Coming SOON: NOW and NEXT: Recent Episodes

View Details

Today on NOW and NEXT:

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie says municipalities can't foot the bill for the province's housing plan if developers aren't paying for new infrastructure. And will Mississauga be part of Peel Region four years from now?

But first:
* There've been 7 mass shootings since 11 people were gunned down and murdered in Monterey Park, California on January 21, 2023. * Ukrainian President Zelensky is cracking down on corruption in his governmnet. A long list of high ranking politicians and government officials have resigned. By the way, today marks 11 months since the Russian war in Ukraine. * All signs point to another quarter point jump in the Central Bank's inflation rate. The Bank of Canada will make it official Jan. 25. * And, Apple says there are 13 security issues with your iPhone. Update the iOS now!

View Details

We're back!

Today, on NOW and NEXT:
* The tragedy in Monterey Park, California leads the news. And nearly EVERY headline screams about a MASS SHOOTING. Call it what it is! It's a MASS MURDER. * Jacinda Ardern may need more ongoing protection than any PM is NZ's history * What do Bill Maher, Trevor Noah, Arsenio Hall, and Jon Stewart all have in common? * It's hard to argue with the runaway Razzie nomination leader this year!

AND,

A sit down with the Mayor of all Torontonians, John Tory.

We dig into the future of the city and I meand the FUTURE. What will Canada's largest urban centre look like in the 22nd century? We need to start planning now.

View Details

I know we said we were pausing Now and Next until the New Year, but today is something of an anniversary for us at SSN.

As we noted last week, we're wrapping up our first full calendar year with the Story Studio Network team. And today marks one year since I gave it my full-time, undivided attention. It was December 19th, 2021 when I wrapped up my tenure as host of the Newstalk 1010 Weekend Morning Show.

It was a wonderful ride, so I thought I'd share the memory. Today's episode features the final hour of our Virtual Open House on the Sunday morning show and it kicked off with a visit from Santa Claus!

View Details

This week on Head for the Hills, Glenn Crouter and Dave Trafford are joined by Félix Burke, pro mountain biker and public relations for Mont-Tremblant Ski Resort. They chat about how this ski season is shaping up, and what both skiers and non-skiers alike can enjoy at eastern North America's #1 ski resort.

Head for the Hills is sponsored by our friends at ewool. Check out their offerings at ewool.com

View Details

Today, Erin and Dave wrap up Story Studio Network's first full calendar year!

This is our final instalment of Now and Next for 2022. We're spending the next week putting a bow on our production plans for 2023. And we're excited to tell you all about it!

The Story Studio Network team is getting set to launch new shows in the New Year - some familiar voices, some who are brand new to our podcast universe.

Thanks for LISTENING and SHARING the show.

Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer - Becky Coles
Production Manager - Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors - Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding - Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Contact us...
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Head for the Hills is back!

As ski season returns, Glenn Crouter and Dave Trafford welcome it in with open arms (and mitts), then chat with Robert Huter (GM/owner of Mount St. Louis Moonstone ski resort) about surviving through the pandemic, and what's in store for this season and the future.

Head for the Hills is sponsored by our friends at ewool. Check out their offerings at ewool.com

View Details

Today on Now and Next, we meet Tom Hoppe. Tom is a Canadian military veteran and host of The Most Painful Podcast. It's produced by Story Studio Network for the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence at MacMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

The CPCoE team was established to conduct research and help improve the well-being of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans, and their families, suffering from chronic pain.

Tom will tell you the "pain point" often happens when a vet leaves the military and transitions to civilian life.

You can listen to The Most Painful Podcast here https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-most-painful-podcast/id1627283027

Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer - Becky Coles
Production Manager - Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors - Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding - Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Contact us...
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Description
Today on Now and Next, we sit down one on one with Jeff Musson, Executive Director of Coding for Veterans. Hundreds of Canadian military veterans are transitioning to a civilian career with some exceptional job prospects after completing the coding program offered by Coding for Veterans and the University of Ottawa.

Jeff says it's not all that surprising to see military vets gravitating to cyber security.

These are subjects covered in Jeff's podcast series - 1 Click 2 Cyber Chaos.

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford. www.nowandnext.supercast.com

Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA, (our Saturday and Sunday show), early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.

Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!

CONTACT US!

Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com

Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Today on Now and Next: A one on one sit down with Neil Hetherington, CEO at Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto. Pressures on food banks are increasing. Food insecurity is a clear and present danger for a growing number of Canadians who suffered through the pandemic and now face historic rates of inflation.

They are being forced to live in poverty.

Neil says the first step towards stemming that tide is to stabilize incomes.

Visit dailybread.ca

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford. www.nowandnext.supercast.com

Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA, (our Saturday and Sunday show), early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.

Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!

CONTACT US!

Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com

Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Today on Now and Next, we sit down one on one with Sarah Thorne from Decision Partners. Sarah hosts and co-produces the EWN podcast. Engineering with Nature is a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers initiative that started in 2010 focused on developing nature-based solutions to mitigate, if not reverse, the effects of severe climate conditions.

In fact, nature-based solutions are a key element in the Biden White House's plan to tackle the climate crisis.

Listen to the EWN Podcast here:
Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ewn-engineering-with-nature/id1528233207

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6I0KZIA0ug9L2OnW655Nl2?si=5vD5iNveRyGpEvAkkx_s_Q

Google https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2RlY2lzaW9ucGFydG5lcnMubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M

iHeart https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-ewn-engineering-with-natur-71066547/

Libsyn https://decisionpartners.libsyn.com/

Or visit the website: engineeringwithnature.org

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford. www.nowandnext.supercast.com

Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA, (our Saturday and Sunday show), early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.

Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!

CONTACT US!

Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com

Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Description
Erin lost power in Eastern Passage so it’s Dave and Becky today. They share moving day stories (just how do you get a box spring out of an apartment, anyways?) and look at Ontario’s AG report (why is she sending people into casinos to gamble?). And when will we start considering dentist visits as part of health care?

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
www.nowandnext.supercast.com

Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -(our Saturday and Sunday show), early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.

Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!

CONTACT US!

Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

The corporate culture of silence that enabled and emboldened John Derringer continues at Corus now that an external investigation into his behaviour and the workplace environment has been completed.

Corus claiming personnel matters are private affairs.

The Toronto morning radio host lost his job at Q107 three months ago facing allegations of being abusive to other staff members, particularly women who worked on his show.

Women came forward claiming Corus executives paid them more money to keep their complaints quiet over the years.

The "official statement" released on Twitter gives no indication the workplace at Corus properties will be any better in the wake of Derringer's departure.

Also, today Danielle Smith keeps rolling along with her Alberta Sovereignty Act (this is slimy, btw.)

And new research says Ontario’s new gas plants will cause electricity prices to soar. What are the alternatives if we want to hit Net-zero goals in the next 12 years?

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
www.nowandnext.supercast.com

Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.

Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!

CONTACT US!

Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Dave and Erin share their insight on why newsrooms seem to be behind when it comes to talking about news stories of the day.

We dip into the latest report from Feed Ontario and the numbers aren't good. More than half a million Ontarians used a food bank between April 2021 and March 2022. Food bank visits topped 4.3 million during that period of time in Ontario - a 42% increase over the last three years.
Check out the report https://feedontario.ca/research/hunger-report-2021/

Feed Ontario's research from 2019 suggests poverty costs the province $33 billion a year! We could buy Twitter with that kind of money!

The feds' heat pump incentive is not as helpful as it looks is the wrong investment in the wrong infrastructure as we attempt to transition away from fossil fuel energy sources.

And Erin’s excited for Dump Day in Eastern Passage.

But remember the lives that are on the line when you dig into that lobster dinner. Erin recalls reporting on the loss of the Miss Ally: https://globalnews.ca/news/396714/miss-ally-damaged-extensively-no-bodies-found-inside-hull-rcmp/

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.

Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.

Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!

CONTACT US!

Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Ottawa Police have no excuse to not be ready for Freedom Convoy 2.0; Convoy organizers are already planning a reunion on February 17-21 in Ottawa.How will police prepare?

Ontario’s “More Homes Built Faster Act” going to cost municipalities billions of dollars over the next ten years. Is it doomed to failure?i

And TSN’s James Duthie is in damage control following a ‘slip’ during the World Cup coverage.

View Details

Today, American Thanksgiving, Dave and Erin take a closer look at gun violence and mass shootings in the United States, and talk about how people comparing Canada’s gun culture to America’s are making a big mistake.

Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer - Becky Coles
Production Manager - Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors - Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding - Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Contact us...
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford

Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Could Hamilton’s latest sewage spill issue make Andrea Horwath a hero? Only one person wants to run the official opposition in Ontario; Want a real Christmas tree? It’s going to cost you more.

Wow! newly minted Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath has a shit show on her hands. Seems raw sewage has been pouring into Hamilton Harbour for the past 26 years!! How does that happen?
And there's no rush of candidates ready to take Horwath's old job as leader of the Ontario NDP. Merit Stiles is the only person to declare her candidacy and time's running out. Are we at a point in our politics when we're going to acclaim the the leader of His Majesty's Official Opposition?
Better hurry if you're planning to buy a real tree this Christmas and you'll wanna be prepared to pay a premium. There's a Christmas tree shortage. Nothing to do with COVID or the current supply chain issues. We're feeling the effects of the 2009 financial crisis. A lot of tree farms cut back on planting when cash got tight. Also, Stats Can says we've lost 20 thousand acres of Christmas tree farms - mostly because owners have died or retired and no one stepped up to keep the farm going. That represents 30 million trees!

View Details

If Twitter fails, what’s the next step for media? World Cup protests in-game; What’s the Leaf’s brand?

Being a VJ isn’t as glamorous as you think.
Newsrooms embracing Twitter was a good idea.
Is Twitter suffering the same fate as legacy media?
Alternatives to Twitter? They’re out there.
Now we know FIFA athletes moral compass is affected by a Yellow Card.
Dave got to go to the Leaf game. Always fun to rink side but the "experience" was pretty DULL.

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.

Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.

Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!

CONTACT US!

Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Buffalo got record breaking snow this weekend and there's still a month to go before Winter arrives.
The Bills Mafia are the only fans who will show up to dig their team out.
Why is everyone so worried about John Tory’s strong mayor powers in Toronto?
BBC decides World Cup Opening Ceremony is web-worthy only. Really?
How did Qatar even get the World Cup in the first place?

View Details

Ticketmaster gets slammed by Taylor Swift Fans; G20 drama with the President of China and PM Trudeau; Salary transparency isn’t a bad thing
The concert ticket system is broken
Becky’s impressed with how one artist prices their live tickets
Piper loves to sing along to Taylor Swift
Will Taylor Swift stand up to Ticketmaster?
We’ve got some social intimidating going on at the G20.
Why are people so touchy about salary transparency?
AND...We're relaunching HEAD FOR THE HILLS in December!

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Ontario's Minister of Children, Community and Social Services refuses to respond to the food security crisis. NATO says missile was not a Russian attack; Hockey Canada’s hefty tab for crisis communications; Donal Trump makes his race for the White House official
What happened in Poland?
Dave’s pretty sure Navigator didn’t tell Hockey Canada to stop talking
Pssst…Donald Trump still has to win the nomination
Trump 2.0 is here
We tried to follow up with the Ontario Government about the Who’s Hungry Report.
Minister Fullerton is too busy.

Contact MPP Merrilee Fullerton! Ask her what Ford Nation is doing to address the poverty and food security crisis.
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Trump2024 will be a thing; More Canadians make the Russian “black list’; Ontario’s fall economic statement goes from surplus on Friday to deficit on Tuesday? “Wha happened?”
Fire up the popcorn, US Politics is heating up.
Who does Erin say is the most frightening candidate?
The Trump Era is not in the rearview mirror.
Russian has a new black list of Canadians
Now we’ve got a deficit in Ontario. Where’d that come from?

Today on The Daily Brief - Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie: Housing initiative’s great but who’s paying for the infrastructure to support new burbs and increased density?

Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Ontario health officials are asking us to wear masks; Turns out Hockey Canada wasn’t very honest; Who’s Hungry? Probably your neighbour.
Time Codes: 02:00 - Pathway to the Stars was a huge succes07:44 - Ontario's weak-kneed suggesting we mask up again.
09:27 - Canada's health ministers FAIL to get grip on the healthcare crisis.
10:22 - Premiers say they need more cash for healthcare. Feds want to know it's being effectively spent.
14:23 - Get MAD! Dave can't be mad for all of you!!18:02 - Hockey Canada CEO was lose with the facts at Parliamentary committee hearing.
20:30 - Tim Horton’s new hockey ad is brilliant.
27:29 - Today on The Daily Brief - Who’s Hungry Report 2022: Daily Bread CEO Neil Hetherington says the median income of a food bank client DROPPED year over year by $540.00
35:55 - The climate warriors are at it again.
Check out the 2030 Project HERE
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

View Details

In this episode of Now and Next, we dip into our archives to mark Remembrance Day in Canada.
We feature a documentary produced in November 2009 by Dave Trafford, Jeff Moss, and the late Christie Blatchford. It was broadcast on Newstalk 1010 CFRB in Toronto.
Christie had just published her first book - Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army. It chronicled her experience during 15 of the days she was embedded with Canadian troops in Afghanistan in 2006.
You will hear Christie recall and retell, in her own words, the stories from those 15 days. You'll also hear the voices of the veterans sheobserved during her tour.
Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army was the recipient of the 2008 Governor General's Award for literary fiction.
Embedded in Kandahar won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Radio Documentary.

View Details

The final installment of our Special Series - Pathway to the Stars in partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation.
If you've been enjoying this special podcast drop, please consider checking out rcaffoundation.ca to explore more of what the foundation is doing to preserve and celebrate Canadian aeronautic and aviation history.
Today's episode focuses squarely on one of Canada's continuing fascinations - The Avro Arrow.
The Cold War story that continues to fascinate Canadians. What if the Avro Arrow program hadn’t been canceled? What did Avro contribute to innovation and the economy? Will Canada ever see anything like this again?
Featured voices in this episode:
Erin Gregory, Curator, Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Frank Cohn, radio host
RCAF Foundation Scholarship Recipient: Trisha Virdee
Pathway to the Stars is made possible by the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation.
Find out more about them at rcaffoundation.ca
Please share about this special series. If you do, tag both Story Studio Network and the RCAF Foundation to help spread the word.
Instagram:
@storystudionetwork
@rcaf_foundation
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/storystudionetwork/
https://www.facebook.com/rcaffoundation
Twitter:
twitter.com/storystudionet
twitter.com/davetrafford
twitter.com/rcaf_foundation
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/story-studio-network
linkedin.com/company/rcaf-foundation
Credits:
Executive Producer & Host - Dave Trafford
Host & Promotions - Erin Trafford
Chase Producer - Becky Coles

View Details

Join us for Part 3 of our Special Series this week - Pathway to the Stars.
Over the course of November 7th-November 10th, 2022, we are exploring four stories of Canadian aviation innovation and history in partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation.
Today, we turn our storytelling lens on Women in Aviation.
Brianna Ricketts holds Canada’s record for youngest solo flight by a female pilot. But did you know, 30% of Canada’s 2700 Air Cadets are women? We explore the contributions and continuing story of Canada’s young women pilots who are shaping the future of Canada’s aviation industry.
We also learn about the great work being done by the Northern Lights Aero Foundation and the Elsie Awards; Elsie McGill was the subject of an Historica Canada Heritage Minute; Elevate Aviation supports a wide range of disciplines in the aviation industry and their Inspire Awards; and Vi Milstead holds the distinction of being Canada's first female bush pilot.
Featured voices in this episode:
Chantal Gagnon, Historica Canada
Ric Gillespie, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery
Brianna Ricketts, Captain, Air Borealis
Jennifer Blake, RCAF Foundation
RCAF Foundation Scholarship Recipient, Grace Wilson
Pathway to the Stars is made possible by the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation.
Find out more about them at rcaffoundation.ca
Please share about this special series. If you do, tag both Story Studio Network and the RCAF Foundation to help spread the word.
Instagram:
@storystudionetwork
@rcaf_foundation
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/storystudionetwork/
https://www.facebook.com/rcaffoundation
Twitter:
twitter.com/storystudionet
twitter.com/davetrafford
twitter.com/rcaf_foundation
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/story-studio-network
linkedin.com/company/rcaf-foundation
Credits:
Executive Producer & Host - Dave Trafford
Host & Promotions - Erin Trafford
Chase Producer - Becky Coles

View Details

Join us for Part 2 in our Special Series this week - Pathway to the Stars.
In this 4-part series, we explore some of the stories that are uniquely rooted in the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian aviation.
Welcome to Pathway to the Stars in partnership with the RCAF Foundation.
Amelia Earhart is one of the best known women in aviation in the world, but most have no idea she has deep roots in Toronto. In fact, some say a Toronto woman was the last person to ever hear Earhart over a shortwave radio.
Featured voices in this episode:
Chantal Gagnon, Historica Canada
Ken Swartz, Canadian Aviation Historical Society
Ric Gillespie, International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery
RCAF Foundation Scholarship Recipient, Ryan Khourchid
Pathway to the Stars is made possible by the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation.
Find out more about them at rcaffoundation.ca
Please share about this special series. If you do, tag both Story Studio Network and the RCAF Foundation to help spread the word.
Instagram:
@storystudionetwork
@rcaf_foundation
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/storystudionetwork/
https://www.facebook.com/rcaffoundation
Twitter:
twitter.com/storystudionet
twitter.com/davetrafford
twitter.com/rcaf_foundation
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/story-studio-network
linkedin.com/company/rcaf-foundation
Credits:
Executive Producer & Host - Dave Trafford
Host & Promotions - Erin Trafford
Chase Producer - Becky Coles

View Details

As we approach Remembrance Day, November 11th, here in Canada, we are called upon to acknowledge and honour the years of service our veterans have afforded this country and the sacrifices they made, often with their lives, to fulfill their mission of securing our borders and safety around the world.
But it’s also an opportunity to celebrate the rich history of this country that has informed and shaped our culture, our national identity and our place in the world.
In this special SSN series, we endeavor to explore some of the stories that are uniquely rooted in the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian aviation.
Welcome to Pathway to the Stars….
We all know Billy Bishop, the Toronto Island airport is named after him! So why don’t we know about William Barker? Barker was Bishop’s best friend and colleague, the most decorated serviceman in Commonwealth history and, to this date, his funeral was the largest ever to be held in Toronto.
Featured voices in this episode:
Jason Wilson, Professor of History, University of Guelph
John Wright, Executive Vice President of Maru Public Opinion, serves as Honorary Colonel for the Chief of the Defence Staff Office and Chair of the RCAF Foundation.
Rod Black, Sports Broadcaster
RCAF Scholarship recipeient Evan Schonfeldt
Pathway to the Stars is made possible by the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation.
Find out more about them at rcaffoundation.ca
Please share about this special series. If you do, tag both Story Studio Network and the RCAF Foundation to help spread the word.
Instagram:
@storystudionetwork
@rcaf_foundation
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/storystudionetwork/
https://www.facebook.com/rcaffoundation
Twitter:
twitter.com/storystudionet
twitter.com/davetrafford
twitter.com/rcaf_foundation
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/story-studio-network
linkedin.com/company/rcaf-foundation
Credits:
Executive Producer & Host - Dave Trafford
Host & Promotions - Erin Trafford
Chase Producer - Becky Coles

View Details

The National Post would have you believe an “activist” Supreme Court of Canada is to blame for the Education standoff in Ontario. The Post conveniently left out important details to make the "story" fit an editorial agenda. (F-bomb's were dropped in the recording of this podcast:
What do Sean Hannity and Jake Tapper have in common. They're doing the same Prime Time cable show.
Omar Sachedina’s documentary on CTV may tell us more about the network than his mother’s expulsion from Uganda 50 years ago.
Time Codes:
02:45 - Supreme Court goes rogue? (Spoiler alert: not really)
03:47 - It helps if you read an entire court decision before reporting on it08:54 - Dave needs a day off!
12:21 - Dave rants at Prime Time “news”
16:24 - What was Erin voted “most likely to…” in her yearbook?
22:52 - The interesting timing around the release of Omar Sachedina’s documentary.
28:40 - Today on The Daily Brief - Dara Solomon Executive Director of the Toronto Holocaust Museum - set to open in the Spring of 2023. Holocaust Memorial Week Nov 2-9. www.holocaustcentre.com
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Quebec MNAs must swear an oath to the King if they want to sit in the National Assembly; Want a blue check mark on Twitter? There’s a price for that; Time to HIT GO!
Time Codes:
01:44 - What do you want to learn more about when it comes to poverty and hunger?04:48 - Should Quebec MNAs be forced to swear an oath to King Charles lll?07:07 - Could Francois Legault be the smartest politicians in Canada?
12:53 - Erin thinks Legault and Elon Musk are both "evil geniuses"!13:20 - Who's going to pay $8/month to subscribe to Twitter?
16:32 - Netflix will charge you less. But there’s a catch.
23:22 - Today on The Daily Brief - A week after the municipal elections here in Ontario, the Toronto Region Board of Trade is hoping to ramp up its HIT GO campaign. The plan is meant to ignite a sluggish economy. It’s a must, if we’re going to have all the infrastructure and service we will need to support the GTHA in the coming years. We’re joined by Lindsay Broadhead Sr. VP of Communications and Public Affairs at the TRBOT.
BTW! Fill the inboxes of ALL the MPs sitting on the Agriculture and Agri-foods committee. https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/AGRI/Members
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

The Ford government is passing legislation to force a contract on education workers. The education minister says the province is prepared to invoke the Notwithstanding clause to make it stick. How does anyone think this leads to harmony in the schools?
Will British Columbia’s new plan to pay family doctors work?
And you asked what you can to do make a difference when it comes to poverty. We have the answer.
Time Codes:
01:47 - Negotiating in the media is never a good idea
03:36 - What’s the end game with the CUPE battle? Anybody?
13:10 - BC takes a step in the right direction on Healthcare and paying Docs.
30:07 - Today on The Daily Brief - We meet Captain Brianna Ricketts. A pilot with Air Borealis in Happy Valley Goose Bay Labrador
35:39 - How you can make a difference when it comes to poverty
(Contact Leah Taylor Roy)
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Elon Musk takes over twitter. How did the first weekend go? The Ontario government has figured out how to prevent a strike by education workers. Doug Ford did some math on social assistance; what did he get wrong?
Time Codes:
00:23 - Are they ready for Hallowe’en in Eastern Passage?
02:11 - Becky’s voice is back(ish)
04:18 - Elon Musk’s first weekend as “Chief Twit”
11:36 - Marjorie Taylor Greene - Speaker of the House???!!14:15: - Who is the adult at the Cabinet Table at Queen's Park?
21:22 - Sixty bucks a month is nothing for people on ODSP
23:58 - Today on The Daily Brief - Andrea Hatala. (Who co-wrote the ODSP piece in the Star) 30:52 - We’re pretty excited about what we’ve got coming up next week.
Check out our friends at the RCAF Foundation https://rcaffoundation.ca/
Thanks again for supporting Now and Next through your Supercast subscription!
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer - Becky Coles
Production Manager - Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors - Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding - Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Contact us...
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.comNow & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Hello Now and Next'ers!
Following up on our (my) food security rant on our Thursday show, we thought you'd appreciate this episode from The 2030 Project. The series is produced for The Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto.
In this episode, we explore the direct and immediate connection between government action or inaction and vistis to food banks.
Enjoy!
______________________________________
Among the values expressed by the Daily Bread Food Bank is the commitment to pursue, create and support evidence-based solutions. So, to that end, new research from the University of Calgary draws a solid, direct line between food bank visits and specific government policy.
The report found that the number of food bank visits directly rises with increases in rent and falls with increases in minimum wage or disability benefits available to individuals requiring social assistance.
The studied was penned by Margarita Wilkins and Rob Kneebone. Professor Kneebone is here to walk us through the research.
Among other things, Professor Kneebone tells us governments across Canada should be using monthly food bank visits as a key economic indicator as they navigate the post COVID recovery and economic reckoning.

View Details

Staggering new numbers about how many Canadians go hungry every day; The latest numbers from Food Banks Canada suggest there were 1.5 million food bank vists in March of 2022. New resaerch from the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto make it clear, food bank visits are a real time economic indicator. So, why are governments ignoring them?
And there are low hanging solutions to ease stress on our healthcare system. HINT: It doesn't mean spending more money.
Time Codes: 03:55 - Food bank stats aren’t going to improve
05:41 - A note on the media reporting new food bank usage numbers
12:19 - We’ve got a national crisis. Why won’t they declare it?
16:54 - Healthcare’s got a huge problem
20:18 -Today on The Daily Brief…. Canada’s universal healthcare system is more than half a century old and faces increasing pressures. It already consumes about 40% of government budgets across the country and the demands are only going to increase in the coming years with an ageing population. We explore low hanging solutions.
Bacchus Barua is the health policy specialist at the Fraser Institute.
Danielle Martin is an Academic Family Physician at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, (former the Exec VP and Chief Medical Executive)31:01 - Piper’s first school dance!
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

The Human Rights Tribunal says $20B for First Nations child welfare compensation is still not enough;  Ontario to raise foreign home buyers tax but will it help with affordability? Probably not; The RCMP says it’s running out of officers to protect cabinet ministers from a growing number of threats.
Time Codes:
03:15 - Newsrooms aren’t covering the First Nations child welfare compensation properly.
15:20 - Sure we can build housing but do we have enough tradespeople to get it built?
19:19 - How do they decide which cabinet ministers get security?
23:50 - Today on The Daily Brief - Michael Geist – The Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa. The CRTC is hurting more than helping.

View Details

John Tory is just one among a number of other former provincial party leaders running cities in the GTHA; Doug Ford doesn’t want to testify at the emergencies act inquiry; Has Kanye finally ticked everybody off?
Time Codes:
04:09 - Toronto’s growing complaints
04:50 - Will this be a legacy term for Toronto’s Mayor John Tory?
05:35 - How many people voted in Toronto on Monday? (spoiler: not many)09:57 - What's Doug Ford's thinking by fighting a summons to appear before the inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy occupation in Ottawa,
19:11 - Dave’s surprised the Kanye West story has taken so long to be front page news.
26:11 - Competition launches an inquiry into whether competition affects inflation in grocery sector.
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Description
It’s (municipal) voting day in Ontario. How bad will turnout be? Phishing scams via text are on the rise (and this newest one is timely!) And Liz Truss is out as Britain’s PM. That was fast!
Time Codes:
01:51 - Dave’s worried about voter turnout.
05:27 - Brampton’s got a last minute election worker staffing issue. (And they saw it coming).
08:34 - Dave got his carbon tax rebate cheque! Celebrate!
11:54 - Erin thought the CRA was scamming her.
16:24 - "Human Hand Grenade" Liz Truss can say her term as UK PM spanned two monarchies and it comes to an end October 25!
18:39 - Today on The Daily Brief - We highlight The 2030 Project. The pandemic has uncovered more/new vulnerable communities. Dave talks to Jasmine Ramze Rezaee - Director of Advocacy and Communications at YWCA Toronto.
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Engaged voters struggle to find information about municipal candidates; Who’s running Danielle Smith’s communications strategy? Olympian Katie Weatherston rips Hockey Canada for crappy financial support following her concussion.
Time Codes:
02:07 - Who’s running for municipal office in Mississauga? Great question.
05:47 - Did Becky find information on who’s running in Fort Erie?
08:18 - What should potential candidates have to do in order to apply?
14:57 - Being over-exposed in the media is a problem.
28:43 - Today on the brief with Dave…Jennie Worden - first time municipal candidate in Toronto’s Beaches-East York Ward.
The full interview with Jennie will be featured Saturday, October 22. It drops into your Now and Next EXTRA feed at 7am.
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith just keeps talking and not apologizing; Was the $54 Million on the ArriveCan App money well spent? How to report on grocery bills
Time Codes:
02:11 - Happy Birthday Piper04:57 - Who will quit first? Danielle Smith's caucus or her staff?
08:11 - Did we just stumble across a genius business idea?
13:23 - Do we need a committee hearing to look into ArriveCan App’s exploding price tag?
22:50 - Today on the Brief with Dave, Tim Hudak, CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association on the state of real estate markets.
32:35 - Dave gives credit to the MSM (yes, really!)
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Executive Producers - Erin and Dave Trafford

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Ontario’s education workers are given the go-ahead to walk off the job. But will they? Where have all the workers gone. Employers struggle to fill jobs. Market watchers say part of the gap's been caused by an extraordinary number of workers choosing retirement. And the Now and Next team reached out to Loblaw for clarity on the grocer's plan to freeze prices on No-Name products. We got an answer. At best it was an automated bot response. At worst, some human answered without understanding our request.
Time Codes:
03:36 - Ontario Education workers win the communications game in their contract stand off with the province.
06:41 - Both sides are far apart on their proposals. Is there room for optimism in these talks?
12:41 - A lot of workers are starting to circle dates on the calendar. Get ready for the “great retirement”
23:56 - We invited Loblaw’s to join the show to talk about plans to freeze prices. We got a polite rejection from a BOT?
Today on the Brief with Dave, October is Cyber Security Month. We hear from Wayne Ronhaar, CEO of Cylentium, a cyber security technology company and Retired Major General David Fraser, former Commander of Canadian and NATO forces in Afghanistan, talking about the smart phone apps and leading edge tech being used in war zones. It's an excerpt from our Original SSN podcast series, 1 CLICK 2 CYBER CHAOS
Hey! Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next EXTRA! with Dave Trafford.
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, early access to Now & Next episodes, AMA sessions with the SSN team, and access to our message board.
Your contributions to our show helps us pay our team of producers and editors and produce more awesome podcast series!
CONTACT US!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
· Associate Producer Becky Coles
· Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
· Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
· Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Today on NOW and NEXT:
One of Canada’s top grocery retailers weighs in on inflation; How do hospitals keep families happy while ensuring patient safety; Lots of parks but not a lot of washrooms nearby.
Time Codes:
01:40 - We’re happy to see Toronto radio is listening to us :-)
04:00 - No Name price freeze is mainly just PR
12:45 - Erin has an investment suggestion for Galen Weston
18:42 - It’s hard to find somewhere to go when there's nowhere to go!
22:53 - Today on the brief with Dave, we hear from Parachute CEO and host of the Popping the Bubble Wrap podcast, Pam Fuselli to talk about the top 10 threats to our kids' safety in Canada.
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next!
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Connect with us!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
· Associate Producer Becky Coles
· Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
· Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
· Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Pearson Airport decides this is a good time to raise user fees; Alberta’s new Premier doesn't realize she isn't hosting a talk show; Sandy Hook families awarded almost $1B.
Time Codes:
01:28 - Does Becky look for negative news stories on purpose?
02:51 - Airlines pay a lot for the ‘privilege’ of landing at Pearson Airport.
08:10 - Danielle Smith didn’t “suggest” anything (she said it.)
10:37 - Let's unpack the editorial decision to use the word "suggest" in the Smith story.18:37 - Zoom interviews don’t help reporting.
28:56 - Today on the Brief with Dave… Warren Weeks on crisis Comms fail at Hockey Canada - this will be the textbook example of how NOT to manage a crisis.
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends?
Support Now and Next!
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
· Associate Producer Becky Coles
· Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
· Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
· Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald
Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

The “Serial” podcast helps prove Adnan Syed innocent. But who killed Hae Min Lee? Hockey Canada completely implodes, can it ever recover? Joe Biden thinks Putin miscalculated by invading Ukraine. And Dave has some "personal" news!
Time Codes:
01:24 - Will the Serial Podcast follow through to kind the real killer of Hae Min Lee?
07:14 - Hockey Canada completely implodes.
08:08 - On the Brief with Dave, veteran sportscaster Rod Black says Hockey Canada's behaviour has been nothing less than reprehensible.
17:53 - Jake Tapper gets tapped to host CNN's Prime Time Show (for now)22:05 - Joe Biden thinks Vladimir Putin is a "rational" operator.22:38 - What does Erin have in common with Putin?26:01 - Dave wants to keep you company with your coffee on the weekend!
Wanna join Dave for coffee on the weekends? Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to Now and Next EXTRA -the full version of The Brief with DT, AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Hockey Canada’s interim chair steps down while more sponsors back out. Are people counting on a housing market crash or boom? Depends that side you’re on. And somehow, Eastern Canada is still struggling with power issues.
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for $10/month to get access to the full version of The Brief with DT, AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Time Codes:
01:49 - The Friday Dump
03:27 - Does Hockey Canada have any sponsors left?
08:59 - Is it time to look at different models for home ownership?
09:11 - Eastern Canada is still dealing with power issues following Fiona.
24:12 - Today on The Daily Brief - Amanda Dean from the Insurance Bureau of Canada tells you what you need to look for in your insurance policy to make sure you’re covered for damage done by Fiona
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Tim Horton’s pulls support from men’s hockey; Michelle Rempel Garner strikes a nerve with her ‘woke shit’ comment; Is it fair for politicians to block followers who don’t agree?
Time Codes:
05:10 - Dave thinks Tim’s statement didn’t say enough.
10:31 - Michelle Rempel Garner strikes the right nerve
16:44 - Should politicians block people on social media who don’t agree with them?
22:58 - Today on the Brief….PoliSci prof David Schultz from Hamline University talks about European security with or without US support. Europe Alone: Small State Security without the United States)
28:42 - Becky's heading to TARGET for Thanksgiving, Erin's having dinner catered and Dave's stacking firewood:)
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Hockey Canada tries to paint a picture of a bleak world without it; Ukraine drop F-bomb in response to Elon Musk's "peace plan"; Are we going to see a surge in cultural politics?
Time Codes:
02:08 - Hockey Canada thinks it’s pretty important.
11:00 - Will sponsors second guess their association with Hockey Canada?13:53 - Elon Musk: Give peace a chance. Ukraine: F*ck Off.
15:15 - Erin’s not totally annoyed with Elon Musk’s Ukraine “peace plan.”
19:25 - Are we seeing the end of “political” parties?
27:23 - The Daily Brief with Dave….We talk about Canada’s RICH aviation history….and a new pod series. Jeremy Diamond is the founding CEO of the RCAF Foundation.
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

For 20% of Ontario municipal election races there is nobody to vote for; Hockey Canada’s problems get worse; Justin Trudeau takes the kids bungee jumping.
Time Codes:
01:51 - Who predicts this municipal election will have the lowest turnout ever?
04:09 - Banjo Bob drops his own political commentary.05:36 - Why Erin won’t run for municipal government.
14:41 - Hockey Canada’s problems aren’t going away.
22:09 - Who takes their kids bungee jumping? (Apparently the PM.)
24:58 - Has Trudeau lowered expectations so far that we don't expect him to behave like and adult?26:23 - Today on The Daily Brief - The Ontario Provincial Police take heat over their Public Safety Alerts. Dave talks to OPP Inspector, Todd Pittman.33:20 - Erin's launched Season 4 of her PERMISSION TO LEAP podcast!
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

The $10/day daycare plan is a real mess; Why are we still telling stories about businesses denying entry to people with guide dogs? And are we facing a nuclear threat worse than the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Time Codes:
02:00 - How’s the $10/day childcare working in Halifax?03:48 - The childcare plan in Ontario is a complete mess!
12:35 - Erin’s not impressed with plans touted as helping Moms go back to work.
13:54 - Is it time to fine businesses who don’t allow guide dogs?
18:37 - Should we be more worried about a nuclear threat in Ukraine?
28:14 - Today on The Daily Brief - A chat with Andrew Weir at Destination Toronto.
“Toronto’s visitor economy is a vital economic engine for the city, generating more than $10 billion in economic activity and supporting 70,000 jobs in 2019.” Toronto lost 80% of that economic activity in March 2020. How long will it take for it to come back?
Halifax Guide Dog Story: https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/featured/blind-partially-sighted-nova-scotians-say-theyre-being-denied-access-to-spaces-because-of-their-guide-dogs/
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Sol Mamakwa is one of many powerful voices in Canada's First Nations communities. He is an MPP in the Ontario legislature, representing the largest riding in the province - Kiiwetinoong.
In this episode of the Daily Brief, Sol says reconciliation begins by embracing the truth about the continued oppression of Canada's indigenous and First Nations communities.

View Details

The Ford government considers extending the life of the Pickering Nuclear power station; Are Ontarians to blame for Nova Scotia’s power woes?; What Reconciliation means to Ontario MPP Sol Mamakwa; 50 years of ‘everywhere’.
Time Codes:
01:35 - It's almost like we're LIVE!01:42 - Erin is celebrating two full nights of sleep.
03:03 - This is probably not the time to shut down power plants.
16:05 - On the Daily Brief, what does Reconciliation look like to MPP Sol Mamakwa.
28:45 - Why is breast cancer screening technology not available to everyone?
33:27 - 50 Years of “Everywhere”
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

In the wake of cleanup following Hurricane Fiona, MPs are wondering if Canada’s military should “do it all”. The Ontario NDP isn’t impressed with the idea of a health benefit plan for gig workers. And Paul Henderson’s storybook goal puts Canada on top of the hockey world.Time Codes:
03:02 - Erin has power again.
03:57 - What should the military’s role be?
09:04 - On the Daily Brief, Meteorologist Chris Scott looks at what’s next this hurricane season and the dangers of Hurricane Ian.15:33 - Erin comments on the stress of the past week in the aftermath of Fiona.
19:57 - What’s the NDP’s problem?
29:15 - 50 years ago today…."Henderson scores for Canada!"
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Update on the impact of Fiona; Experts say Atlantic Canada must further fortify itself against storms; We can’t understate the threat to democracy in the US.Time Codes:
02:30 - How did Erin’s trees fare in the storm?
08:03 - How serious could it be if “White Fiona” hits?
09:33 - Nova Scotia Power's infrastructure isn't keeping up with the demands on the grid
15:37 - Grady MacKinnon is OK. What happened?
17:31 - Reporting on Fiona has not been the greatest.
21:02 - Today on the Daily Brief, Dave talks to David Schultz, professor of political science and an expert in US Constitutional Law at Hamline University in Minnesota. Some 42 days from the midterm elections in the US and Schultz says we can’t understate the threat to democracy in the United States.
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Hurricane Fiona hits Atlantic Canada, washing away homes and knocking out power; apparently nobody is running for municipal government these days; the debate over what signals the end of the pandemic heats up again; oh look, the Eglinton Crosstown is delayed again!
Time Codes:
02:00 - Erin isn’t with us today (power still out) but she’s OK.
07:56 - Sand dunes in PEI were wiped out. Why they are so important.
12:05 - Nobody wants to run for municipal office these days.
16:02 - What constitutes the end of the pandemic?
18:10 - Eglinton Crosstown delayed and Metrolinx blames the consortium. Either way, it's a P3 failure.
24:50 - Today on The Daily Brief with Dave, Kimberly Carson is the CEO at Breast Cancer Canada. Do you know how many strains of breast cancer have been identified?
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief with Dave Trafford, Barrie Shepley, Canada's first national triathlon coach and author of Chasing Greatness talks about his journey from the GM assembly line worker in Windsor, Ontario to coaching  Canada’s Simon Whitfield to Olympic gold in the 2000 Sydney Games.
Buy Barrie's book here.

View Details

Eastern Canada braces for Fiona. Donald Trump’s week is about to get worse. And former GG Julie Payette says she wasn’t invited to the Queen’s funeral.
Plus today on the Daily Brief with Dave Trafford, Barrie Shepley, Canada's first national triathlon coach and author of Chasing Greatness talks about his journey from the GM assembly line worker in Windsor, Ontario to coaching Canada’s Simon Whitfield to Olympic gold in the 2000 Sydney Games.
Time Codes:
2:50 How bad will Fiona's impact on Eastern Canada be? 5:15 How does Erin and her family prepare for a hurricane?6:35 “Storm chips” are a thing.11:15 Donald Trump’s in a heap of trouble.22:00 Julie Payette wants you to know she didn’t snub the Queen’s funeral.26:00 The Daily Brief with Dave33:00 Dave does media training with OREA
nowandnext.supercast.com
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to the full version of The Brief with DT, AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original
nowandnext.supercast.com
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to the full version of The Brief with DT, AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.

View Details

The ArriveCan App WILL be optional after all! Prime Minister Trudeau to talk about food security at the UN. And entertainment media are solving crimes and getting people released from prison. Time Codes: 2:07 The ArriveCan App WILL be optional.5:10 Traveling through Pearson still stinks.6:10 Bob Rae tells the UN "We have to provide the hope". Erin asks what the heck that means?8:46 Justin Trudeau to address food security at the UN. Time well spent?12:45 Entertainment media are solving crimes. 13:55 Erin learns she's in a documentary.21:25 Today on the DAILY BRIEF with Dave. Does Tony Chapman think CTV and Bell Media can repair the brand damage done in the wake of Lisa LaFlamme’s firing?
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintraffordErin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintraffordErin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and CrewAssociate Producer Becky ColesProduction Manager Jaime NickersonAudio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew GarnerSonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonaldNow & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

The CRA wants its CERB money back. But should everyone have to pay it back? MPPs in Ontario tried to live on the “Social Assistance Diet”. What did they find? And Justin Trudeau pays tribute to the other ‘Queen’ while in London.
Time Codes:
01:36 - How much is it going to cost the government to recoup the CERB?
05:08 - Erin and Dave aren’t convinced politicians actually want to fix poverty, just talk about it.
12:24 - Why does the PM’s office feel the need to defend Justin Trudeau singing at a karaoke bar?
16:32 - Today on the DAILY BRIEF - How has Lisa LaFlamme’s firing affected corporate culture beyond Bell Media - Lisa Taylor, Challenge Factory
26:48 - Fiona’s coming to visit Eastern Passage
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original

View Details

Canada’s Mounties lead the Queen’s coffin on a final procession through London following her funeral. Could the ArriveCan App become optional? (And if so, will anybody still use it?) And Ukraine says hundreds are buried at the site discovered this week.
Plus on the Daily Brief, Christian Leuprecht from the Royal Military College joins Dave to discuss what’s next in Ukraine and what’s next for Russia?
nowandnext.supercast.com
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to the full version of The Brief with DT, AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Time Codes:
03:20 - The BBC production of the Queen’s funeral focussed solely on the ceremony (no cutaway shots of world leaders or gatherings across the UK).
08:54 - The RCMP led the funeral procession from Westminster Abbey.
10:28 - What would it have been like if Elizabeth had died during strict pandemic protocols?
11:11 - Is the Canadian government ever going to get rid of mask mandates on airlines?
16:08 - Mass graves are discovered in Ukraine.
20:25 - The Daily Brief with Dave: Can we reasonably think there will be any accountability for war crimes committed in Ukraine? Christian Leuprecht is a professor of political science at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.
The FULL interview with Professor Leuprecht also explores what happened to the Russian forces and is the west ready for a post-Putin Russia? You can hear it by subscribing to our Exclusive Supercast feed - nowandnext.supercast.com.
28:05 - Check out Erin’s show Permission to Leap
Permission-to-leap.sounder.fm
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original
nowandnext.supercast.com
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to the full version of The Brief with DT, AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.

View Details

The anti-monarchy discourse heats up as Not my King chants result in arrests in the UK; meantime, Ontario’s education minister is ordering school boards to honour the Queen… and what is happening in the housing market - buy, sell? Is the current market affordable for anyone?
On The Brief, Dave is joined in studio by Tim Hudak, CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association and Desmond Brown, Toronto Realtor and host of the podcast Sold In the 6ix to dive deeper into the conversation around housing, affordability and pricing.
nowandnext.supercast.com
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Time Codes:
01:30 - Is it the right time to discuss the role of the monarchy?
04:26 - Why not teach kids about the role the monarchy has played in their peer's lives?
12:51 - The Brief with DT - Affordable Housing discussion with Tim Hudak & Desmond Brown
36:19 - Canadians are a proud people, but what are we proud of?
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original
nowandnext.supercast.com
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.

View Details

Do Canadians really need a whole federal statutory holiday to observe Queen Elizabeth II’s passing? And, the Liberal Government unveiled their anti-inflation plans this week - including tax breaks on GST and assistance for families to pay for kids to go to the dentist.
Plus, on The Brief, Dave sits down with the CEO at The Daily Bread Food Bank, Neil Hetherington to talk about the crisis of affordability in Canada and the launch of Season 2 of The 2030 Project.
nowandnext.supercast.com
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Time Codes:
01:10 - Do we really need a day to mourn the Queen?
06:07 - DT/ET go head to head on Trudeau’s inflation measures
13:13 - Is Poilievre smelling ‘Eau de Harper’?
18:09 - The Brief with DT - Neil Hetherington from The Daily Bread Food Bank
Announcing The 2030 Project on Story Studio NetworkListen to The 2030 Project on Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-2030-project/id1579516798Listen to The 2030 Project on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3xYrPCToKjOPGAmrhB8vURPoilievre exchange with David Akin - on CPAC https://youtu.be/X_-ZQ5BHom4?t=510
Dave on Twitter www.twitter.com/davetrafford
Erin on Twitter www.twitter.com/erintrafford
Erin on Instagram www.instagram.com/its.erintrafford
Erin on TikTok www.tiktok.com/erintrafford
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original
nowandnext.supercast.com
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.

View Details

Tackling these top stories - a veteran Toronto police officer killed while on his lunch in ‘ambush’; a group of teens are suing the Ontario Government over the climate and Disney launches a new look Little Mermaid (and it’s about time).
Plus, on The Brief, Dave sits down with acclaimed actor and War Child USA Ambassador Thomas Sadoski. You’ll know Sadowski from shows like The Newsroom and Life in Pieces. He’s premiering a new film at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
Support Now and Next!
nowandnext.supercast.com
Time Codes:
02:20 - Active shooter alerts?
08:50 - Can we sue the gov't over Climate Inaction?
17:34 - Wtf is happening in Russia?
20:38 - Erin cries over The Little Mermaid
23:33 - Affordability and Food (an announcement)
26:19 - DT on The Brief with Thomas Sadowski
48:29 - TIFF - here for the movies, big for the TO economy
Here's the TikTok Little Mermaid video that will melt your heart.
Dave on Twitter
Dave on LinkedIn
Erin on Twitter
Erin on LinkedIn
Erin on Instagram
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.

View Details

Dave and Erin tackle the death of the Queen and the misunderstood role of the modern monarchy, the landslide victory for Pierre Poilievre as new leader of the CPC and the remarkable turn of events in the Ukraine offensive against Russia.
Plus On The Brief, Dave is joined by former federal cabinet minister Lisa Raitt to discuss the future of the Conservative Party of Canada and Jeff Lehman, mayor of Barrie, Ontario.
Plus, Dave tells the FUNNIEST story about what happened when the Queen visited Toronto in the 1960s - you’ll never guess what happened.
Support Now and Next!
nowandnext.supercast.com
Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.
Time Codes:
03:21 - Do we like King Charles III
06:30 - But do we really understand the monarchy?”
11:54 - Poilievre is gaining traction
23:50 - Erin gets nervy
27:43 - The Daily Brief with Dave Trafford
45:50 - The Brief Brief - Barrie Mayor, Jeff Lehman makes news
50:00 - The FUNNIEST story about The Queen in Toronto
Dave on Twitter
Dave on LinkedIn
Erin on Twitter
Erin on LinkedIn
Erin on Instagram
Email us hello@storystudionetwork.com
Now & Next Cast and Crew
Associate Producer Becky Coles
Production Manager Jaime Nickerson
Audio Editors Mike Treutler and Drew Garner
Sonic Logo Designer and Creative Branding Greg MacDonald

Now & Next is a Story Studio Network Original
Support Now and Next! Subscribe to our Exclusive Supercast feed for access to AMAs, our message board and early access to Now & Next episodes.

View Details

Friday, September 9, 2022 is the first full day of the Caroline Era. King Charles lll arrived at Buckinham Palace midday, meeting and greeting some of the thousands of people who are holding vigil outside the palace to pay tribute to the new king and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth ll.
Charles delivered his first public speech as the monarch at 6pm in the UK. He acknowledged the sacrifice and service his mother offered during her reign and made the same commitment. While he admitted he would have to step away from his pet projects and causes, it was interesting to note that he charged the newly "created" Prince and Princess of Wales (William and Kate) with the responsibility to help those who live on the margins of society.
There is plenty of commentary suggesting Elizabeth set a bar to high for Charles to match. But unlike his mother, Charles had the opportunity to learn how to be king from Great Britain's longest serving monarch. 
Perhaps we underestimate the new king.

View Details

Today on the final edition of The Daily Brief, it's all over except for the final ballot count determining who will lead the Conservative Party of Canada. Post Media columnist Brian Lilley joins the podcast to offer insights on how this process has and will play out.

The final result will be announced on Saturday, September 10 and, based on reports that more than 400 thousand ballots have been cast, Pierre Poilievre is expected to be declared the winner.

But what will that mean for the party moving forward? Conservatives haven't been all that patient with their leaders since Stephen Harper's tenure ended in 2015.

View Details

Story Studio Network CEO, Erin Trafford is in studio today to talk about our new venture - NOW & NEXT. It's the rebrand, relaunch of The Daily Brief with Dave Trafford.

