing what we expect it to. https://www.healthyschoolfood.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why settle for a cramped home office when you can take your Zoom calls beside a roller coaster? Digital strategist and content creator Ryan Zeitz joins Joel to share how he turned Canada’s Wonderland—the GTA’s iconic amusement park—into his summer “home office.” Ryan walks us through: How a spur-of-the-moment season-pass purchase became a full-blown remote-work experiment The hacks that make a theme park surprisingly productive (yes, reliable Wi-Fi and quiet corners do exist) Why breaking routine in a post-pandemic work world can spark fresh energy and creativity What his viral TikTok series reveals about the future of flexible work and the places we choose to call an office Whether you’re curious about hybrid work culture, love a good behind-the-scenes amusement-park story, or just want inspiration to shake up your own nine-to-five, this episode is a ride worth taking. Follow Ryan and his projects: ryanzeitz.ca Mental HELLth Comedy Night in Support of CMHA Toronto tickets are here: It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, I finally get to tackle a topic that’s been on my mind for a while: dead malls. You’ve probably noticed them too — those once-busy shopping centres across the 905 that now sit half-empty, a shadow of what they used to be. I’m joined by urban researcher and writer Sean Marshall to dig into why this is happening, what it means for our communities, and whether there’s actually a future for these spaces. We talk about how malls went from being the centre of suburban life to fading into irrelevance, and what might replace them as developers and cities scramble to reinvent these properties. If you’ve ever hung out at the food court, worked your first retail job, or just killed time wandering the mall, this episode will make you think differently about what’s happening to these familiar spaces. SeanMarshall.ca It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ontario Liberals have been dealing with a lot of drama since February. A less-than-stellar performance, failed to deliver them out of third place in the Ontario Legislature. Their leader, Bonnie Crombie, failed to win her seat. The only gain that was won was a return to official party status. As we discussed with Nathaniel Arfin, of the New Leaf Liberals before our summer break, this was unacceptable. As is often the case in Liberal circles, the knives are out for their leader. Bonnie Crombie has spent her summer vacation travelling the province trying to quell dissension in the ranks and keep her position as Ontario Liberal Party leader. Is it working? Well, we will find out this weekend at the party's AGM on Saturday. During that meeting, Ontario Liberals from across the province will vote on whether or not Crombie should stay on as leader, or should another leadership race be triggered. With such stakes on the line, I thought it would be good to talk with an expert on Ontario politics. So to do so, I reached out to Sabrina Nanji, of the QP Observer, to talk about the summer of Ontario Liberal infighting, who might succeed Crombie, and what is at stake for the third-place party of Ontario. https://905er.ca/2025/07/nathaniel-arfin-talks-about-the-new-leaf-liberals/ https://qpobserver.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Burlington Sound of Music Festival is a staple in the 905. Over the Father's Day weekend, Canada's largest free music festival is held on the shores of Lake Ontario in Burlington. Acts such as The Trews, The Arkells, Big Wreck, Walk Off the Earth, and Finger Eleven have all graced its stages. In recent years, troubled times have come to the festival. Keeping this festival free has become harder and harder to do. The situation has become so dire that this year's festival might be its last. That is, unless private sponsors come forward to help keep this legendary event going. To talk about the situation the festival finds itself in, we've invited to the podcast Brent Kinnaird, the Executive Director of the festival. You can find out more about the festival on their website, as well as how to support it on their website here: https://soundofmusic.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've covered the issue of Municipal Councillors bullying their fellow elected officials and even staff. The problem has seemingly always existed in politics. However, nothing is really done about it, because, well, there is no HR department for those we elect. They are held accountable for their actions, truly, once every four years at the ballot box. