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Vaccine Passports are finally being unveiled in Ontario.  However, after being requested by public health for the summer, the rollout has been typical of the Ontario PC government.  It's messy and uncoordinated.  However, they are here now and what does that mean for avoiding a possible fourth lockdown in the 905?  And is it about time for the vaccinated to stand their ground and say enough is enough with anti-vax and anti-mask protestors? As well, Roland and Joel look at some of the numbers from election night in Hamilton, and wonder what does it say about Hamilton's problems with racism?     It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. Why not buy us a coffee? Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to you automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

We livestreamed election night, focusing on the 905 of course. We had a great time, with some terrific questions answered live on the podcast. Thanks to everybody who joined us. Not an election that will go down in the history books as being particularly memorable, when all is said and done, but we talked a lot about the way this election was run, and just why the opposition parties, above all the CPC, couldn't seem to make any significant headway against Trudeau and the Liberals. As Trudeau reaches the point in his career where people start talking about legacy (albeit he remains young by any standard), will he be seen as one of the Canadian leaders who is synonymous with the era they live in---as his father was---or will there be a nagging sense of potential never realised? It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. Why not buy us a coffee? Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to your automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

In our second interview with candidates from the 905 Region ahead of the Federal Election, we talk today to Adam van Koeverden, who is seeking re-election as the MP for Milton for the Liberals, a seat he won just two years ago when he defeated former Conservative minister Lisa Rait. Van Koeverden was a Canadian household name as an Olympic Gold, and multi-Silver and Bronze medal winner in Sprint Kayak before entering politics. In his first term as an MP he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. We discuss the climate change, electoral reform, First Nations reconciliation, the COVID recovery plan and much more in a wide-ranging conversation. Programming note: we have continued to approach numerous Conservative candidates with the opportunity to discuss their platform as NDP and Liberal candidates have done. This includes offering to add an extra episode in order that we can make sure a CPC voice is heard before election day. As of September 16th only one CPC campaign office has taken the time to return any of our messages. While we make no apology for the fact the 905er Podcast sees the news through a progressive lens, the reason we exist is to let listeners hear direct from people with influence in our region. We accord anybody who is willing to be a guest equal courtesy and respect, and we are delighted that MPs, mayors and councillors from across the political spectrum have been guests during the 905er's first year. It is disappointing that not one Conservative candidate has yet been willing to speak on the record to voters interested in hearing their party's platform. It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and paying the bills. Why not buy us a coffee? Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to your automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

This summer, saw climate change creep back into the headlines, stealing attention away from COVID-19.  And for good reason. This year saw a record-breaking heatwave sweep the west coast, resulting in a town burning to the ground. Climate change is killing people. And yet, it seems barely been a point of debate in this election. In keeping with our effort to focus on the issues that are important to the 905 we invited Keith Brooks from Environmental Defence to the podcast.  Keith is Programs Director at Environmental Defence where he seeks to advocate for a cleaner environment and a greener economy.  He has a Master’s in environmental studies and has written many times on the need for a more sustainable economy. You can also read Keith's blog at https://environmentaldefence.ca/blog/?author=Keith+Brooks You won't want to miss this deep dive into election politics and the environment. It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and paying the bills. Why not buy us a coffee? Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to your automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

Every CPC candidate in Canada is gagged---forbidden from talking to podcasts---or so we were told by a party operative. As some of the worst aspects of modern political campaigns dominated headlines and anti-vax PPC supporters threw stones, we searched in vain for a CPC candidate willing to take a free 30 minutes to talk about their platform in depth. Although actually we did find candidate keen to chat. A highly touted one, well capable of representing their party. Listen to the podcast to find out what went wrong. While the CPC aren't alone in hiding from the media and public (try finding any candidate to speak to in Humber River-Black Creek), they have certainly gone furthest in turning invisibility into an art form. Roland and Joel ask what it says about the CPC when they're really not interested in speaking about their policies to anybody who isn't already 'on their side'. Finally we wonder what this election would look like if the Liberals hadn't broken their promise on electoral reform in 2016. Would we still be talking about a party with 32% of the vote 'winning'? It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and paying the bills. Why not buy us a coffee? Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever .... Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to your automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

In the first of our 905 candidate interviews, we speak to Roberto Henriquez, who is running for the NDP in the Hamilton West--Ancaster--Dundas riding. Henriquez moved to Hamilton as a student, and now practices law where he represents 'everyday Hamiltonians'. We dive into the NDP's platform and look in particular at the housing affordability crisis that is a concern for millions of people across our region, as well as First Nations reconciliation and the NDP's environmental and climate change platform. The study Roland mentions during the interview, which analyzed each party's climate change policy and was critical of the NDP's plan, was carried out by Mark Jaccard at Simon Fraser University (not the Fraser Institute as Roland suggested) and published on September 3rd in Policy Options. Jaccard's analysis is only one assessment of each party's greenhouse gas reduction policies, and his conclusions have been suggested to be too narrowly construed by the Pembina Institute and disputed by Climate Action Network. It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please considering supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and paying the bills. Why not buy us a coffee? Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever... Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to you automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.  

In our Thursday 905 roundup this week we give our impressions of the early days of the 2021 election and why all the parties seem so far to be struggling to break through the apathy barrier, or find exactly what this election is about. The media landscape is dominated by pointing at the flaws of other parties rather than the qualities of their own platforms. It's a well-worn path, certainly, but does it have to be this way? Why does it seem like all the mainstream parties are falling over themselves in their attempts to lose? Joel and Roland give their free advice on what they think the parties should be doing to inject some life into this election. Are they right, or are they talking a lot of nonsense? Decide for yourself by listening and then let us know! The best comments may get shared and discussed on air in future episodes. This episode was recorded before the release of the Liberal Party platform on September 1st.  

Weeeee'rrrrrreeee back from our August break a few days early so we can fit in some great election coverage that focuses on the issues the 905 is facing. We promise as close to zero coverage of partisan games and gotcha politics as we can get, and a maximum of investigating real, honest-to-goodness policies, both those that the parties should be promising, and exploration of the policies the parties are promising. We kick off our election coverage with the return of Mike Moffat, Senior Director, Smart Prosperity and Assistant Prof, Ivey Business School, as we look at one of the issues dominating the early days of federal campaigns - housing affordability. Today we'll be looking at what an expert like Mike thinks the parties should be doing. In future episodes we'll putting those points directly to party representatives as we explore their platform promises. Mike Moffatt is Senior Director, Smart Prosperity and Assistant Prof, Ivey Business School. You can find much more on this subject and others at https://mikepmoffatt.medium.com/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt. Thanks to those who help us put this together: Thanks to our patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to your automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

[First broadcast on April 15th 2021] They didn't pave Paradise. Instead the City of Hamilton released 24 billion litres of untreated sewage into it. Thursday's episode covers three 905 stories: the latest changes of direction on our schools and an education minister with egg on his face; $5 million for Burlington City Hall's front yard; a new stinky mess in Cootes Paradise. But don't worry, the rotting mass of odiferous gunk is 'just algae', although that algae may be a product of damage caused by the sewage spill. Joel and Roland roll up their sleeves and dive in, so you don't have to. Thanks to those who help us put this together: Thanks to our patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to your automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.  

[First broadcast on November 20th 2020.] We are joined this week by Haassan Basit, CEO of Conservation Halton, and Janet Sumner, Executive Director of CPAWS Wildlands League, to talk about the province's proposed major changes to the powers of Conservation Authorities in Ontario as part of the budget 'omnibus' Bill 229, which, it is argued, weaken key protections that ensure safe development and prevent flooding. We explore the proposals, the justifications provided by the province and the implications for safe development in the 905 region with Hassaan and Janet, in the context of other changes made to planning laws and regulations since 2018. Listeners wishing to know more or express their view on the proposed changes to their MPP and the provincial government should visit the following links: https://loggingscars.ca/take-action/ https://ontarionature.good.do/conservationauthorities/send/ https://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/71104/action/1 Thanks to: Our founding patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining! Gayle Laws: research Wendy Nicholson: sound engineer, podcast consultancy.

[First broadcast on May 20th 2021] Bob Bratina, MP for Hamilton East--Stoney Creek is a man of principle, of that there can be no doubt. His outrage at the federal government's plan to invest unprecedented sums into his home city has distressed him so much that he has announced he is going to quit in disgust at a moment convenient to his own career interests. Namely, at the next election, which could be as late as 2023. In the mean time he will keep his backbench salary and the Liberal Party whip, while working to undermine Liberal Party policy. Bratina will achieve the six years of service needed to qualify for a full MP's pension in November 2021. [Note ... the subsequent election call for September 2021 means many two term MPs will miss this qualification date by a matter of weeks if they lose their seats, and Bratina will not qualify.] When asked about his future plans, Bratina immediately mentioned the possibility of running for mayor of Hamilton again, before stating it was 'not top of mind right now'. In this week's 905 round-up, Joel and Roland discuss the backstory to Bratina's scheduled resignation, and how the anti-LRT lobby in Hamilton, despite their skill at losing elections where they put LRT front and centre, refuses to go away. But now anti-LRT Liberals like Bratina, Vito Sgro and Judi Partridge can't turn to Donna Skelly and the PCs to do their dirty work, do they have a leg left to stand on? Finally we look at the latest fallout from the Halton Catholic District School Board's failure to pass a motion to raise the Pride flag in Hamilton, while Toronto and Waterloo have decided the opposite. Help the 905er Grow! Thanks to our patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to you automatically. We post additional news and stories there, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

[First broadcast on January 19th 2021] Alyssa Brierley, Executive Director of the Centre for Equality Rights in Accomodation, joins us to discuss the waves of evictions that have been happening in Ontario since the summer under the auspices of the Landlord and Tenant Board, despite assurances earlier in the year about protections for tenants in financial difficulties because of the pandemic. These evictions are carried out via an online video process that places many tenants at a strong disadvantage. Then we go on to discuss the wider issue of affordable housing, why housing affordability has become such a large problem in the 905 region, and what possible solutions to provide a supply of affordable housing might be. You can find out more about CERA's work at https://www.equalityrights.org/ Thanks to those who help us put this together: Our founding patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes!

[First broadcast on March 23rd 2021] Where Ontarians are moving is moving. Mike Moffat joins us to explore how, as the seemingly never-ending upward spiral of housing costs in the GTHA continues, and the population increases rapidly, many Ontarians are looking further afield for housing, with the result that some unexpected areas have become among the fastest-growing cities in the province. For instance, London and Woodstock. These are places that haven't necessarily planned for rapid population growth, and don't necessarily have the jobs and economic growth that would traditionally be expected to attract new residents. So what's going on? What is driving this unexpected change? What are Ontarians looking for? What effect has Covid had on this trend? What does it say about affordability in the 905 region, and what do we risk if we don't get to grips as a society with the need for a ready supply of housing for all income groups? Mike Moffatt is Senior Director, Smart Prosperity and Assistant Prof, Ivey Business School. You can find much more on this subject and others at https://mikepmoffatt.medium.com/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt. Thanks to those who help us put this together: Thanks to our founding patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don't forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to your automatically. We post additional news and stories there when we can, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

[First broadcast May 18th 2021] With the guarantee of over $3 billion in funding from the federal and provincial governments to fund LRT - and only LRT - in Hamilton, Laura Babcock joins us to ponder why Hamilton City Council is still hesitant to move ahead. Laura is owner of POWERGROUP Communications a PR firm in Hamilton and media contributor on current affairs nationally, host of the OShow in Hamilton   Thanks to those who help us put this together: Thanks to our patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes! Don’t forget to check out 905er.ca, even if you get the podcast delivered to you automatically. We post additional news and stories there, and welcome submissions and ideas for additional content.

[First broadcast October 13th 2020] In this episode we explore why Hamilton City Council decided to launch an investigation by its Integrity Commissioner into the actions of a volunteer chair of one of its advisory committees - Cameron Kroetsch. We speak to Cameron to get his side of the story, and ask whether the claims against him have merit, why council would want to appear so heavy-handed with regard to the actions of a volunteer, and what message they are sending to the wider community. Special thanks to our 905er volunteers who are help us to make these episodes.

[First broadcast June 8th 2021] This episode was recorded before the hate-fuelled killing of a four members of Muslim family in London, Ontario. We added a short pre-amble in light of that horrific event. Our guest this week is Graham Crawford, one of the leads and spokespeople of iElectHamilton.ca, which was launched two weeks ago. In two short weeks, iElectHamilton.ca has provoked a wave of positive support from many Hamiltonians, and a storm of angry reaction from some of the city’s political grandees. It has already been described as a leftist takeover by university elites, and for being unfairly hostile to delicate incumbent councillors who just want everybody to be positive. You can listen to part 2 of this interview here Please don’t forget to share on social media and review the 905er podcast, wherever you get it. If you’d like to be part of the 905er journey, and help us grown into a valued voice for our region, please consider supporting us at Patreon.com/the905er. Special Thanks Sound editing: Nicholas Paul Intro/Outro music: The Stereophonics

[First broadcast April 20th 2021] Tonight will be a momentous night for the Halton Catholic District School Board. For weeks, the board has been wrestling with itself over whether or not the Pride flag ought to be raised over its schools. A motion brought by Trustee Brenda Agnew under the title "Supporting Our Diverse School Community" would direct the Pride flag to be flown over HCDSB schools and mandate a safe space poster in every class "to ensure that students in the 2SLGBT community are supported throughout the school year". This motion has attracted the support of numerous parents and students, who have written letters or registered to delegate in support for the motion.  However, others have expressed opposition to the flag, claiming it is not in line with the tenets of Catholicism. The motion has divided the Catholic community in Halton, Ontario, and the debate has raised questions once again about the place of publicly funded Catholic education in the province. We invited a former Halton Catholic School Board graduate, Niamh Shallow, onto the podcast to give her perspective.  Niamh is a third year Sociology major at Trent University, and has written in support of trustee Agnew's motion, and will be part of a delegation in favour of the motion at the HCDSB board meeting on Tuesday evening. Joining her is Deirdre Pike. 905er listeners will remember Deirdre from our episode on Hamilton Universal Basic Income pilot project.  She is also a recent nominee for an Ontario Newspaper Award for her column in The Spectator. Today she joins us as an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights who is also a practising Catholic. https://www.thespec.com/authors.pike_deirdre.html The meeting agenda, including letters and delegation notes in support and opposition to the motions can be downloaded here: https://www.hcdsb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/BOARD_2021_04_20_REPORT.pdf Thanks to those who help us put this together: Thanks to our patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

As we recharge the batteries with a summer break, we hope you enjoy some highlights from the 905er's first year. In our second episode, first broadcast August 4th 2020, Roland Tanner and Joel MacLeod were joined by Cindy Cosentino, who recently retired after 32 years as a teacher in Hamilton and Halton school boards teaching science and math. Cindy shares her concerns, and the concerns of many of her colleagues, at what is being asked of teachers as children head back to school, and we explore the many unanswered questions about how the province’s plan can be implemented safely. Is the provincial plan ultimately more about protecting the economy than the interests and safety of children, parents and teachers? Thanks to those who help us put this together: Thanks to our founding patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team.

Gerry Kavanaugh is an entrepreneur and CEO of Formula Solutions in Burlington. He started his first business at the age of twenty after initially trying his hand at motorsports. Since then he has built two successful companies in the field of carbon fibre composites, collaborated in creating equipment that helped Canada's snowboarders win gold at the Vancouver Olympics, and is now focussed in the field of commercial aerospace with major contracts that will see him hiring seventy new staff over the next year. Gerry talks to us about his career and how working in the 905 has contributed to his success. If you like the what the 905er does, please consider supporting us at Patreon. For a week, for a month, for a year --- it all helps cover our costs and helps us cover more of the stories you want to see. Thanks to: Nicholas Paul: sound editing Our fantastic Team 905er Patrons.

Joel and Roland look at three more stories from the 905 region, including the implications of COVID spikes in Burlington, a Go Transit announcement in Hamilton, and the behaviour of a Rebel Media journalist in a confrontation with a CPC candidate in Thornhill. If you like the what the 905er does, please consider supporting us at Patreon. For a week, for a month, for a year --- it all helps cover our costs and helps us cover more of the stories you want to see. Thanks to: Nicholas Paul: sound editing Our fantastic Team 905er Patrons.