Erin and Dave will co-host the show, highlighting the three news stories of the day that are most likely to affect you and your family, you and your business, you and your future.

The Daily Brief will be a featured segment of the show, exploring the big issues and big ideas driving culture, the economy and politics.

NOW & NEXT officially launches Monday, September 12th, 2022. No need to touch that dial, NOW & NEXT will land right where you've been getting the Daily Brief! NOW & NEXT officially launches Monday, September 12th, 2022. 

View Details

Hope you enjoyed what was a glorious summer in this part of the world! With the unofficial turn towards Autumn, we're launching a raft of new shows at Story Studio Network and we're beefing up The Daily Brief!

Starting Monday, September 12th, we are re-launching this show. It will be called NOW&NEXT and it will feature co-hosts Erin and Dave Trafford as well as a a Daily Brief segment.

There's so much to talk about in the news and in the media, we decided to make more room for it here!

View Details

Today on The Daily Brief, if we’re going to have any hope of tackling poverty, there needs to be a “floor” that provides income stability.

It leads us to the main question in this episode of the 2030 Project.

What role can a basic, guaranteed income play in the ongoing mission to reduce, if not eliminate poverty?

View Details

In this episode of the Daily Brief, we’re going to find out more about the FORGOTTEN POOR – they are working age singles who are three times more likely to live in poverty than the average Canadian.

View Details

In this episode of The Daily Brief, we explore the WELFARE WALL.

It refers to the unintended consequence of social support programs  that effectively discourages people from supplementing their pension, their welfare or social assistance cheques with a part time job.

Thousands of individuals with serious disabilities end up on welfare. And many of them inadvertently become trapped behind that welfare wall because it is their chief source of income and often the only route to disability supports and benefits.

View Details

To hear the official Rogers explanation, the nationwide system failure that cascaded across the country last Friday happened during a maintenance update.

I'm no IT expert, but I know enough to know that maintenance updates are routine.

How could the "routine" have caused such a collosal collapse?

Today on The Daily Brief, we continue with our cyber-security series 1 CLICK 2 CYBER CHAOS. We focus on the vulnerablilty and resilience of critical infrastructure. How much of a threat is there?

Host Kym Geddes is joined by Greg Markel, CEO at Ridge Canada and veteran broadcast journlist Kevin Newman.

View Details

This week on The Daily Brief, we've hihglighted a new Story Studio Network series - 1 CLICK @ CYBER CHAOS.

We did so in response to Rogers' nation-wide system failure that cut millions of people off from internet connections and cost thousands of businesses untold sums in lost revenues.

Cyber-security isn't a one-and-done effort. It's an ongoing challenge. So, today, we ask the question: "How do we create resilience in cyber systems when the attacks are constant and evolving?"

View Details

The Ukrainian government says Tik Tok is the social media platform of choice for the Russian propoganda offensive in Ukraine. The Washington Post says a representative from the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation says Tik Tok is the weakest platform and the Russians are making the most of it.

Mis-information and dis-information wars are being waged at the click of a mouse. 

Today on The Daily Brief, we highligh the role social media now plays in international conflicts and threatens well established democracies around the world.

View Details

Canada’s Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met with the telecom CEOs and has given them pretty clear marching orders. They need to come up with a workable plan to  adopt emergency roaming, mutual assistance during outages, and a communications protol to better inform consumers et al on the state of the outage.

(Side note: Could Rogers crisis comms be worse?? The company is offering $5-6 for your trouble. WTF??)

Today on the Daily Brief, we highlight a new Story Studio Network podcast series, 1 CLICK 2 CYBER CHAOS. This episode focuses on the ransomware attacks that cripple hospital services across Newfoundland and Labradour in November 2021.

View Details

Millions of Canadians felt the full effect of a nation-wide system failure at Rogers. The outages affected cell, wireless, television, and internet services, in some cases, for days. That, inturn, closed some businesses and services or slowed them to a crawl.

After the initial outrage was voiced loudly across the country, the narrative turned to calls for more telcom competition and questioned the wisdom of a Rogers-Shaw merger.

But the real issue that needs to be addressed is the state of our cyber security. Whether or not the Rogers crash was caused by a cyber attack is one thing but it was most definitely a cybersecurity failure.

This week on The Daily Brief we will highlight one of our new Story Studio Network series: 1 CLICK 2 CYBER CHAOS.

View Details

Today on The Daily Brief, Brian Lambie, President of Redbrick Communications says government agenices and public employees often default to avoiding social media. The thinking is, avoiding social media means avoiding landmines. 

But Brian says it can create a blind spot, particularly for municipal agencies if they aren't aware of or attuned to local issues being discussed and debated in social media communities. 

He notes, you don't have to be a big city to do it right. We give a shout out to Selwyn Township for it's handling of the tornado that hit the Peterborough area on May 22, 2022.

View Details

We are still in the pandemic. We can expect more COVID cases and, by all accounts, we will see an uptick in cases come the fall. So, it ain't over.

But COVID is receding. That's good news. That's allowed us to return to business, to school, to recreation, to a restaurant without a great deal of restriction. But the crisis caused by COVID is not nearly in the rearview mirror.

Inflation and the cost of living are bringing us perilously close to recession. So Toronto Region Board of Trade President and CEO, Jan De Silva says now is the time to reignite the economy. "We're the champions of "Hit GO!" She says it is critical for the newly re-elected Ford government and municipalities in the Toronto-Waterloo corridor to accelerate affordable housing, transportation, energy and innovation initiatives and address the talent shortage in some key sectors of the economy.

View Details

The latest developments at the Congressional inquiry into the January 6th attack on Capitol Hill in Washington has turned up the heat on Attorney General Merrick Garland to indict Donald Trump on criminal charges.

Today on the Daily Brief, Hamiline University Professor David Schultz says the evidence and testimony presented over the past couple of weeks makes is clear the AG has very little choice but to charge the former president. At the same time, Schultz acknowledges it will amount to a nuclear option and there's no telling what the fallout may be.

View Details

We're more than four months into the Russian war in Ukraine. It's been nearly a year since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan.

About half of newcomers from those regions are kids and they are struggling with the mental health issues.

Kids Help Phone has stepped up and added four new languages to its service to support these young people.

Ravina Anthony, Project Manager, Newcomer & Diversity Initiatives at Kids Help Phone joins us to talk about it.

View Details

We've got a newish cabinet at Queen's Park. It's version 1.5 - not quite 2.0 considering how few changes we see around the table.

One exception is the announcement of Michael Ford as Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism.

The On The Ledge panel joins this edition of The Daily Brief to talk what's next and what to expect in the next Ford mandate.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, you're invited to be part of our series, Every Guitar Has A Story! Let us know if you've got a guitar story you want to share and we'll see if we can include you in the series.

We also dive into the hottest issue facing this country today - the cost of living and affordable housing.

In this episode we feature a podscast we produced for Habitat for Humanity Canada in the summer of 2018. It focuses on building new, affordable housing on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in southern Ontario.

View Details

As COVID recedes, more of us are considering our new world of work.  And the conversation quickly turns to whether you'll be back in the office.

Today, we talk about the lessons learned and the post COVID approach to recruiting new talent and leadership.

Anthony Batchelor at Odgers Berndtson joins us to explore the future of work for employees and employers.

View Details

On this first day of Summer 2022, we face some serious challlenges. None more difficult than coping with the soaring cost of living as we stumble our way out of the COVID pandemic.

I made a stop to pick up a few items at our local grocery store. Three bags cost more than $100! None of it was fancy stuff. I bought lunch meat, weiners, hot dog buns, a tin of coffee, a bbq chicken and a 6-pack of non-alcoholic beer.

That's it. More than $100!

So, today on The Daily Brief, I thought it was more important than ever to shine a light on the 2030 Project - the effort to reduce poverty by 50% in the next seven and a half years.

View Details

Remember all the noise from the Ontario government about getting daycare rebate cheques to families in May, after Ford Nation agreed to be part of the national daycare program? Well, no cheques in May. No cheques in June. In fact, there's only one municipality in the GTA that has opened up its application process for daycare operators.

There is precious little indication that this program will do much for the families who need the support or for the licenced operators who provide the service. 

The promise was to have the $10/day program fully implemented by 2025. 

At this rate, the majority of kids who need the daycare now will "age out" by the time the government gets its act together.

View Details

It was a popcorn, appointment tuning event for political wonks, (Present!:) across the United States and around the world. What would we learn about the January 6, 2021 insurrection on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.?

Not much really. 

Sure there was more graphic detail offered in testimony from security officials and police officers who faced the mob that day.

And yes, we heard testimony from members of Trump's team saying there was no evidence of election fraud in 2020. Even Ivanka Trump told the committee she believed former Attorney General Bill Barr's assessment, i.e., Trump lost fair and square. He went so far as to say Trump's claims were "bullshit".

So what? 

Who's hearts and minds were changed by the prime time show?

David Schultz is a Distinguished Professor of political science at Hamline University in Minnesota. He says the Department of Justice and the GOP elites will be two key audiences as these committee hearing play out live in front of the cameras.

Both could spell jeopardy for Donald Trump.

View Details

All this talk about a Liberal-NDP merger in Ontario is utter nonsense. Why would the NDP waste any energy or time "merging" with the leaderless Liberals, when they're well positioned to stage a hostile takeover. 

A re-energized NDP could easily render the Liberals irrelevant before the 2026 campaign. 

Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observer quotes a pair of party insiders on their thoughts about the party's future.

"

— JONATHAN SCOTT, longtime operative who ran runner-up MICHAEL COTEAU’s 2020 leadership bid: “[2022] could be an extinction-level event for the party, if the party doesn’t learn the lessons voters are telling us. It’s time to modernize, throw the doors wide open and build a new party from the ground up. It’s time to be respectful and not talk down to people, especially in rural Ontario, and drop any attitude that we know best.”

— KELLY FOOTE, veteran organizer and community activist: “The party’s problems can’t be fixed by the same people who presided over them.”

Both great points. And both bits of advice should have been acted on 4 years ago. 

View Details

The RCAF Foundation is honouring the next generation of aviation and aerospace innovators. Fifty students from across Canada have been named as the RCAF Foundation Scholarship recipients for 2022.

Foundation CEO, Jeremy Diamond, joins the Daily Brief to celebrate this cohort of STEM students determined to change the world!

View Details

The horrifying story that is the Mount Cashel Orphanage Scandal began nearly half a century ago when the first allegations of physical and sexual abuse were levelled at the Christian Brothers who ran the facility.

This past weekend, the Archdiocese of St. John's in Newfoundland and Labrador closed bids on the sale of Church properties in 34 diocese across the province in an effort to raise the estimated $50 million dollars to cover compensation for the survivors. It means the parishioners in those small communities lose their churches - churches they helped pay for and build - in order for the Archdiocese to atone for its criminal behaviour.

The more astounding part of the story is the Vatican refuses to step in and pay some of the reparations.

So keep that in mind when, (if), Pope Francis ever arrives in Canada to face the people of our First Nations and indigenous communities who suffered and died in the Residential Schools. The universal church has already refused to take any measure of responsibility for the atrocities at Mount Cashel. 

Beyond asking forgiveness, what makes you think there will be an appropriate penance to offset the years of institutionalized abuse, neglect and indignity suffered by hundreds of nameless kids disposed of in unmarked graves? What is the measure of accountability for the Church's ritual ignorance and legal obfuscation?

View Details

If it were a country, cybercrime would be the third largest economy in the world behind the United States and China.

Best estimates suggest cybercrime will cost $10.5 globally on an annual basis by the year 2025.

AT&T says it represents the greatest transfer of economic wealth in history.

Today on the Daily Brief we talk to Jeff Musson, Executive Director of Coding for Veterans, and Kym Geddes, host of a new Story Studio Network podcast series, 1 CLICK 2 CYBER CHAOS.

View Details

More seats, more popular vote means four more years for Premier Doug Ford in Ontario. And he did it by staging near perfect campaign. He didn't engage the media. He didn't engage the Opposition, except on Debate Night. He barely spoke in public during the final ten days of the campaign and he came away with a resounding win.

Of course, when one party wins 60% of the seat in the legislature, it means at least one opposition party had a very bad night. In this case, both the NDP and the Liberals are battered and bruised. And they're both looking for a new leader.

The New Democrats will likely bounce back with fresh blood in the Leader's chair. Under new leadership, the NDP can take full advantage of being only one of two official parties in the legislature and make the Liberals completely irrelevant by 2026.

Given the party's decision to choose Steven Del Duca as Kathleen Wynne's successor was a huge mistake. He was stuck with the baggage of the Wynne government AND HE GOT TROUNCED in his own riding in 2018. Add to that, the ridiculous decision to have Del Duca lead the party for two years without having a seat in the legislature and the game was all but over before the campaign even started.

I'm not convinced the Liberal party gets up off the mat, let alone takes a standing 8 count.

This is another four years of wandering in the wilderness. And this defeat is worse than the Wynne loss in 2018. The bar was so low, Del Duca should have been able to clear it without much difficulty. But he ran the campaign like it was a Limbo Challenge when it was Hurdles Race.

View Details

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.

View Details

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 night! And even he makes it lively and interesting!

View Details

In this episode of The Daily Brief: 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.

View Details

Elections Ontario says more than a million voters cast ballots in the advance polls this month. That represents nearly 10% of all eligible voters. Those ballots were cast over 10 days.

That compares to just under 700 thousand advanced ballots cast in 2018 BUT the advance polls were only opened for five days.

What do all these numbers suggest? Best bet is most people just want this campaign to be OVER!

View Details

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 Reid shows "NOT SURE" is running second to Doug Ford and the PCs on some key issues. Yes, NOT SURE polls ahead of Horwath, Del Duca and Schreiner when those surveyed are asked which party is best suited to create new jobs!

View Details

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 number of voters who think Andrea Horwath would be the best choice as Premier of Ontario. According to the latest Nanos' numbers, the NDP leader has faded to 17.5%. Her numbers continue to dip as Del Duca and Ford make gains.

View Details

View Details

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 friends and families gather over the long holiday weekend.

View Details

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 Richardson, Senior Counsel at National Public Relations to read the entrails and give us a sense of what this means for the conservative movement across Canada.

View Details

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 ten adults in Scarborough rely on a government welfare cheque or a disablity pension to live in one of the most expensive cities in Canada.

I hosted and moderated the townhall discussion organized by the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization, Rotary in Scarborough and the Scarborough Business Association.

Mitzie Hunter is a candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party in the riding of Scarborough Guildwood. Doly Begum is the NDP candidate in Scarborough Southwest. Priyan de Silva represents the Green Party in Scarborough Rouge-Park and Rane Vega is the New Blue Party of Ontario candidate in the riding of Scarborough-Agincourt. 

View Details

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.

With all the discussion around affordability, how can we afford to carry that cost?

View Details

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 didn't do much damage but asserted himself as the leader who had a firm grasp on his files and the pulse in the province.

Steven Del Duca got marks for exceeding expectations. But let's be real - he barely had to raise his foot off the ground to clear that bar.

And Andrea Horwath seemed to be running for Leader of the Opposition when she needs to be gunning for the big chair if she wants to keep her job as NDP Leader.

The needles didn't change much, if at all but the knives are out already.

Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observer says Horwath's lacklustre performance only lit a fire under the 901 movement. (NDP'ers ready to call for her resignation as soon as the polls close on June 2nd).

Sabrina also teased a story she's working on that suggests the Liberals may be in the market for a new leader sooner than later. She's been in Del Duca's riding, talking to would-be voters and after a day of canvassing could only find a single person who KNEW Del Duca's name but wouldn't commit to voting for him.

View Details

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 catch the attention of all the major parties in this provincial campaign. It's long over due for Queen's Park to pay attention to the unique needs of the more than 600 thousand residents of Scarborough.

View Details

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 provincial campaign is working. He appears to be on track to lead another majority government. No drama. No meme material...so far. Campaign ain't over.

But Ford's team has managed to plot a safe and steady track for Ontario PC leader. They've avoided any accusation of guilt by association with Poilievre. He's proving he can appeal to the conservative "core" and still win the general election.

On the other hand, McParland says, "There is an imperiousness and inflexibility in (Poilievre's) performances that bodes poorly for someone who would need to bring a divided party together, and then do the same for a divided country."

View Details

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 DULL. 

The oppo parties will have to change that narrative if they hope to make any gains on Ford Nation.

View Details

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.

View Details

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.

View Details

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.

View Details

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 this episode of The Writ Race, Sussex Strategy Group VP Colleen Ryan weighs in on the effects these new behaviours are having on a campaign.

View Details

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.

View Details

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 Nanos suggests Healthcare is the number one concern for Ontarians as we head for the polls on June 2. And its followed by a litany of affordability issues.

Those issues are always tops in the list. That is the perennial call for change that is routinely ignored by media and political parties.

View Details

Today on the DAILY BRIEF: The Writ Race in Ontario. 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?

View Details

Today on the DAILY BRIEF: Lindsay Broadhead, Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs at the Toronto Region Board of Trade weighs in on the number one issue for Ontarians during this election period: Affordability.

And she says that starts with the cost of housing.

View Details

Story Studio Network is excited to announce Steve Cassar is joining the team as a Senior Executive Producer.

Steve is a veteran broadcast journalist, leading award winning teams at CTV News in Toronto and Sportsnet. Steve was also a Supervising Producer for the Olympic Broadcasting Services in Beijing and Tokyo.

Most recently, Steve jumped into the podcast production world, founding Podcasts that Pop - a boutique production service supporting businesses and organizations that wanted to create their own branded podcasts.

As of May 1, Steve brings his experience and story telling acumen to the team at Story Studio Network and we're thrilled to have him in the stable!

View Details

Here's our weekly Roundtable on Ontario politics with Sabrina Nanji, Keith Leslie, John Wright and Dave Trafford.

On The Ledge will go "daily" as soon as the Lt. Governor dissolves the assembly and that's expected to officially happen on Wednesday!

SO, the Daily Brief will be all about the WRIT RACE to election day on June 2nd.

View Details

The Raptors are attempting to make NBA history in their playoff series with Philadelphia.

Auston Matthews made history scoring his 6oth of the season. Now, the Leafs are just hoping to win a playoff series. 

And the Blue Jays are as advertised - so far!

Rod Black joins the Daily Brief to talk sports!

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief: Daily Bread CEO, Neil Hetherington joins the show to talk about the number one issue facing Ontario as we head into a provincial election campaign. 

The cost of living, housing and food affordability has to be addressed in a meaningful way and that will require courageous leadership. Are our politicians up to the task?

View Details

If traffic reports are any indication, the commute in Toronto is getting close to the long haul you were making to and from work in the before-times! Offices and workplaces are getting back to doing in-person business. 

In many cases, companies are considering a hydrid approach. Some staff will work in the office. Some will work from home. Some will split their time between the two.

The discussion is at the heart of your corporate culture and how that effects your leaders and managers.

Lisa Taylor is President of Challenge Factory. Her expertise is in the future of work. She's also a Story Studio Network podcast host and producer.

In this episode of the Daily Brief, we get her take on what it will take to be a good leader as we continue to cope with the COVID pandemic and how she used her podcasting experience, (as a guest and a host), to explore new ideas, challenges and solutions in the workplace.

View Details

From phishing emails to ransomware attacks, misinformation and disinformation, it's estimated the global annual cost of cyber crimes will hit $10.5 trillion US by the year 2025.

Jeff Musson, Executive Director at Coding for Veterans joins the Daily Brief to talk about the number of military vets who are shifting their defensive focus from the battlefield to cyberspace.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief:

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."?

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, we introduce you to Sarah Thorne, President and CEO at Decision Partners. 

Sarah was a co-host and producer on the first podcast series we produced at Story Studio Network. Sarah was joined by Lisa Taylor, Dave Hardy and Ujwal Arkagud in a 12 part series called The Next Normal.

Sarah also hosts and co-produces the Engineering With Nature podcast with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She joins the show today to talk about her experience and how podcasting has become an effective communications tool for her and the Corps.

View Details

It all started with a text message asking for a "quick call" and Story Studio Network was the outcome. Twelve months later, we've gone from one podcast series and three team members to 14 shows and a stable of major market talent.

Our clients have proven podcasting is a great addition to their branding and marketing strategies. The power of podcasting allows them to tell their stories in their voice.

On today's edition of the Daily Brief, Jamie Nickerson and Erin Trafford join to talk about our startup rocket ride and where we're heading!

View Details

I'm sure many of you were face to face with friends and family this Easter weekend. In our case, we had a great chance to visit with people we have seen (save a video chat) for years thanks to COVID.

That is good news for our collective psyche and it's also good for businesses and cultural events that rely so heavily on the in-person experience.

Myseum Toronto's annual festival is among the many benchmark events in Toronto that make this city the coolest place on the planet and all the more this month because the event has shifted from remote to in person at various locations across the city.

Myseum's Executive Director Heidi Reitmaier joins us to talk about the Intersections Festival 2022.

View Details

All kinds of flack and full throated complaining over the appointment of Marina Glogovac as the new CEO at Torstar. It all stems from her comments about the pandemic - particularly her insistence that the "pandemic is over". It's not. And anyone who reads the pages of the Toronto Star would know that.

So, should she be held to account for her misleading twitter posts? Is she suitable to lead a major media and journalism organization?

Maybe. Maybe not. It's worthy of discussion. But her "facts" aren't worthy of debate, because they're not facts at all.

It brought me to a Tik Tok video that's gone viral called "Worshipping Jesus 30,000 feet in the Air" It's prompted no end of outrage assuming an in flight sing-along praising Jesus was inflicted on everyone on the plane.

Really?

Check out the video. Ask yourself two questions after watching it: What do you know and How do you know it? Then revisit your reaction. Does it still fly?

View Details

We are finally starting to step out into the light a little more with each passing week. We're still being cautious, many people choosing to continue wearing masks in larger gatherings. And that's not a bad thing. And it's also good for our psyche and good for the economy.

We were at a large trade show on the weekend in Toronto and it was as busy as I would have expected in the "before times". The only obvious differences were, you had to buy a ticket that specified your arrival time and about half of the people at the show were masked.

So, it occurred to me that we will start having more "in person" meetings as we progress through this phase of the pandemic. Meeting over a coffee will be a thing again!

It just so happens that it was a coffee meeting that launched the idea for one our early podcast series in Story Studio Network. It's called Why Meaning Matters - hosted by Erin Trafford, Ujwal Arkalgud and Jason Partridge. And the first epsiode of season one explored the meaning of coffee.

Pour a cup and listen in.

View Details

We are celebrating our FIRST YEAR in business at Story Studio Network! It's been a wild and exhilarating ride since Erin and I first kicked the idea around of creating an executive production service for organizations, brands and personalities who want to use podcasting as part of their communications and branding strategy.

Among the shows we've been working on, I'm excited to introduce you to Engineering With Nature. It's a podcast developed by Sarah Thorne at Decision Partners and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's all about the Corps' approach to nature-based infrastructure to help solve or mitigate problems caused by climate change.

In this episode, Sarah and the team talk anbout ways and means that Engineering With Nature can be used to solve the water crisis in California's San Joaquin Valley.

View Details

After 70 years as a "clothier for gentlemen" in Toronto, Korry's will be closing its doors on the Danforth. The pandemic lockdowns surely contributed to the "retirement" of this store - just over a year since Saul Korman, the Duke of the Danforth, the Mayor of Greektown, passed away.

Businesses come and go all the time - not to ignore or diminish that - but Saul's character and quality of customer service gave life to the neighbourhood. And his shop became a shopping destination in an unlikely part of the city.

Thanks, in part to Saul and Korry's, the Danforth developed into one of many vibrant "main streets" in Toronto. Losing the store leaves a large hole in the character of the Danforth.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, 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.

View Details

April 7th always has a certain historic ring in these parts. It was April 7th, 1977 when my grandfather, my dad, my brother and I sat through snow showers coming in off of Lake Ontario as we prepared to watch the FIRST Toronto Blue Jays Home Opener at Exhibition Stadium on the CNE grounds.

I still have the Opening Day program "Vol. 1 No. 1". It cost a buck. Half the ticket price of the left field seats we enjoyed!

But this week also marks "Opening Day" for the Second Harvest team in Toronto. The food rescue champions opened a new 48 thousand square foot warehouse and HQ in Toronto's west end on Wednesday. Sad thing is, it's only going to get busier for them as more Canadians experience food insecurity.

View Details

I know, I know we're seeing high community transmission of the latest Omicron variant and that's just a signal that this ain't over yet - by a long shot. AND it's also a sign that we're leearning to live with the beast.