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a system that is woefully inefficient at maintaining civil politics. The matter has been raised a few times at Queen's Park to amend legislation and make it easier to hold such misbehaviour to account. Yet no legislation has actually been passed. In this current legislative session, Bill 9 has been brought forward to deal with this matter again. A grassroots group called The Women of Ontario Say No has been working hard to highlight the need for this legislation. To talk about the work this group is doing and the importance of finally getting this legislation across the finish line, we've invited to the podcast Emily McIntosh, the organizer of this movement. https://www.thewomenofontariosayno.com/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February Ontario saw a provincial election that returned the province essentially to the status quo. Doug Ford remained Premier, Marit Stiles remained Leader of the Opposition, and well Bonnie Crombie still didn’t have a seat in the legislature. The Ontario Liberals have returned to official party status with some new faces sit in the legislature. Ontario Liberal Executives are proclaiming this as a huge win for the party. However, the fact that this is the only victory the party can claim from the election isn’t sitting well with a number of grassroots Liberals. They were looking for a return to power. The fact that they are still a distant third place party in the legislature does not sit well with them. These failures are being blamed solely on the leader Bonnie Crombie‘s lacklustre performance. The fact that she did not win her own seat does not help her case with them either. They are calling themselves the New Leaf Liberals, and we invited on to the podcast one of their organizers, Nathaniel Arfin, from Burlington in the 905 to discuss this movement, what they hope to achieve and where they hope to take the Ontario Liberal Party. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are we going to do with the unhoused of the 905? That is becoming the question on the minds of every municipality in the region. Last week, we had St. Catharine's Mayor Mat Siscoe to discuss Niagara's housing plan. In that episode, we mentioned the encampment bylaw that the city enacted. To say that this is a controversial bylaw is an understatement. A critic of the bylaw is Sean Vanderklis, a friend and previous guest of the podcast. Sean was the host of the One Dish One Mic podcast and is an indigenous journalist and advocate in the Niagara region. He has been critical of the approach to unhoused encampments in the region, in particular with the treatment of indigenous people. Frankly, the image of police forcibly removing First Nations people from land they are living on is not one we would think any government in Canada would want to repeat. However, the safety of public parks and spaces needs to be maintained for all residents of the city. So, what do we do to remedy this dilemma? Well, that's what we discussed in this episode with Sean. https://905er.ca/2020/11/18-sean-vanderklis-and-karl-dockstader-converse-about-caledonia-2/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not ⁠buy us a coffee⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week we listened to Mayor Carolyn Parrish’s plan to build housing in Mississauga. Today, we travel down the QEW to St. Catharine’s to talk with Mayor Mat Siscoe about the recent actions Niagara Region has undertaken to work on the housing file. Last month, the region passed a plan to fund subsidized housing for low-income individuals. As well St. Catharines passed a by-law enabling the city to remove encampments from public areas. A move that followed up on our previous episode with the mayor. We invited Mayor Siscoe back to the podcast to talk about these changes to Niagara Region and St. Catharines and see how this part of the 905 is trying solve the biggest crisis of our generation. Our previous episode with Mayor Siscoe is here: https://905er.ca/2024/11/mayor-mat-siscoe-backs-his-decision-to-request-the-notwithstanding-clause/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our own patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish was elected in a by-election to replace Bonnie Crombie, she came into office during a runaway housing crisis. Upon taking office, one of the first actions she undertook was to create a Housing Task Force to review Mississauga's by-laws, zoning and policies to find ways to spur new housing development. Talking with city staff, developers, and stakeholders, this was a comprehensive mission to identify the barriers to addressing the crisis of a generation. 100 days later, that task force delivered its recommendations, and the city council enacted them. The result has seen a boost in housing starts, particularly rental purpose builds. To discuss this approach, we sat down with Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish to talk about the task force and its goals for reshaping Mississauga. Our Previous Episode with Mayor Parrish is here. It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. We didn’t like sharing your generosity with that other ‘patron’ website, so we created our patron system. Become a patron, get member benefits and our eternal gratitude, and know that you’re not mainly funding some crummy web company in the US. Win-win! Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug Ford is hellbent on building a tunnel under the 401. It's his magic solution to solving gridlock traffic in the 905, by moving millions of cars and trucks underneath Toronto. Right now, no price tag has been placed on this massive project. However, all experts have put it into the many billions of dollars. Not to mention the feasibility of building it in the first place. At the cost to the taxpayer, so high, we've often questioned the logic of this public works project. Traffic is a problem, no doubt, but is this the solution to our woes? Well, one person seems to think we can do better. With the tools already available to us. Spacing.ca editor John Lorinc has written a piece for the magazine highlighting how better funding and planning of GO Transit along the northern communities of the 905 can help alleviate much of the congestion we are experiencing. At the cost of millions to increase bus service between communities, we can save billions over the single use of a tunnel. I invited John on to speak about his thoughts and how we can get moving again in the 905. John's Piece in Spacing John's Piece in The Star It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and paying the bills. ⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠. Or, why not ⁠⁠buy us a coffee⁠⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing.The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the country moves on from the latest federal election, some ridings are still being counted. Several ridings' final vote counts were so close that a recount was conducted to determine who the elected MP was under our rules. Normally, this is done fairly and with little drama. However, this time around, conspiracy theories are being thrown into the mix. Bad-faith actors are trying to undermine the process by spreading rumours that Elections Canada denies ballots or adds them to the final tally. The facts are that our elections are some of the most transparent and definitive electoral processes on the planet. Our elections are reliable. An example of which happened right here in the 905. The newly created riding of Milton East - Halton Hills South and forth between Conservative Parm Gill and Liberal Kristina Tesser Derksen. At the end of the day, Kristina Tesser Derksen won by only 21 votes. We invited Laura Steiner of the Milton Reporter to talk about what has been happening in Milton and to set the record straight on the reliability of our electoral process. https://miltonreporter.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and paying the bills. ⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠. Or, why not ⁠buy us a coffee⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing.The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only one month ago, we interviewed Jill Promoli and Alvin Tedjo to discuss the alarming situation of rising measles cases in Peel Region. Since that interview, case numbers have steadily risen in Ontario. As the time of recording this episode, over 1400 cases have been reported and that number doesn't seem to be slowing down. Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health Silvia Jones and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kiernan Moore seem reluctant to take direct action on this file. Rather, deciding to serve platitudes and a shoulder shrug to encourage vaccine uptake in communities affected by this outbreak. How did we get to this point? Well, we invited Globe and Mail health columnist Andre Picard to the podcast to discuss how we let one of the most preventable illnesses on the planet get away from us and what needs to be done to get back in control of this public health crisis. Our previous episode on measles is here: https://905er.ca/2025/04/measles-is-making-a-comeback-what-are-we-doing-about-it/ You can read Andre Picard's column in The Globe and Mail here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/andre-picard/ And visit his website here: https://www.andrepicard.com/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing.The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the federal election, we had to stop covering some local issues. That didn’t mean we didn’t keep an eye on what was going on in the 905 City Halls. One particular story caught our eye in Hamilton. In early April, a long-awaited report was released. The Mayor’s Task Force, consisting of 5 volunteers, reported on the gap of distrust between Hamilton’s City Hall and its citizens. Approximately 80% of respondents found that City Hall lacked transparency and accountability, and as a result, Hamilton’s City Council has not won the trust of the people it serves. This came as a bit of a blow to the council that was elected on a ‘Change’ platform. With only a little over a year left to go in their mandate, is this too little, too late to change the tide? And what will it take to rebuild trust in Hamilton? To talk about all, we sit down again with Joey Coleman of The Public Record to discuss all of this. https://thepublicrecord.ca/ It takes money and time to produce this podcast. We love what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and paying the bills. ⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠. Or, why not ⁠buy us a coffee⁠? Nicholas Paul: sound editing.The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A short but to the point episode this time around. With the dust of the federal election finally settling, it’s time to look to the future of Canada and the 905. Joel gives his brief summary of what comes next for each political party. It takes money and time to produce this podcast. We love what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and paying the bills. You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca. Or, why not buy us a coffee? Nicholas Paul: sound editing.The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices