Just an OSAP observation given it’s going to be another rowdy & aggressive protest at Queen’s Park today….
1. The Ford government clearly underestimated how much noise there’d be about going back to a system that few challenged or griped about from the late 1980s thru until about 2010-11 or so - that most of the $ provided to students should be paid back, & grants should only go to the neediest students - & of course, we can debate what that means.
2. I think if you polled all Ontario residents on the issue, not the political machinery involved, that 70% at least, & especially people over 45, would say more loans than grants.
3. I also am quite sure that the % of Ontario residents who would be against defacing statues & writing up hateful graffiti or really personal stuff about the Premier….that’s 90-95%. Disagree on the issue but yelling for Doug Ford to, ahem, “have relations with himself” while spraypainting “COLONIST” on George Brown’s statue - that ain’t grabbing the public & helping w/ your side of the issue.
The Ontario Liberals have a tightrope to walk. They should get aggressive about policies & files they think hurt Ontarians - of course. But they don’t want to be arm-in-arm with Antifa activists or loathsome public figures like Fred Hahn. The votes only go one way on that kind of rubbish.
Premier Doug Ford was on the defensive as he faced opposition questions over his personal cell phone, which the government will soon exempt from privacy laws.
The NDp is now trying tp build support for a Speakers' Warrant.
#onpoli
I spoke to the farmer who finally had enough & returned piles of dumped trash to the homeowners that dumped it. It's an enlightening conversation - he showed up, the kids were home, & the tone changed. I think he did the right thing - it's OK to teach a non-threatening lesson to people who wrong you.
open.spotify.com/episode/15Fc1i…
Canadians were paying well over $2 for a litre of unleaded gas for the better part of 3-4 months in early 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, & many nations panic-sold & refused to further buy Russian oil. That was all that happened. Not the potential mass destruction of oil & energy infrastructure....across the entire Middle East, let alone the shipping issues in the Strait of Hormuz. Want to know what's different in Canada in Spring 2026 compared to Spring 2022, & why the coming "new normal" of well over $2/litre for gas hits tons harder than just 4 years ago?
1) Grocery prices, for openers. We've been demolished by food inflation the past 4 years. The exact same grocery purchase has risen, depending on region of Canada, between 22-27%. This year, a family of four in Canada (per 2026 Canada Food Price Report) will spend $17,571 on groceries. That price was $14,286 in 2022. Needless to say, we're all going to restaurants & bars far less, on the whole.
2) GDP per capita, which focuses on individual prosperity is DOWN. Unthinkable, but less unthinkable when you look at who's been driving the bus for our economy - & where they've been spending the money.
In 2022, GDP per capita was approx $45,677 USD - it's closer to $44,400. Bottom line - the average Canadian is poorer.....and paying tons more for the basics. One big reason? Immigration far outstripped productivity gains & business investment. You've seen the stories of Canadians leaving where they can prosper more? It's true - so very true, and more will these next few years.
3) Unemployment - it's a spike, to be sure - how far it goes, early to say. In February 2022, unemployment was 5.3%, it's now 6.7% 4 years later. We JUST contracted 108,000 jobs in February.
So - here we are. And you have a ton of answers as to why the federal government was desperate to an instill a new leader (business guy, right? Right?) & call the snappiest of snap elections to get ahead of these dreadful numbers, & the even worse numbers the government will bring - some of it is new bad decisions, some a ripple effect from the terrible Trudeau ones.
Hold on to whatever you can. We will need to.
Critics are accusing the Ford government of flooding the zone: making a wave of announcements to overwhelm the media, confuse the public & exhaust political opponents.
They say the premier is trying to distract after changing access laws to keep his cellphone records secret.