I understand why some among us are "clutching their pearls", as John Moore would put it. That's become something of a reflexive reaction. On the other hand, I believe we are witnessing the resilience we have developed over the course of the past two years.

We're finally at a stage in this mess when we know and understand it is highly unlikely any of us will NOT contract COVID. And we know we MUST continue our business, our education, our recreation, our entertainment even in the face of the COVID "threat".

So, this edition of the Daily Brief touches on a range of issues, all under the umbrella notion of living with COVID in the COVID era. That includes getting back to in person classes, in person socializing, in person baseball games (Go JAYS!)

View Details

April 5th is Family Caregiver Day in Ontario. Quite frankly, if you are a family caregiver - every day is family caregiver day. 

Based on our COVID experience in Long-term care homes, we know how important caregivers are to support the system. So, how will the needs of family caregivers play in Ontario's election campaign. 

Today, we're joined by Daniel Nowoselski, Chair, Communications and Awareness Committee at the Ontario Caregiver Coalition.

View Details

Thought it was interesting to see how careful people were on social media this weekend, vetting posts to make sure they weren't being punked by April Fool's jokes. Too bad we are all that careful every day on social media!

Today on the Daily Brief, it's our weekly Roundtable visit with our crew from On The Ledge - the Ontario Politics Podcast!!

View Details

Not to put too fine a point on it, but we've institutionalized poverty in Canada. New research from the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary makes it clear there is a direct link between government policy and the number of food bank visits in a given year.

The researchers found that a $1 increase in the minimum wage would amount to nearly 39 thousand fewer food bank visits in Toronto and almost 190 thousand fewer annual visits across Ontario.

Governments should make it their business to put food banks out of business.

View Details

How can we afford NOT to do all we can to eliminate poverty, when pre-COVID estimates suggest poverty costs the province of Ontario $33 billion every year.

In this episode of the Daily Brief, we highlight the 2030 Project. It's a podcast we produced with the Daily Bread Food Bank team in Toronto. The series is focused on the mission to reduce poverty by 50% by the year 2030.

View Details

If an election were held a year ago in Ontario, Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives would have had their hands full holding onto government. Now, it looks like Ford is poised to waltz into another majority government.

Yes, yes. Campaigns matter and we'll get the final details on election day - June 2. But right now, the Ford brand is winning.

Compare that to the existential crisis facing all three major federal parties. The NDP is politically y irrelevant thanks to the staggering lack of leadership from Jagmeet Singh. The Liberals aren't really "the Liberals" anymore. They're the Justin Trudeau party, leaning farther left than ever, essentially cutting Jagmeet's grass. And the Conservative Party of Canada is engaged in a leadership song and dance that appeals to its hard right core then "hopes" to appeal to political centrists abandoned by the traditional Liberal party.

Maybe its a better thing that we won't have a federal general election for another three years. It's going to be a hit mess no matter who "leads".

View Details

If you're a regulare listener to the DAILY BRIEF, you will know my daughter, Erin, and I produce abroad range of branded podcasts for companies, not-for-profits, thought leaders and educators. Check out the offering at storystudionetwork.com.

In this episode of the Daily Brief, we step away from the "news of the day" to let you know how you can become your own newsroom. That could include creating, producing and distributing your own brand story in your own voice.

We'll get back to the headlines tomorrow. We'll talk about the struggling brands of political parties in Canada and the United States. Is it realistic to have a "big tent" party in 2022?

And we'll highlight the best comments on the Will Smith v. Chris Rock incident.

View Details

Masks are no longer mandatory in most public space 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 Daily Brief, we welcome the On The Ledge roundtable crew to 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?

View Details

The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law is taking mooting to the metaverse. The project was borne during the COVID pandemic, which restricted access and created procedural challenges for the courts.

It looks cool. It sound cool. But is it workable?

The universtiy will stage a moot trial session in a virtual reality environment this weekend.

To talk about it, we are joined by Professor Anthony Daimsis from the University of Ottawa, Ron LeClair from LeClair and Associates, and Ritesh Kotak - a Digital and Cyber Security Strategist and a law student at the University of Ottawa.

View Details

He's the host and producer of the weekly podcast Chatter that Matters and he's been a frewuest guest on my podcasts and radio shows over the past 10 years or so!

Tony Chapman always ponders the second thing that comes to mind and this week he posted a provocative piece on the state of political leadership in Canada. He joins us to talk about our transactional approach to the voting booth.

Oh ya...and he takes a moment to boast about the newest addition to the Chapman clan!

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, we draw the curtain back on the backroom deal between Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau aimed at guaranteeing the Liberals will govern until 2025.

Two questions.

1. How does this affect the CPC leadership race?

2. What's in it for the NDP?

We're joined by John Wright, EVP at Maru Public Opinion and Amanda Galbraith, Principal at Navigator.

View Details

F-BOMB WARNING:

I know you're not supposed to utter the B-word in an airport (or an "aerodome" as it's called in the BOLD lettered WARNING as you enter the security area). But sweet, merciful baby Jayzus, it's almost impossible to avoid a carpet bombing of F-BOMBS when you attempt to depart from Stanfield International Airport in Halifax.

I should buy lottery tickets more often, considering the number of times I am "randomly" selected to step into the full body scanner at security! The airport handles more than 4 million passengers in a good year (non-COVID) and I end up being selected 3-4 times out of the 3-6 times we might travel through that airport in a year.

On this latest trip, more than half a dozen passengers booked on the first flight out were bumped off to a later flight because there was sufficient security staffing(?!!) There had to be 400 people in the security line at 6:30 am and they had a SINGLE lane opened to check carry-on! ONE LANE open. FIVE LANES closed.

Enjoy your trip to Nova Scotia. It's a beautiful place to visit and vacation. It's just pain in the ass trying to get home!

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, we check in with Glenn Crouter and his final installment for Season One of Head for the Hills. 

We take a look ahead to see what spriing skiing will look like in Canada this year. We check in with Destination BC, Sunshine Village in Alberta and Blue Mountain Ski Resort in Ontario.

View Details

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Huston is the most popular premier in the country with an Angus Reid approval rating of 72%! He enjoyed a 16 point spike in the last month. 

But Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, despite getting poor grades for his handling of COVID, enjoyed a 13 point surge, pushing his approval rating into 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.

View Details

In this episode of the Daily Brief, I introduce you to two exceptional invidiuals who are Habitat for Humanity champions.

First, we meet Habitat GTA homeowner Karen who was able to move her family out of an area of Toronto rife with gun violence and high crime to a safe, accepting neighbourhood in the city. We also meet a donor and volunteer who has been giving his time, his expertise, and even his own furniture and building materials to Habitat ReStores and other local Habitats in Canada for more than 15 years, Scott McGillivray.

In addition to his show Moving the McGillivrays, which featured Karen and her family, Scott is well known for the award-winning hit show Income Property, Buyers Bootcamp and his online series Scott’s House Call. Scott admits he didn’t realize the full effect he was having on others when he first got involved with Habitat for Humanity.

View Details

The NEXT NORMAL is the podcast series that officially launched Story Studio Network. The series views the issues, systemic gaps, and highlights the opportunities and lessons we learned over the course of the pandemic.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, we highlight The 2030 Project. The podcast is produced for Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto and explores the poverty reduction strategy in Canada. The federal government presented the intiative in 2015 with a goal of reducing poverty by 50% by the year 2030.

Needless to say, COVID-19 has not only staggered that effort, there are more Canadians living in poverty because of the pandemic.

This sample of the show is the 11th episode of Season 1, featuring a round table discussion with Daily Bread CEO Neil Hetherington and VP of Research and Advocay, Talia Bronstein. It was recorded on the floor of the food bank's warehouse.

View Details

Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, infectious disease specialists will tell you we face a more dangerous health threat thanks to our overuse of anti-biotics and the issues around producing new drugs to fight new bacteria.

Bacteria that are becoming increasingly resistant to over-used antibiotics, and it is no longer financially viable for pharmaceutical companies to invest in the research and development of new antibiotics.

The WHO and UN have prioritized this problem. What does this mean for vulnerable patients, and can prevention help?

View Details

Happy Sunday and welcome to this bonus edition of the Daily Brief. Today we feature another one of the shows we're producing at Story Studio Network.

Why Meaning Matters is well into season 2 and in this episode we explore the future of cannabis consumption.

Host Erin Trafford, MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge bridge the connections between sleep and pain to cannabis. They explore the use of cannabis for managing inflammation, how it interacts with other supplements, and how it’s being used on a daily basis for general health and wellbeing.

View Details

Happy Saturday and welcome to this Bonus edition of the Daily Brief.

Today, we highlight a new show we're producing at Story Studio Network - Head for the Hills with Glenn Crouter.

We talk to Olympian and World Cup ski champion Britt Janyk. She joins us from Whistler, BC.

And Jonathan Reid, VP and GM at Horseshoe Resort in Ontario to talk about the March Break programming for the whole family.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, we mark the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic with our On The Ledge crew noting some school boards intend to extend the mask mandate for students.

It's also two years and a few days since Steven Del Duca became the Liberal leader in Ontario and this week marks the fourth anniversary of Doug Ford's ascendancy to the PC leadership.

Just so happens to be the same week Patrick Brown and CTV News settled an $8 million dollar lawsuit. Brown alledged CTV defamed him by inaccurately reporting he was involved in inappropriate sexual relationships with two women. The scandal caused Brown to lose his job as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives.

CTV issued a statement reading in part:

“On Jan. 24, 2018, four months before a provincial election, CTV broadcast a segment concerning Patrick Brown. Key details provided to CTV for the story were factually incorrect and required correction,...CTV National News regrets including those details in the story and any harm this may have caused to Mr. Brown.”

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, as we enter the third week of the Russian war in Ukraine, Professor Christian Leuprecht from the Royal Military College in Kingston offers his insights in what went into the the decision NOT to send MiG jets from Poland to Ukraine. And he expains why it's important for Justin Trudeau to be in Europe right now.

View Details

As we make a turn into week number three of the Russian war in Ukraine, the battles are being waged on the ground, in cyber space and in the media. 

Today, we're joined by Bob Reid at Broadway Strategy & Communications, and Erin Trafford, Co-founder and Chief Executive Producer at Story Studio Network to talk about the role and responsibility of journalism and media organizations to "get it right". And is this an opportunity for mainstream news to regain trust among media consumers?

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, FESTIVAL SEASON IS BACK!

Michael Hollett is the President of NXNE and we talk about the new plans and the new look for this year's festival.

Michael says there is going to be a special international showcase featuring the top 10 emerging international hip hop performers. They will spend the week at Hip Hop House, which will be set up on the top floor of the Gladstone Hotel.

It's free for talent to apply and Michael's promising low cost fees for you to take in a show.

NXNE runs June 14-19, 2022!

View Details

Friday marks the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic declaration. And now, just as we seem to be preparing for the recovery phase, we face the increased threat of a full-blown war in Europe - that could escalate into WWlll.

Today on the Daily Brief, Mark Henick joins us to talk about the collective mental health crisis we're experiencing in the face of international threats that are out of our control.

View Details

It's Friday and that means we highlight On The Legde - the Ontario Politics Podcast as today's edition of The Daily Brief.

Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman has announced he will not seek re-election in the fall. Instead, he is expected to land the Liberal nomination in the riding of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte and challenge the incumbent Doug Downey, who is the Attorney General in Doug Ford's government.

We also talk about Health Minister Christine Elliott's decision not to run for re-election in June.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, Professor Christian Leuprecht from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario offers insights and clarity on the lack of Russian military preparation for the invastion of Ukraine. 

He also suggests China will likely be a player in bringing the conflict to some resolution because the economic sanctions slapped on Russia will have a significant effect on the Chinese economy.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, we welcome Toronto Region Board of Trade President and CEO, Jan De Silva to talk about the critical path to recovering econmically from the COVID-19 pandemic.

How will we accelerate the transportation needs to support the two largest employment zones in Canada? 

How will we re-create a "back-to-office" culture that will be criticial to support small and medium sized businesses in Toronto's core?

How will we address the labour and skill capacity issues in construction, healthcare, education?

Jan and the TRBOT have an eye on the answers.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief:

Preventable injuries cost the Canadian economy $29.4 billion in a single year - $20.4 billion in direct health-care costs (70% of the total).

Pam Fuselli, President and CEO at Parachute joins us to talk about the 333,971 potential years of life llost in one year, mostly among young Canadians. 

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, Russia's invasion of Ukraine happened quickly and most expected it the operation to end quickly. But that isn't how it's played out.

These five long early and deadly days make me think we will measure the duration of this war by years rather than weeks or months.

View Details

It's Friday! That means we drop this week's version of On The Ledge into the Daily Brief feed! It's all about Ontario politics.

The calendar says we're ten months from Christmas but the gift giving season is already upon us in Ontario. The Ford government is already trotting out pre-budget trinkets aimed at helping folks cope with the increased cost of living.

That includes giving up an estimated $1 billion dollars in annual revenue by cancelling annual licence plate fees. That amounts to less than 33 cents a day. Not even enough for you to buy a coffee at Timmie's.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, Digital and Cyber Security Strategist Ritesh Kotak says the war in Ukraine may be confined on the ground but it is an international battle in cyber space. Russia use cyber attacks on Ukraine government agencies and journalism outlets as the leading wave of the assault on a sovereign state.

NATO may not be responding with conventional miltary weapons but how long will it be that this becomes a full blown cyber conflagration? A war with no borders and where the rules have yet to be written or tested.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief, the crisis in Ukraine continues to escalate. Vladimir Putin declares Ukraine to be a Russian invention to justify military support for Ukrainian separatists.

David Schults, professor of political science at Hamline University joins us to talk about the latest developments in this international crisis.

View Details

I've set this episode of the DAILY BRIEF to drop at 2:22 on 22/2/22, which is why is TWOs Day! BTW, it last happened in 1622 and won't happen for another TWO hundred years.

We celebrate this historic day by welcoming veteran sports broadacster Rod Black to talk about everything from Olympic fails to Thelonius Monk!

View Details

The Ontario legislature is set to get back to business next week following a 2 month recess. And there's no shortage of STUFF to get at today.

Keith Leslie, John Wright and Sabrina Nanji from the Queen's Park Observer join me to review the latest in the Ottawa Occupation and the use of the Emergencies Act.

How will that shape the ballot question for Doug Ford as we we head towards the June election here in Ontario.

View Details

New numbers from Maru Public Opinion provide a stark and staggering insight into how Canadians view the ongoing occupation of Ottawa.

Two thirds say they agree with the use of the Emergencies Act. So the prime minister can be pleased with that. The problem is 82% say the protest has gone on too long. Not so good for the federal Liberals.

But, it's been a suck-and-blow affair on both sides of the House and the CPC has been engaged in and trapped by its own "ya but" rhetoric. And it was never more pronounced than when Thornhill MP Melissa Lantsman tangled with Trudeau in the Commons during Wednesday's Question Period.

View Details

What does invoking the Emergency Act really mean?

That question has not been fully answered yet that hasn't stopped all kinds of breathless reporting on whether there should be breathless reporting on the latest developments in the Ottawa Occupation. 

Sure, the Trudeau Liberals are taking a pounding in public opinion over their inabilty to quell the crisis. And it's caught the attention of international media - particularly among the prime time big thinkers at FOX.

Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingram have been treating the prime minister like a political pinata. And that may be the one bright spot for Trudeau.

I've got to believe that the LPC backroom gang is clipping every bit of that "commentary" for use in the next election campaign. The same loud mouths that support a seige on Parliament Hill are the same clowns who diminished and dismissed the armed insurrection in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.

It will be easy to paint the Poilievre (?) Tories with that brush and almost impossible, no matter who may lead the CPC, for the party to separate itself from the Trump thumpers south of the border.

View Details

There are all kinds of reasons why I've ignored the Beijing Games. 

First, they're in China. We shouldn't be there in the first place.

Second, the 14 hour time difference is a games killer. As much as I love watching international hockey, I'm just not starting my viewing day at 11p ET.

Third, even when I scrolled through the 7 Canadian television channels offering Olympic coverage, there were only 2 events being covered at the same time. Two?

It's easy to boycott these Winter Games.

View Details

The Ambassador Bridge is back in business, and I think it's remarkable that local, provincial and RCMP managed to bust up the Windsor blockade without even a hint of violence. 

Might not be the case at other border crossings, but it is encouraging.

Ottawa is a different picture. That occupation is dug in with no signs of giving in. We know the Prime Minister has decided to invoke the Emergencies Act. But, as noted Friday, emergency measures are meaningless unless they're enforced.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief:

Founder and Editor of the Queen's Park Observer, Sabrina Nanji joins us.

Get-tough plans at Queen's Park are great but they're still just talk unless the OPP and local police forces are prepared to enforce the measures. Cutting off fuel and funding for the blockaders is a long game that might get results in weeks(?)

The need for action is immediate. The border crossings need to be open now. The Ottawa occupation needs to end now.

Police attempts to avoid violence to date seem to have made it more likely this won't end quietly.

View Details

TODAY on the Daily Brief:

Okay. I've know Maru Blue SVP John Wright  for more than 25 years. And I have never heard or seen him so exorcized. WARNING This is an F-BOMB-CARPET-BOMB show. 

Who can we TRUST in authority and media?

Political and media "leadership" is a long line of FOLLOWERS. 

Where is the LEADERSHIP? 

I'm not encouraged.

Listen in!

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief:

We picked apart Pierre Poilievre's puerile pitch to be PM earlier in the week (say that 10 times fast!). He displays anything BUT leadership in his flirting with the fringe of facts and cries for FREEDOM.

Candice Bergen on the other hand, who has more than her share of political baggage to slow her down, has shown what we need from leaders in Ottawa.

Justin Trudeau could take a lesson from Bergen and from his dad.

Have a listen!

View Details

Just as a preview, and for those of you who are convinced I hate freedom and conservatives, I am going to tell you why I think the Interim Leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition "got it right" this week in Ottawa. 

But first, some fun in Story Studio Network. We're working on some NEW SHOWS I know you're going to enjoy.

AND one of them is for all you guitar lovers out there! I am in the process of collecting stories for my newest show EVERY GUITAR HAS A STORY. The show "celebrates" the past fifty years I've spent learing how to play. I've got one story to share with you and I'd love it if you'd share yours with me.

Have a listen!

View Details

Pierre Poilievre says he's running to be Canada's next prime minister, skipping right over the need for him to win the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. He's either ignoring or taking for granted the will and intention of the party.

His candidacy announcement flirts with the fringes of facts and and champions the language of the Ottawa occupiers. It's a string of cliches and bumper sticker tactics.

What does it mean to be "the freest people on Earth?"

What's clear in all of this, the fringe among the "freedom" convoy aren't listening to the fact checked mainstream media. They are listening to Poilievre. And he's already setting media as the enemy.

Buckle up. This is going to be one of the messiest periods of politics in this country.

View Details

Excited to tell you that my radio-days colleague and friend Glenn Crouter will be bringing his Winter sports reports to Story Studio Network. He and I are going to embark on a limited series called "Head for the Hills".

We won't talk about ski conditions but will talk about the state of the sport. We're planning to launch the show Feb. 11!

View Details

In a country where 34 per cent of the popular vote isn't enough to form a government but 33 per cent is enough, isn't it time for conservatives to admit, the Reform/Progressive Alliance is a failed experiment?

Erin O'Toole's demise makes that clear.

John Wright, Executive VP at Maru Public Opinion joins the Daily Brief to review the entrails of the Ground Hog Day massacre.

View Details

Erin O'Toole's political obit will be read by the end of the day but it was written back in October when his caucus planted an IED on  his leadership path.

It's kind of appropriate that his "fellow" Conservatives are using the clout of the "REFORM ACT" to make him pay for his progressive conservative tack.

In this episode of The Daily Brief, how can the Conservative Party of Canada be struggling to find it's soul when it's never really had one. Even under Stephen Harper, the Conservatives only had to be better than a weak bumbling opposition.

View Details

The numbers are staggering. Researchers say the "lost years" hit 1.25 million when they extend the number of unintentional ODs to those between 10 and 24.

It certainly punctuated my reaction to Dopesick, the limited series that tracks the lengths Purdue Pharma went to cover its tracks while it developed and promoted OxyContin.

We may be able to claim we didn't see COVID-19 coming. But the opiod crisis is in plain view. More than 100 thousand Americans died of opiod overdoses during the 12 months ending July 2021.

View Details

On this edition of the Daily Brief, Story Studio Network co-founder, Erin Trafford applauds the call for Spotify to reasses its values but what about other content being sold and promoted on the platform by convicted criminals? And is this movement going to focus on Apple and Google, et al?

And the FREEDOM CONVOY in Ottawa proves you're free to be a racist, free to spread misinformation, free to desecrate the National War Memorial. Erin wonders whether this "freedom movement" in Canada and the United States will eventually refect the sectarian "Troubles" that crippled Ireland fifty years ago. 

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief:

You wanna know why people are pissed off and angry in Canada?

On the one hand we've got Ontario's top public health doc saying we need a balanced approach and we have to LIVE WITH COVID. On the other hand we have arbitrary vaccine mandates that aren't supported by science.

I had the chance to join some robust discussions about this very subject on Newstalk 1010.

View Details

I'm sure Neil Young will be just fine now that he's parted ways with Spotify. In fact, based on the way musicians, writers and producers get paid through the streaming service, Neil's Spotify revenues probably didn't amount to much in the grand scheme of his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career income.

I recently had the chance to talk to Juno Award winner Chantal Kreviazuk about the state of the industry and she bluntly says she can't make a living simply selling her recorded music. 

View Details

It started out as a protest against Ottawa's demand for all cross border truckers to be double dose vaccinated. It quickly turned into an Anti-Vax venue which has been overrun by alt-right wing nuts who compare their "suffering" to the Jews who were imprisoned an murdered by Hitler's Nazis. Then there is the cohort who aren't quite sure what it's all about but are making Twitter guarantees that the stop in Ottawa will look alot like the insurrection in Washington on January 6, 2022.

It's easy to dismiss when the whole thing is laced with that level of toxicity. But, I don't think our political leaders (such as they are) can afford to ignore it.

Is it a coincidence that this convoy started about the same time Mainstreet research was in the field and found the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP and BQ are all DOWN in popular support while the People's Party of Canada is UP 8 percentage points?

Also, is Putin prepared to gamble on a shooting war in Ukraine or more likely to incite a counter-revolution allowing him to plant a puppet government in Kyiv? We talk to Christian Leuprecht from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, and David Schultz, professor of political science at Hamline University in Minnesota.

View Details

You'll be forgiven if you can't up with the Canadian truckers' protest. It's morphed from an anti-mandatory vaccine rules to anti-vax to threating to shut down the country for no obvious reason.

And then, politicians and media want to roll it all into supply chain issues, as if we only just started experiencing product shortages.

Combine COVID protocols with a shortage of truckers and an unusual amount of snow in some parts of the country and the just-in-time system is staggering.

View Details

Today on the Daily Brief:

Under "studies that tells us stuff we already know" - First Nations kids are unhealthy when they live in homes filled with mould!

Apparently there's still a place for racism in pro hockey.

And Sarah Palin and Alex Jones find themselves on opposite sides of the defamation laws in the Unitied States. Jones wants to use it as a free speech shield. Palin wants to change the laws to beat down the New York Times.

View Details

Wrapping up my second Monday-Friday workweek in about four years. Up until the January 1, 2022, I'd been working 7 days a week! 

Today, on the 10:10AM Daily Brief:

• Doug Ford's pandering his way through the pandemic.
• Struggling to put food on the table isn't an inflation story. It's about the growing number of Canadians living on the verge of poverty.
• Trump and Hannity define irony!
• And...the things we can learn from Sunflowers!

View Details

Today on the 10:10AM Daily Brief, if you're looking for that glass half full of sunshine and unicorn, holding your breath for this final push through the pandemic, you might wanna sit down. A new study says Earth is in the middle of its next MASS EXTINCTION EVENT and there's no stopping it.

Similarly, there appears to be no end to the B.S. spewing from the clowns running the circus at Queen's Park in Ontario.

But with all that doom and gloom, I laughed out loud hearing about a robbery at one of my favourite music stores!

View Details

I can’t believe we spent some much angst and oxygen over declaring SNOW DAYS this week instead of pivoting to online learning for all.

And while the media was enthralled by pics and viz of Doug Ford helping dig cars out of the snow, I want to know who shot the video? Who took the pictures? Newsrooms aren’t asking.

It’s a small thing, but that’s LAZY. The lack of context is unacceptable. I can get video vomit from any social media feed. We should expect more and better from newsrooms.